text:
Governor of Pakistan's Punjab province assassinated
January 5, 2011 - 0:0
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – A gunman assassinated the governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, a senior member of the ruling party, in Islamabad Tuesday, an aide said, as a new political crisis gripped the strategic U.S. ally.
Salman Taseer was killed by one of his guards because of his opposition to Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said, citing initial reports.
Rights groups say the law is often exploited by religious extremists as well as ordinary Pakistanis to settle personal scores. Islamist groups have been angry over what they believe were government plans to change or scrap the law.
The killing came as Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani tried to muster support for the government after a main coalition partner quit over government fuel price policies.
A witness at the scene said Taseer was stepping out of his car at a shopping area when he was shot.
"The governor fell down and the man who fired at him threw down his gun and raised both hands," said the witness, Ali Imran.
The shooting left blood stains on a parking area on the edge of the Kohsar shopping center, which is popular among foreigners in Islamabad.
Taseer, a liberal and charismatic politician close to President Asif Ali Zardari, had no role in day-to-day central government but his killing will compound a sense of crisis.
Earlier, the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said it would not demand a vote of no confidence in Gilani because to do so would exacerbate instability in the South Asian nation.
That offered a reprieve but left the coalition weak.
The PML-N, believes a no-confidence vote would "damage the whole country," chairman Raja Zafar-ul-Haq told Reuters.
Sharif told a news conference he would present the government with demands such as a rollback of fuel price rises and the sacking of ministers accused of corruption, and gave the government three days to agree.
He threatened to evict members of the ruling Pakistan People's Pary (PPP) out of the Punjab provincial government, which his party dominates. Sharif suggested there may be a need for new national elections, but did not say when.
Taseer's assassination in broad daylight will reinforce the impression that the government is nowhere near to stabilizing the country.
The blasphemy law came under the spotlight after a court sentenced a Christian mother of four, Asia Bibi, to death in a case stemming from a village dispute.
The law enjoys widespread support in Pakistan, which is more than 95 percent Muslim, and most politicians are loathe to be seen as soft on the defense of Islam.
But Taseer had visited Bibi in prison in a campaign for her release.
"I was under huge pressure sure 2 cow down b4 rightist pressure on blasphemy. Refused. Even if I'm the last man standing," Taseer wrote on his Twitter page last Friday.
Malik said the slain politician's guard, identified as Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, confessed and had been arrested but investigations would determine if others were involved.
"Salman Taseer is a blasphemer and this is the punishment for a blasphemer," Qadri said in comments broadcast on Dunya television.
Analysts said Taseer's death would compound political tension as the opposition closes in on the government.
The second-biggest opposition party also said it would not push for a no-confidence vote, suggesting the opposition may prefer to wear down a weak prime minister by blocking legislation or staging protests to force an early election.
"The opposition will want this government to collapse rather then they moving against it. All opposition parties will pounce on Gilani in the parliament," said political analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi.
That could add to the difficulties of the government in pushing through economic reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has been propping up Pakistan's economy with an $11 billion loan agreed in November of 2008.
Even before the latest political turmoil, the government faced opposition from almost all political parties to its bid to implement a new sales tax -- a key condition of the IMF for the release of the sixth tranche of the loan.
The tax had originally been scheduled for implementation in July but has been delayed several times. It is under review in parliament.
The delay will squeeze Pakistan's budget as its spending is surging to deal with the aftermath of floods last year that caused almost $10 billion in damage.
Photo: The governor of Punjab province Salman Taseer was shot dead in Islamabad on January 4, 2011.
Under pressure, Pakistan PM sacks advisor


Pub. Michael Joseph. 1979 pp. 256 illus. throughout. A vg. plus copy in same dw.
Fleming, L. and Gore, A. The English Garden.
Pub. Michael Joseph. 1980 pp.vi, 255 with illus. and garden plans. A vg. copy in dw.
Pub. Michael Joseph. 1979 pp.vi, 256 comprehensively illustrated with photos and paintings. A vg. copy in dw.
Fleming, Laurence & Gore, Alan. The English Garden.
Pub. Michael Joseph. 1979 pp. 255 generously illustrated in col. & b/w. VG. in vg. dw.
Michael Joseph. 1980, 2nd impression. Pp.255, full of colour & b/w photos & illus. VG, in dw.
Fletcher, H.R. The Story of The Royal Horticultural Society 1804- 1968.
1st. Ed. Pub. Oxford. Univ. 1969 pp.xii, 564 with 20 plates. Nr. fine in vg. dw. lightly chipped along edges.
Fletcher, H.R. The Story of the Royal Horticultural Society 1804-1968.
1st. Pub. O.U.P. 1969 pp.564 with photos. A fine copy in a rubbed but complete dw.
This is an authoritive account of the Society founded in 1804 at the suggestion of John Redwood, son of the famous potter. It is based on material collected by the late Arthur Simmonds after his retirement as Secretary of the society.
Fletcher, H.R. The Story of The Royal Horticultural Society, 1804-1968.
1st. Ed. Pub. Oxford. 1969 pp.xii, 564 with b/w. photos. and illus. Royal 8vo. A fine hdbk. in vg. dw., gently rubbed on edges & sunned on spine.
This is an authoritative account of the Society, founded in 1804, at the suggestion of John Redwood, son of the famous potter. It is based on material collected by the late Arthur Simmonds after his retirement as Secretary of the Society.
Flook, M. A History of the American Rock Garden Society. 1934-1995.
Pub. NARGS. 1997 pp. 206 with plates. VG. in card covers.
Galinou, M. (Ed.). London's Pride. The Glorious History of the Capital's Gardens.
1st. Ed. Pub. Anaya. 1990 pp.224 with colour & b/w. plates throughout. VG. in softback with dw.


To make sure that business grows exponentially, it is crucial to sell products as much as possible. For this, it is prominent to advertise products/services. Here, the importance of telemarketing multiplies because it helps us to promote products in an effective manner without asking a huge investment of money.
With time, getting desired results via telemarketing has become onerous because prospects often disconnect sales related calls within 10 seconds. Owing to this, businesses that try to improve sales growth with the help of in-house telemarketers often face unnecessary hassle.
However, businesses that prefer to avail services from a recognized telemarketing company often enjoy elevated sales conversion rate. This is so because specialized telemarketing service providers are well-equipped with all those tools required to secure desired results.
To enjoy success via telemarketing, it is significant to make maximum calls in a day. This is so because having a meaningful dialogue with a throng of potential customers is the only way toachieve the desired results. Here, the significance of predictive dialer increase as this improves the efficiency of telemarketers up to 40%.
The specialty of this system is that it searches for the next best number while telemarketers are busy in explaining the benefits of products/services to prospects. In addition, when telemarketers are done with ongoing calls, the predictive dialer system connects them to the next potential customers. Owing to this, the productivity levels jump significantly.
The factor that would leave you stunned is predictive dialer system guarantees 40 to 50 minutes talk time per hour, and this is quite higher as compared to the manual dialing system (10 to 15 minutes talk time per hour).
Therefore, if you are willing to improve sales growth with the help of in-house telemarketers, bring the predictive dialer system ASAP. Otherwise, you can avail services from any reputed telemarketing company.
VMD (voice mail detection) system is another tool that gets thumbs up from every recognized telemarketing company. This is so because it saves telemarketers' precious time up to 50%. Because of VMD, telemarketers don't have to go through performance-sapping voice mail calls.
Wondering how? Well, VMD automatically detects those calls that are going to be connected to the voicemail system of potential customers.
Plus, VMD disconnects such calls instantly, which, in turn, indirectly gives a boost to the productivity levels.
Besides improving sales growth, VMD slashes the overall cost to a large extent. This is certainly good for the business's bottom line. So, if you want to secure good sales results like a specialized telemarketing service provider, you should be employing the voice mail detection system.
It would be very easy to check the effectiveness of telemarketing scripts.
Recorded calls could be used as a training material as nothing is better than real-time examples to teach newbies.
Call recordings could shed light on those complicated questions that potential customers could ask during the interaction with telemarketers. After finding out the reliable answers of such questions, intricate situations could be tackled next time in an effective manner.
So, if you are trying to improve sales growth via in-house telemarketers, start recording calls and take necessary actions when something goes wrong.
At the present time, only those companies can grow that are experiencing high sale conversion rate. However, improving sales growth isn't an easy job to do because potential customers often don't stay on telemarketing calls. But it doesn't mean that telemarketing is good for nothing. This traditional technique could bring the desired sales results to the table.
By writing down this article, we have talked about 3 most effective tools that can pave a way for telemarketing success. We hope that you have understood everything while reading.


text:
Tag: Matt Bors
Episode 190 – Liza Donnelly
Virtual Memories Show #190: Liza Donnelly
http://traffic.libsyn.com/virtualmemories/Episode_190_-_Liza_Donnelly.mp3
"Frank Modell told me, 'For the New Yorker, you have to draw better than you know how to.'"
