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>Runner's World - My Event Ratings>
In short: did 20 miler yes it delivered for meIn full: Top race 20 mile race good value, first class Marshalls , best value food outlet , cakes sarnies , drinks etc. don't knock this look at the whole picture , this race is made by runners for runnersDate of review: February 16, 2014
In short: Hot , but a first class race, still buzzing 3 days later. Go For it 2014.In full: Top Race in my eyes should be in uk marathon top ten list 2013. First class support all around the course, said i would only do Mk Marathon once , but know i will be back in 2014, so get your entry in from June 1st,Well organised, like clockwork.Date of review: May 9, 2013
In short: top race by Bedford harriersIn full: As far as i am concerned Bedford Harriers always deliver a top race, and yes they did again this year. and as a runner from Milton keynes i will return again in 2013 . ps keep up the good workDate of review: April 1, 2012
In short: WHY DID I WAIT 6 YEARS TO RETURN TO THIS SUPER RACEIn full: Ticks all the boxes for me , many thanks Nigel and the team, you delivered a top race and i got a pb , see you in 2013Date of review: March 26, 2012
In short: A race that always delivers,. yaxley you should be proud of this raceIn full: sitting down at home with a warm drink,with no wind as i write this . Yes yaxley delivered us a top class event again , just wish they could have the power to halt the wind, made very welcome, loved the hospitality. other big races should come and watch and learn from these guys how to organise. see you next year Date of review: January 22, 2012
In short: first time at this event enjoyed the race In full: Would do this again only problem was getting home signal failure at watford made a 45 min journey into a 2and half hour journey back to milton keynesDate of review: January 1, 2007
In short: Good sunday fun and glorious mudIn full: Top class organising super sunday fun, will be back next year 100%Date of review: December 17, 2006
In short: not bad might do again next year as i would like to go fasterIn full: would possibly do again but was carrying an injury , good marshallsDate of review: December 10, 2006
In short: good race apart from the start super marshallsIn full: enjoyed the day even though i was full of cold but super spartens organising.Date of review: November 5, 2006
In short: first time i will return will now use the course for training hills for marathonIn full: Enjoyable in , but super value, first class marshalls you amphtill and flitwick people are top notch on organising these races well done again.Date of review: October 22, 2006
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Mapleton man dies in tractor mishap
MAPLETON – A 70-year-old Mapleton man died Saturday when a tractor he was driving rolled in a ditch, pinning him underneath. The Blue Earth County Sheriff's office was called to the accident on 555th Lane in Sterling Township, five miles west of Mapleton. Paul John Andreszcuk, 70, or rural Mapleton was dead at the scene, according to the Sheriff's office.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Herbs with bulbs or rhizomes. Leaves in a basal rosette or fan. Scape leafless, solid or hollow. Inflorescence of 1-many flowers in an umbel-like inflorescence, subtended by an involucre of 1-many bracts and with ephemeral hyaline bracts between the flowers. Flowers showy, bisexual, 3-merous, actinomorphic (less often slightly zygomorphic). Perianth segments in 2 series of 3, free or ± united; corona sometimes present. Stamens 6. Ovary inferior, 3-locular. Fruit a capsule or berry.


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I am a "liberal" Catholic. I am also an admirer of Blessed John Paul II.
Those two things may seem at odds, especially with the growing consternation, in some circles, about the perceived "rush" of his beatification. In short: the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints waived the normal five-year waiting period before beginning his process or "cause." While this is not unprecedented (Mother Teresa was also fast-tracked), the space between his death and the beatification certainly is. There have also been legitimate concerns raised over whether he deserves to be honored in light of what are seen as his errors as pope. In addition to vociferous complaints about his handling of sexual abuse crises worldwide, many have objected to his longstanding support of the now-disgraced founder of the Legion of Christ, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, who was later revealed to be among the worst of all abusive priests. (Supporters answer that John Paul did what he could about the abuse; that he was elderly and infirm; and that he was duped by Maciel.)
As for the rush, and as someone who has written about the saints, I'm in favor of every candidate being subject to the same careful process of examination. For one thing, it's unfair to favor someone simply because he or she is more well known. For another, it may give the impression of corners being cut (particularly when some of those overseeing the process were put in their positions by the candidate himself), possibly sullying the saint's reputation for future generations. On the other hand, the Vatican is quite clearly responding to the will of the people, millions of whom are devoted to Pope John Paul. ("Santo subito!" they shouted at his funeral.) Like Mother Teresa, he is an object of what theologians call "popular devotion." Ironically, some of the same people concerned about the rush to canonization are those who also believe that the Vatican needs to "listen" more carefully and more often to the voice of the "People of God." So: they're listening.
More importantly, a miracle attributed to the late pope's intercession (that is, to his prayers from his post in heaven to God) has been authenticated by the Vatican. So God seems to be in favor of the rush. That should trump most people's concerns.
As for disagreements over his papacy, even I had my differences with Pope John Paul II, technically my former boss. (Who doesn't disagree with the boss from time to time?) He wasn't always the biggest fan of the Society of Jesus (aka the Jesuits, my religious order), though some of his suspicions seem to have originated with some of his advisers. When, in an unprecedented move in 1981, he suddenly removed Pedro Arrupe, the beloved superior general of the Jesuits, from his post, a great many Jesuits were both dismayed and angered. John Paul, suspicious of the Jesuits' work in "liberation theology" (an approach that emphasizes the liberation of the poor from suffering, as Jesus had), was apparently told by some advisers that the Jesuits would be disobedient after his public sacking of Arrupe. We were not. Over the years, multiple sources have told me that John Paul was surprised by our fidelity--and pleased. It changed his view of the Jesuits. In later years, he visited the ailing Arrupe before the Jesuit's death. (For the record, I believe Father Arrupe was a saint.)
Nonetheless, I'm an admirer of John Paul, a person whom the philosopher Hegel would doubtless call a "world-historical" figure. How can this be? To explain that, let me point out two things that have been largely missing from some of the critical commentary.
First, the saints weren't perfect. They were human. Holiness always makes it home in humanity. And the saints, deeply aware of their own faults, would be the first ones to admit this. Sanctity does not mean perfection. The notion that a saint would make mistakes—even big ones—seems not to have occurred to a few people. To err. after all, is human. Can his supporters admit that John Paul was human and made mistakes--even big ones? And can his critics forgive him the errors he made during his time on earth?
Second, and perhaps more importantly, you don't have to agree with everything a saint said, did or wrote to admire him (or her). One of my favorite saints is Thomas More, the 16th-century English martyr, who most people know from the play (and film) "A Man for All Seasons." But I don't agree with--to put it mildly--his support of the wholesale burning of "heretics" (i.e., non-Christians). We part company on that.
One Vatican official stated recently that Pope Benedict XVI is beatifying his predecessor for who he was as a person, not for what he did during his papacy. In short, he's not being named a "blessed" for his decisions as pope. This makes sense. Beatification (and later, canonization) does not mean that everything he did as pope is now somehow beyond critique. (Any more than everything St. Thomas More did is beyond critique: Should we believe that heretics should be burned because More has been canonized?) On the other hand, that line of thinking is a little mystifying: for you cannot separate a person's actions from his personal life.
But the emphasis on the personal life is an important one. The church beatifies a Christian, not an administrator. In that light, John Paul II clearly deserves to be a blessed and, later, a saint. Karol Wojtyla certainly led a life of "heroic sanctity," as the traditional phrase has it; he was faithful to God in extreme situations (Nazism, Communism, consumerism); he was a tireless "evangelist," that is, a promoter of the Gospel, even in the face of severe infirmity; and he worked ardently for the world's poor, as Jesus asked his followers to do. The new blessed was prayerful, fearless and zealous. He was, in short, holy. And, in my eyes, anyone who visits the prison cell of his would-be assassin and forgives the man is a saint.
So, after his beatification I'll be praying to the late pope for his intercession. From his place in heaven, he'll understand if I didn't always agree with him on every issue or decision. He won't be worried about that. In fact, in company with Jesus, Mary and the saints, that will be the last thing that Karol Wojtyla will be thinking about.
Blessed John Paul II, pray for me.
James Martin, SJ
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As for Maciel, nine ex-Legion members filed charges against the group in the Vatican Court of Canon Law in 1998. The only way one could argue that JPII didn't know would be to acknowledge that the pope didn't read the papers, didn't have any knowledge of his own Vatican, and his aides around him conspired to keep the reports streaming in about Maciel from him for years. C'mon-is that how you wish to portray JPII, i.e., as a dottering fool?
Maria, thank you for pointing out the story about Mary Merrick. A good friend was very active in the Christ Child Society, and although I never joined, I did make contributions for a number of years. I hope to learn more about her.
Ed, you have raised concerns shared by many, but not yet discussed. I share those concerns. I oppose the canonization because although John Paul II was a very charismatic individual, certainly raised the visibility of the Catholic church in the world, and did a number of very positive things, especially in terms of relations with the Jews, and ecumenical outreach in general, But the nature of the harm he did was so morally grave, it outweighs the good he also did - failing to protect the young from sexual predators, thus creating thousands of more victims than there might have been. And that tragedy is partly due to the culture he created that you have outlined - centralizing all authority in Rome, especially to the papacy, and appointing bishops who would dutifully put loyalty to the pope and institution ahead of their moral responsibility to protect the young.
Many of us in the movement called Voice of the Faithful have difficulty with John Paul II's canonization not only because of his lapses of judgment in the sex abuse cases, but also because of his centralizaion of the power structure in Rome, rather than allowing the local churches more autonomy.
