LDS Temples Slideshow

It's one thing to hear about all the LDS Temples that dot the earth, but to see most of them in this slideshow is breath taking and inspiring. What a tribute to the vision of our prophets and especially President Hinckley.

I Know It All

Seen on a t-shirt:

"I know it all. I just can't remember it all at once."

Can you pay the mortgage?

Cars vs. Computers

The following is not true, but is funny. Use a good source, such as snopes.com to check out things like this when you get them before you pass them on. Then, if you do pass them on, you can state whether they are true or just a joke. What follows is a joke:

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated :

'If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.'

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........ Twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason , you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single 'This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation' warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask 'Are you sure?' before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the 'Start' button to turn the engine off .

PS - I'd like to add that when all else fails, you could call 'customer service' in some foreign country and be instructed in some foreign language how to fix your car yourself!

Reflections on 2008, Looking Forward to 2009

Author unknown:

As I reflect on 2008, I can say we had a great year:

• Blacks are happy; Obama was elected.
• Whites are happy; OJ is in jail.
• Democrats are happy; George Bush is leaving office.
• Republicans are happy; Democrats will finally quit saying George Bush stole the election.
• And all of us are so happy that the election is finally over!

I think 2009 will be even better:

• Immediately after his inauguration, Obama will balance the budget, revive the economy, solve the real estate problem, solve the auto industry problem, solve our gas/alternative energy problem, stop the fires and mudslides in California, ban hurricanes and tornadoes, stop identity theft, reverse global warming, find Osama, solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, get rid of corruption in government and achieve world peace.
• Then on the 7th day, He will rest.

My best wishes for 2009 .

"The government cannot give to anyone anything that it does not first take from someone else."

All Our Stuff

"The United States is the most consumer-oriented society in the world. People work longer hours than in any other industrialized country.” And they have more stuff.

“Despite fewer people per household, the size of houses continues to expand rapidly, with new construction featuring walk-in closets and three- and four-car garages to store record quantities of stuff...."

"The average adult acquires forty-eight new pieces of apparel a year...."

"Americans own more television sets than inhabitants of any other country—nearly one set per person."

Quotes from Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture by Juliet B. Schor

From George Washington To Barack Obama

Barack Obama's Success, But Not His Politics

Today, a friend of mine sent me a reference to a CNN report that the unbridled enthusiasm for our new president has not reached Wyoming. He then said the following, which succintly reflects my feelings as well:

"Just like the people interviewed for this article, I think Barack Obama is a good man and I wish him success, but I certainly hope that some of the things he is proposing will not be allowed.

"Everybody keeps repeating how they just can't believe that a black man could become President of the United States, but to me it's not surprising at all. For decades, we have been ready for this kind of situation and have had plenty of respected black men and women voted into all kinds of offices. I do not believe that this particular election is the fulfillment of Martin Luther King's dream that children can grow up to be judged by their character rather than by the color of their skin (or otherwise by their ethnicity). I think we as a society have been there for some time now. That's not to say that there aren't still some prejudiced people who would have problems looking to someone of a particular race or religion as their leader, but those people are a small minority in today's America. I believe the biggest problem we still have in this area is the way that children in many black and other minority families in the ghettos of many big cities are being brought up to believe that they are disadvantaged and that they can't make it without government help. I'm sorry that many of those children are being told that they "finally" have a hero to look up to, when indeed they have had many great examples of all races and backgrounds to
emulate their entire lives.

"Every new beginning can bring some excitement with it, and Barack Obama is a new kind of President in various ways, so I can have some hope for new possibilities in politics in coming years. But I'm not forgetting that there are some real concerns about some of the directions this man and the people supporting him want to take our country, especially with regard to certain moral issues and government intervention in commerce, and I am grateful for the limitations on any president's power. Ultimately, I am always conscious of the fact that the election of a new President of my country does not really change my life that much and that there are a lot of other things that are more important.

"I want to see this President continue efforts to reach out to people of all persuasions, although I have to remind people that politicians who get elected to high office generally remain within their political philosophies and are not as open-minded as we might wish they would be. (To every politician who claims to work in bipartisan ways, I say they should be working in NON-partisan ways!) I wish Pres. Obama well, and I hope he will concentrate on the ways he can use his leadership to bring the people of our country together.

"Now we all need to remember that we can make a huge difference in the lives of many people who make up our society and most importantly for ourselves by living righteous principles in our personal lives. That is where the real hope is to be found."

--Steve Swapp

How You Spend Your Day

A reader commented the following on the post How Many Hours in a Day?

"A bit off topic but interesting to play around with is the website http://www.numbercrunched.com/. Fun to see how you spend your day and how many spare hours we have left."

