text:
The Holocaust raises profound theological, ethical, and historical questions for people of all faiths. All too many Christians in Germany welcomed the rise of National Socialism, and all too few engaged in protest, rescue, or resistance. The widespread complicity and involvement of "ordinary people" in this genocide challenge us to rethink our assumptions about human decency and morality.
To explore these important questions, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies offers a variety of programs and resources through the Committee on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust. These programs and resources focus on the history of the churches' response to the Holocaust and the ways in which religious institutions, leaders, and theologians have addressed this history and its legacy since 1945. They make this Museum a resource for scholars, faculty, and students of all religions as they address the historical aspects and profound moral implications of the Holocaust. The Mandel Center works with religious groups and academics in developing educational and commemorative materials, and offers seminars and programs that investigate the relationship of the Holocaust to the past history and future potential of interfaith relations.
Mandel Center programs on ethics, religion, and the Holocaust serve:
- Individuals and groups grappling with the ethical and philosophical issues raised by the Holocaust and contemporary manifestations of antisemitism
- Seminaries and religious studies departments seeking to incorporate material on the Holocaust in their curriculum
- Scholars conducting research on the history of the churches during the Holocaust
- Scholars who study the intersections of religion and genocide
- People actively involved in interfaith work
- Leaders and members of all faith communities
The Mandel Center works actively with the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations (external link) and other interfaith organizations. The Mandel Center's program partners include many member seminaries in the Association of Theological Schools as well as leaders of all faiths, and it is a Related Scholarly Organization of the American Academy of Religion (external link).
The Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust are supported by the Hoffberger Family Foundation and by Joseph A. and Janeal Cannon and Family.
For more information, please contact:
Victoria Barnett, PhD
Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW
Washington, DC 20024-2126
Tel.: 202.488.0469
Fax: 202.479.9726
E-mail: email@example.com


