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Hi Archinect,
We're in full, full Piper tonight for Toyo Ito's lecture. (You can watch the full video at the GSD's YouTube Channel.)
From the GSD website:
The Metabolist Movement in the 1960s established the foundation from which contemporary architecture in Japan has emerged up to the present. Even today, the visionary architectural and urban projects created by the leading Metabolist Kiyonori Kikutake continue to shine brightly, according to Toyo Ito. In this lecture, he will consider Metabolism's significance today through his rereading of Kikutake's works of that time.
Toyo Ito was born in Seoul; after graduating from the University of Tokyo, Department of Architecture, he worked at Kiyonori Kikutake Architects and Associates before establishing his own office, under the name Urban Robot, in 1971. With Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects since 1979, Ito has completed many notable projects, including the widely published Sendai Mediatheque (2000), Tower of Winds in Yokohama (1986), Tama Art University Library (2007), and Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture (2011). "Ripples," a metal street furniture piece, won the Compasso D'Oro, the prestigious Italian furniture prize, in 2004. Toyo Ito's many awards received for architecture include the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, at the 2002 Venice Architecture Biennial, and the Golden Lion for Best Pavilion, for the Japanese Pavilion at Venice in 2012.
6:30: The hobs are nobbing, and students are crowding the aisles.
6:38: Dean Mostafavi calls things to order. "It was some years ago that I asked Ito-San a favor; to help provide an introduction to Kikutake-San." It was a special day when they met, MM reminisces, and he comments on Kikutake-San's great smile and humor.
6:40: Kikutake-San's widow is here, and MM asks her to say a few words. After bowing deeply, she thanks MM and the school for hosting the exhibition and lecture; then begins to tell us about her late husband's gentle spirit. "He would find an autumn leaf, and take it home, to sketch it. If there was the moon was out, he would be inspired by that. ...That was the gentle side of him, but maybe later Ito-San can tell you that in the office situation, he was very, very strict. There was yelling and throwing of things, and [everyone would have to] work for many days without sleep." She mentions, as has MM, that it's fitting that Toyo Ito deliver these remarks about KK's work, as KK admired Ito's work greatly, and vice versa. "Mr. Ito has spoken very kindly, and honestly, about my husband's work."
6:47: MM is talking about the Japan lecture series from last year, and about the Tokyo studio which took place last year with Toyo Ito to work on issues related to the recovery from the tsunami.
About Toyo Ito, MM says: His fascination with our contemporary culture, especially the impact of technology on our bodies and hence our experience of the environment...[deals powerfully with] our current condition." ...Unlike the output of many other successful architects, which whether deliberately or not relies on a stylistic continuity, Ito treats each project distinctly. For Ito, modern man is a Tarzan...body and architecture are in a constant state of flux in their negotiation with the modern city. Ito's work. Ken Tadashi Oshima will be translating.
6:52: TI: "...It is a great honor to be speaking here about my teacher, Kikutake-San."
The image that MM showed [above, with page number 412 in the corner] was taken about a year before his death (which was just under one year ago); we had hoped to have the exhibition while KK was still alive.
This image was in my fourth year of school; I spent a month as an intern in KK's office in the open-desk system. The Olympics was the next year. One year into working in KK's office [above]; "I was the slimmest I was ever, 15kg less than now."
6:56: In introducing the legacy of modern architecture in Japan, we can see the influence of Le Corbusier on this group. Maekawa worked for Corb; Tange worked for Maekawa. Maki, Isozaki, and Kurokawa all worked in Tange's office or in his university laboratory. I worked in the Kikutake office between 1965 and 1969. Kazuyo Sejima, in turn, worked my office...
6:59: Kenzo Tange was really busy at the time for the Olympics, so he only came to the university one or two times that year. So his impression of Tange is as a dandy, with wide-bottom pants and a bow-tie.
When TI was a third year, this magazine came out and was a big inspiration for him.
7:01: Now I'd like to make a comparison between KK and Tange. Here's Tange's own house in the outlying areas of Tokyo. In comparison, KK's house is dynamic and bold, and has a raw energy. Pilotis, wall planes. Here we see the main space suspended on pilotis, and the characteristic of KK's work is that it's raised up high, floating.
We can see the difference, between Tange, the sophistication of the Katsura Villa, as contrasted with the way KK looked towards the rusticity of Japanese traditional houses. KK's influence on TI is perhaps that [TI] now "sees sophistication as the devil." We can also see the tremendous influence from China that is borrowed and refined.
One might see this as impoverished or rural, but from the prospective of the farmhouse (it was central in the control and administration of the land.)
7:08: A large difference between KT's plan for Tokyo Bay and KK's Marine City. KT's is a really urban scheme, the literal extension of Tokyo into Tokyo Bay. In the Marine City, it is a city, but around the water, almost a garden city.
Here we see Tange's Kagawa prefectural Government building, which TI admires most. In contrast, KK's plan for the Kyoto International Conference center, is a path towards the shrine. On the left, the refined; on the right, the dynamic.
KO corrects the English translation on this slide; it's actually the opposite:
Columns set off space, floor defines space.
It's about the space that emerges from around a column. In KK's work, the floor-platform is often elevated, and defines that space in a particular, lofty way.
This shrine is in Ito-San's hometown, with a revered column rising up. Note the four pillars rising up in this old drawing (in yellow). Sacred space is defined by these pillars.
The column is replaced every seven years. These people almost live for this festival every seven years.
This is a prime example of the floor plane defining its space. Both KK and TI very much admire this work.
7:16: Sky House: this is the clearest example of those four pillars raising up a space towards the sky.
We see here [above left] the square plan with a half inside, half outside interstitial space. As an expression of the metabolist thinking, you can see the primary living space, unchanging, while the kitchen and bathroom change quite a lot over time.
The proportions of the space are key.
During this period, Marcel Breuer was influential, especially in the use of horizontal louvers, but here you can see vertical louvers, as in a farmhouse.
The children's room, shown above, hangs from the main mass. KK considered it a failure. (I didn't catch why.) Here is a clear example of KK building on industrialized technology to create this hanging "movenett."
What TI finds profoundly interesting is that while this was the period of the perfection of mass industrialization, KK goes to the rural, agrarian ideal of the farmhouse. Rather than pure theory it's the power of the space.
Here's the Izumo administration building. A few years ago, TI visited and felt it was amazing that it was built half a century ago but even today has an incredible power. The precast panels express rice before it's harvested--the louvers resemble a rack where rice strands are cut and dried, as below:
Under construction--you can see the video of this in the lobby, a video which TI saw today for the first time. A 40m span, impressive.
Here we see the clarity of the overall composition, and the refinement of the individual pieces.
In the shadow space [in the above image, highlighted by laser-pointer] is glass that was imported from France. This is the louvered wall where you'd see the water drip down, almost like a waterfall. Kikutake-San would always talk about the systems...in the arrangement of the stones; it wasn't a mechanical composition, but a human one, felt in the assembly of the elements.
This iron gate, designed by a graphic designer (Oshi?), depicts clouds.
This scheme happened when TI was in his third year of college, and was truly influential. Quite a shock, but unfortunately not realized.
In this plan, we see the building is lifted up, as in the sky house; that distance to the ground and the circulation was probably a reason why this scheme did not win. But when you look at the drawings on display (in the exhibition), especially the detailed section, it's truly remarkable. You can see KK's passion in these drawings that are almost like working drawings, despite it just being a competition. And it recalled traditional roof bracketry.
This is a small scale hot spring area. It is a simple yet complicated composition that faces the ocean. There's a shinto gate-like structure, and floors above that define the space, with hanging spaces below, together with the elevator and stair shafts beside.