Liza Donnelly joins the show to talk about her careers as a New Yorker cartoonist, women's rights activist and live-drawing legend! We get into the weird overlap of respectability, responsibility and cartooning, as well as her work for Cartooning for Peace, the joys of drawing on the subway, how she benefited from Tina Brown's love of snarky women, why she's considering (but is daunted by) making a long-form comic, the evolution of her feminist consciousness, her trouble drawing George Clooney, and more! BONUS: my interminable intro takes up the first 13 minutes! Give it a listen!
"Social media is an extension of what drew me to cartooning initially; I was shy and I didn't like to talk, and I was drawing to make my mother laugh. Drawing was communication, and sharing."
We also get into the significance of The New Yorker (and New York), her book on the magazine's women cartoonists, the TED swag that changed her life, the mentor/mentee relationship, the contradictions of meticulously developing a carefree style, how the internet has given her a platform, and more. Now go listen to the show!
"It becomes a matter of paring back your style, learning how to let go of detail, learning how to draw simply, making it look like you just whipped this drawing off, even if it took 25 attempts."
Richard Gehr
Liza Donnelly is a writer and cartoonist with The New Yorker magazine. She is also a sought after public speaker and also does live drawings of events, covering the 2016 Democratic National Convention for CBS News and the presidential debates. She recently joined CBS This Morning as contributing cartoonist. She is a columnist and cartoonist for Forbes.com, specializing in politics and women's rights. Donnelly draws a political cartoon for Politico and Medium, and she is a contributor to many other national publications. Donnelly was a finalist for the 2014 Thurber Prize, the only award for written humor in the United States.
Donnelly is a Cultural Envoy for the US State Department, traveling around the world speaking about freedom of speech, cartoons and women's rights. As a public speaker, Donnelly has also spoken at TED (Technology Entertainment and Design), the United Nations, and The New Yorker Festival, as well as colleges, universities and corporate venues, among other places.
Donnelly was profiled on CBS Sunday Morning, NBC and BetterTV, and has been interviewed on radio and in numerous magazines, newspapers and online. Donnelly's cartoons and commentary can be seen on various websites: the NewYorker.com; Politico.com, CNN.com; HuffingtonPost.com; Salon.com; DailyBeast.com; NarrativeMagazine.com. Her work has appeared in print publications, including The New York Times, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, The Nation and The Harvard Business Review.
Donnelly is the author/editor of sixteen books. Her most recent book is titled Women on Men , published by Narrative Magazine. Some of her other books are When Do They Serve the Wine?: The Folly, Flexibility, and Fun of Being a Woman , Funny Ladies: The New Yorker's Greatest Women Cartoonists And Their Cartoons , a history of the women who drew cartoons for the magazine, Sex and Sensibility: Ten Women Examine the Lunacy of Modern Love…in 200 Cartoons and Cartoon Marriage: Adventures in Love and Matrimony by The New Yorker's Cartooning Couple (with Michael Maslin). Donnelly's book, When Do they Serve the Wine? was optioned by Mark Gordon Studios for an hour long comedy for television; and the book she wrote with her husband, Cartoon Marriage, has been optioned by Jennifer Garner for ABC Studios. Donnelly has written and illustrated numerous children's books for Scholastic and Holiday House.
She is the New York Director of the international project, Cartooning for Peace, helping to promote understanding through humor; and is president and co-founder of USA FECO, the US chapter of the international cartoonists' organization. Her work has been in numerous exhibitions globally, and she has curated exhibits of international cartoonists, here and abroad. Donnelly taught at Vassar College and the School of Visual Arts and is a member of PEN and the Authors Guild. She is the recipient of an honorary degree from the University of Connecticut, and received a Ruben Award, the Salon St. Just International Prize, AAUW Women of Distinction Award. Liza was a member the jury of the World Press Cartoon Prize in Lisbon, the Cartooning for Peace Prize in Geneva and the Aydin Dogan Cartoon Competition in Turkey.
She can be found on twitter and Instagram at @lizadonnelly. She lives in Rhinebeck and New York City with her husband, New Yorker cartoonist Michael Maslin. They have two daughters.
Credits: This episode's music is Nothing's Gonna Bring Me Down by David Baerwald, used with permission of the artist. The conversation was recorded in Ms. Donnelly's kitchen on a pair of Blue enCORE 200 Microphones feeding into a Zoom H5 digital recorder. I recorded the intro and outro on a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone feeding into a Mackie Onyx Blackjack 2×2 USB Recording Interface . Blurry photo of Ms. Donnelly by ???.
Posted on July 14, 2015 April 5, 2018
Episode 125 – Signal Boost
Dan Perkins (Tom Tomorrow) – Signal Boost
http://traffic.libsyn.com/virtualmemories/Episode_125_-_Signal_Boost.mp3
"This Kickstarter, this is me, having seen my incredibly negative narrative and hopeless sense of the future just blasted out of the water. I feel like this week has changed my life."
Dan Perkins (better known as Tom Tomorrow) is celebrating 25 years of his weekly political cartoon, This Modern World, with a kick-ass Kickstarter project to collect all of his strips in a two-volume, slipcased edition! Shockingly (to him, but not the rest of us), his fans hit his funding target in less than 24 hours, and more than doubled it by press time. (It's open through August 4, 2015, so there's time to make a contribution!) I caught up with a flabbergasted Perkins to talk about the resounding level of fan support for the project, the detective/archeologist work of compiling 25 years' worth of his strips, the trepidation he had about looking at his early work, how This Modern World changed after the advent of the internet, the ways in which his cartoons work as a coded diary of his life, how the validation of this Kickstarter experience has changed his view of the future, and more! Give it a listen! (If you want to skip my rambling intro, you should jump to the 8:45 mark.)
"Charles Schulz said if he were a better writer, he'd be a novelist, and if he were a better artist, he'd be a painter, but he's kinda good at both, so he's a cartoonist. I've always held onto that."
We also talk about his cartooning influences, his early attempt at doing a mainstream daily comic strip, his favorite contemporary political cartoonists (and his apologies for any influence he had on them), what he wants to do next, how he fights against burnout on a weekly basis, why having to make a comic about a terrible event is like sewer-work, why a Trump presidential candidacy is no fun for his comics, the way This Modern World served as a pirate radio signal, and why Pearl Jam lent him a hand on his Kickstarter (which, as I mentioned, is open through August 4, if you want to take part)!
"The internet has given mankind low-grade telepathy. We are now in this low-grade hive-mind where we have access to the darkest and most disturbing thoughts of many of our fellow humans. I think it used to be easier to maintain illusions about humanity."
Pete Bagge
Ben Katchor
Tom Tomorrow's (Dan Perkins') weekly cartoon, This Modern World, appears online at The Nation, and Daily Kos, and in approximately 80 papers across the country. His cartoons have also been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Nation, U.S. News & World Report, Esquire, The Economist, and numerous other publications.
He was the 2013 recipient of the Herblock Prize, and was awarded the first place Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Cartooning in 1998 and again in 2003. He was also a finalist for the Pulitze Prize in 2015. He has also been awarded the first place Media Alliance Meritorious Achievement Award for Excellence in Journalism, the first place Society of Professional Journalists' James Madison Freedom of Information Award, the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism, and the Association for Education in Journalism Professional Freedom and Responsibility Award. He is the author of 10 cartoon anthologies and one children's book, and in 2009 collaborated with the band Pearl Jam to create the artwork for their Backspacer album.
Credits: This episode's music is Just Breathe by Pearl Jam. The conversation was recorded at Mr. Perkins' home on a pair of Blue enCORE 200 microphones feeding into a Zoom H5 digital recorder. I recorded the intro and outro on a Blue Yeti USB Microphone . Processing was done in Audacity and Logic Pro. Photo of Mr. Perkins by me.
Posted on March 18, 2013 May 23, 2015
Podcast: Cartoon Character
Matt Wuerker – Cartoon Character
http://traffic.libsyn.com/virtualmemories/Season_3_Episode_6_-_Cartoon_Character.mp3
"Political cartoonists have it easy: we turn on the TV or computer and Sarah Palin has said some inane thing . . . and the cartoons can write themselves. In the world of cartooning, we're the lazy bastards."
Matt Wuerker, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, joins The Virtual Memories Show to talk about his career (including his fascinating non-comics work and his prescient move to the online world with POLITICO), the experience of winning "the Academy Award for cartoonists", his artistic and political influences, what it takes to get on the NRA's Enemies List, the opportunities for editorial cartoonists in a post-print world, how his parents felt about his decision to become a cartoonist, whether he had it easier during the Bush/Cheney era or the Tea Party era, and why he thinks the golden age of cartooning is still ahead of us!
"One of the great cosmic quandaries for cartoonists is that what's bad for the world is great for cartooning."
Enjoy the conversation! Then check out our archives for more great talks!
Matt Wuerker has been POLITICO's editorial cartoonist and illustrator since its launch in 2007. In 2012, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, POLITICO's first Pulitzer win. In 2009, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in editorial cartooning. Over the past 25 years, his work has appeared in publications ranging from The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times to Smithsonian and the Nation, among many others. Along the way, he's also pursued other artistic tangents that have included claymation, outdoor murals, teaching cartooning in prison (as a visitor, not as an inmate), book illustration and animating music videos. Matt thinks Saul Steinberg is a cartoon god and the Peter Principle explains pretty much everything, and he also thinks the maxim "If you're not confused, you're just not thinking clearly" is one of the wisest things ever said. Matt lives in Washington, D.C., in close proximity to the National Zoo and the Swiss Embassy. Depending how bad things get, he hopes to find asylum in one or the other.