Not only have the local Catholic conferences been emasculated under his watch, but also the principle of subsidiarity has not been adhered to despite its acceptance during and after the Second Vatican Council.
Despite these serious philosophic differences, I thank you for pointing out many of his personal characteristics which obviously were holy.
But due to his and his successor's rulings, this Roman imperialism seems to be gathering steam contolling many more parts of the local church than was envisaged after Vatican II. The American sisters investigations are one example and the new Mass translation another. Some Catholics consider their church to end at the parish level. Now with Rome telling us how to pray, our daily pray is controlled by this central authority.
The name of the English mystic is Evelyn Underhill. Sorry, it seems my poor brain is frazzled! Hope you check her out.
Thanks for the info on Mary Virginia Merrick. I'm interested in learning more about her. God bless you.
Cardinal Wuerl initiates Cause of Canonization of Mary Virginia Merrick
In an April 25 decree, Cardinal Donald Wuerl as archbishop of Washington announced that he is initiating the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God Mary Virginia Merrick, a disabled Washington woman who founded the Christ Child Society and who gained national fame in the 1900s for her outreach to needy children.
I thought you might appreciate this. See link to finish reading @
God Bless
If you aren't already familiar with Evelyn Underwood, I suggest you look into her works. She was a highly regarded English mystic, Anglo-Catholic. Some of her writings are on prayer and the saints. One thing she says is that prayer is a gift from God which fosters and nurtures solidarity among people. She was drawn to Catholicism, but I believe she remained an Anglican all of her life. Do give her writings a try and see what you think!!
Hi Crystal,
You are such a wonderful, avid reader. I'm always interested in your thoughful comments. You, too may be interested in Evelyn Underwood. Take care.
It is ever more urgent that today all Christians take up again the way of gospel renewal, welcoming in a spirit of generosity the invitation expressed by the apostle Peter "to be holy in all conduct" (1 Pt 1:15). The 1985 Extraordinary Synod, twenty years after the Council, opportunely insisted on this urgency: "Since the Church in Christ is a mystery, she ought to be considered the sign and instrument of holiness... Men and women saints have always been the source and origin of renewal in the most difficult circumstances in the Church's history. Today we have the greatest need of saints whom we must assiduously beg God to raise up". See
There are ''protestant'' Anglicans/Episcopalians who apparently are closer to Protestant evangelicals in some ways than to the Catholic worldview but I have only met a few-they are charismatics. Anglicanism is a liturgical church and shares a sacramental worldview with Roman Catholics, unlike most protestant churches from what I know of them (which isn't much, I'll admit).
I don't recall saying there should not be individuals recognized as ''saints''. John Paul II made changes in the process and more should be considered. He reduced the number of needed ''miracles'', a good move, and got rid of the office of Devil's Advocate, not a good move. People can be held up as models, as inspiration, as examples of how to try to live with as much holiness and grace as sinful human beings can live, without insisting on ''miracles'' for them or saying that they will intervene with God on your behalf when each of us can go directly to God.
I have no idea what you are talking about in this:''...and it seems that some would like to ignore the terrible mess of reality of that world and its imperfect men (and also the holy ones) for an abstract, coldy sanitized form of grace.'' If you have time, you could try again to explain what you mean by the ''emphasis on grace to the exclusion of nature'' because the meaning of this sentence is still not clear to me, and also clarify what you mean by that last italicized sentence.
I will never be a ''Protestant'' like Baptists, Calvinists, Methodists, Lutherans etc. I am way too Catholic to be able to change that much!
As the Council itself explained, this ideal of perfection must not be misunderstood as if it involved some kind of extraordinary existence, possible only for a few "uncommon heroes" of holiness. The ways of holiness are many, according to the vocation of each individual. I thank the Lord that in these years he has enabled me to beatify and canonize a large number of Christians, and among them many lay people who attained holiness in the most ordinary circumstances of life. The time has come to re-propose wholeheartedly to everyone this high standard of ordinary Christian living: the whole life of the Christian community and of Christian families must lead in this direction. See link below for the rest.
I am very happy about it because lay people represent 98% of the Catholic Church. It also affirms Vatican II's universal call to holiness.
Hey Anne, I am not trying to pry and no need to answer but I would be interested to hear if my intutions are correct and if you are a protestant now. While I don't agree with all of the content, I always enjoy the writting and time that you put into your posts.
As for nature v grace, it seems that some protestants (and many modern americans) want everything the same: no saints, no differences between male and female roles, no authority beyond that of the individual etc. The grace of God does not occur in a vacuum, but in fallen men in our fallen world and it seems that some would like to ignore the terrible mess of reality of that world and its imperfect men (and also the holy ones) for an abstract, coldy sanitized form of grace.
Anne wrote .... "I go directly to God, and mostly I try to listen. God knows my needs and my wants, God knows me and my loved ones, and my task is to listen, to trust, to surrender, and be thankful."
I pray this way too and try to listen too, but I do ask for what I want, even knowing God knows already what that is. I like what Eugene McCarraher said Herbert McCabe said about petitionary prayer ... McCabe's advice is to just go ahead and ask for what you really want—a good grade, money for the mortgage, Grandmom getting better, not drowning. You're not fooling God by praying for things you don't really desire but rather think you should desire. Maybe you should pray for those things—the Holy Spirit will lead you there eventually—but if you can't even pray for the things you do want, how are you ever going to pray for the things you should want?
... http://theotherjournal.com/2010/01/27/meet-the-new-boss-same-as-the-old-boss-an-interview-with-eugene-mccarraher-part-three-of-three/
We must be very careful in what we teach children about prayer, especially intercessory prayer. And we must be careful to distinguish between childishness and child-like.
Maria, are you familiar with Fowler's Stages of Faith Development?
Just a question-why do you call yourself a ''liberal'' Catholic? From what I've seen from your posts, that's an odd way of describing yourself. You seem to be cautiously conservative theologically, and moderate on other issues.
Perhaps more conservative Catholics would think you are a liberal because you seem to embrace a big-tent view of Catholicism (wherein all ends of the spectrum are still on the same spectrum and not practicing different religions completely), but just because you think the liberals and conservatives both belong in the Church technically doesn't make you a liberal, does it?
Just curious as to positions you hold that make you think you are a liberal.
@ Anne: It was in response to your statement above that I submitted Matthew 18. The foucs of our exchange has been the the Saints and intercessory prayer, not Pope John Paul II. I was simply trying to make the point that Christ tells to humble ourselves, like a child...
I am, of course, very familiar with that passage of scripture. But, I don't see how it relates to whether of not one prays directly to God or asks others to pray to God on their behalf, or, to return to the original subject of the thread, how it relates to the ''rush'' to sainthood question.
Another priestly view on rush was given in an earlier thread (from the canonical perspective) by Msgr, Harry Byrne. I think he raised importan tpoints of discussion from that perspecttive.
I keep thinking the critical question is not how happy or unhapy it makes us individual bloggers that this take place (including the esteemed poster), but how it moves forward the Church's mission to believers ,non-believers and ex-believers.
Here's an interesting poll on the impending beatification of John Paul II: http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=112953
Thank you for your prophetic voice. It is only when a voice is giving to the vioceless that truth can eventually win.
This gets closer to what prayer may be for - it's for us. Prayer helps us remember we are part of God's creation - all humanity, all creation. When I was young, still a child, and it took a while as an adult to stop being a child in my relationship with God, I still prayed ''for'' things in intercessory prayer, or asked saints to ''intercede'', I had a lot harder time believing in God. So many ''No s''. But, then we explain this away (often when our children ask) by saying that every response from God is God's will for us. (But, Mom, since God is just going to let happen what happens, or do what God's going to do regardless of our petitions, why do we ask God for anything?)
I do pray - to God not others (except St. Anthony!), but I do not ask him/her) for specific favors or outcomes. I ask God to help me stay aware of divine goodness and mercy. Prayer also helps me be more aware of what I may need to think about to make decisions, and I also pray that I will be able to pray someday ''Thy will be done'' and really mean it. I try also to remember to thank God for all the beauty and goodness in creation. It's so easy to forget, yet the most peace I ever experience, and the strongest faith and feeling of God's presence and nearness, is when I am at a beautiful and wild spot on a river near my home, alone, in silence (Centering Prayer - Be still and know that I am God!) We must clear our heads of words - including the words of both formal and informal prayers - in order to hear God.
If that is the standard, then there are not a few teachers at, say, the Greg and other pontificals, who would be very surprised to learn that they are theological conservatives.
Now, 'liberal', 'liberal Jesuit', 'conservative', 'theologically conservative', 'conservative Jesuit', inter alia, might be discrete categories within your technical reckoning of things, but they need to be explained fully over and against their common meanings. Otherwise, you will be speaking an insufficiently developed "private language" in the public square.
Perhaps your point in all this is that we would do well to abandon such labels entirely? That is a cause behind which this (arch-?) Catholic could get!
p.s. Happy Easter!
Thank you for taking the time to get the various quotes. I know you honestly want to help. However, none of those learned men have actually explained why anyone needs to go through saints instead of directly to God. I don't think that God listens any less to you or me than he does to anyone else, including to those who are dead. I don't think God is concerned about maintaining whatever ''order'' these men devised to explain these things to themselves.
''Therefore, says St. Thomas, it is good to have recourse to many saints, 'because by the prayers of many we can sometimes obtain that which we cannot by the prayers of one.'
