Elephants Are Larger Than the Moon

Plan to Stimulate the Economy

Agreeing

We don't all agree on everything. I don't agree with myself on everything. --Rudy Giuliani

It Knocks?

How Can I Find Happiness?

Please pass this video along to your friends. This is a great way to share the gospel message. The direct link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=And0988vdC4

Bankruptcy

How can a bankrupt government save bankrupt banks?

Missionary Preparation Web Site

Check out this new Web site about preparing for an LDS Mission:

Day of Service April 25, 2009

Hundreds of thousands of volunteers from community and faith-based organizations will gather together on April 25, 2009 for a single day of service across 11 southern states. Projects include gleaning crops, restocking community food banks, holding career fairs and blood drives, cleaning and repairing community facilities, building a Habitat for Humanity home, planting container gardens for low-income families, sponsoring a 5k run for charity and even preparing Mother’s Day gifts for homeless children.

Join the Day of Service Facebook group and read the Newsroom story Hundreds of Thousands of Volunteers to Provide Day of Service in Eleven Southern States.

90 Degree press ups

Killer Handstand

Luggage Gangsters?

Susan Boyle Singing

Watch an incredible singing performance by Susan Boyle. This was posted in three places on YouTube on April 11th, and within 5 days the three versions have been watched nearly 20 million times.

Anti-Pornography Conference in Rexburg, Idaho

The Idaho Anti-Pornography Conference will be held Saturday, May 9, 2009 at the Rexburg Tabernacle. See a promotional video about the conference. For more information and to register, go to http://www.citizensfordecency.org/

See more Resources in Overcoming Pornography.

Freedom --> Socialism --> Communism

Listen to this audio of Glenn Beck talking about the slippery slope from freedom to socialism to comunism. It features a comment from former Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson.

Happy Tax Day!

When the federal income tax was instituted in 1913 the tax form was four pages long and you would have had to earn more than $300,000 (in 1994 dollars) to be even required to file a return. In 90 years this is what it has come to...

• The average tax burden borne by Americans in 2000 was 33.5%
• In the year 2000, the 1040 form was 70 lines long and had 117 pages of instructions.
• Individuals and businesses waste nearly $200 billion a year filing their taxes. We bear this burden through higher prices and lower wages.
• The IRS prints some 280 instruction forms to explain how to complete nearly 480 tax returns.
• The tax code is so large that each year the IRS mails enough pages of forms and instructions to circle the earth nearly 28 times.
• The number of IRS employees has more than doubled in the last 30 years.
• Half of all filers hire someone else to do their taxes.

Source: scrapthecode.com

Happy 50th Barbie

In 2009, the Barbie doll turns 50.

Special Easter Messages from the Mormon Church

The LDS Church has just released two important Easter Messages:

1. A First Presidency Easter Message testifying of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and of the peace and blessings available to all because of this everlasting gift.

2. A video An Apostle's Easter Thoughts on Christ, based on a recent general conference address by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, available in both English and Spanish.

Please consider sharing these inspiring Easter-related messages with friends, family, and those of other faiths this Easter weekend by posting it to your Facebook profile, e-mailing it, or placing it on your blog. You can share this video, by going to the video on YouTube, clicking “Share” below the video, and then selecting how you would like to share it. We also encourage you to rate the video and comment on it.

Very Good Jitterbug Dancing

Toothpaste Hates Math

Congressional Spending Out of Control

Are you fed up with a Congress and a president who:

• vote for a $500 billion tax bill without even reading it?
  
• are spending trillions of borrowed dollars, leaving a debt our great-grandchildren will be paying?
• consistently give special interest groups billions of dollars in earmarks to help get themselves re-elected?
• want to take your wealth and redistribute it to others?
• punish those who practice responsible financial behavior and reward those who do not?

The new $3.6 trillion US budget includes a deficit of $1.2 trillion. One third of the budget is deficit spending--money we don’t have! That is on top of the $12 trillion we already owe.

How much is $1 trillion? Consider this: A million seconds is 11.5 days. A billion seconds is 32 years. A trillion seconds is 32,000 years.

Wife-Area Refuge

Laughing Baby Gecko

Proper Decision by the Courts--for a change!

In Florida, an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews, and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.

The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer (hired, of course, by the ACLU), the judge banged his gavel declaring,"Case dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays."

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."

The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."

The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned."

You gotta love a Judge that knows his scripture!

(Yes, this is an urban legend--not true.)

Executive Salaries

No New Taxes... Except for Tobacco

On Sept. 12, 2008 in Dover, N.H., President Obama said "I can make a firm pledge. Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes." He repeatedly vowed "you will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime." He also included individuals making less than $200,000. His running mate quoted the same thing, adding "not one penny."

But how can you finance an "audacious agenda" without an "audacious budget?" Well, on April 1st (was it meant to be a joke?), the administration enacted the largest increase in tobacco taxes in history: from $0.39 cents to $1.01. The largest previous hike was $0.10. In fact, this hike of $0.62 is larger than the last 7 increases put together.

Now, we don't want anyone to smoke, so you could argue that a huge tobacco tax is a good thing. But if you can tax smokers, why not tax people who eat fast food, or people who drink carbinated drinks, or.... The other problem I have with this tax is that it disproportionately affects the poor, who are more likely to smoke than the rich. Hum... I thought we were going to have just the rich people pay for all the new government programs.

The extra money will supposedly be used to finance a major expansion of health insurance for those 30 and under. So, if the tobacco tax really works, and encourages people to stop smoking, then they will have to find some new tax to finance the ongoing new health programs.

Short History of Math Education

1958 to 2008: 50 Years of Math

Teaching Math In 1958
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.
His cost of production is 4/5 of the price.
What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1968
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.
His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80.
What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1978
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.
His cost of production is $80.
Did he make a profit?

Teaching Math In 1988
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.
His cost of production is $80 & his profit is $20.
Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

Teaching Math In 1998
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because heis selfish & inconsiderate & cares nothing for the habitat of animals orthe preservation of our wood-lands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering thequestion: How did the birds & squirrels feel as thelogger cut down their homes? (There are no wronganswers, & if you feel like crying, it's okay.)

Teaching Math In 2009
Un hachero vende una carretada de madera para $100.
El costo de las producciones es $80.
Cuanto dinero gana?

The Voca People

Watch a video of the Voca People, an international vocal theater performance group that combines vocal sounds and a cappella singing with the art of modern beat-box. No instruments!