Credits: This episode's music is Nobody's Home by Ulrich Schnauss. The conversation was recorded at the Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington, D.C., on a pair of AT2020 mics , feeding into a Zoom H4n recorder . I recorded the other material on a Samson Meteor Mic USB Studio Microphone into Audacity. All editing and processing was done in Garage Band.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We're excited to be one of the first retailers to carry Tupper Lake's own Janelle LaVigne's new Faust Forager line of products. Made with Adirondack ingredients foraged from our backyards!
It's Monday 7:07AM — Keep Calm - Unfortunately We're Closed.
Food is fresh. Very clean seating area and bathroom. Some local foods available for purchase. Reasonable prices- we'll be back!
Great place, found it on trip advisor as we were passing thru. Food was great and a large selection of specialty foods. We had a burger and chicken panini both had great flavor.
I've eaten here three times so far on my way through tupper lake and each time I've been happy. Not cheap but the food is delicious and fresh, with good portion sizes. Friendly staff and quick service.
Spent this week in the Tupper Lake area camping and stopped on the way to the campsite for lunch here. Was the best friend cod sandwich I ever had and the fries were PERFECT. Liked it so much we camp back at the end of the week for lunch again and I ordered the same. We don't eat out much except for vacation and rarely ever go to the same place twice but this was exceptional. Well done!
Fantastic experience! Found this gem, quite by accident, when my GPS messed up. First time I was grateful to be lost! Friendly staff, and a very personable young man on the cash. My husband and I enjoyed our lunch, the atmosphere and we intend to come back. Now I know where they are I can program into my new GPS!


text:
January 1, 2020 / 4:07 PM / in 17 days
Venezuela baseball says pros to return for playoffs, exempt from U.S. sanctions
Luc Cohen, Mayela Armas
FILE PHOTO: Players of Tiburones de la Guaira team, prepare before a match at University Stadium in Caracas, Venezuela November 10, 2019. Picture taken November 10, 2019. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero/File Photo
CARACAS (Reuters) - Players affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) will participate in Venezuela's upcoming playoffs, the country's baseball league said, after receiving an exemption from U.S. sanctions meant to force out socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
In August, MLB barred major and minor league players from participating in the local LVBP league pending authorization from the U.S. government. The U.S. Treasury Department granted a license to the sanctions allowing U.S. individuals to conduct transactions with the LVBP earlier in December.
"The LVBP board of directors announced that players affiliated with MLB's system are approved to participate in January," the league said in a statement posted on its website late on Tuesday.
Baseball is wildly popular in the South American country. Major league teams often recruit star Venezuelan players, who then work their way up through the minor league systems. They frequently return home to play in the LVBP during the MLB off-season, but this year's season began late and attendance has dropped due to the absence of high-level players.
Washington's sanctions on Venezuela have not succeeded in ousting Maduro. MLB's decision to bar players was the most high-profile example of how the sanctions prompted American companies to stop doing business with private Venezuelan entities that were not explicitly sanctioned.
After receiving the sanctions exemption last month, MLB sent its member clubs a notice saying players could play for six of the eight teams. Two teams, the Tigres de Aragua and Navegantes de Magallanes, were excluded from Treasury's sanctions exemption, without explanation.
The league was trying to secure sanctions exemptions for Tigres and Navegantes as well, according to a source close to the LVBP who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The LVBP's regular season has ended, but six teams - including Navegantes de Magallanes - will advance to the playoffs, which begin this month.
Additional reporting by Deisy Buitrago; Editing by David Gregorio


text:
Home Race OLSBERGS MSE INTRODUCES 2015 LITES DRIVERS
OLSBERGS MSE INTRODUCES 2015 LITES DRIVERS
Josh Tons
Championship rallycross team Olsbergs MSE demonstrates its commitment to the future of rallycross in 2015 with a full international roster of Lites drivers representing the next generation in the sport.
"We believe in creating opportunities for young drivers to shine," said OMSE team owner Andreas Eriksson. "We designed the Lites car to provide a platform for emerging talent and we remain committed to that philosophy in 2015 with a full roster of Lites drivers competing on our international team."
Kevin Eriksson will lead the charge for OMSE in RX Lites when the season opens this weekend with the FIA World Rallycross Championship's first round in Portugal. He returns to defend his RX Lites crown while also racing a Supercar in the RallyX Scandinavia series. Last year, Eriksson won the RX Lites championship title and finished second in the GRC Lites championship.
"Lites is a really good school for developing drivers and I think it's the most competitive, toughest series out there," said Eriksson. "I am really happy to be returning to RX Lites this year. It's a great personal challenge to have the pressure to defend my title and I think this season will be a big step forward in my career."
Sandra Hultgren joins the Lites field for OMSE in both RX Lites and the RallyX Scandinavia series this season. At age 22, the determined young Swede is a rare woman in motorsport. She has been competing in regional Folkrace competitions since age 15.
"The cars in the Lites competition are all identical so it levels the playing field and puts the focus completely on the driving," said Hultgren. "I'm excited for that challenge."
Confirmed for OMSE's 2015 GRC Lites squad are young American Austin Cindric and Swede Oliver Eriksson, who are supported by Nightrain and AEM.
"Even when you're watching rallycross, you're having fun," said 16-year-old Cindric about returning to the Lites series in 2015. He campaigned a partial season last year that saw him score three podium results to finish sixth in the overall standings. "Sliding through the dirt, knocking each other around, standing starts… It's a combination for a good time."
Oliver Eriksson was just 15 when he joined the series for two stops last season. The youngest driver in the field, he scored fourth- and third-place results. He said he's looking forward to making a push for the championship in 2015.
"Lites is the best school for future Supercar stars and it's awesome to be part of the future of motorsport," said Eriksson, who will also pilot a Lites machine at home in the RallyX Scandinavia Lites series. "Lites prepares you on every level."
Oliver Eriksson will also join Hultgren and elder brother Kevin Eriksson in Portugal this weekend for the first in a series of select appearances in the RX Lites championship this year.
The Olsbergs MSE organization created the strictly controlled spec Lites vehicle to provide a platform to showcase the talent of emerging young drivers. Constructed in Istanbul, Turkey, in partnership with Avitas Motorsport, the 310 horsepower, all-wheel drive car features a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter engine and a sequential gearbox.
The concept was first introduced in 2013 as a support series to the Global Rallycross Championship. Up-and-coming young Finn Joni Wiman swept the opening season to take the title before graduating to the top-spec Supercars class in 2014 and going on to win the title in his rookie year.
"Lites are a very good preparation for the challenge of Supercars," said Wiman. "The handling is very similar and with all the cars the same, you must drive very well to be competitive. I know that my experience in Lites helped get me to the Supercars championship title."
The Lites joined seven rounds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2014, with young talent Kevin Eriksson taking the title and going on to earn a third-place result in his very first Supercars race last fall at World RX of Argentina.
In 2015, Lites will return in support of both Global Rallycross and World RX, as well as the Swedish RallyX Scandinavia series. There are 10 Lites entries set to open the RX Lites season in Portugal next weekend. Under the management of promoter First Corner, RX Lites will accompany eight rounds of World RX this season as a support series. Cooper Tire in Europe will be the sole tire provider for the RX Lites.
"Now, with the advancement of the FIA World RX Championship, we are cementing our commitment to the sport by extending our supply to the feeder series and supporting new young drivers coming through the ranks," said Cooper Tire Europe Marketing Communications Manager Sarah McRoberts.
The first competition of the 2015 RX Lites championship takes place this weekend, April 24 and 25 at Montelegre, Portugal. Kevin Eriksson, Oliver Eriksson and Sandra Hultgren will compete for Olsbergs MSE in Lites, with Andreas Bakkerud, Reinis Nitiss and Timur Timerzyanov behind the wheel of OMSE Supercars.
Next, the RX Lites championship is set to launch a search to encourage even more new talent into rallycross. A shortlist of 10-12 applicants will take part in a shoot-out style evaluation at Lydden Hill circuit on May 21, just ahead of the British round of the championship on May 22-24. Also new in 2015 is a Lites series debuting in Australia.
OMSE's multi-series campaigns in rallycross are guided by the new team slogan "Extreme Forces," representing their united worldwide challenge for rallycross dominance. Fans can follow the team and its Lites and Supercars stars across social media platforms using the #OMSE #XForces hashtags.
The OMSE organization is led by Eriksson, himself a championship rally and rallycross driver. He is supported by Chief Financial Officer Jan-Erik Steen and three-time European Rallycross Champion Jussi Pinomäki.
OMSE INTERNATIONAL LITES TEAM
RX Lites: Kevin Eriksson (Sweden)
Sandra Hultgren (Sweden)
GRC Lites: Austin Cindric (USA)
Oliver Eriksson (Sweden)
RallyX Scandinavia Lites: Sandra Hultgren (Sweden)
OMSE LITES VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS
Power: 310 hp / Torque: 300 ft-lb
Body: Tubular Spaceframe Structure combined with high performance composite plastic exterior and interior body. CDS rollcage.
