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Remme explains using local levy funds
NEW ULM – In a report to the District 88 School Board Wednesday explaining key issues of the new local levy funding approved by voters last fall, Superintendent Harold Remme sounded mixed notes of optimism, frustration and caution.
"The good news is that we won't have to make cuts in 2013-14," said Remme. "The not-so-good news is that the money won't reach far enough to do everything we want to do.
"The part that I'd like caution you about is that the decisions we make in April (when approving next year's school budget) need to be sustainable, they need to last more than a year."
The total locally-approved levy funding currently in place in District 88 is approximately $1,356 per student per year, said Remme.
(Technically, the levy is not per student but per "resident marginal cost pupil unit." This means that for funding purposes, a kindergartner is counted as a 0.612 of a pupil unit; a student in grades one-three is 1 unit; a student in grades four-six is 1.03 units; and a student in grades 7-12 is 1.3 units.)
Of the total local levy, about $781 per student per year was previously approved, and $575 per student per year was approved last fall. Based on about 2,321 "pupil units," last fall's new levy raises about $1.33 million per year for 10 years.
Key planned uses of the new funds include: erasing the deficit spending pattern of the past few years and preparing a balanced budget; reducing elementary and secondary class sizes; increasing secondary class offerings; and implementing enhanced use of technology in the classroom, continued Remme.
More desired uses include: dedicating funds to staff development; strengthening the activity supplies budget; expanding technology use and applications; maintaining the operating fund unreserved balance at 8-10 percent of the fund for cash flow improvement; and reconsidering the higher fees instituted this year for schools cooperating with New Ulm Public in athletics.
(The unreserved fund balance fell to 7.8 percent of the operating fund according to the last audit of the district: "a little bit below the recommended, but in a comfortable range, at least," Remme reminded the board.)
Several known factors will come into play when budgeting for next year, said Remme. This year's budget has been revised, so the amount of the deficit spending is clear. The board has signed agreements with all employee groups. Also, administrators also projecting a fairly significant increase in kindergarten enrollment.
If the board looks at what Remme, for projection purposes, described as a simplified model of allocating the new referendum dollars, then recovering the deficit (more precisely, the intentional spending down of the fund balance to partially avoid program cuts) would take up $740,000 of the available $1.33 million. Of the remainder, the increased cost of employee contracts would take up another $331,266. That would leave about $263,268, which, if spent on class size reduction alone, would "buy" the equivalent of 5.26 teachers.
This model does not take into account any potential increase in school funding that might be approved by the state Legislature, added Remme. That factor will not be known until the end of Legislature's session on May 18. In contrast, the local school budget needs to be approved in April.
If state funding increases by $50 per student (or "pupil unit"), however, District 88 would get an additional $113,950 from the state. A $75 increase would then bring in $170,925 more, and a $100 increase $227,900 more.
Based on the birth rate alone, it is estimated that kindergarten enrollment could increase by 13 to 18 students above the current enrollment of 149, further specified Remme. At current funding rates, 13 more kindergartners would bring in an extra $41,562 in state funding, and 18 students would bring in an additional $57,547. These funds would basically "buy" one kindergarten teacher. Legislators are also mulling a proposal to change the "weighting" of a kindergartner from 0.612 to 0.7, which would bring in some more money.
The school district would like to see class sizes of: 17 to 20 students in kindergarten (down from an average of 24.8 now); 20-23 in grades one-three (now sections average 23.6 in grade one; 21.8 in grade two; and 29.4 in grade three); 24-26 in grades four-six (now they are 22.3 in grade four; 28.8 in grade five; and 30.2 in grade six).
To reach these section size goals, the district would have to add six teachers at the elementary level alone.
The district would also like to see 26-32 students in core secondary classes, and 15-26 in secondary elective classes. (Elective class sizes are sometimes limited by the number of work stations and regulations.) The district would like to minimize secondary classes with 30-plus students, of which now there are more than 60 sections.
Miscellaneous other factors will also affect budgetary thinking, added Remme. These factors include: special education enrollment; special education funding support from state and federal sources; foreign exchange student numbers (these students bring in funding but also impact class sizes); the Affordable Care Act and its associated cost; and the new administrative staff pattern (a new superintendent replacing the retiring Remme, at a potentially different pay level and with possible different ideas).
"I don't want to make you feel bad, or defeated," noted Remme, addressing the board.
"But we need to correct the deficit spending process; we cannot indefinitely continue deficit spending… "There will be money for some class size reduction, and we'd like to see it balanced between the elementary and secondary level.
"But we need to be cautious, so that what we put together is sustainable over time."


