text:
College Money and the Military
"Why the military?"
This question is always asked of me, so I figure you should know the answer.
Back in 1996, I was a sophomore at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia when one day at the end of class the professor asked me to stay after and see him. I walked down to the front of the lecture hall and he asked me if there was something wrong. Of course I did not have any clue what he was talking about so I told him "No, Sir". He proceeded with
"The college has informed me your tuition bill is outstanding. I am supposed to ask you to leave my class."
I decided to take the semester off to figure out my financial situation.
I did not have a great opinion of the military at age 19, so I resorted to scholarship applications, sending out about 30. Just as fast as I sent them they returned with explanations like
"We are sorry but your address is in an area where the mean income is too high to accept your application for this scholarship."
Lots of them came back with the explanation that my current grade point average was a non-qualifying factor. In the end, all of the applications for free money were denied for one reason or another.
Influenced by my father's tenure in the United States Navy, I saddled myself up and went to the local Navy recruiting office. The salivating recruiters nearly fell out of their seats when I told them I was a student at the College of William & Mary and I needed to find a way to finance college. They knew they could sell me on tuition payment benefits.
Immediately they sat me down to take a shorter version of the ASVAB(Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), a multi-aptitude test which is maintained by the Dept. of Defense. After scoring the test, they tried selling me on becoming a nuclear submarine officer, which would have meant a two to three year delay in returning to college due to training requirements and the minimum active duty contract.
I was instantly uncomfortable with that proposal. I was not going to spend my time in the military on a sub. I also wanted to get back to college as soon as possible because I feared the longer I spent away from school, the more likely I was not to return. I departed quickly, thanking them for their time.
By Bert Stover |
September 13, 2005; 12:01 AM ET
| Category:
Why the Military?
Previous: Operational Security |
Next: A Recruiter Who Makes Sense
What's the rest of the story?
Posted by: Max | September 13, 2005 07:31 AM
Almost the exact same thing happend to me when I was younger. I was "taking a break" from college and talked to the Navy Recruiter. I got the same mini-ASVAB and while I was still taking it I looked over and sure enough, he was already reaching into his desk for the Nuclear sub brochures. Didn't matter how well I scored, I was perfect Nuke material. I quickly realized spending months at a time underwater wasn't what I wanted to do. So I departed quickly also.
I guess that's why they're always looking for nuclear sub folk.
Posted by: Peter F. | September 13, 2005 07:53 AM
Yeah, what happened, Bert? Did you eventually end up signing with the National Guard? Good for you...good choice. Although on the surface, comparing being a soldier with the National Guard against being a college student with William and Mary may seem incomparable, the military is unique- it gives you life experience that can't be found anywhere and is priceless as it builds foundation on how you see life from hereon. I spent 23 years with the U.S. Navy sailing the seas and discovering places and those were just experiences that I would treasure forever.
Posted by: Steve | September 13, 2005 07:57 AM
I spent 3 years in the Army and have worked for 24 for the Federal government. My bosses have been from the Deferred generation who think anyone who would fight or die for minimum wage is nuts. I'd advise anyone to rob a bank (just kidding) but stay out of the military.
Posted by: John | September 13, 2005 08:13 AM
Recruiters play their games, to be sure. This situation exists because our American boys are no longer inculcated with a sense of duty that leads them to want to defend their country. I fear for our country when the first our young ask when offered the opportunity to serve is, "What do I get out of it?" Those from the Deferred Generation who had "other priorities" that led them away from service do not deserve to eat the bread of our land. I served in the Marine Corps for twenty years and I'd do it again.
Posted by: James McClain | September 13, 2005 09:21 AM
Excuse me, but didn't you realize there was a problem with your tuition payments before you were evicted from class? Hello, that's called Financial Responsibility 101. So you were basically attending college classes without paying for them, correct?
Posted by: E. Etage | September 13, 2005 09:59 AM
I don't think American young men of the current military-age generation have at all any less sense of duty than their grandparents'. Rather, many who would willingly risk life and limb to protect their country are now informed enough to realize that prosecuting foreign wars without direct relation to defense of their own country does not quite fit the definition of defending their country.
Furthermore, it should be noted that of the current forces serving (largely thanklessly) in Iraq, for example, every single young man and woman serves as a volunteer, without the nation resorting to the draft--which was not the case for at least one previous generation's war.
Posted by: Smith | September 13, 2005 10:03 AM
There are many ways to serve your country besides military service --- paying your taxes, voting, supporting your family and community, and may other ways. I think it's fantastic that you can get a college education with finanical help from the government -- our country benefits twice: 1) with your service in the Guard 2) and long after with your education and your experiences.
Posted by: George | September 13, 2005 10:14 AM
Why should we "cultivate a sense of duty" that leads us to defend our country when the Government uses the military to fight wars base on lies and political motives? I don't think the military is the problem, I think is our current government has made a lot of young people not want to join the military because there is no good cause. Sep. 11 led many to sign up for the military, but instead of going after the real enemy which was in Afghanistan, we went after Iraq (so where are the WMD?).
My thinking is that if I die, I would like to die for a good cause, not for lies made by a crappy government full of idiots. If you want me to trust government with my life by going into the military, then government needs to get their act together and show me that I�m dying for a righteous cause, not for political motivations.
Posted by: Raquel | September 13, 2005 10:17 AM
I am so tired of hearing that same tired old "this generations priorities are screwed up" I spent 10 years in the army left an NCO and highly decorated, and am one of the Gen X'rs you guys all seem to hate. Most of us would willingly fight so save the world or our country, If WWIII were looming we would be there, but instead we have another unnecessary unpopular war in a place that was never a national security threat. Gee go figure that were not hot to die there. WWII was all about defending our country the world and our way of life, this current mess is just that a big unnecessary mess. And if I hear the excuse of WMD's or that Saddam blew off the security council one more time I think I'll puke. If those are really justifications then we should have invaded Korea first they are and were much greater violaters of both.
Posted by: sam | September 13, 2005 10:20 AM
I have to point out in response to E. Etage that financial responsibility is a learned behavior, and frankly, when one's parents haven't had to or chose not to navigate the hoops and tricks of either going to college or paying for it, one is very much left in the dark, with little to no guidance.
I faced the same dilemma. I even got booted out of the dorms. Fortunately I fell into a well-paying tech job and worked for a few years, and then made the decision to come back to school after I had grounded myself in what you term "Financial Responsibility 101."
It helps that once you turn 24, you are considered independent by the federal government, so it is only your income (and not your parents) that is considered for loans and grants. And if you're willing to make the sacrifice of only working part-time, the Pell grants will come through. That's the only way I've been able to come back full-time as a student, to finish what I started when I had no clue what was going on.
The military's for chumps--once you sign the dotted line, you are property of USG. And your college education gets back-burnered any time you need to play cannon fodder. I'm all for service to one's country, but you can do better service by volunteering as an EMT, working a soup kitchen, or any other number of ways besides learning how to kill.
Posted by: Steve | September 13, 2005 10:43 AM
This is all about the cost of education and options, not the military! The military has long been one of the few options for the poor and lower middle class to try and have a better life than our parents. As tuition continues to rise, incomes continue to fall and jobs continue to become less available, the military simply becomes one of the few known and visible options.
However, I would like to suggest that there are other win/win solutions! I would encourage students to take on the loans, become teachers or volunteers in low income areas and get their loans cancelled, while providing positive role models to youngsters who need to see that there is something to be gained by staying in school.
Be part of a new solution, don't just gripe about the old options!
Posted by: Judy | September 13, 2005 11:07 AM
I am currently in the military. I agree with a lot of people about the problems in the military recruitment etc, and once you sign, you definitely are the property of the government. I joined the army mainly out of the belief that it is the responsibility of a citizen to defend what matters. I went to one of the best schools in the country (always in the top 10), and I was on full ride.
But what you have to see when you are in the military 90% of the time it sucks. The other 10% is possibly the most fun and best bonding experiences you will ever encounter. You should not join the military in order to get money for college. If you do, you will regret it. My unit was mobilized during my senior year and those who joined for college money were not the ones we wanted with us. They were trying to run out on claims they had moral problems with killing or some medical purpose.Because of this, they were banished from the rest of us. We want the guy/girl next to us to fight.
If you are interested in serving in the military look at all 3 branches, the Army,Air Force, and Navy all offer different things. (Marines are part of the navy for you who don't realize). They offer different jobs and different "incentives". The best way to go about it, is to talk to a recruiter. DONT SIGN ANY CONTRACTS. (You can't sign immediately). Ask the recruiter to tell you what jobs are available, and to let you look through the different information on the jobs.
GO VISIT A UNIT. If you want to be in the reserves, generally the best for students, then get the recruiter to take you to their drills. If you want to be active duty, go to meet a unit with soldiers who have that job.
See how the different forces deal with formalities, talking, etc. You will find that one of them may be for you.
Once you decide on a job, remember that everything is negotiable to a limit. If you want a job, and they say it is not available, simply tell them to call you when it is. Amazingly slots will open up right away. Also, decide what incentives are important and what you will have to pay back if you are kicked out. Atleast in the army you can't quit. But people do get the boot frequently because they can't do the road marches etc.