Dimensions: Length: 150 inches (3800 mm). Width: 71 inches (1800mm). Wheelbase: 98 inches (2489 mm). Weight (driver included): 2425 lbs (1100 kg)
Engine: Naturally aspired Ford Duratec 2400cc (Olsbergs/Mountune design), four cylinders, 16 valves. AEM Electronics Infinity ECU.
Transmission: Permanent four-wheel drive, with two limited-slip differentials. Six-speed sequential Sadev gearbox with Alcon two-plate carbon clutch.
Suspension: Front – Double wishbone suspension with Öhlins TTX adjustable dampers. Rear – Double wishbone suspension with Öhlins TTX adjustable dampers.
Brakes: Front – Alcon 330 mm ventilated brake discs with four-piston brake calipers. Rear – Alcon 330 mm ventilated brake discs with four-piston calipers.
Wheels & Tires: Lightweight 8×17 KMC rallycross wheels. Yokohama rallycross radials (GRC); Cooper rallycross (World RX)
ABOUT OLSBERGS MSE:
Olsbergs MSE designs, builds and operates winning competition cars for motorsport. It is recognized as the global authority in the growing sport of rallycross.
OMSE is a Ford Racing technical partner, developing the Ford Fiesta platform for international competition. Together, Ford and OMSE have earned an astonishing 20 X Games medals, including podium sweeps at the world's leading action sports contest (Los Angeles, 2011; Brazil 2013). The team has also scored every rallycross championship in the United States since the sport debuted in that country in 2010, and won the 2014 FIA World Rallycross Teams Championship.
Founded in 2009, the organization represents a partnership between historic Swedish industrial company Olsbergs and rallycross specialists Motor Sport Evolution. In 2013, the company expanded its operations into the United States and now has dual headquarters with operations in both Sweden and the United States.
In 2015, Olsbergs MSE campaigned winning cars in World RX, the Global Rallycross Championship, and the Rallycross Supercar Scandinavia championship.
Avitas Motorsport
Dimensions Length
Engine Naturally
Finn Joni Wiman
First Corner
Ford Duratec
Global Rallycross Championship
Kevin Eriksson
Motor Sport Evolution
Oliver Eriksson
Olsbergs Mountune
OMSE
Sandra Hultgren
Previous articleNISSAN GT-R LM NISMO COMPLETES FOUR-DAY TEST IN THE U.S. IN PREPARATION FOR LE MANS
Next articleNEW TECHNICAL DETAILS OF THE NEXT GENERATION ACURA NSX REVEALED
Hoonigans Wanted (Found)
Corvette Z06 for sale…"if you give a shit"


text:
Soil water Layers
84 Lithosphere
83 Pedosphere
78 Soil
8 Soil capability
1 Soil salinity
1 Soil structure
6 Soil texture
4 Soil type
7 Soil water
1 SMAP
FSL Soil Drainage Class
Landcare Data Use License
This dataset was first added to LRIS Portal on 04 Jun 2010.
The New Zealand Fundamental Soil Layer originates from a relational join of features from two databases: the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (NZLRI), and the National Soils Database (NSD). The NZLRI is a national polygon database of physical land resource information, including a soil unit. Soil is one in an inventory of five physical factors (including rock, slope, erosion, and vegetation) delineated by physiographic polygons at approximately 1:50,000 scale. The NSD is a point database of soil physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics for over 1500 soil profiles nationally. A relational join between the NZLRI dominant soil and derivative tables from the NSD was the means by which 14 important soil attributes were attached to the NZLRI polygons. Some if these attributes originate from exact matches with NSD records, while others derive from matches to similar soils or professional estimates. This layer contains attributes relating to soil drainage. Soil drainage is described as a class. Drainage classes are assessed using criteria of soil depth and duration of water tables inferred from soil colours and mottles. Drainage classes used here are the same as those used in the NZ Soil Classification (Hewitt 1993), and outlined by Milne et al. (1995).
LENZ - Soil drainage
This dataset was first added to LRIS Portal on 28 May 2010.
Drainage data layer used in the creation of Land Environments of New Zealand (LENZ) classification. The classification layers have been made publicly available by the Ministry for the Environment (see data.mfe.govt.nz/layers/?q=LENZ for to access these layers).
This data layer described the internal drainage of soils. The classification used in the creation of this layer was developed as part of the diagnostic features used in conjunction with the New Zealand Soil Classification, and was defined in terms of the soil attributes that develop under different drainage conditions. Five classes of drainage, ranging from Very Poor (1) through to Good/Well drained (5). The class defined as "0" signifies areas where there are no soil attributes recorded (i.e. high peaks of the Southern Alps).
Additional details such as discussion about the accuracy and reliability of the LENZ soil layers and the technical definitions of the categories in this layer are defined in the attached LENZ Technical Guide.
Raster Query API, Catalog Service (CS-W), data.govt.nz Atom Feed
FSL Profile Available Water
The New Zealand Fundamental Soil Layer originates from a relational join of features from two databases: the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (NZLRI), and the National Soils Database (NSD). The NZLRI is a national polygon database of physical land resource information, including a soil unit. Soil is one in an inventory of five physical factors (including rock, slope, erosion, and vegetation) delineated by physiographic polygons at approximately 1:50,000 scale. The NSD is a point database of soil physical, chemical, and mineralological characteristics for over 1500 soil profiles nationally. A relational join between the NZLRI dominant soil and derivative tables from the NSD was the means by which 14 important soil attributes were attached to the NZLRI polygons. Some if these attributes originate from exact matches with NSD records, while others derive from matches to similar soils or professional estimates. This layer contains best available, as at 2000, profile available water (PAW) data which estimates total available water for the soil profile to a depth of 0.9 m, or to the potential rooting depth (whichever is the lesser). Values are weighted averages over the specified profile section (0-0.9 m) and are expressed in units of mm of water.
FSL Flood Return Interval
The New Zealand Fundamental Soil Layer originates from a relational join of features from two databases: the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (NZLRI), and the National Soils Database (NSD). The NZLRI is a national polygon database of physical land resource information, including a soil unit. Soil is one in an inventory of five physical factors (including rock, slope, erosion, and vegetation) delineated by physiographic polygons at approximately 1:50,000 scale. The NSD is a point database of soil physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics for over 1500 soil profiles nationally. A relational join between the NZLRI dominant soil and derivative tables from the NSD was the means by which 14 important soil attributes were attached to the NZLRI polygons. Some if these attributes originate from exact matches with NSD records, while others derive from matches to similar soils or professional estimates. This layers contains flood return interval attributes. The classes originate from and are described more fully in Webb and Wilson (1995).
FSL Permeability Profile
The New Zealand Fundamental Soil Layer originates from a relational join of features from two databases: the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (NZLRI), and the National Soils Database (NSD). The NZLRI is a national polygon database of physical land resource information, including a soil unit. Soil is one in an inventory of five physical factors (including rock, slope, erosion, and vegetation) delineated by physiographic polygons at approximately 1:50,000 scale. The NSD is a point database of soil physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics for over 1500 soil profiles nationally. A relational join between the NZLRI dominant soil and derivative tables from the NSD was the means by which 14 important soil attributes were attached to the NZLRI polygons. Some if these attributes originate from exact matches with NSD records, while others derive from matches to similar soils or professional estimates. This layers contains the permeability profile attribute. Permeability is the rate that water moves through saturated soil. The permeability of a soil profile is related to potential rooting depth, depth to a slowly permeable horizon and internal soil drainage. Permeablity classes are from Clayden and Webb (1994).
FSL Profile Readily Available Water
The New Zealand Fundamental Soil Layer originates from a relational join of features from two databases: the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (NZLRI), and the National Soils Database (NSD). The NZLRI is a national polygon database of physical land resource information, including a soil unit. Soil is one in an inventory of five physical factors (including rock, slope, erosion, and vegetation) delineated by physiographic polygons at approximately 1:50,000 scale. The NSD is a point database of soil physical, chemical, and mineralological characteristics for over 1500 soil profiles nationally. A relational join between the NZLRI dominant soil and derivative tables from the NSD was the means by which 14 important soil attributes were attached to the NZLRI polygons. Some if these attributes originate from exact matches with NSD records, while others derive from matches to similar soils or professional estimates. This layer contains the best available data (as at 2000) of Profile Readily Available Water (PRAW) which estimates water readily available to plants for the soil profile to a depth of 0.9 m, or to the potential rooting depth (whichever is the lesser). Values are weighted averages over the specified profile section (0-0.9 m) and are expressed in units of mm of water.
Smap Soil Drainage February 2018
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 New Zealand
This dataset was first added to LRIS Portal on 26 Feb 2018.