Thomas Aquinas was a brilliant man, but he was also wrong about many things, due to when he lived in history. I believe he is mistaken in that statement, just as he was in others. This one cannot be ''proven'' wrong through science as some of his others have been, but it does not make sense when examined in light of what Jesus taught.
The context of the times these men lived in is important - those you quote knew no way of ordering society except a very hierarchical society - kings, lords, tradesmen, farmers, peasants, servants. Their statements seem to assume that the human way of ''ordering'' society, a monarchical order (sadly, still seen in the church today) was the only way of doing it. As we know, God's ways are not our ways! And men eventually discovered a better way to order society, even with its imperfections. It was probably too much to even imagine for them, even though Jesus made it very clear - we can go to God - directly - even though we are but sinful, ''lowly'' human beings. But we are made in God's image. What an unimaginable gift - it seems that even two thousand years after Jesus's death we can't envision that what he told is is true, so we set up intermediaries because maybe we humans still don't really trust in God's infinite love and mercy and justice.
Do I pray for others when asked? Of course. It doesn't hurt, but I don't think it convinces God to change any outcomes either. Do I sometimes pray to saints - well, I admit that I do - to one - St. Anthony almost always comes through,!
Is it useful to have recourse to the saints?
Here a question arises, whether it is necessary to have recourse also to the intercession of the saints to obtain the grace of God.
That it is a lawful and useful thing to invoke the saints, as intercessors, to obtain for us, by the merits of Jesus Christ, that which we, by our demerits, are not worthy to receive, is a doctrine of the Church, declared by the Council of Trent: 'It is good and useful to invoke them by supplication, and to fly to their aid and assistance to obtain benefits from God through his Son Jesus Christ.'
Such invocation was condemned by the impious Calvin, but most illogically. For if it is lawful and profitable to invoke living saints to aid us, and to beseech them to assist us in prayers, as the prophet Baruch did: And pray ye for us to the Lord our God (Bar. 1,13) and St. Paul: Brethren, pray for us (1 Thes. 5,25); and as God himself commanded the friends of Job to recommend themselves to his prayers, that by the merits of Job he might look favorably on them: Go to my servant Job,...and my servant Job shall pray for you; his face I will accept (Job 42,8); if, then, it is lawful to recommend ourselves to the living, how can it be unlawful to invoke the saints who in heaven enjoy God face to face? This is not derogatory to the honor due to God, but it is doubling it; for it is honoring the king not only in his person but in his servants. Therefore, says St. Thomas, it is good to have recourse to many saints, 'because by the prayers of many we can sometimes obtain that which we cannot by the prayers of one.' And if anyone objects, But why have recourse to the saints to pray for us, when they are already praying for all who are worthy of it? The same Doctor answers, that no one can be said to be worthy that the saints should pray for him; but that 'he becomes worthy by having recourse to the saints with devotion.'
Anne Chapman's outstanding comment @#5 reflects my own contrary opinion on the matter.
I agree that the idea of "administrative" mistakes slights the gravity of JPII's deeply-flawed decisions in the sexual abuse scandal, as well as in matters of church governance. The enormous impact of those decisions on survivors and the Church itself compromises the acceptance and authority of the Gospel - indeed in a "world-historical" sense.
To also distort the work of a Vatican Council so grievously, while treating many good people so shabbily (like Arrupe, Jadot, saints in their own right), prompts me to question the judgment and spirituality that informed such leadership. Likewise, JPII's impressively favorable treatment of complicit bishops such as Law et al reinforces his blindness to injustice.
I admit that hearing about self-flagellation and lying all night on the bare floor with arms outstretched does not resonate in any way.
Being left unmoved, I will be thinking of survivors on May 1, hoping they find inner peace somewhere in the midst of an elaborate celebration of someone who offered them only stone.
Retreat on the Credo: Faith in the Holy Catholic Church and the Commion of Saints
The Communion of Saints. There is more here to this double profession of faith in the ninth article than may be immediately apparent. Why put together in one act of faith belief in the Church and belief in the communion of saints? The reason is that when we add, as we do, communion of saints, we affirm that the Church on earth continues beyond the earth and is still the Church beyond the limitation of space and time. What is the communion of saints? It is the community of the members of the Church on earth with those in heaven and those in purgatory. All three are united as being one Mystical Body of Christ.
The faithful are in communion with each other by our unifying faith, morals and ritual, and assisting each other with our prayers and good works. Again, the faithful on earth are in communion with the saints in heaven by honoring them as glorified members of the Church, invoking their prayers and aid, and striving to imitate their virtues. That's why the Church canonizes saints, to tell us three things. First, those who are canonized are certainly in heaven; second, those who are canonized should be invoked by the faithful; and third, those who are canonized should be imitated, so we too, might at least become canonizable.
See http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Church_Dogma/Church_Dogma_052.htm
Thanks for the explanation. I think saints are interesting and I really liked Fr. Martin's book, My Life with the Sainrs. But I guess I just can't imagine asking a saint to ask God for something that I could ask him for myself. In the case mentioned in this post - the miracle attributed to JPII - it seems just strange that someone would pray for healing to an intercessor like JPII rather than to God, and that if they are healed, the intercessor gets the credit. It seems to beg the question of what kind of God God is, that he can be "finessed" by an intercessor.
John Paul II lowered the number of ''required'' miracles and dispensed with the office of Devil's Advocate. Why? Many in the medical and scientific establishment believe that most of the ''miracles'' validated by church officials would not meet normal scientific standards.
How can one be truly ''holy'' if they do nothing to stop perverted men in clerical collars from sexually abusing children and young teens? How can one be truly ''holy'' if one orders the executions of fellow Christians? Both Thomas More and John Paul II made very unholy decisions, based perhaps on the same grounds - their ''fidelity'' in making these moral decisions was to an institution rather than to God. They may not have "meant" to cause such harm ,permit such evil to take place, but it did.
Both men accomplished good things in their lives, both impacted the world in various ways. But, many have endured war and oppression and persecution with their faith intact without being called ''saints.' How many Jews continued to believe in God even when suffering the almost unbelievable horrors of concentration camps? Why has Rome not canonized some of them?' Is being a good ''evangelist'' sufficient for being called ''saint''? If it is, perhaps Billy Graham should be on the road to canonization.
Of course, ''saints'' are human, and make mistakes. But some mistakes are so grievous, and cause so much harm to innocents (John Paul II's mistakes in handling those who sexually abused the young like Maciel and his handling of those like Law who facilitated these crimes) that perhaps it is best to pass on calling them "saints." Thomas More caused fellow Christians to be burned at the stake - he immorally deprived them of their lives, and they died for their faith. Why are his victims not on the road to canonization for dying for their religious belief in Christ? John Paul II forgave his assassin - isn't that what we are all called to do? Forgive those who harm us? Why is his forgiveness and one-time visit of the man who injured him any more saintly than the continuing forgiveness of the sister of a friend of mine who regularly visits the man who murdered her daughter - an ex-husband of the victim - she forgave him and has visited him regularly in prison for years. She may be as saintly as anyone in the church's calendar of saints, but will never be recognized.
There are some ''errors'' that are so great that the church should be very slow to bestow the honor ''saint'' on them even while acknowledging the positive contributions they made. They can be appreciated and admired for what they did that was good, but some errors cannot be brushed aside as ''administrative'' errors. That dishonors those who suffered because men chose to put the institution ahead of God. The big difference between John Paul II's "mistakes" and Thomas More's "mistakes" and the big mistakes of other "saints", is that the mistakes of these men damaged lives, and sometimes cost their victims their lives - More through ordering executions, and John Paul II's clericalism leading to damaged lives and even many deaths as suicides.
Basing "sainthood" on worldly/political accomplishments or charisma and personality cults renders the very word "saint" meaningless.
Slowing down the process would have been a good thing, and would have helped convince many that this beatification isn't just a huge PR stunt.
''More importantly, a miracle attributed to the late pope's intercession (that is, to his prayers from his post in heaven to God) has been authenticated by the Vatican. So God seems to be in favor of the rush. That should trump most people's concerns.''
Indeed if it was a ''miracle''. Only one reported single miracle and we say, yup, God wills it by golly! I would like to see a peer reviewed analysis of the miracle, especially since it seems she came out of remission several years ago.
It's an awful lot to justify based on one miracle, a miracle acceptable to the Vatican but how about the cold eye of science, would it hold up to scrutiny?. Talk about putting all of our eggs in one basket. If the Vatican does believe it is a miracle then they should have no objection to having it reviewed by an outside group of specialists not affiliated w/ the Church. After all we do believe in the truth. It's not too much to ask.
I just don't want to see the Church be made a fool of if she succumbs to her disease which I hope she doesn't. ''Haste makes waste''.
A quote: We delivered our letter, along with newspaper clippings, supporting legal documents, and videotaped depositions to the papal nuncio in Washington.
What we were hoping for from Pope John Paul II was justice.
What we received instead was a certified letter from the nuncio curtly informing us that our letters and documents had been acknowledged. We never heard anything more from either him or the pope. Since then, at least two of my seminary classmates, assaulted by the priest who molested me, have taken their lives waiting for papal justice. One shot himself on Christmas Eve 2002 in his parked car under a desolate freeway underpass.
It is likely John Paul, during his long tenure as pope, received hundreds, if not thousands of such letters. Not one survivor, in writing or in person, was ever known to have received a direct reply from him.