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I heard recently from one of my regular readers (I'll call her "Kathy") who shared her concerns about the future of our shared faith. Like me, she is a Roman Catholic with liberal religious and political inclinations. And, like me, she was distressed by several recent major events in the Church: the Ryan Report documenting generations of sexual abuse by the clergy in Ireland, the hostility expressed by several American bishops towards Notre Dame University for inviting President Obama to give the commencement address, and the recent conversion of Florida's Father Alberto Cutié to the Episcopal Church.
Cutié, the former Roman Catholic priest and media star (known to many as "Father Oprah" for his advice to those struggling with both personal and religious issues), was exposed in the press as having a girlfriend. Forced to choose between the celibacy of the Roman Catholic priesthood and the life he wished to live, he left not only the priesthood but the Church.
Kathy believes, as many of us do, that priestly celibacy should be optional and that the priesthood should be open to women. We object to efforts by Church leaders to force their subjective teachings on non-Catholics and its attacks on religious pluralism and separation of church and state – often in league with the Religious Right. And we especially object to the belligerence directed at independent-thinking Catholics by a reactionary hierarchy. These conflicts are making it unbearable for many of us to stay in the Church. And some us think Church leaders are intentionally squeezing us out.
Kathy isn't so sure about that. She observes that many liberal-leaning Catholics like Father Cutié don't fight back but "just walk away." She thinks that the reactionary forces within the Catholic hierarchy "are fighting a lost cause," and that in "their moral posturing over President Obama's speech at Notre Dame, they run the risk of alienating a lot more Catholics than they realize."
The Catholic Right wants those of us who embrace religious pluralism and liberalization within the church to leave a global religion solely in their hands.
But I think that the Catholic Right and the reactionaries in the hierarchy do indeed know what they are doing. They want those of us who embrace religious pluralism and liberalization within the church to leave a global religion –with its well-organized hierarchy and diplomatic nation-state status – solely in their hands. The movers and shakers of the Catholic Right are indeed attempting to provoke a modern day schism within Catholicism and they are willing to lose untold numbers of members in order to achieve a leaner, arguably meaner, but in any case more traditionally orthodox and authoritarian Church. The Pope himself has called for a "a leaner, smaller, purer church."1
Not only reproductive justice and equality issues are at stake. The time-tested Roman Catholic concern for economic justice and the poor, the rights of workers and immigrants, and a responsive government are anathema to the groups pushing for a more traditional church. The Catholic parish as a vital community for immigrants and poor people will be lost.
They believe shrinking the Church would only be temporary. Actually, a "pruning" is the more apt description of the agenda of those pushing schism. Liberal and moderate members – many of whom have small families – would be replaced by more traditional-minded Catholics who eschew family planning and would quickly augment the Church's numbers.
Schism is very much a top-down phenomenon. Influential bishops and priests backed by the Pope and right-wing lay intellectuals are aggressively pushing the Church rightward. Unlike the Protestant Reformation, when the reformers left to establish their own denomination, today we are seeing more of a "reverse schism," one in which those who actually oppose reform and transparency create an atmosphere so hostile and so constricting that those actually desiring transparency and reform are forced out. They have little support at the base of the U.S. church. Even today, only somewhere between 50,000 to 100,000 out of 60 million American Catholics describe themselves as "traditionalist."2
I will talk more about the right-wing lay intellectuals' role in promoting schism in a later article. For now, I will just say that the struggle unites all kinds of Catholic conservatives, internationalist and isolationist, those supporting a robust government and a small one. Much of the Catholic Right pines for the return of the Latin Mass and are united on such matters as abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality and stem cell research. They merge theological with political conservatism.
Like several of the reactionary bishops who opposed Obama's appearance at Notre Dame, these leaders tend to be traditionalist and bemoan the modernization of the Church stemming from the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II). This was the three-year gathering of bishops and other church leaders launched by the marvelous Pope John XXIII that ended in 1965 with the Church extending its hand in dialog to Eastern Orthodox and other churches, saying that truth could be found outside of the Roman Catholic Church. Vatican II also encouraged lay members to study the Bible for themselves and dropped the Latin Mass in favor of Mass held in the congregants' own tongue with laypeople taking an active role in the service. The Second Vatican Council extended a hand to Jews by saying that Jews both in Jesus' time and today could not be held responsible for the killing of the messiah. The spirit of Vatican II is the spirit of dialog.
Vatican II also increased the power of the bishops against the pope, a decentralization which helped nurture the development of Liberation Theology in Latin America and Africa. By 1978, reversing Vatican II and forestalling any other liberalization seemed the far-fetched dream of a small group of reactionary bishops and cardinals, and a relatively small number of dissatisfied Catholics.
But the appointment of Pope John Paul II in that year, and his successor Pope Benedict XVI in April 2005, means the traditionalists' dream is no longer far-fetched. They enjoy a Catholic hierarchy with fewer liberal members. About three quarters of the world's bishops were appointed by Pope John Paul II following his ascendancy in 1978.3 With very few exceptions, they reflect a world-view whose spectrum usually extends from the socially conservative Cardinal John J. O'Connor to the communion-denying Cardinal Edmund Burke and even to the extreme of the self-professed militant warrior Bishop Robert Finn attached to the reactionary men's fraternal society Opus Dei.
Unless a moderate or liberal succeeds Pope Benedict XVI, the hierarchy will soon be wholly in the hands of the traditionalists. The bishops who attacked Notre Dame will represent the bulk of the church and liberal Catholics will go the way of liberal Republicans, as rarely sighted as a polar bear in a melting world. How did we get to this point?
The Second Vatican Council
Before the papacy of Pope John XXIII (1958-1963), there was little difficulty for the average American Catholic to reconcile one's Roman Catholicism with one's Americanism. Catholic economics were part and parcel of America's embrace of New Deal capitalism and the true battles over abortion and biological issues had yet to begin in earnest. It was only among the Church's theologians and hierarchy where democracy and modernity were pitted against orthodoxy. Essentially, Catholics who were both economically and religiously conservative had no avenue for influencing the Vatican simply because they were boxed in: an economically liberal Church was still religiously traditional.
Since the 1960s, issues such as civil rights, women's rights, and reproductive choice exacerbated the divide between more traditional Catholics, who wanted little or no change – and those who did. This had a partisan dimension.
Politically conservative U.S. White Catholics became disenchanted with what they believed to be the Democratic Party's catering to Hispanic and African-American minorities. Although this perception probably exceeded reality, the additional focus on women's rights generally, and abortion in particular, clashed with Roman Catholic orthodoxy. Some Catholics then did the once unthinkable and started voting for what has been the party of the Protestant Brahmins.
Eventually those who saw the Church's liberalization as too similar to the Democratic Party's liberalization formed the core of what became the contemporary American Catholic Right. Then, disenchanted Catholics began falling away from the faith. New England lost one million Catholics over the past 20 years even as the region's overall population has grown.4 Between 2006 and 2007 alone, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life reports that American Catholicism lost about 400,000 adherents, shrinking the playing field for the Right.5
The Catholic Right's hatred of modernity can be best summarized in philosopher Isaiah Berlin's observation that they embrace "the old Platonic belief in the philosopher-kings, who were entitled to give orders to others." Their common opposition to embryonic stem cell research, gay marriage, and abortion rights are classic manifestations of such a belief. Embryonic stem cell research, for example, begins to demystify science and in their eyes, removes the virtue of human heroism. Homosexuality supposedly runs contrary to a thirteenth century understanding of natural law. And abortion – beyond the issues of life and death – presupposes a woman's equality with man, another belief that runs contrary to a thirteenth century understanding of the natural order of life.
A pluralism of values – a material element of modern liberal democracy – is therefore not acceptable. All must submit to one selective version of "the truth." To that end, almost any form of dissent is viewed as disobedience. It is here that the church's conservative politics merge with a more authoritarian hierarchy. Back in the early 1960s, even some of his supporters looked askance at the way Pope John XXIII, the pope who launched Vatican II, encouraged bishops and cardinals to openly air their disagreements with one another. For the more authoritarian-minded princes of the Church, "the truth" is not to be found in either bottom to top or lateral exchanges – or in respectful dialog with other faiths – but solely in top-down pronouncements grounded in ancient if not obsolete "tradition."
Church traditionalists' goal is simple: a return to a pre-Vatican II Catholic Church, one where a Catholic toes the line, remains mum, or gets out. They object, among other things, to replacing the language of Mass from Latin to the local language; the elevation of conscience in relationship with Magisterium (the "teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church"). Perhaps more importantly the respectful view of other faiths enunciated by Vatican II and the ecumenical dialog that followed was anathema to those who viewed the one true church as the only path to eternal salvation.
But perhaps most shocking to the traditionalists was open dissent to the authority of the hierarchy from clergy as well as the rank and file. For those who followed St. Bernard of Clairvaux's neoplatonic admonition that "faith is to be believed, not disputed," dissent, in and of itself, was tantamount to heresy.
With Pope John-Paul II's 1978 ascension, the traditionalist-minded conservatives now had a powerful ally setting Church policy. The socially conservative John-Paul reached out to reactionary-minded lay organizations like the plutocratic and free market-loving Opus Dei which his two predecessors wisely viewed with deep suspicion. A mix of laymen, bishops and priests, Opus Dei has historically worked to purge progressives from church ranks, notably in Latin America, and infuse Catholicism with right-wing principles. John Paul saw Opus Dei and other authoritarian-minded groups such as the Legionnaires of Christ and Communion y Liberacíon as a means to a more conservative Church. Dissent was increasingly equated with disloyalty.
The current Pope Benedict – formerly known as Cardinal Ratzinger— executed John-Paul's purges as head of the office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, once known as the Office of the Inquisition. In that role, Ratzinger attempted, but failed, to condemn noted Liberation priest and theologian Gustavo Merino; successfully had Father Charles Curran, one of the chief American dissenters against the church's 1968 statement against artificial birth control, removed from his position as theologian and teacher of theology at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. (see box); and disciplined the liberal theologian Hans Küng for daring to question papal authority (although years earlier Küng brought a younger Ratzinger to teach at the University at Tübingen, essentially being the future pope's academic mentor).
Now as Pope, Benedict's outreach to far right splinter groups such as the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) takes Pope John Paul II's rapprochement with the far Right to a new level. SSPX is best known for its fondness for the Latin rite Mass and, in Europe, for its affinity for the French neofascist National Front Party. In January, Benedict accepted four bishops into the church ordained by an archbishop and SSPX leader in defiance of the Vatican in 1988. One, Richard Williamson, was a Holocaust denier who decried the "false messianic vocation of Jewish world-dominion." Benedict's acceptance of the bishops sparked an international firestorm.6
Apparently this pontiff's obsession with supposed schemes of secular moral relativism and nihilism, and his desire for traditionalism in the church, allowed him to turn a blind eye to the hateful ideology of Williamson and many other SSPX members. Finally, faced with outrage from Catholics far and wide, the Pope revoked his acceptance of Williamson in February.
While the Pope's embrace of SSPX backfired so badly that liberal Catholics won a rare victory, the message was clear: Traditionalists no matter their past transgressions can be brought back in the fold while liberal dissenters such as Father Charles Curran can go their own way (see box).
Shrinking the Church in America
The vast majority of Catholics – here and overseas – don't want a return to the Latin Mass. For me, the Latin Mass is very elitist, with the priest speaking almost in a whisper and his back facing the congregation. It is nothing more than a scheme to gain support from more reactionary forces both within the Church (Opus Dei) and somewhat estranged from the Church (SSPX).
Two years ago, the New York Daily News interviewed a priest, Reverend Brian Jordan, about the Latin Mass. He hit the nail on the head when he said,
For 24 years I have been a member of an endangered species – the Catholic priesthood – and never celebrated the Mass in Latin because there was never a local pastoral need to do so ….There continues to be no national pastoral need to celebrate the Mass in Latin other than to satisfy a small – albeit very influential – number of disgruntled Catholics.7
Helping power the push among right-wing Catholicism to shrink and purify the church in the United States is Opus Dei and its Washington, D.C. operative Rev. C. John McClosky. McCloskey, a former Wall Street executive, is a "self-described supply-sider" according to journalist Chris Suellentrop, who "has a top-down strategy to transform the culture, too. He wants to turn Blue America into Red."8
McCloskey described his futuristic vision of the moderate and dissent-free Church of 2030 in a Catholic World Report article he published in May 2000:
"As you may have learned, there were approximately 60 million nominal Catholics at the beginning of the Great Jubilee at the turn of the century. You might ask how we went from that number down to our current 40 million. I guess the answer could be, to put it delicately, consolidation. It is not as bad as it looks. … I mean to say only 10 percent of that base assented wholeheartedly to the teaching of the Church and practiced the sacraments in the minimal sense of Sunday Mass and at least yearly confession. The rest, as was inevitable, either left the Church, defected to the culture of death, passed away, or in some cases at least for a couple of decades, went to various Christian sects, what remained of mainstream Protestantism or Bible Christianity.9
He also gleefully notes that in this future Church, "Dissent has disappeared from the theological vocabulary."10
The danger that a politically active Opus Dei membership currently represents to both Catholicism and liberal democracy is not from assassinations by imaginary albino monks (for the record, contra The DaVinci Code, there are no Opus Dei monks), but in its very plutocratic attitude in abhorring dissent. Opus Dei is openly concerned with the economic self-interest of "friends" who already have superfluous wealth and power often at the expense of the economically less powerful.
Movement Conservatives
It is no accident that Opus Dei's allies in advocating a smaller, more orthodox church are closely aligned with the U.S. Right. For example, William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, is an adjunct scholar with the Heritage Foundation. Pizza-franchise magnate Tom Monaghan regularly bankrolls the laissez-faire-oriented Acton Institute as well as orthodox Roman Catholic GOP candidates for public office. Catholic neoconservatives Michael Novak and the late Richard John Neuhaus were among the founders of the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD), where McCloskey has served as an advisor.
This is significant because, as Frederick Clarkson wrote in The Public Eye, IRD brings both right-wing politics and conservative theology to mainline Protestant denominations. It has always "intended to divide and conquer—and diminish the capacity of churches to carry forward their idea of a just society in the United States—and the world."11 In this way, Roman Catholic elements involved in IRD not only sought to hobble the major Protestant churches which had become more politically and socially liberal during the 20th century, but also to divide what they saw as their main competitors for influence and the direction of the culture.
The role of McCloskey and other prominent conservative Catholics in this anti-liberal Protestant agency deeply troubled the late Reverend Dr. Andrew Weaver, a prominent Methodist writer, who called it "the most grievous breach in ecumenical good will between Roman Catholics and Protestants since the changes initiated by Vatican II."12 Indeed, the agenda advanced and the tactics used by IRD and its allies against the mainline Protestant churches as detailed by Clarkson, Weaver, and others are also evident in the battles in Roman Catholicism, and involve some of the same fractious groups and individuals.
While fractious may fairly describe the activities of McCloskey and his ilk both religiously and politically, that may be a radical understatement.
McCloskey makes it quite clear that if the United States as we know it must be ripped apart in order to achieve his ideal world of orthodox Catholicism, so be it. For example, in his Church of 2030 manifesto, he refers to his fantasy of a new country called "the Regional States of North America," a place where the separation of church and state and the freedom of conscience have been abolished:[A] final short and relatively bloodless conflict produced our Regional States of North America. The outcome was by no means an ideal solution but it does allow Christians to live in states that recognize the natural law and divine Revelation, the right of free practice of religion, and laws on marriage, family, and life that reflect the primacy of our Faith. With time and the reality of the ever-decreasing population of the states that worship at the altar of "the culture of death," perhaps we will be able to reunite and fulfill the Founding Fathers of the old United States dream to be "a shining city on a hill." [Emphasis added]
Garry Wills observed of such revisionist history that what McCloskey is doing here is trying to sell the Founders as "proto-Catholics." Wills further observed in his recent book Head and Heart: American Christianities, that John Courtney Murray's idea "that America was really founded on Catholic principles… would have made Adams and Jefferson snort with derision."13 Adams and Jefferson would find much to snort about because such views are not the exception but are increasingly the rule on the Catholic Right.
Common Ground or War?
Bishop Robert Finn, head of the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese – and like McCloskey a member of Opus Dei – recently described Catholicism as "the Church militant" and told his audience, "We are at war."14 The occasion was an address to prolifers at the 2009 Gospel of Life Convention held in Overland Park, Kansas. His speech was marked by a view that most Americans would find hard to believe were uttered by an American Church leader of the 21st century:
The more dangerous "human enemies" in our battle are those who in this age of pluralism and political propriety seek ways to convince us of their sincerity and good will. …
They may propose "tolerance" and seem to have a "live and let live" approach to all human choices – even if the choice is not to "let live," but actually to "let die," or "let life be destroyed." These more subtle enemies are of all backgrounds. They may be atheists or agnostics, or of any religion, including Christian or Catholic.
He went on to denounce those religious liberals, including President Obama, who have sought to identify "common ground" between antiabortion and prochoice camps:
This dissension in our own ranks should not surprise us because we all experience some dissension against God's law of love within our own heart. But the "battle between believers," who claim a certain "common ground" with us, while at the same time, they attack the most fundamental tenets of the Church's teachings, or disavow the natural law – this opposition is one of the most discouraging, confusing, and dangerous.
Finn then directly opened up on Notre Dame University president John I. Jenkins who had invited President Obama, to give the 2009 commencement address:
I suspect that, since Notre Dame will need a scapegoat for this debacle, and Fr. Jenkins will probably lose his job, at this point perhaps he ought to determine to lose it for doing something right instead of something wrong. He ought to disinvite the President, who I believe would graciously accept the decision. Notre Dame, instead, ought to give the honorary degree to Bishop John D'Arcy of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, who has supported and tried to guide the University, despite their too frequent waywardness, faithfully for 25 years.
This is nothing short of separatist language aimed at taking over the entire institution. It reflects a certitude and arrogance on a par with the great American preacher Jonathon Edwards, whose 1741 diatribe "Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God" defends, in the midst of a complex religious revival he helped spur, the Puritan notion of God's elect. Like 18th century Puritans, today's Roman Catholics who see themselves as fundamental, pure, and elect for salvation seek separation from those they see as disobedient via their independent thought.
Springtime for Traditionalism
How, we may ask, would such a Catholic schism affect American Christianity? A Protestant friend, Reverend Dan Schultz,15 provided a sober assessment.
"If it comes to schism," Schultz explained, "Mother Church is going to lose a whole lot more than it gains. It needs Americans to fund its work in Africa and elsewhere." The clear-thinking United Church of Christ minister added, "A purge will no doubt strengthen the Episcopalians, Lutherans, perhaps the UCC and unfortunately, the already-swelling ranks of the non-religious."
If Schultz is correct, liberals might be tempted to look for possible renewal in mainline Protestantism. But consider the political implications: The Catholic Church with its global reach and moral authority would be run by those who would put aside social justice principles and replace them with a greater emphasis upon buccaneer-style laissez-faire economics, (not to mention such a radical opposition to birth control that they oppose condom distribution and HIV education in areas afflicted with AIDS). The effect on the poor and disenfranchised would be devastating.
But what specific type of rightist policies would such a Church pursue? That may depend upon the lay leaders involved in the schism. I will explore the roles of paleoconservatives and neoconservatives in this fight, their respective agendas, as well as their movers and shakers, in part two.
Conversion Furthers Church Schism
High profile conversion is another tool of the agents promoting a leaner, more reactionary Catholic Church. Rev. C. John McCloskey, the Washington representative of the right-wing fraternal order Opus Dei, argues that in the future, "the influx of hundreds of thousands of Evangelical Protestants" would strengthen Church orthodoxy and make up the loss of disaffected congregants.16
McCloskey for example was personally instrumental in the conversions of rejected U.S. Supreme Court nominee Robert H. Bork, CNBC's Lawrence Kudlow, Republican Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, NARAL cofounder Bernard Nathanson and pundit Robert Novak. Other high profile conservative Protestant converts include Deal Hudson who served as director of Catholic outreach for George W. Bush's 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns; former GOP Speaker of the House and thrice-married Newt Gingrich; and twice-married Operation Rescue founder, Randall Terry.
Box 1: The Defeat of 1968
Advocates of Vatican II and aggionamento ("bringing things up-to-date") reached a crossroads – or perhaps a roadblock – on July 25, 1968. That's when Pope Paul VI issued an encyclical, Humanae Vitae, which affirmed the Vatican's previous condemnation of artificial birth control. This was the first major victory for the traditionalists since the ascent of the liberal Pope John XXIII in 1958.
It is widely believed that John XXIII had wanted to relax the Catholic prohibition on artificial birth control. However, instead of bringing about change by his hand, the open-mined pontiff sought to do it through deliberation and consensus. To that end, shortly before his death in 1963 he established a commission of six European nontheologians to study the issue. Pope Paul VI expanded the commission to 72 members from around the world. These new members not only included theologians but medical doctors and five women.
People widely expected liberalization and it probably would have happened — had the more determined John XXIII been pope. Instead the well-meaning but less decisive Pope Paul VI was in power when the commission reached its overwhelming conclusion that birth control was not in violation of natural law and the decision to use it should be left to married couples.17
Pope Paul VI ignored the commission majority, perhaps swayed by intense last-minute lobbying by Church conservatives, as writer Thomas Cahill suggests. They included the future champion of the traditionalists, then-Archbishop Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John-Paul II.18
The response by many Catholics was to openly dissent. Canadian bishops immediately issued the Winnipeg Statement that conscience, not dogma should be the deciding factor for couples deciding whether or not to use artificial birth control. Dissident Father Charles Curran, a theologian at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., was eventually ousted by the then-Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly known as the Office of the Inquisition), Cardinal Josef Ratzinger — now Pope Benedict XVI.
This was when the number of Catholics either not attending Mass or leaving the Church began to accelerate. And perhaps noting the liberal departures, the more reactionary forces bided their time, waiting for the moment to rebuild a pre-Vatican II Catholic Church for the next century.
- R. Scott Appleby, "'A Leaner, Smaller, Purer Church'? Catholicism expert says the new Pope will likely keep enforcing orthodoxy, leading to possible 'winnowing' in the U.S. Church," Business Week, May 2, 2005.
- Ronald A. Simkins and William L. Blizek, "Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ; Sectarian Catholicism and Mel Gibson," Journal of Religion & Society.
- John Thavis, "Church's international contours changed under Pope John Paul II," Catholic News Service.
- Michael Paulson, "Number of N.E. Catholics tumbles," The Boston Globe, March 9, 2009. The article finds that the American Catholic population is stabilized due to increased Hispanic immigration in the U.S. Southwest. Still, the trend is clear: in the Northeast a Catholic identification among the descendents of European Catholic immigrants is declining for a variety of reasons. It should not be lost that this group is presently better educated and economically better off (generally) that their Hispanic co-religionists.
- Daniel Burke, "Big churches posting small membership losses," The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
- Rachel Donadio, "Pope Reinstates Four Excommunicated Bishops," The New York Times, World, January 24, 2009.
- The Rev. Brian Jordan, "Latin Mass is all Greek to most worshippers," Daily News, Opinion, July 12, 2007.
- Chris Suellentrop, "The Rev. John McCloskey: The Catholic Church's K Street Lobbyist," Slate.
- Rev. John McCloskey, "2030: Looking Backwards," CatholiCity: The Catholic Church Simplified.
- Ibid.
- Frederick Clarkson, "The Battle for the Mainline Churches," The Public Eye Magazine, Spring 2006 (20), no.1 (2006).
- Andrew Weaver, "Neocon Catholics target mainline Protestants: Institute on Religion and Democracy leads serious breach of ecumenical good will," Media Transparency.
- John Courtney Murray was a Jesuit priest who wrote both before and during Vatican II on the similarities of Catholic notions of natural law as well as those of the Founding Fathers. Murray attempted to reconcile Catholicism with democracy and was in fact influential on the Council's pronouncements on religious freedom. To understand where Murray erred on the similarities see my article in the Summer 2008 issue of The Public Eye magazine, "How Roman Catholic Neocons Peddle Natural Law into Debates about Life and Death."
- Bishop Robert W. Finn, "Kansas City Bishop to pro-lifers: 'We are at war!'" National Catholic Reporter, Faith & Parish, April 28, 2009.
- The proprietor of the influential blog Street Prophets, and author of the forthcoming book Changing The Script: An Authentically Faithful and Authentically Progressive Political Theology for the 21st Century.
- Rev. John McCloskey, "2030: Looking Backwards," CatholiCity: The Catholic Church Simplified. McCloskey's article reveals his plan to add more congregants by combining the practice of birth control by non-Catholics with the fertility of the more obediently inclined futuristic faithful. To that end he writes, "You will also note that as a group they are averaging four to five children per family, which means that over the next few decades we will see an increasing natural growth. Given that modern pagan society has achieved its goal of zero population growth and more, the demographics are on our side. Ironically in this year 2030 we are only 10 % of the population, but it is a rock solid fulcrum of which Archimedes would be proud. Upon that fulcrum we can transform the world if we stay the course."
- Robert McClory, Turning Point: The Inside Story of the Papal Birth Control Commission, and How Humanae Vitae Changed the Life of Patty Crowley and the Future of the Church (New York: Crossroad, 1995). Sixty-five members voted for a change in Church teaching while four theologian priests dissented with one cardinal and two bishops voted not to change the belief that artificial birth control was evil.
- Thomas Cahill, Pope John XXIII (New York: Penguin Books, 2002), 221.

