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The Pope under criticism
Joseph A. Komonchak February 22, 2009 - 3:25pm
Heres a very interesting piece in the Times of London, on Pope Benedict and criticisms he is receiving even from among Cardinals for his leadership (or lack of same).
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Ah, that great Catholic theological journal the TIMES of London!
Mr. Austin: I don't know what point you want to make by your clever comment, but you might have assumed that I in sending it and surely most of those who might read it, are quite well aware that the article referenced is a piece of journalism, not of Catholic theology, and would be read as such. In fact, I think it a rather good piece of journalism.
And I didn't think Mr. Austin's commenmt was clever.One wonders if the surrounding Cardinals and curia were operating om a modern communication mode, would they still be able to communicate effectively up the line?Personally I think BXVIU suffers from the problem of being an extremely bright, quite well read, but remote and non-empathic kind of leader who can easily have practical decision making problems which then his colleagues have to smooth over or clean up afterwards, but, in the interim alienates many affected by those decsions.
I feel sorry for the Holy Father, honestly. I hope I'm still up to spending an afternoon in my study when I'm 85. But no matter how capable I might be, I wouldn't want to be responsible for the welfare of a pet, let alone the Church militant, in my ninth decade!
Hear,Hear Mollie from my 9th fecade
Fr. Komonchak, what about the article makes it a good piece of journalism? The unattributed sources or the speculation?Was there a scibe noting down Re's comments? It is presented as verbatim.Imagine a personal secretary being strict! Imagine a pope who is a theologian! Omigosh, gold-rimmed plates!!!
(I meant "scribe," obviously.)
Kathy: No, the attributed sources, who include people I know and trust. And the fact that it confirms what I had suspected and heard told. That enough for you?
Much of the criticism seems to be that the Holy Father offends a lot of people. Good for him. In our "feel good" culture, nothing is worse than offending someone, as if Christ had elevated that to the worst possible sin. That is a steaming load of you-know-what.
I suppose I like less admixture of bad journalism in my good journalism.There is a lot of innuendo, and some blatant silliness.
Fr. KomonchakI'm with you. It is a good piece of journalism. Some Catholics confuse loyalty to the Pope with the mindset that the Pope is always right--which is evidently absurd--or even with a kind of quasi-idolatry as if the Pope truly were God on earth--which seems to me to be almost blasphemous. Loyalty, as to any friend, does not exclude and may even require honest criticism. Certaily no pope can dispense with honest advice from curial figures and others who take pursuing the good of the Church to be more important than humoring the Pope.
My granny had fewer people to lunch than Pope John Paul, and she ran a soup kitchen.I'm as uncomfortable as the next person with unilateral authority, and if I had less in common with this pope I would want to see him criticized too, I suppose. But I've worked for pastors who are prayerful and theological, and for others who have their ears to the wind, and the latter have seemed to me to be very prone to panic. Saying Mass in private is not the same as eating kippers with Rasputin and the Tsarina. He said at the beginning of his pontificate that he would be listening to God, and that seems like a very good plan. I hope that he's listening to bishops, too--but curial cardinals?The long-range results of Regensburg have been good, not bad. The prospects for Vatican-Israel relations have undergone a thaw. Does he seem wrong? Darn skippy. Has he been wrong? I just don't see that as his track record.
Thanks for the heads up on this piece, Fr. Komonchak.If the situation in Rome is accurately described in the article, we can expect no end to the blunders any time soon. The picture of Benedict at the outset reminded me of the old Victorian Fairy Tale about the Little Lame Prince, imprisoned in a lonely tower away from the world. What saves the Prince and his kingdom is the intervention of a Fairy Godmother who provides him with the ability to discover the world from which he has been protected. Of course, the deeper problem with Benedict is that he is not the victim of a conspiracy of kindness, but its architect. Those obsequious appointees of his who echo what he wants to hear are a serious problem. That part of the article rings very, very true. Sad for him and disastrous for the Church. And there is an interesting side link on the TImes page to a piece on Gordon Browns extremely warm reception by the Pope, and Brown's invitation to visit Britain. The Vaticans treatment of Browns visit certainly points up the "short shrift," so to speak, given Nancy Pelosi the other day.
Thank you, Fr. Komonchak. I found the article helpful, and well done. The very interesting bit about Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos caught my attention too. The idea that this move was made in haste, due to personal presure of some sort, is an interesting one. Of course it may just be an exercise is passing the hot potato.We've seen what seems to me a strange dynamic playing out with the SSPX. Namely, they were offered reconciliation not long ago. What was it, a month or two? And they turned it down. So what happens next? They are given a better offer. Unconditional lifting of the excommunications, and the promise of reconciliation, however long it takes to work out the details.Clearly, Williamson is laying low until the storm blows over. And since evidently nothing, nothing at all, will cause the pope to deviate from his quest to reconcile with them, the SSPX can hold out as long as they want. If I were them, I'd wait too. Look at how much more they got when they turned down the last offer.All this is to say that the Pope not only needs some better advisors generally, he needs those who are better skilled in the art of diplomacy. He's not exercising prudence with this. And it the meantime, other people are being alienated and confused by the whole thing. The reaction of the European Catholic Theologians pointed out the ill effects of the whole affair on our other dialogue partners. That is another as-yet unmeasured cost of the present crisis.
The article rings true. There still is goodwill, by and large, for the institutional Church in the world. Many people are cutting the Church slack for old times sake and to be neighbourly and friendly. The response from other religious leaders (Jews and Muslims) to the Pope's faux pas have the feel of generosity to me. This should be appreciated and remembered. But being in a position of having to accept generosity, too often, impedes the ability of the Church to assume strong moral leadership. The Church is also a human institution located in history. I agree with Kahty that too much ear to the wind does make one prone to panic. But too much detachment impedes proper discernment of the work of the Spirit in the world and in the Church.The only way it can be 'fixed' is by having solid, strong people around the Pope. Men (and women) he can trust and who share his vision of Church in the Modern world (and that isn't even exactly clear).
Kathy"He [Benedict] said at the beginning of his pontificate that he would be listening to God, and that seems like a very good plan."It is an excellent plan but the problem is knowing when God is speaking and when some phantom projection of ourselves is speaking. God also speaks to us through others. He even speaks to the Successor of Peter throught others.
It is a fine piece of journalism and interesting at that. One thing that it does not account for, however, is that Benedict leaves very little to chance (witness his election). I have heard from people, who have known him a long time, and people whose opinion I respect, that he is very shrewd and calculating. In the end, I think the truth is a mixture of both perspectives, even if that complicates the picture presented in this article. In my opinion the article parrots too easily the notion of Benedict in an ivory tower disconnected from reality -- a great defense for him, including plausible deniability. It seems somewhat simplistic to me. Sorting it out will be the job of historians.
Fr. Komonchak, I want to apologize for attacking your opinion in my first comment above. I do think the article is of mixed quality, and paints a misleading picture. But that's no excuse for such sarcasm towards someone I respect very much.
I find the Times article not only interesting, but also in a sense sympathetic to Benedict XVI, yet pointing to some serious administrative missteps which have got in the way of his goals. Perhaps it is in its own way an example of fraternal correction of the sort that no doubt we all could use (certainly I could).Two slight demurs not from the article itself but from its surroundings. a) where on earth did the Times dig up that picture that makes Benedict look almost exactly like Chief Inspector Morse of the Oxford police, the music-loving protagonist of the PBS Mystery series some weeks ago? b) I was depressed (yet again) by some of the readers' comments at the bottom of the Times article, particularly those that take it upon themselves to remind us (yet again) that the Church is not a democracy. Of course it isn't. Nor should it be, any more than Harvard University, or Oxford, for that matter, should be a democracy. But surely there is some wiggle room between a) flat-out democracy and b) monarchical absolutism, and I hope someone is at least examining the possibility that changes in governance and administrative practice might enable to Church better to fulfill the mission entrusted to it by the Lord.
The Pope believes he doesnt need to take account of public opinion. He studies the files that are brought to him and decides very much on his own. The atmosphere around him is that he mustnt be disturbed by criticism or visitors. Except for Humanae Vitae, one would have to search far to find so many bishops opposed to a papal action. First we should remind that Benedict was a par excellence "curial Cardinal." Secondly, many, many bishops opposed his actions. Exraordinary for a pack mostly appointed for their loyalty and orthodoxy. In the end this may indicate that Joseph Ratzinger never got his identity straight.Makes one think what might have been if Ratzinger had stayed with his early insights and not succumbed to comfortable orthodoxy.