Few people, even in the church, know much of the depth and breadth of the betrayal of innocents in this church because of the wrong moral judgment of the hierarchy, all the way up to the popes in Rome. Once it wasn't headline news few followed the story and few were aware of what was happening - in the US, in Europe, in Ireland, in Latin America. So there is not the level of outrage one would expect - most laity don't know about it and few clerics have the gut understanding of this horror that parents have. Let the show go on....
John Paul II was a great politician - he was good at kissing babies and knew how to please a crowd. Yet he seemed to care little for the suffering of tens of thousands of young people, beyond platitudes, since he never took any action against abusing priests or bishops who protected them from the civil authorities.
I think Chris Altieri and Benjamin Alexander have a certain Jesuit considering his words very carefully. I can hear the process as I write.
I myself am a blue-eyed Catholic but my mother is brown-eyed and so I have a very varied background.I am like a Catholic Obama.
I think it really is important to bear in mind that Catholics are basically "safety in numbers" cowards.Communion means that we give to the poor not out of an impulsive sense of generosity but out of a sense of brotherhood.
Often we would like to shoot other Catholics or at least one or two in particular,too late in my case :). But we dont pull the trigger because we know that Jesus himself has thrown us in with them and them with us(for their sins).
In your case and also in that of Crystal there may be no need for intercession.Your way of relating to God may be less tainted with the sociological and tribalistic ways of the rest of us.
Recently my landlady asked me to pray to the saints for her that she would find a new job .She started asking me all about different saints and then I said I might even venture a prayer to God.She looked at me as if I had two heads.
The danger is when the Saints do not lead us to Christ but are an end in themselves.
Unfortunately nobody in the clergy seems to be really up to dealing with that problem.
In Mexico I saw that Mexicans have ten times more interest in the Virgin of Guadalupe than her son.
In Chile I saw two men argue over which was the greater Virgin (Maipu/Lujan)as they had "devotion" to two different Madonnas down there.
But in the bowels of Latin America I also saw what she meant to people who worked with the poor and it was truly Christocentric.
Does it answer the question you have asked?No. A toothless old woman who sold alcohol in Santiago would always say "Cada uno por su Santo" translated "Each one for their own Saint". Maybe that catches it best.
The Shepherd is typically a male figure but need not be.Christ told Peter to act like a Shepherd but as we have seen they often have the instincts of wolves.
A woman is usually the best Shepherd and each mother shares in this attribute and the maternal instinct as Catholic is captured wonderfully by an Irish poet called Patrick Kavanagh.
Going to second Mass on a summer Sunday -
You meet me and you say:
'Don't forget to see about the cattle - '
Among your earthiest words the angels stray.
This man who was a wasted alcoholic was miles ahead spiritually of most of the clergy and the much despised Archbishop McQuaid knew of this and befriended him and supported him and spoke to us of the Communion. We believe that their desires in heaven are for us and that the God who banked on love is still doing so.
If you are referring to St. Gianna (2 n's), her holy normality as a mother is questionable. A well-informed pediatrician, she deliberately chose the path leading her to abandon her 3 living children, ages 2, 4, and 5, rather than undergo lifesaving surgery while pregnant (which would have included hysterectomy and abortion). Her ''conscious immolation'' was praised by Paul VI, who evidently had a rather narrow view of the pro-life scope of motherhood. Better examples of grace in small things should be available which don't reflect such utter disregard for the fate of one's own children. See Vatican writeup:
In any case, there is great truth in the idea of finding the grace in the small things in life along the lines of the saying of Teresa: ""Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." What of St. Giana, a "normal" mother and doctor and there are plenty more examples similar to her - ordinary people who act with extraordinary holiness at defining points in their lives.
On a side note, I also see a very protestant tendency towards "leveling" in your posts - i.e. a trend towards radical undifferentiation (extreme anti-hierarchy, anti-exceptionalism in the case of saints) - the idea that all men should be considered saints, or none. A emphasis on grace to the exclusion of nature.
Liberation theology brought much suffering to my country. Liberation theologians inspire and organize armed bands in rural parts of Brazil. These bands, under the excuse of "land reform", break the law, invade property and perform vandalism against people they don't like. For example, they don't like genetic engeneering, so they invade research projects to destroy biological experiments. And if they unilaterally proclaim that some farm is improductive, too large or allegedly undocumented, they simply invade it, kill the cattle, destroy the fields and farm equipment. Then they demand the government to give the land to them and provide money. They are responsible for much of the rural violence in Brazil, and have killed people.
Also, both of the major liberation theologians in Brazil - Leonardo Boff and Frei Betto - defend the liberation of abortion. They claim to defend the weak and oppressed, but advocate for the muder of the most weak, innocent and beautiful people in this world - unborn children.
Thankfully, after John Paull the Great and his wonderful friend Benedict XVI published two documents condemning the evils of liberation theology, things are getting better. But very slowly - the current liberation theologians are obstinate and don't convert. It seems that a generation will need to pass before our Church goes back to preaching only the gospel of love. For a while, there is still this extremist minority, these liberation theologians that preach hatred against farmers and disregard for babies lives.
Is THE CHURCH John Paul II left behind a better place today?
Is THE WORLD John Paul II left behind a better place today BECAUSE OF the church he left behind?
I think that people's individual answers to these questions provide the foundation of their opinions about what's taking place on May Day in Vatican Square, and may partially explain much of the vehemence. In other words, it's the SYMBOLISM of the event as it relates to the wider church which people are exegeting as they target, attack, praise or support. And as we continue to read, strong cases can be made for BOTH sides!
This is a big problem - ''The danger is when the Saints do not lead us to Christ but are an end in themselves.'' Many believe that Catholics ''worship'' Mary - and it's easy to see why they get this impression, even if it's false. Many churches have only a crucifix depicting Christ, but many statues and art depicting Mary, candles in front of Mary's statue, people praying the rosary constantly, and visiting Marian shrine after Marian shrine (I have friends who vacation at Marian shrines exclusively! Long vacations in Europe, going from Marian shrine to Marian shrine.) It often seems excessive. My views of what ''sainthood'' should be are of no importance. But, since several here have tried to help me, I will try to explain. I go directly to God, and mostly I try to listen. God knows my needs and my wants, God knows me and my loved ones, and my task is to listen, to trust, to surrender, and be thankful.
Maybe the church should do away with some of the midaevil, near superstitious practices surrounding the canonization process. It should drop the ''miracles'' requirement completely, as it is highly suspect anyway. ''Saints'' are those who have broken through their weaknesses and either achieved some real holiness, or are an inspiration in other ways. I would like to see the Catholic church recognize people who aren't priests or nuns, who didn't found religious orders, who are ordinary people, and who aren't even Roman Catholic. It interested me to learn that the Episcopal church's calendar of saints includes all the old ''regulars'', but also people ranging from Martin Luther King to Mother Teresa to Ghandi.
I would love to see the church hold up exceptional everyday people as examples. Few of us found religious orders, or go to the third world and start hospitals and schools for the poorest of the poor, or spend our lives in prayer in a monastary. These people may be saints, but many can't relate to them. And, it may be even harder to achieve ''saintliness'' when one faces daily diapers, daily traffic jams, daily homework, daily shopping and preparing and cleaning up three meals a day for a family, daily job stresses, daily laundry, daily housekeeping, caring for aging parents, teaching religious ed, and at the same time trying to be a loving, patient and supportive spouse, all after walking the crying, feverish baby all night long. And then somehow finding time to say a prayer or two before collapsing in pure exhaustion to do it all again the next day - and the next - and the next - trusting God, and simply praying that you can keep doing it all with some degree of grace. Wouldn't you love to have a saint like that to inspire you?
As far as St. Anthony goes - this is how I think it works. I misplace my stuff a lot. So, I pray ''to'' St. Anthony to help me find what I need to find. And I think that my prayer activates the subconscious mind to stay alert, to automatically look for things while the rest of my mind is preoccupied with other matters. Or maybe St. Anthony just tosses it into my line of sight when I'm distracted?
I always thank him, however it happens!
How is superior general Pedro Arrupe record concerning the sex abuse crisis? Did he do a good job managing this in the Jesuits?
This I dedicate to all of the Irish-americans who associate the Irish with perverse desires .
Ireland's greatest poet with Irelands greatest Archbishop since Martin.
Ireland's greatest singer.
Listen carefully ,to every word and phrase .They are worth more than 14 Papal encyclicals.
Ratzinger will give us work though!!!!
Great quote David!: "To be Catholic is to be in a communion."
It is understood that there is communication among these three levels of the Mystical Body. Those on earth invoke the saints in heaven and pray for the souls in purgatory. Those in heaven pray for the Church Militant and the Church Suffering; they obtain graces for us on earth and an alleviation of suffering for the poor souls. Those in purgatory can invoke the saints on high and pray for us struggling with the world, the flesh, and the evil spirit.
We might, then, describe the Communion of Saints as the unity and cooperation of the whole Church. Together, we all form one Mystical Body. We share our merits and prayers with one another for the greater glory of God and the upbuilding of Christ's Body which is His Church.
I take great comfort in this. The Saints are praying for you, Crystal!
I'd rahter go with Jesus' prayer suggestions (our father ...) than Aquinas' hierarchical chain-of-command idea.


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I was just at RD today and picked up a 5# bag of "NY BLEND" for $11.81. Has anyone tried the NY blend from RD?