subset: commoncrawl


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I have lost my wedding ring and I am literally sick over it.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
I have lost my wedding ring and I am literally sick over it.
We had pizza with The Mister's parents last Saturday evening and by the time we got home my hands were a bit swollen, so I took off my ring and placed it in my nightstand drawer. I have been doing a lot of sewing this week and hadn't put the ring back on. I do remember that on Wednesday evening I opened the drawer right before bed to get some lotion and saw the ring laying there, but I didn't put it on. That was the last time I remember seeing it.
This morning we were one our way out to the kids soccer games and I went to the drawer to get my ring and it was gone. I have no memory of moving it, or seeing it, or anything. The Mister and I have torn this house apart; we have moved furniture and cleaned out drawers; emptied pockets and purses.
Of course The Mister, in his faithful and loving style, has been so kind to me as we have looked together for my ring. Which almost makes it worse! Please pray that I would remember what I did with it, or that God would show the ring to me. And if it is truly lost, that God will give me comfort cuz, y'all, my heart is so very tender right now.
Posted by Unknown at 6:18 PM
3 comments:
- Anonymous said...
Was it within reach of were Kona could have gotten to it? You may need to get a little shuvel and check the piles in the back yard.
If it had a Pizza smell on it, Kona may have come over and started licking it, and then it may have shlepped right down her throat. It may take a day or two if that was the case.
Mr. Moofish
- November 18, 2007 10:10 AM
- Anonymous said...
Mr Moonfish,I voted for Kona too.
K's Mom
- November 18, 2007 11:39 AM
- spaghettipie said...
Could it be in the pages of a book or something that was in the drawer? Did you actually take the drawer out - could it have fallen into the back of the nightstand, inside where the drawer goes?
I will definitely pray.
- November 18, 2007 12:23 PM
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So... this is my take on the Stampin' Chic Technique Challenge #1 over at CCSR. I get the feeling I'm missing the point here somewhere, but I thought I'd enter it anyway.
I used a template from Papercraft Inspirations to make the gift box.
All papers used are from The Big One CCSR paper pack, and the stamps are all CCSR Doodles