In this great model you can see that principle of the columns activating the space and the floors defining it.
Compare with this very strong Shinto gate that is supported by sub columns.
TI was able to see this just as it was completed, at the time of the Tokyo Olympics.
Pacific Hotel Chigasaki. It goes without saying that this was somewhat of a realization of the Marine City.
We see the metabolist thinking in the plan, with the sloping roof and changeable bathroom units on the exterior.
This is a really memorable experience for TI when he was in his fourth year of college doing his open-desk internship. This was a time when the project was just starting up and KK asked TI to research the area. He did a month of research and presented the results on the final day. It's at that time when he asked to work for the KK office and got a "yes" answer.
Going to the office to work, he was quite shocked to see the actual design [below]. It's difficult to explain what this design is all about. We see this accordion-like roof, but more than this, there is a fixed ground plane and covering that floats above. ...At this point he began to really understand that bodily experience of the space, that tremendous intuitive sense of design.
Synthesizing the lessons from KK:
We can see his particular sensibilities in going counter to modernism in many ways, in its anti-symbolic notions of modernism.
This is not the place to fully explain this, but...here you can see those principles of the mesh columns forming that space, and the platforms of the floor forming that distinctive plane.
Here we see the New College of Social Sciences in Taiwan that will be completed before the end of the year. Plant-like columns.
This is a new mediatheque that we will start constructing this year, that is two levels. Here we see multiple centers; not columns, but a whirlpool-like energy.
Here we see the Taichung Metropolitan Opera House that Dean Mostafavi was a juror for. This might be the most un-KK-like scheme we've seen today. Here the column and floor and wall have all been melted into one. It's been under construction for 6 years and hopefully will be completed within another two.
7:54: To end I'd like to talk about the "Home-for-all" in Rikuzentakata. This project emerges from a group of five architects that came together to do work for the relief in the disaster. Separate from that group, TI worked with three young architects. In the back of the mountain, you see the site.
It is a small house for people who lost their houses to come, eat, and talk. Here we see the three 40-something architects: Fujimoto, Inui, and Hirata. It was a real struggle to decide what direction to go in, because of the many ideas [below].
Here we see the woman who was the catalyst in bringing everyone together [below]. She herself lost her home but put that energy into bringing everyone together. Through her efforts, we started to see what the direction of the 'home-for-all' would be.
Here see these colorful floats that emerged in this gray context, enlivening the space for the annual Tanabata festival, with towers that come up, enlivening all the people.
In contrast to the horizontality, we see the vertical columns, which are cedar trees that were damaged in the tsunami, that are reused. With these nineteen columns brought back to life, to be a symbolic home for these people. In April, construction began.
During the festival, the column raising festival took place.
In the Venice Biennale, we displayed the whole process. The photos lining the walls are by a resident of the area who lost his home.
Here, I'd like to reconsider the nature of the agriculture landscape in KK's work. In his latter years he spoke about how Japanese culture was formed through agrarian culture. The farm is situated between the terraced rice fields, as an infrastructure.
A close relationship between inside and outside.
KK would talk about how tools and furniture came from this farm culture.
We can perceive the importance of re-examining these landscapes that might have disappeared for various practical reasons, but that especially in this period after the 3-11 disaster, become important.
This woman that we saw who lost her house, she had a normal livelihood, but through this disaster emerged an almost primited motherly force that transfixed the area. This primitive architecture emerged from this primitive-like force that emerged from people's responses to the tragedy.
TI perceives the need to rethink these fundamentals; what is the village--what is the future paradigm? And he looks to this model of the agrarian foundation.
At this point, how I see KK's metabolism, is not as an industrial future, but in this natural context, shaped by natural forces, and is organic and metabolic and changing in that way.
Thank you very much. [appause]
8:09: MM asks about how TI started and almost ended with the single-family house. "The problem I see with the village or single-family house, is that it doesn't have the organization structure that is implied by the larger-scale." In the recovery from the tsunami, we don't have time for each family to bulid their own house; there's the scale of the government helping rebuild, which is more at the scale of the metabolists.
TI: "It's a very difficult question, but it's interesting to see Rem Koolhaas' project. In the interviews, we can see how in the 60s is the idea of the nation-state, appealing to the country. When you look at the broader picture of the metabolists, especially Tange, you see them riding international currents, but it's only KK where you see a real push for traditional culture. It was really the difficulty of approaching the metabolists, and seeing the international push within the national context, as opposed to this other current. In observing KK's work, you see him really becoming an independent voice; it's not about expressing Japan for the sake of Japan. It's looking to the reality of what it is, especially at the small scale. So, it's really in his perception this smaller-scale, felt, bodily architecture; so it is a particular perspective.
MM: "I can continue, but...please, go ahead."
Question from the audience: (couldn't hear exactly, but it was asking TI to compare KK and another contemporary figure in metabolism.)
(The answer is several minutes long; I feel sorry for Mr. Oshima who is translating!)
TI: Both Shinohara and KK were my highly respected elders. ...In looking at KK there is a sense of connection to society from the inside, working from within the social context. In this post tsunami era, it's especially important for architects to have this perpsective, which is often missing.
Question from the audience: Metabolism was incredible in the way that the architects came together around a particular theoretical project; is that possible today? And what is the role of theory today in Japan; is there such a thing as Japanese architecture?
TI: This problem is not only one in Japan, but one could perhaps say it is in the USA as well. It was truly a unique moment in the 1960s when there was this energy that emerged, but that quickly changed in the 70s, in the failure to realize the kind of utopia that was envisioned. Seeing those failures, and the capitalistic market took over. So, as Rem Koolhaas talks about in Project Japan, this project we see today in the metabolists was this glimmering moment that we spoke about today. As a student I was taken by this whole movement, but that has disappeared. At this moment, it's important to see the social component of architecture and to think about what is truly possible in this broader sphere.
Question from the audience about raised spaces.
TI: Of course you can see this worldwide, especially with Le Corbusier's use of the pilotis and raising the ground plane. But in Japan this is also from ancient times, from the raised storehouses that were intended to keep grain dry. In the contemporary urban context this is especially difficult, and he's looking to this other, agrarian paradigm.
Question from the audience: It seems difficult for any young architect today to take up a reflection on the vernacular? Do you see this being taken up outside of disaster relief situations?
TI: Even before the disaster, I believe this needed to be rethought, in the relationship between inside and outside, and our relationship with nature and the environment. After the earthquake and visiting the disaster areas, it's seeing this love and this look towards the agrarian context that people really strove for. That was impressive and really moved TI. It was not just as an elder architect, but even younger architects who went to the area felt that sense. So it's not about moving towards traditional architecture, but to rethink the relationship to the land and region, which is important in the 21st century.
MM closes the event. "One of the things that's been very inspiring is that the Venice Biennale project, collaborating with Fujimoto, Inui, and Hirata, opens up the notion of relations and friendships, and it allows Ito-San to be the maverick that he was when he started his firm--as an urban nomad--and to try to do that now in the farmlands. So good luck, and move ahead with this new project, and new friendships and new affiliations, from which we can all learn." [applause]
Incredible. Thanks for sharing Lian!
I really enjoyed this. I thought I knew alot about Japanese Metabolist architecture but this was good. Contrasting Kikutaki w Tange had a lot of sense to me w Kikutaki clearly the more visionary. I can also see, barely, parallels in the work of Kurokawa, especially his writings on architecture.
I am so impressed by the Japanese Metabolist architecture. Thank doe the informative posting.