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The issue of false teaching and the question of how to address it is a present reality for every believer. Many Christians choose to respond with silence rather than incur the wrath of a world that demands tolerance. But is silence the best reaction to doctrinal error?
In the following audio clip, John MacArthur examines Christ's confrontations with false teachers, how His example clashes with our polite society, and what it means to fight for the truth.
As we look forward to the Strange Fire conference in October at which John MacArthur and several other outstanding preachers will follow Christ's example by confronting the errors and excesses of the charismatic movement. You can view this or any of our other Strange Fire media at the conference website.
GTY Staff
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Thank you, for all your hard work, Pastor John, and the team at GTY. We're currently living and ministering in South Africa; will you be bringing this conference here? If not, will we be able to get hold of all the conference teachings etc...? Thanks.
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Unfortunately with so many False Pastors and False Teachers massively infiltrating Churches today why are the faithful biblical leaders so afraid to name names so that we the sheep are not fleeced so easily? I am one that is favor of naming names as long as Matthew 18 is adhered too not just blaming for disputable points of doctrine. This shyness or fear that is so very prevalent is not what Jesus Christ nor His disciples ever exhibited. The Truth of God's word is too valuable and crucial to be timid about. These are people's eternal destinies and torments that so many are just so casual and careless about. Thank you Pastor John for being forthright with names that need to be publicized.
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As MacArthur says: "The Truth Matters". And we as believers who know the Truth of God clearly teached in Scripture, need to fight for it. There are false teachers everywhere deceiving people and we need to confront them...
I agree with Gary Lee. The Church today, also, has melded in with the P.C. crowd and is afraid of offending people with a "judgmental" call. On a couple occasions I've "called it like it is" and have come away with derision from my own brothers and sisters in Christ for being too judgmental or callous. I make no apologies for it. When I see false teaching I call it and give scripture to back it up. We need more of that in the Church. Maybe that would keep more of the false teachers at bay. Look at the "healers" for example, waving their hands making people "swoon" to their "power." Hinn being the most popular at that. I can't for the life of me see how believers don't see through their facade.
The problem I see here (and granted, the above is a 2-minute clip of what was likely a longer sermon) is that Dr. MacArthur regularly calls out "false teachers" on issues most of us in the larger church would consider secondary or tertiary.
The greatest irony I see here is that Dr. MacArthur is quick to call out Rome for their errors, but what he's done over his decades at Grace Community is set up a systematic theology that is no less comprehensive or inflexible than Catholicism's.
We must walk in faith that the Holy Spirit will guide us in truth, but we must walk humbly, knowing that we cannot possibly hope to know or understand everything correctly until we are fully like Christ.
That is not to say that we do not ever confront error. But the goal of healthy confrontation should be to edify both parties. So for example, when an amillennialist and a post-millennialist have a discussion on eschatology, they should both recognize the possibility that neither of them is 100% correct, and they could perhaps learn something.
We must be wary of the fact that we too may inadvertently be "false teachers" in need of correction.
Dirk #6 Writes,
The problem I see here … is that Dr. MacArthur regularly calls out "false teachers" on issues most of us in the larger church would consider secondary or tertiary.
I attend Grace so I hear John regularly. I am not entirely sure what instances you have in mind of John calling out "false teachers" on secondary issues. You supply the example of amillennialism and postmillennialism, but when John has addressed individuals who may adhere to either one of those particular eschatologies, John is clear to distinguish between what he disagrees with in their teaching on that subject, and what is clearly "false teaching" on the level of Roman Catholicism.
To suggest that there is some unyielding doctrinal magisterium at Grace that is inflexible is a tad hyperbolic and out of touch with what John teaches and what happens at Grace. You're setting up what really amounts to a strawman example of what John believes and teaches and claiming such fundamental attitudes need to be addressed accurately. The problem is, such an atmosphere doesn't exist there.
That is not to say that we do not ever confront error. But the goal of healthy confrontation should be to edify both parties.
Again, John does distinguish between false teaching and disagreement. Those that are seriously teaching falsely are confronted head-on, whereas individuals who may disagree on what you call "secondary" matters are extended grace.
Just reading over your post again, it seems as though you are conflating false teaching that needs to be confronted with firm rebuke with theological disagreement. If one is premillennial and another postmillennial, neither is teaching "false doctrine." One may be mistaken, but his mistake cannot potentially damn souls. I think that is where you need to draw a distinction.
I'm not sure the examples you gave (the Roman Catholic Church & disagreements between adherents to amillenialism and post-millenialism) are on point to your observations. Here is why.
First,the fact that the doctrinal belief system Grace Community has "set up" can in no way be compared to the heretical teachings of the Catholic Church. The fact of each organization's "dogmatism" does not make them equal and it is correct to identify false teachers.
There is nothing wrong with a theological belief that is both comprehensive and inflexible, as long as the basis of the belief is the truth, God's truth, unlike the RCC which substitutes man's doctrine and tries to pass it off as God's. In fact, "flexibility" in Biblical doctrine will lead people directly to hell and it is that "flexibility" that is being embraced in the name of "love," all the while turning their backs on the only One who is the source of love.
There is nothing "tertiary" or "secondary" about the issues when John MacArthur finally does call out someone by name. I don't believe he is quick to do so and I am confident that by the time he actually takes that step it is no longer a question.
Amillenialism vs. post-millenlialism is not an issue that I have ever heard John MacArthur speak about except to explain the difference if it comes up in the course of a message. A belief one way or the other will not determine one's eternal destiny according to any doctrine I have ever heard of.
With regard to your statement that the goal of confrontation is to "edify," I'm not sure where you are getting that. Confrontation as in confronting false teachers, or anyone who is in a seeming pattern of sinful behavior and professing to be a believer, is to be approached with the idea of bringing awareness to that person of the sin they are involved in, counseling them with regard to confession and repentance, and then ultimately removing them from the community if they refuse to repent.
Such a confrontation is done not only out of concern for the sinning believer, or possible salvation of the person if they are not, in fact, born again yet, but also demonstrates a pastor/shepherd protecting his flock of believers from the devastating effects of falling under the sway of false teachers (likened to leavening). The concept of "edify" is in many passages in the Epistles, but I am not aware of it ever being used in the context you are suggesting.
False teachers who teach in public must also be confronted in public because of the greatly-multiplied effect that their false teachings have on the many professing believers who are essentially unaware of all but the most common proof texts.
I believe your mis-understanding of John MacArthur's ministry at Grace Community Church suggests a lack of any real familiarity with the man, or his ministry. If you feel I am inaccurate, please do not hesitate to reply. Please forgive any typos. :)
Hey Dirk. I realize your post has already given you a lot to read but I just wanted to look at a different angle here with you shortly. And I want to look at the point you made about being unable to critique others because we aren't perfect either. You said,
"...we must walk humbly, knowing that we cannot possibly hope to know or understand everything correctly until we are fully like Christ."
What I would like to draw your attention to is that this is a fallacy. This idea that our imperfections make us unable or unworthy to speak out against outright heresy is a result of post-modernism. Post-modernism has made subtle inroads in the Church and it has taken the form of "humility". However, the humility you are talking about, and the humility that post-modernism offers is a "pseudo-humility". In other words, to say that we are imperfect so we should be "humble" enough to know to keep our mouths shut SOUNDS good and even SOUNDS Christian. However, speaking out against heresy and standing up for Biblical truth is a mandate for Shepherds in the Church.
"He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it." Titus 1:9 [ESV]
Furthermore, there is an irony to what you said and that is this; in making the statement in a public forum that John MacArthur should not publicly speak out against error, you are doing the very same thing, therefore cutting the branch out from beneath you. You are essentially criticizing public rebuke publicly. Do you see the irony?
The last point is in regards to the Catholic Church. I believe that MacArthur's qualm with the Catholic Church has less to do with the unswerving nature of their theology than it does with the tenants of their faith that are diametrically opposed to Scripture (ie. Mary as co-redemptrix, the infallibility of the Pope, priests as mediators, indulgences, etc...). To be unshakable in your theology is not a bad thing; to be anti-Christ is a very bad thing.
I just want to conclude by saying that I am not attacking you nor do I mean to offend you. I simply wanted to try and shed a different light on some of your thought processes. And I hope that I did so in "true humility" as one who has, myself, had to be corrected more times than I can remember. You were right when you said that we will not know fully until the perfect comes.
Hi again Dirk,
I read your post again and wanted to make just one more point.
You assert that "Dr. MacArthur regularly calls out "false teachers" on issues most of us in the larger church would consider secondary or tertiary."
What Dr. MacArthur has referred to with some regularity is that the "larger church," as you call it, is largely made up of false converts, or, possibly true believers whose growth has been stunted by the severe lack of spiritual food, brought on by pastors and teachers who refuse to spend the requisite time in actually studying Scripture so that they can in turn actually feed the sheep entrusted to their care.
There is a very valid reason that people are admonished that not many should be teachers because there is a much greater mantle of responsibility that is assumed when one assumes the role of bible teacher. John MacArthur is one of a handful of truly excellent and gifted teachers.
The attitudes of the "larger church" should not be examples we should strive to emulate or hold up as any form of good example. The validity of a ministry is not measured in numbers. The validity of Grace Community's ministry under the leadership of John MacArthur and the elders of that church, is not recognized to be of value because of the attendance. I have heard John say that it is not the breadth of a ministry one should evaluate but the Spiritual Depth (maturity) of those that attend and belong.
Please remember that thousands upon thousands followed Jesus and yet when he taught the "hard sayings" almost all left. He may fed the thousands, but there were 120 in the upper room at Pentecost.
There should be grave concern for the "larger church" that they are, in fact, on the broad road that leads to destruction, not the narrow way that leads to life and peace.
I have listened to some of John's messages from just a few years after he came to Grace, and I listen to current messages, and I have made note of the fact that all that he warned those at Grace about the culture of that time, and the compromise and descent down the slippery slope is turning out to be the exact same things he taught less that 10 years after he started with Grace over 40 years ago now, I believe. His messages haven't changed.
John is consistently faithful to do his absolute best to teach accurately what Holy Scripture means, he expounds on important things like the culture, the language, and what the scripture, in CONTEXT, meant to those it was written to. He has inspired me to an even deeper love for and desire to learn to know God more and more through His Word.
My prayer is that God would touch eyes to see the value of truly gifted teaching and preaching such as that delivered by John MacArthur. I praise God for the teaching gift he has given John and John's faithfulness in exercising that gift. I have a feeling however that John, like Paul, would say he is "compelled" to do what he does...he can do no other.
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Anti-intellectualism and fascism go together like bacon and eggs.
" Paddle faster, I hear Banjos!"
Anti-intellectualism and fascism go together like bacon and eggs.
Hermain Cain contended: Obama ran a popularity contest campaign, and that's what happened. At least partially right.
Rush added, as Bon noted, who wouldn't vote for Santa Claus? When you hit the tipping point when as many are getting from the govt as there are sending money to the govt, you're going to have a problem getting enough people to vote for giving the goodies back.
Can't believe that Hurricane Sandy came to O's aid! A great photo op with Christie. And actually did NOT do a thing to really help. Alabama utility workers were not allowed to work in NJ because they were non-union workers! Gasoline lines in NY and NJ remain a mile long. Generators and supplies brought into NY for the marathon (that was cancelled) just sat there when they could have been useful to those in distress.
"Know in your heart that all things are possible. We couldn't conceive of a miracle if none ever happened." -Libby Fudim
I don't use the PM feature, so just email me direct at the address shown above.
Well, as long as you don't include Texas (heavily Repub) in that, you might have a point, but Texas has at least three universities (t.u. Austin, Rice, and Texas A&M (I think SMU was also in there) listed in the top 200 in the WORLD. We also have NASA, Dell, etc., so we at least have a wealth of cognitive reserves on which to draw.
Any doctrine that weakens personal responsibility for judgment and for action helps create the attitudes that welcome and support the totalitarian state.
(John Dewey)
Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.
(George Washington)
Gig'em Aggies!! BTCO'77HOO t.u.!!