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Denise Tassin's Unique Necco Wafers
Denise Tassin's Unique Necco Wafers
Denise Tassin's Unique Necco Wafers
Some folks like to eat Necco wafers, but Baltimore-based artist Denise Tassin enjoys drawing on them. In a new solo show at San Francisco's Zinc Details gallery, Tassin utilizes an assortment of pens — including fine-tipped Sharpies — to create miniature drawings on Necco wafers. Her drawings have currently taken a scientific route and include carefully detailed inkings similar to those found in biology books. Who would have thought that candy and fetal pig respiratory systems go hand in hand? If that's too odd for your tastes, she also has a series of Christmas related items featuring dolls and Santas, as well as a series of individually re-sealed wafers featuring random sketches.
For those of you who haven't had the joy in experiencing their chalky sweetness, Necco wafers are thin sugar wafers made by the New England Confectionary Company — hence the name Necco. They come in eight flavors and colors and make for an interesting art medium. In fact Tassin likes them so much, she has even been known to carry a pen and pack of Necco wafers with her wherever she goes. "t's like having a little studio in your pocket."
If you're in the San Francisco area, you'll be able to see her wafers up close and personal at Zinc Details from September 9 to October 31.
However, if you can't make it to the show, be sure to check out more of her artwork after the jump, just read more


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The CEF wants YOU for 2012
The Commonwealth Expeditionary Force invites YOU to join them for their 10th Anniversary at OK D-Day 2012, June 11 through 17!!!
The service to ones country is something that is profoundly important and the oath of allegiance is not taken lightly. We, as a nation, are strong because we are free and this freedom serves as a powerful example to people all over the world. During these troubled times, we are constantly reminded of something that every generation knows; the hard truth that there is evil in the world. That sometimes there is a clear difference between right and wrong. The military is central to the continuation of that freedom and provides a means of force to ensure that freedom for the common wealth of its people. With that in mind, I have ordered the commissioning of an Expeditionary Force to assist our allies in ridding the world of this evil. May your hardships be few and your victories be swift.
Edward VI, King of England
Would you like to be part of the largest paintball scenario team in the world and have the time of your life? Would you like to live in an international camp and play alongside some of the best scenario players from the USA, Canada, England, Scotland, Wales, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand and France? Then come join the CEF and help us celebrate our 10th anniversary!
We can help you make it happen! We have ways of reducing the cost to the average player and making this trip of a lifetime, a reality.
For our returning CEF veterans, our recruiting theme for this year is: Everybody, bring a body. We would ask that everyone concentrate on recruiting and bringing one new player to the CEF.
The CEF is composed of eight different units with different player compositions and playing styles. We're sure you would find a unit to fit your style. From the infantry, to the airborne, to the armour. We have something for everyone. The one thing we all have in common is teamwork.
For more information, visit our web site at www.ddaycommonwealth.com. You may also contact Sir Raymond directly at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Re: The CEF wants YOU for 2012
Do you like to sling paint? Do you like the thrill of facing nearly overwhelming odds? Do you enjoy CQB (Close Quarters Battle)? Would you like to be a part of the largest international paintball scenario team in the world?
Then come join the CEF on our 10th anniversary at OK D-Day, as we rid the country of the Germans. The CEF is looking for troops, that arent afraid of a little paint in the face. The British 3rd Infantry Division, with support from the 13th/18th Royal Hussar tanks and the Royal Air Force fighters, will assault Sword Beach from their landing craft, then go on to liberate the city of Caen. Meanwhile, the British 6th AB will be in a desperate fight to secure Pegasus Bridge.
We have openings in all eight of the CEF units and youll be playing beside some of the best scenario paintball players from around the world. At this writing, well have players from 13 countries. This is an experience of a lifetime and the CEF would like to help you enjoy it to the fullest.
We can help make this trip more affordable, by offering convoy transportation (Shared Cost), our own dining facility (DFAC-Group Meals), rental paintball equipment and lodging in our steel shipping containers (Includes lights, electricity, AC and a bunk). We have our own parking lot and camp security and the bathhouse is just across the street.
If you wish to join the CEF and you can play a marching band instrument, please contact Sir Raymond at firstname.lastname@example.com, for a special OK D-Day attendance promotion.
All CEF uniform and clothing items are now taking preorders, so avoid the rush and get yours in now. Check us out at Commonwealth - Home and take a look in the PX section.
Re: The CEF wants YOU for 2012
June is almost here! Have you signed up yet? The Commonwealth is looking for troops to take Sword Beach, Caen and Pegasus Bridge. These will be some of the most intense battles on the morning of the big game. Want to play in a paintball tank? The 13th/18th Royal Hussars need troops to man our three tanks and two planes.
Come and join our international team of scenario players from the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Wales, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand. Well also be hosting individual players from Germany, Poland and Malaysia. What better way to celebrate the CEF 10th Anniversary, than with international friends?
We offer group meals, shelter in steel shipping containers with air conditioning and bunks, our very own pub and a chance to become a part of the largest international paintball scenario team in the world. We also offer team training with the other CEF and Allied units and a military style full auto shoot midweek. The full auto shoot is open to all attendees of OK D-Day. If you go to a large event in North America, Europe or Australia, chances are that you will find your CEF brothers and sisters there, as well. So, sign up today!
From the PX, preorder for clothing items for delivery to OK D-Day will end on April 30, so get your orders in for CEF uniform items, Player Packs, 10th anniversary t-shirts, D-Day t-shirts, Member at Large t-shirts, Supporter t-shirts, polos, hoodies, fleeces, ball caps, travel mugs, full auto shoot registration and Conex rental.
Please contact Sir Raymond at firstname.lastname@example.com for special CEF incentives if:
1) This is your first time playing OK D-Day in the CEF; or
2) you can play a marching band instrument; or
3) you have bonafide and current EMS training.
Please visit our web site and forum at www.ddaycommonwealth.com for more information.
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STOCKTON - Joe Milton threw four hitless innings of relief, giving St. Mary's the time to rally for an 8-6 victory over Pitman in the winners' bracket final of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs on Monday at Klein Family Field.
STOCKTON - Joe Milton threw four hitless innings of relief, giving St. Mary's the time to rally for an 8-6 victory over Pitman in the winners' bracket final of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs on Monday at Klein Family Field.
The victory sends the Rams into the regional final at 4 p.m. Wednesday against the winner of today's7 p.m. game between the Pride and Turlock at Klein Family Field.
On Monday, Pitman (17-13) led 6-0 after its first two at-bats, knocking out St. Mary's starter Stefan Giovannoni. Milton, who hadn't pitched in six weeks, threw four innings of near-flawless relief, as St. Mary's (19-12) chipped away and drew within 6-5 with four runs in the fourth.
The Rams capitalized on three errors in the sixth to score three runs, with the tying run scoring on a poor throw. Pinch-hitter Chris Perry then grounded to short with two outs and the bases loaded, and the ball was bobbled for an error, then thrown away for a second error, allowing two runs to score for an 8-6 lead.
That gave St. Mary's coach Pete Pijl the luxury of bringing in ace Joe Caffese (9-3, 1.38 ERA) to pitch the seventh. He walked one and struck out three, including the last two batters on called third strikes.
St. Mary's loaded the bases in the second and third, yet managed one run to make it 6-1. The Rams finally broke through in the fourth. Jed Sprague lined a two-run single to left to make it 6-3. He went to third on a stolen base and a throwing error, and scored on an error when the second baseman tried to get him at the plate on a grounder. Nathaniel Thompson later singled in a run to cut the Rams' deficit to 6-5.
Milton, who had not pitched since April 3 because of a back injury, realized the game would hinge on his ability to keep the Pride scoreless.
"We needed a couple of shut-down innings, so our bats would get the chance to get us back in the game," the right-handed senior said. "I've been staying in shape, knowing I might get the chance to throw."
Caffese can throw nine more innings this week, according to section rules, so he likely will take the mound at some point Wednesday. St. Mary's would have to lose twice to be denied a trip to the best-of-three title series against the Sacramento-area winner. St. Mary's has won three consecutive section titles and has been in the title series five of the past six seasons.


