Freshman Matt Ziesel scores a touchdown against Maryville. Below is a little write-up from the Ziesel family for those of you not familiar with Matt: Matt is a special athlete who has Down Syndrome. He loves football and has grown up in an environment surrounded by sports. His father is a coach/ athletic director, and all his siblings play sports. He grew up at athletic events, and has always been a cheerleader. He registered as a freshman at Benton High School -Saint Joseph, MO this year, and told his mother and father he wanted to play football. The team takes good care of looking after Matt, and he is still the cheerleader on the sidelines. He puts his pads and helmet on, stands next to Coach McCamy and waits for his turn to play. Over and over during the course of the game Matt will say, "Coach McCamy, I am ready! I am ready Coach!" On this Monday night coach gave him a chance. The Cardinals were down by a few touchdowns with 15 seconds left. Coach McCamy called a timeout and asked the coach of Maryville High School if they could run their "Matt Play". He agreed and this is where the video begins. Thanks to Coach McCamy and the freshman coach at Maryville, Matt and his family will cherish his moment forever!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Is the NYC Mosque the Right Thing To Do?
From "Utah faith leaders weigh in on N.Y. mosque dispute"
By Kristen Moulton
The Salt Lake Tribune
Published Aug 23, 2010 11:50AM
Muslims who want to build a mosque a couple of blocks from ground zero in Manhattan have the legal right to do so, but is it the right thing to do?
That’s what Utahns of faith are asking as the controversy grows.
Daniel Peterson, a politically conservative Mormon who has studied Islam for 30 years at Brigham Young University and in the Middle East, says he is so fed up with “demagoguery” from the mosque’s opponents that he is tempted to endorse the mosque.
And yet he, and several Utah faith leaders, separate the issue of religious freedom from another value held highly in a pluralistic society: respect.
“Of course they have a right to do it,” says Peterson, professor of Islamic studies and Arabic at BYU.
But if the mosque’s proponents refuse to heed the torrent of criticism that it’s insensitive to build a mosque near where Muslim extremists killed thousands, Peterson adds, it could hurt the cause of moderate Muslims.
“I would come forward if I were the imam, and say, ‘We’ve listened, we do not want to make enemies. We want to be good neighbors. We respect the feelings and the pain, so we’re going to seek another site.’”
The Rev. Mike Pless, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Bountiful, likens the case to one familiar to Utahns: Street preachers who shout and shove signs at Mormons attending LDS general conferences in downtown Salt Lake City.
“Even though I have religious freedom as an American, does that give me the right to go down during conference and assault and insult people?” Pless asks. “It does not.”
In the same way, a mosque would be a “desecration,” says Pless, who opposes its proximity to ground zero.
Imam Muhammed S. Mehtar of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake calls the mosque proposal “very insensitive.”
“The wise thing would have been to consult Muslims and non-Muslims alike,” he says. “It’s a question of doing the right thing.”
Monsignor Terence Moore, pastor of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Draper, says comments by political figures comparing Muslims to Nazis and blaming all Muslims for the acts of extremists responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center do not help the debate.
Yet, he says, the mosque’s proponents need to realize the sensitivity of those who lost loved ones at ground zero.
“We all have to understand that we live in a very diverse society,” Moore says. “If we all stood on our legal rights on everything, we could be in great conflict all the time.”
One of Utah’s newest faith leaders sees the issue as a case of simple religious liberty.
Rabbi Ilana Schwartzman, who took over at Salt Lake City’s Congregation Kol Ami in July, was working on 77th Street in Manhattan when the terrorists slammed jetliners into the twin towers. She remembers well the pain and horror. Still, she argues it would be wrong to prevent construction of a mosque near ground zero.
That Islamic terrorists killed thousands “does not give us the right to take away another group’s rights and lives,” she says. “I understand where the critics are coming from ... but if we can respond with our American sense of hope and love, that would be better for all of us.”
Imam Shuaib-ud Din, of the Utah Islamic Center in Sandy, agrees — to a point — with those calling for respect.