This is not the only article that has posted statements and comments outlining papal decison-making or lack thereof. Was waiting for David Gibson to weigh in given his biography on B16.One comment Mr. Gibson made on an earlier blog: B16 was the pre-eminent curial master for 20+ years. He was elected and he stated that he was not an administrator - he acts and sees himself as a theologian and lives the life of a professor doing research.Two things are greatly needed today in a pope:a) pastoral skill in terms of building relationships across conferences of bishops, cultural, ethnic, racial, and religious divides; (that is not B16''s strong suit)b) someone who is outside of the curia and willing to make significant changes to the way the modern church governs itself. (again, his role as head of the CDF may limit or compromise his chances of doing this)What this article does not touch on are the other skills and accomplishments that observers have noted:a) relationships with the eastern orthodox, Russin orthodox;b) his "dream" to end schism created/caused by Vatican II;c) his tentative steps to address global warming as a ethic of life issue, initial efforts to connect "natural law" and the NGOs/United Nations/Common World Ethic whose mission is to reinforce a world that defines and supports human dignity in all aspects.Unfotunately, if he is unable to change his current style or curial leadership, my feeling is that much of his good initiatives will be impacted, if not lost.
Nicholas: reading comments on online newspaper articles is nearly always depressing! I try never to give in to the temptation.
Nicholas, I'm pretty sure that the answer is not a governmental model at all, but the model of communion. I think the mystery of VII is the sharing of authority among the pope and bishops. It's not overlap, but it's not divided into distinct areas of responsibility, either. It's not checks and balances and it's not turf. If the East-West schism is on the agenda, that means the relationship of pope and bishops is going to have to be very communal indeed.
If the article is correct, and the Pope is leaving issues of administration to others, then this is the second pontificate in a row to do so. I myself think that the chief roles of a bishop, including the Bishop of Rome, are to preach/teach and to lead the Church's worship, and that administration comes in a distant third. But this must also mean that someone has to be looking after the shop, and the impression right now is that no one is doing that. The problem is that so many people, and not only in Rome, think that the Church can be centrally administered. Bureaucracies are notorious for (1) turf-wars and (2) thinking that they know better than the folks on the ground. It is paradoxical that a Council that so stressed communion and community has given rise, at every level, to unprecedented expansion of bureaucracies. I believe that sociologists would tell us that community-responsibility and bureaucracy are usually at best in tension with one another.
Very interesting. I must say that I find it hard to sympathize with someone who likes to eat his meals alone...Jokes aside, our Pope, by his willingness to take even unpopular decisions when he feels that they are the right thing to do; by his relative disregard for the reaction of media; and by his tough, demanding attitude towards the faithful, is ideally suited for one obvious goal: dealing effectively with the sexual abuse crisis. Maybe that's his mission! And that's my prayer for him.
This is definitely a story that was waiting to be reported. Has any American news organization run a similar piece?
Fr. Komonchak,From the article, it seems like the people who are miffed are the bureaucrats.
Nothing particularly new here. The Times combox suggests that the majority of vocal Catholics are enraptured with Benedict's personality and his monarchical style. Remember that Americans almost adored George Bush, the worst US president ever, and it took Katrina and economic meltdown to dint their enthusiasm. Benedict is a far better thinker and governor than Bush, and the deficiences of his polity are apparent only to the theological sophisticates who may pore over the History of Vatican II. I hope Benedict rules for another 15 years in order to teach everyone, painfully, the same critical theological sophistication.
We are going to learn what "the majority of vocal Catholics" think from a combox? That's about as trustworthy a source as the one that suggested that "Americans" [sic; not just the majority] "almost adored George Bush" before Katrina and the economic meltdown.
I am heartened to learn (from Claire's post) that Benedict is on a mission to deal effectively with the sexual abuse crisis. Perhaps someone could point me towards the evidence for that? Dealing with Maciel and his followers -- yes, there's that. But that's only a very small part of a crisis that has affected many countries in many different parts of the world. Perhaps some effective steps are being taken to deal with it and I've missed them. It would seem to me (getting back to the themes of governance and administration again) that a first vital step would be a forthright look at the question of how, if at all, the Church's governance structures might themselves have to bear a substantial amount of responsibility for the abuse crisis. I see no evidence that any of those in positions of authority are willing to engage the question. As for the pope v. bureaucrats: yes, bureaucracies can be dangerous animals, primarily looking out only for their own turfs, in democracies, monarchies, dictatorships, and everything in between. The ideal certainly would be to have a "creative tension," as Fr. Komonchak suggests (perhaps along the lines of the creative tension that has historically existed between "Roman" and "Catholic." I had a medievalist colleague, now since departed this earth, a devout Episcopalian, who used to tell me that the Vatican had invented bureaucracy. My response was that while that might be true in the West, the Chinese were developing it long before the Vatican came along. And the fortunes of the Chinese bureaucracy have survived millenia of imperial rule, imperial breakdown, and now what Beijing still (sancta simplicitas) likes to refer to as "communism."
I will admit that the thought has occasionally crossed my mind that JPII and Benedict might have been sent to open our eyes to the wrong direction in which church governance has gone with an imperial, absolutist Papacy, Papally appointed bishops, and a dysfunctional bureaucracy, all unable or unwilling to deal with the sexual abuse crisis and many other crucial matters. But HOPING for another 15 years of this? What is it they used to say in geometry? Q.E.D. Weve had enough proof.
Fr. Yves Congar liked to quote an Anglican theologian who said that one problem Anglicans faced with regard to the role of the papacy was that the modern popes had all been decent, even holy men. What we needed, he half-jokingly said, was "a really good bad pope". Congar translated this as "un tres bon mauvais pape", and he too was only half-joking when he said that it would teach people that the Church is not the pope and does not rise and fall with the fate of the pope. He made a similar point with regard to the millennium-old discussion among canonists and theologians about the possibility of a pope's becoming a heretic, a literature important to consult for a balanced ecclesiology. Still, I agree with Susan on what to hope for and not to hope for.
Nicholas: true, not much has happened since that moving occasion when the pope met with abuse survivors during his visit to the US. I'm not saying that. I am only saying that, should he decided that that was his top priority, he seems very well suited to the job.
I've often wondered what people have in mind as an alternative process of episcopal appointments. Wider consultation, or a vote?I suppose that I especially wonder about the practical wisdom of democratization, given the collapsing viability of the mainline denominations. But since Tradition is very much on the side of the involvement of the people of a diocese in the selection of its bishop, what forms could that take?
Fr. Komonchak:As far as the necessity of an "administrative" Pope is concerned, let's remember Paul VI, who was said to have administrative skills, but no theological skills that I could discern, to say nothing of his lack of skills in dealing with people. What I find ironic is that even given his reputation as an administrator, Paul VI was singularly inept when it came to the chaos after Vatican II, particularly in his episcopal appointments or those who represented him (e.g., Jadot). He (and John Paul II) ended up with people who thought they could "administer" change. One example is that of ecumenism, where we had two cardinals in a row, Cassidy and Kasper, who thought it was only a matter of administering ecumenical agreement, which really meant reducing everything to the LCD, just the kind of administrative mindset that should be anathema to the Church. It's reminiscent of the Rahner-Fries book, which Joseph Ratzinger called a "forced march to unity." While there should perhaps be some improvements in the Curia, I don't see where Paul VI was such a stellar success; he was arguably the worst Pope since Leo X, in terms of generating disunity in the Church, principally BECAUSE he "governed" rather than set the example by his holiness, as Benedict XVI does.
While "running" the Church may not be the most important thing a pope does, there is a three-fold munus for him as every bishop, I believe: to teach, to sanctify, and to govern. So governing is an element of this. If some popes were not good governors (as Benedict, by his own admission) seems not to be (or it's not his interest), that doesn't mean, to my mind, that we do away with it. There have been notorious popes, personally and spiritually. But I don't think because of that we'd toss out the idea that the personal sanctity of a pope matters. There are ways to govern that are not in absentia, or dictatorial, or kumbaya hand-wringing. I appreciate Fr. Komonchak's Congar story--excellent! And Michael Miller's reference a few posts back to Rahner's analogy about popes and chess clubs presidents seems spot-on, too.
Thanks, Fr. K. Excellent post and points made. But, reflecting on various contributions, I get the feeling that it is a little like the famous movie, Rashomon; it all depends upon who is doing the viewing and analyzing.Mr. Gibson makes an excellent point - there are 3 roles/skills that a pope needs. We now have two popes in a row (30+ years???) who either do not have administrative skills or no interest. The curia desperately needs to be overhauled to better reflect:a) K. Rahner's Vatican II call that the church is now a WORLD-CHURCH;b) Vatican II marked a division in ecclesialogical history equal to the Jerusalem Conference and the establishment of the Roman church;c) the curia/Rome needs to mirror the call of Lumen Gentium/Gaudium Spes - more lay and female inclusion; fewer ordained bishops/cardinals - ability to manage - age issue......can we really expect popes and curia to manage a 24/7 job in their eighties?BYW - I do not agree with the analysis that Jadot did not lead, did not have administrative skills, or appointed bishops that lacked them. There were a number of articles recently that compared Jadot (who was sleighted if not insulted by JPII) and his replacement. On the whole, it appears that bishops who took office after Jadot's time have responded to the sexual abuse crisis in a very authoritarian and legal fashion which has only deepened the crisis. Also, look the record of JPII's personal prelatures and support of various "new" communities - not sure that they have expressed the ecclesiology of Vatican II, much less a new World Church.
