Being an early Mormon history nerd, I was really excited for this year's sunday school curriculum. However, two things have derailed my excitement: first, a calling as primary teacher will keep me out of the adult sunday school class. (Which is a shame, because we have two great Gospel Doctrine teachers—a rarity, in my experience.) Second, glancing over the manual for the year, I was reminded of how horribly the revelations are organized, and how that organization hinders our understanding of the revelations and their context.
Just like the sunday school manual for the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants manual is organized topically. For instance, next week's lesson, titled "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World" (see Tracy's wonderful post here), includes verses from sections 18, 19, 20, 58, 76, 88, and 93. Lesson 4, on the Book of Mormon, includes verses from sections 3, 5, 10, 17, 20, and 84.
This approach is not isolated to the sunday school manuals. The same piecemial organization is apparent in the priesthood/relief society manuals as well as in the Daughters in My Kingdom volume (which makes the book anything but a "history"). The basic assumption behind this organizational structure, in which topics are prioritized over context, is that the canon of truth is consistent and self-referential, the language and doctrine remain unvarying, and the particular verses comprised in the Doctrine and Covenants are best understood in a vacuum. In this sunday's lesson, two verses are plucked out of section 18, one out of 58, and one out of 93; all of these verses, this reasoning allows, can and should be understood in relation to each other, perhaps even moreso than the verses that surround them, because they are speaking to the precise same topic (Christ), are basically teaching the same thing (Christ's divinity), and emphasize the same lesson (Christ's atonement).
The problem is that this format often—if not always—leads to superficial prooftexting in support of manufactured messages; they produce more of a catechism than a scriptural study. Most importantly, it overlooks the dynamic nature of the revelations themselves—a nature which makes it impossible to be captured in a static snapshot. The revelations contained in the D&C are a collection of revelatory answers received in response to specific questions, and a careful reading shows that they capture the developing nature of LDS doctrine: "priesthood," for example, means something different in section 20 than it does in 84 and 107. Ideas of temples, covenants, consecration, salvation, heaven, prophecy, even the Godhead evolved over Joseph Smith's revelatory career, and specific portions of revelations can only be understood within the context of both 1) the complete revelatory text, and 2) the historical setting and specific questions that led to the revelation.
While many members today may look at the revelations as being static and unchanging, the Prophet Joseph Smith saw the revelations as living and subject to change as the Lord revealed more of His will. Members of the Church relied upon Joseph to receive continued revelations for the Church. As former Church Historian Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the Seventy has explained: "Joseph seemed to regard the manuscript revelations as his best efforts to capture the voice of the Lord condescending to communicate in what Joseph called the 'crooked, broken, scattered, and imperfect language' of men" (see also D&C 1:24).
Now, I'm not saying that we should have an in-depth historical lesson with lots of context for each revelation. Because of the general quality of our volunteer teachers, who are generally not trained in history, this would probably be a disaster. But even through the act of just reading the revelations in order, as complete revelatory texts, readers gain a much better understanding of what is going on. Most of these revelations were received in one sitting in an experience that resembles a stream-of-consciousness, often in response to one specific question. Thus, they are best understood when read as a composite whole.
And then there's the even bigger issue: context. Unlike the Book of Mormon or the Bible, which can contain large portions of narrative, the Doctrine and Covenants presents a scattered format that can appear like a mish-mash of answers glued together. The D&C is basically one-half of a two-way conversation between the saints and God, yet we only one side of that dialogue. This can make it more difficult to read, but the answer is not to compound the problem by further disruption, but to provide the contextual foundation that makes the material more comprehensible. The revelations must be read within the context of what was being asked in order for them to make any sense.
But we have a history of de-contextualizing our history and doctrine. Tragically, this approach has, in part, led to our modern-day crisis of saints being unable to process historical issues that do not conform to our compartmentalized historical approach. We wish for the doctrine of the church—and, by extension, the church in general—to be a static set of answers set apart from, and independent of, the world in which we live. But it is only through the acknowledgement, and analysis, of the complex relationship between the eternal, divine Word and the banal, human experience that the gospel can be fully understood.
Also, don't get me started on Our Heritage.
* This Ensign article is, I hope, a prescient sign of the relationship between the Church History Library (which houses the history department) and the Church Office Building (which houses the curriculum and correlation committees). The brief article, besides talking about the dynamic nature of early revelations (which would have been unheard of in the Ensign just a few years ago), also mentions seer stones and the evolving nature of early LDS belief. As great as the JSP is in doing phenomenal research and producing fantastic volumes, the true change will only come when their findings spread into church curriculum.
Wow, I didn't realize this hop-scotching was going to be the norm when I put together my post- it seemed like perhaps an anomaly in setting the stage for the year being about Christ. It was difficult to find cohesion even studying for a post; that kind of flightiness is going to increase the likelihood of train-wreck lessons and missed opportunities. It's dismaying to realize this is how the whole year will proceed.
Thanks for the post, Ben. I has similar thoughts yesterday during GD, as the class discussed what made the Doctrine and Covenants unique within the Mormon canon of scripture (it's not a translation of ancient records, it's a series of individual and often unique revelations instead of a narrative story with theology and sermons embedded within, those revelations came as a response to specific questions at specific moments, etc). It's unfortunate that the topical lesson format almost entirely erases what could be learned from embracing that uniqueness and understanding the DC for what it is.
Also, I've heard rumors that the lesson materials and study guides are currently being reworked. Does anyone know if there is any truth to these rumors and if so, that the problem you outline here might be remedied moving forward?
My thoughts exactly, Ben. It might also be worth pointing out that the topical approach leaves nearly three dozen sections of the D&C never assigned as reading or even referenced in the scripture chains of the current class study guide.
Since the "Explanatory Introduction" in the official edition of the Doctrine and Covenants makes the crucial observation that "These sacred revelations were received in answer to prayer, in times of need, and came out of real-life situations involving real people," it would follow that the best way to read and teach the D&C would be in chronological order (with the obvious exception of Sec. 1), supplemented by a detailed history such as Bushman's Rough Stone Rolling, and, for those of a more academic bent, the two volumes from the Joseph Smith Papers Revelations and Translations series.
On the positive side, though, is not only the article you mentioned from the current issue of the Ensign, but also the fact that it is accompanied by a Minerva Teichert illustration showing King Mosiah peering through the spectacle-like Nephite interpreters to translate the large stone of Omni 1:20 (p. 47). Perhaps an official illustration of Joseph Smith using either the interpreters or a seer stone in a hat to translate the Book of Mormon is not far off. Young Latter-day Saints should be first encountering historically accurate representations of the translation process in Primary rather than on South Park.
The GD Book of Mormon manual proceeds more or less straightforwardly through the text. And while I'm not a huge fan of the D&C manual (and scarcely use it, frankly, in preparing my lessons), each lesson usually has a core of one or two sections, with other verses from different sections added as supplementary material. For example, lesson two takes most of its material from sections 18 and 19. An historically-minded teacher can set the context and do close reading on the core section(s), while bringing in the other verses as counterpoint — which isn't so different from how I teach a chapter of the BoM, or whatever, occasionally bringing in material from other texts. It won't amount to a chronological procession through church history, but a good teacher can still do contextual, historicized teaching if she wishes.
Well said, Ben. Compared to other Mormon scripture, context for the D&C is extremely abundant and accessible. That is what makes it so interesting to me and translatable to my life as I engage it, I think.
By the way, thanks so much for the reference to the article in the Ensign, which I was not aware of. I plan to cite it regularly in class this year.
I distinctly remember wishing that the lessons on the Doctrine and Covenants would be just the kind that we have this year. Of course, I get to be one of the teachers this year, and I have finally learned enough over the years that I was excited to look at historical context–only to find that now I have to go to the topical examination.
I think there really are two approaches to the text, and although I am a convert to context, I understand the idea that current understanding is in many way contextless and assembled out of history without needing to understand that history. For those who want to understand concepts, the topical method is just what is needed. It allows for breadth of approach to a more narrow concept.
In a Sunday School lesson there is so little time that you have to choose. Yesterday I introduced the Doctrine and Covenants and the background for understanding it took all of the time. I never got to the actual text of the first section. I don't regret that decision, but I do think it highlights the choice we have to make with the D&C. It is very hard to go into depth on two levels simultaneously in the 40 minutes (and less) that we realistically get for instruction.
Agreed on all the dangers, as well as on what would be a better approach. That said….
Isn't the D&C itself a part of the "problem"? The revelations were given and recorded in an originating context; they were subsequently edited for non-chronological (i.e., less-than-historical) inclusion in what was basically an institutional handbook (the 1835, first edition of the D&C); finally, they were rearranged, but without undoing the institutionally-motivated edits, in chronological order (1876, by Orson Pratt and at the behest of Brigham Young). What we have in the D&C, then, is a set of de-historicized historical dots that remain to be connected. To what would such a volume lend itself but quasi-historicized institutional use or thoroughly-de-historicized doctrinal exposition?
Frankly, it seems to me that the D&C is more proto-canonical than canonical. It's only on the way to scripture. The narrative that weaves the revelations together into a coherent text, or the theological framework that decides what belongs and what doesn't as well as where everything belongs, has yet to be produced. What we have in the D&C is not yet either "The Acts of Joseph Smith" or "The Book of Joseph Smith." It's more like Q than Matthew or Luke, more like the orally-transmitted catalog of Isaiah's pronouncements than the Book of Isaiah, more like the plates of Nephi than the Book of Mormon.
One of the difficulties of the entire Mormon historical enterprises, it seems to me, is determining whether it helps or hinders our study of the D&C. Although I'm absolutely buried in Mormon history, I have my suspicions that we only get further from a fully canonical D&C the more academic history we produce….
Yesterday in High Priest's Group, the focus was on D&C 4 (based on an article in the Church News geared towards the new youth curriculum). While the instructor went on about our call to the mission field, I couldn't help but remind them that this was a revelation given to Joseph Smith Sr., and that the council for him to remember "temperance" was encouraging him to lay off the whiskey. Context matters, and that is one thing we don't get from the curriculum department's insistence on making all of their instructional manuals topically driven. While there are advantages to that format, increasing the "Saint's understanding" is underserved.
#5 Rosalynd, thanks for your comment — this was my view, as well. I wondered if this year's approach is new and different (I honestly can't remember from four years ago — I thought I remembered there being more "history" in prior years, and found the topic approach preferrable to dwelling on Our Heritage).
I wondered if the topic approach is more complementary to the new youth lessons (though the topics are different), trying to teach doctrines and principles. That said, it seems there is little to keep an eterprising teacher from introducing the history into any of the discussions.
Rosalynde and Brant: I wish I shared your rosy outlooks and charitable readings of the lessons. Perhaps I was just especially bitter as I looked over the manual yesterday. But the problematic topical approach that plagues so many of our manuals was already on my mind.
Joe: good thoughts. I'll I have to chew on those for a while.
Also, I have no idea why I originally had "topographical" in the title. I swear I know the difference between "topical" and "topographical." That's what I get for finishing a post at 1am.
I'm not so rosy as resigned. I see the place for this approach and agree that it could be better. I would love for better contextual teaching in all manuals (my favorite being the Book of Mormon, of course, but it is sadly needed in the NT and OT).
The topical method is a different approach and frankly better mirrors the way most members read the text. In that context it has the ability to dip a little deeper than normal. I'm not sure there is any way to combine the two effectively without adding another year to the SS curriculum. Then we could look at the interaction of history and layering of doctrinal understanding and still have a year to try to understand what we think we understand of today's teachings.
Couldn't agree more with the dismay over fragmentation of the Doctrine & Covenants and "Church History" into topics. It has potential advantages as a technique for deeper discussion of doctrines than in, say, Gospel Essentials, but zero value as a way to engage with genuine church history. This is also the approach of the Teaching of Presidents manuals, of course. I busied myself with adding in Lorenzo Snow's other wives to the timeline of his life during RS yesterday in my brand-new copy, which begged to be so annotated. BTW, the approach you mention in the quoted Ensign article sounds a LOT like (even nearly word for word) the opening essays in Stephen Harper's Making Sense of the Doctrine & Covenants & it's refreshing to see this recognition beginning to trickle into general church thinking, if not into the lessons themselves. Yet. There's always the millennium, I guess.
Also, your Primary is now very lucky.
I wonder whether this might be one of the intended benefits of the topical approach to the D&C. By dehistoricizing and decontextualizing the revelations it serves to avoid church history – with all its problems – and instead focus on its status as scripture (to borrow Joe's insight). Of course, it may just be an elective affinity.
The BoM manual is not topical; it is based on readings of chapters moving sequentially from 1 Nephi through Moroni 10, much like the OT and NT manuals. That makes the D&C manual alone in its heavy reliance on a topical approach.
I personally refuse to do scripture chains. I anticipatte doing what Rosalynde suggests, focusing on the key readings. But I really wish this manual were set up like the others, with the focus being on whole Sections in at least something of a chronological order.
If history = the study of past events, I fail to see how D&C or Daughters in my Kingdom could not be a history.
In both cases past events are being studied, but they are most certainly being studied with an agenda. The church manuals are upfront about that agenda, in the sense that they arrange the history in the form of principles and lessons that we can derive from those events.
I think history for history's sake is educational, informative, and not necessarily what's important in life. There are billions of people who will never learn a certain type of chronological history or story — and who is to say what's presented is even correct or complete. But the principles we can glean from those stories are what is important to me.
I think there are rightly a lot of world wide Saints who would wonder about why they need to learn such an in depth version of church history as a part of Sunday school curriculum. But learning about church history and the revelations in the context of individual themes makes the lessons more relevant.
I actually think it would be an awesome thing if the church opened up these classes to all who wanted to take them as part of a group/classroom "bible study" type approach outside of gospel doctrine.
But, kaphor, divorced from its context, the possibility of gleaning valid principles from the text is seriously compromised. We're not talking about "history for history's sake." Not even remotely. We're talking about history for reality's sake.
The current approach is an example of "history" only in the same sense that taking a perfectly cooked filet mignon with a side of asparagus and liquefying them in a blender is an example of haute cuisine.
To play devil's advocate, I think that this approach reveals something very important about Mormonism: despite Joe, Grant, and Brant's laudable efforts (which I thoroughly in am sympathy with, because I read Biblical commentary for fun) Mormonism is not a scriptural religion. It's a priestly religion, wherein the most important (though not the only) source of authority about what Mormons should believe is the fifteen guys at the top. They regularly prooftext scripture to make their points about charity, not wearing more than two earrings, and being reverent in sacrament meeting; we regularly prooftext scripture as we repeat their points to each other. In our church, scripture primarily exists as a source of authority for whatever points the General Authorities want to make. That's why the manuals are organized as they are – and even the NT, OT, and BoM manuals, despite their superficial chronological organization, are primarily geared toward topical rather than deep textual analysis. Frankly, I think this is the way most Mormons are used to thinking about scripture, and we here on this blog are uncomfortable with that because most of us are coming at this from the perspective of people interested in reading books by Richard Bushman, Grant Hardy, and Brant Gardner.
Kaphor: mostly what LdG said. I don't think the principles *can* be separated from the history. I am not arguing that people are missing out on the history, but that they are getting a distorted reading of the revelations, and thus a misrepresentation of the principles contained therein.
Matt: you, of course, bring up a very important point that is perhaps the larger issue. Sadly, I don't really have much of a response because I agree. Further, perhaps exercises like this by those of us who do want a more scriptural religion—and, more importantly, don't agree with the interpretations by those currently in charge—are necessary in order to carve out our own niche within the tradition.
I think the biggest drawback to topic based lessons is that they all become the same no matter what source they are based on. If I'm studying tithing in Priesthood/RS or in SS and one lesson is based on the teachings of Lorenzo Snow and one is based on the D&C the practical result is still the same, the same comments will be made by class members and the majority of teachers will present them the same. Not the best way to make church more engaging.