Posted by: Army Soldier | September 13, 2005 11:08 AM
Army Soldier is wrongly repeating what someone in the Army told him. The US Marine Corps is part of the Dept of the Navy but is a branch of the service wholly apart from the US Navy. You can look it up. Army Soldier makes his claim as a backhanded swipe at both the Marine Corps and the Navy, in order to bolster his service in the Army. All branches and the Reserve and Guard forces involve honorable service. His insecurity is understandable but he should be proud of it nonetheless.
Posted by: Not an Army Soldier | September 13, 2005 11:18 AM
I agree with Steve's assertion that "financial responsibility is a learned behavior" but I respectfully disagree when he states "frankly, when one's parents haven't had to or chose not to navigate the hoops and tricks of either going to college or paying for it, one is very much left in the dark, with little to no guidance." Unless there is more to the story, it appears that Bert (remember him?) was basically going to school without paying for it. As anyone who ever attended any learning institution will know, you have to pay before you go to class. How Bert could have gone through a semester without paying for it is beyond me.
It is funny that Bert decided to look into getting military money rather than transfering to a college with a significantly lower tuition that William & Mary.
Oh, and Shout Out to the military censors reading this blog. Hope you are having a good day!
Posted by: | September 13, 2005 11:34 AM
I spent 6 years in the Marine Corps reserve from 1967-73. I had been attending college for about a year and didn't have a real sense of direction. I did not want to quit school and be drafted and was fortunate to be able to get into the Marines without much of a delay. All other reserve and guard units had multi-year waiting lists as many of my generation pursued that in lieu of being drafted and sent to Vietnam (including the President). Regardless of motives, the result of my military experience was on the whole very beneficial, I returned to school after my six months of training, the extra cash from my monthly drill helped and I have encouraged my sons to pursue a similar path.
Posted by: Larry | September 13, 2005 12:01 PM
I did not have a choice. I was drafted into the Army and served in Viet Nam. I do not regret it. I saw it as my duty to pay back this country for everything I had recieved. I guess my feelings were transfered to my sons. Son number 2 served in an airborn unit for four years. Son number 3 will be graduating from basic training next week. He had everthing going for him. 1450 SAT score, national honor society, captain of his football and basketball teams in high school etc. He surprised me and disappointed his mother when after completing two years of college he decided to serve. Needless to say, I am very proud of him.
Posted by: Roberto de la Selva | September 13, 2005 12:08 PM
I joined the army (reserves) during my junior year of college to not only help pay for tuition, but also because I was attracted to the training and the discpline that the army provides. I have learned life-long lessons and the quality of my life is better today because of my service back then (during Gulf War I). Although my unit did not participate in GWI, I knew that the potential to be deployed was high and was ready to sit out of school and perform the duties I signed up for.
One person on this comment board has said that the military is for chumps. I strongly disagree. When the country faces dissater (be it Al Qeada or Katrina), who does everyone look for first, (no not FEMA) but the military. It is an honorable way to serve the country as well as teaching in rural or inner urban school districts.
Everyones financial situation is specific to that persons income, financial knowledge and experience, so what might be obvious to some may not be to others. Making sweeping generizations about who should know or do what (Finanacial Responsibility 101)is just that; a sweeping generalization with little basis for application on an individual to individual basis. I learned a great deal about financial and every other kind of resposibility in the army. I employ these skills avery day as the manager of a mid-sized engineering firm.
Oh, the navy tried the submarine nuke power program on me too! They are relentless!
Posted by: Vince | September 13, 2005 12:09 PM
I chose National Guard Service to serve in a military capacity in the greatest country in the World. My 20-year experience was rewarding and fulfilling. I was activated, had my college paid for, held another civilian career, and all the while I was a female in my 30s and 40s. The military is what you make of it, and activation is always a possibility.
Posted by: Donna, MSgt, ANG, Retired | September 13, 2005 12:09 PM
I'm a former Marine (Vietnam era), but currently work in financial aid at a community college. My brother-in-law is an Army recruiter, so I also have some insight about that arena.
Good advice (above) about being VERY careful when you talk to recruiters and sign contracts. With "stoploss" clauses you ARE the property of the military, for as long as they see fit to use you.
Re the "financial responsibility" aspect, state governments have been cutting support for college students since Reagan was in office. I attended college in California in the 60s and 70s and it was basically FREE. The tuition cost at our CC has about doubled in the past six years, because Republican-dominated legislatures have cut funding.
The feds are no better--Pell grants have been frozen, as have loan amounts--since Bush junior got into office. While the cost of higher ed has climbed steadily.
Millions of "middle income" young people are being priced out of higher ed, and many sign military contracts for the ed benefits, only to discover they're spending years, risking life and limb, in the Middle East.
Not a pleasant situation for middle/low income 18-22 year-olds.
Posted by: Michael | September 13, 2005 12:15 PM
I served full time active duty in the Navy for 9 years from 1980-89, the Reagan and Bush I eras. Those were the fairly peaceful years to be in, with the exception of the Beirut bombings. I took a few college extension courses and made a slight dent in advancing towards a degree but when I did my last tour I had absolutely NO TIME (recruiting duty). Anyway, besides thinking I could rack up some college credits, I joined solely for the travel and the adventure of it all. I certainly got that and then some more. You know something? I have absolutely NO regrets, anger or bitterness because whenever any situation gets tough I always use my past military experiences as a psychological baseline for getting through whatever monkeywrench is being thrown in my path.
Posted by: Jane Stein | September 13, 2005 12:22 PM
I spent 9 years in the army and learned a lot about life and the world however, no matter how many deployments that I went on (6months in somalia, 1 1/2 years in Bosnia, 9 months in Hati) I never felt that I was "defending" my country. Doing my countries and presidents bidding Yes but defending no. More Americans need to recognize the difference. The invasion of Afganistan in respomse to 9/11 could be said to be defe3nding our country as we were attacked. Iraq however, is not a defense of our country, it is millitary adventurism at the expense of our soldiers lives and to the benifit of the oil corporations who have reaped record profits since the invasion. Hey but what ever keeps the profits rolling in for the president campaign contributers
Posted by: Todd | September 13, 2005 12:51 PM
I fell for a similar gambit. I immigrated from Liberia in the Fall of 1996 and needed money to get into college. The military seemed like my best bet. The Navy turned me down because I'd been in country for less then 2 months and still did not have a green card. The Marines were willing to work with me.
I aced the ASVAB and even got a medical waiver to enlist. The recruiter told me I could have any job I wanted in the Marines based on my scores. After I signed my enlisted documents, he altered that statement. Because I was a non citizen, I could only work in certain specialties. I couldn't back out, I had signed the dotted line. I did my time and went to college. But I can tell you with certainty, that those were the best 4 years of my life. I am now completing grad school, but I sure miss the Marines. I might return in some reserve capacity.
Posted by: Deor | September 13, 2005 01:11 PM
I joined the Army right out of high school knowing that I could not afford to go to college but that after 3 years in the Army I would receive benefits that would allow me to attend college. I served every day of my Army term and got all the benefits due. I would not trade the experience for any other.
Posted by: Stan Karber | September 13, 2005 01:49 PM
I joined the military right after high school and went to Viet-Nam and I don't regret it. And, like some of the others who've posted their comments above, when I got out I went to school and the governemnt paid. But, I didn't join the military out of patriotism or ideology, rather I joined because I was always fascinated by it. I was weaned on war movies and hero stuff and I couldn't wait to join.
I personally don't like that the US fights wars in other countries with the excuse that we're defending our country: "bulls--t". I don't like to read or hear that another US soldier was killed in Iraq, or other foreigh country! We don't owe anybody anything! I don't blame anyone for not joining the military unless our shores are being invaded. If this were the case, I'd be the first one to grab a gun and go to the front as I'm sure all others would, as well! I am older and wiser now, but I still like the military, but not to fight someone else's wars!
Posted by: H> | September 13, 2005 02:25 PM
When I started college in 1972, there was no money available. I felt very lucky to receive an Army ROTC Scholarship. (Market demand must have been low in those days.)To my surprise, I wound serving 6 years on active duty and 15 in the active reserve. My motives were never entirely selfless, as I enjoyed- and will continue to enjoy- many different benefits. These include serving with some of the best people one could ever meet, and the pride of service and some sacrifice. True, there are many ways to serve the nation and others, and the military is not for everyone. It can be miserable at times, but to say it is for "chumps" implies to me a self-centered life and denigrates the service of many fine people. I believe there are two unfortunate by-produts of the all-volunteer force. One, we have lost the democratic experience of previous generations, where people from all walks of life shared the common experience and bond of military life, good and bad. Two, our military seems to have become more of a separate class of people, rather than the citizen-soldiers of the past. (Although the extraordinary mobilization of the Guard and Reserve we see now has changed that, and some communities are certainly feeling direct involvement.)Still, it becomes too easy for national leadership to commit to military action when it is only other peoples' kids who bear the risks. We should try to renew the sense of honorable military service, not deride it. Bottom line: I think you should consider that you can both serve well and promote your own interests. If your only motivation in service is to receive money or other personal advantage, you will likely be disappointed. If you feel like everyone should bear some of the responsibility of a free democracy, you will probably find deeper satisfaction.