I've felt, ever since his pontificate, that if Paul VI could be so vigorously criticized, as he was, from both left and right, he must have been doing something right!A "world Church" (global Church) is nearly as ambiguous a phenomenon as "globalization" in the many other senses it receives today. It could be taken in a sense similar to that used when one thinks of manufacturers of goods marketed globally, as erasing or minimizing local differences. Rahner himself had a strange view of the college of bishops as the Board of Directors of the Universal Church, which I think is quite wrong and simply adds a collective Board to the monarchical CEO in charge of the multinatinal religious corporation, centrally governed. This was in some tension with his view of the parish as the local realization of the Church. Rahner probably meant the term to refer to a Church that seeks to be at home in the various cultures of the world.His point of comparison with what he thought was going on at and after the Council was the cultural transformation that occurred when Christianity moved out of the Jewish into the Greco-Roman cultural world. He didn't mean "the establishment of the Roman Church."
Fr. Komonchak:Last I heard, Rahner wasn't running the Church. And his interpretation of the significance of Vatican II, with which I assume you agree, would probably have been shared by John Paul II, who constantly spoke of a "new Springtime." But that characterization went in the face of much evidence to the contrary, including the greatly falling numbers of Catholics at the end of John Paul's pontificate (for all of his evangelizing). Benedict's interpretation of the Council has always differed from John Paul's (or Rahner's), particularly as to the "event" status of the Council and also as to the "establishment of the Roman Church."
Mr. Florent: Did I say anything to suggest that Rahner was running the Church? Why the admonition, then?
Fr. K - i was trying to describe the transition from one cultural mind-set to another at the end of Vatican II. Agree with your much better expressed summary.I do believe that his insights are helpful - add that currently more Catholics live in the southern hemisphere and ecclesiology does begin to change.Not sure that the current curial set up either helps or supports an non-eurocentric church.
Hmmmmmmmmm According to J. H. Newman, the Church exists solely to further the realization of Christ. Any lesser aim would be theologically deficient. "Realization" is the very life of true developments; it is peculiar to the church, and the justification of her definitions. Just as Christ is endowed by God with a threefold office of prophet, priest, and king, so, Newman holds, the church shares in this threefold reality. It is engaged, at one and the same time, in teaching, worship, and governance. It is inseparably a philosophy, a religion, and a polity. All three elements are essential to the being of the church; their creative interaction is necessary for her well-being; their inevitable tension can be life-enhancing; their individual imperialistic claims constitute her perennial temptation and agony. Robert P. Imbelli, The Newman Legacy: Realizing Christ (article), Church, Spring 1991.Jesus founded a Church not a school or a magisterium, and he organized a college of apostles, not of rabbis, and he proclaimed love, not torah. John McKenzie, S.J.
The administrative disarray (or lack thereof) in the Vatican is certainly an important and timely issue, especially in light of the lifting of the SSPX excommunications, but while reading John Wilkins's "Why I Became Catholic" in the current issue of Commonweal (I think the online version is available to non-subscribers as well), I was moved by how Vatican II played such an important part in Mr. Wilkins's faith journey to Catholicism, and how what he perceives as a pull back from the reforms of VII (including outreach to a group like SSPX that can never accept VII's reforms) has been so painful for the many Catholics like him for whom John XXIII and the council itself were the magnets that drew them to the faith. For a cradle Catholic like me, Mr. Wilkins's candid comments were something of a revelation about why VII resonates so personally with some converts.
Between 1978 and 2000 the number of Catholics increased 38%.
Miss Ferrone,If John Paul's pontificate was so successful, why did the cardinal electors make the failure of his programme of evangelization one of their discussion points prior to the conclave? It was very plainly a failure in Europe.A large percentage of that 38% are only thinly-evangelized, poorly-catechized "Catholics."
Steven Florent:Just saw your quick reply to Rita Ferrones comment.Will you be replying to Joe Komonchaks?
Mr. Florent,It won't do to change your ground now that you've been caught with your facts in error. So it's a quality question now, eh? You can't possibly know that "A large percentage of that 38% are only thinly-evangelized, poorly-catechized 'Catholics.'"
I am sick and tired of the Paul VI bashing that conservative Catholics are reveling in for the last few years. It is sad that Benedict, created Cardinal by Paul VI, has done so much to undercut his legacy."lets remember Paul VI, who was said to have administrative skills, but no theological skills that I could discern, to say nothing of his lack of skills in dealing with people."His theological skills (he was a moral theologian) were evident in his encyclicals, which are of higher quality than those of his successors, and in his incandescent sermons as Archbishop of Milan.He was a man of exquisite sensitivity, who touched many hearts, and certainly he alienate far fewer people than his successors." What I find ironic is that even given his reputation as an administrator, Paul VI was singularly inept when it came to the chaos after Vatican II, particularly in his episcopal appointments or those who represented him (e.g., Jadot)."He appointed many wonderful bishops, including Jadot; it is well known that his successors have appointed yes men and mediocrities to such a degree as to seriously enfeeble the world episcopate." He (and John Paul II) ended up with people who thought they could administer change. One example is that of ecumenism, where we had two cardinals in a row, Cassidy and Kasper, who thought it was only a matter of administering ecumenical agreement, which really meant reducing everything to the LCD, just the kind of administrative mindset that should be anathema to the Church."If this outrageous claim has any merit it might be in the LCD-ism prevailing in the 1999 joint statement on Justification. But that statement, which the present pontiff approved theologically, had the practical merit of opening a corridor of shared thought among Catholics and Lutherans on Luther's (and Paul's) great theme. Bickering has given way to serene sharing, to the benefit of the Gospel." Its reminiscent of the Rahner-Fries book, which Joseph Ratzinger called a forced march to unity. Not sure what book you mean, but this sounds like one of Ratzinger's poorer moments, where he indulges a penchant for Adorno-esque Besserwissen."While there should perhaps be some improvements in the Curia, I dont see where Paul VI was such a stellar success; he was arguably the worst Pope since Leo X, in terms of generating disunity in the Church, principally BECAUSE he governed rather than set the example by his holiness, as Benedict XVI does."I met Paul VI three times and was convinced of his utter sanctity. I studied under Ratzinger and never thought of him as a saint. But that is all in the eye of the beholder I suppose.As to generating disunity, note that it was John Paul II with Ratzinger who pushed Kung to the margins and excommunicated the Lefebvrites. Paul VI was a man of inclusiveness, which his successors have failed to understand.
Dear Fr Komonchak, I thought my adjective "vocal" Catholics made the point that most Catholic voices today, and certainly the loudest, are rabidly ultramontane. That these are not the majority of Catholics as such I fondly hope.On papal longevity, never forget how Gregory IX, who may have been as old as 80 when he was Pope, lived until 94 and reduced to pulp the advanced German emperor Frederick II, who had been flourishing under the previous Pope. Also remember how many who prayed for John Paul II's resignation were long in their own graves by the time he departed this life. So if we do not hope for a long continuation of the present style, let us at least be reconciled to the hopeful thought that much would be learnt from it by an over-ultramontanizes people of God.
Father O'Leary:In my last post on this wonderful site, I wish to thank you most sincerely for your defense of Pope Paul VI. I was surprised when these calumnies were left to stand. I thought of posting but have no talent for it. Paul VI was a man of profound culture, deeply read in the theological, philosophical, Catholic belle-lettres tradition of 20th century France. Much of this tradition, as we know, prepared the way for the Second Vatican Council. His great encyclical Ecclesiam Suam, his addresses and homilies were (and are) unparalelled in the history of the modern papacy. His homilies in the parish churches of Rome and general audience talks on implementing the liturgical reforms are markedly pastoral and full of the realization of the need for the reform. For a man nearing 70, it is clear that he experienced the implementation of the reforms with a certain, wrenching, personal regret. But he held steady and determined, convinced of the pastoral benefits of the reform. A man of exquisite sensitivity, he suffered much in the papal office. It was clearly a burden for him, hardly an exaltation. As for his sanctity, one has only to read his Last Testament.The most dreadful pontificate since Leo X! As a church historian, I find this statement shockingly ignorant. We have seen failed papacies, and will see them yet again. Not so that of Paul VI.
About the Author
Rev. Joseph A. Komonchak, professor emeritus of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America, is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of New York.


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Sweden, March 19 – 21, 2013
Luleå University of Technology invites you to the 3rd International Tribology Symposium of IFToMM in Luleå, Sweden March 19-21, 2013
This Symposium will cover the topical themes of tribology including: Friction, wear, lubrication, lubricants, tribology in hostile environment, tribomaterials, solid lubricants, surface engineering, tribotesting, tribologicaldesign and optimisationof machine components, modellingin tribology, biotribology, micro/nanotribology, Tribotronics, tribology in power generating systems, metal working tribology, tribologyin rail and road transport.