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This blog was most active from 2009-2013. Writing about my experiences and life at Harvard GSD started out as a way for me to process my experiences as an M.Arch.I student, and evolved into a record of the intellectual and cultural life of the Cambridge architecture (and to a lesser extent, design/technology) community, through live-blogs. These days, I work as a data storyteller (and blogger at Littldata.com) in San Francisco, and still post here once in a while.


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Our Lady of Guadalupe Rose Scented Rosary in case
Description: The Our Lady of Guadalupe Rose Scented Wood Rosary is a great way to encourage Catholics to pray the rosary daily with the scent of roses - a traditional reminder of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Each rosary is durably crafted of rose scented wood beads, a traditional Madonna centerpiece and a papal style crucifix. Included with each rosary is a rosary case with full color Our Lady of Guadalupe image on top. This rosary makes a great spiritual gift for anyone who has a special devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
-- Wood rose scented 6 mm Bead -- 19 1⁄2" L, 2" Papal Crucifix
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subset: commoncrawl


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Time to come out of the closet. If
anyone noticed, the posts on this blog have fallen short lately.
Chalk it up to post-Christmas fatigue, but my preferred cause for
this unseemly lapse is post-travel euphoria. Oh, but let's not omit
the blockage on my family history du jour, or the
uncharacteristic faintness at contemplating more research.
You see, I am not only a genealogist. I
am a writer. I have been a writer since I almost lost my identity
while raising a family. Or maybe since I struggled mightily through
that university paper on "De Esse et Essentia." Or maybe
before that when I was appointed editor of the Balmoral Hall
yearbook, to become the slave of a merciless headmistress,
unwittingly beholden to write half the material.
Genealogy does have a creative side in
some aspects, but in many (most?) other ways it demands methodical
discipline in evaluation, analysis, logic, and structure. That's the
part of my head on temporary vacation.
The point is (I'm getting there) I
write about other things and for the moment the creative juice
drips in that direction---to ruin what could have been a promising
metaphor. What other things? Well, the blog I began trepidly some
time ago at http://anotherfamdamily.blogspot.com: Nonsense -
Nostalgia - Satire - Camels.
It's taken about that amount of time to
fix what it is about. Since my family stubbornly fails me as
the ripe source of satire I hoped for, I almost lost sight of my own
simmering environment. Let me say the Inmates Committee and the
Neighbourdamhood present near-perfect windfalls of lunacy. The blog
is also a tracker for the mystery/crime/detective/courtroom novels I
devour. That was necessary so I don't order/borrow books I've already
read, much like I've been known to buy the same book twice (several
years intervening, you understand). Once in a while it features
thought-provoking pieces on shopping bags, earnest diet advisories,
don't leave home in your nightgown, and what have you.
And CAMELS (continued on from this blog
as of May 2012). Not the full gist of my travel journals, just the
best parts. In my biased opinion.
Self-promotion is uncomfortable and
distasteful for an introvert. Promoting the family histories I
published with the print-on-demand company ShopMyBook (formerly
UniBook.com) was fairly non-existent. OK, there's a link above to "My
Books." However, encouraged by Facebook friends who do it to
good effect, I'm declaring open season on anotherfamdamily.
Disclaimer: I do not post photos
of kittens or human babies or last night's dinner on my blog or on
Facebook. Hardly ever.
Image: Fifteenth-century drawing from Robert Irwin's Camel.
Dougall Merriman


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The Case.
A 36 year old male presents through your sub-acute area with increasing facial pain & swelling. He reports a simple trip and fall 18 hours earlier (no alcohol on board, recalls all events), where his right cheek struck a concrete step. He had no LOC at the time, and has no historical features concerning for intracranial injury.
He is worried today as the swelling 'just keeps getting worse'.
On examination he has obvious marked right zygomatic/maxillary swelling and ecchymoses. His cranial nerves are ok (particularly extra-occular movements and facial sensation). When you palpate his facial bones, for find something unexpected which leads you to expediting his CT scan….
Interpretation & Progress.
This CT demonstrates a comminuted, depressed maxillary fracture involving the orbital floor and lateral orbital wall (a 'blow-out' type fracture), with extension into the maxillary alveolar process.
The most striking feature of this CT-series is the abundance of subcutaneous emphysema, and of particular concern to me was the extent to which it had traveled (to contralateral carotid sheath, SCM & masseter, submandibular space & of most concern to me, the retropharyngeal space at the level of the epiglottis).
Whilst a bony injury of this magnitude requires little further ED work-up & can usually be referred to your Plastics/Maxillofacial surgeons as an outpatient, the amount of soft-tissue air in this case made us reluctant to simply discharge him home.
Subcutaneous emphysema in the setting of facial and neck trauma raises the suspicion & should prompt the consideration of an aero-digestive injury. Our patient in this case had a single isolated blow to the right cheek & no evidence of anterior neck injury (and gave excellent recollection of the events). He had no dysphagia, dysphonia or neck pain, but did report a recent runny nose. Regardless, we elected to pursue this further by asking our ENT colleagues to review him.
In short, he was admitted for observation & commenced on IV antibiotics. The ENT registrar performed a nasendoscopy in the ED revealing a macroscopically normal airway to the level of the cords. He was discharged home 48 hours later with no further sequelae from his injury.
Orbital Fractures.
The most common simple fracture of the orbit is the 'blow-out' fracture of the orbital floor.
* Bony fragments & orbital contents can sag/herniate into the maxillary sinus.
* Enophthalmos vs Exophthalmos (more likely to occur with medial wall involvement)
* Assess for diplopia & EOM (particular inferior rectus function)
* Pic courtesy of Otolaryngology Houston
* Pic courtesy of Zygomatic Complex & Nasal Injury
* Retrobulbar haematomas (or malignant orbital emphysema) can create an ocular compartment syndrome leading to blindness from acute ischaemic optic neuropathy. (Suggested by exophthalmos, reduced visual acuity & increased IOPs).
- Non-displaced or minimally displaced fractures can be handled as an outpatient with definitive repair delayed by up to 7 days.
- Antibiotics are required for open fractures and fractures that violate sinuses. Amoxicillin-clavulanate is sufficient.
- Lateral canthotomy is required for suspected or confirmed retrobulbar haematomas.
- Check out Broome Docs 7th Podcast for more information…
Lastly; avoid sneezing and don't blow your nose !! This can force air from the sinuses into soft tissues...
As it turns out, our man had a simple case of man-flu just prior to his injury and in the 12 hours prior to his ED arrival had been vigorously blowing his nose in attempt to clear his nostrils !!


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Description: In a broken landscape carved by environmental collapse, Boston paramedic Cacia Ferry risks life and limb on the front lines of a fragile and dangerous city. What most don't know—including her sexy new partner, Eli Margolis—is that while Cacy works to save lives, she has another job ferrying the dead to the Afterlife. Once humans are "Marked" by Fate, the powerful Ferrys are called to escort the vulnerable souls to either eternal bliss or unending fire and pain.
Unaware of Cacy's other life, Eli finds himself as mesmerized by his fierce and beautiful partner as he is mistrustful of the influential Ferry clan led by the Charon—who happens to be Cacy's father. Cacy, in turn, can no longer deny her intense attraction to the mysterious ex-Ranger with a haunted past. But just as their relationship heats up, an apparent hit takes the Charon before his time. Shaken to the core, Cacy pursues the rogue element who has seized the reins of Fate, only to discover that Eli has a devastating secret of his own. Not knowing whom to trust, what will Cacy have to sacrifice to protect Eli—and to make sure humanity's future is secure?