Posted by: Old Army Guy | September 13, 2005 02:56 PM
Re: William and Mary Tuition
W&M is a state school, so tuition there is comparable to other state universities for state residents. Despite W&M's stellar reputation, it's not nearly as expensive as private college... mayeb $10K/yr compared to $30K-$40K.
As far as my own experience, I was medicaled out of a ROTC scolarship during drawdown. I got financial aid--loans I am still paying off 13 years later. My mother went to see a recruiter who fed her a line of bull so wide you couldn't shovel it with a back-hoe.
As for recruiters... I'm a mil spouse of some 14 years. My husband has been on recruiting duty and I know what it's like. Recrutiters are not so much evil as desperate. They don't get good support from the command. They are vastly over worked: Saturdays, holidays--Christmas day, New Years day, Thanksgiving day. He worked them all. He was often up at 5 AM and not back til midnight. He came home emotionally drained, dead to us, even though he was there all the time. It was worse than sea duty. At least when he's gone to sea, he's really gone.
He was made unwelcome and treated badly by people who didn't have a clue what a good person he was. He didn't lie, but he watched other people lie and watched them get ahead while he didn't. It nearly killed my husband who went to recruiting because it was "his duty." Even now, he is having trouble making chief because of that horrible recruiting tour. He was a damned good sailor, a good leader, and they ruined him.
No. Don't join if you don't want to join. But for God's sake, recruiters are humans, doing an overwhelming job, dealing with daily negativity--crushing amounts of it. Next time you say "no" to a recruiter, have some compassion. Recruiters have to fulfill the mission, no matter how impossible it is. They have to do it. You don't. You're not in the military.
Posted by: dejah | September 13, 2005 02:57 PM
Two Years Military or National service ( for proven ultra-religious individuals ) should be required for citizenship. This takes away all of the talk about priviledge and does away with the draft as well as recruiter lies. With a 20-Million sized armed forces ( Not paid at volunteer army rates! ) few countries will want to tangle with us. In addition; 1 million troops could easily re-build the south after Katrina.
Posted by: Athenian-Roman | September 13, 2005 03:07 PM
so, you had a low grade point average and did not pay your tuition. Mommy and Daddy made too much money, but don't want to waste it on you. You have looked everywhere for a free ride, then go to a recruiting office. Then, they lure you. Given your incredibly wonderful history of good decision making and your total avoidance of responsibility, your were hoodwinked. Your low grade point average makes a lot of sense. Stop blaming the recruiter. I don't believe you remember it quite the way it happened, because any educated person reads the fine print themselves. I am only grateful the military did not allow you in a nuclear sub.
Posted by: Karen | September 13, 2005 03:33 PM
Is the Washington Post really allowing a spoiled kid whine in a column? Are there no adults around? Have they told him Canada really likes people who act like they got hit by a hockey stick?
Posted by: Karen | September 13, 2005 03:37 PM
Hey Karen--what's Canada got to do with this? He wasn't looking to evade military duty; as you can plainly see he's in the Guard. He was just looking for a way to independently fund his way through school without his parents help which shows me he's NOT spoiled. Had you actually spoken to Bert Stover to get ALL of the facts BEFORE you decided to flame him?
Posted by: Jane Stein | September 13, 2005 04:12 PM
Jane, if you don't see this child blaming the mean, aggressive recruiter, than you should reread his "piece". His terminology in referencing recruiters,such as "salivating" and using "they could sell me on.." (redundantly) does not sound like someone willing to take responsibility. He went to them. They are good people doing a hard job. Show some respect.
Posted by: Karen | September 13, 2005 04:51 PM
If you read my earlier piece I wrote that I used to work recruiting duty in the Navy. Of course the recruiters were "salivating" and "falling off their seats". I saw it all the time as it was not very often that a "CAT 1" quality type applicant would be visiting our recruiting stations in order to sail the seven seas, particularly in the high flying '80's. I have the utmost respect and props in the world for ALL military recruiters and the difficult jobs they do. Working from "dark o'clock" until "dark o'clock" seven days a week is NOT fun and neither is the high rate of divorce, depression and everything else that comes with the territory. However, your verbal attack of Mr. Stover is still NOT justified!!
Posted by: Jane Stein | September 13, 2005 05:11 PM
Karen,how is your new job at the State Dept. going ?
Posted by: Jack | September 13, 2005 05:14 PM
I have known Bert since he was in the 8th grade. I taught him in high school. After classes and athletics were finished, he worked part time (til 10:00pm) for me during his Junior and Senior years. He would then be be up most mornings by 6:00 to get his homework done. In his senior year of high school, while taking a full academic load of English, Math, Japanese, History, and Sciences, he earned 4 varsity letters. During vacation time he always worked a day job and a weekend job.
Bert cares too much about the dignity of his loving family to say anything in this Blog that would cause any embarassment. If you can trust me, even though you have never met me, believe that in all my years of teaching and mentoring high school and college age kids, Bert and one other are the most financially responsible that I ever came across.
Posted by: A Joyce | September 13, 2005 09:04 PM
I also attended William and Mary on military-paid tuition. In times when recruiting is tough, you can pick and choose your branch. For those who say "I don't approve of the killing" you can serve in so many other branches that are less combat oriented and still serve your country. Medical officers are in perennial demand. I was practically carried in on a golden chariot when I requested a transfer from the Combat Engineers to MEDEVAC.
Posted by: DT Skiles | September 13, 2005 10:24 PM
My oldest son is very bright, but was not motivated in high school and had a poor GPA to show for it. So he followed his brother into the Marines. It was a pressure cooker for him, but he learned that the austere and lifestyle there was beneath him for a career. So he resolved to turn things around. He not only had the GI Bill going for him, but is saving almost as much while in the service as the GI Bill provides. When he leaves the the Corps next April, he shows every sign of coming out determined to achieve and will have the funding to make it happen. He also completed his first college course in economics through the University of Maryland. The USMC has been very good to him. If you play your cards right, you can get back in the game.
Posted by: K Blankinship | September 14, 2005 12:23 AM
A Joyce, if Burt was so responsible and worked so hard and held down jobs during school, as you claim, why did he not show that initiative in college? He wasn't financially responsible if he didn't know his tuition wasn't paid, and he didn't make a decision to pay for school with a job or push for scholarships very hard... I grew up poor in an old farmhouse, and the land all around us was rich kids. Our 'area' had high median income, but we didn't. And I managed to get scholarships based on need AND academics. And I didn't need to go to someone else to do it.
K Blankinship, I hope your son actually gets out when you say - but I imagine that 'stop loss' will keep him in there for the foreseeable future. Don't expect him home soon.
Posted by: Costello | September 14, 2005 01:41 PM
First, kudos that he earned his wings in a demanding program, learning to fly and surviving officer candidate school all at the same time is no small feat. Even his classmates that washed out had the courage to take on the challenge.
Paradoxically he proves he has the intelligence and drive to accomplish anything, too bad he hadn't turned on that switch earlier as he could have had better options by joining the Coast Guard and either earning college money or competing for academy slot than being on this deployment scheme that will wreak havoc on his ultimate educational goals. Or simply getting a student loan working during the day and going to school at night, internet/online there are easier ways, than joining the army, amigos!
I know, did the same thing except there was no active war on, and I was lucky to end up flying fixed wing in the Air Guard, two things: real air conditioned cockpits and hotels--don't hate just get this tour over and check out that option but-- ya need a degree. I just retired after over 23 years and even went to grad school.
Still I will say this I only joined because I wanted to position myself to fly for the military. The Cold War probability was so low. Besides I had academic scholarships. I remember when they bombed the Marines in Lebanon and shot down KAL747 as a wake up call. Then came Grenada, Panama, small wars light casualties, no real long term committment. Then GWar I, did it the right way, used the much touted Powell doctrine beautifully unlike now when Powell shredded his own docrtine and respect, and for what?
I am so glad that my daughter did not want to be in the military and even more happier that I retired, and yes I do not agree with all the pathetic reasons for us being in a war of choice, spawned by the glaring and most unsophisticated trumped up WMD propoganda while the real source of terrorists are in a veritable sanctuary on the Paki-Afghan border, watching new combatants pick apart our best and brightest. Since we no longer have the intelligence for resourcing this war properly, hence no end game, short of paying gold-plated private forces to protect an ever-evaporating sanctuary in Baghdad, expect a lot of flight time in Iraq during your career.