There has been a change in the way the S-map is being made available to users. The S-map primary map layer ofsoil classes (i.e. delineated areas that are labelled with the soil family name) is no longer freely available to commercial users. Access to this data and associated soil attribute data for commercial use is by negotiation - please contact Graeme Anderson. This layer is a "dissolved" representation of the soil drainageattribute for S-map previously available as a lookup table.It is available for non-commercial use under a creative commons licence (CC-BY-NC-ND).Soil drainage is a relatively simple classification of the soil profile that describes the likelihood of seasonal wetness. It is based on the occurrence within specific depths of redox segregation and low chroma colours indicative of waterlogging and reduction (Webb and Lilburne, 2011).Very poorly drainedPoorly drainedImperfectly drainedModerately well drainedWell drainedWebb TH, Lilburne LR 2011. Criteria for defining the soil family and soil sibling: The fourth and fifth categories of the New Zealand Soil Classification. 2nd ed. Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand, Manaaki Whenua Press. 38 p.


text:
Politics / Public Services
by Editor · Published April 29, 2020
Face coverings: Fad or necessity?
"We are recommending that you consider using face coverings…as a precautionary measure." So said the guidance from the Scottish Government issued on 28th April. However the recommendation stresses that "evidence on the use of...
Has the UK government failed the NHS?
The recent BBC Panorama programme created quite a stushie, with the UK government's handling of PPE during the Covid-19 pandemic coming in for severe criticism. For those who haven't seen it, here is the...
COVID-19 – A Framework for Decision Making
Two days ago the Scottish Government published its paper COVID-19 – A Framework for Decision Making, a document giving information on the basis on which it will proceed to tackle the ongoing threat of...
News / Public Services
Prioritising England?
The UK Government whilst insisting its PPE strategy is UK-wide, is at the same time insisting PPE suppliers in England only suppy English NHS and care sectors registered with the England only Care Quality...
Vitamin D is produced in the skin when exposed to 10 or 15 minutes of sun a day. But for those of us in the northern hemisphere the sun can often be a rare...
by Editor · Published April 7, 2020 · Last modified April 8, 2020
To mask or not to mask?
In photograps and videos, and in streets and supermarkets, we see people wearing face masks. It's particularly noticeable abroad where most appear to have been able to buy or acquire supplies. Wearing masks is...
by Editor · Published April 4, 2020
People are above kings: A nation is its people
Declaration: the letter of liberty The Declaration of Arbroath – 6th April 1320 Enjoy, and be grateful to those who contributed to this film and those who made it to commemorate the 700th anniversary...


ps. Thanx everybody for ur kind words during my illness. I am fine now.
Oh that is SO cute!!! I bet having something fluffy like that around is a lot of fun.
Awwwwww, that movie made my momma say SQUEEEEE!!!!! Absolutely purrreshus little itty bitty kitty!
And I'm so glad you're feelin' bettur!
I know what the unidentified swinging object is -- it's Daddy Snow's TAIL! Ohhhh, how precious, what a beautiful little whitester kitten! I feel all mushy now *smile*.
they are up and about already! Beautiful.
So sorry to hear you pet human was sick. We all hope he is much better now.
That was adorable. They are so precious when they are so young.
Oh my goodness that was so cute!
We're glad you are better.
theyre so precious getting the dads tail.
That has got to be Daddy's tail that is a swinging there. Oh so darn cute. They are growing so fast. So glad to hear you are getting better Omer. Take care.
That is the cutest little baby cat! They are sure growing up fast.
Uh oh! Don't put the bitey on the tail!!!
We're so glad that you are feeling much better now.
uncle omer? we've been missing you! are you ok?
KITTENS! they are so much fun, tail attack! ARGHHHH... very cute indeed!
Sending some purrs your way! glad you are feeling better too!
It is so adorable the way he is intrigued by Daddy Snow's tail and a bit scared of it at the same time. I am glad to hear that you are feeling better now.
ha ha ha eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee that is so cute! could that be daddy's tail??? what an adorable, and brave little one.
i'm very glad you're feeling better! Big purrs that you stay all healthy cause it looks like you have your hands full!
Glad you're feeling better. That was a cute video.
And so sorry about Oscar.


text:
← Hugh Hewitt interviewed Sen. Santorum about Pres. Obama's attack on the Church. Santorum scores big.
Nix →
Catholic Military Archdiocese and Chaplains interfered with last Sunday by Pres. Obama's Administration
Posted on 4 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
Pres. Obama is at war with the Catholic Church.
On NRO, I read this:
Army Silenced Chaplains Last Sunday
By Kathryn Jean Lopez
February 3, 2012 4:58 P.M.
In Catholic churches across the country, parishioners were read letters from the pulpit this weekend from bishops in their diocese about the mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services giving Catholics a year before they'll be required to start violating their consciences on insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization, and abortifacient drugs. But not in the Army.
A statement released this afternoon — which happens to be the 67th anniversary of the sinking of the USS Dorchester, on which four chaplains lost their lives – from the Archdiocese for Military Services explains:
On Thursday, January 26, Archbishop Broglio emailed a pastoral letter to Catholic military chaplains with instructions that it be read from the pulpit at Sunday Masses the following weekend in all military chapels. The letter calls on Catholics to resist the policy initiative, recently affirmed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, for federally mandated health insurance covering sterilization, abortifacients and contraception, because it represents a violation of the freedom of religion recognized by the U.S. Constitution.
The Army's Office of the Chief of Chaplains subsequently sent an email to senior chaplains advising them that the Archbishop's letter was not coordinated with that office and asked that it not be read from the pulpit. The Chief's office directed that the letter was to be mentioned in the Mass announcements and distributed in printed form in the back of the chapel.
Archbishop Broglio and the Archdiocese stand firm in the belief, based on legal precedent, that such a directive from the Army constituted a violation of his Constitutionally-protected right of free speech and the free exercise of religion, as well as those same rights of all military chaplains and their congregants.
Following a discussion between Archbishop Broglio and the Secretary of the Army, The Honorable John McHugh, it was agreed that it was a mistake to stop the reading of the Archbishop's letter. Additionally, the line: "We cannot — we will not — comply with this unjust law" was removed by Archbishop Broglio at the suggestion of Secretary McHugh over the concern that it could potentially be misunderstood as a call to civil disobedience.
The AMS did not receive any objections to the reading of Archbishop Broglio's statement from the other branches of service. [Just the Army.]
So not only were chaplains told not to read the letter, but an Obama administration official edited a pastoral letter . . . with church buy-in?
Didn't people flee across an ocean-sized pond to be free of this kind of thing?
Lopez also had an update:
An update on the silencing of the chaplains post from earlier: A spokesman for the Army tells National Review Online:
the Army became aware of the Archbishop's letter last Friday (Jan. 27) and was concerned that the letter contained language that might be misunderstood in a military setting. The Army asked that the letter not be read from the pulpit. Instead, the letter would have been referenced in announcements and made available in the back of the chapel for the faithful, if they wished, as they departed after the Mass. The Army greatly appreciates the Archbishop's consideration of the military's perspective and is satisfied with the resolution upon which they agreed.
I'll grant that a call to disobedience in the military is not good.
However, why just the Army?
What is there about the Army's culture that is different?
This entry was posted in Dogs and Fleas, One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity, Priests and Priesthood, Religious Liberty, The Drill, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice and tagged AMS, Archbp. Broglio, Army, civil disobedience, HHS, Pres. Obama, religious liberty. Bookmark the permalink.
49 Responses to Catholic Military Archdiocese and Chaplains interfered with last Sunday by Pres. Obama's Administration
Imrahil says:
4 February 2012 at 3:33 AM
the line: "We cannot — we will not — comply with this unjust law" was removed […] over the concern that it could potentially be misunderstood as a call to civil disobedience.
It is a call to civil disobedience.
Anyway, why should not a soldier be civilly disobedient to an unjust law? The unjust law is, at the moment, a civil law, not an order, and as such not of interest to military discipline. And even if for some reason, a superior would choose to enact it as a military order, then the rules regarding "obedience to a sin" are the same for soldiers as for civilians (as I being a German ought well to remember), and I consider it nearly always good to be frank from the beginning, even about that.
AGA says:
What about the Army culture is different?
The Army is the liberal branch of the military.
The USAF is highly evangelical. The Marines are very conservative (and the most Catholic service). The Navy is the most traditional.
The Army is, and has always been, full of statists and lefties. Whenever a presidential administration introduces a new liberal concept for the military to adopt, the Army not only goes with it, but they double down and go to an extreme.
The Army was full of commies in the 30s and 40s, and things haven't changed much since then.
–from an Army officer with 16 years of service and counting!
rcg says:
AGA is exactly right. The Army is the physical manifestation of the Progressive State. It is the most political branch and is American Imperialism incarnate. Look at how many of their senior officers retire to pursue political or other government careers. The missions of the branches show the difference, as well. The other branches have the mission to project American power then leave; hit it and get it, essentially. The Army mission is to gain and hold terrain. Foreign entanglements. Even the SOF have been converted to Civil Affairs, spending most of their time trying to win hearts and minds. Generals and admirals are all politicians and the Army are the best, going away. I worked for two that went on to be CJoS and they were very staunch supporters of liberal causes.
I'll disagree with the above a bit.
There is a saying at the Pentagon regarding the "3 D's of the Department of Defense."