Really an excellent post Ben. One interesting thing- "The basic assumption behind this organizational structure, in which topics are prioritized over context, is that the canon of truth is consistent and self-referential" This assumption of consistency or harmonization runs so counter to one of the basic LDS axioms, of line-upon-line, and continuing revelation. Though LUL gets play from these two, McConkie and JFieldingS both felt compelled to argue for the utter and complete consistency of scripture, probably from their high view of scripture.
"Every truth, in every field, in all the earth, and in all eternity, is in complete and total harmony with every other truth. Truth is always in harmony with itself. The word of the Lord is truth, and no scripture ever contradicts another, nor is any inspired statement of any person out of harmony with an inspired statement of any other person. Paul and James did not have differing views on faith and works, and everything that Alma said about the Resurrection accords with section 76 in the Doctrine and Covenants. When we find seeming conflicts, it means we have not as yet caught the full vision of whatever points are involved.
"It is true that a divine revelation admits of no change, but it may admit of additional knowledge or development and information. It may, in fact, for cause, be revoked. The Lord does not always reveal the fulness of a principle at first and he certainly has the right to reserve to himself other and greater knowledge. His word to man comes in steps, peacemeal, as his servants are prepared to receive it. But there will be no conflict between the part first revealed, and the latter part revealed, they will harmonize." Joseph Fielding Smith, Man: His Origin and Destiny, 470.
To what degree is the design of the lessons an attempt to basically correlate the D&C, as the Presidents books have done with the writings of the prophets otherwise? I suppose this is another way of saying what matt b pointed out already, and I like the concept of making Mormonism more 'scriptural,' especially since that's what JSJ clearly intended.
In other news, I have looked at the Institute Manual for the D&C, and its reliance on Joseph Fielding Smith as an interpreter makes for dreary reading.
These sentiments need contesting, I think. Given the complex history of the texts involved, to read the D&C as it stands is to get a distorted reading of the revelations—arguably less distorted, but not much less. For that reason, it's hard not to hear in this conversation a plea less for a sequential study of the D&C than for a year of Sunday School dedicated to the academic study of Church history. Further, if it's true that "divorced from its context, the possibility of gleaning valid principles from the text is seriously compromised," then heaven help us in reading the Bible! We've only begun to unearth the context of some of the texts of the Bible, and much of what has been unearthed is subject to intense debate. And if the only valid way to read scripture is through the lens of history, then we're condemned to endless debates about the historicity of the Book of Mormon—something I can't accept.
The historical is one of many ways to approach scripture, and there's no obvious reason it should be privileged above others. I read scripture that way, among others, and I find it helpful—even necessary—for what I want to do with the text. And I think others should be granted the privilege of reading scripture historically as well. But there are reasons to be wary of trapping the text within history. Non-historical readings of scripture may or even tend to misrepresent the principles contained therein, but no one non-historical reading necessarily does so—and no historical reading escapes the danger of misrepresenting the same principles, whether because of the methodology it employs, the provisional scope it brings to the text, or the kinds of questions it constitutively fails to ask.
Now, in response to matt b — Yes, you've told me before that Mormonism isn't a scriptural religion, but I can't convince myself on that point. I can grant that Mormonism isn't scriptural enough to be non-hierarchical, but it's just as clear, I think, that Mormonism isn't hierarchical enough to be non-scriptural. Scripture serves as a kind of indeterminate space of possibility within an otherwise fully determinate phenomenon—and that's precisely why it deserves closer attention. Or so it seems to me, anyway.
Joe: I actually disagree with you here, which makes me worried for my own sake. Sure, there is a risk to move too far toward an academic study of Mormon history that would replace scriptural study–but it is a ridiculously long spectrum, and we'd have a to go a long way to get there.I will gladly stand by the belief that historical context is *necessary* to understand scripture. Of course we will never have a perfect reconstruction, but that shouldn't curtail our efforts. I'm in no way saying that other approaches aren't welcome—indeed, you know I am very open and eager for other approaches–but I'll always maintain that a strong sense of historical context will be foundational.
But then, I'm a historian.
Norbert, isn't that what the other SS manuals are doing too? They don't jump in chapters like D&C do, but the verses selected and the purposes for a lesson given in the beginning are making it so that we have same lessons every year, just like in the Teachings of Presidents.
Some time the choice of a topic might be interesting, like in the case of Ruth. The way she seduced Boaz tells that she hadn't read the For the Strength of the Youth, yet virtue is big part of the lesson (even in the name of the lesson).
To Christopher J. in regards to comment #3 — Yes, changes are being made to church study guides and manuals. The scriptures will be released with various changes some in 2013. However, the corrleation department doesn't specify release dates for new manuals because at the same time many American Saints are clamoring for more efficient study guides there are many, many more members who speak other languages that are catching up to the available materials.
J. Madson, my practice generally is to do what you suggest. But the structure of the D&C manual makes it considerably harder than in the other curriculum years. When a BoM lesson is on Moroni 7-8 and 10, that gives me considerable latitude to craft a lesson from that material. When a D&C lesson is a scripture chain of individual verses, yes I can just ignore the scripture chain, but in that instance it is more likely to become a problem for me as it becomes clearer to class members that I'm off the ranch. Maybe I should be released for not prooftexting a scriipture chain as the manual wishes me to do; if so, so be it. I simply refuse to teach based on a prooftexting scrpture chain.
Ben – I'd say that what you (and what Joe) want is a _scholar's_ tradition. Conservative evangelicalism, for instance, is a pretty good example of a scriptural tradition, but I doubt many of us would be running toward the warm embrace of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Joe – I think we're plenty hierarchical enough. And, at the same time, I may be (as Ben says) a historian, pointing to how the tradition works on the ground, while you're positing how you think Mormonism should work. I might settle this by counting (as Kristine suggested to me) the number of scriptural quotations in any given publication of the church to the number of General Authority quotations.
I'm happy to grant that historical work is necessary to understand scripture in a certain way, and I very much prefer that way for all kinds of reasons. And it may, furthermore, be that that way or something very like it is the best possible way on offer in our own era ("era" meaning here something like what Foucault calls "episteme"). But I'm nervous about any absolute claim about the necessity of history to understanding of scripture, given that it was functionally impossible to study scripture historically for most of the history of Christianity (for the few, that is, who had access to scripture and were literate).
Also, while you're unmistakably right about how far we'd have to go to reduce scripture study to the academic study of history entirely, it has to be said that theological study of scripture has so far suffered more than it has benefited from the rise of academic history. Luckily, that seems to be changing, but from the end of the eighteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth, and still in most of the English-speaking world, theological reflection on scripture almost entirely disappeared from the academy. And this, frankly, plagues Mormonism, where scriptural theology can't even be recognized for what it is when it is undertaken.
I don't think that I want a scholar's tradition, though I've been told that enough that I probably ought to think it. Of course, I'm not claiming that I want a scriptural tradition either, and precisely for the reasons you state (I'm no fan of conservative evangelicalism!). In fact, I don't know that I'm interested in any sort of tradition. Instead, I'm interested just in the equivocal position scripture inhabits in Mormonism at any given moment—not, I might add, the position scripture should inhabit (I've no normative claims to make here!).
So, my point is descriptive rather than prescriptive, but it's nonetheless more structural than historical. Long after every policy currently in place has been changed, and long after every currently quoted general authority statement has been forgotten, the canon will most likely continue to play a role in Mormonism. Even if the role it plays at every point in the future is the role it has played most of the time in the history of the Church (that is, as a nominal source of authority for less-than-scriptural policies, etc.), the history between now and then will have been a history of missed potentiality. In Mallarmean terms, even if nothing will have taken place but the place, the place will have taken place, and that's more than an unbroken history of irresistible hierarchy.
Actually, this is a great discussion, though it is becoming somewhat rarified. Within the context of a typical gospel doctrine class, what are we really after? We are supposed to be fostering a discussion (first and foremost) about what these God-words indicate for us in our own days and lives. How are we to live, and informed by what principles?
And, as we hopefully all agree, the richest possibilities for exploring the meanings of God's words, and the best hope we have of seeing how they might pertain to us arise not from deriving bare aphorisms or rules from the revelations, but from communally exploring the stories that enfold the meanings that we are after, and then reading ourselves into those same stories. The best books of scriptures for teaching from are the ones that are stories. That is why the Book of Mormon can be read so profitably without any special attention to its context in the Americas. It is its own narrative, and it can do just fine without a study guide correlating it to external history. Most of the books of the Bible, likewise. Most of the P of GP, too. That is not to say that unearthing the historical underpinnings of the Bible isn't desirable. But it is to say that an ethic for living and a sense of God's call to covenant are entirely possible without archaeology's contributions to framing the text.
But, as Joe says, the D&C has been denuded of its stories, except a few inadequate points at the beginning of each section. As such, it is simply a less serviceable text for what we are typically trying to do with it in the particular context of Gospel Doctrine. Most teachers who instinctively want to work with stories to make their points feel challenged by the D&C for this reason. Nearly everyone senses the need to go beyond the text of to figure out the story that will finally help us fit these words into our own frames of reference and patterns of life. The question then becomes, where do you go to get the story? And how much effort do you throw into that quest?
On the other hand, there is a sense in which the framers of the D&C seemed to be seeking to compile a tome of "pure doctrine"—a collection of commandments and expositions that have not been but readily could be systematized into an intellectually coherent, logically consistent edifice of eternal, unchanging truth, which truth to know, is life eternal. We see them already starting to do this with the Lectures on Faith, which, of course, was originally published with the D&C. No story needed, just solid, smooth dovetailings of precept to precept until all is logically tight like unto a dish. The resulting perfect, all-encompassing truth, rightly understood, could then be plugged into any mundane human circumstance you like and yield proper guidance to blessed outcomes. I really think that something like this was the intent, and we find ourselves working against the grain of the D&C when we insist that we still want to have story time with it. But, I'm a product of the narrative theology approach that is favored by this Church as much as anyone, so I don't hold it against me or anyone else for wanting more narrative.
There is a high cost to the lack of context. Just this Sunday I listened as the conversation revolved around reinforcing simple quotes from D&C. I was thinking about how those "truths" reflected a point in time, a particular audience, and their particular needs.
I thought of things I might say (though I knew I wouldn't.) Perhaps subtly suggesting that we remind ourselves that we often have "milk" and not "meat" — and the implications for greater truths that may be revealed. Or perhaps discussing humility or how truths can coexist with other truths. Instead, we simply restated oversimplifications that we've all heard hundreds of times.
Like others reading this blog, I've had my own spiritual experiences. As a result, I can no longer see God and Jesus through such a simplistic lens. I find myself lonely in the Church. When I've been asked to describe my experiences I know that I can't — who would understand? A real experience of God is only sometimes like scripture. It is far more complex than simple "doctrine" and "covenants" would suggest. Is it possible to outgrow Mormonism?
Seems the historical approach is 'what then?', the normative is 'what now?', and the theological 'what if?' Certainly the eclipse of any risks making the rest sterile.
Niklas, most of the other curricula allow me to ignore the manual and focus on the text and basically do as I wish with it. With the scripture-chain approach, that becomes impossible. The textbook becomes the text, an atrocious pedagogical proposition.
Typical Meridian glurge, with the last three quarters of the article having nothing to do with the question at hand. So the author basically says this is Gospel Principles with content limited to the D and C.
Norbert no. 36, you have articulated exactly the problem I have with this as a GD teacher in the trenches.
Grant No. 37, thanks for pointing us to that Meridian article. The background on the origins of the format was interesting. I remain unconvinced that the committee was successful with what they were trying to do. If we're going to study D&C, let's study D&C; if we're going to study modern LDS Church history, let's study that; if we're going to study the doctrines of the restoration, let's study that. This mishmash approach results in the manual itself becoming the text we are to study. I'm trying fo figure out how I'm going to teach lesson 2 on Jesus Christ, and the manual is such a florilegium of isolated scriptural passages I'm having a devil of a time figuring out how to teach it well.
After reading this discussion, I got out the little study guide they handed out in Sunday School. It carried a copyright date of 1999. I also looked at a teacher's manual I had, also with a 1999 copyright date (and the same lesson titles as my little student guide). So unless the teacher's manual has changed somehow to suggest a different teaching method of the same lessons from previous years, this is not a new way of studying the D&C in Sunday School. So did everyone on BCC have the same problems with it four years go? Not that I'm in favor of the scripture chain, topical way of teaching. The revelations in the D&C were given, for the most part, in answer to specific questions and I think we would be better served if we studied those revelations in context.
If the manual is the same as it was the last time the D&C was studied, and the time before that (copyright date of 1999), why all the fuss this year? Or has the teacher's manual changed but the class member study guide remained the same? I'm just a little confused. Did our ward get the wrong manuals or what? The manuals I have are not any different.
Sharee, your are right that nothing has changed in the manual. I can only apologise on behalf of all the BCC permas for the lack of consistency in our righteous indignation. We will try to be better in the future.
Sharee: personally, I had a calling that kept me out of sunday school in 2008. And I was on my mission in 2004. And I was a teenager in 2000, thus didn't pay attention. So I can sincerely say that this is the first time I've considered the manual.
I was just called as gospel doctrine teacher and I am looking forward to teaching next week's lesson which focuses solely on the first vision. I've read the chapter on the first visions in RSR and purchased Harper's 'Joseph Smith's First Vision' that contains each of the first vision accounts! Looking forward to an in depth contextual discussion….
Joe #32, what do you mean by "tradition"? I don't expect you to respond in full here, or any time soon, but since you know I'm interested in Alasdair MacIntyre, and he has a rich account of tradition (with the Catholic tradition obviously in mind, and I think his views have been fairly influential in Catholic thought), I'd be very curious whether MacIntyre's conception of tradition would withstand your criticism, or push you to alter your criticism of tradition (I suspect it would, either way…).
We looked at the LDS historical chronology in the D&C study guide last week and noted it ended around 1999/2000. Wondering when/if this will be updated.
'A text without a context is a pretext' Truman Madsen.
While historical context certainly provides a meaningful frame, it is not the only context. The doctrinal context of the Restoration is an important framing element and an opportunity to explore this is opened up in lesson two. This is the teaching tack I will be taking including looking at various textual conventions that emerge in the nominated scriptures to provide an early snapshot of how D&C revelations are constructed.
Discussion may also focus on how these scriptures are typically Restorationist by exploring what they bring back doctrinally about the Saviour (as well as where and when).
There are also other contexts at work here. There is the internal ordering of scriptural passages where typically meaning proceeds sequentially (or locally) each verse providing a context for adjacent verses. The scripture chaining teaching approach noted by Kevin above, however, disrupts this sense-making process by 'dropping in' unexpectedly on larger sections of scripture, so we will read around the selected verses. I see part of my role as assisting class members to develop their scripture reading strategies. Lesson two will provide a good beginning.
I'm late to this discussion, but I too am teaching Primary kids this year, and I find myself approaching each week's lesson with a clench in my guts. The topical focus and the prooftexting: just not the way I engage with the principles of Mormonism, and the manual isn't helping, what with the weird historical reduction/whitewash/hagiography that it's got going on. I want to make sure that I model engaging with this strange bit of quasiscripture in a productive way for my own kids, who are in the class. I've been sneaking around the bloggernacle trying to see if anyone has come up with a different approach than I have, which is, in the absence of any narrative unity, often to elaborate some textual point into utility (this week: four years of angelic visits : patience and learning to see with an eternal perspective rather than needing immediate gratification), because early Mormonism is not my playground. (Too late in the theological tradition for my interest.) Anyway, if anyone out there has a way in, I'd be interested to hear it week by week. And I'll just breathe deeply and wait, patiently and with an eternal perspective :), for the OT next year.
I'm realizing today, again, just how badly this fails. Sitting in class, lesson 8, realized that one could remove the scripture references, and it could be a lesson from any other class. No scripture necessary at all.
In other words, here we are studying the D&C without ever having to even crack it open.