Posted by: C | October 7, 2005 03:52 AM
I'm with "Old Army Guy." Coming from a largely military family, and having a lot less direction than my peers, I dropped out of college in '62, joined the Army, became a Green Beret, and served in 'Nam in '64-'65. After "enjoying" (surviving) the combat experience, I returned home and re-started college. At the end of that, still not feeling any "tug" in one direction or another, I joined the Navy, attended OCS, and became a Navy frogman, first in Underwater Demolition Teams, and later in SEAL Teams, retiring in 1991. I will be forever grateful for the experiences I've had, the places I've been, the opportunities that were provided to me and the stupid stunts that I survived. I got the chance to visit exotic (both beautiful and dangerous) places, to train and interact with foreign soldiers and sailors (Philippines, Indonesia, Korea, El Salvador), to build my own mini-Navy (El Salvador), and to influence the structure of the US military special operations forces (Pentagon). My service allowed me to complete two Masters degrees, attend the Defense Intelligence College and the National War College, and to parlay all that into a second (third?) career with the CIA. Having said that, I can understand the reluctance of today's youth to volunteer and serve, given the lack of credibility of the past several Administrations, and their overzeal in becoming involved in what I can only describe as "foreign adventurism." And I can also understand the reluctance of those who serve, to serving with those who choose to serve only for the alleged benefits. If you have no desire to place yourself in harm's way, do not join...I want someone at my back that I can rely on, thick and thin, and you probably won't be that someone. 'Nuf said.
Posted by: resqdogs | November 7, 2005 03:55 PM
The military is a job. It's not a calling. You do the work and get the pay, education is included.It takes a certain amount of discipline to complete twenty years but the reward of lifetime income makes it much easier in old age. My classmates of 1969 high school graduates are scrambling to make it to a payable retirement and worrying but with my military retirement, ss and a retirement from goverment service all lifetime payments my worries are few. Thanks Uncle Sam.
Posted by: TED | February 3, 2006 10:06 AM
First I have to start out by saying that not all recruiters lie! Everything my recruiter told me has been true, plus there is a lot that she didn't tell me that I came to find out was good. I have been in the Army National Guard for 9 years I am a E-6 and I love it. I am also in the younger generation, I am willing to die for my country to save other peoples lives. I never went to college instead I started my own construction company and serve one weekend a month. The biggest difference I see with active duty recruiters and National Guard recruiters is that in the guard you see all of the jobs that are available in the area you want to be stationed for your weekend drills. You pick that job and you get it, there is no wish list or anything like that.
Oh and a shout out to Steve, the military is for chumps??????? I'm sorry you feel that way and I will still do whatever needs to be done to keep the american people safe. In the future please don't call military people chumps, we are doing a tough honorable job, and being called chumps sure doesn't help the moral any.
I am proud to be in the Army National Guard and I am going to go for retirement.
Posted by: Casey | April 19, 2006 12:52 PM
Karen, E. Etage, Costello - why are you so intent on attacking Bert for something that happened 10 years ago? He's putting some of his background out there in public, something that might be embarassing - basically admitting he was young and stupid, or at least disorganized in not payingn his tuition on time -- and you're flaming him as if he were still that 19 or 20 year old, and had somethign to learn from your scolding.
Costello - somebody who actually knows Bert speaks up for him, and you try to challenge that person's assessment, based solely on Bert's blog entry. Why do you think you can infer so much about this man from his brief summary of his reasons for approaching military recruiters?
He's a military officer -- the Army trusts him to lead soldiers and fly expensive helicopters. I think maybe we can recognize that the man is a grown-up.
Karen, he madea couple of wry remarks about recruiters. Anybody who's ever been recruited into the military does as much. Probably including recruiters. As you mature in the military you learn that, as you and Dejah have pointed out, that recruiters work hard. We all respect that. Still, the first interactions of a callow kid with those extremely driven (and sometimes desperate) professionals are usually funny, especially in retrospect.
Dejah, God bless you and your husband. I'm a Marine, and was recently stationed at Parris Island, whose commanding general is responsible for the Eastern Recruiting Region, as well as the Recruit Depot. The Depot Adjutant was a friend of mine, and we talked about the numebr of relief packages and adverse fitness reports on recruiters that came across her desk. It's a hard job. Marine Corps order requires a recruiter to get an adverse fitness report (which can prevent future promotions) . A lot of those required reports come in with the officer writing the report stating that sergeant or staff sergeant whoever is an outstanding Marine, hardworking and conscientious, and the officer would never have written an adverse report if he hadn't been forced to. Recruiters' careers are more or less in the hands of the aforementioned callow kids, who are steered away by other adults, change their minds, weren't really serious in then first place, etc.
At the moment, the job is harder than ever, because there are a significant number of people who don't want anything to do with the Iraq war, or whose parents don't want them to go there. There's probably no non-combat, stateside job that's harder, although drill instructors get their props, too, for the 80-100 hour, high intensity work weeks that it takes to make Marines of the men and women that the recruiters do bring in. These two types of Marines, and their counterparts in other services, accomplish the mission that makes our other missions possible.
Semper Fi!
Posted by: Sue | May 13, 2006 12:56 PM
Yes it is called an all volenteer military this day and age, but lets take a look at something. Since this Iraq thing began the military has had a very difficult time to get enough people to keep the numbers up. We may not have the draft enacted today, but something which is almost like it. In 2002 because of the declining numbers in troops, the military recruiting machine, the pentegon and probally the think tanks in the White House decided to put a new law in effect. It requires high schools to provide names, addresses, and telephone numbers of 11th and 12th grade students. Some get harrassed alot and they don't seem to understand the word no and don't call back, it is just like a high pressure sales pitch at a car dealership, they need a quota or they will be put in an infantry unit and be sent to Iraq themselves instead of a cushy job in a recruiters office. They only tell half of the truth the benefits, but hardly tell of the risks involved, they only half paint the wall. There is a place for partents to opt out of the whole thing, but you need a magnifing glass to see where this is and I believe that the schools are told not to encourage going to that page, it would be best to put this on the first page in bold, big, and colored letters and paper so it sticks out. I served and made it through, but never had anything like this tactic, I feel that this is an invasion of privacy.
Posted by: SLIDER | September 27, 2006 12:39 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.


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Found the same room at a different price? Tell us, and we'll offer to match it.
Trafford Hall Hotel
2 | Self Classified Hotel | Ratings explained |
Whether you are travelling for business or pleasure, you can count on us to make your stay a memorable one. Here at the Trafford Hall Hotel, we pride ourselves with our excellent customer service, and nothing is too much trouble for our guests. Enjoy the comfort of one of our 33 En-suite Bedrooms each equipped with remote control TV or relax in the Cellar bar where you can watch sky sports on the large screen our bar is open until 0400am for residents,or take advantage of our FREE wi-fi internet. We are ideally located for all sporting events just minutes walk from both Old Trafford Stadium and Lancashire County Cricket Club. We are also conveniently located for easy access to the Ethiad Stadium MEN arena 02 arena & Heaton Park. So whether your stay is for business or leisure Trafford Hall Hotel is the place to stay.
Local attractions include Manchester United Football Stadium, Lancashire County Cricket Club, Manchester International Airport, The Trafford Centre, Salford Quays, The Lowry Centre and Artworks, The Imperial War Museum, MOSI (museum of science and industry), GMex Exhibition Centre, MEN Apollo theatres, Daytona Go-Karting Sale Water Park & Event City.
Trafford Bar Metrolink Station located approx. 50 yards from the hotel provides an excellent transport link to explore the city centre and Manchester train stations.
For breakfast, we offer either Continental or Full English which can be booked online with your room. Please note: Any bookings over 5 rooms requires full prepayment at the time of booking.
Please note that WIFI is not guaranteed in the rooms, we do offer free WIFI in all public areas.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
'Renegade' family welcomes CSM Weaver
POSTED: Thursday, April 25, 2013 - 9:31pm
UPDATED: Thursday, April 25, 2013 - 9:34pm
Fort Bliss, TX (KTSM) — Soldiers, friends and families of the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, gathered at Joshua W. Soto Physical Fitness Center, April 9, to attend a ceremony where Command Sgt. Maj. Richard F. Falk Jr., the senior enlisted member of the "Renegades," transferred responsibility for the battalion to Command Sgt. Maj. Ira L. Weaver Jr.
The event began with red roses being presented to Falk's wife, Nicole, and yellow roses being presented to Weavers's wife, Kelsha.
Lt. Col. Larry C. Niedringhaus, the 3rd BSTB commander, officiated the ceremony and remarked on Falk's success.
"Since Command Sgt. Maj. Falk's arrival in July 2011, he has led this battalion to its high water mark, both in garrison and in Afghanistan, with calm, professional competence," said Niedringhaus. "The Renegades and Bulldog Brigade owe him a debt of gratitude for his leadership, competence, care of Soldiers and unwavering dedication to excellence."
Weaver then thanked the Renegades for their contributions to his success.
"I would like to express my gratitude to all the Renegade Soldiers for the many things they have accomplished and endured over the last two years," said Falk.
"Their dedication and commitment to this great organization and its members is incredible. It is what makes the 3-1 Brigade Special Troops Battalion a success in everything we do."
After assuming responsibility, Weaver, previously the 1st Armored Division acting chief of staff G6 sergeant major, briefly spoke to his battalion.