The Air Force is DEVIOUS.
The Navy/Marine Corps are DEFIANT.
The Army is DUMB.
What they refer to is the service cultures that have been present in each service.
The Air Force, being the youngest service, is always out to prove its worth. Accordingly, they are often taking action to raise their own stature and forward the Air Force agenda. Think ideas like "Air Power alone is all we need."
The Navy/Marine Corps culture traditionally has been one of being deployed at great distances for extended periods of time free from involvement from senior leadership. This has created an independent streak within the culture that it often defiant of orders.
The Army has been there from the start. She is America's loyal son and will do what has been tasked no matter what. Thus the label "Dumb" which admittedly isn't the best label but you get the idea and I suppose it was picked simply to match with the other "D's."
SKAY says:
Stu-
If you read Fr Z/s post –the term Dumb does fit.(Of course, I am not talking about the wonderful young men and women and their families who have joined and are serving).
We were a military family for 20 years—Navy.
The actual problem is the Commander in Chief sitting in the oval office at the moment that a majority of Catholics(51-54%) voted to put him there. If he is re-elected for four more years we will not recognize the country we were born in.
Obama said in an interview in the early 90's that he has a problem with the Constitution as written and he talked about what HE thought was wrong with it.
He was not running for President at the time and it was not a national interview so he was actually telling the truth about his views.
disco says:
Looks like Obama has turned that wall between church and state that Thomas Jefferson spoke of into a rampart from atop which he and his godless minions may hurl all this slings and arrows they please.
Attacking the church's right to free expression in the public forum is bad enough but to actively regulate what gets spoken from the pulpit at mass? That's unbelieveable. Can you imagine what the ACLU would say if the Archbishop of Washington made edits to the state of the union?
chcrix says:
I had never considered this issue before.
There is a possibility that this situation indicates that the Church has a 'nuclear option' in dealing with the U.S. Federal Government.
That option? Withdraw all chaplains from the armed services. THAT would send a real message.
Supertradmum says:
chrix,
That is not an option. Men and women in all branches of the military need the Mass and the Sacraments and there is already a shortage of military priests. To abandon Catholics in the military would be immoral. And, the government wants that to happen. Already, there have been efforts to minimize the ability of priests to minister. Do not wish this.
How would you like to be on the front lines without Confession and the Last Sacrament if you were dying?
SKAY,
My slight disagreement was with the responses that characterized the Army as being overly progressive or communist, not with Father Z nor the article.
Papabile says:
The language of "will not — comply" is what caused the problem, particularly with respect to several articles of the UCMJ, least not Article 92.
I am not defending the Army on this, I just know that this is how they think. It must have made McHugh, who I actually know, feel very uncomfortable.
I am quite sure this ultimately must have come from SECARMY General Counsel and probably in consulutation with OSD Policy.
chcrix
apologies for misspelling your name above.
EXCHIEF says:
While I have the utmost respect and appreciation for the young men and women who volunteer as members of our armed forces I do not have the same respect for many of the military's so-called "leaders". They, like too many in our society, have replaced principles with political correctness.
Members of the armed forces serve based on many needs…one of which is to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. Over the past several years I have wondered just how long the military as an institution will continue to allow the trampling of the Constitution that occurs almost daily by the current commander in chief. If Sotero is left unchecked by the SCOTUS, which is just about the only entity that can reign in his unconstitutional decisions and actions, I wonder if the military will reach the point of refusing to cooperative in Sotero's pursuit of intrinsic evil. That is a worst case scenario but it may come to happen.
cwillia1 says:
"We will not comply" is not a call to civil disobedience. To begin with these regulations haven't taken effect. Secondly, soldiers do not typically employ people. Non-compliance does not necessarily mean violation of the regulation. The archbishop's statement is however political. There are times when the faith has political consequences. But the army is obviously uncomfortable with Catholic leaders responding to a direct attack on Catholics perpetrated by the Obama Administration.
mike cliffson says:
Mit Brennender Sorge
cf circumstances, translation and distribution.
mibethda says:
The claim that the language in the letter might be interpreted as a call to the soldiers to civil disobedience is beyond bizarre. The regulations of HHS which the letter states that "we will not – comply with" are directed toward employers' actions, and mandate compliance by those employers in providing certain 'health care' coverages. They in no way implicate conduct open to the soldiers, and disobeying the mandate of the regulations is simply not within the ambit of actions or potential actions available to the soldiers. Actions of disobeying the mandates can only be within the sphere of an entity which is required to provide the coverages. The statement could only be interpreted reasonably as a declaration that the Church – and its various entities to whom the mandates apply – will not comply with what is an unjust, and potentially illegal, regulation. Only an exceedingly dense exemplar of military intelligence would interpret the language in the manner of the Secretary of the Army.
I agree the chaplains should not be withdrawn. But what can be done is to do the following:
1. The Archbishop for the military should send another letter, to be read at all Masses next weekend by the chaplain: "By order of the government, I am forbidden from speaking my mind–and the mind of our Church–on an important matter facing us."
2. The bishops in the U.S. should all protest this additional assault on religious freedom–very publicly. It's all of a piece. Double down.
3. The bishops should say to the faithful, "in sorrow, not anger," that the army is becoming a hostile environment for Catholics.
I am not sure what percentage of the army is Catholic, but no doubt it is substantial; a friend told me even a majority. In any case, I am very sure many Americans will be alarmed if enlistment suffers and wonder about a devotion to contraception and abortion–on the part of our President–that now jeopardizes our military readiness.
Pray for our bishops; they've never had to wage a fight like this. They need to FIGHT. Dagger John, pray for us!
Catholic Johnny says:
I am a member of the US Army Chaplain Corps. The Army Chief of Chaplains is a Roman Catholic Priest.
JMody says:
4 February 2012 at 10:20 AM
There are problems all around, here.
First, as a former officer, the devious/defiant/dumb characterization is far more accurate than the Commie description. What DOES happen in the military is that people get trained to think in terms of unit cohesion, esprit, unity of command, etc., which are all valuable traits in a military setting but are diametrically opposite to ideas like liberty and self-determination — so YES, they do tend to see statist solutions as normal/appropriate. Second, all the service at the general/admiral level are very very political. Folks reach that rank by Congressional selection. With a liberal streak in the Senate for the last few decades, the ones who see the statist solution as "good" do tend to get promoted. And yes, they do play along with social experiments far too much.
BUT THE LETTER is quite interesting. The law in question governs the provision of health care insurance at employer/employee expense — I must provide my employees with insurance that covers abortion with no conscience clause. Well, that DOESN'T APPLY to the MILITARY!!! Their "insurance" comes from the Pentagon. The civilian employees also get covered by government insurance. So yes, the inflammatory language is there, but nobody attending Mass at a chapel is likely to be affected by it.
If the Secretary had specifically said "Read the letter except that sentence, make printed copies available, and explain how this affects private insurance and not DOD healthcare insurance, so as to PRESERVE GOOD ORDER AND DISCIPLINE", this would be far more palatable.
But that's what we get when we have political hacks instead of people with well-formed consciences and a true love of their country and their fellow man in positions of great authority.
Our Lady of Victory, please help us, especially the Secretary, the Archbishop, and the President.
robtbrown says:
That sounds as if you're endorsing the Nuremberg defense. NB: The Army Chief of Chaplains is a Catholic priest.
So? Who cares? As a matter of fact, I would be glad if it made him uncomfortable. And I have to wonder what this portends for any Chaplain (likely not a Presby or Methodist) preaching on homosexuality as a sin.
4 February 2012 at 12:08 PM
JMody,
Mostly, I disagree.
1. Although there are medical facilities on most military installations, they are usually inadequate. Therefore, Tri-Care, which is not free, is often used by active duty and retired military personnel.
2. Tri-Care has contracts with regional providers, who are private.
3. One alternative would be for military personnel (or civil servants) objecting to the abortion/abortofacient coverage to buy their own health insurance. This, however, would be more expensive and would be covered by federal statutes prohibiting discrimination acc to religion.
4. A further question must be asked: Does Obamacare mandate that all military health care for active duty or ret personnel must cover abortion services?
wmeyer says:
4 February 2012 at 1:02 PM
I can appreciate the problems with "will not comply" and the UCMJ. I can appreciate, as well, that the Army Chief of Chaplains felt bound to intercede. However, the issues I see are a) the archbishop, as I understand it is the ordinary for the diocese of the military, which comprises all branches of service, and b) at a point of conflict, the Army Chief of Chaplains chose obedience to military (secular) law over obedience to his ordinary. One must assume that the archbishop, having been given the military diocese, would have acquainted himself with the UCMJ. One might therefore infer that he was not ignorant, but issued his letter with full intent, and thorough understanding of the conflict.
It may even be that the archbishop is satisfied with the action of the Army Chief, which may have served, and may continue to serve, to focus much more attention on the issue than his obedience might have done. After all, we are hearing of the other branches only in the context of the order by the Army Chief of Chaplains.
There are many issues with the HHS ruling which are straightforward–I suggest this is not among them.
Speravi says:
The whole point of having something read from the pulpit is so that EVERYONE present hears it. It is not the same to have it in the back of the church for those who desire to hear it.