Mr. DePodesta co-founded Primus Telecommunications Group, Inc. ("Primus") in 1994, and served as the company's Director, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, Chief Corporate Development Officer and Secretary from 1994 to 2010. Primus was listed as a Fortune 1000 company during its fifth year of operation. From 1994 to 2002, Mr. DePodesta served as the Chairman of the Board of Iron Road Railways, Inc., which he also co-founded. He served as Senior Vice President, Law and Public Policy, of Genesis Health Ventures from 1996 to 1998. Additionally, from 1994 to 1999, he served as "of counsel" to the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP, where he was previously a partner since 1979. Before Joining Pepper Hamilton LLP, Mr. DePodesta served as General Counsel of Consolidated Rail Corporation and General Counsel—Reorganization for the Penn Central Trustees during the period from 1970 to 1979.
Since 1994, he has served as a director of Educational Credit Management Corporation, where he is currently Chairman of the Board, Chairman of the Governance and Compensation Committee and Chairman of the Board of Educational Credit Management Corporation's for-profit and non-profit subsidiaries. Mr. DePodesta also served as a director of Genesis HealthCare from 2003 until 2007; where he was a member of the Audit Committee and the Special Committee. Since August 2011, Mr. DePodesta has served as a director of Sutron Corporation and is currently Chairman of the Governance and Compensation Committee and a member of the Audit Committee. Since April 2010, Mr. DePodesta has served as Managing Director of Dolomite Group, LLC, which provides advisory services to senior executives and public and private governing bodies.
Mr. DePodesta has extensive experience in law and regulation, corporate governance, corporate management, mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financing, restructuring and working with healthcare and high growth technology companies.