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Postgame: Sporting Kansas City
The Columbus Dispatch - September 08, 2013 12:48 AM
As the week progressed, a worry remained in the back of the mind of Brian Bliss. After being publicly announced as the Crew's interim coach Monday morning, Bliss led the Crew to an inspired 2-0 home win Wednesday night against a Houston team it was chasing in the Eastern Conference standings.
But as the Crew prepared for Saturday night's road game with Sporting Kansas City, Bliss was aware of the potential for a letdown.
"You see it happen all the time when you have a big game and you have an emotional letdown the next time out," he told The Dispatch in a phone call. "It's a short turnaround and we're asking a lot of the guys to build themselves back up with that. It was tough and you thought about it but you handle it as best you can."
Those worries proved well-founded as the Crew was largely outplayed from the opening whistle in a 3-0 loss to Kansas City in which the visitors recorded just one shot on goal.
Defender Tyson Wahl, who started the last two games at left back, has played through coaching changes before (including Bliss' stint as interim coach for Kansas City in 2006). Factoring in the fact that the Crew was playing its third game in seven days and Wahl knew to be wary entering Saturday night's game.
"I think it's definitely difficult (to maintain that energy), especially at this time in the season when there are a lot of teams that are really in the thick of the playoff hunt and teams are flying," he said. "They were buzzing tonight and we had that initial surge of energy Wednesday. That's what we need to have … and we didn't do that."
No Pipa
To make matters worse, the Crew had been planning on the return of designated player Federico Higuain after serving a two-game suspension. Instead, he suffered a left adductor strain in the closing moments of Friday's training session and did not make the trip.
"Obviously it would be nice to have him on the field," Wahl said. "He's a big part of this program and we have to move on and hope other guys can do the job. Having him on the field helps us win."
The injury is not believed to be serious, but it marked the first game Higuain has missed in his Crew career due to injury. After Ryan Finley and Dominic Oduro created a number of chances Wednesday against the Dynamo, Bliss said Higuain had a new role planned in the Crew attack.
"We worked pretty much the last couple of days with Pipa scheduled to play in the middle of the park," Bliss said in the postgame press conference. "We had a role carved out for him but he went down at the last minute and we had to make a change. There was a little bit of continuity there, but as a group he's our leader. When he dropped out, it's a blow to the staff and it's also a blow to the guys he plays with because we lean on him a little bit. Maybe on the psychological end it was a blow."
Higuain is tied for the team lead with nine goals and leads the Crew with six assists.
"We lean on Federico a lot, man," Bliss added later. "He's our DP. He can shoulder some more of the burden in terms of possession and when it comes to making a better decision on the ball or making a pass that breaks that initial pressure to create some breathing room. Not having him and Chad going out (early), that also took a tool on us as well. He's another guy who is a leader on our squad and the guys can get down when a guy like Federico is injured and can't play and Chad (Marshall) leaves the game. It affects the guys around them as well."
Marshall injured
As Bliss mentioned, the Crew also lost the services of central defender and acting captain Chad Marshall when he suffered a quad contusion and had to leave in the 28th minute. He was replaced by Danny O'Rourke, who had missed Wednesday's game due to suspension.
"Danny did a great job filling in," Wahl said. "It was a big loss, but it's not the reason we lost the game."
Bliss said Marshall was kneed in the middle of the quad by Sporting forward C.J. Sapong.
When Marshall left the game, Bliss was missing six players who were in the opening-day starting lineup due to injury: midfielder Eddie Gaven (torn ACL), defenders Gláuber (torn ACL) and Josh Williams (head) and goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum (shoulder) in addition to Higuain and Williams.
As for Marshall, Bliss said, "It's going to take time for (the injury) to settle."
"A couple injuries here and there during the week so I had to come back with the same guys from Wednesday who really put out a yeoman's effort against Houston. I'm sure there were some tired legs, but probably more in the psychological and mental."
Offensive offense
After one of the more entertaining games of the season, the Crew struggled to put together much on the offensive end against a Sporting club missing two of its own stars – defender Matt Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi, both of whom are on national team duty.
"I think we had a few chances in the first half," Finley said. "There was that one through ball for me and Dom had a couple and we had some free kicks too. It's tough. They play with three in the middle and all three of them are quality players."
Bliss has talked about having possessions result in "actions of consequence," be they crosses, dangerous passes or shot attempts. The Crew had six shots and just one on target, and their number of passes in the attacking third (63) compared to that of Kansas City (95) help demonstrate the team's struggles.
When I asked Bliss what was missing on offense, he said, "Decisive action, whether it's a cross or a second guess or the guys cut it back one time too many. It's easy to say we didn't hold onto the ball, but when you're playing longer balls there against guys like (Aurelien) Collin in the air it's not an easy task for those guys up front. We were a little bit indecisive when we got into the final third, which was a little different than it was against Houston.
"You get thrown into the deep end right away," he said during the press conference. "You have two games in a week instead of a whole week to train and ease into it. It's a tough week to jump in there, but I thought our guys responded well Wednesday. Today was just a tough one. Kansas City's no slouch."


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One of the six contenders for Philadelphia's second casino license, Market8 — an investor group helmed by Ken Goldenberg and Ira Luber, among others — has just released a new vision of what it calls its "urban entertainment center" proposed for Eighth and Market. The announcement emphasizes the commitment to ground-floor retail and restaurants "on a newly beautified Market Street" (their optimism is boundless).
Ken Goldenberg says in the statement:
"We are designing the ground floor to fully engage walkers and commuters, recognizing not just how central our location is, but how critical this is to the vitality of this corridor. We will be opening up that level with transparency, doorways, tables and outdoor seating that will allow 8th and Market to become an attractive social place to meet for lunch, dinner, or coffee, and a place that will create energy and excitement all hours of the day and evening."


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Maternity Tour/Big Sibling Class
Date: Mon. 17 Mar, 2014 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Duration: 1 Hour
See the maternity facilities at McLeod before you deliver. While you are on the tour, bring your other children to the Big Sibling Class, where they will participate in fun and age-appropriate activities in preparation for their new little sibling. (Big Sbiling Class not required for Maternity Tour participation. Children under 14 not permitted on the tour).
Location: McLeod Pavilion


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A free 3-day, 2-night Leadership Conference for CSM Students
2nd Annual Student Leadership Conference
Sat Oct 13, 2012
All Day Event
The Student Leadership Conference, sponsored by the CSM Center for Student Life & Leadership Development and the Associated Students of CSM, is intended to provide leadership training for students who are interested in developing skills that can be utilized to help create change in their community.
Topics that will be covered include:
- Discover new leadership skills
- Learn conflict resolution techniques
- Improve communication skills
- Foster team-building and better group dynamics
- Network with other students
- Develop strategies to create positive social change in our community
Browse Events at this Location
Event Contact InfoAaron Schaefer
(650) 574-6142
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Last week at the AOPA Aviation Summit, our new Center to Advance the Pilot Community announced it was creating a network of flying clubs as part of a long-term initiative to facilitate flying club growth, which, in turn, will help grow the pilot population. Center Senior Vice President Adam Smith did a PowerPoint presentation, "Special Interest Education: AOPA Flying Club Network," to show benefits including the ability to share information and resources.
A mere week after starting the AOPA Flying Club Network Facebook group, we're already at 639 (sorry, make that 644) members and growing. The group was created to start a conversation among flying clubs and those who want to start or join a flying club, and what a conversation it's been so far. Topics already covered include:
- Templates/models to create a club;
- Aircraft used by flying clubs
- Financing and insurance;
- Setting club dues;
- Attracting new members;
- What members expect from clubs; and
- Finding the time to fly.
So join the Facebook group, pass along your Twitter handle for our flying clubs list, and go here to join our email list to be updated on the latest news and events within AOPA's Flying Club initiative.
Tags: Adam Smith, Benet Wilson, Center to Advance the Pilot Community, flying, flying clubs, general aviation