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We can all become eyes and ears to help protect victims.
A small group of community leaders met at the Radisson Hotel-Utica Centre in downtown Utica one day last week to talk candidly about one of the most heinous crimes facing our society today — domestic violence.
It's a topic everyone needs to know more about — mainly because raising awareness can be a powerful weapon is attacking the problem.
That's why former state Sen. Ray Meier brought the group together. Meier was a leading advocate against abuse while in Albany, and continues to assist the YWCA of the Mohawk Valley today in raising awareness. In 2006, he championed a child welfare legislation package that among other things, allowed a court to terminate parental rights when one parent has killed or attempted to kill the other or another child in the home.
"Far too many children in this state are exposed to a disturbing amount of violence in the home," Meier said at the time.
Sadly, that holds true today. And a problem is that too often victims — largely children and women — aren't always likely to step forward.
That makes it even more critical that we pay attention.
Meier pointed to the 2006 case of Nixzmary Brown, the 7-year-old Brooklyn girl who was beaten to death by her stepfather as punishment for stealing a snack and jamming his computer printer with toys. While all abuse cases are unspeakable, this was particularly heinous. Nixzmary was beaten, tied to chairs, held under a cold faucet and forced to use a litter box as a toilet in the Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment she shared with her mother, stepfather and five siblings.
Nixzmary's stepfather was convicted of manslaughter this past March; Nixzmary's mother was found guilty of the same charge Oct. 18 for ignoring — and sometimes encouraging — the beatings. Who else might have been guilty of ignoring this child's cries for help? As Meier pointed out to the group last week, this didn't happen in some remote area; it happened in an apartment building in Brooklyn.
We can — as neighbors, as co-workers — help fight this battle. Rosemary Vennaro, director of non-residential services for the YWCA, told of a case in Buffalo where a woman was being severely abused — mentally and physically — by her husband. Her work supervisor noticed peculiarities, and began keeping a daily journal of what she observed. When the woman finally mustered the courage to file charges, the supervisor's journal was a key piece of corroborating evidence that helped convict the abusive husband. He got 30 years in prison.
Certainly no one wants to witness such tragedy. But an even bigger tragedy is indifference. Victims of domestic violence not only face the fear and brutality that comes with physical abuse, but mental and emotional abuse as well. As discussed by Meier and Y leaders last week, there are many complex factors that keep people in violent relationships; getting out and getting help requires strength and support.
We all can provide that. And we must.


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The next six weeks of the election calendar are a desert. With no contests until Pennsylvania's on April 22 – a lifetime in this jam-packed political season – the Democratic presidential candidates will have no victories to crow about or losses to massage.
But this pause, experts say, may shape up as one of the most important stretches of the race.
In the absence of reality checks, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are likely to push even harder to mold perceptions of a race that refuses to be pinned down on delegate counts alone. Jockeying for "front-runner" status got under way with a jolt this week with Mrs. Clinton's suggestion that Mr. Obama would make a good running mate, and Obama's riposte: "But I'm in first place right now."
With wins in Wyoming Saturday and Mississippi Tuesday, Obama made up most of the delegate losses from last week's defeats in Ohio, Rhode Island, and Texas. Whether he has regained the upper hand or is simply running in place is a subject each side will try to spin to its advantage over the next 1-1/2 months.
The Clinton campaign notes that she has won most of the big states, whose large electoral college votes will be critical in November. The Obama campaign counters that he has won more states, including likely battlegrounds in the general election, and is ahead in both the popular vote and delegate count.
"These six weeks are one of the most critical periods for the Democrats," says Joseph Aistrup, a political scientist at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. "The candidates will be floating a lot of trial balloons to see what particular angles work."
The audience is only partly the voters who will award Pennsylvania's 158 delegates.
Perhaps more important, analysts say, are the nearly 800 elected officials and party leaders known as superdelegates who may well tip the race; the ordinary Americans whose poll responses journalists use to gauge shifts in political momentum; and the Democratic leaders who will decide whether and how to proceed with do-overs of the primaries in Michigan and Florida, which had been stripped of their delegates because they moved up their contests in violation of party rules.
Clinton won Michigan and Florida. But Obama didn't appear on the Michigan ballot, and to honor the party sanctions, neither campaigned in the two states.
Those primaries, if replayed in some form, would throw 366 delegates back into play. But it would also raise the threshold to win the nomination from 2,025 to 2,208. According to an Associated Press tally, Obama now has 1,598 delegates and Clinton 1,487, including pledged and superdelegates. Neither candidate is likely to pile up enough pledged delegates – those awarded through voting – in the 10 remaining contests to seal the nomination.
A decision on whether to rerun the Michigan and Florida primaries could come in the next couple of weeks, a move likely to divert a raft of campaign resources to those delegate-rich states.
The chairman of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean, has said he is open to new contests there. But officials in those states have yet to come up with the money for the do-overs, which could cost more than $30 million. A less-expensive alternative now under discussion in both states is a mail-in primary.
In a sign that lobbying from the campaigns was already under way, Clinton's campaign released an open letter Wednesday urging the Obama campaign to "honor the results" in Michigan and Florida or agree to new contests.
Obama and his aides, however, raised concerns this week about the prospect of ballot fraud. "The state of Oregon has mail-in voting, and it took them more than a decade to perfect it," his chief strategist, David Axelrod, told reporters in a conference call. "And now we're going to turn this process over to parties within the states … with a matter of weeks to prepare?"
Obama aides are also downplaying the significance of Pennsylvania, where Clinton is heavily favored. "We'll campaign hard there," his campaign manager, David Plouffe, said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday. "But our campaign won't be defined by Pennsylvania."
Another front over the next month will be the courtship of roughly 338 super delegates who remain uncommitted.
Kalyn Free, a superdelegate and former district attorney from Oklahoma, says she has been "heavily" lobbied by both campaigns but isn't comfortable deciding until a clear front-runner emerges.
"Just when you think one candidate is dead in the water, they rebound," she said in a phone interview. "It complicates my decision in that it's a balancing act: First, what is the general will of the people? Second, what is in the best interest of the Democratic Party? Third, who is going to be the best nominee to run against John McCain?"
The week has seen a sharp escalation in rhetoric as Clinton and Obama try to answer just such questions.
The Obama campaign issued a memo Tuesday challenging Clinton's foreign policy credentials, and then demanded that Clinton denounce comments from one of her fundraisers, former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, who told a California newspaper that Obama owed his political fortunes to being black. (Clinton later told the Associated Press that she disagreed with Ferraro.)
Clinton countered Obama's foreign policy memo with one accusing Obama of a "fundamentally misleading attack."
The closeness of the race has helped draw legions of voters to the polls and stirred activism in states unaccustomed to a role in choosing the nominee. But if the popular voting does not produce a nominee by the convention, analysts say, that could demoralize voters and cripple Democrats in November.
"The potential for one side to feel that the other has stolen the nomination is really strong right now," says Dr. Aistrup of Kansas State. "The result of that in November is that it turns a pretty strong probability of a Democratic victory into a situation where John McCain is very likely to win."


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I decided to make a new tote. And I like black and white. So here's my idea... what I came up with.
(Maybe you can add this to your sewing ideas.)
(Maybe you can add this to your sewing ideas.)
I needed outside pockets ... you know for the phone, secret candy bars, etc.
I added a few loops. This one at the top could be used for keys.
I added buttons just for fun.
This is a fun silky lining. (polyester) Be sure to put pockets on the inside too!
And here's my main embellishment. My super cheap belt on clearance from Target.
And just add a flower clip and your done.
You can even change it up with different colors to go with your outfit.