But it is the mosque’s neighbors whose opinions should count, he says, not the wider population of critics who discount the fact that Muslim America also suffered in the attacks.
“Our religion suffered and our image suffered. We were put back a decade and to top all that off, Muslims also died on that day,” Din says. “A mosque is not out there to make a political statement. It is out to serve the needs of the Muslims and non-Muslims in the neighborhood. If they [mosque promoters] are isolated in this decision, they should find a place they are more welcome.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints takes no position on the mosque proposal, but that hasn’t stopped bloggers and other LDS scholars from calling on Mormon politicians such as Mitt Romney and Harry Reid to reverse their opposition to the mosque and remember their own church’s history as a target of religious bigotry.
Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar, made the point on a CNN Belief blog Friday.
“Religious freedom and religious tolerance are useless when you’re dealing with a popular religion,” BYU’s Peterson says. “It’s precisely when you are dealing with an unpopular one that they come into play. Mormons ought to be very, very sensitive to the question of tolerance of a religious minority.”
By Kristen Moulton
The Salt Lake Tribune
Published Aug 23, 2010 11:50AM
Muslims who want to build a mosque a couple of blocks from ground zero in Manhattan have the legal right to do so, but is it the right thing to do?
That’s what Utahns of faith are asking as the controversy grows.
Daniel Peterson, a politically conservative Mormon who has studied Islam for 30 years at Brigham Young University and in the Middle East, says he is so fed up with “demagoguery” from the mosque’s opponents that he is tempted to endorse the mosque.
And yet he, and several Utah faith leaders, separate the issue of religious freedom from another value held highly in a pluralistic society: respect.
“Of course they have a right to do it,” says Peterson, professor of Islamic studies and Arabic at BYU.
But if the mosque’s proponents refuse to heed the torrent of criticism that it’s insensitive to build a mosque near where Muslim extremists killed thousands, Peterson adds, it could hurt the cause of moderate Muslims.
“I would come forward if I were the imam, and say, ‘We’ve listened, we do not want to make enemies. We want to be good neighbors. We respect the feelings and the pain, so we’re going to seek another site.’”
The Rev. Mike Pless, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Bountiful, likens the case to one familiar to Utahns: Street preachers who shout and shove signs at Mormons attending LDS general conferences in downtown Salt Lake City.
“Even though I have religious freedom as an American, does that give me the right to go down during conference and assault and insult people?” Pless asks. “It does not.”
In the same way, a mosque would be a “desecration,” says Pless, who opposes its proximity to ground zero.
Imam Muhammed S. Mehtar of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake calls the mosque proposal “very insensitive.”
“The wise thing would have been to consult Muslims and non-Muslims alike,” he says. “It’s a question of doing the right thing.”
Monsignor Terence Moore, pastor of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Draper, says comments by political figures comparing Muslims to Nazis and blaming all Muslims for the acts of extremists responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center do not help the debate.
Yet, he says, the mosque’s proponents need to realize the sensitivity of those who lost loved ones at ground zero.
“We all have to understand that we live in a very diverse society,” Moore says. “If we all stood on our legal rights on everything, we could be in great conflict all the time.”
One of Utah’s newest faith leaders sees the issue as a case of simple religious liberty.
Rabbi Ilana Schwartzman, who took over at Salt Lake City’s Congregation Kol Ami in July, was working on 77th Street in Manhattan when the terrorists slammed jetliners into the twin towers. She remembers well the pain and horror. Still, she argues it would be wrong to prevent construction of a mosque near ground zero.
That Islamic terrorists killed thousands “does not give us the right to take away another group’s rights and lives,” she says. “I understand where the critics are coming from ... but if we can respond with our American sense of hope and love, that would be better for all of us.”
Imam Shuaib-ud Din, of the Utah Islamic Center in Sandy, agrees — to a point — with those calling for respect.
But it is the mosque’s neighbors whose opinions should count, he says, not the wider population of critics who discount the fact that Muslim America also suffered in the attacks.