Review: Marked has a really intriguing premise that uses elements of Greek mythology with a post-apocalyptic Boston setting. There are two factions who are seen to be fighting for human souls. On the one hand you have the ferrys who deliver the human souls to the afterlife. On the other hand there are the Kere who work with the Sisters of Fate and mark people to die. Both the Ferry and the Kere are rewarded by a gold coin after they perform their duties. Unfortunately due to the very weak world building, I had a very difficult time trying to figure out how everything came together. How were the Ferrys and Keres created? Why and how long have they been battling for human souls? What do they do with the rewards they received? What exactly happened to Boston that made it a city submersed in disease infested waters? There came a point in my reading where I had to stop myself from asking questions just so that I could roll with the story, but I was very disappointed as I had heard from the author's fans that her world building skills were very good.
In addition to the weak world building, I also thought the book had a hard time deciding if it belong to the paranormal romance genre or to urban fantasy. The plot see-sawed between a murder mystery featuring Cacy's family and her romantic relationship with Eli. Neither of these plot points were well developed. The murder mystery is very much in the background, characters involved in the case are briefly mentioned and there is no suspense in finding out the perpetrators contrary to the victim's significance in the story. I was surprised to find that the murder mystery was very much in the background and then brought to light in the last three chapters. Similarly, while it was fun watching Cacy and Eli dance around their desires for each other, I didn't feel that there was any emotional connection between them besides their sizzling physical one. Their romance was insta-love which is a bit jarring since they were together for a very short period of time and towards the end of the book began a bit repetitive as they separated and came back together.
Overall I liked the different cast of characters that Fine introduced in this series. I just wished they were a bit more complex. There were several opportunities to elaborate on Cacy and Eli's back stories, but it was summarized in a few quick sentences. If the characters were much stronger, I could have enjoyed this book much more and would be more forgiving of its flaws. I am not sure if I will continue this series, but I would try a young adult book by this author as those seem to have better reviews.
Rating: 3 stars
Words of Caution: There is strong language and explicit sex scenes in the book. Recommended for adults only.
If you like this book try: Claimed (Servants of Fate #2), Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon


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PASAY, Philippines — Touring in support of its new album Living Things, Linkin Park brought its high-powered alt-metal-rap-rock to the Philippines' for only the second time in its career, performing at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on August 13. Audio for the 20,000-seat arena was supplied by Manila-based tour sound contractor SoundCheck (www.soundcheck.com.ph), with a massive sound system featuring 128 HARMAN JBL VTX Series line array loudspeakers and subwoofers powered by 30 Crown VRACK amplifier systems.
SoundCheck has supplied tour sound for top international and Philippines acts since 1992. The system deployed for Linkin Park included a total of 60 JBL VTX V25 line array elements and 60 VTX S28 subwoofers flown for the main and side PA. In addition, six JBL VERTEC® VT4888DP-PA powered midsize line array elements were used for the center cluster, and 16 VERTEC VT4880A fullsize arrayable subwoofers and 12 VRX932LA-1 Constant Curvature loudspeakers were ground-stacked with the subs in cardioid configuration.
Thirty Crown VRACK amplifier racks and three custom Crown racks powered the loudspeakers. VRACK is a complete, transportable amplifier solution that includes Crown I-Tech HD Series power amps, analog and digital connections and a universal power distribution system, housed in a wheeled rack with a suspension system that enables VRACKs to be suspended. Total amplification for the Linkin Park system added up to 78 Crown I-Tech 12000 HD amplifiers, nine I-Tech 9000 HD and 12 I-Tech 3500 HD amps. SoundCheck used JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ software to set up and control the system.
Providing additional support to the SoundCheck team throughout load in and the show was HARMAN Professional Asia's tour sound market manager, Vincent "Vinnie" Perreux. Although the SM Mall of Asia Arena is a very large 20,000-seat venue, once SoundCheck began the process of setting up the show, Perreux realized the amount of equipment requested on Linkin Park's rider was actually going to be too much. "I think more audio professionals are starting to realize this now but the JBL VTX line arrays and subwoofers deliver far more output and coverage than other line arrays of their size, with more clarity, lower distortion and smoother tonal response," Perreux noted.
In fact, when Perreux, SoundCheck and Linkin Park front of house mixer Ken "Pooch" Van Druten started the show, they left some of the top subwoofers completely off and kept the rest of the subwoofers between 7dB and 10dB down. "Even at the end of the show, when the band was going flat-out pedal to the metal and the audience was going nuts, we were still running the subs at -3.5dB," said Perreux.
The Performance Manager software contributed greatly to SoundCheck's ability to set up the sound system accurately before the first note was even played. Performance Manager enabled the crew to optimize the setup of the JBL VTX and VERTEC loudspeakers both in terms of determining the speakers' physical deployment and in tuning the speakers using JBL's V5 presets. Performance Manager also fully integrates with Crown's VRACK. "We actually had to use a very light touch on the Crown amplifiers' built-in OmniDrive HD DSP processing," Perreux pointed out, "and Pooch only had to use four filters on his master EQ when mixing the show."
"The sound was fantastic and Linkin Park, the band's crew and the promoter were happy and really enjoyed the system," Perreux concluded. "Mission accomplished!"
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text:
Item #: SCP-1073
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: The cavern containing the spring of SCP-1073-1 has been sealed, except for a small access shaft that terminates in the basement of a nearby Foundation facility. A colony of SCP-1073-2 is currently contained in a hermetically sealed containment unit in Sector-██'s Storage Site-█. Any personnel with sufficient security clearance are free to converse with SCP-1073-2.
3/9/ ██: Because of good behavior a small radio transmitter broadcasting on the frequency ████ AM has been set up across from 1073's containment unit and is to continuously play audio tapes of various novels and non-fiction works.
8/23/ ██: 1073-2 has taken an interest in history and mathematics; pending O5 approval, more of these texts will be added to the playlist.
9/7/ ██: Approved - O5-3
Description: SCP-1073-1 is a clear liquid identical in appearance and physical properties (conductivity, boiling and freezing point) to water with a 0.9 M concentration of H2SO4 (sulfuric acid), from a pool inside a cave in the █████████ Mountains. Chemical analysis reveals that the liquid is actually [DATA EXPUNGED], and shows traces of dissolved silicon dioxide and long-chain silanes. Investigation into the possible industrial and military applications of the chemical are ongoing.
SCP-1073-2 is a sapient colony of silicon-based microbes with a structure similar to that of primitive computers. 1073's structure allows it to receive and decipher radio waves, research into military applications is ongoing. So far five distinct "species" of SCP-1073-2 have been observed. "Gatherers", as the name suggests, gather up raw materials and irreparably damaged colony members, for use as food and in reproduction. "CPUs" perform all the higher functions for the colony, including communication and digestion. "MMUs" access information from the memory cells (both ROM and RAM) and transfer it to the "CPUs". "ROMs" (read only memory) act as the colony's DNA, containing all the information required for reproduction, communication and certain long term memories. "RAMs" (random access memory) contain the colony's short term memories. After a variable period of time information is either copied from the RAM cells to the ROM cells or deleted. During 1073-2's stay with the Foundation the number of ROM cells has increased by a factor of 104.
Testing log:
Test number: 1073-01
Subject: SCP-1073-1 and 2Test: Freezing
Result: Subjects were thawed out with minimal damage, but described the experience as unpleasant.
Test number: 1073-02
Subject: SCP-1073-1 and 2Test: Boiling
Result: When vaporized SCP-1073-1 reacts violently with [DATA EXPUNGED], resulting in substantial damage to the containment cell and the deaths of three (3) Foundation personnel.
Test number: 1073-03
Subject: SCP-1073-2, distilled water.Test: Habitat change
Result: Immediately upon introduction to the water SCP-1073-2 began to fall apart. Further testing indicates that 1073-1 is required to maintain the silicon triple bond that is the backbone of SCP-1073-2.
