Conference on the Affects of Pornography on the Brain

Last year, we told you about an anti-pornography conference in Idaho. The promotional video about that conference was viewed nearly 53,000 times!

This year's conference will be on Saturday, November 14, 2009, in Pocatello, Idaho Falls, and Rexburg, Idaho. Dr. Donald Hilton, noted neurosurgeon from San Antonio, Texas, will be the keynote who will speak on Visual Addiction: The Affects of Pornography on the Brain.

To see the conference schedules in these three cities, and to get free tickets, go to http://www.cfdec.org/ or http://www.citizensfordecency.org/. View/Print a flyer about the conference. See the TV commercial below.



At the conference, Dr. Hilton will share his recovery recommendations, as well as recent scientific findings which compares a brain that is on cocaine with one that is affected by natural addictions such as pornography. He says the similarity is remarkable and physical brain cell shrinkage occurs with all of these addictions. This shrinkage in the frontal lobe of the brain, according to Dr. Hilton, may cause impaired judgment, in a similar way to a head trauma patient. He then bridges the gap to help leaders and parents know what recovery methods have the greatest chance of success. To learn more about Dr. Hilton, see http://www.forwardpress.org/.

Best Transformer Costume Ever

People of Walmart

I just discovered an interesting site: peopleofwalmart.com. It is a collection of pictures of weird people photographed at WalMart. Here are a few. I selected the more normal from the group. Go to the site to see about 200 more pictures.

Bottle Bank Arcade

Lifting Burdens: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

Apostles of Jesus Christ testify of the Savior's power to heal, change, and purify us through His Atonement.



Watch more great videos at MormonMessages.org

Michael Jackson Medley

This Guy is amazing. A Yale University junior is making a name for himself by honoring the legendary Michael Jackson. Along with a buddy from school he's created a video that appears to be an A Capella group performing a Michael Jackson medley. You might be impressed with the vocals and even more impressed with the magical editing.

Turns out they're all the same guy! Connecticut student Sam Tsui is wearing the same jeans and sneakers but 3 different shirts. He's singing all the parts and his classmate, Kurt Schneider, standing off to the side did all the fancy editing to form the make believe group paying tribute to Jackson All Credits to: Sam Tsui - Vocals Kurt Schneider - Arrangement, Production



See their explanation of creating the video on the Bonnie Hunt Show.

Lost Generation

Don't Take Offense

"A man’s a fool who takes an insult that isn’t intended." -- See Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards, comp. G. Homer Durham (1969), 288–89

Mental Attitude

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." -- Thomas Jefferson

Controlling Kids

The Cost of Things

"The cost of a thing is the amount of life that must be exchanged for it." - Henry David Thoreau

Catch Your Heart

"There are many things in life that will catch your eye. But only a few will catch your heart...." - Ben Crenshaw

Conservative vs. Liberal

If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one.
If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy.
A liberal wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.

If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.

If a black man or Hispanic are conservative, they see themselves as independently successful.
Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don't like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church.
A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it's a foreign religion, of course!)

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.

If a conservative slips and falls in a store, he gets up, laughs and is embarrassed.
If a liberal slips and falls, he grabs his neck, moans like he's in labor and then sues.

If a conservative reads this, he'll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A liberal will delete it because he's "offended."

Thomas S. Monson: Most Powerful Person Over 80

See 80 Over 80," Slate magazine's annual list of the nation's most powerful people over 80 years old.

"The top spot this year goes to 82-year-old Thomas S. Monson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the only person on the list to rule over millions of people as a prophet of God."

Spread the word on Twitter using tags #lds and #monson.

Awesome Ping Pong tricks by Islem Tbini

Also posted as Unbelievable from Islem Tbini on Facebook

What We Love

"For what we love determines what we seek.

What we seek determines what we think and do.

What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will become."

—Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Love of God," Ensign, November 2009.

General Conference Highlights & Music October 2009

A video with highlights from the October 2009 LDS General Conference was just posted at generalconference.lds.org. This 16:16 minute video is available in English only. At the top of the English page for the October 2009 conference, you'll see the links to a Windows Media video and a QuickTime video.