text:
Q: IDE support for debugging multithreaded programs in Java Are there any IDEs out there for Java development that have built-in support (or available plugins/extensions) for visual debugging of multithreaded programs in the same vein as Visual Studio allows you to visualise parallel stacks of multiple concurrent threads? I'm aware this has probably been asked many times before, but perhaps new tools have cropped up since previous discussions.
For ref, here's an example of what I'm talking about in VS, where the stacks for more than one thread are visualised:

A: Regarding the question at hand, IntelliJ allows you to visually see all the threads that currently exist/alive at runtime, from the tab called Threads, inside the debug session window (where you can view the individual stacks that correspond to each): Thread groups

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


What a great webinar with Denise Michaels as she shared her new passion for the International Book Writing Guild, of which I am proud to be a member.
Don Legere talked further this week on "Consciously Living Your Goals" and focused on Willpower which fit right in with our Guest this week, Denise Michaels.
As a guest on our Saturday Webinar, Denise shared her passion for what she does and gave our audience some "starter advice" on how to get started writing your book.
That's how it is for me and my new book, "Find Your Passion, Find Your Fortune" and I am excited to see it develop with the help of Denise's new Book Mentoring Group.
Do you believe you have a how-to or self-help book in you?
Denise Michaels and the International Book Writing Guild may be just the mentorship you need to make it happen.
You can contact Denise on Facebook or join her Writers of Non Fiction group, both are listed below.