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Sand down dowels to make them fit
If you find that your dowels are a bit too big for the holes you drilled, try this trick from Club member Steve Messinger of Delmar, New York. Simply chuck the dowel into your drill/driver, wrap a short length of sandpaper around the dowel and hold it while slowly pulling the trigger. As the dowel spins, the sandpaper will slowly and evenly reduce its diameter. Brought to you by: American Profile


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2009 Archive
December 12, 2009
Niklas Edin made a triumphant debut at this level when he led his Swedish men's team to a 6-5 extra-end victory over Switzerland's Ralph Stöckli in the final of the Le Gruyère
December 12, 2009
Germany's Andrea Schöpp won her seventh European Championship title when she beat Switzerland's Mirjam Ott by 7-5 in Saturday's final of the Le Gruyère European Curling
December 7, 2009
The World Curling Federation (WCF) has announced that Malcolm Richardson, former President of the European Curling Federation (ECF), will be awarded the 2010 World Curling Freytag Award.
December 6, 2009
The World Curling Federation (WCF) has announced that the World Men's Curling Championship in 2012 has been awarded to the City of Basel in Switzerland.
December 2, 2009
International championship curling returns to Scotland, the home of the sport, for the first time since the 2005 Women's World Championship, when the Le Gruyère European Curling
The World Curling Federation (WCF) and the Canadian Curling Association (CCA) have announced that the World Financial Group Continental Cup 2011 has been awarded to St. Albert, Alberta.
November 26, 2009
The World Curling Federation (WCF) and the Canadian Curling Association (CCA) have announced that Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada will stage the 2011 Ford World Men's Curling Championship.
November 23, 2009
The four-sheet Grafton Curling Club in Grafton, N.D., will host a challenge between USA and Brazil on Feb.
November 19, 2009
China won Gold, Japan took Silver and Korea won the Bronze in both the men's and women's competitions at the Pacific Curling Championships 2009.
October 16, 2009
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that three cities have been put forward by their respective National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to apply to host the XXIII Olympic Winter Games
October 15, 2009
The World Curling Federation (WCF) and the Canadian Curling Association (CCA) have reached a partnership agreement to continue to stage the unique Continental Cup of Curling.
October 5, 2009
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – The World Curling Federation (WCF) has announced that the City of Esbjerg, Demark will host the Capital One World Women's Curling Championship in 2011.
October 2, 2009
The traditional cheese of Switzerland, Le Gruyère AOC Switzerland, a long time supporter of the Olympic Winter Sport of Curling, is to sponsor the European Curling Championships for two years
October 1, 2009
Following discussion at the Seminar/Workshop held in Fuessen during the WCF Annual Summer Clinics, Danny Lamoureux of Canada and Dottie Burt of Scotland are jointly endeavouring to promote the
June 15, 2009
In a first for Norwegian curling, a new DVD on the Olympic winter sport has been created and is now available to the public.


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Ph.D. Program
This program is intended for individuals who want to acquire advanced training in the theory, methods, and practices in the economics of education. It is a selective program to prepare individuals for leadership roles in teaching, research, or administrative settings.
The coursework for this program consists of three parts: core courses, courses in research methods, and courses in a specialized area of study. The available specialized areas include: education and economic development, education and transition to work, educational finance, economic evaluation and cost analysis in education, economics of urban and minority education, economics of educational technology,teachers markets, and others.
This program is tied to the Institute on Education and the Economy, the Center for Benefit Cost Studies, The Center for Chinese Education, and National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education. In addition to other forms of financial assistance, research assistantships are available for doctoral students through the Center and the Institute.


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Lifespan, longevity, and ageing
Maximum longevity: 73 years (captivity)
Observations: The dugong may feature some form of continuous tooth development (Caleb Finch 1990). It is estimated that these animals live more than 50 years in the wild, with one estimate suggesting that they may live up to 73 years (Ronald Nowak 1999). Their longevity has not been studied in detail in captivity, but one animal was still alive after 25.3 years (Richard Weigl 2005).


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On behalf of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) team, thank you to the thousands of friends, around the world and in the United States, who have reached out to express their heartfelt condolences over Ambassador Holbrooke's passing. He inspired the deepest loyalty and love in those who worked for him and with him.
Ambassador Holbrooke epitomized great diplomacy: loving his country and its values, and using every tool at his disposal to solve problems and improve lives. "Diplomacy is like jazz," he liked to say, "improvisation on a theme." Over the course of his career, his diplomatic efforts have touched nearly every country in the world. As Secretary Clinton noted shortly after his passing: "...From his early days in Vietnam to his historic role bringing peace to the Balkans to his last mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Holbrooke helped shape our history, manage our perilous present, and secure our future."
All of us that he touched mourn this loss. But we are also mindful that his critical work -- making the world a safer, more peaceful place -- must continue, as he would have wanted most of all. Ambassador Holbrooke was a man who stared down adversity, and chaos, and never faltered. The important mission that guides our work remains. We will carry forward his legacy, and we will not falter either.
For those who would like to submit a personal message of condolence, please use the following email address: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Statements from Officials:President Barack ObamaVice President Joseph BidenSecretary of State Hillary Rodham ClintonSecretary of Defense Robert GatesAdmiral Mike MullenTributes:Richard Cohen: Holbrooke -- An Extraordinary ManRajiv Chadrasekaran: Richard Holbrooke - Veteran US Diplomat Brokered Dayton Peace AccordsJoe Klein: Richard HolbrookeForeign Policy: A look at the foreign-policy titan from the people who knew him bestContributions:
In lieu of flowers, people are invited to make donations to the following organizations in Ambassador Holbrooke's name:
Africa America InstituteAmerican Academy in BerlinAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryCitizens Committee for New York CityCouncil on Foreign RelationsGlobal Business CoalitionRefugees International
Brown University
Gift Cashier
Box 1877
Providence, RI 02912, USA
(Donor should note in the memo portion of their check: In memory of Richard C. Holbrooke; donations will be allocated to the Richard Holbrooke Fund for International Affairs at the Watson Institute.)
Ronald B. in New York writes:
I got an e-mail from the Balkans this morning:
"Mr. Holbrooke was a giant, who turned and pushed the wheel of history".
C.C. writes:
Great information about Remembering Ambassador Holbrooke, thanks for sharing.......
Leticia in New York writes:
Diplomacy has lost a great negotiator, Mr. Holbrooke was an excellent diplomat and his absence will be felt internationally! My deepest condolescences to the Holbrooke family!
Parnel I. in Connecticut writes:
This man has done unbelievable service for this country and untold other countries. He was true and of a high moral fabric which is so rare today. We have lost a most valuable giant. May his family be consoled that they were able to be apart of this great man's life
Palgye in South Korea writes:
"Diplomacy is like jazz,"
Mourn to Ambassador Holbrooke