Supertradmum:
"To abandon Catholics in the military would be immoral. And, the government wants that to happen."
I did call it the nuclear option – a last resort. But, I think it would be an effective one – the strongest form of discouraging the young Catholic population from enlisting. This would be a substantial blow. And their excellencies should consider all the ramifications of this before the Church is so compromised that they feel they dare not do it or that nobody would care. And in your own formulation, Catholics (or at least their moral opinions) are already unwanted. There is no reason to support a state apparatus that is attempting to destroy one's religion.
I rather like Fr. Martin Fox' idea of having the bishops say "that the army is becoming a hostile environment for Catholics " as a warning shot across their bow (I prefer naval analogies.)
LisaP. says:
How about a different nuclear option — the priest obeys the Church and reads the announcement as is, thereby disobeying his commanding officer and incurring court martial. MPs taking the priest away from the pulpit? It seems to me that the situation has forced disobedience on the chaplains, and the only choice left to them is who they will disobey.
Alternatively, because as a bishop I wouldn't want to make imprisonment a condition of obedience for my priests, if I could help it, the bishop himself could come to Mass and read the announcement in full.
In any case, I usually avoid comparisons to Nazis and Communists because it's too easy a metaphor to misuse, but this sure sounds a lot like the beginnings of the official alternate Chinese Catholic Church. However it can be done, this needs to be stopped early.
unsilenced says:
As I write this post and read the other comments I am reminded of the recent poll asking people why didn't they post comments.
"The Army's Office of the Chief of Chaplains "
So, because one person said this or did this, we are now saying it was the "Obama Administration"? I think language like that makes it sound like the President himself made the decision. I am against the rule, and I don't understand how even from a political standpoint it could be beneficial to not allow religious organizations to have an exemption from it. That said, I think we have to be fair in language. I greatly respect Fr. Z, but I don't think there is a war agains the Church or anything like that. I think there are differences in policies that to Catholics are fundamental believes and to politicians they are just policy issues. But i don't believe there is a concerted attack on the Church. [I think that is naïve, or at least overly optimistic.]
I think that when we are attacked we tend to use language to make the attack or the affront more obvious to others.
Can I ask people that disagree with me to not attack me? ;-) thanks!
albinus1 says:
Actually, chcrix and Supertradmum, the real "nuclear option" would be for the bishops to declare that serving in the US military is no longer compatible with being a good Catholic.
We're not nearly there yet, of course, but I wouldn't be surprised if I live to see it.
LisaP, I had the same thought about the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Church after I made my last post.
Albinus1, To declare that serving in the military is no longer compatible with being a good Catholic would fly in the face of Church teaching, which recognizes the responsibilities of citizenship, as well as the need for just war as a last resort.
letchitsa1 says:
Cherix –
One thing to bear in mind, too, is that if the military does not get enough volunteers – there's always the draft.
That said – it is interesting that the Army was the only branch of service that barred that letter being read. I have my theories as to why, and they do not disagree greatly with the cultural observations of some of the folks who have already posted.
Pavegs says:
Several people have noted that the Army Chief of Chaplains is a priest, this is true. In fact I know him and he happens to be a self professed liberal priest. There has always been tension between AMS and the actual chaplains in the Army, specifically in regard to authority. I am a Chaplain Candidate in the Army, and my experience over the last five years has been that many of the priests in the Chaplain Corps, certainly not all (there are many wonderful Priest Chaplains), are at least theologically heterodox, and often have issues with Church authority.
On another note. Directives that come from the Chief of Chaplain's Office are not really orders, as Chaplains do not have command authority. If a priest were to read the letter despite the "order" he would not have to worry about court martial. He would not necessarily be treated well by the senior chaplains, but he would be within his rights. ONLY the endorser, in this case the AMS, has authority to regulae what is said from the pulpit.
I have become increasingly disapointed with the Chaplain Corps and the Army in general. My only reason for remaining is because soldiers need priests.
If I were the AMS I would at least threaten to pull CH Rutherford's endorsment.
A close friend of mine is in contact with the person who broke the story to K-LO. I knew about this whole thing 24 hours before the story breaking to the public.
I found out several hours ago that that person, who passed the story to K-LO, woke up this morning to find a pentagram on her front door. Her house being on a military installation, she immediately called the MPs.
Also of note, some chaplains did disobey the chaplain hierarchy (It's not proper to term it a "chain of command." Chaplains don't command anything. Chaplains are part of the "special staff" of a commanding officer (starting at the battalion level). Chaplains are commanded by that officer, not by the priest wearing two-stars at the pentagon.) Out of prudence I won't mention names and places, but the letter was read in its entirety by some brave souls.
Lisa P–
I also agree with your comment about the Chinese Catholic Church.
After reading Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas–I began to understand what happened in Germany between WWI and WWII. The National Socialist Party(Nazis) used the Lutheran Church just as the Communists are doing in China. The book is about those who fought against the evil that took over their country–little by little –and then swallowed it.
This attack on the Church at this time is not an accident. A church that does not agree with the idiology of this administration must be changed–by using government and ignoring the Constitution.
If we do not learn from history we are doomed to repeat it.
[Click HERE for the book on Bonhoeffer.]
AnnAsher says:
At Military Chapel where my husband participates in Mass the Arch Bishop's letter was read.
Also, I have said before and I will say again that there is need for an Order of priests to serve the military without being subjected to military authority. Ie: not soldiers themselves.
@robtbrowwn
Perhaps you would re-read my comment. I was defending nothing. I was making a factual statement viz the "will not comply" language. I confirmed that this afternoon through a friend in General Counsel's office.
I wasn't suggesting thee Bishop follow this, or the Secretary, at all. I am more of the mind that the Bishop should have put his Priests under a precept of obedience to read exactly what he wrote.
But instead, rather than reading my comments from a straightforward perspective, you shoot from the hip and make an ass of yourself suggesting that I sound like I "am endorsing the Nuremburg defense."
I have served this country as an infantryman, worked for the Church at thee NCCB, and worked in the political sphere for over 20 years. I am insulted, and that's a first for me on this blog.
In another era, I would suggest we meet face to face. I would enjoy that.
Pingback: SATURDAY RELIGIOUS LIBERTY EXTRA II | ThePulp.it
jflare says:
Having been a military officer myself for over 8 years, I'm pretty bewildered with the Army's rationale on this. I served in the Air Force, but one of my tours happened on an Army post, so I've been acquainted with both. Pardon my language if you would, but how in HELL can anyone at the Pentagon–or anywhere else–construe a comment about "we cannot and will not comply with this directive" as a call for active military disobedience????
Don't you need to have something in relevant to disobey ABOUT?
So far as I'm aware, the issue at hand from DHHS deals with whether Catholic health institutions–including insurers–will be required to offer contraceptive, abortive, and sterilizing services and/or benefits to those they serve.
Well, I can't remember any time I ever saw a CATHOLIC hospital on a military installation, nor do I recall any CATHOLIC health insurance available by means of military contracts. In other words, I can't understand how "we won't comply" could be construed as anything even remotely relevant to military concerns.
I saw and heard many things in the Armed Forces I didn't like much. One of them was precisely that the overall structure was rather TOO secular.
Military medical facilities won't care that much about what Catholic facilities will tolerate; TRICARE administrators couldn't care less about what Catholic insurers might say. Both of those will be under the command of someone at the Pentagon, or at least in the most closely affiliated command center that's appropriate. (Dislike it if you wish, but the Pentagon literally doesn't have enough office space to handle all the needs we have/had. Heck, what do you expect? We built the thing for World War II needs, not for 2012!)
I can see perhaps where we might have some concerns if a whole horde of military troops decide they want to be ensured via Catholic providers, but really, if they did so, it would only mean that TRICARE would have that many fewer a number of people to be concerned about. ….How the dickens would that be a BAD thing????
On the whole, this sounds to me more like a convenient excuse for why the Army shouldn't follow common sense. ..by the way, don't get me started down that road! I learned that the Air Force has PLENTY of insanity too!
Sandra_in_Severn says:
Does no one here remember the back and forth about the USCCB letter about "Just War" and Nuclear Weapons? The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response A Pastoral Letter on War and Peace by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops May 3, 1983.
I was a young NCO at the time, but it was a big deal. There was discussions about whether it could be even distributed through the Chaplaincy at mass, or in the parish bulletins. For those of us that had "nuclear" or nuclear related duties is was not just another academic exercise, we serving had some hard questions that we asked our chaplains, and did more than a few minutes of prayer and discernment.
The media was really playing it up, and there were those in various levels of elected offices that encouraged or praised the USCCB for it. Unlike now, were there is out-right interference and hostility from the same sources.
S. Murphy says:
The Army has its politically correct element. You can see it in the Jessica Lynch story – they were in such a hurry to present a female Rambo (Ramba?) that they didn't check the facts first. They put female MPs on foot patrols outside the wire, where they take fire and respond like Soldiers, but their chain of command has broken the law by putting them there, because they're trying to get that law challenged.(Maybe it should be – but civil disobedience is for civilians. Write a point papoer and submit up the chain. Write an article in your service's professional journal.) They have general officers whining on NPR that they'd have a better chance of pinning on more stars, if only females weren't barred from commanding infantry battalions…
Tell you what, Ma'am:
1. Equal opportunity actually ends when you get your MOS. There are plenty of men that are also 'screwed over' by being assigned, per the needs to the service, as logistians, communicators, intel geeks, etc.