Tom Hanks says it is "Un-American" to Express Your Opinion

Tom Hanks apparently thinks that people are not acceptable unless they think exactly as the enlightened celebrities who are the definitive word on all that is just and moral.

Tom Hanks, an Executive Producer for HBO’s controversial polygamist series “Big Love,” recently made known his feelings toward the Mormon Church’s involvement in California's Prop 8.

“The truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen. There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here's what happens now. A little bit of light can be shed, and people can see who's responsible, and that can motivate the next go around of our self correcting Constitution, and hopefully we can move forward instead of backwards. So let's have faith in not only the American, but Californian, constitutional process.”

The Church's response: "Expressing an opinion in a free and democratic society is as American as it gets."

Bill McKeever, a rep for the Mormonism Research Ministry, added, "Personally, I find it un-American to tell people that they shouldn’t vote their conscience. Hanks said he doesn’t 'like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper.' Considering that just about every law discriminates in some form or another, makes this comment ridiculous. Hanks’ comment shows that he very much believes in discriminating against people with whom he disagrees. I may not agree with Mormon theology, but I certainly defend their right to express their opinion."

Read the P.S.

To my darling husband,


Before you return from your business trip I just want to let you know about the small accident I had with the pick uptruck when I turned into the driveway. Fortunately not too bad and I really didn't get hurt, so please don't worry too much about me.


I was coming home from Wal-Mart, and when I turned into the driveway I accidentally pushed down on the accelerator instead of the brake. The garage door is slightly bent but the pick up fortunately came to a halt when it bumped into your car. I am really sorry, but I know with your kind-hearted personality you will forgive me. You know how much I love you and care for you my sweetheart. I am enclosing a picture for you. I cannot wait to hold you in my arms again.


Your loving wife, XXX





P.S. Your girlfriend called.

Optical Illusion

Breaths in Life

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.



-- Hilary Cooper

Fire All the Existing Politicians

I'm starting a campaign to fire all the existing politicians and elect someone completly new. Will you join me in the effort?


Click the play button on the video at this site and let me know what you think!

How Many Hours in a Day?

Brigham Young said the good thing about 24 hours in a day is that there are 8 hours for sleep, 8 hours for work, and 8 hours for play.

So where did he fit in his church calling?

Destroy All Humans to Save the Planet?

A Washington Times article reports that Carol M. Browner, Barack Obama's pick as "global warming czar," is an active participant in the Socialist International organization, an umbrella group for many of the world's social democratic political parties such as Britain's Labor Party. Socialist International supports socialism and is harshly critical of U.S. policies.

Ms. Browner is listed on Socialist International's Web site as one of 15 leaders of the organization's Commission for a Sustainable World Society, which calls for "global governance" and says rich countries must shrink their economies to address climate change. (We've seen the "shrinking economy" slant before from many prominent liberals.) The Commission says the developed world must reduce consumption and commit to binding and punitive limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

Kind of reminds me of a terrible movie I just saw, The Day the Earth Stood Still. In the movie, aliens come to save the Earth which is on the brink of destruction. The rationale is that humans must die to save the planet and the rest of its species. In the end, humans are saved only if they promise to "change" and stop killing the planet. The "change" means that all technology and machines are shut down--even wristwatches may not exist because they somehow are killing the planet.

To what ridiculous lengths are we willing to go to "save the planet?"

Muslim Demonstrations in London

Muslims are immigrating into England in large numbers and have taken over whole communities. But apparently these immigrants aren't intersted in assimilating into British culture--it looks like their interest is in annihilating. The following are pictures of Muslims marching through the streets of London, England during their recent "Religion of Peace Demonstration."

Conservatives More Charitable than Liberals

In a New York Times article titled Bleeding Heart Tightwads, columnist Nicholas D. Kristof says that while liberals show compassion in pushing for generous government spending to help needy people at home and abroad, convervative voters are much more compassionate when it comes to individual contributions to charitable causes.

• Households headed by conservatives give 30% more to charity than households headed by liberals.


• Annual contributions by conservatives are almost double those of liberals. Even excluding donations to religious organizations, conservatives are still more generous than liberals.


• Red states (Republican voting states) are the most likely to give to nonprofits, while Northeastern states (Democrat voting states) are least likely to do so.

Jimmy Smith of Analytical Insights cites that 8 of the top 10 states in volunteerism are traditional Republican states.

Learn Spanish or Lose Your Job

Acronyms!

I just watched an ad on television for a furniture store.

They said, "You need to get a new LG LCD HD TV."

MormonAds

See two MormonAds from the New Era magazine made into short video clips:

A Brand New Year

See the Church’s new Web site for youth centered around the New Year’s event titled A Brand New Year.

McDonnalds Hits Africa