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Lucy's, Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookie, 5.5 oz (156 g) (Discontinued Item)
Shipping Weight:?0.53 lbsShipping WeightThe Shipping Weight includes the product, protective packaging material and the actual shipping box. In addition, the Shipping Weight may be adjusted for the Dimensional Weight (e.g. length, width & height) of a package. It is important to note that certain types of products (e.g. glass containers, liquids, fragile, refrigerated or ice packed) will often require protective packaging material. As such, these products will reflect a higher Shipping Weight compared to the unprotected product.
- Product Code: LCY-00103
- UPC Code: 897519001037
- Package Quantity: 5.5 oz (156 g)
- Dimensions: 2.2 x 5.6 x 3.3 in, 0.45 lbs
- No Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Milk, Eggs
- Certified Gluten Free
- No Nuts
- 0 mg Cholesterol
- 0 g Trans Fat
- Kosher Pareve
- Certified Vegan
- Non GMO Project Verified
- Virginia's Finest
Dear Friends
Thanks you for buying Lucy's cookies. As an M.D. and a mother of a child with severe allergies, I know how difficult it can be to find high-quality foods that taste great. That's why I built my own bakery to make treats for you. These Oatmeal Cookies have been called our "Mona Lisa". Simple perfection. Mild sweetness combined with a hint of salt makes for a great taste all of the time. Perfect with coffee in the early morning or an apple after school. Enjoy! - Dr. Lucy
Food Allergies?
Lucy's cookies are made in our own carefully controlled bakery with specially selected ingredients. As an added precaution we test for trace amounts of milk, egg, gluten, peanut and almond.
Other Ingredients
All ingredients are from natural sources: Dr. Lucy's flour blend (gluten-free oat, garbanzo, potato starch, tapioca, sorghum and fava flours), evaporated cane sugar*, gluten-free rolled oats, soy milk*, molasses*, palm fruit oil, canola oil, olive oil, filtered water, flavoring and citric acid from non-GMO corn, crushed soy beans*, sunflower lecithin, non-dairy lactic acid, baking powder, baking soda, potassium bitartrate, vanilla extract*, salt, xanthan gum, calcium carbonate, annatto extract color, cellulose gum.
*Indicates Organic
Contains soy, oats and fava.
|Supplement Facts
|Serving Size: 3 cookies (32 g/1.1 oz)
|Servings Per Container: 5
|Amount Per Serving
|%Daily Value*
|Calorie from Fat
|Total Fat
|4.5 g
|Saturated Fat
|1 g
|Trans Fat
|0 g
|0 mg
|170 mg
|Total Carbohydrate
|18 g
|Dietary Fiber
|1 g
|9 g
|2 g
|*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.


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Kenny Garrett: Live at J&R Music World 10.11.08
October 13, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.Add new comment | Filed under: afternoon jazz, avenue records, concerts, kenny garrett, Listening Post, Live Music, mack avenue, sketches, young group
Kenny Garrett visited Afternoon Jazz this weekend, as he celebrated his recent release, Sketches of MD, on Mack Avenue Records. Kenny brought a young group to the Iridium last week, and to J&R Music World on Saturday: Cory Henry on Hammond B-3 organ; electric bassist Kona Khashu, and drummer Justin Brown. Monifa Brown hosted the concert and interview. Click here to listen.
A bonus photo from WBGO's Thurston Briscoe after the jump.
Read more


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Topic: CSS: Fonts are messed up on Mac: Safari and Firefox
This one is hard for me to debug because I don't actually have access to a Mac to test on, but a friend who does sent me a screenshot showing that the fonts on my site come out a lot bigger in that environment than they do on Windows (both IE and Firefox work fine there).
Has anyone dealt with tweaking a site's CSS for different browsers? I have a feeling that if I can just specify the <body> font a little differently for that platform, everything will be fine. But I have no idea how to do that, so pointers to tutorials or anything that'll help me get started would be great. Thanks!


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The 2013 RSW/AgencySearch Agency-Marketer Business Report
March 11, 2013
In this report RSW/AgencySearch shares survey results from marketer and agency respondents on issues related to agency selection criteria, the importance of agency specialization, and the impact of digital agencies.
Members Only Content
This content is available to ANA Members only. Please login below or create an account.
You may already be a member. Find out if your company is already an ANA member.


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The USA Field Hockey Women's National Team defeated Belgium, 3-1, in the final game of the World Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Kazan, Russia to claim a spot in the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. Recaps, photos, and video are now available of every game, including the postgame celebration!
Click here for Qualifiers Central!


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Looking for the Form First Bra for C/D cups? Check it out! »
What's Our 360 Guarantee? When you buy from us, you're covered all the way around. So, if for any reason or no reason, you are not happy with your purchase, send it round-trip within a year for an exchange or full refund. No questions. No hassles. No kidding.


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First Communion
Recently, Blessed Mary Angela Parish celebrated the First Holy Communion of Religious Education students. Pictured, from left, top row: Director of Religious Education Sister Rachel Mikolajczak, the Rev. Matt Nycz and Third Grade Catechist Julie Pawlak. Middle row: James Beehler, Marcel Carter, Nathan Pakulski. Bottom row: Samuel Kawski, Lauren Przybycien, Jacob Markham.