"Today is a special day for my family and me," said Weaver. "Having the opportunity to serve the highly motivated Soldiers of the Renegade Battalion is truly an honor. Soldiers of the Renegade Battalion, I am here to serve you in every way possible, and I look forward to working with each of you."


text:
User talk:Tu-49
hi guys Tu-49 02:41, 16 January 2007 (UTC) im a MASH fan and i got a few espisodes for MASH too
Hi Tu-49. Welcome to English Wikiquote.
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By the way, I'm afraid I had to remove your links to YouTube-uploaded videos of M*A*S*H episodes, as they appear to be unlicensed copies of copyrighted material, links to which Wikimedia Foundation, the owner of Wikiquote, does not permit. (See w:Wikipedia:Copyrights for more information.) Please also note that Wikiquote pages should only be used for the purposes of developing its collection of quotations, not to promote other websites. (See Wikiquote:What Wikiquote is not for some common inappropriate uses of Wikiquote.) Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 06:17, 16 January 2007 (UTC) O o i'm sorry i though they might be help for the MASH quotes hereTu-49 15:13, 16 January 2007 (UTC)


text:
Detachment of soil particles by raindrop impact and their removal downslope by water flowing overland as a sheet instead of in definite channels or rills. A more or less uniform layer of fine particles is removed from the entire surface of an area, sometimes resulting in an extensive loss of rich topsoil. Sheet erosion commonly occurs on recently plowed fields or on other sites having poorly consolidated soil material with scant vegetative cover.
Learn more about sheet erosion with a free trial on Britannica.com.
In geology, a tabular igneous intrusion emplaced parallel to the bedding of the enclosing rock. Although they may have inclined orientations, nearly horizontal sills are most common. Sills may range from a few inches to hundreds of feet thick and up to hundreds of miles long. They include rock compositions of all types.
Learn more about sill with a free trial on Britannica.com.


text:
Dr. Alan Raedels, C.P.M.
Dr. Alan Raedels, C.P.M., Professor, Portland State University (www.pdx.edu), Portland, OR 97207, 503/725-3728, firstname.lastname@example.com
Dr. Lee Buddress, C.P.M.
Dr. Lee Buddress, C.P.M., Assistant Professor, Portland State University (www.pdx.edu), Portland, OR 97207, 503/725-4769, email@example.com
Abstract. One of the ongoing difficulties in managing the purchasing function is determining how to measure performance. How is quality purchasing defined? What are the key measurements for purchasing customers? How do we build performance measures that encourage individuals to accomplish organizational goals? This paper will address these issues.
Introduction. Purchasing performance has traditionally centered on prices paid and cost savings/ avoidance/reductions [Raedels and Buddress, p. 62 ;Fearon and Bales, p. 33]. While important, these measures may be counterproductive to the organization in today's environment. A recently published study by the Center for Advanced Purchasing Studies (CAPS) by Fearon and Bales, clearly indicates the measures looked at by CEOs/Presidents are significantly different from those used by CPOs. Table 1 shows the five most-needed measures by CEOs and how their rankings compared with those of CPOs. The CEOs/Presidents identified 19 measures while the CPOs identified 90 measures. It is clear from the difference in rankings in Table 1, purchasing managers and top management are not in agreement about what is important.
Table 1 Comparison of Purchasing Performance Measures Rankings | ||
Measures | CEOs/Presidents Rankings (out of 19) | CPOs Rankings (out of 90) |
Quality of purchased items | 1 |
5 |
Key supplier problems that could affect supply | 2 |
38 |
Supplier delivery performance | 3 |
4 |
Internal customer satisfaction | 4 |
26 |
Purchase inventory dollars | 5 |
20 |
This paper will review why many purchasing performance measures fail, the desired attributes of a performance measurement system, how to develop appropriate performance measures, development of positive measures, and recommend some measures to consider.
Why Traditional Measures Don't Work. Traditional measures for evaluating purchasing performance include:
There are several common problems with traditional measures and measurement systems. First, most measurement goals are established on a yearly basis which can lead to stagnation in the continuous improvement process. Measurements must be dynamic to reflect the environment in which the organization competes. Second, many of these measures, such as number of P.O.s issued and number of line items purchased are busywork and do not lead to process improvement. Third, they may produce conflicting results because they aren't consistent across the organization. Fourth, measures such as cost avoidance and cost savings are self-measured and self-reported which undermines their credibility. Fifth, most traditional measures are tactical, not strategic [Harding, p. 2].
Desired Measurement System Attributes. There are several ways to classify performance measures. One approach is whether the focus of the measure is to monitor the results of the process or to diagnose problems in a process. Monitoring measures are permanent. They can be used to monitor the process outcomes as well as to monitor the process itself. Diagnostic measures are used to troubleshoot a process. They are often temporary in nature and are no longer used once the problem is solved.
An alternate classification is whether to use financial or nonfinancial measures. Financial measures are less effective as the market environment becomes more dynamic, the internal processes become more integrated, and the level performance being measured becomes more operational. With nonfinancial measures, the focus needs to be on customer needs and expectations.
The ideal measurement system should:
Measures should be action-oriented and timely. At the lowest level of the organization, measures should lead to immediate, operational solutions. At the middle-management level, measures should invoke changes in operational procedures or focus. For top management, measures should indicate changes in choice of strategies to meet goals.
Developing Strategic Purchasing Measures. The outcome of the CAPS research on purchasing performance measures indicated that management desires to see measures that look at the quality of performance and how they change over time [Fearon and Bales, p 10]. Fearon and Bales also recommend that purchasing should check with senor management to determine what specific measures are needed, how frequently management desires to see the information, and how the information should be presented [Fearon and Bales, p. 11].
The following seven step process is suggested for developing relevant purchasing performance measures.
Accentuate the Positive. It is important that performance measures be expressed in a positive light. For example, the football coach who told his players not to fumble found that the frequency of fumbles was increasing. The trend was reversed when he had them focus on holding onto the ball. Thus it would be better to measure percentage of deliveries received on-time rather than the percentage of late deliveries.
Appropriate Purchasing Performance Measures. Based on the CAPS study by Fearon and Bales, the top five categories of measurements are quality, supplier problem notification, supplier delivery performance, internal customer satisfaction, and purchase inventory dollars. Table 2 presents some potential measures for each catagory.
Table 2 - Potential Purchasing Performance Measures
Supplier Problems
Supplier Delivery Performance
Internal Customer Satisfaction
Purchase Inventory Dollars
Summary. In order for purchasing to be considered a key component in the organization's strategy, it must develop performance measures which are consistent with helping the organization achieve its objectives. There is no uniform set of measures which will meet everyone's needs. Each organization must develop its own set of measures unique to its particular situation.


text:
It's amazing math and science majors don't outnumber metalheads at an average Isis show, as the Boston-born, LA-based quintet's insistent cadences... More >>
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No woman is an island. But in 1999, New York-based electropunks Le Tigre suggested one could be, since the DIY dance-punks -- fronted by Bikini... More >>
If German electronic producers Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma were to switch professions and tackle architecture, maybe they could be the new Frank... More >>
Whereas New York fashion plate quartet Interpol's brooding 2002 debut, Turn on the Bright Lights, was ladled with reverb-laden post-punk,... More >>
Whereas gritty dramatists such as Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, and Devo once existed in a vacuum, flouting pop tradition with idiosyncratic,... More >>
Icelandic trio Múm collages memories, the more indistinct the better. Whether it's detritus of digitally accosted acoustic sources, or the... More >>
Cologne, Germany's Aksel "Superpitcher" Schaufler is in love, as the title to his debut LP indicates. Erase all images of women inspired by Swiss... More >>
Producing and reproducing crisply delineative yet densely rhythmic textural techno, Detroit-bred DJ/producer Jeff Mills weaves a nuanced... More >>
Every few years since the mid-Eighties, the true revival of "electro" has been heralded. The depth charge 808 drum machine and scratchy freestyle... More >>
Soon after the advent of electronic composition -- commencing with the breech birth of electric instrumentation, which came kicking and squalling... More >>
It is said that a watched pot boils more slowly. Well, the genre coined as microhouse certainly has many a gaze -- journo at least -- turned on... More >>
Shuffling between pseudonyms like Delarosa and Asora (currently retired), Prefuse 73 (most popular), and Savath & Savalas (now receiving the... More >>
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Ram Navami Puja 2014 Time, Muhurat for Ram Navmi Pooja on 8 April 2014. Sri Rama Navami Puja Muhurtham 2014, Auspicious, best time for Ram Navami Pujan in 2014..
Ram Navami Puja is an auspicious occasion to observe Sri Rama Puja. Here, you can know Ram Navami puja time in 2014 or Muhurat for Ram Navmi pooja. Devotees observe fast for half day, morning to evening, and after perform puja and take tirtha and prashad and break their fasting or upvaas. In 2014, Ram Navami date is April 8, Tuesday.