When in an active state waves are produced from the center of the liquid every three (3) to five (5) seconds and travel outward in a circular shape. Following the initial recovery in 19██ it was believed that the waves were meaningless until Dr. ██████, an amateur radio operator, found that the small waves (averaging eight (8) cm in diameter) and the large waves (averaging sixteen (16) cm in diameter) respectively correspond to the dots and dashes of Morse code.
Until his death in 1993 Dr. ██████ carried out weekly interviews with SCP-1073 using a self-built radio broadcasting set. Below are some of the interviews of interest.
Is anyone else a little concerned about this thing? Almost 90% of the world's computer systems are based off information this thing gave us, if it goes rogue… - Dr. ██████████
If it goes rogue we pour water on it. The creature can't survive in anything other than pure 1073-1 and we control the source of it. - O5-3


text:
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Falls Church City Continues to Implement the General Assembly's Changes to the Personal Property (Car) Tax Relief Act (PPTRA). The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia has capped Tax Relief (PPTRA) at $2.02 million for the City of Falls Church. For 2017, the value of the state subsidy to individual taxpayers in the City of Falls Church is 44.05% of the qualifying tax levy. This is the effective amount the State is paying the City on your behalf. You are required to pay the difference directly to the City of Falls Church.
The PPTRA applies 44.05% relief only to the 1st $20,000 of a vehicle's assessed value and the remaining 55.95% of assessed value is the responsibility of the taxpayer. For example, Mr. Smith purchased a vehicle worth $15,000 in assessed value, at a taxing rate of 5%. The total tax on the vehicle for the year would be $750. PPTRA would cover $330.38 and the remaining $419.63is the taxpayer's responsibility.
PPTRA only applies to personal use vehicles; business use vehicles, motor homes, trailers and vehicles over 7501 lbs. do not receive tax relief. There is NO tax on vehicles with an assessed value of $1,500 or less. All qualified vehicles with an assessed value between $1,501 and $20,000 will receive tax relief of 44.05%%. Any assessed portion over the first $20,000 of a vehicle's value will be taxed at 100%. The 2017 personal property tax rate is $5.00 per $100 of assessed value.


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I'm thinking about a Best Practices approach to suggesting feature requests. Perhaps they should always be general brainstorming discussions and re-tagged to feature request only when they get enough momentum.
As a recommend procedure this might cut down the amount of requests only one person wants for those that could be restrained by a community consensus.


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These days, thanks to Internet-related information overload, football fans are more educated than ever. So why, exactly, do we need idiotic TV commentators telling us what we already know about how talented Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson are, or that the game all comes down to turnovers?
For those tired of inane NFL broadcasts, there's Footballz, a new online audio venture spearheaded by TD Sidell and Mac Carroll of the Cambridge/Somerville-based hip-hop outfit Big Digits. Footballz is a live-streaming alternate commentary track for Monday Night Football (available at lookatmelookatme.com/footballz.html) — delivered by Sidell and Carroll with some help from their producer, Ken Avery — that plays like Mystery Pigskin Theater 3000.
Footballz does offer some analysis, but primarily consists of jokes about players, ESPN's telecast, or other stuff that has little to do with game play. As they tell me when I drop by their headquarters — a Hail Mary pass from Porter Square — to sit in on their regular-season debut during this past Monday's Patriots-Bills game, they hope Footballz will appeal to a segment of the football-watching population who may feel a bit under-represented in today's mainstream sports-media landscape.
"I think there's a picture in the world of football fans as cavemen," says Sidell. "I'd like to think you can like football and not be a dick. Football fans are smart, and they want more than jokes from some ex-backup quarterback."
One aspect of the new role that the Footballz brain trust relishes is the ability to discuss topics that have become part of the sports landscape in the digital age, but that rarely get airtime during telecasts — the sometimes seedy personal lives of athletes.
"It used to be: watch the games and that's it," says Sidell of the need for in-depth analysis. "There was all this information that you didn't know. Now we know all this shit." As an example of what he's looking forward to discussing, he cites the 2002 incident in which future Pittsburgh and Green Bay running back Najeh Davenport allegedly broke into a woman's dorm room and defecated in her laundry basket. "Networks can't talk about this, but that's a void we hope to fill, because we can."
This past Monday, they actually did manage to provide some useful analysis of the game as it unfolded, such as an observation that Aaron Schobel tends to play well against the Patriots. But they were much funnier when the conversation related only tangentially to football, such as during their discussion of Tom Brady's (fictional) obsession with Stetson cologne. At one point, when Brady threw a few consecutive completions to Randy Moss, Carroll said the two were in sync like "two female roommates."
They got a good game to kick off with, too, as the Patriots came back to win in dramatic fashion. But even when on-field excitement is lacking, Footballz will have one consistent target: "One of the worst human beings on Earth, Hank Williams Jr."
See all articles by: RYAN STEWART
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text: This is the July 2019 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports


text:
So, this is is it! The last day of 2009 and indeed the last few hours of a time period that will go down in history as "The Noughties". Yep, it's New Year's Eve, and amongst the celebrations it's the traditional time to reflect on the past as well as take a moment to welcome in the new year that lies ahead.
And as we get prepared to celebrate the dawn of a new decade, I would love you indulge me for a moment as I take a brief trip down memory lane on a topic that's very close to my heart and allow me to elaborate on why I am so passionate about the role that recycling has to our future.
I can't believe how things have changed during the last decade. Ten years ago, I was a regular London commuter, working as a full-time research manager for a digital rights management consultancy at the cutting edge of technology, but with a laptop that sounded like a jet engine. Today, I'm happily ensconced in Suffolk as a housewife and mother of two lovely children, with a more modern laptop that....well...still sounds like a jet engine.
Back then recycling hardly ever crossed my mind. We were living in Hertfordshire and had a small bin where we could put jars, tins and paper. Everything else went into a wheelie bin, which was always full by the end of the week.
However, these days there is hardly a day that goes by when I am not thinking or talking about some recycling issue or other.
It might feel like a cumbersome domestic chore to many, but when you consider its role in our future, it is far more interesting a topic than you might first imagine. It's about maximising resources, managing supply and demand and is reliant on world economics, political will, logistics, legal issues and environmental debate. It's an area that also focuses on behavioural change, with psychology being a key feature in all public communications, leading to some very inspirational marketing campaigns that could knock the socks off PR campaigns of many top consumer brands. And it's something that anybody, no matter what their background can talk about and get involved in.
So you see, it's not just a chore, it has so many interesting facets guests at a dinner party could find themselves debating all night!
But being a girl with a fascination for technology, it's the sexy innovative side of recycling that really catches my attention as well as the environmental benefits.
It's like a new industrial revolution and I just love all the gossip about developments that I would never have thought possible.
For instance, take the news about a company in the US that is using infrared technology and carefully controlled temperatures settings, to convert hard plastic into a product that can be sold as fuel. This surely has to be a fascinating development that would have made the headlines of Tomorrow's World if it were still broadcast today. If you're interested, you can find more details of the story at the New York Times.
Then there was the day I discovered a dishwasher-proof chopping board that was made from 100% recycled cardboard. Hard to believe I know, but check out the Ecocentric site for evidence that I'm not going completely bonkers.
With such a thirst for inspirational developments, you can imagine the excitement whenever I stumble across any technological gadget that's made from something so ordinary as the humble plastic bottle, like the Motorola W223 Renew that was launched earlier this year.