I'm not blown away by any mozzarella, but one I do buy a lot lately is Dragone, which is sold in a local Walmart. It is made by cheese giant Saputo, also the maker of Frigo cheeses. At about $3.50 a pound it's fairly economical, my current choice for aged, whole milk mozzarella.
It's whole milk & part skim mozzarella. I was tempted to grab the 3 cheese...mozzarella/provolone/cheddar. Next time :-)
Dave and Chaz, what, in your opinion, sets the Saputo/Dagone apart?
Chaz,I have tried both the NY blend and the three cheese blend from RD and like them both very much. Although putting cheddar on a NY pizza might be considered a no-no by NY style purists . My next purchase, however will be a loaf - I've read from quite a few members that if you want great tasting cheese on your pizza, you've got to grate it yourself. Hope this helps you Mary Ann
I have used some whole milk that was just too oily and had to be mixed with a low fat version to get the best finished product (IMHO) so that is why I was asking about the mix.
After a couple days of searching I still cannot find Calabro whole milk mozzarella, only one place I checked had the fior di latte. I called the near by whole foods and they told me they carried Burnett, has anyone tried this yet and if so how did it compare?Edit - scratch that. Just saw in the photo that it's part-skim. My hunt for Calabro continues.
When you walk into a NY pizzeria, one of the smells that should hit you as you open the door is buttered popcorn. It should really be in your face. This comes from the cheese, and, in a good cheese, will be detectable when you're grating it. Whenever you grate cheese (and you should ALWAYS grate cheese by hand), grate a mound and then stick your face in it. You should get a good whiff of buttery goodness. If you don't, the cheese is bunk.Romano, provolone and cheddar are workarounds for flavor deprived mozzarella. I don't mind a little romano on my pies, but a truly good mozzarella shouldn't require augmentation, and, while a few of the places I grew up with used hard cheese (most likely romano and parm), provolone has always been pretty rare and cheddar has been nonexistent.
For cultured milk products: The bacteria marked with the * breaks the lactose down to diacetyl and acetaldehyde which produces the fresh taste known from buttermilk. The acetaldehyde taste would be best known from yogurt, while the diacetyl taste is dominant in cultured butter such as the Lurpak brand ( Danish export product ).
Danish Cream Havarti branched by itself at the same time that Provolone, Asiago, and Manchego branched. It was significantly higher than any other cheeses for buttery flavor. Also, the other dairy notes generally were higher than in most cheeses, giving Danish Cream Havarti some similarities to the Cheddar types. However, it had lower sharpness and astringency than the cheddars and was slightly nuttier than was typical of many cheeses in this study.


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text: LANSING COMMUNITY COLLEGE CURRICULAR GUIDE Medical Transcriptionist Associate in Business Degree Curriculum Code: 0756 (Effective Fall 2000 - Summer 2005) A medical transcriptionist is a medical language specialist who interprets and transcribes dictation by physicians and other healthcare professionals in order to document patient care and facilitate delivery of healthcare services. Transcription areas may include patient assessment, workup, therapeutic procedures, clinical course, diagnosis, and prognosis. The medical transcriptionist can choose from a variety of employment options including hospitals, medical centers, medical clinics, insurance companies, managed care organizations, medical transcription services, and home office settings. Medical transcription is designated as one of the ten start-up businesses for the future. The employment outlook for medical transcriptionists is bright, with many opportunities for success and personal growth. Not all courses in this program transfer to all colleges. Students planning to transfer should see an academic advisor or counselor before enrolling in any course. PREREQUISITES Students should see the "Course Descriptions" section of this catalog or the Course Schedule for course prerequisite information. Basic skills assessment and advising information may be found on page 8 of this catalog. GENERAL EDUCATION General education is an important part of this program and includes a mathematics competency requirement. To fulfill the mathematics competency requirement, students may need to complete specific course work in mathematics. For information on how to fulfill all general education requirements, see page 23. INFORMATION Contact the Business Careers Department, Old Central Building, Room 210, telephone number (517) 483-1522. REQUIREMENTS TOTAL: 49 CREDITS CODE TITLE CREDIT HOURS ANAT 145 Introductory Anat & Physiology 4 CABS 113 Microsoft Word Office/ Int Key 4 CABS 118 Adv Microsoft Word for Office 4 CHSE 123 Medical Insurance Billing I 3 HUMS 265 Sem:Ethical Issues in Medicine 3 MATH 117 Math for Business 4 OADM 102 Editing Business Documents 2 OADM 197 Medical Vocabulary 3 OADM 198 Health Information Management 3 OADM 207 Medical Transcription 3 OADM 222 Advanced Medical Transcription 4 OADM 240 Office Internship 3 OADM 275 Cultural Differences in Busn 3 WRIT 114 Business English 3 WRIT 127 Business Writing 3 LIMITED CHOICE REQUIREMENTS TOTAL: 13-14 CREDITS Complete the indicated number of credits from each CHOICE listed below. CHOICE 1: General Education Core Areas 6 Credits (See the "GENERAL EDUCATION" section above) Writing Core Area (See Note 1) 0 Speech Communication Core Area 3 Science/Technology Core Area 3 Global Perspectives and Diversity Core Area (See Note 1) 0 Mathematics Competency (See Note 1) CHOICE 2: Computer Related 4-5 Credits CABS 104 Skillbuilding for Computers 2 CABS 110 Microsoft Office 3 CABS 126 Excel 2 CABS 133 Microsoft Access Database 2 CABS 219 Advanced Microsoft Word 2 CISB 102 Internet Literacy 3 CHOICE 3: Business Related (See Note 3) 3 Credits ACCG 100 Practical Accounting Non-Major 3 BUSN 118 Introduction to Business 3 MGMT 225 Principles of Management 3 MKTG 200 Principles of Marketing 3 MINIMUM TOTAL 62 NOTES: 1. Students completing "REQUIREMENTS" have fulfilled the requirements for these Core areas. 2. It is recommended that students entering this curriculum have keyboarding and Windows experience. This experience may come from life or work experience, CABS 100 seminars, CABS 101, or CABS 195. 3. Students may also choose a maximum of two credits total from the T.I.M.E. Series (course codes MGMT 240 through MGMT 279). SUGGESTED COURSE SEQUENCE Students should see course descriptions to find out when departments plan to offer courses. Students who for any reason are unable to follow the course sequence suggested below (for example, those who are part-time, have transferred in courses from another school, or have prerequisites to fulfill) should contact an academic advisor or counselor for help with adjustments. I II III IV ANAT 145 CABS 118 CHSE 123 HUMS 265 CABS 113 OADM 102 OADM 207 MATH 117 OADM 197 OADM 198 OADM 275 OADM 222 WRIT 114 Lim.Ch.1 WRIT 127 OADM 240 Lim.Ch.2 Lim.Ch.2 Lim.Ch.1 Lim.Ch.3


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Has anyone compared these two options. I have an M1 passive in an older Guild. I was thinking about getting the iMix and using my M1 in place of the Element. Now I am wondering if the M80 would sound more natural? I am also wondering how much body noise occurs with the M80? I play in a full band setting and do mostly hard strumming.
Any input would be helpful. Thanks!


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With some help from houseplants, nose news can become good news.
Indoor air, as you've probably heard, can contain enough gases and chemicals to make you sick — especially during winter, with doors and windows sealed tight.
Fortunately, there is an affordable, low-tech and design-friendly solution: houseplants.
Many easy-care and readily available plants, in fact, have been proved to remove harmful substances from the air.
"Every plant that you have in your house is going to filter out something," said William Barnhill, interior horticulturist at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
Thank goodness, because if you saw a list of what could be in your air, you'd want to run outside — no matter how cold the day — and take some deep breaths.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, building materials can release formaldehyde, while heaters and fireplaces can emit carbon monoxide.
Paint and cleaning supplies are just a few of the common household items that can release the dreaded VOCs, or volatile organic compounds.
"Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to 10 times higher) than outdoors," the EPA's website warns.
What does all this stuff do to a housebound gardener?
Headaches, irritated throats and fatigue aren't uncommon; some chemicals have been linked to cancer.
No wonder Barnhill fills his living space with nature's air filters. Spider plant is one of his mainstays; he also recommends English ivy, mother-in-law's tongue, peace lily and pothos.
"Luckily, they're the easy ones to grow," he said.
Indeed, these useful and beautiful photosynthesis machines ask little in return.
Overall, most grow best when the soil dries out a little between waterings.
"I see a lot of people overwatering," Barnhill said.
In addition, he recommends organic rather than synthetic fertilizer.
Many plants prefer bright indirect light — such as in a sunny room or from an east- or west-facing window.
They also benefit from having their leaves dusted and from having dead or dying foliage removed.
Their air-cleaning magic works in two ways, Barnhill explained:
First, they remove impurities while "breathing" air through their leaves.
Second, microbes in the soil remove chemicals from the air, turning them into harmless compounds or into food for the plants.
And, unlike man-made air cleaners, they use no electricity, beautify your home, and are thought to benefit mental and physical health.
More peace lilies, please!
Diana Lockwood is a freelance writer covering garden topics.


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Indian Peafowl
The Indian Peafowl, Pavo cristatus, also known as the Common Peafowl or the Blue Peafowl, is one of two species of bird in the genus Pavo of the Phasianidae family known as peafowl. The peacock is the national bird of India [2] and the provincial bird of the Punjab (Pakistan).
Distribution and habitat
The Indian Peafowl is a resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent and has been introduced into many parts of the world; feral populations exist in many countries.
The species is found in dry semi-desert grasslands, scrub and deciduous forests. It forages and nests on the ground but roosts in trees.