During Sri Ram Navami 2014, Ashtami ends at 3.08 AM on 8 April and then Navami begins. The time during afternoon is very auspicious for Rama Navami Puja as Lord Sri Rama was born in the afternoon (Madhyana Kaala).
Ram Navami puja Shubh muhurat on April 8, 2014 is from 11 AM to 1.30 PM.
Here is the Panchangam of Sri Ramanavami 2014..
Sun Rise 06:13 Sun Sets 18:44
Moon Rise 12:04 Moon Sets 00:43
Today's Panchangam
Tithi Sukla Ashtami Ends at 27:08
Vaara Somavara
Nakshatram Ardra (Arudra) Ends at 07:07
Vishti (Bhadra) Karana Ends at 13:57, Bava Karana Ends at 27:08
Atiganda Yogam Ends at 19:56
North Indian Hindi calendar – Chaitra Month (Purnimant)
Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada & Telugu Calendar – Chaitra Masam (Amavasyant)
Malayalam calendar – Meenam Month
Tamil Calendar – Panguni Month
Bengali Panjika – Chaitra Month
Auspicious Time
Abhijit: 12:04:30 – 12:52:30
Time to Avoid
Varjyam Kalam 07:01 – 08:48 Duration: 01:47
Rahu Kalam: 07:46:52 – 09:20:45
Gulika Kalam: 14:02:22 – 15:36:15
Yama Gandam: 10:54:37 – 12:28:30
Durmuhurthams: 12:53:32 – 13:43:36
Durmuhurthams: 15:23:44 – 16:13:48


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Church administrators run their church's day-to-day operations to ensure that contributions and income are spent in the most efficient way. The church administrator generally is second only to the pastors in managing the affairs of the worship group. The administrator must ensure that budgets and forecasts are followed, as well as work with the pastor or pastors to ensure that initiatives such as adult Bible studies can be funded from general contributions or have a fee commensurate with the cost of any study materials required.
Read More...Church Administrators report using a pretty varied skill set on the job. Most notably, facility with Facility Maintenance & Coordination and Operations Management are correlated to pay that is significantly above average, leading to increases of 34 percent and 4 percent, respectively. At the other end of the pay range are skills like Microsoft Excel, Bookkeeping, and Accounting. Those familiar with Microsoft Office also tend to know Accounting.
Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.
Experience and pay tend to be weakly linked for Church Administrators — those with more experience do not necessarily bring in higher earnings. People who have worked for fewer than five years bring home $31K on average. Median compensation in the five-to-10 year group, however, is higher at approximately $34K. For Church Administrators, 10 to 20 years of experience on the job amounts to an average salary of $35K. In the end, the overall pattern seems to be that more experience generally corresponds to higher pay; a Church Administrator with more than 20 years of experience can earn $42K on average.
Extremely satisfied |
Rated 5 out of 5 based on 91 votes. |
78 % |
22 % |
Medical: 42% | Dental: 23% | ||
Vision: 14% | None: 57% |


text: Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity "Death, Where Is Thy Dignity?" first appeared in the April 2001 issue of Touchstone. Death, Where Is Thy Dignity?Robbie Low on Pastoral Rigor Mortis My wife always says that if she were a bishop (she is, I should make clear, the editor of a magazine founded in opposition to such things), her first move would be to spend a week, sitting anonymously, at the back of the chapel of the local crematorium. This, she believes, would, at a stroke, tell her more about her clergy than almost anything else. There she would learn several things in a very short space of time: • Has this priest done his homework? Has he spent time with these people so that he has some hope of leading their hearts in worship? • Does he make any connection with them before, during, or after the service? • Does he understand how great an opportunity for evangelism his pastoral office is? • Does he preach the gospel to these people in their hour of need? What does he actually believe? • Is he using anything that approximates an order of service known to any church in Christendom? • After half an hour of his ministrations, are these people more or less likely to believe in God or come to church even twice a year? There are other questions, but these will do to begin with. And they are important because, for most priests, these services will be the only time in their ministry when they have the undivided attention of those who never come to church: the lapsed, the agnostic, the atheist, the worshipers of other faiths, the curious, those who have never heard the gospel, and so on. Since the Protestant churches of Western Europe permitted and even encouraged the pagan practice of cremation, the priest has had to do this most difficult and rewarding task on alien territory—soulless cemetery "chapels"—on a conveyor belt and against the clock. Nevertheless, his commitment to this task is instructive, and my wife is right, as in so many things, to begin her episcopate in this way. So let me take you to the wholly imaginary county of Bertfordshire and the all-too-likely setting of North Bert's crematorium chapel. What might you encounter in an average day? What You Will Find There is the priest who never visits the families of the deceased and who completes the formalities in under eight minutes, on average, staring fixedly at a spot on the gallery wall well above the gaze of the less-than-thrilled congregation. There is the priest who has trouble with names—there are always a few bets on the side among the less reverent undertaking staff as to whether he will, at the vital moment, actually commit the person in the box or instead a total stranger. Pause for a moment in the West Chapel to meet the woman priest in a green shirt and floral stole (and handbag) who gives a moving account of childbirth in order to draw parallels with death. It is not wholly awry but ends up more as an apologia for reincarnation than the Resurrection. Following her is the senior priest who always begins his 14-minute funeral service thus: "You all have in your mind a picture of X [the deceased]. That is your picture and I'm not going to say anything about X because you know him." Roughly translated, this means: "I know nothing about the deceased and have not made the slightest effort to find out." He continues, "I'm going to read something." This will almost certainly not be Scripture. It will probably be something like old Henry Scott Holland's hideous lie, "Death is nothing at all." The service then continues with a hymn—usually a solo and usually poor. Then we go back to the "liturgy." Our senior priest announces: "I'm not intending to lead this time. Please don't feel I'm imposing on you. I am non-directive here. I'm just going to say a little prayer, but don't feel that you have to join in." And so on. All Too Typical There is a brief respite when we get to the man from a neighboring town who always gives Jesus a favorable mention. It is clear that no one thinks any the worse of him for that. And now back to familiar territory. A young male curate, who has clearly been let loose without the slightest training, is trying really hard, but confusing dampness and emotional angst with compassion. He comes within hailing distance of mentioning the Risen Lord but then stalls and panics at the prospect of such unseemly commitment. We move outside to the aftermath of another funeral led by a woman priest. She is standing well away from the mourners and engaging the organist in conversation. "You probably noticed that I didn't say anything about what happens next," she confides (she means after death, not after the burial). "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," replies the organist. "Well," trumps the plain-speaking priest, "that's because we don't know, do we?" She is curate to a priest who regularly talks about Jesus "understanding our difficulties and making the same mistakes." Here is a sinful Christ fully in solidarity with Adam but not much use as a savior. It is scarcely surprising that this trainee should feel unable to compromise an honorable agnosticism by mentioning the hope of the Resurrection. All is not lost, however. The day is brightened by two clergy. One man, an elf-like retired priest who, although his surplice looks like it has doubled as a pocket handkerchief for a fortnight, has clearly done his homework, knows the people, and speaks gently to God in prayer for them and to them expounds the gospel. The other is an immaculately suited Catholic priest look-alike who turns out to be a Free Church minister who does the best pastoral work and Christian funerals in the area. (Sorry, he is not looking to transfer to what he perceives to be a biblically disobedient Church.) The day finishes with a young male priest who gets the family to write personal notes for him to read out. This is a dangerous tactic and so it proves today. The minister finds himself wallowing in execrable prose describing a life that has been, to all intents and purposes, a complete waste of time. The most memorable moment proceeds thus: "You know, Fred's great passion in life was his daily newspaper. He would get it every day and read it cover to cover! Because, as he would say" (suitable pause for quintessence of Fred's philosophy and life strategy), "if you're going to buy a paper you might as well read it!" Amen, brother! As you probably gather, the crematorium may be fictional, but sadly, the examples are not. They are neither the best nor the worst of what happens, but all too typical. When I showed the above copy to undertaker friends, both Christians, they offered to furnish me with far more horrific examples. Common Faults With the exception of the two bright spots, can we discern any common faults? It is clear that many clergy are uncomfortable outside their safe havens: church buildings. They are not good at preaching in the marketplace or relating to people outside the confines of the institution. Preparing a good funeral requires prayer, time, heart, and listening ears. There are no shortcuts, and too much clerical work in this area is either ill-disciplined or, in the worst cases, almost wholly absent. There is a worrying lack of confidence in what we are about. Many funerals are characterized by a mixture of timidity and embarrassment about the gospel. This is disastrous. If you asked a plumber to come in and mend your tap, you would not expect him to make pleasant conversation, read some poetry, announce that he was being "non-directive here," and leave the washer leaking. People come to a funeral to be led in worship, mourning, thanksgiving, and prayer, and to be given or reminded of the gospel hope—for them as well as for the deceased. When they receive it, even the hard-bitten nonbelievers are grateful. When they do not receive it, they feel betrayed and abandoned. Too many funerals have ceased to provide this basic service and have transmogrified into that much-to-be-avoided sentimental genre, the memorial service. It becomes a belief-free zone where a religious building is rented to glorify a human being rather than God and sometimes to applaud the family's musical taste. The preachment that, while giving thanks to God for the life now returned to him, should be about him