tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46037107439946955252024-02-02T05:39:05.743-07:00The ThinkerA PIECE OF MY MINDUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger216125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-15424275222522397102015-02-19T20:34:00.000-07:002015-02-20T08:58:23.846-07:00My Funny Valentine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Early in our marriage, I told my young dashing husband that
when he got old he would look like S. Dilworth Young. We both thought highly of
S. Dilworth Young, who was a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, so it
was a happy contemplation. We may even have met Elder Young once in conjunction
with a Seminary and Institute Faculty Meeting. Paul began teaching Seminary in 1969
and Institute in 1972. In 1969, S. Dilworth Young was 72 years old—which is how
old Paul is now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Interestingly, “Dil” and Paul had several things in common,
such as their involvement with The Boy Scouts of America, their poetry, and
their wit. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So, I think I was almost spot-on. What do you think?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-35343301149760246172015-02-02T13:10:00.003-07:002015-02-02T13:10:31.836-07:00Celebrating the Shortest Month of the Year<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I was
growing up in Minnesota, January for me was the “longest month of the year.” It
was also the coldest, darkest, and dreariest month of the year. It was just
nasty and odious! In contrast, I was always fond of February because it was a
mercifully short winter month. But March was about as cold and dreary as
January, although it wasn’t as dark—which made March the <i>second longest</i> month of the year. I lived in Minnesota enduring 13 long
winters beginning when I was in third grade. I left when I was 21.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fast-forward
to today. I really have had no reason to complain about the weather during
January 2015 in Utah Valley. The proverbial
“longest and darkest” month of the year was gone in a flash! And on many days, it was almost spring-like.
Utah Valley winters over all are much milder than Minnesota winters anyway. But
this January was even milder than normal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On the radio
this morning, the Ground Hog Day report was that there would be 6 more weeks of
winter because “Phil” saw his shadow in Pennsylvania. Of course, Phil has always
been full of baloney—with only a 39% accuracy rate. Anybody could guess that
well. I don’t think Phil’s cousin “Youvie” in Utah Valley saw his shadow today,
so supposedly <i>we</i> will have an early
spring. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I was
slowly becoming conscious this morning, I was remembering the 1993 movie “Ground
Hog Day” starring Bill Murray. I’ve not watched it for several years. But, I have
probably viewed it at least half a dozen times since its release, so I could
reconstruct much of the movie in my mind. The moral of the movie was you can live
a selfish self-centered wretched existence, complaining about the weather and
life in general and making everyone miserable around you, or you can adopt an
optimistic outlook, make the best of your situation, try to do good and make others
happy. <i>There</i> is a <i>true principle</i>. Happy Ground Hog Day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-91602168972623296362014-12-31T14:30:00.000-07:002014-12-31T14:30:16.150-07:00Year's End, 2014<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Derailed? Or
A Train Wreck? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I suddenly vanished from the blogging world after my last two
blogs in early March 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It wasn’t that I had run out of things to blog about. I <i>was</i> still <i>thinking</i> because there was so much to <i>think</i> about. And, we <i>were</i>
still in the midst of ever-changing “Sweet Is the Work” MTC adventures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, what derailed me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I suspect it was too many significant things all happening at
the same time. My life apparently got out of sync trying to respond to so many
of yesterday’s events while today’s multitude of events simultaneously demanded
a response. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Or something. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Every day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I can surmise this because of the
existence of several partial, incomplete, unpublished blogs. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Consider, for example, these unpublished titles:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> “The
Illogical Power of Ridicule and Name-Calling”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> “Seeing a
Seachange”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And then the veritable <b>Double-Whammy Train-Wreck</b> occurred: Total
knee replacement surgery in August and deep vein thrombosis in September. A bit
too Melodramatic? Perhaps. Nevertheless, “normal” life vanished for about 4
months. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The good news is that I am finally beginning to return to
“normal.” Looking back, I am struck with
how I had no inkling as to what might transpire during the year. I am now surprised
to note that where “two roads diverged” it could have gone either way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 21.4666652679443px;">.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-61223958189250409462014-03-07T12:45:00.000-07:002014-03-07T12:45:34.624-07:00Meanwhile, in Uganda<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The radio
station that I tune into every morning features news from the BBC. One morning
last week, I caught just a fragment of one BBC broadcast. The part that I heard
intrigued me, so I went to the internet to learn more. I first wanted to see
what kind of spin the major US news outlets were putting on the story. I was
somewhat surprised that I could find <i>no mention</i>
of the BBC story at all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What I had
heard on the BBC broadcast that intrigued me was the voice of a Ugandan
government spokesman, speaking in English, saying:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“There was a
time when the international community believed slave trade and slavery was
cool, that colonialism was cool, that coups against African governments was
cool.” He then called for respect for Ugandan sovereignty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The man
spoke with a polite tone of voice. It was not the shrill, dramatic voice of
outrage that one hears so frequently these days. I think that’s why I wanted to
find out what was going on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What had
happened was that Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, on 24 February 2014, had signed
a bill criminalizing homosexuality. He had signed this bill despite