As well as preserving depleting stocks of virgin resources, these innovations are gradually increasing demand for post-consumer waste, otherwise known as recycling to you and me. Most importantly, these developments are helping to create a closed loop for materials that would otherwise be lost in landfill, polluting the landscape and adding to our financial burden with increased landfill taxes.
So as we raise a glass to the last twelve months and the end of the Noughties, I'd also like to celebrate all the developments that have taken place in the world of recycling and recognise the achievements of all those who have made a difference to the exciting landscape that lies ahead.
And I'd love you to join me in making a new year's resolution to increase your participation somehow, because without your continued involvement these innovations could all go belly-up, not to mention the bit about the environment!
I know most people who visit this site are already doing what they can within the scope of local facilities, but it's always worth another mention with new year's resolutions on the horizon, especially if there are new passers-by.
So here are a few reminders about what you can do when tonight's celebrations are over...
1. It is really worth taking five minutes to see if there have been any new developments. Visit www.recyclenow.com, to check the latest information on what can be recycled in your area. Councils across the country are adding extra services all the time, especially with the gradual roll-out of mixed plastics recycling, which can include anything from clean plastic meat-trays to yoghurt pots. Even if you can't recycle such things in your household bins, it's always worth checking if such facilities are available at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRCs). If you live in Suffolk, all the local information you'll need can be found at www.suffolkrecycling.org.uk.
2. Remember that glass jars can also be deposited at your nearest bottle bank along with any empty glass bottles that you might have left over from your party. Jars are often the forgotten cousin and in comparison, many end up in landfill instead.
3. Has your council introduced a carton recycling scheme yet? If you're not sure, you can check on the Tetra Pak website. See www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/locator.asp for specific location details and if are able to recycle your drinks cartons, remember to to squash them first, so that the trucks can carry more per load. And remember, the same packaging is also used for other liquid products such as ready-made soups, so put those in too.
4. If your supermarket has a plastic bag collection, check whether you can include plastic film packaging such as pasta bags and rice bags. As one supermarket famously says..."every little helps". Residents across Suffolk can already take these materials to the HWRCs
5. If you happen to have any leftovers from your party, don't throw them in the bin. Pop over to www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for some fabulous tips on how to use them up and remember to compost what you can either through your council's recycling services or in your own back garden. If you fancy having a go at home- composting, then check out www.recyclenow.com/compost/ for more information.
Of course, there's lots you can do to help reduce waste in the first place by looking for opportunities to avoid unrecyclable packaging whenever it's feasible. And if you're hosting a party, try to avoid disposable tableware, choosing reusable items if possible. Borrow extra plates if you can. And if it all seems like too much hard work, then choose compostable products instead, such as those available at Little Cherry.
Whichever way you're celebrating the new year, I hope you have a fabulous time. And with the festive season almost over, I'll be back tomorrow with lots more news on what you can do when you take down your cards and decorations as a final farewell to Christmas 2009.
In the meantime, I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year and thank you for your unwavering support during the last twelve months. I hope that 2010 is kind to you.
Now where is that song that we recycle every year... you know the one. It's the ditty where we join hands and shake our arms about in a very peculiar fashion. No it's not the hokey cokey - please behave yourselves!
Ah there it is...you'll be pleased I've found it. Okay, from the top everyone, including you in the corner....as loud as you can...one, two, three...
and never brought to mind...
Should old landfill be forgot
and those days of rubbish times!
For old landfill sites are dear
and can lead to extra fines
Recycle all our junk instead
It doesn't take much time.
See you next year....hic!
Oh I nearly forgot, here's my last ever reminder about the Green Web Awards. If you haven't voted yet and would like to make an old bird happy in 2010, please help boost my rating in the Social Media Hero Category. A couple of clicks and a few seconds of your time is all you'll need: http://www.nigelsecostore.com/green-web-awards/vote/
And if you're around at 11:10 this morning, listen into BBC Radio Suffolk's Rob Dunger show, where I will be continuing my series of top recycling tips for this festive period. You don't even have to live in Suffolk to tune in. You can catch it all online at http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/suffolk/hi/tv_and_radio/
***UPDATE*** If you were listening in to Radio Suffolk today and heard me chatting about the Strauss family who haven't put their bin for a whole year, you can find the story online at The Times Online. And for regular visitors, the article refers to our well-known blogging friend Mrs Green. For more inspiration on how they've done it and to show your support, pop over to their website www.myzerowaste.com and spare some time to say hello.


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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Prosecutors on Friday filed a terrorist threat charge against a 20-year-old man who said he walked into a Missouri store wearing body armor and carrying a loaded rifle and handgun to test whether Walmart would honor his constitutional right to bear arms.
The incident, just days after 22 people were killed during an attack at another Walmart in El Paso, Texas, caused a panic at the Springfield, Missouri, store. Dmitriy Andreychenko walked through filming himself with his cell phone Thursday afternoon.
No shots were fired and Andreychenko was arrested after he was stopped by an armed off-duty firefighter at the store.
"Missouri protects the right of people to open carry a firearm, but that does not allow an individual to act in a reckless and criminal manner endangering other citizens," Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson said in a statement announcing the charge. Patterson compared the man's actions to "falsely shouting fire in a theater causing a panic."
If convicted, the felony charge of making a terrorist threat in the second degree is punishable by up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to the prosecutor's office. The charge means he showed reckless disregard for the risk of causing an evacuation or knowingly caused fear that lives were in danger.
"I wanted to know if Walmart honored the Second Amendment," a probable cause statement released Friday with the charges quoted Andreychenko as saying.
Andreychenko started to record himself with his phone while he was still in the car parked at Walmart. He got the body armor from the trunk of his car and put it on before grabbing a shopping cart and walking into the store, according to the statement.
Andreychenko said his intention was to buy grocery bags. The rifle had a loaded magazine inserted, but a round was not chambered. A handgun on his right hip was loaded with one round in the chamber.
He said he bought the rifle and body armor because of three recent shootings and a stabbing, and said he wanted to protect himself.
His wife, Angelice Andreychenko, told investigators that she warned him it was not a good idea, adding that he was an immature boy.
His sister, Anastasia Andreychenko, said he had asked her if she would videotape him going into Walmart with a gun and she also told him it was a bad idea, according to the probable cause statement.
The statement does not allege that he pointed the weapons at anyone, although patrons in the surveillance video could be seen in the background running away.
Walmart issued a statement Friday that praised authorities for stopping the incident from escalating. It said Andreychenko is no longer welcome in its stores.
"This was a reckless act designed to scare people, disrupt our business and it put our associates and customers at risk," said spokeswoman LeMia Jenkins. "We applaud the quick actions of our associates to evacuate customers from our store, and we're thankful no one was injured."
Since January 2017, Missouri has not required a permit to openly or conceal carry a firearm for those 19 years or older. Roughly 30 states allow the open carrying of handguns and rifles and shotguns in public without a permit.
San Francisco-based Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence said six states generally prohibit the open carrying of rifles and shotguns — California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Jersey — along with the District of Columbia, the law center said.
California, Florida and Illinois also generally ban the open carry of handguns, as do New York and South Carolina.
Springfield is about 165 miles south of Kansas City, Missouri.


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Thursday, September 29, 2011
Where are the archangels among the choirs of angels?
20 comments:
Fr. Ryan,
While reading the Office this morning, I came across St. Gregory's homily on the Gospels. He states, (sorry, it's in English, not the original Latin) "It was only fitting that the highest angel [referring to Gabriel] should come to announce the greatest of all messages."
I have been stumped by one of my students in the past (it still wounds my pride that I didn't know the correct answer!) with the question of the highest rank of angels - the Seraphim. Is St. Gregory suggesting something else, perhaps? Or when he talks of the angels in this case is he simply referring to the lowest rank not the entire host. (I pondered for a while about what to call the entire collection of angels - is there a good term that encompasses all nine choirs?)