“Our religion suffered and our image suffered. We were put back a decade and to top all that off, Muslims also died on that day,” Din says. “A mosque is not out there to make a political statement. It is out to serve the needs of the Muslims and non-Muslims in the neighborhood. If they [mosque promoters] are isolated in this decision, they should find a place they are more welcome.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints takes no position on the mosque proposal, but that hasn’t stopped bloggers and other LDS scholars from calling on Mormon politicians such as Mitt Romney and Harry Reid to reverse their opposition to the mosque and remember their own church’s history as a target of religious bigotry.
Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar, made the point on a CNN Belief blog Friday.
“Religious freedom and religious tolerance are useless when you’re dealing with a popular religion,” BYU’s Peterson says. “It’s precisely when you are dealing with an unpopular one that they come into play. Mormons ought to be very, very sensitive to the question of tolerance of a religious minority.”
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Perks of Being Over Sixty
Perks of reaching 60 or being over 70 and heading towards 80:
1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
3. No one expects you to run--anywhere.
4. People call at 9 pm and ask, did I wake you?
5. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac .
6. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
7. Things you buy now won't wear out.
8. You can eat supper at 4 pm.
9. You can live without sex but not your glasses.
10. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
11. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.
12. You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.
13. You sing along with elevator music.
14. Your eyes won't get much worse.
15 . Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.
16. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.
17. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.
18. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to a manageable size.
19. You can't remember who sent you this list.
And Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
3. No one expects you to run--anywhere.
4. People call at 9 pm and ask, did I wake you?
5. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac .
6. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
7. Things you buy now won't wear out.
8. You can eat supper at 4 pm.
9. You can live without sex but not your glasses.
10. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
11. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.
12. You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.
13. You sing along with elevator music.
14. Your eyes won't get much worse.
15 . Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.
16. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.
17. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.
18. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to a manageable size.
19. You can't remember who sent you this list.
And Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Politically Correct
Due to the climate of political correctness now pervading America, please note the following changes:
Kentuckians, Tennesseans, and West Virginians will no longer be referred to as 'hillbillies'. You must now refer to them as 'Appalachian Americans'.
Regarding women:
1. She is not a 'babe' or a 'chick' - She is a 'breasted american'.
2. She is not a 'dumb blonde' - She is a 'light-haired detour off the information super highway'.
3. She does not 'nag' you - She becomes 'verbally repetitive'.
And equal time for the men:
1. He does not have a 'beer gut'. He has developed a 'liquid grain storage facility'.
2. He is not a 'bad dancer'. He is 'overly caucasian'.
3. He does not 'get lost all the time'. He 'investigates alternative destinations'.
4. He is not 'balding'. He is in 'follicle regression'.
5. He does not act like a 'total ass'. He develops a case of 'rectal-cranial inversion'.
6. It's not his 'crack' you see hanging out of his pants. It's 'trouser cleavage'.
Kentuckians, Tennesseans, and West Virginians will no longer be referred to as 'hillbillies'. You must now refer to them as 'Appalachian Americans'.
Regarding women:
1. She is not a 'babe' or a 'chick' - She is a 'breasted american'.
2. She is not a 'dumb blonde' - She is a 'light-haired detour off the information super highway'.
3. She does not 'nag' you - She becomes 'verbally repetitive'.
And equal time for the men:
1. He does not have a 'beer gut'. He has developed a 'liquid grain storage facility'.
2. He is not a 'bad dancer'. He is 'overly caucasian'.
3. He does not 'get lost all the time'. He 'investigates alternative destinations'.
4. He is not 'balding'. He is in 'follicle regression'.
5. He does not act like a 'total ass'. He develops a case of 'rectal-cranial inversion'.
6. It's not his 'crack' you see hanging out of his pants. It's 'trouser cleavage'.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Great Quotes: Wilson Bennett
"I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body."--Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball forward.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Great Quotes: Miss America 1995
On September 17, 1994, Alabama's Heather Whitestone was selected as Miss America 1995.
Question: "If you could live forever, would you and why?"
Answer: "I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever."