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No reviews have been added for this business.
2432 US Hwy 6 & 50, Grand Junction, CO 81505
The Outback is the place to eat in Junction if you have Celiac. I have never gotten sick and have eaten here 10 times or more. The staff is friendly and never gives me that judgy look when I say I am GF, you know the one. :) The menu is great, my fav is the Alice Springs Chicken with a loaded baked potato. Feel free to enjoy Celiacs!
15608 Harlem Avenue, Orland Park, IL 60462
I was really skeptical about this place since big chains generally do a terrible job keeping things gluten free. This Outback is awesome! Wait staff is knowledgeable and helpful and there's even a gf dessert! I've eaten here three times and have never gotten sick.
2120 Hamilton Place Blvd., Chattanooga, TN 37421
Our waitress has Celiac and knew exactly what we needed to stay gluten free. The food was delicious and fixed the way we wanted it.
3371 US HWY 1, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Wow - their gluten free menu is the largest I've ever seen and everything I've had is delicious. They truly care about gf because they have a separate menu and offer a yummy dessert. I was diagnosed in May and have noticed most restaurants don't even know what gluten is!
Hwy. 35 & Woodland Dr., Middletown, NJ 07748
Had ribs from here that were very good! I was informed that even if you order something from the gluten free menu, it's not necessarily going to be gluten free unless you also inform them that you need gluten free. So make sure you tell your server that you need your meal to be gluten free and you'll be alright.
1664 N. 1200 W., Layton, UT 84041
The staff was friendly and helpful with my dietary needs. The meal was outstanding. Of course my favorite was dessert, The Chocolate Molten Lava Brownie!
2480 Broad St., Sumter, SC 29151
Although they have a gluten free menu, the staff at this location do not seem to understand issues related to cross contamination. Recommend celiacs avoid.
325 Main Street, Holbrook, NY 11741
This one is still my goto. Ask for Michael, the best waiter I've seen
3586 Sangani Blvd., D'Iberville, MS 39540
I have eaten here countless times and never had a reaction. The wait staff appear to be educated and are attentive to gluten-free requests.
12920 Meridian Ste. E., Puyallup, WA 98373
Never had a problem at this or any outback related to gluten. A little pricy but good generic steakhouse.
3209 Mall Dr. - Central Mall, Texarkana, TX 75503
A place that actually cares and is quite knowledgeable about gluten intolerance and celiac disease. I always trust Outback anywhere I go.
250 N. Red Cliff Dr. #40, St. George, UT 84790
I found the waitress to be knowledgeable about the gluten free items on their specific gluten free menu. I asked about the fries and she nicely advised me against ordering them because of cross contamination because they use the same oil and gluten items. I was impressed.
223 Wintergreen Dr., Lumberton, NC 28358
Gluten Free Menu and the staff was very knowledgeable
302 Kamokila Blvd., Kapolei, HI 96707
Delicious! My son and I both have celiac and we walked away with no reaction. Many gluten free options on their gluten free menu. We had ribs, steak and shrimp. Yum!
817 Queen Street, Southington, CT 06489
I asked for the gluten free menu and ordered a grilled chicken salad. it came out with croutons so the waiter took it back. I knew it came out far too quickly for them to have made me a new one. Sure enough they missed a crouton. The waiter came at the moment I had found the crouton, so my face said it all. He got his manager and they made me a new one to go free of charge (forgot the dressing though). If I had a severe allergy then this would have caused a reaction. I wasn't very impressed.
1435 13th Ave. Dr. SE, Hickory, NC 28602
They actually brag about their home made croutons on their gluten free menu, that should tell you enough. The food was good, but you have to be very careful about what you order here. it's not worth the risk.
4921 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109
Loved the Gluten free Menu and options!! Was delicious and no issues.
4600 Route 42, Turnersville, NJ 08012
They have a separate GF menu which is always helpful. I got a steak with vegetables and it was delicious. My waitress was knowledgeable and helpful (asking the chef) in knowing what was gluten was. Everyone knows Outback is pricey too.
3101 S.E. Federal Hwy., Stuart, FL 34994
I have been able to eat from their gluten free menu which is pretty large! I'm Super sensitive to cross contamination and have not gotten sick. Their staff is pretty well trained on gluten too.
9880 Colerain Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45251
they have a gluten free menu but have no respect for it. you should not have to explain it to your waitress and send back your salad with croutons. everyone else enjoyed their food.
250 N. Red Cliff Dr. #40, St. George, UT 84790
This restaurant had a gluten free menu. I had the Cobb salad and enjoyed it.
3411 S Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109
Good tasting, many protein GF options, limited GF sides. Celiac friendly.
2520 York Rd., Jamison, PA 18929
A good option for Celiac Folks. Wish they offered more GF appetizers
4723 South Yale Ave., Tulsa, OK 74135
my go-to spot for a good gluten free meal. I also have a dairy allergy so I have to make some adjustments to whatever gluten-free meal I choose. however, my steak is always eldelicious and the manager always makes a stop at our table to "check on things". I love this bc he is very knowledgeable and serious about making sure our dining eperience is as good as anyone else's. Bonus: ALL their bar drinks are gluten-free!!! if a dairy alert is NOT an issue, gluten-free desserts are even available. :)
5040 Nesconset Hwy, E. Setauket, NY 11733
They have a lot of gluten free options. I have been back several times and they are great.
925 State Rt 9, Queensbury, NY 12804
Have eaten there many times with no issues
9329 N. Sheridan Blvd., Westminster, CO 80030
Got sick right after eaten was told Gluten free but still got sick
5200 Monroe Street, Toledo, OH 43623
This Outback SUCKS. Croutons on a g-f salad, steaks blood raw and cold. Seriously horrible.
302 Kamokila Blvd., Kapolei, HI 96707
standard Outback gluten free menu. It's nice to eat in a place where they offer gluten free choices . stopped in for a Birthday dessert. Had the Chocolate thunder from down under, which while the only gluten free dessert, is also the only one I wanted anyway.
94-810 Ukee Street, Waipahu, HI 96797
standard outback gluten free menu. It's so nice knowing that I'm eating in a place that has a gluten free menu in place. Especially when traveling in an unfamiliar city. I had the steak and baked potatoes
10901 University Avenue, Clive, IA 50325
I have Celiac and eat there frequently. I've never reacted. Staff always puts bread on the table after I request a gluten-free menu, so I always remind them about my Celiac.
1321 E. 78th St., Bloomington, MN 55425
Great experience, huge selection of gluten free options, including a majority of the menu.
1905 Waddle Rd., State College, PA 16803
The worst my food wasn't prepared probably and not good services.
6731 Black Horse Pike, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234
I've been here a couple of times and haven't gotten sick. Ask for the steak to be cooked on the Woodfire open grill rather than the flat top.
7070 Highway 6 N., Houston, TX 77095
This is my "go to" place when I want a great meal and dessert. I always let them know I need GF and have always been safe. I miss a coconut and ice cream dessert they use to serve but love the Chocolate Thunder from Down Under.
101 Cape West Parkway, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
So thankful to be able to eat a full steak meal with no worries
4401 Warden Road, North Little Rock, AR 72116
Understood Celiac and food allergies well. Had a diverse menu!
2207 Forest Drive, Annapolis, MD 21401
Had an unfortunate experience recently. Ordered steak, sweet potato, and salad with no croutons. As I was eating (and because I am paranoid about eating out) I kept thinking I was tasting croutons, but thought it must be my imagination...not so, before I left the restaurant, I was doubled over with pain and sick for three days. I guess someone put them on the salad, then saw the order and picked them off, leaving the "dust"!!! No more salads from Outback!!!!
245 State Road 312, St. Augustine, FL 32085
Lots of options including a pretty good dessert. Server was conscientious and made sure everything was gluten free. Great experience overall
4723 South Yale Ave., Tulsa, OK 74135
Very knowledgeable wait staff!!
2949 Washington Road, Augusta, GA 30909
Gluten free menu and knowledgeable staff. Great experience and no glutening!
28850 Gratiot Avenue, Roseville, MI 48066
Went here a few weeks ago and got very sick afterwards. Told server and manager about me having Celiac and still got sick
460 Washington Road, Washington, PA 15301
My husband has celiac. He had the porterhouse pork with mashed potatoes. He tried the gluten free brownie dessert, however it was rather tasteless. He has had no problems from our meal there. We will return.
3475 Alpine NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49544
As always this was a very safe option when traveling. Service in this location was also great. Super friendly. Meal was safe.
4715 E. Cactus Road, Phoenix, AZ 85032
my favorite thing at Outback Steakhouse gluten free wise is the Thunder from Down Under brownie Sunday which is warm brownie on the bottom and you can either include the ice cream talk or you don't have to if you have dairy issues as well as they have steak or pork or shrimp or chicken or salad which you can add those too if you want Less meat. or just order a salad by itself and have no meat fir a quick lunch or vegetarian lifestyle
2855 W. Ogden Avenue, Naperville, IL 60540
This location seems to be familiar with GF. We had a slight issue only once out of the many times we've been here. You must specify you are GF. Long wait if you do not do call-ahead seating on Friday nights.
8195 Vineland Ave., Orlando, FL 32821
Best dinner so far, great choices and food was awesome !! Going back again
6030 I-55 N., Jackson, MS 39211
Waiter wasn't knowledgeable about GF but manager was. No issues meal was delicious
1770 Beam Avenue, Maplewood, MN 55109
It's Outback. Always a great filet. Dependable GF restaurant.
8195 Vineland Ave., Orlando, FL 32821
Excellent service, gf knowledge, 8 year old celiac daughter thrilled with her filet Mignon and baked potato.... No room for dessert!
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Skip to comments.DOD Still Barring 50 Priests from Administering Sacraments, Locks Up Eucharist, Priest Sues
Posted on 10/15/2013 2:24:21 PM PDT by Rusty0604