A Young Scientists forum and a High Temperature Tribology Workshop have also been planned in conjunction with the Symposium. The details of these events will soon be available on the Symposium webiste.
The tribology research at LTU is mainly carried out at the Division of Machine Elements (ME). The Division is amongst the World's leading tribology research groups. It has played a leading role in various National research programmes such as HiMeC (SSF), Interface (SSF ProViking) and Swedish ResarchCouncil (VR) and actively participated in several EU programmes (COST 532, VTI and Marie Curie Actions etc.). The Division is also coordinating the Swedish Research School in Tribology.
Situated in the north of Sweden, 150 km south of the Arctic Circle near the Gulf of Bothnia. The summers are warm and sunny. Winters are cold with lots of snow. Skiing, skating, ice-hockey and driving snow mobiles are typical sports during the month of March. GammelstadChurch town, a World heritage site is also located here. For more information about the city, visit: www.lulea.se
The Division of Machine Elements and Prof.Braham Prakash (Symposium Chairman) extends a very warm welcome to all fellow tribologists to Luleå and the 3rdInternational Tribology Symposium of IFToMM
Visit the link below for more information
Important Dates to Remember
August 31, 2012 – Abstarct submission deadline
December 31, 2012 – Full Paper Submission
Contact Information
Division of Machine Elements
Lulea University of Technology Lulea SE-971 87 Sweden
Email: email@example.com
Click Here to register for this event.


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text: first off hello all. i amm trying to address the same thing i tryto bring up on weapons guild with no such help. let roll on and here is can a pps=-43 be welded on, can u use a AR15 BUFFER-5RECOIL SPRING TO RECOIL A 7.62X25 pps-tube gun? it was a pps-43 bolt i meant on welding. thanks perry


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"Dear EFF -- If I buy an iPhone, I'm making a conscious decision. A choice. I'm giving up control to gain user experience. If I'm not prepared to do that, I can go download Android Open Source Project, and Radio Shack up my own phone."
Yes, you know the trade off you're making, but does the average consumer know? You know, the 99% who don't read iMore or spend their spare moments trolling around XDA-Developers? What's wrong with trying to educate consumers about those things?
Editor's desk: Flashy thing me. Please.
This week started off with me begging for a good, Men in Black-style, neuralyzation but ended up with a ton of great stuff. Any coincidence we're heading into the biggest Apple event of the year? Of course not. Let's check the hot sheets....
Dumb Apple stuff, redux
Let's start off with two of a hundred memories I don't want.
The first was an article listing 7 things Apple CEO Tim Cook might do at the D10 conference that no self respecting Apple journalist, much less one of the biggest tech sites on the internet, would ever legitimately imagine him doing. When even well-informed readers know there's no chance Tim Cook will whip out the next iPhone or iPad Mini or an Apple Television, and they know the writer/editor knows that, what's the point in doing it?
The second listed a series of supposedly recent moves by Apple that would cause their late co-founder and CEO, Steve Jobs, to "roll-over in his grave". Other factually challenged content not withstanding, the list contained numerous things widely known to have been started under jobs, if not driven by Jobs. Again, savvy readers know this, know the writer/editor knows it, so why is it happening?
I've said it before and I'll say it again -- it's our fault. We get what we read, what we link to, and what we share. If those are the quality pieces, the great research, and killer analysis, if that's what gets our attention and our traffic, that's what we'll get more of.
If it's dumb Apple stuff, all we'll get is more of it, and dumber.
EFF'd up
Speaking things that make me want to reach for the Noisy Cricket...
The EFF seems to have gone on a bender this week, no doubt guzzling whatever off-world ale got the formerly reputable Consumer Reports to mortgage their integrity for cheap Apple-fueled headline hits. They made a list of "rights" that Apple was violating by locking iOS into a crystal prison, and in so doing tried to infantilize supporters and disregard the personal responsibility so integral to consumers in a free market society.
Dear EFF -- If I buy an iPhone, I'm making a conscious decision. A choice. I'm giving up control to gain user experience. If I'm not prepared to do that, I can go download Android Open Source Project, and Radio Shack up my own phone. (I'm turning to ASOP and kit parts because no commercial phone, not even Android, is actually open to consumers.)
Here's the thing -- Apple is a three star Micheline restaurant with a diva chef right out of a kitchen nightmare. Apple is The French Laundry. Apple is Nobu, And you don't walk into a fancy fine dining restaurant, barge into the kitchen and tell the iron chef you're cooking your own dinner.
If you want that, you go to the supermarket. You buy your ingredients. You cook it your damn self. Because with control comes responsibility. You can't have your freedom cake and eat it to.
And the EFF, being filled with brilliant minds, knows this. And they know we know they know this. So why the game?
See above.
Tons more feedback and it seems we have 2 main camps emerging: Those who want deep geek dives into the news and issues surrounding iOS, the iPhone, and iPad; and those who want more mainstream headlines with a mix of apps and accessories. And very little, if any middle ground. This week we went super-deep, with David Barnard of App Cubby, and the first part of our WWDC 2012 and iOS 6 preview.
Not to be outdone, we rounded up Kevin from CrackBerry.com, Phil from Android Central, Derek from webOS Nation, Daniel from Windows Phone, and Gary from Mobile Nations for a cross-site, cross-platform round table.
Keep the feedback coming!
We put a lot of work into our features this week, and hope you enjoyed them. If you missed any, here's the rundown. First, yours truly continued to look into Apple's options for iOS 6:
- iOS 6: Is it time for Apple to revamp the multitasking fast app switcher?: A look at the history of mobile multitasking and how Apple could implement better fast app switching in iOS 6
- iOS 6: Higher hanging fruit: Features and functionality from Android, BlackBerry, webOS, Windows Phone and more, still ripe for iOS 6 inspiration
- iOS 6: A fresh coat of paint: A brief look at the history of Apple's mobile UI, and what hints it may hold for iOS 6
And our regularly scheduled programming:
- How to fix the dock connector on an AT&T/GSM iPhone 4 by Ally Kazmucha. Another fantastic installment in our ultimate DIY maintenance and repair guide.
- How to take irresistible photos of your pets with your iPhone by Leanna Lofte. Why should portraits be limited to the human members of the family?
- Diet Coda vs. Gusto vs. Textastic: Code editor for iPad app shootout! by Ally Kazumchua. Which iOS FTP and website editor reins supreme?
- [Best cases for iPhone] by Georgia. Our favorite hard cases, soft cases, bumper cases, wallet cases, charging cases, eclectic cases, and more!
- Best jailbreak apps for iPhone by Ally Kazmucha. If you've just used Absinthe on your iPhone, this is where you'll want to go next.
- Best jailbreak apps for iPad by Ally Kazmucha. Same as above, but for iPad.
Recommended reading
- Research In Motion, rear view mirrors, beer goggles and a reality check by Chris Umiastowski. Whether past corporate behavior is a good indicator for future viability.
- No, iOS is not a prison by Chuq von Rospach. A former Palm webOS insider explains the realities of why open wins our hearts, but not our money in the consumer market.
- Mobile hardware and software are separable, no matter what manufacturers tell you by Vlad Savov. In the alternative, why decoupled models may lead to decoupled attitudes among consumers.
- Game In-App Purchases: A Conflict Between Developer Economics & Goodwill by Graham Spencer. An incredibly in depth look at the consequences of the fremium App Store model.
- Jayse Hansen on creating heroic user interfaces for The Avengers, touch by Matthew Panzarino. Pure geek awesomery.
- Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs Movie is Going to be a Disaster by Farhad Manjoo. The possible problems that might arise when you mistake an incredible scriptwriter for a historian.
Pushing the little red button
What's better than selling a reverberating carbonizer with mutate capacity to an unlicensed cephalopoid? WWDC 2012, of course, and it's just a week away. I'll be arriving in San Francisco around this time next Sunday, along with Leanna and Seth. And we're going to make iMore's coverage look GOOD.
So tell me -- what do you want to see?
Have something to say about this story? Leave a comment! Need help with something else? Ask in our forums!
Reader comments
Editor's desk: Flashy thing me. Please.
"Dear EFF -- If I buy an iPhone, I'm making a conscious decision. A choice. I'm giving up control to gain user experience. If I'm not prepared to do that, I can go download Android Open Source Project, and Radio Shack up my own phone."
The average consumer may not know, but probably doesn't care either...
I've really got to agree most wholeheartedly with the first Stew that posted, wasn't me but his comment fits my sentiments perfectly!
There are three types of Apple customers;
First the ones that don't know and definitely don't care.
Second the ones that Do know, they make a conscious decision to purchase because that was the reason they were purchasing from Apple in the first place.
Third, the ones that Do know and it bothers them a little bit but they jailbreak because it gives them the flexibility without losing out on the Apple experience.