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
New LDS.org
An upgraded LDS.org is now available at new.lds.org. Much of the focus of the new site is to help you, as a member of the Church and child of our Father in Heaven, to learn, live, and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It does this by emphasizing the teachings of core doctrines by living prophets and apostles, providing easy access to scriptures, and enabling new tools for online gospel study. Learn more about the new.lds.org at http://ldsmediatalk.com/2010/09/15/new-lds-org
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Experience
"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. ." -- Randy Pausch in The Last Lecture
(Also see D&C 122:7)
(Also see D&C 122:7)
Monday, September 13, 2010
Ingorance and Arrogance
"The only thing more dangerous than ingorance is arrogance."
--Albert Einstein
--Albert Einstein
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Character vs. Reputation
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is what others think you are."
--Unknown
--Unknown
Friday, September 10, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Don't Criticize
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”
--Jack Handey
--Jack Handey
Monday, September 6, 2010
Awareness of LDS Church Products
Since many of you have asked, my new job at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Director of Product Awareness. As such, I'll be responsible for helping members and leaders become more aware of the availability and purpose of Church materials.
In addition to improving traditional communication channels, I'm tasked to find more creative ways to communicate this information to members and leaders, including using social media.
Let me know if you have any great ideas, and I'll try to implement them.
Related to that, I've been writing about new Church products at LDSMediaTalk.com for years.
Keywords: product marketing, product management, social media, advertising
In addition to improving traditional communication channels, I'm tasked to find more creative ways to communicate this information to members and leaders, including using social media.
Let me know if you have any great ideas, and I'll try to implement them.
Related to that, I've been writing about new Church products at LDSMediaTalk.com for years.
Keywords: product marketing, product management, social media, advertising
Anxiously Engaged
Are you “anxiously engaged” in your job? According to massive studies done by Gallup, the majority (70%) of employees are not fully engaged at work.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Letter to Bank
Shown below, is a letter sent to a bank by an 86 year old woman. The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the New York Times.
__________
Dear Sir:
I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it..
I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years.
You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank.
My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways.
I noticed that whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters, --- when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.
From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person.
My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate.
Be aware that it is an OFFENSE under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope.
Please find attached an Application Contact which I require your chosen employee to complete.
I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.
Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.
In due course, at MY convenience, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me.
I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service.
As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let me level the playing field even further.
When you call me, press buttons as follows:
IMMEDIATELY AFTER DIALING, PRESS THE STAR (*) BUTTON FOR ENGLISH
#1. To make an appointment to see me.
#2. To query a missing payment.
#3. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
#4 To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping
#5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
#6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home
#7. To leave a message on my computer. A password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated to you at a later date to that Authorized Contact mentioned earlier.
#8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7
#9. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.
#10. This is a second reminder to press * for English.
While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.
Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.
May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous New Year?
Your Humble Client
And remember: Don't make old People mad. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off.
Source of the above, according to Snopes.
__________
Dear Sir:
I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it..
I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years.
You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank.
My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways.
I noticed that whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters, --- when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.
From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person.
My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate.
Be aware that it is an OFFENSE under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope.
Please find attached an Application Contact which I require your chosen employee to complete.
I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.
Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.
In due course, at MY convenience, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me.
I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service.
As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let me level the playing field even further.
When you call me, press buttons as follows:
IMMEDIATELY AFTER DIALING, PRESS THE STAR (*) BUTTON FOR ENGLISH
#1. To make an appointment to see me.
#2. To query a missing payment.
#3. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
#4 To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping
#5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
#6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home
#7. To leave a message on my computer. A password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated to you at a later date to that Authorized Contact mentioned earlier.
#8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7
#9. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.
#10. This is a second reminder to press * for English.
While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.
Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.
May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous New Year?
Your Humble Client
And remember: Don't make old People mad. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off.
Source of the above, according to Snopes.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Warning Label
"Do not climb inside this bag and zip it up. Doing so will cause injury or death."
Printed inside a 6-inch plastic bag
Printed inside a 6-inch plastic bag
Center of the Universe
"When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it."
--Bernard Bailey
--Bernard Bailey
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