text:
Trump confidant concerned about Russia "happy talk"
Jonathan Swan
A source who spoke to Trump last week told me he left the conversation concerned that the president "actually believes" Ty Cobb's "happy talk." What the source meant was that the White House lawyer has been naive in his view that the Mueller investigation — as it relates to the White House — will be wrapped by end of year or shortly after.
I emailed Cobb today to ask whether he still believed his previous public statements that the White House would be free of the investigation by the end of this year or January. (He'd originally said before Thanksgiving.)
Cobb's reply: "Yes Jonathan, still believe shortly after the first of the year absent some unforeseen delay. People keep confusing that estimate with the Manafort/Flynn silos which will certainly continue to be active. My August estimate of when interviews would be completed was less than two weeks off, and that was despite the China trip which cost us 2 weeks, and half a dozen international crises."
I told Cobb I still didn't understand what he meant. Was he saying Mueller has 100% completed all interviews with White House staff? And if the Manafort and Flynn "silos" continue to be active, couldn't they potentially implicate people who currently work in the White House?
Cobb replied again: "I am saying the interviews will be completed by the end of next week which I have said often and which has been quoted by 50 news outlets over the last month or more (with the caveat and understanding illness, Acts of God or logistical factors could add 24 to 48 hours). The Manafort inquiry has nothing to do with the White House as the indictment itself and the related public acknowledgement of Manafort's lawyer, make plain. And, we do not anticipate the long awaited Flynn indictment will delay the Special Counsel's conclusion of the inquiry into the White House. Just no there there."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
Energy and Power is a 1962 science book for children by L. Sprague de Camp, illustrated by Weimer Pursell and Fred Eng, published by Golden Press as part of The Golden Library of Knowledge Series. It has been translated into Portuguese and Spanish.

The title blurb summarizes the content as "How man uses animals, wind, water, heat, electricity, chemistry, and atoms to perform work."

Notes

1962 children's books
Children's non-fiction books
Science books
Books by L. Sprague de Camp
American children's books

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
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Tequila: Types, Nutrition Facts, & Risks
by John Staughton (BASc, BFA) last updated - August 20, 2020
Once associated with Mexican bandits and cowboys, tequila has steadily gained ground among a wider population. From frat parties to more upscale bars, tequila is one of the most popular liquors in the world. One of the charms of tequila is its strong cultural roots. Tequila is also used in many classic cocktail recipes, including margarita and tequila sunrise.
What is Tequila?
Tequila is a type of liquor made from the blue agave plant. It is a succulent plant, native to the Americas. Tequila is made from the heart of the agave plant, known as piña. It is a large bulb that grows underground. It is slowly baked to convert its starch into sugar. The baked pina is then crushed to extract the sugar, which is then fermented into alcohol.
Legally, it can only be made in the Jalisco region of Mexico. The name itself comes from the town of Tequila, where a large percentage of production still occurs. It is often confused with mezcal and is indeed a type of mezcal, but mezcal can be made from any type of agave.
There are more than 300 different types of tequila on the market, and they range in color from completely pure to a dark brown color. The aroma is similarly diverse, depending on what type of alcohol you are consuming. There are four main types of tequila:
Blanco – A pure white or clear spirit that has been allowed to age for less than 2 months
Reposado – Aged between 2 months and 1 year in oak barrels
Anejo – Aged between 1 year and 3 years in oak barrels
Extra Anejo – Aged for at least 3 years
Tequila shots with salt and lime, a classic combination. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Alcoholic beverage, tequila sunrise, canned
Serving Size : 100 g1 fl oz (31.1 g)1 can (6.8 fl oz, 200 ml) (211 g)
Water [g] 78.8
Energy [kcal] 110
Energy [kJ] 460
Protein [g] 0.3
Total lipid (fat) [g] 0.1
Ash [g] 0.1
Carbohydrate, by difference [g] 11.3
Iron, Fe [mg] 0.02
Magnesium, Mg [mg] 7
Phosphorus, P [mg] 10
Potassium, K [mg] 10
Sodium, Na [mg] 57
Zinc, Zn [mg] 0.6
Copper, Cu [mg] 0.04
Manganese, Mn [mg] 0.01
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid [mg] 19.3
Thiamin [mg] 0.04
Riboflavin [mg] 0.02
Niacin [mg] 0.19
Pantothenic acid [mg] 0.09
Vitamin B-6 [mg] 0.05
Folate, total [µg] 11
Folate, food [µg] 11
Folate, DFE [µg] 11
Vitamin A, RAE [µg] 5
Vitamin A, IU [IU] 97
Alcohol, ethyl [g] 9.4
Sources include : USDA
Tequila Nutrition
Tequila is seen as a 'healthy drink' because it contains lesser calories than other liquors. It has 64 calories per shot, as compared to nearly 100 calories in a shot of vodka. Pure tequila is low in sugar and has a natural sweetness. It contains no carbohydrates. This makes it gluten-free.
Health Benefits: Myth Vs Reality
Tequila is almost always the favorite in any party circuit. But of late it has gained popularity as a 'health' drink. But what is the truth behind the hype? Is tequila healthy? With low sugar and no carbs, it's not a bad choice in liquor. But like anything containing alcohol, it comes with plenty of riders. Let's take a small reality check:
Weight Loss: Tequila is often touted as the best drink for weight loss as it contains less sugar and is less calorific per shot than most other liquors. But there is no conclusive research to support this claim. One must also keep in mind that while tequila itself may not be high in sugar, a tequila cocktail may contain other ingredients with high sugar content.
Good for Bones: An animal research indicated that tequila may be good for our bones. However, if one goes beyond the headlines, there are plenty of flaws in this claim. As a Harvard article points out, the research associating tequila with strong bones has not been tested on humans. Most importantly, it uses agave fructans and not tequila.
Full of Agavins: Some people attribute tequila with benefits of agave, particularly agavins and fructans which may be beneficial for our health. For instance, one research by the American Chemical Society found that agavins may help lower blood glucose levels in people with diabetes. However, it is important to note here that agavins are the carbohydrates that are cooked to produce tequila. In the process, it breaks down. Hence, the finished tequila does not contain agavins.
One must also keep in mind that tequila contains alcohol, which can have harmful consequences if not taken responsibly. As a distilled spirit, tequila has a typically high concentration of alcohol, ranging from 40-46 percent. This is why the standard serving of tequila is small. A typical tequila shot is 1.5 ounces.
How to Make Tequila?
For those who truly love this alcohol, it is possible to make your own tequila at home, but it can be an involved process. However, alcohol consumption, if done in an excessive manner, can lead to short-term health risks such as violence and injuries as well as long-term health risks such as addiction, alcohol abuse, and chronic diseases. Keeping these guidelines in mind, let us look at the recipe for tequila.
Tequila Recipe
A time-intensive procedure to make your favorite drink!
Course: Alcoholic drink
Keyword: Tequila
Appliance: Fermenting Vat
Servings: 1 liter
Author: Ishani Bose
15 pounds of agave plant
To make tequila, first, you must harvest the agave from one of the limited regions where blue agave plants grow in Mexico.
You will need to cook the agave and then crush the agave hearts, which mills and squeezes the juice that is necessary for the production of the alcohol.
You must then store a large amount of agave juice in a fermenting vat until the alcohol begins to form.
At this point, you can store the alcohol in large oak barrels and allow them to age for anywhere between two months and five years.
Basically, it is possible to make your own, but given the time-intensive nature of production, people normally leave it to the professionals. It takes 8 to 20 years (in some cases) to make a bottle of tequila.
Tequila Risks & Side Effects
Alcohol consumption can be a tricky matter as it needs to be done in moderation and has the potential to turn into an addiction. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who should not drink alcohol include women who are pregnant, individuals younger than 21 years of age, and people who are recovering from alcoholism or cannot control the amount they drink. Also, it should be avoided by people who are planning to drive or any other activity that required focus, alertness, and skill.
Different countries have different legal guidelines on alcohol consumption. According to The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, if alcohol is consumed, it should be done in moderation. The guidelines define moderate drinking as up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men, which applies to adults of legal drinking age.
If consumed in excess, tequila will result in the following:
Potential nausea
Essentially, tequila is a form of alcohol that can get you drunk, and while hangovers are less likely, excessive consumption will definitely result in a painful morning.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/40993108
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/07388559509150529
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/obe.2010.0209?journalCode=owm
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsfa.4367/full
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0378427493900726
https://www.narayana-verlag.com/homeopathy/pdf/Dictionary-of-Homoeopathic-Materia-Medica-.01374_2.pdf
John Staughton is a traveling writer, editor, publisher and photographer with English and Integrative Biology degrees from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana (USA). He co-founded the literary journal, Sheriff Nottingham, and now serves as the Content Director for Stain'd Arts, a non-profit based in Denver, Colorado. On a perpetual journey towards the idea of home, he uses words to educate, inspire, uplift and evolve.
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Schedule a workday for YOUR group!
All year long, churches, businesses, college groups, and organizations give a day or more to serving with us to reclaim the neighborhood! Without the help of these groups, we would not be able to impact our community in such a major way! With the acquisition of over 35 single family homes, 2 apartment buildings, 2 commercial meeting spaces, and 1 community center, there is ALWAYS work to do! Whether you have a team of 3 or 3,000 - we work with teams of all sizes.
Thank you for showing interest in helping us reclaim the community of Regent Park! On of our work day coordinators will reach out to you soon!