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Zimmer heads KC's quartet of Top 100 Prospects
KANSAS CITY -- The Royals are moving on from the Wil Myers trade and moving up on MLB.com's annual Top 100 Prospects list, which was released Thursday night.
Last year the Royals ranked 14th among the 30 Major League teams after sacrificing four prospects in the deal to obtain pitcher James Shields. Among them was Myers, who became American League Rookie of the Year for the Rays.
KANSAS CITY -- The Royals are moving on from the Wil Myers trade and moving up on MLB.com's annual Top 100 Prospects list, which was released Thursday night.
Last year the Royals ranked 14th among the 30 Major League teams after sacrificing four prospects in the deal to obtain pitcher James Shields. Among them was Myers, who became American League Rookie of the Year for the Rays.
In 2014, however, the Royals' dedication to developing other prospects is evident as they jump to sixth place with four players in the Top 100 -- pitchers Kyle Zimmer and Yordano Ventura, shortstop Raul Adalberto Mondesi and outfielder Jorge Bonifacio.
Club standings are determined by "prospects points" assigned to players in descending order of their position in the 100 and are not intended to be overall rankings of Minor League systems. The Royals' 215 points put them behind the No. 1 Astros, who had 439 points, as well as the Red Sox, Cubs, Pirates and Twins in that order.
The annual ranking of baseball's biggest and brightest young talent is assembled by MLBPipeline.com Draft and prospect experts Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis , who compile input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. It is based on analysis of players' skill sets, upsides, proximity to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams. The list, which is one of several prospect rankings on MLBPipeline.com's Prospect Watch , only includes players with rookie status in 2014.
No. 25-ranked Zimmer, 22, while deemed a fast riser, spent most of last year with Class A Wilmington and went 4-8 with a 4.82 ERA in 18 starts for the Blue Rocks. But, promoted to Double-A Northwest Arkansas late in the season, he had a 1.93 ERA and a 2-1 mark in four games along with a blazing 27 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings.
J.J. Picollo, the Royals' assistant general manager of scouting and player development, said officials considered placing Zimmer in Double-A at the start of the season but is glad they didn't.
"He wasn't locating well, he wasn't executing pitches the way he's capable of doing," Picollo said. "He went through a learning curve there. Out of the stretch, he wasn't having as much success as he was out of the windup, so he was able to work on some things at Wilmington and once he hit stride . . . it was time for him to go to Double-A. And he was probably better in Double-A than he was in A ball."
Zimmer was shut down about three weeks early because of tendinitis in his right arm but tests showed no structural damage. In his 108 1/3 innings for the two teams, Zimmer piled up 140 strikeouts against just 36 walks.
"I think that's going to be kind of a snapshot of what he's going to be, he's going to be able to strike guys out," Picollo said. "He's got two breaking balls, the slider and the curveball, and I don't know that one's better than the other but they're both swing-and-miss pitches so his strikeout totals, as long as he's able to get ahead of hitters, are going to be high. The command will continue to get better."
It might be rushing things to expect Zimmer to make the Royals rotation out of Spring Training but he'll be a candidate. And the club figures he might climb to the Majors at some point in 2014 because of his outstanding stuff and mound maturity.
Ventura, also 22 and ranked 35th in the Top 100, might make the Kansas City roster before Zimmer. He's already been there, making three starts last September, including his debut against the Indians as the Royals were making a Wild Card bid in an electric, playoff-like atmosphere at Kauffman Stadium. He left in the sixth inning with a 3-1 lead.
"There was a lot on the line and the way he didn't vibrate out there and kept his calm and put our club in a great position to win the ballgame [was impressive]," Picollo said. "It was an unusual night and a rare occasion and our bullpen didn't hold it down but you couldn't ask for more from a starting pitcher, whether it's a Major League debut or a 10-year veteran in a game like that."
Ventura's fastball was clocked at 102.8 mph that night but the Royals feel that he's learned he can operate efficiently in the 95-96-mph range with good fastball command. His next-best pitches are the curveball and the changeup; he's also working on a slider.
Ventura, 8-6 with a 3.14 ERA last year for Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha, amassed 155 strikeouts against 53 walks in 134 2/3 innings. His other two starts for KC also were solid and he had a 3.52 ERA in three games.
"So, in his mind, he should come into camp like, 'It's my job to lose.' Somebody's going to have to take it from him or he's going to have to give it away," Picollo said. "But I do think he's in a great position to win a spot in that rotation and I do think he's ready for it at this point."
Mondesi is just 18 and, known previously by his middle name of Adalberto, now apparently prefers to go by Raul. His father Raul Mondesi gained fame as the 1994 National League Rookie of the Year for the Dodgers and had a 13-year career.
By any name, as the 38th-ranked prospect nationally, he's already in select company. Last year the switch-hitting Mondesi batted .261 for Class A Lexington and is likely to move up to Advanced A Wilmington. Very promising defensively, Picollo expects him to slice his 30 errors of last year perhaps in half.
"I think our overall feeling is that he's going to be a guy that's going to bat leadoff because he's going to have the speed to do it and be a leadoff hitter that's got a little pop," Picollo said.
Bonifacio, 20 and brother of Royals utilityman Emilio Bonifacio, is ranked 91st. A right fielder, he missed six weeks of last season with a broken bone in his hand. In 88 games, he hit .298 for three teams including .301 for Northwest Arkansas. A right-handed batter, he ripped lefties for a .373 average.
"He's probably our most consistent upper-level hitter that we have right now," Picollo said. "Swing is very consistent, doesn't get beat by fastballs and doesn't chase breaking balls. [Those are[ the two things you get most concerned with in a hitter, he handles them both very well. Really mature. Just being around his brother now, I think there are a lot of similarities in the way they treat their teammates, the way they are in the clubhouse."
Outfielder Bubba Starling, ranked 26th last year, fell out of the Top 100 after an up-and-down season for Lexington. He's been working on his hitting this winter in Arizona and Picollo sees progress.
"I think he's going to take off," Picollo said. "There are still very few games you see him play that he doesn't do something that catches your eye."


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Related Resource
Understanding Stem CellsBooklet
What is a stem cell? What are the ethical concerns involved in stem cell research? Over the past decade, stem cells have gained a place in most Americans' vocabularies—discussions of them appear on TV and radio news programs, in newspapers and magazines, and in political campaigns across the country. As stem cells have come to the forefront of medical research, the ethical controversies over embryonic stem cells have become prominent. The National Academies produced Understanding Stem Cells, an educational primer designed to provide basic knowledge to facilitate thinking about and understanding the scientific and ethical issues surrounding stem cells.


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Free agent Terrell Owens took to Twitter and tweeted the Jets during the 3rd quarter of Monday Night Football. The Jets have been losing their receivers due to injury and apparently TO thinks he's the answer.
Check out what he had to say & let us know what you think. Should the Jets give TO a shot?!


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The Beachcombers played at Palmetto Greens. Low gross: 81, Hal Riebesehl; 82, Stu Cleveland; 85, Paul Michal; 87, Randy Cogdill; 88, Ed Kinney.
Low nets: 58, Riebesehl; 62, Bob Smith and Kinney; 63, Reggie Auten; 64, Cleveland, Ed Hennessey and Bill Cameron; 67, Michal.
Teams scored two low nets on each hole. Winning at 44-under par were Michal, Riebesehl, Auten and Cameron.
Hal Riebesehl had an eagle-2 on the par-4, 261-yard seventh hole at Palmetto Greens.
There are many, many golf leagues in Brunswick County. Each course has its men's, women's and mixed groups. If you add in the Elks, the VFW, the Fadeaways, the Calabashers, the Beachcombers, the Rebels, the Renegades, the Seniors, Ladybirds and Club 25, you can see there are literally dozens of tournaments being played each week.
Despite dire warnings to the contrary, the game of golf is alive and well in Brunswick County.
On April 14, with winds blowing 20-35 mph, David Hannah shot a bogey-free round of 68 at the Crow Creek Golf Club and helped lead his team to victory. Three-man team: 1. David Hannah, Rich Murphy and Jerry Zimmerman, +19; 2. Andy McCorison, Paul Murray and Ray Hickey, +15.
Individual best net quota points within each flight: A, David Hannah (+12); B, Paul Murray (+6); C, Jerry Zimmerman and Ray Hickey (+6).
Brunswick County is often called the "Upper End of the Grand Strand." Many of our golf courses are listed as part of the Myrtle Beach golf experience in advertisements and on Web sites.
That's great. We're happy to be part of "Golf Capital of the World," but we have so many courses that we honestly could stand alone as a golf destination.
Everyone has a hero. Special people we admire, look up to and try to emulate.
One of my personal heroes is Jay Votaw, a neighbor, a friend, a semiretired veterinarian and an avid golfer. OK, so why is he my hero?
Jay is a paraplegic and plays golf in a specially constructed wheelchair with wide pneumatic wheels that can roll right onto a green. He usually plays from the senior men's tees. Each Tuesday, he plays in the Brick Landing Men's Association tournament, and on Saturday, he tees it up in the men's shootout.
Each golf club has its own individual take on mixed golf because each golf club has different needs and interests.
Frank Burniak has been running the mixed golf events at Ocean Ridge for more than a year now and enjoys doing it.
"We have a great group of people who play in these events," he said as we sat in the Plantation Club at Ocean Ridge last week. "We play every Sunday afternoon year-round and we run a variety of tournaments. It may be an alternate shot or a best ball or a red ball tournament."
Results of the Sandpiper Bay Men's Golf Association Two-Man Shootout tournament.
The tournament began April 6, when the format was two-man best ball for the first nine holes and two-man net total score for the second nine holes. There was one point per hole and the winners of the nine holes received an extra point.
Day 2 was April 8, when the format was a two-man scramble for the first nine holes and individual match play with full handicaps on the last nine holes. Again, there was one point per hole, with the winners of the nine holes getting an extra point.
West and South played in a nonconference match April 9 at South's home course at St. James Plantation.
The first group consisted of the best four golfers from both teams: Dalton Gore (South junior), Richard Weinacht (South junior), Harrison Taylor (West freshman) and Greg Hensley (West freshman). They played all 18 holes.
The remaining groups played only nine holes and their scores were doubled.
Gene and I have been playing in couples (mixed) golf tournaments for most of our adult lives. We have had lots of laughs and good times and, best of all, we've made lasting friendships.
As implied by the term, mixed golf is a tournament where men and women play on the same team. Everyone is in it for fun and everyone understands couples golf is not the U.S. Open or the Masters. It's not the club championship or even the Saturday morning shootout.
The Sea Trail battle of the sexes tournament was played March 29 at the Maples Course. This is a yearly spring event. Forty-seven couples played a net game, head-to- head, against their spouse or partner. To the ladies' surprise, the men finished as the 2009 couples champions, winning by a landslide. Four couples tied and received one-half point each. The men finished with 31 points and the women won 16 matches.
HINTE EAGLES 8th at BAY
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The Brunswick Beacon is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Brunswick County, North Carolina and surrounding areas.


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Look no further for a Cork city hotel!
Latitude 51.901924, Longitude -8.470865
'The address on a GPS is "Coburg Street".
Cork Airport is only 15 minutes' drive away; while Cork's Kent Train Station and Cork Bus Station are only a few minutes' walk from the hotel. The main shopping centre and Cork City's bustling Patrick's Street thoroughfare is literally just around the corner.
Travelling by Public Transport / On-foot to the Ashley Hotel
Upon arriving at Cork Bus Station, leave the building, face the river and turn left. Follow the traffic along the river. Turn right at the first bridge and then take the second left on to Coburg Street. You will see the Ashley Hotel on the right-hand side.
If you are coming from Cork Railway Station it is approximately a ten minute walk to the Hotel. Leave the station and turn left onto the footpath. Proceed to walk approximately 800 metres in a straight line, continue on through the crossroads and you will see the Ashley Hotel on the right.
From Dublin / Waterford
When travelling on the N8 / Dublin road to Cork, drive up the quays and do not cross over any bridge. Travel on to the fourth bridge and turn right. At the next junction, turn right, then left, and follow the flow of traffic.
From Limerick / Mallow
When travelling on the N20 / Limerick road travel to the City Centre. Drive as far as the Heineken Ireland complex which is located on your right, and where the road divides at the traffic lights, turn left, after the petrol station. After the next set of traffic lights the Ashley Hotel is located on the left-hand side of the street. Drive into the car park at the back of the hotel – access is through the double gates.
From Cork Airport
When you leave the airport you will approach a large roundabout with the third exit signed for the City Centre. Follow this road via the South Link Road and proceed on the N27. Cross over Michael Collins Bridge and turn left, then drive up to the third bridge (Christy Ring Bridge) and take a right. At the next junction turn right again, and then take a left. Follow the flow of traffic by turning right at the traffic lights. The Ashley Hotel is located on the left-hand side of the street, with the car park to the back of the Hotel through the double gates.
Book your Cork City accommodation on this website for the best rates available.