Father Ray Leonard, who serves as the Catholic chaplain at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia, filed suit Monday against the Department of Defense, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the Department of the Navy, and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. DOD is prohibiting Father Leonard and the other Catholic priests from administering the sacraments and providing other services to their congregations even though two weeks ago Congress passed, and President Barack Obama signed, a law that instructed DOD to maintain on the job and keep paying contract employees who were supporting the troops. DOD took this action because Hagel determined--after consulting with Attorney General Eric Holder's Justice Department--that civilian Catholic priests, working under contract as chaplains, did not, among other things, contribute to the morale and well-being of service personnel.
Father Leonard, who spent a decade serving the Tibetan population in China, likened the administrations behavior to that of the regime in the Peoples Republic. In China, I was disallowed from performing public religious services due to the lack of religious freedom in China, Father Leonard said in a statement. "I never imagined that when I returned home to the United States, that I would be forbidden from practicing my religious beliefs as I am called to do, and would be forbidden from helping and serving my faith community.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
Well I guess that it doesn't say the military can't do it.
If need be, have the bishop provide emergency replacements and do it offship.
Yikes. Even the tabernacle is not immune to the barrycade.
It sounds as though without the magic wine, bread and the waving of the padre's arms, none of these Catholics think they have a chance of going to heaven anymore. Perhaps they should read the Bible and notice none of this is necessary...if Jesus draws one to Himself. Time to swim the Tiber the other direction...if they can.
It's a sign of the times. As a SDA, one of the hallmarks of the end is the United States no longer being a refuge for those of the Christian faith, but an enemy of God.
I am not Catholic either but you seem to miss the point of this news. Is it OK with you that the gov't is preventing its military from practicing their religion as long as it is not your religion?
The DOD is in violation of The First Ammendment.
The administration has bypassed the Constitution.
First they came for the communists...
Of course it is "okay" if they "prevent" this. You see, the problem with the question is that there is no "practicing" real Christianity. Only those who have overlain biblical Christianity with a "religion" need to practice anything. Perhaps they expunged John 4:21ff, "Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and NOW IS, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers."
Well, isn't that nice...
Oh, they are coming for us all right. The question is, will we need our props when they get here?
ping to 11
We are in SC babysitting for our three grandchildren who attend a catholic school. Tonight our first grader came home and when I checked her homework for the night, one if her assignments was to say three HAIL MARYS for President Obama. I would love to know why.
Pray he stops the attacks on Religion? Islam is his exception.
Always great to see that, when push comes to shove, a certain portion of FReeper "Christians" will take anyone's side against Catholics.
yeah sure Du..
"Unless you eat of the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood you will not have life within you." John 6:53-58
"These words are too hard" John 6:60-66 and DutchBoy88
No, it is not okay. The USA does not have a state religion. Is "free exercise thereof" too difficult to understand?
Yes, by all means, join us. Come rush to defend the gutter-filth being spewed. Come show us all your Christian unity and charity. Come display for us your peaceful, loving "mission". Stand up and be counted, Jesus lovers. Come join your pal in his trashy, despicable bigotry.
Now, that is a peculiar claim. Are you speaking for all Catholics and saying Catholics do not see the view represented by my post as the "un-saved", out of fellowship, separated, or lost? Clearly, Catholics are "against" biblical Christians as errant in their doctrines of salvation by grace alone, through faith. This is always objected to and Rome is represented to stand against this simplistic view.
I was simply pointing out that now that the trappings added by Rome are no longer available, this need is coming back to haunt them. Not so with biblical Christianity.
I am curious. Are you one of that species of Christian who insists that the Scriptures are the inspired Word of God, and moreover that their true meaning is found by reading them literally, without regard to an interpretive tradition?
I was just wondering because you seem to read "Then Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you'," on the basis of some interpretive tradition (dare I say a tradition of men?) that tells you to not take it literally.
Did you eat His flesh or did you a biscuit with the magic wand waived over it? Did Jesus turn into a door? Did you see Him become a gate? You may wish to invest in a good course on hermeneutics, my FRiend. "Do this in remembrance of Me." not "Do this and believe that my flesh has become the biscuit." Reading is your friend.
ping to 23
Well, then exercise it...just leave off the pomp and circumstance. No one is stopping you from worshiping Jesus...if you can without all the bells & whistles.
Too bad Hagel and Kerry didn't need priests to take their last confessions in Viet Nam.
The original conflict between the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland was not truly a matter of religion — it was a matter of social class.
Put quite briefly, the majority of the population in Ireland, post 1000 A. D., was Catholic. They never underwent the church reform that England did in the 1500s. Thus, by the 1600s, England = Anglican (Protestant), and Ireland = Catholic.
When England began to establish plantations in Ireland and establish themselves as the ruling class, they often did it in a relatively unpleasant and domineering fashion, making themselves unpopular with their new subjects in the manner of America and India.
Hostility arouse between Catholics and Protestants in this way not because the religions themselves bore marked differences, but because these denominations were attached to two very different classes. Intermarriages were frowned upon, not for spiritual reasons, but because the Protestant was marrying below their class.
I can think of two reasons: 1) the admonition to pray for the leaders of a nation (no matter who/what they are); 2) praying for those who spitefully use us, for their enlightenment.
The put Barrycades around the Body of Christ?
The last people to do that were the Romans.
He can sue, but military chaplains are often made of extremely strong stuff. Being locked out of a church, no problem. They can conduct services about anywhere they like, in muddy trenches, POW camps, in the middle of a battle, you name it.
Sure, they can sue, but if they want to be remembered and toasted as gentlemen of character by their congregants, they need to rough it. Having to tough it out is also great for their congregants spiritual morale as well.
It reminds everyone involved that this is important.
Until CBS and NBC and ABC carries this story instead of just CNS sadly it won't mean anything.
You do realize that, except for gnostics and iconoclastic heretics (two groups that had trouble with the reality of the Incarnation), no Christian of any note prior to Zwingli denied the reality of the Eucharist as Christ's very Body and Blood? Not the Latins (you call them "Catholics", why do you do that? do you credit their claim to be the universal Church?), not us Orthodox, not the monophysites (Copts, Syrian Jacobites and Armenians) not the Nestorians (Assyrians), not the first generations of Lutherans, not Calvin and those of his followers who didn't adopt Zwingli's views. We might quibble over whether the Latins' use of Aristotelian categories to describe the miracle is appropriate (we Orthodox don't like applying Aristotelianism to matters of the Faith, and the Copts and Assyrians aren't wild about it either), we might quarrel with the Latins and Armenians over their use of azymes in place of artos for the Eucharistic bread, but we all agree that Jesus should be taken at His word at face value when He instituted the Eucharist.
You do realize that there is no contradiction between celebrating the Eucharist in remembrance of Christ (the anamnesis is a part of every traditional Eucharistic rite East or West) and when this is done the Holy Spirit making the elements of bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ so we can literally fulfill His command that we eat His Flesh and drink His Blood that we might have Him and the Father abiding in us, and might have life.
To believe otherwise you need to insert a non-existent "only" into the passage you quote against the vast majority of Christian believers, and read large swaths of Scripture non-literally.
John 6:56: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
Luke 22:19: ..."This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
I'm glad that the priest is fighting it. But truthfully, if the church had any balls they would simply disobey the orders and have mass and sacraments without the permission of the military commanders.
Hold mass outside on the lawns of the chapels for God's sake. Let's see some real, genuine civil disobedience here. The legless vets had the stones to tear down the BarryCades and dump them in front of the WH. And the priest and church *sue*?
Screw Obama, screw the base commander, screw the Provost Marshall and screw the MPs. When I was growing up Catholic clergy practically brought down despotic governments with their protests and civil disobedience.
WHO KNEW? The Obama administration is denying Catholic Mass because they fear for our immortal souls! Awww, I didn't know they cared...
"Come join your pal in his trashy, despicable bigotry."
Have you considered whether perhaps Dutchboy's dyke left suddenly and now his finger hurts?
Amendment I -- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
That's not the point.
Obama's thugs are disgraceful... thanks Ciz for pinging me to this one...
No, my FRiend, there is a mountain of "difference". And, for a moment consider...nowhere does the text indicate any of the "processes" the RCC has manufactured over the centuries to attempt this "literal" change. Notice, Jesus never said, "By the way, when this comes up after I am gone, you will need a special man (I'll designate him a priest) to have special bread baked and special wine set aside in a chalice. Then, at a moment, he must lift it up and say certain words over it for the actual transubstantiation to occur. Then, he must "administer" it to parishoners who line up and walk across the stage. This is what I mean by 'doing this in remembrance of me'."
Compare that to eating bread and drinking wine and saying, "I remember you Lord Jesus".
And, yes, there were many believers who saw this second understanding as the correct one. Paul and Peter, for example. Nowhere in Scripture do either of them refer to a "transubstantiation" ceremony. Your club made the whole thing up...and we invite you to abandon their chains and find rescue in Jesus, alone...if God permits you (Rom. 9).