With just 12 rooms and 1 apartment, we don't need a super-sophisticated online reservation system. Instead, we have real people who know not only which rooms are available and when but also details of any special offers and deals we might have going around the time of your visit.
So, decide your dates, take a look at the room categories and rates below. Then just complete the form, which will be automatically emailed to us. Someone will then get right back to you with what's available and how much. Simple as that.
Please scroll down to our enquiry form. If you're interested in a specific room please let us know in the Notes section.
When you enquire we'll send you details of our policies and conditions regarding refunds, amendments and payment methods.
•	Breakfast is always included.
Extra mattresses for children up to 11 years old are Php 750 per night, breakfast included.
Extra adult sharing room is Php 1,500 per night, breakfast included.
Occasionally we're able to offer special discounts, especially if you have some flexibility with your dates. Tick the box if you'd like us to tell you about them. Or simply call us.


When things are tense, finding ways to communicate successfully can be problematic. In the early days, especially, it can be difficult to talk and discussions can easily become arguments.
Nevertheless, it's vital that you find a way of sharing important information about your children. Failure to communicate around their needs can make life more difficult for them, make it harder for them to adjust and, in the worst situations, can put them at risk. One solution to difficult communications is to agree to structure your communications.
The Parenting Phone call (sometimes referred to as a Scripted Phone Call) or the Parenting Information Exchange (where you substitute oral communication for written communication) are ways of having a business like exchange of information that keeps firm boundaries in place.
Over time, as things begin to improve, this can form a solid foundation for exchanging important information about your children and can even set the standard for a new parenting relationship between the two of you. It can also help to build trust between you and will demonstrate to your children that you are working together around their needs.
If you want to talk about your relationship, ask for a separate phone call.
Talk only about pre-agreed items, if something else comes up book another call.
Don't ask each other what you've been doing or how you are; this is about the children.
Seek clarification if necessary but comments will sound like judgements.
Try to keep your PPCs time limited. You're trying to achieve a business like transaction that produces the maximum amount of information sharing with the minimum amount of fuss. It can also be a good idea to agree in advance what you will do if the call descends into an argument. Find a phrase or word that signals you are uncomfortable with the way the call is going. Warn your children's other parent that you aren't happy and that you will end the call unless it gets back on track. Only then hang up.
If either of you is finding it too difficult to manage talking on the phone, you could try turning your Parenting Phone Call into a Parenting Information Exchange Sheet. Simply use the same structure but, instead of trying to discuss things on the phone, write the information down. The same basic rules apply – what you're trying to do is pass important information between you. Try to make your communications short, clear and precise.
If you're not able to hand over your Parenting Information Exchange Sheet by meeting face-to-face, post it, email it or get a friend or relative to pass it on. Never ask your children to take responsibility for handing over your Parenting Information Exchange Sheet. It makes them feel responsible for your relationship, puts them psychologically in the middle of the uncomfortable space between you and, on a very practical level, they will forget to hand it over.
You can download a form to use as a template, here. If you agreed to try a Parenting Phone Call, you can use it to make notes so that your call stays on track. If you have agreed to try a Parenting Information Exchange, simply fill in the appropriate information.


Table and Graphic displaying Last Year total - this year by month then YTD.
This is where I am stumped. I don't know how to split a date? Is it a formula or some kind of grouping that I need to do in a calculation or something?
Anything would be helpful! Right know, I have been piecing 2016 in one table to a 2017 Monthly table with a YTD total.
It is hope to have a graphic show the say way too.
1. Re: Table and Graphic displaying Last Year total - this year by month then YTD.
2. Re: Table and Graphic displaying Last Year total - this year by month then YTD.
Can you explain a bit more on this please?
Date Splits in tableau can be done using 'DatePart' function.
3. Re: Table and Graphic displaying Last Year total - this year by month then YTD.
Thank you, I haven't discovered the TDT video library. I will check it out.
4. Re: Table and Graphic displaying Last Year total - this year by month then YTD.
In my above example, I would like to show the total for last year on the same line as my current year Month to Month. I was just thinking about adding the date three times but can I filter it by time frame displayed. Or is there some type of hierarchy that can be used on a date?


Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal has appealed against the one-Test suspension handed to him after International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee Javagal Srinath found him guilty of ball tampering.
Chandimal was banned for the third Test against the West Indies in Barbados, which will be the first-ever day-night Test held in the Caribbean. He was also fined 100 percent of his match fee and handed two suspension points.
However, since he has challenged the guilty verdict, the ICC has appointed Michael Beloff QC, chairman of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission, to hear Chandimal's appeal.
"The hearing will take place on Friday, 22 June, and, legal counsel for both parties and Mr Chandimal will join via telephone or videoconference," the ICC said in a statement.
Chandimal was suspended for the third Test after video footage indicated that he took sweets out of his pocket and put them in his mouth. Just a few seconds later, he licked his fingers and applied saliva onto the ball, which is seen as him altering the condition of the ball.
However, when Chandimal was questioned what exactly he put in his mouth, he said that he could not remember.
"During the hearing, Dinesh admitted to putting something in his mouth but couldn't remember what it was, which I found unconvincing as a defence and the fact remains it was an artificial substance," Srinath had said in a statement on why he suspended Chandimal for the third Test.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged appeal, ball tampering, charge, cricket, Dinesh Chandimal, guilty, ICC, Michael Beloff QC, Sri Lanka. Bookmark the permalink.
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We are privileged to have guest speakers from the Canadian Council of Christian Charities (CCCC) with us in Winnipeg for inspiration and training at a TWO-FOLD event. The morning focus will be for Pastors and Ministry Directors, while the afternoon will broaden to the topic of Ministry Administration as a whole.
TUES, MARCH 5, 2019 (afternoon only) – This is a FREE workshop for anyone involved in ministry administration – be that staff or volunteer administrators, treasurers, bookkeepers, board members, pastors, etc. We know you wear many hats!
Come hear from a trio of staff from the Canadian Council of Christian Charities (CCCC) as they share updates and information that will help church administrators facilitate ministry and proactively respond to current Canadian donor trends.
TUES, MARCH 5, 2019 – PASTORS and MINISTRY DIRECTORS, please join us at the Pastors & Leaders Prayer Network, where guest speaker, John Pellowe (CEO of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities) will be sharing his passion for equipping churches.
John Pellowe will share during the regular monthly prayer meeting on the topic of "A Pastor's Achilles Heel – Church Administration." High quality administration is critical to having a well-run church, fulfilling legal/regulatory responsibilities, and building organizational health. John will share some stories that demonstrate how poor administration has hurt churches, and how CCCC gives pastors confidence that their administration team is knowledgeable and capable.
John will share the latest in academic-level research in Canada and elsewhere that shows beyond doubt the positive impact that local churches have on society. Every Canadian benefits from your church, whether they are of faith or not. Be encouraged and inspired as you realize the people you bless go far, far beyond those who are in attendance at your church.


text:
Dormitz is a Bavarian municipality in the district of Forchheim (Upper Franconia) and the administrative headquarters of the Dormitz community, which includes the parishes of Kleinsendelbach and Hetzles.

History

Dormitz was first mentioned in 1142 and 1146 in two documents.