It sounds like all of your wants for iOS 6 are exactly what BlackBerry 10 seems to be. As for the group sharing capabilities, there's a service that does all of what the man to the left dreams of at night. It's called BBM Groups, it has Chats, PIctures, Lists, Calendars and App content. For wanting the fluid app transition, BlackBerry 10 is certainly the solution for that desire as well.
My niece just came to me and said why is my htc battery dieing 5 times a day! Well by time I found the problem, it's all those so called OPEN apps on the playstore totally messed her phone up! Well for tech savey people this wouldn't be a problem but for her I honestly think a iPhone would be better suited because of ease of use,and apps in the app store almost never mess with your phone like the tweaks she messed with on android!
Bottom line = ease of use = gpa,gma,niece,dad,mom....... Get my point!
People like me want more,
Tech savvy people=jailbreak!!!!!
It's funny. I watched MIB (The first one) with my oldest Daughter Friday night, and then we were talking about it so much that my other Daughter wanted to watch it, so we watched it again last night. And then, this morning, we have a flashy thing me article.
I'm guessing I wasn't the only one trying to get people who hadn't seen any of the MIB's caught up for a visit to the movies for MIB 3...
As we Southern women say down here...HELL YEAH! U tell em!! :D
Renee the EFF attacked Microsoftvtoo in the same blog post, but spent more time on Apple because Applecis more locked down. You can't accuse them of link bait here because there's no mention of Apple on the home page at all. basically, that blog post was no big news, it's of a piece with their long term advocacy of jailbreaking, and their long term defense of free software developers.
Your rebuttal basically says that you willingly jump into the "prison" that Apple has set up for you. That doesn't mean there aren't disadvantages to the prison. If you don't like the way apple does things, you can't go to the app store to get your tweaks.
And frankly Renee, your restaurant analogy basically is a full blown attack on jailbreaking. I'm surprised that more haven't picked up on that. I didnt realize you were so anti-tweaking. Why do you cover jailbreaking on your blog if its so wrong to make your own food at the restaurant, Renee?
I agree with you that most of the rights EFF identified are not valuable, but some are. That's why I jailbreak, and I only bought an iphone because I could jailbreak it.
Not sure if you actually read what I wrote, or if you were busy playing Galaga (Didn't think I saw you, but I did...!)
I'm not anti-jailbreak at all. I love it. I jailbreak all the time.
It's a choice, and I take responsibility for it. So is staying stock. Both are valid options.
Again, if I want to cook for myself I go to the supermarket, buy what I want, and make it.
Re-read what I wrote again. (i.e. don't read into it what you want, read what I actually wrote.)
I read it before, and again, and it still says in response to the crystal prison idea that you made a choice, and that if you wanted control, you'd do android. Hen you analogized to a pricey, high rated french restaurant and said if you don't like the food there, you go home amd make your own. That whole response ignores that you can jailbreak an iphone and have most of the control the EFF is complaining about.
And i know you're not anti jailbreak, which is why such a harsh analogy was so surprising. That's the sort of argument I'd expect an anti jailbreaker to make. "Take what the chef gives or go home. ". Maybe you don't see the full force of the analogy. I'm taking it at face value.
And while you might see me playing galaga, you didn't today. Must have been another reader.


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Mission Center Library
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For more information please contact Mark Fan, Reference Desk: 920-6137, and Debra Duhon or Patrick Maes at Circulation: 920-6041.
Resources at the Mission Center Library
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I think that Vitor just wants to stay active. He will not risk his position in the MW division by fighting someone like Jacare for example. He knows that he is basically the next No. 1 contender, so he will not risk that.Quote:
That being said, I don't see how a win over Henderson gives Vitor anything he already doesn't have. He's already made a case for a shot at MW, but one win at LHW isn't enough to get him another shot at 205. I guess maybe if you count anything above 186 at a LHW bout his catchweight wins would count.
However he does not want to be without a fight for many months, so he is going to fight at 205. If he loses, nothing happens. And if he wins, then there are going to be even more talks about how much he deserves a title shot at MW


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Burning Legion is coming to Azeroth and we have to unite to save it. Maybe once the initial threat is pushed back, we'll head to ARgus or another bastion of the BL to kick some names and take some ass (wait . . . that doesn't sound right)
Burning Legion is coming to Azeroth and we have to unite to save it. Maybe once the initial threat is pushed back, we'll head to ARgus or another bastion of the BL to kick some names and take some ass (wait . . . that doesn't sound right)
If a video game developer removed tumors from players, they'd whine about nerfing their loss in weight and access to radiation powers. -Cracked.com
-Blizzard has actually made improvements and added new textures in the Emerald Dream in Cataclysm. See this
(skip to 7:20)
for comparison.
If Emerald Dream is same what is Azeorth now, This zone (what's done so far) isn't alike any aviable zone atm.
(took videos from here)
Has everyone given up on the emerald dream? All i see is talk about burning legion
"Stop being a giant trolling asshole." - Boubouille
"The Internet is built on complaints about asinine things" - prefect
"Facts became discussable when critical thinking stopped being the focus of education."- Chonogo
"Sometimes people confuse "We Don't Understand This Yet" with "Ooga Booga Space Magic" - Chazus
http://www.youtube.com/user/TastyGameHub<< Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mgoQ...0&feature=plcp<< INSANE DAYZ SHOT Armory Alt
It's a world of dreams. The laws of nature are just guidelines there. It'd be even more bizarre than Outland in some ways.
Emerald Dream is at best a raid.
It's story was mostly ended in Stormrage. Plus we have a history of destroying pristine lands. See: Karasang Wilds
Also #TeamNotSoManyVillains
Hmmm what could it be after kungfu panda?
Angry birds? Mickey mouse? Bunnies?
Burning legion, Argus, Sargeras, Emerald Dream, Azshara...
Any one is fine with me. Just waiting for the pandashit to be over. Looking forward to what comes next, so I can come back to the game.
Well, Blizzcon is confirmed for 2013, 100%. I wonder if it'll be in the spring or fall, though. If in the spring, then we could expect more clues on the next expansion early next year I guess.
'"Good morning!" said Bilbo, and he meant it.'
The Trophy System
WarCrafting 2.0
Mount 2.0
World Enhancement Patch 1.0


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|Birth Date:
|Camarillo, Ca.
|High School:
|Rio Mesa HS
2014 Season
Gained second team All-Big West Conference honors … Scored 48 goals, third-best on the team … Tallied a career-high six goals against Cal State Monterey Bay (1/26/14) … Scored at least two goals in ten games … Scored eleven goals in the last five games … Shot .432, the second-best mark on the Matadors … Finished her four-year career with 169 goals, sixth-best all-time at CSUN … Also ranks fourth in career field goal percentage (.404), fifth in career field goals attempts (418) and sixth in field blocks (41) in the school record book.
2013 Season
Scored 45 goals, third-best on the Matadors … Tallied a shooting percentage of .357 … Scored two or more goals in 13 games … Scored a season-high four goals in games against UC San Diego (1/26/13), Cal State San Bernardino (2/2/13), Chapman (3/2/13) and Occidental (3/14/13) … Collected 31 steals … Tallied three steals against Bucknell (3/14/13) and Concordia (3/19/13).
2012 Season
Honorable Mention All-American by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) ... First Tam All-Big West Conference ... Named Team co-MVP along with teammate Marisa Young ... Enjoyed an outstanding season in 2012 … The #2 scorer in the Big West Conference with 68 goals which is also fifth-best for a single season in Big West history … After only scoring eight goals in 2011, the sophomore responded with 68 goals in 2012, fourth-best for a single season in school history … Jamison's production helped the Matadors finish the year with a school record 378 goals, surpassing the old mark of 371 by the 2010 squad … Scored at least one goal in 32 of the 38 games she played … Scored a career-high five goals against Brown (3/24/12) … Compiled a shooting percentage of .428 (68-for-159), fifth-best among the Matador regulars, and tenth-best for a single season in school history … Tallied four goals in games against #10 Indiana (1/29/12), Cal State Monterey Bay (3/3/12), Bucknell (3/18/12) and La Verne (3/24/12) … Scored at least two goals in 19 games … Led the team in scoring in nine games … Shot the ball 159 times, second-best on the team and sixth-best for a single season in school history … Led the Matadors in penalty shots with 13 in 15 shot attempts … Dished out 40 assists (#3 on the team) in 2012 after tallying no assists the year before … Her 31 kick outs drawn was third-best on the Matadors.
2011 Season
Scored eight goals in 22 games ... Scored a season-high three goals against La Verne (3/6/11) ... Scored two goals against Cal State Bakersfield (2/19/11).
High School
A standout water polo player at Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard, Calif. ... A four-year starter and team captain ... Her lead her team to four league championships ... Set school records for career goals (352) and single season goals (150) ... An All-CIF and all-league player several times ... League MVP ... Athlete of the Year at Rio Mesa HS ... Also competed four years in swimming.