Females are about 86 cm (34 in) long and weigh 2.75–4 kg (6-8.8 lbs), while males average at about 2.12 m (7.3 ft) in full breeding plumage (107 cm/42 in when not) and weigh 4–6 kg (8.8-13.2 lbs). The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen. The Indian Peacock has iridescent blue-green plumage. The upper tail coverts on its back are elongated and ornate with an eye at the end of each feather. These are the Peacock's display feathers. The female plumage is a mixture of dull green, grey and iridescent blue, with the greenish-grey predominating. In the breeding season, females stand apart by lacking the long 'tail feathers' also known as train, and in the non-breeding season they can be distinguished from males by the green colour of the neck as opposed to the blue on the males.
Peafowl are most notable for the male's extravagant display feathers which, despite actually growing from their back, are known as a 'tail' or train. This train is in reality not the tail but the enormously elongated upper tail coverts. The tail itself is brown and short as in the peahen. The colours result from the micro-structure of the feathers and the resulting optical phenomena.[3]
The ornate train is believed to be the result of female sexual selection as males raised the feathers into a fan and quiver it as part of courtship display. Many studies have suggested that the quality of train is an honest signal of the condition of males and that peahens select males on the basis of their plumage. More recent studies however, suggest that other cues may be involved in mate selection by peahens.[4] [5][6]
They lay a clutch of 4-8 eggs which take 28 days to hatch. The eggs are light brown and are laid every other day usually in the afternoon. The male does not assist with the rearing, and is polygamous with up to six hens.
Peafowl eat seeds, insects, fruits, small mammals and reptiles.
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Conservation and status
The Indian Peafowl can hybridise with the closely related Green Peafowl, Pavo muticus, in captivity and creates offspring called "Spauldings" or "Spaldings". The original "Spalding" was a hybrid between a female of the black-shouldered mutation of the Indian Peafowl, with a male of the nominate Java subspecies of the Green Peafowl, though some believe it was really a cross between a black-shouldered male with a Green Peafowl hen of the subspecies imperator.
Even though there is no natural range overlap, hybridisation occurs in the wild when feral populations of one of the species overlaps another species. Hybridisation has created some concern as the Green Peafowl is endangered.
Poaching of peacocks for their feathers and poisoning by feeding on pesticide treated seeds are known threats to wild birds.[7] Methods to identify if feathers have been plucked or have been shed naturally have been developed.[8] Under the law, collection of tail feathers is allowed only when the bird sheds them.[citation needed]
In New Zealand, peafowl have done extremely well to the point of becoming agricultural pests. There are no regulations on hunting or harvesting the birds for food and feathers.
Cultural significance
Hindu mythology describes the peafowl as the vahan or the vehicle for Karthikeya, also called Murugan, the brother of Ganesha, the goddess Saraswati, and the goddess Mahamayuri.
The main figure of the Kurdish religion Yezidism, Melek Taus, is most commonly depicted as a peacock. The Yezidi's claim Indian origins.[9]
Indian Peacock (called Mayura in Sanskrit) has enjoyed a fabled place in India since ancient times. In imagery Lord Krishna is always represented wearing a peacock feather tucked in his headband.
Peafowl often live in proximity to humans. Ancient kings in India were said to have gardens to raise peafowl where guests were invited to see the peacock dance during the mating season. Due to this close relationship with humans for thousands of years, they have entered ancient Indian stories, songs and poems as symbols of beauty and poise. As the mating season coincides with the onset of monsoon rains and the month of Shravan in the Hindu calendar, many songs of rains have peacock-dance mentioned in them. One possible origins of the name of the famous Maurya dynasty of ancient India is probably derived from the word Mayura as the ancestors of the Mauryas are thought to be peafowl-keepers of a royal court in eastern India.
In medieval times, the Mughals of India fell in love with this bird, and started keeping them in their famous gardens. They can be companion animals but there may be problems with dogs, cats and other pets. They may roam, roost or mess on adjoining property. Peafowl have been called "urban guard dogs" because their distinctive cries can act as a warning of approaching people. Several British stately homes keep peafowl in the grounds.
- The American television network NBC has used three variations of a rainbow peacock logo since 1956.
- The national carrier of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan Airlines uses a Peacock as its company logo.
- The Santa Fe Community College Teaching Zoo uses a peafowl on its logo. It was chosen due to the free roaming peafowl that live on zoo grounds.
- Lord Krishna's Crown always has a peacock's feather.
- According to Greek mythology, the "eyes" on the tail of a peacock were placed there by Hera to commemorate her faithful watchman, Argus who had a hundred eyes (Ovid I, 625).
- In two epic poems of Kalidasa (Meghaduta and Kumarasambhava) the beauty of the peacock has been used as an ornate literary tool.
- The Jataka tales Mahamayur Jataka (491) describing the earlier birth of Bhagavan Buddha describe it in the form of a golden peacock. There is an interesting story about the Golden peacock. Another of these tales record that intrepid Indian traders going as far as Babylon used to take peacocks with them, and had to sell them to the native population on request.
- In the local folktales of India the peacock has a special place. A Punjabi folktale tells of a Queen requesting her husband not to hunt peacocks, saying that the peacock is her brother.
- In the Mayuri subtribe of Bhils in India, women take out their veils whenever they see a peacock and they are worshipped during festivals.
See also
- ^ BirdLife International (2009) Pavo cristatus In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. www.iucnredlist.org Retrieved on 2010-02-15.
- ^ "National Bird". Govt. of India Official website. http://india.gov.in/knowindia/national_bird.php.
- ^ Blau, S.K. (2004). "Light as a Feather: Structural Elements Give Peacock Plumes Their Color" ([dead link] – Scholar search). Physics Today 57 (1): 18–20. doi:10.1063/1.1650059. http://www.aip.org/pt/vol-57/iss-1/p18.html.
- ^ Grimmett, R.; Inskipp, C., and Inskipp, T. (1999). Birds of India: Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-04910-6. http://www.pupress.princeton.edu/titles/6808.html.
- ^ Loyau, A.; Saint Jalme, M., and Cagniant, C. (2005-05-03). "Multiple sexual advertisements honestly reflect health status in peacocks (Pavo cristatus)". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (Springer Berlin / Heidelberg) 58 (6): 552–557. doi:10.1007/s00265-005-0958-y. ISSN 0340-5443 (Print); ISSN 1432-0762 (Online). http://www.springerlink.com/link.asp?id=j705122208485740. Retrieved 2006-09-27.
- ^ Takahashi, M.; Arita, H., Hiraiwa-Hasegawa, M., Hasegawa, T. (2008). "Peahens do not prefer peacocks with more elaborate trains". Animal Behaviour 75 (4): 1209–1219. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.10.004.
- ^ JP Alexander (1983) Probable diazinon poisoning in peafowl: a clinical description. Vet Rec., 113(20):470
- ^ Sahajpal, V., Goyal, S.P. 2008 Identification of shed or plucked origin of Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) tail feathers: Preliminary findings. Science and Justice 48 (2):76-78
- ^ http://www.yeziditruth.org/the_peacock_angel


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Our local newspaper - The Maryville Daily Times, aka "The Daily Error" - occasionally prints some useful information. One of today's front page stories was about recent bear activity in the park. *I've excerpted a couple paragraphs to post here. You can read the whole article by clicking on the link that follows. For those of you driving in from out of town, it might be a good idea to bookmark their website and check the paper from time to time. Do a search for bear activity stories. Their online publication can be found at * *www.thedailytimes.com
"Backcountry users should be particularly cautious about how they handle and store food over the coming months. The park has posted warnings and closed three campsites where aggressive bears have been found.
'We had a person scratched in a tent at Walnut Bottoms in North Carolina, and we had a very aggressive bear on Little River Trail above Elkmont (also in North Carolina) this past two weeks,' DeLozier said."
Hope this information is helpful.
Gerry Romer
"I've since learned to use the best knot rather than the one that uses the least line. I go through more tippet material but compensate by drinking cheaper whiskey. One must have priorities." ... Art Scheck
Re: Bears
WWW.Counterassault.com- will not harm the bear... but most importantly follow the rules and remind others in the park about the them also. Backpackers might check out the bear keg at that site if you hike where there are not cables. I saw some of these in the Beartooths in Montana/ Wyoming. looked great. My sons leads backpacking trips and I'm getting one for him .
The bears need to fear man and not see us as a food source. When there is a lot of food available bears will have larger litters, cut down the outside available food and mother nature will help slow down the bear reproduction (in an ideal situation). Sorry to say, we've built on the edges of the park-> more and easier food sources; more people in the park->more contact with human food; More bears less "good food". A very complex vicious cycle.
Re: Bears
I have been going to the park on a regular basis for 4 years now. the first 3 years I was fishing an average of 3 days a week. in all those three years I only saw 2 bears. because I now have a regular job, this year I have only made it up to the park an average of about once every 2 weeks. yet this year alone, I have seen probably 10 bears. the past 5 times I have been to cades cove I have seen a bear. one time this year, I actually saw a teenager dressed in a bear suit hiding in some brush at the cove. there were about 20 people pulled over, taking pictures, when all of the sudden this guy jumps up out of the thicket and runs towards them, everyone screams, and he jumps in a vehicle where his friends were waiting on him. I laughed until my sides hurt. but back to my original story, I'm no expert on bear population in the park, but my sharp increase in bear sightings leads me to believe something is going on. either there's been a huge population increase, or they've lost any fear of humans. has anyone else noticed this?