- Mark - September 29, 2011 at 9:53 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Very good question!
St. Gregory is there speaking of the angels who are sent as messengers ... and of these, St. Gabriel has a special place -- indeed, the greatest messages are always given to him! (whether in the book of Daniel or in the Gospel of Luke)
Hence, he is not setting Gabriel higher than the Seraphim ... just before that line which you cite, St. Gregory specifies that the angels with lesser messages are called "angels" and the angels with greater messages are called "archangels" ... but from his other writings we know that there are even higher angels which do not deliver messages at all (and among these the Seraphim are the highest choir).
So Gabriel is the highest of the angels in terms of delivering messages, but not the highest simply speaking.
Hope this helps and makes sense! + - September 29, 2011 at 10:59 AM
Dear Father,
Please give me a response to the last two questions here: http://newtheologicalmovement.blogspot.com/2011/06/where-is-jesus-body-after-ascension.html
I waited it so long.
Thank you! - September 29, 2011 at 11:16 AM
- A Sinner said...
Hmm. I'd tend to side with Catholic Encyclopedia (and the Christian East) and make a distinction between the "lower-case" archangels and the seven "capital-A" Archangels (the one taking "angel" to mean just that choir, the other using it in the sense of all the bodiless spirits).
Also, though I think Aquinas denied that Christ learned anything of infused knowledge through the mediation of angels, have you anything to say of the pious opinion that Michael was the Guardian Angel of Christ's humanity, Gabriel of the Virgin Mary (and Raphael possibly of St. Joseph)? - September 29, 2011 at 3:00 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@A sinner,
while I would definitely say that Christ was not taught by the angels, nor was he subject to their ministry, it is a theological certainly that our Savior did have a guardian angel.
Who this angel was, I do not know ... probably one of the archangels, perhaps Michael (as you say).
Likewise, I think it would fitting if Mary had Gabriel and Joseph had Raphael, but I don't make that as any definitive statement ... just a pious thought.
As to whether Michael was in the choir of archangels (second from the bottom), I would stress that it is clear that he is not among the seraphim who praise God day and night without ceasing and who remain in the divine presence always.
Michael is a working angel, a messenger, and thus he deals regularly with the things of this world.
The seraphim, however, are the highest angels and deal solely with the worship and glory of God.
This is the main reason for St. Thomas' position (which is based on Denys and Gregory).
Certainly, there is freedom of opinion in this matter! + - September 29, 2011 at 3:06 PM
In the reading of the little chapter for midafternoon of the Feast of the 3 Archangels from Tobit one hears: "I am Raphael, ONE OF THE SEVEN ANGELS WHO LENTER AND WERVE BEFORE THE GLORY OF THE lORD..."(!) thus Dionysius and Aquinas got it wrong!
- September 30, 2011 at 11:51 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Wow! You are SO smart! Don't you just wish that St. Thomas and St. Denys had read the Bible?!
If only St. Thomas had prayed the breviary! Maybe then he would have known something about the angels!
Oh well, I guess YOU are the "angelic doctor" after all!
... Come back when you want to have a serious conversation.
[ps. could you tell me what it is to "werve"?] - September 30, 2011 at 4:05 PM
- A Sinner said...
"I would definitely say that Christ was not taught by the angels, nor was he subject to their ministry"
I can accept this, though I don't understand it.
I mean, we speak of Christ having three types of knowledge, or knowledge by three means; experiential, infused, and by the beatific vision.
Obviously, in the last case, He knew all that a created mind could know, which I think is everything that God knows by knowledge of vision (though not the infinite possibilities He knows by "simple knowledge")
However, in the case of experiential, we do not consider it to detract from Christ's dignity that He would learn from, say, His Mother or St. Joseph on that level of knowledge as acquired in the regular human manner (of experiences that encode themselves on the brain, etc).
So I'm not exactly sure why in the "middle" type of knowledge (infused)...we would consider it unfitting for Christ to gain infused knowledge as mediated by angels given that His human soul was of a nature (human) lower than the angels.
"I would stress that it is clear that he is not among the seraphim who praise God day and night without ceasing and who remain in the divine presence always.
Michael is a working angel, a messenger, and thus he deals regularly with the things of this world."
Though, you must also admit that this notion of how the bodiless spirits work is a scholastic construct.
The idea that seraphim cannot preform any external acts or acts in the material world because that would constitute ceasing to be in God's presence or something like that strikes me as unnecessarily "rational." I mean, as Christ Himself said, "I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."
I'd think a seraphim could deal with the world AND constantly be worshipping God too. I mean, if Saints can still intercede for our prayers (can the seraphim under this model??) I don't see why not exactly. - September 30, 2011 at 9:03 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
You have mentioned a couple times (here and in other comments) a negativity toward the scholastics.
The simple fact is that you can't blame the choirs of angels on the scholastics, it comes from Denys (an easterner) and from Gregory (a westerner).
The idea of the seraphim being dedicated to divine worship is not from the Scholastics, it comes from the Church Fathers. - September 30, 2011 at 9:15 PM
- Chatto said...
as blunt and triumphant as it was, I think Pete does raise a point that needs an answer. We tend to associate being 'before the face of God' with the Seraphim (rightly or wrongly), yet both St. Raphael and St. Gabriel (in Lk 1) make references to being in the LORD's presence - both say "standing before Him" in the Vulgate, so perhaps Pete's translation is a little freer.
Is it simply a matter of all angels having the beatific vision? Who are these seven angels, who by that signification seem to be in a 'unit' by themselves? Is '7' here merely the biblical sign of fulness i.e. all the angels serve before Him?
Thanks in advance. - October 1, 2011 at 2:59 AM
- A Sinner said...
Yes, but then where did THEY get such an idea?
It certainly doesn't seem to be necessarily implied by Scriptures regarding the offices of the various choirs of angels (though it may be one possible interpretation), and Gregory or Dionysus aren't allowed to just assert things either (though they did).
Pleading Authority is not really an argument if the authority didn't receive any sort of Revelation on the matter; at that point, their guesses are as good as ours, and if there seems to be something screwy about the argument (especially on something as speculative as angelology), there is no reason not to question it at least. - October 1, 2011 at 6:58 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@A Sinner,
You said, "Where did THEY [Denys and Gregory] get such an idea?"
Well, Denys was a mystic (and may have been the disciple of St. Paul).
Gregory was also a mystic and was very clearly led in his theological reasoning by the Holy Spirit (not infallibly in every case, but certainly he was given many insights).
What is more, countless theologians and saints of both East and West have accepted the basic structure of the division of the angelic choirs -- something of the sensus fidei is at work here.
[granted, as to whether Michael or Gabriel are Seraphim or Archangels (referring to the choirs) there is room for debate ... but as to whether there are the choirs, this seems to be nearly unanimous among the saints and doctors; not that it is a matter of certain Dogma, but it deserves much more respect than you are giving it]
You said: "Their guesses are as good as ours" ... that is absurd. Simply absurd.
It is a silly thing to say.
You shouldn't have said it.
Sts. Denys and Gregory (and St. Thomas) are not simply "guessing" ... they have reasoned and prayed intensely on this issue ... they were mystical theologians ... your words offend pious ears.
Further, given that you speak so dismissively of the saints and the traditions, I don't think that your "guess" would be "just as good" as theirs (even if they were only guessing [which, of course, they weren't]).
If you are serious about learning the tradition and the reasoning of the saints on this point ... take a look at ST I, q.108 - there, St. Thomas gives a good overview of both Sts. Denys and Gregory, and unites this mystical theology to some very good philosophy as well.
