respublica

Fashion Show!

This month's meeting of the Concordia Seminary Guild featured a fashion show as it's program.  The Seminary Guild is an organization made up of women from all over the St. Louis area as well as members nationwide.  The purpose of the guild is to support students and their families through yearly projects which provide for needs not met through tuition.  The guild budgets thousands of dollars each year. 

The fashion show featured students, student's wives and children, and one head chef modeling clothing and other items from the campus' re-sell-it shop, a shop which operates through the generosity of people who donate clothes, toys, kitchen items, sporting goods, etc.

The guild members met in Koburg Hall, a room all decorated for Christmas as well as with items from the re-sell-it shop.  As always, click the photos to enlarge for a better view.

The Christmas tree on the stage at the end of the room was given to the seminary by Wally Bronner who owns Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth Michigan.

Adults and babies and one head chef took part.

Kids all dressed up in a variety of clothes the re-sell-shop offers, seminarians in clerical garb also sold in the shop.

More kids and their parents.

Babies, a fur coat and one sporty head chef.

Fun.  Thanks everyone.

It's that most wonderful time of the year.

We've begun the yearly argument over the display of religious symbols in the public square.  Each Christmas season one city or another is threatened with a lawsuit over a nativity scene or a star or even the use of the word Christmas.  Currently, Walton County Florida officials decided to add a snowman and other secular items to its 40 year old Nativity display in order to satisfy the threatened lawsuit by the Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

A lawsuit by the group is still threatened if the nativity display still focuses on Christ.

Ah.  A nativity scene which focuses on snowmen. 

It might be much better if local churches did the nativity scenes.  It might be better if people who believe the nativity should focus on Christ had their own nativity display on their front lawn.  Imagine what a community would look like if that happened. 

It also might be a good thing if people did not sill-i-fy the symbol of Christmas by buying things like this:

"I don’t want the kids today to grow up and be me."

Added:  The Starlight Foundation has created a Get Fit Get Right campaign for the hip hop generation to combat childhood/teenage obesity.

A thoughtful interview with fitness guru Richard Simmons on the importance of getting Physical Education back into the schools.  With the increasing numbers of Rickets and obesity in children, the lack of regular exercise and good eating habits should take this discussion to the top of the education priority list.

Simmons is known as much for his silly demeanor and odd style of dress, but his focus in this chat with Kevin Carey at The Quick and the Ed website is well worth a serious read.

Illinois is one of the few states which require 12 years of physical education, but in reality, how much PE do high school kids really get?  Many schools allow an opting out for at least the last two years, maybe more.

"Here’s my dream: To get a bill passed where we can get PE back in the schools. And we tried those bills but they didn’t go anywhere, because they weren’t attached to anything. To get a brand-new bill going is, as you know, very difficult. I was just in Washington..."

"How do I say this nicely—of the people who work for Congress and all the rest of the government, what percentage of these men and women are healthy? What percentage are so stressed out, just like plumbers and people that work in a bank, that they don’t take care of themselves, they don’t eat properly, because they're always on the go in meetings, grabbing things here and there? Does this sound familiar?"

Carey went on to ponder Simmons seriousness and comes up with a positive statement about his motives:

"The mistake with Richard is to equate ridiculousness with lack of seriousness, which is usually a safe assumption, but not in this case. Think of it this way: here you have a guy who'se NCLB proposal is, objectively speaking, just as serious as many of those being put forth by various legit organizations, advocates etc.--in some cases, more so."

We could all stand to move more.  We just don't have to wear red white and blue silky short shorts.

Sunrise and other things

The sun came up this morning in a big way.  Last night, yesterday, all gone.  The republican debate-over.

Stephen Green, the Vodkapundit, has the best live blog and wrap up of the republican debate.  He mentioned more than once that CNN seemed to be playing out its own agenda through their choice of 30 questions they chose to use out of over 5000 YouTube submissions.  As usual, Green writes these debate play by plays better than anyone else.

Former Illinois 6th district congressman Henry Hyde died today. Announcement from House Minority Leader John Boehner's office.

Meeting Riley

The MAtH (man about the house) made a quick one day trip to D.C. yesterday and finally had the opportunity to meet Katie and Charlie's puppy, Riley.  Riley has grown since the mid summer photos we saw of him as a little guy.

First Dale received the "jump on the lap" test to see if this new visitor was an ok guy.

Looks like he passed.

Because he got some sloppy puppy kisses.

Volley-Ball player of the year

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a feature story on metro area volley-ball players today and their selection of the Player of the Year is Collinsville High School's Michelle Bartsch.  Congratulations to Michelle.  Her family will soon learn that as much fun as high school was, her future college play at the University of Illinois will be even more so.  Except for the much longer travel distances to watch her games. 

Photo by the Post-Dispatch-Rod Boren.

Patriotic Employer award presented at Concordia Seminary

Erik Neider was a navy veteran in the naval reserves studying for the Lutheran ministry at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis when he was re-called to active duty in Iraq.  After his tour of duty, he returned to St. Louis to continue his studies.  Today, he presented Dale as president of the seminary, on behalf of the Department of Defense, the Patriotic Employer Award.