Re: Bears
1)I've seen more bears 2) heard of more bear problems, including one coming to visit me 3) more visitor disregard for bear safety 4)(Hope I am wrong) Less enforcement of bear rules in campgrounds- Elkmont Specifically
Re: Bears
went to abrams creek today, saw another bear on the back end of the loop. I pulled over and watched it a while. there were 4 of them actually, and one of them was HUGE. all the bears I've ever seen in the park have been pretty small. maybe about the size of a saint bernard. this bad boy was a monster. the others were smaller, and one or two I think were older cubs. but of course people kept walking up to them. this one guy got about 10 yards from the big one. I usually carry a big knife when I go fishing, and I've often wondered if I could kill a bear if it attacked me. well, about a month ago, there was a story in the news about a man (can't remember where) who was hiking when a bear attacked his dog. he jumped on the bears back and stabbed it to death. so I guess it can be done.
here, I found a link to the story http://neveryetmelted.com/?p=1317
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Facebook's Graph Search Show: Tech Weekly
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Facebook (FB) was the week's biggest headline-grabber, unveiling its Graph Search technology at a press event on Tuesday.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg described Graph Search as a new way to search the 1 billion people and more than 240 billion photos on Facebook, as well as the social network's connections, which number more than 1 trillion.
During his presentation at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Zuckerberg emphasized that Graph Search is different from Web search, highlighting both the technology's scale and its constantly changing nature.
Investors, however, were underwhelmed by the beta-search technology, and Facebook's shares fell following the announcement.
There had been intense speculation about search news leading up to the press conference, along with talk of a possible video-streaming deal with Netflix (NFLX) and even a Facebook phone.
Zuckerberg was unable to say when Facebook might monetize the Graph Search technology. This clearly irked investors. Instead, the youthful Facebook supremo said that "this could be a business over time."
TheStreet's Chris Ciaccia, who attended the Facebook event, believes that Graph Search will generate significant revenue over time and could eventually make inroads into Google's (GOOG) search business.
Facebook shares ended the week down 6.5% at $29.66.
As always, Apple (AAPL) was in the news this week amid rumors of weak iPhone and iPad demand.
On Tuesday, Nomura Equity Research cut its estimates and price target for the tech giant. Citing "signs of weaker-than-expected" iPhone 5 sales in its checks, Nomura cut its iPhone unit estimates for fiscal year 2013 by 5%, to 157 million from 166 million. For fiscal 2014, the research firm slashed its estimate by 8%, to 184 million iPhones from 199 million.
On Friday, Reuters reported that Sharp has cut output for iPad screens, although TheStreet's Chris Ciaccia suggests that demand is actually shifting from the full-size 9.7-inch iPad to the iPad mini.
Apple reports its first-quarter results after market close on Jan. 23. TheStreet will live-blog the report:
Apple shares slipped 3.9% during the week to close Friday at $500.
Buyout rumors swirled around Dell(DELL) this week. Citing two people with knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg reported on Monday that the No. 3 PC maker is in buyout talks with private equity firms. One of the unidentified sources said Dell is in discussions with at least two firms.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that talks to take Dell private are at an advanced stage. Citing two unnamed sources, Reuters reported that at least four major banks have been lined up to provide financing, with buyout specialist Silver Lake Partners leading the deal.
Dell has not yet responded to TheStreet's request for comment on this story.
Dell shares gained 18% during the week to close Friday at $12.84.


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Grants Robbery Suspect In Custody, Others Still Sought
24-year old Daniel Craig Hlavinka Jr. of Grants Pass has been arrested on charges stemming from an April 24, 2012 home robbery that resulted in the shooting and wounding of Ronald Canepa Jr. A police investigation determined Hlavinka to be the shooter.
Friday, police attempted to stop a car Hlavinka was riding in, driven by 26-year old Tyler James Collins. Collins eluded police and he and Hlavinka jumped out of the car after pulling into the Jade East apartment complex. A witness call led police to a discarded gun on a nearby sidewalk matching the description of the one used in the shooting. Police discovered the gun had been stolen, along with another firearm from a residence in Jackson County. Bullet casings from the robbery scene were a match to the gun.
Shortly after midnight on Sunday April 30, learned that Hlavinka was hiding in a 2nd Street residence. They attempted to establish contact with Hlavinka, while also applying for a search warrent. A SWAT team was called out, neighbors were evacuated, and roads were blocked off. At around 9 a.m., Hlavinka and a woman with him surrendered to a police.
Authorities are still looking for Collins and an unnamed third suspect from the robbery. Anyone who has information is asked to call Detective Ryan Bown at (541) 474-6370.


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Luc R. Niro
Luc R. Niro, 50, of 45 Main St., Bloomingdale, died Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake.
Born in Montreal on May 28, 1962, he was the son of Henry and Sylvie (Veil) Niro. He married Elizabeth Callaghan on March 27, 1999, in Saranac Lake.
Luc had been a resident of the Saranac Lake area for 31 years, coming from Crown Point, where he grew up on the family farm. He was employed by North Star Industries and Career Vision in Saranac Lake as a driver. Luc loved his computer, his games, sitting with their cats and going out for dinner. He especially loved spending time with Beth and traveling around the North Country. Luc was an avid sports fan and enjoyed all sports. Luc will be greatly missed by his many friends.
He is survived by his wife Elizabeth of Bloomingdale; his brothers and sisters: Michael (Gail) St. Pierre, Joanne (Andrus) Gadway, Marie Pendell, Lucie (Gary) Bobbie, Norbert (Debbie) St. Pierre, Helene (John) Carr, Jeannette (Mark) Peters, Louise (Ronnie) Dean, Celine Niro, Lisa (Matt) Apgar, John Niro, Florence (Stephen) Sears, Mario (Marina) St. Pierre, Sylvie Niro and Eugene (Traci) St. Pierre. He also had 31 nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, mother and stepfather Roch H. St. Pierre.
Calling hours will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home in Saranac Lake. A Mass of Christian burial will take place at noon Saturday, Feb. 23, at St. Bernard's Church in Saranac Lake with the Rev. Bill Muench officiating. Burial will take place at St. Bernard's Cemetery in Saranac Lake in the spring.
Friends wishing to remember Luc R. Niro may make memorial contributions to American Diabetes Association in care of the funeral home. Family and friends can also share their memories and sign the online guestbook at fortunekeoughfuneralhome.com.


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Thanks for finding all the information out about the Original Bisquick and the Buttemilk Bisquick Biscuit Mix. I had tried to find that information, but couldnt.
Norma,Believe me, it was not easy. I was able to find the typical consumer information (like recipes) for the Bisquick products quite quickly and easily but not the ingredients lists and nutrition facts. But, being a "blue vase" type, I was not to be denied. I went back to one of my posts on the Better for Bread flour and found the link to the entire GM consumer products list. Once I got that, I was in business.One of the things that should be kept in mind in adapting a Bisquick mix to a pizza crust mix is that when you add a stronger flour to the mix in order to get better gluten formation and development more in line with a pizza dough, you reduce the percents of all of the other ingredients in relation to the weight of the final flour mix. That means that you have to increase the quantities of all of the ingredients in the ingredients list other than the flour. You might also note that the Bisquick Original mix contains three components for its leavening system: baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate and monocalcium phosphate. If I am not mistaken, that is a baking powder. Since you are unlikely to find an over the counter retail product with that exact mix, you may have to use a baking powder that uses sodium aluminum sulphate which, as noted in the Cook's Illustrated article at http://www.cooksillustrated.com/tastetests/overview.asp?docid=9931, is apparently used interchangeably with sodium aluminum phosphate. I think that a product like Clabber Girl, as discussed at http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/BakingPowder.htm, might do the trick. As noted above, adjustment of the quantities of the other ingredient will be necessary to keep the proportions in proper order. In lieu of dextrose, you might just add a bit more sugar.Peter
About time I make another...
I know you are a blue vase type, just like Vincent Van Gogh in his creative painting of the flowers in a blue vase, but different, in you will find information if it can be found.
Norma,LOL. I perhaps should have said "blue steel pan" instead of "blue vase".Peter
Per a couple requests, above:ForYourKitchen Basic Pizza Crust (make one 14" - 16" pizza)1.5 cup hot water2 tsp salt2 Tblspn sugar2.5 tsp SAF IDY3-4 cups whole wheat or unbleached flour1 tsp Dough EnhancerCombine all ingredients in Bosch mixing bowl and knead for 8-10 minutes. Place cornmeal or wheat flour on the pizza peel then roll out the dough. Remember to pick the pizza peel up and slide the dough back and forth to be sure pizza doesn't stick to the peel. That's it. As long as I have the handout in front of me, here's his recipe for Barbeque Chicken pizza (I'm not a fan of the style but it wasn't too bad):1/4 cup barbeque sauce1/4 cup tomato sauce1 cup cooked, shredded chicken1/2 cup thinly-sliced red onionMozzarella gratedFresh cilantroCombine the two sauces and spread over the pizza, top with chicken and onion. Bake at 500 on a stone for 5-6 minutes. Remove with peel, top with cheese, and return to oven 1 minute. Remove and sprinkle with cilantro.