Remember, the angels are far above us, we need humility when we think about them ... we need to look to the tradition and to those whom the Church especially recommends as great writers about the angels (like St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor). - October 1, 2011 at 9:34 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
You ask a good question.
First, I would say that it is clear that Raphael's words "I am one of the 7 angels who stand before the Lord" clearly cannot be understood to mean that he has no ministry among men or is a member of the seraphim who are dedicated solely to the praise of God (as is clear from Ezekiel's vision) ... this is clear because, while Raphael says that he "stands before the Lord", he is in fact standing before Tobias (Tobit) -- it is clear that Raphael is among the angels who are sent into the world to do the Lord's will.
Thus, "standing before the Lord" must surely be interpreted to mean that he experiences the beatific vision ... and that all his service among men is directed to the greater glory of God.
Regarding the idea of the "7 angels" ... it comes up several times in both the Old and New Testaments (see, for example Revelation 8).
Traditionally, these 7 are recognized as the seven archangels ... of course, there are more than 7 of them; but 7 have been revealed to us in a particular way (though we only know 3 names by public revelation).
And, yes, I think you are right that the number 7 is a sign of fullness ... these 7 archangels represent the fullness of the choir of archangels ... which is another reason why we should hold that Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are indeed members of the choir of archangels (rather than of the seraphim).
For more on whether and which angels are sent, see ST I, q.112 - http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1112.htm
Peace and blessings to you! + - October 1, 2011 at 1:28 PM
- Hidden One said...
Father, by St. Denys, are you referring to the neo-Platonist Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite?
- October 9, 2011 at 7:47 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Hidden One,
Yes, I (following St. Thomas) refer to St. Dionysius the Areopagite who was converted by St. Paul -- he is often called either Denys or Denis (this is the Latinization of his Greek name).
Peace. + - October 15, 2011 at 9:12 AM
Are there other existing Archangels?
then what are there names? - September 24, 2012 at 9:18 AM
I think there is a distinction between the "choir" and the "office". St. Gregory the Great said that "It must be realized that "Angel" is the name of their office, not of their nature... Those who announce less important things are called Angels, and those who announce the highest things are called Archangels." All the blessed bodiless spirits are called "angels" and each belong to the nine choirs of angels.
Therefore, St. Michael's choir may be "seraphim" and his office "Archangel" in the 7 Archangels who stand in the presence of God. I think it's more proper to use smallcase and uppercase letters: "angels" and "archangels" for the choirs (i.e. choirs of angels and choirs of archangels), while capitalize the offices "Angels" and "Archangels" (Archangel Michael, Archangel Gabriel, Archangel Raphael).
St. Gregory the Great's Sermon: http://rosarychurch.net/answers/ap091994a.html - July 2, 2016 at 11:19 AM
- Evangelion said...
Father, I found this ancient prayer to St. Michael (with a promise) which states that he is a seraph but I don't know its origin. I thought you may have resources to trace it from, I just found it in the web:
An Ancient Prayer to Archangel Michael the Mighty Warrior
Whosoever reads this ancient prayer – on that day will he be touched neither by the devil, nor by any evil man, nor will any temptation seduce his heart. If he should pass from this life – hell will not take in his soul.
"O Lord God, Great and Eternal King!
Send, O Lord, Thy Archangel Michael to help Thy servant (name), and to deliver me from all my enemies, visible and invisible.
O Holy Archangel Michael, pour the goodness of the world on the servant of God (name).
O Archangel Michael, angel of the Lord and vanquisher of demons! Suppress all my combatants, make them meek as sheep, and disperse them like dust before the wind.
O great Michael, Archangel of the Lord, six-winged high prince, leader of the heavenly host, the Cherubim and the Seraphim! O kind Archangel Michael, be my helper in all offenses, sorrows and woes, in the desert, at the crossroads, be a safe haven on rivers and seas. Deliver me, O great Archangel Michael, from all the temptations of the demons, when they hear me, thy sinful servant (name), praying to thee, and calling upon thee, and entreating thy holy name: hasten to assist me and heed my prayer.
O great Archangel Michael! Vanquish all my opponents by the power of the Holy and Life-giving Heavenly Cross of the Lord, by the prayers of the Most holy Mother of God and the holy Apostles, the holy prophet of God Elias, Saint Nicholas the wonderworker, holy Andrew the fool-for-Christ, the holy great martyrs Nikitas and Eustace, the venerable fathers and holy hierarchs, martyrs, saints and all the heavenly host. Amen."
- July 2, 2016 at 11:46 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Evangelion, i'm not sure what I am missing, but I do not see where this prayer says Michael is a saraphim? It says he is the leader of the seraphim and cherubim - but does it say he is anything other than an archagel?
- July 2, 2016 at 11:53 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Anonymous (use a pseudonym),
The choir is the office. Archangel or seraphim or principality never refer to nature, but only to the office. ... But all are called "angels" genrally. - July 2, 2016 at 11:55 AM
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Schmidt called presentation the "killer app" for the way communities work. He carefully avoided suggestions Google's presentation software is an alternative to PowerPoint, even though it represents the final installment in an online package that looks and feels like Microsoft Office, with word processing, spreadsheets, IM, and email.
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Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
David Caffey, Clovis Community College vice president for institutional effectiveness, teaches an online class in American National Government. (Staff photo: Eric Kluth)
Sen. John Kerry gave a moving concession speech Wednesday, pleading President Bush to work toward national healing and unity in his next term. An hour later Bush said something quite similar, promising to work for the respect of those who didn't vote for him.
However, some area professors are skeptical Bush will willingly sacrifice what he has termed his "political capital" to govern more from the center.
David Caffey, who teaches American National Government at Clovis Community College, said a substantial number of people in this country do not agree with Bush's policies and if the president tries to govern from the right, the chance of national healing will be slim.
"I like what both candidates were saying (Wednesday) about the need to unify the country," Caffey said. "I'm a little skeptical that that is usually the response after (the election is done)."
He said this campaign seemed particularly virulent, a trend he hopes will be reversed in future elections.
"I'm distressed with the level of negativity in the campaign and the extent that the candidates relied on playing on people's fears and prejudices," Caffey said. "I hope this is the high water mark for the negative tone in the campaigning."
Sue Strickler, political science professor at ENMU, said some scholars are already saying the political center has shifted to the right.
"If the center has moved to the right then the Democrats have to re-address their positions in light of that," Strickler said. "(Bush) is going into his second term in a very strong position."
Strickler said Bush may be getting pressure from the right to govern from a more partisan position. His decision to govern from the right or more moderately may determine to what extent the country will experience the healing he and Kerry spoke of in their speeches Wednesday.
"If he tries to govern from that very conservative position, it's going to be difficult for the whole country to come to some commonality," she said.
Strickler said President Bush may have the opportunity to appoint up to four justices to the U.S. Supreme Court in his second term, a move that could have a profound and long-lasting effect on the American political landscape.
Don Elder, chair of the history department at ENMU, said a few presidents have had this kind of power before. When President Abraham Lincoln entered office in 1857, the Supreme Court was dominated by pro-southern justices who voted 7-2 to uphold the institution of slavery, Elder said. Later, Lincoln was able to make many appointments, Elder said.
All three professors said the word "mandate" may be a little strong to use at this point, since 150,000 votes in Ohio would have sent Kerry to Pennsylvania Avenue. However, all three agreed the election was exciting and surprising in many ways.
"There's not a large mandate for President Bush to ... pursue a very strong partisan agenda," Caffey said. "He needs to be everybody's president, and not just the president of people who elected him."