2. If you've reached a rank at which you can retire, you've had a successful career, which you've largely earned by working hard – but it also came from being in the right place at the right time, having good mentors, and other factors beyond your control. Some of your peers from entry-level training who didn't get as far, were equally deserving in terms of hard work and talent, but they didn't have a good mentor when it counted, or because there were only so many boatspaces for promotion. Some of them were male. Some of them were grunts. If you had been a grunt, that could've been you, because of opportunities within the MOS.
3. You have a duty to serve, not a right. Nobody has a right to a career in the military. You serve at the pleasure of the president. That is all.
Richard W Comerford says:
Re: Catholic Military Service
Prior to Constantine service in the Roman Legions was reserved to Roman citizens who were also obliged to sacrifice to the Emperor, publicly adore their military standards and participate in secret, pagan religious rituals. Christians (like Jews) who were citizens but wished to avoid these complications of Legionary service instead served in confessional Auxiliary Cohorts.
During the American Civil War most of the State fighting regiments were recruited on either a territorial, ethnic, language, confessional basis or a combination of the foregoing factors. The Catholic Bishops, both North and South, encouraged the formation of Catholic regiments (Several of which, German speaking, were very ably commanded by a German Marxist).
During the Spanish American War, although about 1/3 of the enlisted personal were Catholic. However the number of State militia units that were identifiable Catholic shrunk. In the subsequent (and very bloody) Philippines Insurrection separate, identifiable American Catholic Militia (National Guard) units disappeared. Perhaps in part because the President's announced that the reason for the American occupation was to bring Christianity to the overwhelming Catholic Philippines.
The American Bishops made no effort to preserve the identity of Catholic Militia or National Guard units during WW I. Although several units deployed overseas as defacto Catholic (The "Fighting 69th", the 26 Infantry Division) their numerous replacements were usually neither Catholic nor from their home States of origin.
During WW II, although some American units were composed and deployed based on ethnicity and gender ("WAC", "Negro", Eskimo Scouts, Samoan, Japanese, Native American, etc), there were no distinctively Catholic units either by accident or design. But our Bishops deployed a very impressive Chaplains' Corps. (Famously, on Guadalcanal when a Minister approached Chesty Puller with the warning that Catholic Chaplain's were "stealing our boys", Puller dismissed the complaint with the observation that the Catholic Bishops sent their "best" and most "virile" men to serve the Marines. BTW the real hero in the "Saving Private Ryan" story was a Catholic Paratroop Chaplain.)
Since WW II the number of Catholic Chaplains per capita has decreased dramatically and the Sacraments can be very hard to find for Catholic soldiers.
I thank God for all the Catholic Chaplains, particularly the ones stupid enough to jump out of perfectly good airplanes with their flocks, who served.
Richard W Comerford
Papabile,
It sounds as if you're unaware of what exactly is the Nuremberg Defense. I suggest you look into it.
1. I would have no problem with meeting you face to face.
2. I also am a veteran and received an appointment to West Point, which I turned down (6 fellow seniors at my high school accepted theirs, one of whom, my best friend, was killed in VN in 1971). Mine came when I was at USMAPS (West Point Prep School). One of my football teammates at Prep School became a LTG and was on TV from Ft Hood (he was the CG) the Sunday of the Saddam Hussein capture.
3. I regularly see lots of ret Army officers. In fact, just saw a friend who's a ret LTG, a former infantry officer who was later Dep Commander of All US Forces in Europe. Almost daily I see two Medal of Honor recipients, one the first recipient from the VN war–both retired officers. And my bro is law is a ret LTC (Airborne Inf, Ranger, Green Beret–3 tours in VN) and former buddy of David Hackworth.
4. I admit that, with certain exceptions, I have little regard for the work of the bishops (even though I have old friends who now wear the mitre). They have spent far too much energy trying to maintain good relations with pro abortion politicians. IMHO, Cardinal Wuerl's policy of giving Communion to them is every bit as effective as a making a hole in water. And I think Kathleen Sebelius should have been excommunicated some time ago.
Unsilenced has a fair point about the Army Chief of Chaplains not quite = the Administration. Since the corresponding Navy & Air Force offices didn't see it that way, it's hard to say that the Army was following OSD or White House guidance. OTOH, that the padre was reading the writing on the wall – responding to the command climate set by the administration and by the service culture, as described by AGA, Stu, jmody, etc.
The Bush admin set a command climate that led to abu Ghraib; Obama's backing of Sebelius set a command climate wherein the Army Ch of Chaplains thinks either: he can get away with tweaking his bishop's nose, or, he has to walk on eggshells to protect his fellow priests and the chaplaincy.
Sandra in Severn,
The circumstances around that W & P Pastoral are fascinating. In fact, one of the earlier drafts received more circulation than the final document. Although certain liberals tried to portray the changes as having been ordered by the Vatican, it was the German bishops who objected–they understood the importance of nukes in Western Europe defense against the Soviets.
BTW, I had a seminar on the W&P letter at the Angelicum. The prof, a German, didn't think much of the document–even with the changes. He thought its attitude toward nukes was sensationalistic because we have non nukes more destructive than some of the low yield nukes. And of course we had bombs that blow up nothing but send out an Electromagnetic Pulse that will blow out every electrical circuit over a massive area.
The Bush admin set a command climate that led to abu Ghraib;
Yep, a big thank you Ron Dumsfeld–and to Bush43 for hiring and keeping him.
AlexandraNW says:
SKAY – thank you for the mention of "Bonhoeffer" by Eric Metaxas. I have just ordered a copy. I have been wanting to do some reading on how the Nazis perpetrated their takeover. We are increasingly allowing the Constitution to be violated on spurious grounds… and I use the word "allowing" on purpose. I regret I don't have the link handy, but John Pistole has been quoted as saying that the only reason the TSA goes as far as it does is because Americans allow it. I see the insurance coverage requirement, followed by the attempted suppression of the reading of the Bishop's letter by chaplains, to be merely the latest move to exert control. I fly a lot these days and am acutely aware of the abundance of blue-shirted enforcers who will soon be present at every train platform and bus terminal. One distinctive of the USA has always been the liberty it affords to religious and ethnic groups willing to live under the rule of law to become Americans, while still practicing their religion and honoring their conscience. This liberty has included the freedom to travel throughout the country without showing ID at borders. I agree with those who say we need to promptly use the rights we have left to put a stop to all this. Please: let's all be sure to vote in Novenber!
robtbrown:
it is my understanding – and I may be wrong – that Tri-Care is a single source "private insurance veneer" over what used to be DOD healthcare. Be that as it may, let's say I'm wrong — if a servicemember goes to buy his/her own insurance, where will he find a policy exempt from these requirements? He won't, and so the net effect is the same.
And yes, it did cover birth-control pills in all forms except Plan B — when I left active duty in '96.
@robtbrown
1. Perhaps you missed what I was saying. I am not sure how, but I will repeat it. "will not comply" was the problem the Army had with the language.
2. I am NOT defending the response of the Archbishop of Military Service, or the Army's order. I was stating a fact. Nothing more. My comments were not advocating anything approaching a Nuremburg Defense. I have no idea where you get that from.
3. I agree with you on the Bishops, Wuerl's policy, and Sebelius.
Philmont237 says:
What a lot of people do not realize is that there are two seperate oaths given to our servicemen. The first is the oath of enlistment which is taken by all enlisted servicemen:
"I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God. "
The second is the oath of office which is taken by commissioned officers:
"I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."
Notice how the oath of office does not contain clauses stating that the officer will obey the orders of the President, any superior officers, or the UCMJ? That is because officers have one loyalty which is the Constitution of the United States. In fact, officers have a DUTY TO DISOBEY any all all unlawful orders that may go against the Constitution of against the Law of Armed Conflict. Catholic military chaplains are priests as well as officers. Not only do they take the oath of office but they make a promise of obedience to the Archbishop of the Military Archdiocese. The Archbishop ordered priests to read the letter. The chaplains' promise of obedience is a higher law than the gag order by the Chief of Chaplains even though he is a two-star general because his order causes the chaplains to not "faithfully discharge the duties of their office." These Army chaplains have a duty to their bishop and their oath to read the Archbishop's letter, and from what I heard many disobeyed the order and did.
Kudos to these good priests, good officers, and great Americans. They put the Constitution and their duty to their archbishop first! I am no chaplain, but I am an Air Force officer, and I would have done the same.
It is hard to keep my oath when the domestic enemy who is attacking the Consitution is my commander-in-chief. I gladly obey his lawful orders but I have a duty to speak out when his orders are not lawful and go directly against that which I am sworn to protect. Come January 20, I hope we have a new chief executive sworn in, one who will take his own oath the protect the Constition seriously.
Pingback: tdaxp, Ph.D. » Blog Archive » Religious Education