upon whom our life depends, is too often a badly written obituary notice for the deceased and, by implication and default, for God, too. I hope to God that when my time comes, the service will not be conducted by some fool bleating on about what a lovely man I was. (Friends assure me this is unlikely.) Give me a decent Requiem and plead the Cross of Christ for another sinful wretch utterly dependent on his mercy. Burying Sinners And that's another thing—the prayers. Why is there no mention of sin? I have never buried anyone who wasn't a sinner. How can I not mention the soul's greatest need when leading prayer? I have only once had someone tell me his loved one was not a sinner. In committing the soul of a middle-aged man's very elderly mother, at her deathbed, I spoke of sin, forgiveness, and the Blood of Christ. Afterwards he very gently chided me. "Vicar, my mother never committed a sin in her life." Knowing how much she had done for him in terrible circumstances in his early years I understood his difficulty. I also knew that she had been an absolute tartar over the last 20-odd years while he had cared for her. He had once, not entirely humorously, asked me if I would like to take her to the vet. Still, death makes sentimentalists of us all. A week later at the funeral I prayed unchanged, and his mixture of filial guilt and loyalty had reconnected with reality. Much of the wake was spent in therapeutic and often hysterical accounts of his mother's outrageous behavior. If the priest gets sucked into giving a eulogy, he will be exposed as a fraud. God knows what the dead man is like, and the congregation knows what he was like. If you recite a hagiography, the only person you will be fooling is yourself. The acknowledgement of the deceased's status as a sinner does not need to be wreathed in Presbyterian gloom. The mourners are there, usually, because of our love for this particular sinner, and we speak affectionately and realistically about him in prayer, knowing that our affection and realism, however great, cannot match that of the Almighty. "For God so loved the world. . . ." We are there to look for God's mercy for ourselves and for the departed and for the reconciliation that, in Christ, transcends the borders of life and death. Only when we preach and pray with conviction about these matters are we of any assistance to the mourners or to the deceased. Much of what passes for worship at the crematorium springs from a lack of confidence or even from clerical agnosticism. It is more apology than apologia. It is for this reason that we seem only too happy to collude with that spiritualistic fantasy world where granddad, no matter how appalling he may have been in life, is now cheerfully sunning himself on a cloud or enjoying a slightly extended holiday. Any mention of the Judgment or eternity would break up that fantasy and lead to the question of what we really believe happens next. The Lack of Liturgy Such evasion is made possible by the order of service, or rather the lack of it. In even the best of these services, any sense of liturgical purpose, form, structure, or direction is undetectable. It is scarcely surprising then that, after years of experiencing this sort of chaos and the unhappy results of it, many laity turn up armed with their own program of events. This will routinely include excruciating poetry, a favorite pop song as an aid to meditation, and a glowing family tribute. This latter will, it is proposed, be given by a particularly strong family member or prepared for you by the most literate of the mourners. Either of these is full of booby traps, especially if the one who died came from a broken home and left "unfinished business." When, on the other hand, the mourners discover that there is actually an order, a purpose, a task in the liturgy, which the priest is happy to personalize but not subvert or destroy, they are at first incredulous and then relieved. They were not to know any better, of course, as the defining moment of the Anglican funeral, Princess Diana's service, told them the opposite. There they were treated to a kind of "today's top hits" with all of the problems outlined above. A supreme opportunity to preach to the nation and pastor the people was declined. (Was there really no priest in the realm who could have taken on this task?) We endured solemn family ax-grinding and various celebrity spots with prayers for the departed by a man (the archbishop of Canterbury) who doesn't believe in praying for the departed and who, only recently, had told all clergy to drop Diana from the prayer list while she was alive. The music, most of it, was lovely, but whatever the event was, it wasn't a funeral service. The princess got that, if anywhere, at the Requiem at Westminster Cathedral or in the private Requiem that was rumored to have been celebrated, at the family's request, by the bishop of London. Diana's funeral didn't start the rot, it merely gave the chaos an official rubber stamp. The ordinary parish priest doesn't have the glorious music to hide behind at the crematorium, to disguise the bankruptcy of invented liturgies or hide his own doubts. The proper and confident use of strong liturgy, as most priests have cause to know and all congregations should have cause to give thanks, will more than compensate for the inadequacies in the celebrant's energy or creativity on any particular day. It will also, unsurprisingly, strengthen his faith and help him pastor his flock. And because the liturgy is primarily the Word of God, it will, in the mouth of a believer, catch fire and leap the gap between the priest and countless unknown mourners, and lead them into the presence of the One whose work is their salvation. The Reverend Robbie Low is vicar of St. Peter's parish in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, England. He is a member of the editorial board of the magazine New Directions, in which a version of this article first appeared. "Death, Where Is Thy Dignity?" first appeared in the April 2001 issue of Touchstone. If you enjoyed this article, you'll find more of the same in every issue. Letters Welcome: One of the reasons Touchstone exists is to encourage conversation among Christians, so we welcome letters responding to articles or raising matters of interest to our readers. However, because the space is limited, please keep your letters under 400 words. All letters may be edited for space and clarity when necessary. firstname.lastname@example.com This page and all site content © 2015 by The Fellowship of St. James. All rights reserved. Please send comments, suggestions, and bad link reports to email@example.com. |


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DescriptionParker Adams has always done whats expected of her . . . until a double agent with nothing to lose ignites a passion she doesnt dare give in to. Mission Agent Simon Wells is everything Parker Adams has been trained to fight: manipulator, murderer, spy . . . witch. But for her, what makes Simon most dangerous is his mesmerizing sexual magnetism, powerful enough to tempt even the famed ice queen of the Mission. Though she knows better, each encounter with the deceptive agent leaves her craving more. Simon isnt a man to let go of whats his, and his pursuit forces Parker, a woman he cant get out from under his skin, to make a stand that could destroy her. If they can work together, they might survive the politics that has enslaved their devastated worldor fall victim to the pitfalls of desperation, bone-deep mistrust, and a hunger that threatens to consume them. About the AuthorBorn from the genetic mash-up of lesser royalty, storytellers, wanderers, and dreamers, Karina Cooper was destined to be a creative genius. As a child, she moved all over the country like some kind of waifish blond gypsy and thrived in the new cultures her family settled in. When she (finally) grew up, she skipped the whole genius part and fell in love with writing because, really, who doesn't love making things up for a living? One part romance fanatic, one part total dork, and all imagination, she writes dark and sexy paranormal romance and historical urban fantasy. When she isn't writing, Karina is an airship captain's wife and Steampunk fashionista. She lives in the beautiful and rainy Pacific Northwest with a husband, four cats, two rabbits, the fantasy of a dog, and a passel of adopted gamer geeks. Praise for Sacrifice the Wicked: A Dark Mission Novel…"The murky, gritty mood of the Dark Mission novels remains strong in this fourth offering...Cooper has a gift for creating characters with depth, and the ongoing plot keeps the reader engaged. The relationship between the hunter and the hunted is the most passionate and dangerous ever." |


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On February 9, 1950, a back-bench Wisconsin senator named Joseph McCarthy delivered an unheralded political speech to a Republican women's club in West Virginia. McCarthy's Wheeling remarks included the brief and completely fabricated claim that he had in his hand the names of 205 known Communists in the State Department.
Within 24 hours—with the number of "card-carrying Communists" dancing from 207 to 57 to 81 and no list ever being produced—McCarthy's charges exploded across America. As Haynes Johnson recounts in his book, The Age of Anxiety, the transmission belt was from the Wheeling Intelligencer to the state Associated Press wire to the national AP to McCarthy press conferences in Denver and Salt Lake City to more wire copy. Without McCarthy offering a shred of evidence, influential newspapers like the Washington Evening Star ran credulous front-page headlines: "McCarthy Charges 57 in State Department Hold Red Party Cards."
This early failure of the press corps to challenge McCarthy's guttersnipe tactics was supposed to offer an eternal-flame object lesson in the limitations of stenographic journalism. But the Donald Trump birther circus this week serves as a reminder that these McCarthy era lessons need to be re-taught to every generation.
Tuesday morning's grotesquely sycophantic CNBC interview of Trump by "Squawk Box" co-anchor Joe Kernen may have been the journalistic nadir of this political season. It was disturbing enough that Kernen never challenged Trump's incendiary claims that Barack Obama's "mother was never in the hospital…They can't find any records that the mother was in the hospital." (In fact, Obama's long-form birth certificate shows that he was born in Honolulu's Kapiolani Hospital). But Kernen also chimed in with his own birther lie, drawn from unnamed "conservative websites," that Obama had all but admitted that he was born in Kenya during an Illinois campaign debate.
If Trump were in his normal role as self-promoting real-estate vulgarian, political reporters could, in theory, ignore his low-road conspiracy theories. But on the very day that he was denouncing the president's Hawaiian birth certificate as a sham, Trump was also introducing Romney at a $2 million Las Vegas fundraiser. In addition, the Romney campaign has been soliciting online contributions with a "Dine with The Donald" promotion in which the lucky winner will be flown to New York to share a meal with Romney and Trump.