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I have had Mitch service my vehicles since they opened for business. Up until then, I had to have my BMW serviced in Indy in order to have BMW Authorized service. Mitch has consistently provided top shelf service at a reasonable price. His staff take ownership of issues, and they treat all service like the vehicles are their own. I feel lucky to have a shop of this quality within such a short distance of home. I'd travel an hour or more to have my vehicles serviced here, they are just that good. Thanks to Mitch and staff for providing top quality on such a consistent basis. They truly set the standard in premium quality service.
After trying to find a good mechanic, just lucked out by driving by. Have been dealing with these guys for 3 years now, Accurate diagnosis, quick service, easy to get an appointment, and very friendly.
I can't speak highly enough of my experience.. After having awful experiences at two different places with my car that needed a new engine.. I was referred to Mitch smiths, and as nervous as I was about getting ripped off, Adam took great care of all my hesitations.. he gave me daily updates on everything, was very honest with me, and had my engine installed along with many other things in a week!! FIVE DAYS!! I picked it up yesterday, and the inside was detailed and smelled like a brand new car!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! My vehicle feels like I just bought a brand new car.. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE!!
I took my 1 Ton Truck in for an alignment, service and radiator flush. Before the work was performed your service tech called and went over in detail what they would do. What a marvelous job! The detailed work was recorded and you even gave me a detailed report on the vehicle. Even the date on my battery was recorded. Never in all my life have I seen a two page report on a vehicle. Great Job!! I will be back.
Awesome place very nice and friendly Well worth the money for one day service.
Great service, on time, on estimate. Felt like family while I was there. Highly recommend.
Thank you to Mitch Smith Auto Service for taking such good care of the APL van. Thank you for your kindness and your support of the Animal Protection League.
Great people, with a good shop that stands by their work. Would definitely recommend.
They go above and beyond. Great prices and great service.
Good people. Good Service. Would Recommend.
Called for price on battery, on a Tuesday, got it installed free next day total time there 20 minutes! Fast and friendly service! Would recommend to try Mitch Smith auto service.
The best shop in Anderson for all of your automotive needs. Go visit the staff and facility to see for yourself!!!
It's so nice to have a shop that offers honesty and integrity as the basis of their service!
Great people ! Very professional, provide great service while finding the cheapest route for you ! Choose this place. I will take all of my cars there.
Wow! These guys are great! I bought a street rod on line with all kinds of things to fix and finish. They got right on it and are doing a top notch job. They are so friendly I feel like I've known them all my life. They are always ready to show me their progress and include me in the process. I really appreciate that as I'm not able to do the work myself. I feel confident that when it's finished it will be the best work at the best price around, and I've made some good friends in the auto service business.
Very clean on the inside :-) friendly staff, asked me if I or my kids who waited with me wanted anything .. It was a good experience, will be coming back
Awesome facility!!! Cleanest shop around with the friendliest staff. Won't take my vehicles anywhere else!!!
You are always so attentive to your customers' needs and go over the top to make our experience with you the best we've ever known.
Mitch Smith always services my RV. He and his staff are very friendly and Always go above and beyond to make sure that we are safe on the road.
We have always received excellent service @ Mitch Smith's. They have completed work on our vehicles (over the last couple years) beyond normal oil changes and maintenance. Some of these services included transmission replacement, brake work, and recently, a power window repair. In every case, the proposed services were explained in detail, with an accurate estimate of cost. After the work was done, we have always been satisfied. It is such a rare pleasure to be able to drop a vehicle off for service with complete confidence that the work will be done not only quickly but also accurately. Everyone we have dealt with @ Mitch Smith's has been friendly & respectful of our needs. This is exactly the way all businesses in America should treat their customers.
You guys are really the only people I trust with my vehicles. Prices may or may not be cheaper other places, but either way I choose Mitch Smith!!
I really liked their attention to the customers needs and the little things they did while my vehicles have been in for repair. Such as vacuum the floor board or painting the calipers.


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Flying Training in the Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet managed flying training pipelines aim to produce 40 Pilots, 27 Observers, 9 Anti-Submarine Warfare and 9 Commando Aircrewman into the frontline each year. To achieve this, taking into account what can be a 4½ year pipeline from flash to bang for a fast jet pilot, takes a considerable amount of effort and resources across the three services and takes place in a wide variety of bases across the country. Apart from our Harrier Pilots all our aircrew will fly in single-pilot multi-crew aircraft in the demanding and testing maritime environment.
Gliding Camps and Flying Scholarships
To assist in the recruiting effort and also to promote Naval Aviation, the FAA offers Gliding Scholarships and Powered Flying Awards to potential recruits. The FAA Officers' Association also has an Award Trust which sponsors Gliding Scholarships. In total there are up to 56 Gliding Scholarships a year which take place with the Naval Gliding Clubs at RNAS Culdrose and RNAS Yeovilton and at the Portsmouth Naval Gliding Centre based at MCA Daedalus in Lee-on-Solent. The Powered Flying Award is provided by 727 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton.


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Right now I'm reading the Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald.
currently reading "i, lucifer" by glen duncan. it's a very interesting book, very funny. basically, god offers the devil a deal: come to earth and take over the body of a poor soul who has just committed suicide, stay out of trouble for one month in this body, and gain re-entry into heaven. but the story is told as a confession by lucifer himself, almost like an autobiography. great read.
Just finished re-reading all the Harry Potter books, now I thought I'd go back and re-read Shadows of the Empire...Jeff
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Heligan Christmas Fair
....and this festive season brings with it the Heligan Christmas Fair, on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th December from 10am to 4pm.
This festive event, will give you the perfect opportunity to get into the festive spirit and soak up the stunning surroundings as well as find some truly unique Christmas gifts.
Heligan's ethos for showcasing local businesses will be felt strongly during this time as they invite over 80 local producers, artisans, creators and makers to come and trade under a canopy of festive joy, with marquees in the coach park, picnic and ticketing areas.
Visitors are invited to browse the traders' wares to find something unique for that special person – and with well over 80 stalls, there's certainly plenty on offer including food and drink produce, crafts, jewellery, art and more.
There's also the opportunity to buy or order your Christmas tree! Choose from a 3 foot pot grown Norway spruce all the way up to a 10ft Nordmann!
A warm welcome awaits you in the Heligan Kitchen where you can tempt your taste buds with delicious seasonal treats from the Heligan Bakery, enjoy a mulled wine and soak up the Christmas atmosphere.
Don't forget to pop into the award winning Lobbs Farm Shop on your way back to your car, to pick up some of the best food from the countryside and why not order your Christmas turkey whilst you're there.
Free to Heligan Annual Members, £1 Local Pass holders and £2 for everyone else – including garden entry.


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New code appearing in iOS 7.1, Apple's operating system for mobile devices and the Apple TV, suggests that Siri will soon land on Apple TV, reports 9to5Mac.
The technical jargon breaks down like this: "Assistant," Apple's internal name for Siri, has new entry in its UIDeviceFamily array, which simply lists the Apple devices that the feature is compatible with.
For Siri, this has previously always been represented with a "1" and a "2," Apple's numerical designations for its iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad device families, respectively. Now there's a "3" as well, which means Apple TV compatibility.
Here's the relevant screenshot from MacRumors:
This data doesn't include any details on how one will actually get voice into Apple TV in order to use Siri. If Siri were incorporated into the Apple TV, you'd likely need extra hardware to use it, as the Apple TV remote doesn't have a microphone. It could end up being possible to talk to Siri on your Apple TV through your iPhone or iPad, however.
Amazon's new Fire TV box is compatible with voice commands spoken into its remote and lets you search for the videos you want to watch.