The Patriotic Employer Award is presented by the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense, to employers going above and beyond the requirements for granting leave for military duty. Individual Reserve members nominate their employers for supportive employment policies and practices. ESGR was established in 1972 by the U.S. Department of Defense to inform employers of the necessity of the volunteers that make up half the nation’s military force.

It has to be mentioned that Dale lost his composure when he accepted the honor, surprising many in attendance.  He loves this country and attempts to teach future pastors that they must pay attention to and be a part of, what Lutherans call the Left Hand Kingdom, the kingdom of this world.

Neider pinning the award's lapel pin.

Dale with Erik Neider after the presentation.

Never let it be said that those who serve in military conflicts do so alone.  There is a family waiting at home for most everyone and Erik is no different.  His wife and two sons were in attendance today as well.

Dale, Joelle, Luke, Erik and Ben.  They are all standing in from of one of the Seminary's blown up photos in the Wyneken classroom hallway which show all the places in the Left Hand Kingdom Concordia's graduates have served.  This particular photos is of some of our Chaplains in Baghdad at the beginning of the Iraq war.

God Bless everyone who serves as well as those who must wait at home.

About that SI cover jinx

Will the Sports Illustrated renowned cover jinx continue this coming weekend?  Who's on the cover?  Missouri.  Oh no. 

My Kansas sister was here for Thanksgiving, a sister who naturally was rooting for Kansas to beat Missouri on Saturday.  I held up the then current issue of SI and pointed to the Kansas filled cover and said, "Cover jinx."  She waved that off impatiently.  But then came the game.  Now we all know Missouri played well and won, a magazine cover had nothing to do with Kansas's loss.  Right? 

I'm not superstitious, I'm really not.  But I'd be a lot happier if say, West Virginia or the Boston Celtics made the cover this week.

"tell them to give it to philidelphia"

The Belleville News-Democrat ran an editorial yesterday on Collinsville's proposed budget for 2008 which questioned why the city would be planning projects and hirings without knowing exactly how much revenue will be coming in.  The tone of the piece made it appear as though city leaders were agreeing to these things in ignorance whereas most entities, public or private, will normally plan for the coming fiscal year using similar methodology. 

While the paper has every right to question economic responsibility of area municipalities, readers can hope they are doing so in a factual, sensible manner.  Not so with those who feel driven to comment at the end of these editorials.  Where does the hateful, nonsensical attitude come from? 

Take this comment for example:  "This council should be re-named pigs at trough. And why hire more cops, it is obvious there isn't any crime in Collinsville, with the local police patrolling the interstate highway."  Such a thoughtful argument.  There was a time when Collinsville police were on the interstate a lot, but I have not seen much of that in recent years and we drive that stretch most every day.  If someone is making a point which is years old, how seriously do we take this comment?  Oh, very seriously, because it had to be couched with insults.  What is this trough mentioned above?  It looks from here as though the trough is filled with things like making infrastructure better, sewer lines, water, streets, safety, all things which if they are not working well cause multiple headaches and misery to residents.  Collinsville has a fine water/sewer program, streets, police, fire, instead of insulting the city leaders, a thoughtful voter/resident might consider the alternative.  One has to look no further than, say, Clayton, to see an alternative:  water and sewer lines combined with a resulting nasty rat problem in that city.

Then there's this comment:  "Collinsville is rapidly becoming a corrupt, dishonest town to live in. Taxes doubling for no reason, police not responding in a timely matter, then when they do arrive its a joke."  This is just so unnecessary and so wrong.  Prove corrupt, give an example.  Taxes doubling?  Show me.  The people working for the city might decide issues in a way you disagree with, but prove corrupt.  No way, no how.

Then there's this lovely piece of writing:  "collinsville should not count on soccar park money if the msl has its way the will give the next team to philidelphia it has a bigger tv market. st louis cannot sell out a home rams game and remeber the vacant seats at the blues game. i would like to find the contact for msl to tell them to give it to philidelphia. what does collinsville plan to do with the extra cops loan them to wlmart for security."  Someone doesn't care for capital letters or spelling or punctuation of complete sentences.   Collinsville better hope this guy doesn't find the "mls", it would be embarrassing for everyone who lives here to have him seen as representative of the area.

These commenters with their "Collinsville sucks" public mantra do nothing for the public good.  Disagree with city decisions, go to the council meetings and have your say, but use facts, argue without making stuff up and calling people names.

Top ten fundraisers

Congressional Quarterly lists the top ten money raisers among congressional candidates running for open seats in the 2008 election.  These seats are held by reps who have chosen not to seek re-election.

Illinois has four of the ten and three of these are in the state's 14th district, a district now represented by Denny Hastert.  Two in the 14th are republican, Chris Lauzen and Jim Oberweis (oh no, not him again) and one is a democrat, Bill Foster.

The 18th district also has one of the top ten money raisers, republican Aaron Schock,  seeking the seat long held by Ray LaHood.