What is not the point?
No, Jesus didn't say all the things you seem to fancy would be necessary to justify the universal practice and understanding of Christians, both East and West, until Zwingli got it into his head that nothing really happens in the Eucharist. But He did tell us that the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth.
So your position is that, at least as regards the Eucharist, somehow Our Lord's promise concerning the Spirit, remained unfulfilled with all the generations of martrys under Roman and Persian persecution, all the faithful who sought to follow Christ down 15 centuries or so, getting the nature of the Eucharist wrong until the promise of the Holy Spirit guiding us into all truth was fulfilled in Zwingli judging that the command "do this in remembrance of me" somehow nullified all the Scriptural texts that point to the reality of Christ's Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Really?
Or do you have some patristic evidence supporting a proto-Zwinglian position in the Apostolic era? I've certainly seen none, and I've read all the major writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers. Had the view even been held by a substantial body of heretics, we'd have texts condemning it, but nothing... The post-communion prayer in the Didache speaks of the Eucharist as spiritual food and drink and connects it to eternal life. St. Ignatius of Antioch, who knew the Holy Apostles and according to his life as we read it in the Orthodox Church met Christ as a child, being in fact the child who was brought to Jesus and sat on His lap when He said "suffer the little children come unto me", plainly holds the traditional understanding of the Eucharist as the very Body and Blood of Christ, and understands the taxis of the Church with its orders of ministry (read his Letter the Smyrneans).
There is no unbroken line of "popes" (read any real history not given to Rome's self-justifying propaganda), there is no purgatory, there is no indulgence, there is no mariolatry, there is no genuflecting, or pater-nosters or rosaries. This is all manufactured religion...and the errant folks think they will be heard for their many words.
Over the centuries, there have been a great body of folks slaughtered by Rome (I know, it was really the Spanish government inflicting the damage...at the command of Rome) to enforce compliance. They did not agree, but they did not publish books. Don't point at the Roman & Persian persecutions without noting the purgings completed by your group. And, many of those who claimed to be free from Rome after the Reformation turned and killed Catholics...this too is wrong. But, proves nothing. If numbers and important folks are your guide then we'll be looking for you at a mosque soon.
Continue to rely upon the so-called "fathers" for the self-proving excuses to hold on to the error. The truth is, "What do the Scriptures teach?". And, the Romanist view is not there. Sorry. But, we invite you to leave their chains and find hope in Jesus, alone...if He allows you to come to Him (John 6).
Sorry, but among the people "slaughtered by Rome" — if you want to attribute the acts of Latin Christian governments like the Spanish in the wake of the expulsion of the Muslims from Spain to the Latin church — are a lot of *my* co-religionists: the Orthodox Christians who died when the Fourth Crusade forcibly installed a Latin Emperor at Constantinople, the Orthodox who died fighting the Teutonic Knights, or resisting the Unia when the Poles controlled the Ukraine. I can quote the Fathers against Rome: the plain meaning of many canons of the Ecumenical Councils renders absurd the Latin contention of universal ordinary jurisdiction for the Bishop of Rome, as does the plain meaning of the passage in St. Ignatius's Letter to the Smyrnaeans which first applies the adjective "katholike" to the Church. We Orthodox number among the Fathers, St. Mark of Ephesus who condemned the Latin innovation of purgatory most eloquently in his "Against the Latin Chapters Concerning Purgatorial Fire."
Stick to the topic: the reality of the Eucharist is not an "invention" of "Rome," but a nearly universal Christian belief until Zwingli. Those who denied it prior to Zwingli were limited to the gnostic heretics who denied the Incarnation because they held the idea that matter is evil and the iconoclasts who had trouble with the reality of the Incarnation in that they would not admit that it is possible to depict the Incarnate Son and Word of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ, depictibility being part of our human nature which He assumed in all things excepting sin alone. You seem to think that only "Rome", which you want to vilify, believes that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ, ignoring us Orthodox (and the Copts and Armenians and Assyrians and Lutherans and Calvinists until the last started following Zwingli).
Plain text of Scripture? Equating works of the Law with the Mysteries of the Church? You're the one who is stretching the meaning there. And I'd be careful: what you call "hocus pocus" is, according to the teaching of the Holy Orthodox Church the action of the Holy Spirit. We Orthodox fault the Latins' eucharistic rites since the abandonment of the Gallican rite in favor of the Tridentine for not making this explicit in an epiclesis.
It is your argument that ignores the plain text of the Scriptures: "This is my body," "Drink ye all of it, this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins," "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord."
And most tellingly, you ignore and set at naught the plain meaning of Our Lord's words: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever."
How, pray tell, are we to eat His flesh and drink His blood as He tells us to, since He has ascended into Heaven, if the Eucharist is not really His body and blood? According to you, neither of us has any life in us since, according to you neither of us has eaten His flesh nor drunk His blood. Nor can we, in which case this is a very silly discussion and we might as well all become "eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die" pagans.
Another battle in obamas war against Catholics and all Christians for that matter
Lest you wander away and attempt to dazzle us with your historical polemics, the plain text of Jesus' words do not allow for any transubstantiation. Do you actually believe (please be honest here), that Jesus transubstantiated the bread and wine into His own body and blood? Before the cross? Any reasonable reader can tell He is signaling what is about to happen. The prophetic words of the Lord are to tell the disciples, this is "it". "You must allow my death to be the price for your lack of righteousness."
Notice, Paul does not provide for much discussion in His epistles about taking bread and wine (I Cor.11), but an enormous amount of space explaining grace as a free gift given to those whom God has elect. Read Rom. Gal. Eph. Col. Heb. This fact escapes Orthodox and Romanists alike. They cannot allow God to actually be God, but must place man in the center of their "religiion". There is no such thing in the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31ff). Read the text. God will decide (Rom 9), God will then choose, God will then elect, God will then rescue without fail (John 6).
Your preoccupation with the Lord's Supper is indicative of a very nice religious man. That is, however, not the Gospel. We, "...who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, that you may obey Jesus and be sprinkled with His blood...who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope..." And, Peter goes on to provide the promises granted. Notice, we were chosen in order that we may obey. There is where we (and likely you) have "eaten" His flesh and drunk His blood. Not during a ceremony, but during your rescue...if you are among the elect.
And, your quote is actually from Solomon.
You keep arguing against Latin doctrines. Transubstantiation is an attempt to give a rational Aristotelian explanation for the incomprehensible action of the Holy Spirit. We Orthodox don't use the word because we don't think you can stuff God or His actions into Aristotelian categories (actually the inapplicability of all binary distinctions and created categories to God has been one of the touchstones of Orthodox theology since at least the Cappadocian Fathers, and maybe earlier depending on how you date "On the Divine Names" traditionally attributed to St. Dionysius the Areopagite.) We tried John Italus for heresy for trying to explain the Eucharist in Aristotelian terms — though he got his teaching job back when he recanted, unlike what the Latins did to Galileo when they tried him for denying Aristotle's cosmology and locked him up in straight prison after he recanted.
I suspect further discussion is rather pointless. I read the Scriptures in the hermeneutic tradition of the Orthodox Church which (on this point in agreement with the Latins, Copts, Assyrians, Lutherans and pre-Zwingli Calvinists) takes Our Lord's words in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John as one of the parts of Scripture to be taken literally. You read the Scriptures in a hermeneutic tradition that seems to be shaped largely by drawing contradistinctions between your position and that embraced by the Popes of Rome, and reads those passages in a metaphorical or spiritualized sense, then goes to great trouble to stretch the meaning of other parts of Scripture to explain not taking Our Lord's words in the sixth chapter of John literally. Neither of us will convince the other to abandon their hermeneutics, so further posts are really pointless.
If you regard FR threads as verbal duels, you are welcomed to reply one last time, but I will not answer.
May God bless you and the Holy Spirit indeed lead you into all truth.
If you regard FR threads as verbal duels, you are welcome to dismiss the plain text of the Scriptures in favor of your "tradition". That is a common response to those who need religion.
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Next years 4-team playoff is better than BCS. My opinion 8 teams is the way to do it.
It is my hope that we don't end up with 3 or 4 SEC teams in the playoffs with more crybaby SEC teams on the outside looking in.
In my system I would not permit a conference to have more than 3 schools in, and no attention is paid to confernence champions (which would not happen in real life because of the money involved- short answer.) Also I play the 1st and 2nd rounds on campus, all on saturdays, Dec 15 and Dec 22. Nat'l Semis are Dec 29th. By having the games each consective weekend, the teams stay sharp, and a couple extra days rest before the
Championship on Wed Jan 9.
This year my matchups are as follows:
8 KState vs 1 ND
5 Florida vs 4 Oregon
7 Stanford vs 2 Alabama
6 Georiga vs 3 Ohio St
LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Northern IL, ACC, and BigLeast get the cold shoulder. Poach Florida St and Va Tech out and all the other teams can go play in the Bowl Subdivision.