References

Forchheim (district)


text:
Battle of broken toe: New Zealand dominate Pakistan despite Wagner injury
Chris FOLEY
New Zealand's players celebrate the wicket of Pakistan's Azhar Ali on the third day of the first Test at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui
Not even a broken toe could stop New Zealand's pace attack dominating day three of the first Test against Pakistan, but their efforts to quickly wrap up the innings were slowed by Mohammad Rizwan and Faheem Ashraf's late century stand Monday.
As intermittent showers and an unseasonal hail storm disrupted proceedings at Mount Maunganui, the Black Caps' pace foursome took five for 50 in the first two sessions before Pakistan rallied to be all out for 239 at stumps, still 192 in arrears.
Rizwan and Ashraf provided a face-saving partnership for Pakistan with 107 for the seventh wicket before Rizwan was run out for 71 by Mitchell Santner's smart underarm throw from square leg.
Ashraf soldiered on to a career-best 91 before he was the last wicket to fall.
Kyle Jamieson returned the best figures for New Zealand with three for 35, while Neil Wagner ignored the pain from a broken toe to charge in for 21 overs to take two for 50.
He hobbled off at stumps describing it as one of the toughest days of his career and revealed he needed pain killers to keep going.
"After the first rain break I just went 'dammit I can't bear the pain' and I got a jab and that took the pain away a little bit... but it started wearing off pretty quickly," said Wagner, who broke a toe on his right foot when batting on day two.
"Injuries happen and it's unlucky but I can still do things and run and it's not going to stop me. It's sore and it's bloody uncomfortable but its just one of those things you've got to deal with and I still felt that I didn't want to let my teammates down."
- Early declaration -
New Zealand need to win both Tests against Pakistan to be in with a chance to make the World Test Championship final in June, and Pakistan batting coach Younis Khan said that would put added pressure on the Black Caps going into their second innings on Tuesday.
"If New Zealand want to win this Test match they should do some brave decisions so we are expecting there will be an early declaration and we are ready for that," Khan said.
When Pakistan resumed the day at 30 for one, Abid Ali and nightwatchman Mohammad Abbas put on just nine runs in 74 balls while Wagner was kept out of the early attack.
The partnership was broken by Jamieson who hurt Abid Ali with the last ball of his first over which smacked into the batsman's fingers.
Two balls into Jamieson's next over Abid kept his hands out of the way from a ball wide of off stump, only to see it jag back and he was bowled for 25.
In the following over Trent Boult, who had troubled Abbas with a succession of short balls, found an edge with a full delivery and Ross Taylor held the catch at first slip.
Azhar Ali and Haris Sohail stayed together for 50 deliveries but contributed only nine runs before both went in one Tim Southee over.
Wagner tested his foot with three overs before lunch and continued with a seven-over spell after the break, during which he took the only wicket to fall in the middle session with a trademark bouncer that Fawad Alam edged to wicketkeeper BJ Watling.
The nine-run knock continued a run of low scores for Alam who has adopted an unusual side-on stance that suggests he is expecting the ball to come from square leg -- even more exaggerated than that of West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Jamieson had the remarkable figures of two for nine off 17 overs at tea but as the Rizwan-Ashraf partnership took its toll he ended the day with three for 35 off 23.1 overs.
Along with Wagner's pair, Southee finished with two for 69 and Boult took two for 71.
cf/th


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The Origins Of Deviled Eggs w/Recipe
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Have you ever wondered about the origin of deviled eggs? These tasty little appetizers, made by filling the centers of hard-boiled eggs with a mixture of egg yolks, mayonnaise, and various seasonings, are a staple at potlucks and parties around the world. But where did they come from?
The exact origins of deviled eggs are somewhat disputed, but food historians have a few theories. Some believe that deviled eggs may have originated in ancient Rome, where eggs were often boiled and served with a spicy mustard sauce. Others think that deviled eggs may have originated in medieval Europe, where they were considered a luxurious and decadent snack.
Regardless of their exact origins, it is clear that deviled eggs have been around for many centuries. In fact, the first recorded recipe for deviled eggs can be traced back to the early 18th century, when they were known as "stuffed eggs" or "dressed eggs." From there, deviled eggs spread in popularity and can now be found in many different cuisines around the world.
So the next time you enjoy a deviled egg at a party or gathering, take a moment to appreciate the rich history behind this tasty little treat. Whether they originated in ancient Rome or medieval Europe, deviled eggs have stood the test of time and remain a beloved appetizer for foodies everywhere.


Cleveland's metroparks are at the receiving end of heavy runoff from surrounding communities. The parks have become catch basins for stormwater, which is impacting aquatic habitat, eroding hundreds of miles of riverbanks, and flushing sediment into Lake Erie.
A study underway by Cleveland Metroparks within the Rocky River watershed is examining the hydrology of the vulnerable headwater streams affected by the runoff, as well as the effectiveness of small wetlands for water storage and water quality improvement. Unlike previous studies, though, researchers are utilizing real-time flow and water quality sensors to attain precise, short-interval hydrograph and water quality data.
Instead of the daily or monthly samples and level measurements used in existing research, the continuous monitoring network provides data every 15 minutes. This level of detail has generated some findings that defy conventional wisdom.
Being able to turn up the unexpected is one of the key advantages to having the continuous, real-time data, noted John Mack, Metroparks' chief of natural resources.
In fact, after monitoring stations were installed last winter, something about the initial measurements seemed entirely backwards. Existing hydrology literature would suggest flashy hydrographs are more common in urbanized streams than in pristine areas. The data indicated the opposite.
The more familiar trend appeared in the spring, as did a hypothesis for the unexpected winter results. The same impervious surfaces that cause stormwater to surge in the summer also act as giant heat sinks. The research team conjectured that the warm surfaces, along with road salt and other urban inputs, help snow and ice melt as it falls rather than melting all at once when temperatures rise like at pristine sites.
A wetland monitoring station in the 500-acre West Creek Preserve transmits weather, water quality, and hydrology data via real-time cellular telemetry.
Isco 2150 Area Velocity Flow Meters monitor precise water flow data at six primary headwater streams with similar geology, catchment size, fall, and channel width but of varying hydrologic intactness. The sites include two moderately degraded, two severely degraded, and two reference streams.
Furthermore, four water quality and quantity monitoring stations are installed throughout wetlands in the 2,600 acre Rocky River Reservation, with three sites at inlet locations and one at the outlet. Two additional sites are located at wetland outflows in West Creek Preserve, a 500acre natural park. Each of these sites is equipped with an Isco flow meter and a YSI 6920 multi-parameter sonde with temperature, pH, conductivity, ORP, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity probes. Sensors connect to a NexSens data logger with real-time cellular telemetry. By comparing the inlet and outlet data, the research team is able to quantify the wetlands' exact levels of water storage and effectiveness at reducing pollutants.
The stations are part of a pilot project for monitoring larger watershed restoration projects, Mack said.
Durkalec noted that a primary goal for the project is to gather reference data for small headwater streams in the area, which are often "under the radar" versus monitoring programs for larger waterways.
"A question we're trying to answer is what a normal hydrograph is for a stream with a three-mile drainage area in our watershed," Durkalec said. He added that all of the monitoring sites were deliberately placed within the Rocky River watershed so the data would be as comparable as possible.
Increased stormwater runoff resulting from urban development has had a number of undesirable consequences for the parks system and overall watershed health. The unnaturally high flow rates overwhelm headwater streams, which serve as tributaries for larger streams and rivers.
Under normal circumstances, headwaters moderate flow from heavy rains, process nutrients, and reduce sediment. They also provide habitat for unique native flora and fauna in the water and in surrounding riparian habitats. With heavier runoff, however, they are subject to channelization, culverting, and pollution. Additionally, stream bed scouring destroys the habitat used by many native species.
As a stream becomes urbanized, flashy water can cause increased scouring of substrate and potentially destroy the interstitial spaces within substrate where invertebrates live. Sensitive species like those in the indicator EPT taxa (stoneflies, mayflies, and caddisflies), which require undisturbed habitats to survive, begin to disappear.
Urbanization also introduces chemical changes to these fragile streams. Durkalec identified sodium chloride as a particularly insidious and pervasive pollutant.
Mack said he believes that one of the key solutions to the region's stormwater problem is use of smaller wetlands that are hydrologically isolated, which are highly effective at water removal.
In a previous study he conducted while working for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Mack and colleagues found that small isolated wetlands were capable of removing three to four times the amount of water compared to riverine wetlands.
The isolated wetlands, he said, are capable of retaining water until it is removed through transpiration and evaporation, whereas water can move out of riverine wetlands before this occurs.
The current project's focus on wetlands is in essence a follow-up to the investigation he conducted with the EPA, Mack said. The previous study lacked a continuous monitoring system and instead involved using portable water level recorders and precipitation data from a local airport. The new level of detail afforded by digital monitoring systems, he said, marks a giant leap in ecological studies.