There is also a conference music page associated with each conference (notice the link to it from the top of each conference page) that contains downloadable files of the music from the sessions of general conference in various formats.

New Look for LDSMediaTalk

This week, we’re proud to launch an updated look for the branding of LDSMediaTalk.

The LDS Media Talk blog shares ideas with LDS parents and youth who are interested in learning how to use technology and new media to strengthen families and build The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Join the 8,000 loyal readers of the blog. You can subscribe to be notified when new articles appear on this site. Note the various subscription options (e-mail, RSS readers, etc.) at the bottom right of the site.

Laughing

The guy in the yellow shirt is the funniest. Purple shirt guy is also pretty good.

Blond Joke

Three blondes walked into a bar. You’d think one of them would have seen it!

Talent, Fame, Conceit

"Talent is God given; be humble. Fame is man given; be thankful. Conceit is self given; be careful." -- John Wooden

Would you like to dance?

A guy walks into a bar where there is loud music playing. He spots a pretty girl at the end of the bar and approaches her. He says, “Would you like to dance?”

She replies, “I really don’t like this song. And even if I did, I wouldn’t dance with you.”

To which the guy replies, “I don’t think you heard me correctly. I said you look fat in those pants.”

The Cost of Things

"The cost of a thing is the amount of life that must be exchanged for it." -- Henry David Thoreau

Growing Up

Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.

Who Wrote The Book of Mormon?

“No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so.” -- George Cannon, quoted in “The Twelve Apostles,” in Andrew Jenson, ed., The Historical Record, 6:175.

Watch a powerful witness of the Book of Mormon in yesterday's post.

Texting

Elder Holland: Testimony of the Book of Mormon

Street Light

Elder Scott: To Acquire Spiritual Guidance

No Domestic Violence

Harry Reid Supports Gay Causes; Criticizes the Church for Participation in Prop 8

Read this story in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Breaking News

Obama wins the Heisman Trophy after watching a college football game on Saturday!

World's Deepest Trash Can

Thank Our Military

Piano Stairs

Best DUI Stop

Gyrowheel Instead of Training Wheels

Check out this Gyrowheel, the salvation from the embarrassment of training wheels. The 12-inch wheel (a 16-inch version is in the works) replaces a standard front tire and has an adjustable-speed spinning disc inside, powered by a rechargeable battery. The idea is that you get the kid started on a high stability setting, and step them down until they're not using the gyro at all. It goes on sale this December and should retail for around $100.

Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill April 2009

Analysis of Text from the Oct 2009 LDS General Conference

Check out this interesting linguistic analysis of the text from the October 2009 LDS general conference provided by Brian Shellabarger, via Connor Boyack.

See the analysis from the April 2009 conference.

Star Spangled Banner

The video below is a performance of the Star Spangled Banner at a Texas Tech University Basketball game. It is sung by five young ladies. You have never heard it performed better than this! An entire arena remains completely silent throughout the song. You could hear a pin drop.

The two young girls on the right are six years old. The two in the middle are seven and the one on the left is eight. Wow!

Talks Now Online from Oct 2009 LDS General Conference

The English text for all the talks from the October 2009 LDS general conference is now online at generalconference.lds.org.

Old Testament Visual Resource DVDs

For Use in Homes and Church Classes

Take an exciting visual journey as you study the Old Testament.

This set of three DVDs contains 56 videos (many of them new) and over 300 visual resources to assist you in your study of the doctrines and events found in the Old Testament.

The first two discs include the videos, as well as interactive charts, quotations from latter-day prophets and apostles, paintings, and ideas for family home evening study activities.

A scripture study activity is provided for each visual resource and can be used for personal, family, or classroom study. These resources can help unlock your understanding of Old Testament passages and bring the scriptures to life.

The third disc in the set is Old Testament Stories for Children, a non-animated video recording of the illustrations and narrated text from the book Old Testament Stories.

Many of these resources are new and have not previously been available for purchase.