Norma,Can you give us a broad outline of what you are thinking of doing?Peter
What I would like to do is make a pizza out of one of these Bisquick Biscuit mixes, in a short amount of time. I could be this Tuesday or next Tuesday. It doesnt really matter to me. I would like an idea of how much flour (maybe what kind) to add, how much baking powder to add, and also how much more water or other ingredients I might need to use. All these could just be a ball park figure, if that is possible. I have no idea how to turn a biscuit mix into a pizza, except to add a higher protein flour, water, baking powder, maybe yeast and maybe salt.
Norma,I estimate that the flour component of the Buttermilk Bisquick mix is around 6 ounces, or 170 grams. We cannot assume that 1/2-cup of water called for by the instructions on the package is the right amount to use if we are to use the Buttermilk Bisquick mix as a base for a pizza mix. That amount is to make biscuits, not pizza dough. So, I would use an amount of water (noted below) that is more in line with what I would use with a cake flour, around 55%. To the Buttermilk Biscuit mix, I propose to add 6 ounces (170 grams) of King Arthur Bread flour (KABF). Using the Mixed Mass Percentage Calculator at http://foodsim.toastguard.com/, and assuming 7.9% protein content for the presumed cake flour in the Buttermilk Bisquick mix and 12.7% for the KABF, I calculate that the protein content of the final blend is 10.3%. That is in the all-purpose flour category. I also believe that that value is higher than the flour component of the Betty Crocker pizza crust mix you used recently to make your mystery pizza. Adding the 6 ounces of KABF to the Buttermilk Bisquick mix will have the effect of reducing the amount of total fat in the blend. It will also reduce the effects of the egg, buttermilk and soy flour in the Buttermilk Bisquick mix. You would have to add more of these ingredients to get to the levels of the Buttermilk Bisquick mix. I don't see a compelling need to add more of these ingredients but if you have them and want to use them, I can give you some percents to use (relative to the weight of the KABF). I also propose to add more baking powder (Clabber Girl brand), more salt, some sugar as an alternative to dextrose (which I assume you do not have), and some instant dry yeast (IDY). The IDY is intended mainly for crust flavor and possibly some fermentation if such can be achieved in the short dough preparation time. Of course, you could let the dough ferment at room temperature to help achieve more fermentation and get some of the benefits that the longer fermentation would confer on the finished crust. I will leave to you to decide on whether you want to do that. Maybe you want to see if you can make an "instant" dough (just as you did with the Betty Crocker pizza crust mix) and eliminate that step. Here are the steps to follow to try to transform the Buttermilk Biscuit mix to a pizza crust mix:Add the contents of the Buttermilk Bisquick mix packet (212 grams/7.48 ounces) to a bowlAdd 6 ounces (170 grams) of KABFAdd 4.59 grams/0.16 ounces of the Clabber Girl baking powder; this comes to 1 1/8 t.Add 2.55 grams/0.09 ounces salt; this comes to a bit less than 1/2 t.; you will have to adjust if you decide to use a Kosher saltAdd 2.04 grams/0.072 ounces of sugar; this comes to 1/2 t.Add 2.26 grams/0.08 ounces of IDY; this comes to 4/4 t.There are two components of the water:Water 1: 93.5 grams/3.3 ounces (this is in relation to the presumed cake flour in the Buttermilk Bisquick mix)Water 2: 105.4 grams/3.72 ounces (this is in relation to the KABF)Total weight of water: 194.9 grams/7.02 ouncesIn light of the novel and uncertain nature of this experiment, you may want to initially hold back on some of the water to be sure that all of it is needed. This is where you may have to exercise your professional judgment as to when the dough has the proper consistency and "feel". That consistency and feel may be the same as when you made your mystery pizza. So, all of the water may not be needed, or maybe more will be needed. I suggest that you use a water temperature of around 130 degrees F, or whatever comparable temperature you can achieve out of the tap at market. If possible, I'd like to see some fermentation activity. The total dough batch weight, at least on paper, should be around 592 grams/20.89 ounces. That amount of dough should be just about right to make a single 16" or maybe slightly larger pizza (with a thickness factor of around 0.10), or two roughly 12" pizzas (with a slightly smaller thickness factor value). Good luck.Peter
I found this on the Betty Crocker site for a recipe. Read the comments, good for a chuckle. http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/bisquick-pizza/df578e3c-9ca3-438b-8780-06f6ea9434c2Don
Do you think if I add the KABF, Clabber Girl baking powder, sugar, and IDY to the Bisquick Buttermilk Biscuit mix tonight, without the salt and water it will be okay. I could weigh out the salt and measure the water out tomorrow and add it to the rest of the ingredients. That way it would be much faster for me, if I am busy.
How long did it take for you to figure all what might be needed to be added to the Buttermilk Biscuit mix to turn it into a pizza?
Ok, I'm confused, doesn't Bisquick have baking powder in it? What is the purpose of adding more?
It's more like trying to create a silk purse out of a sow's ear .Peter
I am amazed that you could reverse engineer the Buttermilk Biscuit mix and then decided what steps needed to be taken to modify it for my purpose of making a pizza dough. I would be interested in what you learned going though the process.
I recommend calling in to customer service (my wife worked there too!, hated it). They respond way faster to a phone call, if they'll tell you at all.


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I happened to remember another very good brand of pepperoni--one that I used many times on pizzas while I was in the Northeast part of the country. It is called Margherita. Until I did some online searching today, I didn't know that the Margherita pepperoni is made by Patrick Cudahy, one of the better known suppliers to professional pizza makers. The Margherita pepperoni comes in stick form, in regular and spicy (hot). I know for certain that it is available in retail outlets in the Northeast part of the country, and I suspect that it is offered elsewhere also. I have also seen it offered at several places over the Internet.
Margherita is the pepperoni of choice in most Buffalo pizzerias.
i wonder how hard it would be to make pepperoni?


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Is There Such a Thing as Composing Efficiency ?Posted by PaulM in Composer Survival Strategies, Composers, Composers Online, Tools, Uncategorized, tags: composing, efficiency
The Guardian recently ran an article titled "Can You Make Any Kind of Living as an Artist?" and the first sentence stated: "With the exception of household names, most people in the creative arts need a day job to make ends meet." This is not exactly news to those of us in the musical arts – so the more practical question for composers might be: "How can I get more done in less time?" Can a 21st century composer forced to work a day job hope to produce the output of, say, a Bach or Haydn? The answer, surprisingly, may be 'yes'.
Let's look at are some historical examples of composing productivity that we can use as a benchmark.
During 1724 and 1725 JS Bach wrote one cantata per week for the Leipzig churches where he had recently been installed as Kantor. Each cantata was about 20 minutes of music and consisted of choral, instrumental and keyboard parts. Bach had to compose, notate, rehearse and perform this music each week, so his productivity, assuming a 40 hour week, was something like 2 hours spent composing for each minute of music performed.
GF Handel raised the bar on composer productivity in 1741 by completing the 'Messiah' in just 24 days. This famous oratorio runs some 136 minutes and has 259 pages in the original score and works out to a rate of composition of almost 40 minutes per week. If we assume he worked 8 hours per day, this calculates out to about 1.4 hours of composing per minute of music. This does not include rehearsing or copying out of parts – so Handel and Bach were probably about equal in terms of composing efficiency.
Josef Haydn produced some 340 hours of music over a 42 year career. If we assume he did this in standard 40 hour, 5-day weeks, we get an output of something like 9.7 minutes per week – requiring an average of a bit more than 4 hours of composing per minute of music. Notice that Haydn worked at a rate about half that of the most skilled Baroque composers – but he is still considered very prolific.
As an experiment in 1998 I took one week of my vacation and tried to write a Baroque church cantata. And to my astonishment I actually succeeded in producing 8 minutes of usable material. Of course my 8 minutes weren't as good as Bach, but it was performed during a church service very much as Bach would have done. Throw in a couple more hours for choir rehearsal and my composing efficiency was about 5.25 hours of composing per minute of music. Not a lot worse than Haydn!
But here is the thing: when I was writing my 8 minute cantata I noticed that only about half the time was spent actually creating music. The rest was spent breaking out parts and checking them, transposing for various instruments, making copies and organizing the pages into a rational format, etc. In other words my composing efficiency was cut in half because of the requirements of performance.
21st century composers now have the capability of realizing and delivering their music electronically – there is no need for notation and performance – and there are computers to increase our productivity over 18th and 19th century practices. I have been composing electronic ambient music for about 2 years. I do this by a combination of notation and processing – this music is not written for performance. In the first half of 2012 I have produced some 5.5 hours – realized by PC and delivered to the Internet. I have a full time job but even so I am producing over 12 minutes per week. So my composing output is something like 25% greater than that of Haydn. Now I'm no Haydn – and although I like my music it's possible that I'm actually making 12 minutes of crap per week. Even so, I will only get better at what I am writing and can do so knowing that I don't have to be a full-time composer to achieve a historically high output.
Contrast my situation with the composer who writes for performance – his efficiency will be only 50% of what I can achieve, and the number of new pieces performed each year for even a busy, well-connected composer is likely to be in the single digits. So his progress is restrained by the slower pace of writing for performance and his art will take longer to develop. Performance is presently deemed the successful end result of the composing process – but the lack of performance opportunities and the efficiencies to be gained via electronic music would seem to be compelling for those of us who are increasingly composing part-time by necessity. Sooner or later those among us with real talent – and the inevitable day job – will be working as I am, reaping the benefits of improved composing efficiency through electronics.
The most dramatic effect of the Internet on the art of music, therefore, may be the breaking of the historical chain of composer, performer and listener. Music will henceforth be composed primarily for listening – rather than for performing.
What do you think?