I stood nervously behind my mother as we visited the nursing home where my grandmother lived in Hawaii. Her room was sunny, the walls pink. My little brother Ben was playing with his Legos on the tiled floor. I had a dog-eared copy of Anne of Green Gables—a much-loved gift for my recent ninth birthday—clutched in my hands.
My grandmother was perched, bird-like, on her hospital bed. In the final stages of Alzheimer's disease, she had been recently transferred to a facility near my aunt's home on the island of Kauai. She looked small and wrinkled. Confused.
I watched the speckled light hitting the floor, listened to the whispering footsteps in the hall and the chatter of nurses coming in and out of the room. It was vacation; my skin was slick with sunscreen. I had recently discovered the joys of coconut milk, the terror of jelly fish, and flowers so lusciously scented it was almost too much to wear them in a lei around my neck. I was very concerned that the purpled-toed plastic sandals (so stylish!) I had seen at a tourist shop would no longer be there when I could finally convince my mom (I need them!) to let me purchase a pair. I couldn't really understand why we were there in the room that smelled of baby powder and lemon juice, salt and old age.
"Karen?" my grandmother said in a soft, shaky voice. She was staring straight at me. Suddenly, I was terrified.
"No, Grandma…" I said. "I'm Molly."
I looked up at my mother beseechingly.
"Yes, Mom, this is Molly." My mother's voice was calm. "She's my daughter; remember her? I'm Karen; I am your daughter." She put her hand warmly on my shoulder.
My grandmother was obviously confused. She looked haphazardly around the room; her gaze continued falling back on me.
"This is my daughter Karen," she said quietly, to no one in particular. She was smiling. The room was silent.
I looked up at my mother, somehow expecting her to set the record straight. I had been warned that this would be a tough visit, that my grandmother was not very lucid. But I found it difficult to believe that she thought I was her daughter. I was Molly; my mom was Karen. And this strange, fragile woman on the bed? I had very few memories of her; we had nothing in common. I knew only that her name was Marian. And that visiting her in this home near the ocean made my lips taste vaguely like salt.
My mom, however, said nothing. She looked sad.
I went to visit my mother in Boston for Memorial Day weekend this year. And on that Monday evening--after a full couple of days ripe with long walks and shopping trips, errands and visits to old friends--I cooked dinner. We ate outside in the hazy warmth of my mom's well-manicured garden. It was a relaxing night before my early train ride back to New York the next morning. The fare was simple: cedar-planked salmon on the grill, fresh corn on the cob, arugula salad, and a strawberry-rhubarb pie.
When I had told my mom that morning that I wanted to bake a pie, she immediately went to an old box of recipes she has stored in a cupboard.
She handed me a worn index card, stained with spice and time. And in delicate cursive was my grandmother's recipe for rhubarb pie. I was surprised to find such lovingly detailed directions; it was difficult for me to imagine the confused, deteriorating woman who I last saw in the nursing home fifteen years ago making such a pie.
But my grandmother was a good cook, my mom said. She would often have a loaf of freshly baked bread, warm from the oven, filling the house with its cozy scent for my mom and her sister when they came home from school.
The recipe was written in a very careful hand. Every 'i' was dotted perfectly, each 'y' looped with a graceful curve. It felt very personal, as if I were intruding on a private moment. Like I was holding a wispy thread of her memory - one that had floated just out of reach in the nursing home.
And the pie--sweet with a hint of sour, oozing pink inside a golden butter crust--was delicious.
I tweaked her recipe a bit; I added strawberries, took away some sugar. I used my own, well-practiced crust formula. We ate it in the garden, warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream.
For the crust, mix flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add butter and shortening, mixing with a wooden spoon and then, working quickly, combine even further with the tips of your fingers until it looks like cornmeal with pea-sized chunks.
Sprinkle all but 2 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture, gently stirring and pressing with a rubber spatula until the dough comes together into a cohesive mass. If still dry, add the last of the water. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until the dough comes completely together. Divide dough in half, form into balls, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least ½ hour.
While dough is chilling, slice rhubarb and strawberries into ½-inch pieces. Combine with sugar, and flour. Stir to coat.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Unwrap one of the dough balls and, on a floured surface, roll it out into a circle two or more inches wider than the diameter of your pie pan.
Fold the dough circle in half and then in half again to make it easy to transport. Place it in a 9" pie pan, the point of the dough triangle in the center, and unfold to cover the entire pan, with excess hanging over the lip. Gently press the dough down to eliminate air pockets underneath.
Put the fruit mixture into the pie pan. Top with pats of butter.
Roll out the other half of the dough into a large circle. Place on top of the pie. Trim and tuck the excess dough around the pie rim underneath itself to form a lip. Using the tines of a fork, press down the edges of the crust to make indentations and seal in the juices. On the top of the pie, cut four slits to let steam escape while baking.
Beat the egg white and water slightly and brush the mixture over the top crust. Sprinkle with sugar.
Bake 20 minutes (crust will be golden); then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and bake another 30–35 minutes. Check every so often, and if the edges appear to be getting too dark, take a long, narrow piece of foil and loosely cover them.


Working Time Reductions at the End of the Career. Do They Prolong the Time Spent in Employment?
This ESRI study, funded by the Low Pay Commission, found that the 2016 increase in the Irish minimum wage reduced hourly wage inequality between high and low earners by up to 8 per cent. However, there was no strong impact on the income of households.
Analyzing the Transformation of Work and Its Effects on Productivity in the Age of Automatization?


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HomeCatholic Erudition
Introductory Course to Philosophy
Introduction to Philosophy as Wisdom By Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M. Wisdom is one of the most prominent values praised in holy scripture. In...
For CD&DVD sets click here! Downloadable MP3 set click here. Theme: Total Consecration to Mary: The Remedy for our Ills....
Theme: "Keeping the Counter-Reformation Going" Speakers will include: Gary Potter — "Finding Reasons to...
Sons of Saint Patrick
Sons of Saint Patrick: A History of the Archbishops of New York, from Dagger John to Timmytown By George Marlin and Brad Miner Sons of...
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Brother André Marie's Opening Remarks Mr. James Hanisch — The Fatima Apparitions, a Review Course MP3...
Lives of the Saints Vol. I: January
by Rev. Alban Butler Lives of the Saints Volume One - Introduction, Prefaces, and January Saints Original unrevised edition. Hardcover —...
Theme: The Church's Four Marks: Reflections on These Indelible Divine Signs Sister Mary Peter — Fundamentals of the Four Marks CD,...
Epistemology MP3
By Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M. The study of knowledge itself. How does man know and what is it that is known? Most modern errors are initially...
Psychology MP3
By Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M. In the scholastic sense, psychology is the study of all life, but especially that of man. There is such a thing as...
Ontology MP3
By Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M. Also called metaphysics or the science of the immaterial, this is the highest branch of philosophy. It is the study of...
Greek Philosophy MP3
By Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M. A study of the truths and errors found in the philosophic teachings of the ancient Greeks and other early pagan...
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By Charles A. Coulombe A Catholic Perspective on American History History is the key to understanding men — whether as nations, families, or...
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By Br. Francis M.I.C.M. The Catholic Epistles of the New Testament are called so because they are addressed not to a particular church or individual...
2014 SBC Conference Set MP3
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Q: Property 'do' does not exist on type AngularFireList I have seen many other posts like this, but I still am not understanding what the problem is and how to fix it.
posts$: Observable<Post[]> = this.db
    .list(`posts/${this.uid}`)
    .do(next => this.store.set('posts', next));
constructor(
    private store: Store,
    private db: AngularFireDatabase,
    private authService: AuthService
) {}

This is the error that I get:
Property 'do' does not exist on type 'AngularFireList<{}>
Here are my imports:
import { Observable, of } from 'rxjs';
import { tap, filter, map } from 'rxjs/operators';
import 'rxjs/add/operator/do';
import 'rxjs/add/operator/filter';
import 'rxjs/add/operator/map';
import 'rxjs/add/observable/of';
import { AngularFireDatabase } from 'angularfire2/database';
import { AuthService } from '../../../../auth/shared/services/auth/auth.service';

import { Store } from '../../../../store';

Finally here are the dependencies in package.json
"dependencies": {
    "@angular/animations": "^6.0.3",
    "@angular/common": "^6.0.3",
    "@angular/compiler": "^6.0.3",
    "@angular/core": "^6.0.3",
    "@angular/forms": "^6.0.3",
    "@angular/http": "^6.0.3",
    "@angular/platform-browser": "^6.0.3",
    "@angular/platform-browser-dynamic": "^6.0.3",
    "@angular/router": "^6.0.3",
    "angularfire2": "^5.0.0-rc.11",
    "bootstrap": "^4.1.2",
    "core-js": "^2.5.4",
    "firebase": "^5.3.0",
    "ngx-bootstrap": "^3.0.1",
    "rxjs": "^6.0.0",
    "rxjs-compat": "^6.2.2",
    "zone.js": "^0.8.26"
  },

A: Take a look at this post I just did with working code.
error: Property 'getChildren' does not exist on type 'DataSnapshot'
Also new/correct way for referenceing rxjs

import { Observable, of } from 'rxjs';
import { tap, filter, map } from 'rxjs/operators';

Old incorrect way
import 'rxjs/add/operator/do';
import 'rxjs/add/operator/filter';
import 'rxjs/add/operator/map';
import 'rxjs/add/observable/of';


A terrific Old Naples vacation destination. This newly built condominium community is a cozy retreat in the very heart of Old Naples. Walk to the beach, fine restaurants and live theater, browse the array of art galleries and world class shopping, from this cozy residence. This property is furnished tastefully and has the very finest appointments. Saturday to Saturday rentals only for peak season, call for special requests.
Please be advised there is a new construction being done near this property.
Please contact me with information regarding Kensington Gardens.