Learn more about these resources by watching this brief introductory video. You can order a set for US$6.25 from LDSCatalog.com

Testimony About the Book of Mormon

Amazingly powerful testimony about the Book of Mormon from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (6:42) from the October 2009 LDS General Conference:



This is a shortened version (3:09) that contains some visualization:

Most Desirable Countries

The annual United Nations Human Development Report rates countries by an index based on multiple factors that rate how desirable it is to live in that country. This year's report ranks Norway the world's most desirable country to live in. The top 15:

1. Norway
2. Australia
3. Iceland
4. Canada
5. Ireland
6. Netherlands
7. Sweden
8. France
9. Switzerland
10. Japan
11. Luxembourg
12. Finland
13. United States
14. Austria
15. Spain

The United Kingdom ranks 21st, Germany 22nd, Uruguay 50th, Russia 71st. The bottom two: Afghanistan at 181st and Niger at 182nd.

Instructions on Moist Towelettes

Thank goodness they print instructions on Moist Towelettes.

"Directions: Tear packet open. Remove towelette and spread to use." But, wait.... What do I do then? If I use it to wipe something up, do I use a circular motion or back and forth? What do I do with the towelette when I'm finished with it?

Gratefully, they print a dotted line on one side with the words "Tear Here." How else would I know how to open the packet?

What do we Expect?

"We can't not expect the unexpected."

Laziness

"Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now." --Steven Wright

What is Most Important in our Lives?

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." - Thomas S. Monson, “Finding Joy in the Journey,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 84–87.

Dilbert Quote Contest

Don't know if this is true or not, but let's pretend it is.

A magazine recently ran a "Dilbert Quotes" contest. They were looking for people to submit quotes from their real-life Dilbert-type managers. These were voted the top quotes in corporate America :

"As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks." (This was the winning quote from Fred Dales, Microsoft Corp. in Redmond WA )

"What I need is an exact list of specific unknown problems we might encounter." (Lykes Lines Shipping)

"E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business." (Accounting manager, Electric Boat Company)

"This project is so important we can't let things that are more important interfere with it." (Advertising/Marketing manager, United Parcel Service)

"Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule." (Plant Manager, Delco Corporation)

"No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working on it for months. Now go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them." (R&D supervisor, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing/3M Corp.)

Quote from the Boss: "Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say." (Marketing executive, Citrix Corporation)

"My sister passed away and her funeral was scheduled for Monday. When I told my Boss, he said she died on purpose so that I would have to miss work on the busiest day of the year. He then asked if we could change her burial to Friday. He said, "That would be better for me." (Shipping executive, FTD Florists)

"We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees." (Switching supervisor, AT&T Long Lines Division)

Finding & Sharing the Gospel Online

Have you read the article "Finding and Sharing the Gospel Online" by Michelle Stocking in the October Ensign magazine? It gives several great ideas about how you can create a blog to share the gospel.

At the end of the article, on page 27, see "Better Blogging: Tips for Safety and Courtesy."

Amazing Basketball Shot

Real or fake? You decide.

LDS Church General Conference, Oct. 2009

The 179th Semiannual General Conference of the Church will be held in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday and Sunday, October 3-4, 2009. The First Presidency has invited everyone to participate by attending, viewing, or listening via television, radio, satellite, or Internet transmission.

On the Internet, you can access

• Live audio broadcasts in English at the Mormon Channel (radio.lds.org).


• Live audio and video broadcasts at generalconference.lds.org in many languages. Watch video streams using the Church’s new video player in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and American Sign Language or watch video using Windows Media Player or listen to audio streams in 74 languages.

For more worldwide viewing options, see the general conference broadcast schedule.

Between sessions, watch live video broadcasts of The World Report of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a special broadcast about the new Latter-day Saint Edition of the Holy Bible in Spanish.

After the broadcasts, audio files will be available within one day and video files will be available in about two weeks.

For information on attending in person at the Conference Center, visit the Events page.

School Buses in India and Japan

The first 3 pictures are of a school bus in Japan. The last picture is a school bus in India. Now, where do you call when you have a technical problem with your computer? Japan or India?

Very Very Lucky People