Matador Memo
Born July 6, 1992 in Ventura, Calif. ... Her parents are Regina and Michael Jamison ... Has one brother (Christopher) ... Roots for the Los Angeles Lakers ... Her favorite player is Kobe Bryant ... Her favorite actor is Zac Efron ... Likes to watch Friends ... Her favorite food is pasta but stays away from potato salad ... Her favorite musical solo artist is Lady Gaga ... Her favorite website is Facebook ... Chose Cal State Northridge because of the water polo program ... Her greatest sports moment was when she set a school record in scoring 150 goals in a season at Rio Mesa High School ... Her most embarrassing moment was when she was attacked by a pelican ... The best thing about being a student-athlete is being in shape, according to Jenny ... The most famous person she has ever met is Betty White ... Would have liked to have met Benjamin Franklin ... Would like to be stranded on a desert island with Zac Efron ... Would like to have dinner with Zac Efron ... If she had a million dollars, she would buy a house ... Her advice to young people - "be smart" ... No one knows, according to Jenny, how much she loves food ... The one possession she can't live without is food ... Years from now, she will still laugh about the time she ate a bug ... If she could change one thing about the world, it would be to end starvation ... Her family always makes her smile ... Her greatest hero is her mom - "She helps me through everything" ... Psychology major.


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Who Are The Palestinians?
An examination of the geography, history, and politics of Palestinian identity
By David Margolis
We Also Recommend
Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir's famous 1969 remark that the Palestinians "did not exist" as a nationality represents an opinion still heard today, especially on the right of Israel's political spectrum, often buttressed with specific arguments, including:
• that the Arabs of Palestine have no language, religion or general culture that distinguishes them significantly from the Arabs of Jordan, Syria (where some factions still claim Palestine as part of "Greater Syria") or other neighboring Arab states;
• that especially before the 20th century, traditional Palestinian society was semi‑feudal in its structure and organized around loyalties to locality and tribe, not nation;
• that the Arabs of Palestine never exercised national sovereignty in the country in which they lived;
• that a pattern of Arab emigration from Palestine, a land often described by Western travelers in the 18th and 19th centuries as "desolate" and "empty," was reversed, especially after World War I, not by nationalist feeling but by the employment opportunities and improved quality of life that accompanied Zionist immigration and land development;
• that the word Filastin, as the country is called in Arabic, is not Palestinian‑Arab in origin (the Arabs of the region rarely used it before 1948) but refers to the biblical "Philistines," whose name the ancient Romans gave to the country in an attempt to obliterate the Jews' connection to it;
• that even UN Security Council Resolution 242, which in 1967 called upon Israel to return "territories" it had conquered in the Six‑Day War, referred only to "refugees" without mentioning the Palestinians as a separate national entity.
In other words, it can be argued that "Palestinian" identity is a shallow political veneer that developed in response to Zionism, that it serves today as a hostile tool kept sharpened for use against Israel, and that Palestinian Arab culture is, at most, a "dialect" of a larger Arab culture.
Even fervent Palestinian nationalists might not deny many of the items on the above list. But they would argue that the absence of a totally unique identity does not disqualify Palestinians from claiming national independence, any more than the lack of a separate language, culture and religion disqualifies Guatemala, Canada or Tunisia.
Did you like this article? MyJewishLearning is a not-for-profit organization.


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A Blackville woman reported on Monday that someone damaged her vehicle by throwing an egg at it on Gayle Avenue.
A City of Aiken employee reported on Tuesday that someone broke into two sheds on Beaufort Street and took tools and landscaping equipment.
An Aiken woman reported on Tuesday that a suspicious man has been riding a green and black bicycle around her Boundary Avenue home. The man has reportedly followed her and even approached her in an attempt to get information about her.
Two people were detained for shoplifting on Tuesday after they pushed a cart loaded with merchandise out the door of Walmart on Whiskey Road without paying, loaded the items into their vehicle and fled the scene. Officers saw the vehicle nearby in the T.J. Maxx parking lot.
A Windsor man reported on Tuesday that someone has been using his Social Security number to collect benefits.
Aiken County sheriffs deputies responded to an alarm at a business on Hitchcock Parkway in Aiken on Tuesday. The alarm was reportedly caused by an open door.
Vehicle break-ins were reported on Laurel Lake Drive and Gilmore Avenue in North Augusta and on Old Jackson Highway in Jackson.
Burglaries were reported on Willis Circle in Graniteville on Monday and Ranchers Street in Aiken on Tuesday.
A stolen vehicle was reported on McCormick Street in Aiken on Tuesday.
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In the spring, we shared with you a story of a father committed to honoring his son's memory and raising awareness of mental illness in an effort to help others whose children are sick.
Denis Asselin, of Cheyney, Pa., stopped at KidsPeace while on a 552-mile pilgrimage to raise awareness about Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that robbed him of his son. His goal, with "Walking With Nathaniel" was to visit places where his son spent time before taking his own life. Nathaniel was at KidsPeace's Children's Hospital when he was 11 years old and first started battling BDD.
In a letter to KidsPeace, Asselin thanked those who met with him, saying their attentiveness gave him the confidence he needed to keep moving forward with sharing his son's story.
Aselin was kind enough to share some of the statistics from his journey. He met with 145 professionals at hospitals and clinics and talked with more than 250 people while walking. He collected $24,782 for the International OCD Foundation, of which $9,000 has been earmarked for education and the remainder for research. Asselin and his family are already discussing with the Foundation the possibility of a walk in October 2013 that could involve other families from across the country who have been affected by OCD.
Youth from the Alternative Services Program at Mesabi Academy in Minnesota have been hard at work helping out in the community.
One group pitched in at the Buhl Public Library, where they moved furniture and books in preparation for new carpet installation then got the library organized after the installation. The library volunteers were very thankful for our help and invited the youth to the library's open house.
Other youth have ben working at the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Virginia. The store manager, Vic, has been very supportive, as he has worked with troubled youth and adults from the community and understands the need for them to work in a positive environment. Mesabi youth recently helped open a new section of the store that had previously been used for storage. They cleaned, sorted through boxes of donations and installed shelving. They also helped display new items for sale, unload trucks and decorate for the holidays.
We look forward to continuing to serve our community.
The Newtown, Conn., school shootings are another sad reminder of the need for attention and funding to be directed at mental health treatment.
At KidsPeace, we are acutely aware of the increasing needs of the population we serve. But as legislators grapple with the possibility of slashing mental health funding in an effort to avoid the "fiscal cliff," KidsPeace and other mental health providers are once again getting the squeeze.
Read more about the struggles facing organizations like ours in our latest Salisbury Patch blog and find out why mental health should be everyone's concern.
Some former KidsPeace foster care clients helped make this holiday season a little brighter for children and teenagers now in our care.
When Kelly Little, program manager for FCCP Williamsport was planning the annual holiday party and put out a call for donations, she was pleasantly surprised to receive gifts from some people she once served as a caseworker.
Brittany Weisenberger, now of Montgomery, Pa., was one of those former clients who donated gifts for a 3-year-old girl. Weisenberger entered the system in 1998, when she was 10 years old. She and her two siblings were separated, and she stayed in foster care for a few years until she started attending boarding school in Hershey. She knows how much support and love foster care children need.
"I know how it is not to have your mom and dad there," she said. "I like to always give back to where I've been a part of."
Weisenberger, now a stay-at-home mom to two children, 2 years and 8 months, is grateful to her foster parents, who she said showed their children "how to be a family" and with whom she still keeps in touch today. Her childhood experiences make her even more determined to take good care of her family.
"It makes me work harder so they don't have to be put in the system," she said. "They have a mom and a dad and a supportive home."
The Employee Activity Committee (EAC) is selling KidsPeace Kuisine cookbooks for $10 each. KidsPeace associates, friends and families across the organization shared 350 of their treasured recipes for the cookbook. The cover was designed by Dalton B., a discharged client from the Crockett House, Pioneer Center on the Pennsylvania Orchard Hills Campus. Ivy Fox, late night MHT, also from the Pioneer Center, came up with the name for the book.Cookbooks make great gifts for the holidays or any occasion! To place an order, please call 610-799-8073 or email email@example.com. We received so many requests for cookbooks that extra copies were ordered and are expected to arrive in January. The EAC has gift certificates for those who want to give the cookbook for a holiday gift.
A partnership in Maine is raising awareness and funds for KidsPeace.
Electricity Maine has chosen KidsPeace as a recipient of their "Power to Help" program. This means that for every customer that enrolls in Electricity Maine's program and mentions KidsPeace as a referral source, the company will now donate $5 to KidsPeace. The funds stay in the local area to help families served by our Lewiston FCCP office.
This is just the beginning of the generosity of Electricity Maine. The staff members have sponsored our foster children and teenagers and are purchasing holiday gifts for all youth in our foster homes across the state. They also helped with a holiday lights contest for our foster homes and gave the house with the best display a month of free power.
Looking for an easy way to help the children we serve? Just head to Facebook.