In 1950, amid the "Red Menace" hysteria, newspaper editors assumed that a United States Senator with a purported list of Communists in the State Department was newsworthy because of his elected office and the probability that he knew something. In Trump's case, he is newsworthy because he is joined at the hip with the de facto Republican presidential nominee—and, frighteningly enough, could even have a role in a Romney administration.
So we are back to the same question that the AP West Virginia night editor in Charleston, Charles R. Lewis, had to deal with after McCarthy's Wheeling speech 62 years ago: What do you do if someone newsworthy says something inflammatory and malicious, and not rooted in fact? (Mary Winter adroitly discussed analogous issues in a recent CJR column reviewing coverage of birtherism in a Colorado House race.)
The obvious wrong answer, which is the approach that Lewis followed, was to double-check the accuracy of the quote and then publish devoid of context. In contrast, CNN's Wolf Blitzer in his own Tuesday interview with Trump deserves plaudits for personally challenging every noxious birther claim and showing on-screen Obama long-form birth certificate. But most political journalists, especially those who are not TV anchors, are unlikely to get access to Trump for a protracted back-and-forth in which outlandish conspiracy theories can be debunked.
So how should birther bedlam and things that go Trump in the night be covered?
Recognizing 21st-century deadline pressures and standard journalistic strictures against editorializing in news columns, I nonetheless found most press coverage of Trump's charges to be tepid. A New York Times story by Ashley Parker dealt at length with the political ramifications of the Romney-Trump relationship, but merely described claims of a faked birth certificate to be "a long-discredited accusation." In Politico, a three-page political strategy story by Maggie Haberman and Reid J. Epstein ("Mitt Romney won't dump Trump") limited its skepticism about the underlying charges to a 13-word, second-paragraph summary: "Trump is essentially dismissing the legitimacy of the commander-in-chief's birth certificate." But that was advocacy journalism compared to an uninflected blog post at CBS.com by Stephanie Condon that only quoted an Obama campaign statement in response to Trump.
The belief that Obama knowingly released from the White House a counterfeit birth certificate is more than, as the Times timorously put it, "a long-discredited accusation." It also represents more than, as the standard liberal litany has it, evidence that the birther movement is coded racism emphasizing Obama's other-ness.


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Yesterday in my microbio lab I spilled an entire tube of E. coli onto some important test plates. The sad part is I didn't even realize I was spilling it. I was just standing there with it in my hand talking to someone and our TA ran over in a panic and notified me I was dripping it all over. Totally not my fault, though. I mean they're the ones who put the lids on those things. Maybe they should make sure they're on a little tighter next time. If they weren't going to already, I think they might automatically flunk me now. Also, if there is an outbreak of E. coli in the Columbus area, I apologize.
I made some cookies the other night for a guest post I'm doing next week, and my dad actually ate them. I REPEAT: THEY WERE PALEO COOKIES AND MY FATHER ATE THEM. That is unusual folks. I don't think he knew they were paleo. Because usually if I make something and he knows it's paleo, he distances himself about 10932983 feet from it. I woke up yesterday and they were all gone so I asked my mom if she took them into work or something. She didn't. Which only left one culprit. Because chihuahuas can't jump that high. So my dad admitted to eating them and THEN admitted to LIKING them. Whoa. I think the world may have stopped turning everyone.
Rotation of the earth stopping and an E. coli outbreak all in one day? Sheesh.
Does anyone have a Keurig and use the little thing where you can put actual coffee grounds into it instead of buying the K-Cups? My mission this weekend is to figure out how to do that because I am spending WAY too much on those things these days. WAY too much. I never thought I would become this much of a coffee drinker but I am downing 2 cups every morning and that just isn't in my budget anymore. How the hell do people go to Starbucks everyday? At least I haven't acquired that habit. I actually don't think I would even know how to order if I went to Starbucks. I've never really been there except for when I was younger and would get those fun iced drinks with my friends at Target. Fancy I know. I feel like there are way too many options and all the different lingo would just confuse me. Plus I'm guessing they don't have coconut milk and stevia. And those are two things I need in my coffee. I wish I could just drink it black but that just doesn't do it for me.
I can't make anything without adding chocolate chips these days. Lucky for all of you. For example, I could have just made this normal zucchini bread, but no. I had to jazz it up and add the chips. Life is just better with lil chocolate nuggets sprinkled on everything, is it not? It is.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 small zucchini)
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Line a bread pan with parchment paper so that a little hangs over each side (to make removal easier).
- Mix eggs, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla until well combined.
- Add zucchini and mix well.
- Combine almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well.
- Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Pour batter into bread pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool, then serve with nut butter, grass-fed butter, etc.
- Eat up!
Tagged: almond flour, bread, chocolate chips, cinnamon, coconut oil, honey, vanilla, zucchini


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CHARLESTON (AP) — Preliminary figures show Labor Day traffic on the West Virginia Turnpike increased nearly 2 percent compared to the same holiday weekend in 2013.
West Virginia Parkways Authority director of tolls Steve Maynard says traffic data is incomplete because of an Internet outage at the Chelyan toll plaza. The outage prevented the toll plaza from transmitting traffic data and receipts.
Media outlets report that Maynard told the authority on Tuesday that the Ghent toll plaza reported a 2.37 percent increase in traffic compared to 2013. Traffic at the Pax toll plaza rose by 1.34 percent.
No major accidents or traffic backups were reported on the 88-mile toll road.


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Contributed by Leanne Guenther
This is a cute but very simple craft. I think it would be a nice one for younger kids to make for Halloween if they're not really into wearing a big fancy costume (both my girls were like that at age 2).
It would also be nice for a class or daycare to make for a jungle or circus party. They could parade around like lions and sing songs/rhymes like "Going on a Lion Hunt".
It's fun to do with the lamb mask, flower
mask or sunshine
mask too.
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NEW YORK - A leading human rights group has urged Western countries to overcome their anti-Islamists' sentiments and respect the people's choice for new Islamist governments in the Arab Spring elections in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.
"The international community must . . . come to terms with political Islam when it represents a majority preference," Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said in the group's annual report issued on Sunday, January 22.
"Islamist parties are genuinely popular in much of the Arab world, in part because many Arabs have come to see political Islam as the antithesis of autocratic rule."
Focusing on the Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings, HRW's 690-page report on human rights abuses worldwide has shown it is vital for the West to end its policy of backing "an array of Arab autocrats" in exchange for supporting Western interests.
The report also focused on supporting elected groups in North Africa and the Middle East and encouraging them to respect basic rights.
Rights-respecting governments should support international justice regardless of political considerations.
It's misguided to believe that allowing countries to sweep past abuses under the rug will somehow avoid encouraging future atrocities, Roth said.
"Wherever Islam-inspired governments emerge, the international community should focus on encouraging, and if need be pressuring, them to respect basic rights - just as the Christian-labeled parties and governments of Europe are expected to do," he added in the introduction to the report.
Islamist blocs have emerged as major political forces in Tunisia , Egypt and Morocco.
In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood's party gained more than 45% of the vote, while Salafists got nearly 23%.
Moderate Islamist Ennahda party won most votes in last month's elections in Tunisia.
In Morocco, moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) had won parliamentary elections and formed the first Islamic government in the country.
Genuine Democracy
HRW said the West should also be more consistent in supporting pro-democracy forces in the Arab world and elsewhere, condemning Washington reluctant positions to abandon autocratic rulers in the Middle East who serve its interests.
The people driving the Arab Spring deserve strong international support to realize their rights and to build genuine democracies, said Roth.
Loyalty to autocratic friends shouldn't stand in the way of siding with democratic reformers. International influence is also needed to ensure that the new governments extend human rights and the rule of law to all, especially women and minorities.
While praising the US and European Union for their stance on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the situation was not the same for Egypt's Hosni Mubarak or Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh.
HRW said Washington was reluctant to abandon Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, seen as key to maintaining regional stability and peace with Israel.
"Western governments imposed no meaningful consequences for killing protesters on the government of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom they viewed as a defense against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula," he said.
The report's blame was not laid only on western democracies.
The Arab League has also been inconsistent. Even worse has been the African Union, which he called "shamefully complacent."
"Ostensibly founded to promote democracy, it has acted like a dictator's support club, siding with whichever government happens to be in power regardless of its conduct," Roth said.
"As the revolutions proceeded in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya the AU was at best irrelevant, at worst unhelpful."
Reproduced with permission from OnIslam.net


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Can anyone tell me what anime this catgirl is from?
@SwiftNimblefoot: This Catgirl is from the Anime Called Devilman Lady. The character is also named Chika.
@Obsidian609: Cool, thanks!
I am always on the lookout for furry characters in anime, if you know some good-looking girls, drop me a note with pics. :) I have evern drawn fanart of some pretty obscure characters of this nature.
The disease that cause humans to become demon-monsters in the Devilman Lady Universe.
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