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We search the various greeting cards for just the right words. Words that adequately reflect how we feel in our hearts for that important man.
Today is that important man's special day – Father's Day. It's a day set aside to thank that man who plays such a pivotal role in our lives. He provides and protects his family. His love is unconditional. A father's daily presence in children's lives provides a stable family foundation.
The bowling lanes at the Kershaw Recreation Center at Stevens Park are taking on a new life.
Thanks to a major renovation project, the lanes sport a more pleasing, modern look.
Back in February, Kershaw Town Council voted to allocate $118,330 from the town's reserve fund for the bowling alley's major improvements.
Town officials have considered ways to increase attendance at Stevens Park and use of its facilities, and the bowling alley has been a major part of those discussions.
Richard Band devoted 35 years to the Lancaster County Library and it's likely his legacy will be felt for years to come.
Band, 64, retired May 31 after spending nearly half of his life improving and expanding the Lancaster County Library system.
Band's impact is obvious.
"When I came, we had no branches and were only open one night a week," Band said. "We had a big old card catalog in the middle of the room with 40,000 cards that took up all the room. There wasn't a lot of technology."
On May 20, we were reminded that natural disasters of all kinds can bring devastation on a massive scale. In just a few seconds, the lives of Moore, Okla., residents were changed by an EF5 tornado that destroyed entire buildings while injuring or killing residents as they took shelter.
We can't prevent natural disasters, but we can prepare for them. By being ready and knowing what to do in a disaster, we can minimize risk, reduce the time it takes to recover and most importantly, prevent the loss of life.
Take a good look at the Graduation 2013 special section. It's full of the graduates from all four county high schools.
Today, about 787 Lancaster County students will march across four graduation stages to receive their high school diplomas.
Later, they'll flip the tassels on their mortarboards as they celebrate their graduation with the friends, family, teachers and administrators who helped them along the way.
Occasionally The Lancaster News receives an email from Gov. Nikki Haley's office announcing that flags across the state will be flown at half-staff on a certain day.
Often the reason is because a South Carolina soldier has been killed in action, usually in Iraq or Afghanistan. We post those announcements on our website.
Those half-staff flags are reminders of why we observe Memorial Day. It is so easy to get caught up in the celebration of the holiday with picnics, cookouts and get-togethers that we forget just why there is a Memorial Day.
The 2013 Celebration of Excellence, the annual Lancaster County School District's salute to the best in education and service, included its annual induction of hall of fame members.
Four deserving individuals, who made an impact in the classroom and beyond, took center stage on Monday, April 29, at the Lancaster Golf Club's Fairway Room.
The latest inductees included Bennett Gunter, C.C. Hanson, Ann Hough and Floyd White.
After more than four years of waiting, the excitement was palpable as Lancaster County officials cut the ribbon April 24 to officially open Walnut Creek Park.
The event, originally slated for last October, but delayed due to legal issues, drew local officials and residents, all eager to see the new 60-acre, $7 million county park complex in Indian Land.
When the 2012-13 school year ends at Indian Land High School, it will mark the end of an era.
For the last 20 years, well over the span of a school career for a student from kindergarten to graduation, Tamara Jacobus has been teaching and coaching at the Lancaster County Class AA high school.
When the ILHS doors close at the end of the month, Jacobus will be leaving for the final time.
It's an ominous sight. The flickering glow from the candle-lit bags illuminate the night. On this night they are a visual reminder of those who either lost their battle with cancer or still doing battle.
The dreadful disease is no respecter of persons and we all know someone – from all walks of life – who have dealt with it or are still dealing with it.
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The Lancaster News is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Lancaster County and Lancaster, South Carolina, and the surrounding area..


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Provides Detailed Instructions For Measuring For Front Moment (Roll) Center For Race Cars
We know the roll center isn't the point about which the chassis rolls, but instead, it's a critical element of the front dynamic structure of the car.
A more appropriate name would be the "moment center." This point represents the bottom of the front moment arm. Because it is of great importance, and its design location has a huge effect on the performance of the front of the car, we now need to know where the moment center is for our cars.
You can ask someone if they know the location of our car's moment center, but the only way to be sure is to locate it yourself. Once you find the numbers, it helps to have a computer software program for the calculations. Here are the steps and methods to be used to measure the pivot points in order to determine the locations of the front moment center:
Step 1–Locate a level floor on which to measure your car. The most important area is between the front tires and extended fore and aft 10 inches. Roughly, a rectangular area that is 20 inches by 70 inches will do.
Step 2–Position the car over the level spot with all of the weights in the car including the driver. Make sure to have the correct cambers set, the tires aired up to race pressures, and put the car at normal ride height. If the engine has been removed, support the car at ride height and remove the springs and shocks. Reduce the air pressures in the front tires until the left-front (LF) lower ball joint flange drops 1/2-inch closer to the floor and the right-front (RF) ball joint flange drops 5/8-inch closer to the floor. Dropping the spindle will closely simulate the amount that the tire squashes when all of the weight is on the tires with the springs and shocks installed.
Step 3–Take a measurement at each front wheel so we can later return the wheel assemblies to their same positions in relation to the chassis. We can measure at the outside of the tires from the bottom rim of the wheel to a mark on the fender or on the inside of the tire from the top of the ball joint stud to a point on the engine hoop bar. Either way, the idea is to have a way to accurately reposition the wheel assembly later after we have raised the car.
Step 4–Jack the car and support the chassis at the four corners on jackstands. Keep the stands away from the actual area where we will be taking the measurements in order to be able to access and measure to the pickup points under the front suspension. We want to raise the car the same amount at each corner. A good distance to raise the car is 10 inches. As we measure the height of each point, the offset (amount we raised the car) will have to be subtracted from each distance and 10 is an easy number to subtract.
Start by adjusting the LF corner, then the RF, then the left-rear (LR) corner. Shim the right-rear (RR) so the chassis is fully supported at all four corners and does not rock and roll. The RR measurement may be a little off due to chassis flex. As long as the other three corners are set to ride height plus the constant offset, then we will be OK.
Step 5–Remove the front springs and shocks and jack the LF and RF wheel assemblies up until they are positioned so we have the same measurements as we took in Step 3. Put a link in place of the shock at each side so the wheel assembly is supported in the same position as if it were at normal ride height with all of the weight on the tires (Step 3 measurements used).
The link can be an old tie rod or tubular lower control arm with opposite-threaded Heim joints of a usable length. This type of temporary link is easy to install and adjust for length.
If those are not available, a piece of 1- x 1/8-inch iron or aluminum strap metal may be used. Cut the piece in two so the pieces are long enough to overlap when installed in the shock mounts. Drill a hole in one end of each piece and bolt the two in the shock mounts.
With the wheel assembly positioned correctly, align the straps and lock them together with a pair of vise grip pliers. Drill another hole through both pieces and bolt the two together. Label each set of straps (LF, RF, etc.) so you can re-use them if you need to re-measure later. Once the two wheel assemblies are secured into their proper positions, remove the tires and wheels.
Step 6–Establish and mark the center of rotation of each ball joint. It is important to know the exact location of the pivot point of the ball joint so we can mark that point on the ball joint support band on the control arms.
We can quickly locate the center of each different type of ball joint by using a simple method of placing the ball joint in a vise with the stud pointed up and then lining up the shaft as it moves from side to side.
Now that we know where the center of rotation is located in relation to the band, we can mark a point on each ball joint on the car. Remember to allow for anti-dive angle in the control arms as well as the control arm angle. These angles will affect where you place the point to measure to.
Use 3/4- or 1-inch wide masking tape and place a piece over the ball joint band. Clean the surface first to remove all grease and dirt. Use a fine-tip black marker and a small straight edge to make a cross on the tape to represent the center of the ball joint for height and width measurements.
Step 7–Take all of the height measurements first. If a direct vertical measurement cannot be taken, use a level to project the height out from each point or construct a fixture to use to represent the distance so a measurement can be taken away from the car.
When measuring the lower chassis points, use the pivot closest to a line lying at right angles from the ball joint to the centerline of the car. For the stock GM lower control arms, use the center of the front bushing. For a strut-type of lower control arm, use the center of the bushing or center of the front Heim joint that is on a line lying 90 degrees off the centerline of the car projected through the center of the ball joint.
The upper chassis mounts often have anti-dive. To measure the inner point, average the heights of the centers of the two mounting bolts and measure the width to the center of the control arm shaft. In the case of an upper control arm that uses Heim joints, measure to the pivot that is closest to a line that would be lying perpendicular to the centerline of the car from the center of the ball joint.
In the case of a strut-type upper control arm, measure to the center of the Heim joint that is along a perpendicular line between the ball joint and the centerline of the car. For standard A-arms, the "pivot" point will be at the center of the control arm shaft. This point represents the average height of the two mounting bolts (when anti-dive is present) as well as the width of the rotational axis.
Measure and record the heights to the centers of rotation and remember to subtract the offset amount that we raised the car.
We ultimately want to end up with measurements that will represent the heights and widths of the four ball joints and the four chassis pivot points as if the car were at ride height. All height measurements must be made with the car above the usual ride height so we cannot forget to subtract the offset that was used to raise the car.
Step 8–Establish a centerline for the purpose of "moment center" location. This will not be the true centerline of the chassis, but rather a point halfway between the front tire contact patches.
With the wheels and tires on the car, mark a point on the floor at each inside edge of the front tires. Measure between these points and divide that measurement by two. Place a mark on the floor between the front tires that represents half the distance between the tires. Using that same half distance, measure from the inside edge of the RR tire to mark a rear centerline point.
The right side tires are supposed to be inline or very close to it, so our points will be parallel to the right-side tire patches and centered between the front contact patches.
Place a string over these two center points, pull tight, and hold each end with blocks of lead or a concrete block if no lead is available.
Step 9–Drop a plumb line down from each center of rotation for the four ball joints and the four chassis pickup points and place a mark on the floor. The framerail and lower control arms may prevent you from dropping straight down from some of these points. In that case, measure out beyond the spindle at a right angle to the centerline, plumb down, and mark an offset point on the floor. Write the offset amount (use 20 or 30 inches) on the masking tape beside the point.
Measure from each point to the centerline and don't forget to subtract the offsets. Once all measurements have been taken and recorded, enter all of the height and width measurements into a chassis software program of your choice.
We are interested in the location of the moment center in both static and dynamic positions. Static represents where the moment center is located when the car is at static ride height, and the dynamic position is where the moment center migrates as the car dives and rolls in the turns.
The correct design of the dynamic location of the moment center is critical to how your front end will work and to the overall balance of the setup in your car.