Mike Fisher, owner of Print Concepts in Allentown, Pa., has graciously nominated KidsPeace for a $5,000 donation through the Univest "Caring for Community Giveaway." Now we just need to rack up addtional votes to show Univest why our charity should be chosen.
If you'd like to help, please take a moment to visit the Univest Facebook page and nominate KidsPeace as well. This is a wonderful opportunity for our kids and would make 2013 a very happy New Year. Nominations may be submited until Dec. 31. Tell your friends, and log on today!
KidsPeace is thrilled to announce steps we have taken toward placing more children in permanent, loving homes.
Virginia Foster Care and Community Programs had its first adoptive placement -- a boy from Texas -- in our Richmond, Va., office in October. We are providing services until his adoption is finalized in the next six months. We have also submitted a proposal to the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) in Washington D.C. to facilitate adoptions for children in the custody of CFSA with families who reside in Northern Virginia. We are anxiously waiting to hear if we will be one of the agencies selected to do this work.
We have had five adoptions in Washington D.C. so far this year, and several more are pending in the next six months. We are especially thrilled to report that two of our youth who had been in foster care for more than 15 years have been adopted together by a family in Virginia.
We received our Maryland adoption license in the spring and passed our first licensing visit from the state's DHR on Nov. 29 with no citations. We have two adoptive families who have been selected to take a child from North Carolina and a toddler from Delaware. Once the out-of-state counties sign the contracts and interstate adoption is approved, we will be able to place both of these children with their new families.
Are you thinking of bringing a child into your family, or do you know of a child who needs a home? Find out more about our adoption services.


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ELKIN - For the second-straight game to open the season, the Buckin' Elks ran into an ace.
Four days after battling against Alleghany's Austin Easter, Elkin ran into Wilkes Central ace Austin Staley Friday night with similar results.
Staley limited the Elks offensively, holding them to just three hits on the night, as the Eagles picked up the 5-0 shutout victory.
Jamey Cranford, Drew Shinkle and Seth Haynes recorded the three hits on the night for Elkin, but it wasn't enough.
The Elks' pitching staff turned in their second-straight solid performance on the mound in a hard-luck loss. Houston Parks picked up the loss after surrendering three runs (two earned) on 2.1 innings of work.
Calvin Yarboro started the game and threw 3.2 strong innings, striking out five batters.
Elkin returns to the field Tuesday night when rival Starmount comes to town in baseball's rendition of the Battle of the Bridge.
Reach Matthew Gorry at 835-1513 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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By Alexis Glick with Meghan Casserly and Ricardo Geromel
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff recently encountered a young couple in their 30s, with a brood of young children and a hopeful outlook on the future. Until recently the father had driven a bus in Brasília, but thanks to an expansion of electricity and irrigation infrastructure, he turned previously unusable land in the countryside into a thriving vegetable farm, along with a side business raising chickens.
"How much do you make?" Rousseff asked him.
"Four times what I used to earn as a bus driver," the independent farmer responded. More money was coming in, and the costs of raising a family in the countryside are lower as well. His new goal for his children: degrees in agricultural science.
"We are wagering," smiles Rousseff, sitting in her minimalist, art-filled office in the Presidential Palace in Brasília as she recalls that conversation, "that people will be able to stand up on their own feet and walk by themselves."
Her wager–Brazil's wager–is on entrepreneurship. The past two decades have been formidable for her country: curbing inflation (by creating the real and pegging it to the U.S. dollar), privatization (notably, the state-owned telecommunication and mining companies) and a commodities boom (soybean and iron ore). Twenty years ago Brazil's GDP was at $358 billion and ranked 11th in the world; today, at $2.5 trillion, it's between sixth and eighth, depending on who's counting. No other BRIC balances democracy and widespread wealth nearly as well. Half of Brazil's population now occupies the middle class–their output alone surpasses the entire economy of neighboring Argentina. "There has been a shift, a change in the way we are [perceived]," says Rousseff, 64, whose position atop this shift now makes her the third most powerful woman in the world, according to FORBES' annual rankings.
Brazil has become one of the most entrepreneurial countries in the world, with one in four adults self-employed in some manner. Small businesses create two out of three jobs in Rousseff's private sector–Brazil's unemployment rate is an envious 5.8%–and 49% of entrepreneurs with companies less than 42 months old are women; the global average is 37%. In bustling São Paulo alone, 1.8 million small-business owners ply their trades, wares and ideas.
Technology has been a game changer. According to Nielsen, Brazil had 82.4 million Internet users in the first quarter of 2012 compared with 62.3 million three years earlier. On Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter Brazilians are the second most active social network users behind the U.S. "Technology is democratizing entrepreneurialism," says Bedy Yang, the founder of Brazilian Innovators, an organization helping young tech entrepreneurs. "There are 200 million people in Brazil and 250 million mobile devices." The Brazilian-born Yang lives in Silicon Valley and travels each month to her homeland to host monthly meetups. Three years ago you couldn't find any venture capital, says Yang, as we lurch through the clogged streets of São Paulo. "Now I'm seeing Accel Partners, Redpoint Ventures and Sequoia. It's the formation of a new asset class."
Rousseff, who took office early last year, has a plan to keep the good times rolling: incentivizing the kind of entrepreneur that Yang cultivates and that her farmer friend embodies. Specifically, lower interest rates, to expand capital; investing in infrastructure; and targeted tax cuts. "In others words," says Rousseff, "pro-growth bonuses." This on top of an already robust layer of incentives for entrepreneurs, including retirement benefits and government microloans. "The corner hairdresser, the popcorn salesperson, we also like to help them," says Rousseff, who es-pouses a program that advances up to $500 to these kinds of small operators.
The public supports her–a June poll put her approval rating at 77%, ahead of her predecessor and mentor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, at a similar point in his term. Perhaps more critically, so does Brazil's entrepreneurial community. "Our government has made substantive reforms in recent years," Eike Batista, Brazil's top entrepreneur (and the world's seventh-richest man, with an estimated net worth of $30 billion), tells FORBES, "and Dilma is building a fertile environment for investors."
"I don't think I had a plan to be president," says Rousseff. That's an understatement: Rousseff's route to Brazil's entrepreneur-in-chief is as unconventional as they come.
Rousseff's father, a Communist exile from Bulgaria, made a good living in real estate and construction. His two daughters attended boarding school, where Dilma studied piano and inhaled books, a habit to this day. (Next up: James Carville's It's the Middle Class, Stupid!) "I used to play volleyball," recalls Rousseff. "My wrist is not that strong, but I could block my opponent."
In 1964, when Rousseff turned 17, Brazil's military overthrew the leftist government of João Goulart, the fifth political coup in 20 years. Overnight civil rights gave way to arrests, disappearances and torture. In 1967, unbeknownst to her family, Rousseff took the nom de guerre Estela and joined a radical faction of the Brazilian Socialist Party that preached revolt but settled for robberies and car-bombings.
Her first marriage lasted less than two years, but the second, to activist lawyer Carlos Araujo, a prominent member of the Brazilian Communist Party, would stick for nearly three decades. Araujo and Rousseff joined an activist group responsible for stealing a safe containing $2.5 million to fund political actions. Araujo has said his wife "never took up arms." (He also has said he didn't know his wife's given name until her arrest.) In early 1970 Rousseff was caught in a sting operation. Military officials tortured her for 22 days, sometimes using electric shocks, and she spent the next three years in prison.
By the time Rousseff was released in 1972, she was 20 pounds thinner and physically broken. Undaunted, she traded her radical politics for pragmatism. Rousseff pursued an economics degree, and with Araujo, now parents of a daughter, Paula, supported the Democratic Labor Party, a cooperative movement composed of leftist groups (a decade ago she jumped to the ruling Workers' Party). As her reputation grew, Rousseff landed state-level positions as Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of Energy before serving as chief of staff for President Lula da Silva, whom she succeeded.
Rousseff rarely discusses her days as a radical and torture victim, nor does she marvel much at her improbable journey from prisoner to president. For her time and country, she says, it's typical, "the 1968 generation."
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Loved it! Very flavorful!
Cynthia, Little Rock, AR
From EatingWell: January/February 2008
Roasting isn't usually the first cooking method you think of for cauliflower but the results are quite delicious. The florets are cut into thick slices and tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and herbs. Wherever the flat surfaces come into contact with the hot roasting pan, a deep browning occurs that results in a sweet, nutty flavor.
Loved it! Very flavorful!
Cynthia, Little Rock, AR
I was never terribly fond of cauliflower. I ate it but always with an inward sigh... it's good for me. The right recipe makes all the difference. Now I love it! I followed the directions exactly and it's a new family favorite. My sister-in-law printed the recipe so she could make it for friends New Years Eve.
Cyndi J, WI


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Battle of the 13-inch MacBooks: Which one wins?
If you're shopping for a new 13-inch laptop, you may have noticed that Apple's product line in that category is a bit more crowded than in other spots. The company has three distinct 13-inch models - the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Pro with Retina Display. Which model should you get? Let's compare, but let me warn you at the outset: I think you should wait.
On the weekends I work at a local Apple Specialist. Anecdotally, I see more 13-inch MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs go out the door than any other model. They're all compact, lightweight and powerful machines, so it's little wonder that they hit the sweet spot between features and price.
Once you scratch below the surface, though, there's a lot of diversity there. At $1,199, The MacBook Air occupies the low end of the 13-inch price range, but it's a well-rounded performer: a dual-core 1.8 GHz Core i5 processor doesn't tell the full story of the machine's performance, thanks to the use of Solid State Disk (SSD) storage. With 128 GB storage standard, the MacBook Air may not be big enough for digital pack rats. Apple will double the storage for an additional $200. Four GB RAM comes standard, with 8 GB also available.
The MacBook Air is terrific for portable convenience. It weighs less than three pounds and measures a bit more than half an inch thick with the screen closed. Thunderbolt and two USB 3.0 ports make peripheral connection easy, and Thunderbolt's flexible enough to work with high speed storage, Gigabit Ethernet and external displays, using the right attachment.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is yeoman model of the bunch, priced the same as the thinner, lighter MacBook Air. Its more conventional technology appeal to people looking to maximize storage (500GB hard drive comes standard; SSD is a pricey additional option) or who might still need a DVD burner. The machine also sports a faster processor - 2.5 GHz. Options like a faster processor and more RAM are available -- a well-appointed model runs $1,499.
The downsides of the standard 13-inch MacBook Pro include a heavier weight - 4.5 pounds - and a thicker frame. But that thicker frame also permits this workhorse to have dedicated Ethernet and FireWire 800 connections, along with Thunderbolt and two USB 3.0 connections.
Positioned next to a conventional 13-inch MacBook Pro, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display shines. The stunning display with its 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution, rich color and fantastic detail make it easy to differentiate, and its sleek chassis retains many of the benefits of the MacBook Air like SSD storage and a thinner and lighter design (almost a full pound lighter, and less than an inch thick). It's also priced at $1,499, though storage options can drive the price higher (upgrading SSD storage isn't for faint-hearted or those planning on keeping their warranty intact.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display wins for performance and usability - an elegantly designed machine that's flexible enough to handle everything that's thrown at it. And with SSD options stretching to 768 GB, plenty of space for big files.
If there's a downside to all three models, it's that the integrated graphics processor - the Intel HD Graphics 4000 - can get overtaxed especially when the Retina Display is driving scaled, higher resolution modes. Also, these machines are all based around Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture, which is about to be supplanted by something else that could be a really big deal for Apple's mobile Macs - something that's as applicable to the 15-inch models as it is to the 13-inch ones.
Intel's Haswell microprocessor should start shipping in quantity by the same time Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference happens next month. Haswell sports much greater power efficiency and a significant improvement in graphics performance. Even if Apple doesn't change the form factor or feature list of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro significantly, the smart money is to put off any purchase until we see how Apple's roadmap with Haswell plays out.
Are you pining for new 13-inch hardware from Apple? Besides Haswell processors, what else do you think the new models are likely to have? Tell us in the comments.
Have something to say about this story? Leave a comment! Need help with something else? Ask in our forums!
Reader comments
Battle of the 13-inch MacBooks: Which one wins?
Easily the retina. The screen will blow you away, it comes with 8 GB of ram, and its only a little thicker and heavier than an Air.
Off-topic, but my wishlist of physical features for the MacBook Air is:
- Black glass bezel, all glass "top half," in white or black.
- Black glass keys.
- Slate anodized color option for aluminum "bottom half."
There would be two color options: black glass "top" with anodized slate "bottom," or white glass "top" with current aluminum "bottom." And the white Apple logo would be hidden on the white "top half" models until the lid is opened.
Bezel around the screen would be black on all models, like on the current MB Pro. You'd have a glass sandwich of screen and black bezel on the keyboard-facing side and and black or white glass (both with glowing white Apple logo) on the outer side. And the top outer glass would be textured to match the anodized aluminum bottom.
Wishlist of physical features for MacBook Pro (Retina and non-Retina):
- Black glass keys.
- Slate anodized color option.
Getting sick of plastic keys on keyboards. I want glass keys.
I'll be seriously tempted by a Haswell Retina MacBook Pro 13-inch. 15 is great but big and heavy. Air isn't really powerful enough.
Your move, Apple! :)
I don't expect them to add a discrete graphics card, but if the Haswell refresh happens like I expect, integrated graphics will get a very nice boost.
This post is without doubt one the best ones I have read at iMore; however, it belongs not here but at TidBits, Verge, 9 to 5, et al. A true iMore articles is René's longform analysis of iOS software, hardware and their implications for consumers, competitors, productivity, creativity, and other aspects of past, present and future. I believe the day will arrive when iOS and Mac OS will be one and the same thing — case in point: the 128 iPad 4 is taking us there —, so long as hardware is more potent and design follows through in a cheaper and more democratic fashion. That said, I wish René, Peter and Richard would unite their individually analytical takes and synthesize for us the readers what the present of Mac OS implies for the future of iOS each and every time Peter Cohen or Richard Devine report on Mac OS. It's great to talk about Mac OS hardware and software news and proposals; however, at least when it comes to iMore I want to understand where you three feel we are all headed in mobile. For someone who has never used a Mac as is my case, all I can attest is that changing from Microsoft Windows to my iPad 3 has been a remarkable productivity milestone for me, so long as you choose the right apps. TODAY'S HOMEWORK: How does the 13-inch Mac article here in question affects us all in our mobile future, starting with the iPad? That's what iMore is all about: the "i" for i-Phone, for i-Pad and for i-Pod. In one word: i-future.
My dream laptop from Apple would be a 13" Macbook Pro (non-Retina) with the body of a Retina Macbook Pro, SSD, and a dedicated graphic card. I hope future Macbook Pros will come close to this.
what wins? depends on the users needs. Form some cost is an issue, others it's lots of storage, others it's expandability, some it's screen resolution, Some it's power, etc. What "wins" is all about what an individual user wants, must have, and can live without. And that will vary. For example my parents have two macs but they've never ever bought anything but a budget freindly model, only imacs. Never laptops let alone expensive retina ones. It all varies by user.
Not sure that'll be relevant soon. The price of solid state storage is quickly dropping...as the capacity (and reliability) continues to increase. Haswell will provide 'power' and efficiency (battery life)---both on the CPU and iGPU, now approaching discrete speeds. Not that they're there yet....but these generational updates to Intel's silicon become more and more SoC style, ala ARM and Tegra (nVidia). Both the GPU and CPU on the same die...smaller wafer production, increased visibility in the mobile market....I think Intel missed this mark completely and are now on top of providing 'mobile' power as well as increasing efficiency in their traditional 'computer' chips. These next couple of years will be exciting. And not just for the CPU and GPU updates....but what they'll provide in the sense of HiDPI displays without challenges....the IPS vs OLED and the race to such high resolution that we are unable to determine pixels with our human vision. High speed Broadcom chips for LTE and soon, 5g with theoretical download speeds @ 1Gb/s....etc. There's a lot going on at Intel to remain relevant in a more 'mobile' world....and their recent change in management ...as well as OEMs demanding more power, better graphics, and longer battery life (power efficiency)...it's impossible to count Intel out. With a world population exceeding 7 billion and growing daily, there's plenty of room for SoC competitors and 'ideas' on how best to implement all earlier discussed attributes. When I bought my 15" rMBP, I was a bit concerned about the lack of an optical drive so I did buy Apple's external drive. I plugged it in once to transfer my FCP and Logic projects and al, of the extra content that come with each program. Since then, I've had no need for it. Our audio and video projects are now either shared via cloud storage or USB thumb drives. Or simply computer to computer with AirShare on the newer Macs
I just don't think there will be three lines of 13" MBPs soon. Maybe two...as I think we are a bit early with energy technology to stuff retina into a MBA. But soon....as soon as Intel, AMD, or ARM is able to yield powerful enough silicon and graphics with complimentary battery technology....we'll be there! 10 hour battery life in the laptop. Two days in the tablets...a week on your smartphone. We're getting there...and it's exciting to me as a 42 year old and my first computers in the early 80s being a Commodore 64--- then the venerable Apple IIe, a high school career without cell phones...and starting off as a kid listening to vinyl and 8 tracks In the car....to cassette. To CD. To DVD. To Blu Ray and digital download...it's been an amazing three decades and hard to imagine the iPod or iPhone being as antiquated in 2025 as the Sony Walkman is today;)
I have been a bit spoiled carrying around my Samsung Chromebook recently, so what I would really like from Apple is a non retina MBP (13 inch) with the lighter, thinner MBP retina body. If I saw this in a sub 3 lbs laptop I'll be sold.
Edit: Didnt know the 13 inch MBP w/ Retina didnt come with a dvd drive. I need one of those and I doubt Apple will be adding them back in (it needs to play blu ray also). Oh well.