international criticism and threats to cut financial aid. (Barack Obama and
John Kerry were among those who condemned the law.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Harsh” <i>is</i> an accurate description for the law: [As
reported in “The Independent” (UK)] Those found guilty of “homosexuality” may
be sentenced to 14 years in jail. Life imprisonment will be the maximum penalty
for “aggravated homosexuality,” defined as repeated gay sex between consenting
adults as well as same-sex acts involving a minor, a disabled person or where
one partner is infected with HIV. The original draft called for the death
penalty for some homosexual acts, but this was removed from the legislation
following an international outcry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In “The
Independent,” President Museveni was quoted as saying: The law was needed to
stop what he described as the West's “social imperialism” promoting
homosexuality in Africa. Museveni accused “arrogant and careless Western groups”
of trying to recruit Ugandan children into homosexuality. Many of our
homosexuals are mercenaries, heterosexuals who become homosexuals because of
money. These are prostitutes for money,” he claimed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>What? </i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Promoting</i>
homosexuality? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Recruiting</i> children? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;">Was
this outlandish hyperbole, or was there some element of truth?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To try to
get a grip on this story, I spent some time reading Ugandan history and the
history of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. The two histories seem inextricably connected,
and, the law appears to be a response to the AIDS problem as well as the issue
of morality. Those in favor of the law see it as a solution to the ongoing AIDS
epidemic. Those against the law see it as a violation of human rights— comparing it to Nazi Germany’s treatment of the Jews in World War II.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt;"> “We Africans never seek to impose our view on
others. If only they could let us alone,” President Museveni said, speaking of
Western pressure not to sign the bill. “We have been disappointed for a long
time by the conduct of the West. There is now an attempt at social
imperialism.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt;">The financial squeeze is
now on, as several countries have withdrawn aid. The World Bank, ironically, is
rethinking a loan that was intended to increase health services to combat AIDS
in Uganda. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I studied
the Ugandan situation, I reflected on the increasing momentum of the gay rights
movement here in the US. The showdown in
the courts over gay rights versus the First Amendment right of free exercise
of religion, as many are well aware, is currently under way. If we have not done so before, very soon each
of us will necessarily end up having to draw a “line in the sand” or declare on
which side of that line we stand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I wonder, will
money be an influence or deciding factor in our choice?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-31478549805859525992014-01-28T15:14:00.001-07:002014-01-28T15:23:36.594-07:00Love Stories in Green<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Desperately
needing to see green grass and green leaves in the middle of winter in Utah can
make one want to move to warmer southern climes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">If that can’t
be done, watching a movie that was filmed on location where greenness abounds can
be a salutary substitute. <span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcIpsf1dQcoaETd_d6lkFJD8_VI9wf99J1kb9DlsJj1RlayL_nTlHbywR2_HSMlPaaUrgmKUU4B-kin9snsGo-g1apOBbTJhFw5HO-sGJSaKL44924etc3BA72P7TnIkGO_-u8vf_cfE/s1600/green.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcIpsf1dQcoaETd_d6lkFJD8_VI9wf99J1kb9DlsJj1RlayL_nTlHbywR2_HSMlPaaUrgmKUU4B-kin9snsGo-g1apOBbTJhFw5HO-sGJSaKL44924etc3BA72P7TnIkGO_-u8vf_cfE/s1600/green.jpg" height="170" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">With
greenness in mind (mostly), I started with the movie, “Persuasion,” based on Jane
Austen’s novel of the same name. I </span><i style="line-height: 115%;">persuaded</i><span style="line-height: 115%;">
the Knight to watch it with me. Fortunately, I had actually just finished re-reading
the story again, so the plot and characters were fresh in my mind. The Knight,
unfamiliar with the story, kept interrupting with plot and character questions
as the movie progressed. At the end, the Knight agreed that the movie was an “OK”
story and was not </span><i style="line-height: 115%;">terribly</i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> insipid (even
though there was a shocking dearth of gun fire and car chases).</span></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;">Several days
after that, my eyes again had an insatiable thirst for green. This time, I
chose the movie “Emma,” again based on a Jane Austen novel. Unfortunately, I
had not recently reread the book (since it is <i>not</i> my “favorite” Jane Austen novel), so I was a bit rusty on the
details. Gallantly agreeing to watch the movie with me, the Knight once again
asked constant questions. Even though he really didn’t want to watch this
movie, I think he secretly liked it because “Pepper Potts” from “Iron Man” was
the star.<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;">A week
passed and we were still in the midst of the bleak Utah midwinter, with no
green grass anywhere to be found. Did I dare push my luck with another Jane
Austen movie? I obviously caught the Knight at a weak moment. This time it was “Sense
and Sensibility.” Such a lot of green! By the end, I was well aware that watching
three Jane Austen movies in close succession had certainly been going “the
second and third miles” on his part! (Lots of green but no “little green men.”)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;">Now, you won’t
believe this, but it is true. I actually had the temerity to suggest that we
watch “Pride and Prejudice” next. At this, the Knight balked. “I don’t want to
watch that,” he said. He was adamant. (Whoever heard of going a <i>fourth</i> mile?)<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;">Well, you
probably already guessed it. He had a change of heart: “Pride and Prejudice,”
it was! That’s why I married him: He’s a gallant, fourth-mile-Knight. He even
professed to <i>enjoy</i> the movies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-1714585839799579522014-01-08T14:18:00.002-07:002014-01-09T08:55:41.002-07:00Picturing Hope<div class="MsoNormal">
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On New Year’s Eve, last week, I bought a picture calendar at
Michael’s on sale for 84 cents. Michael’s 84-cent calendar display by that time had only
a few choices to select from such as Hello Kitty or Angry Birds or maybe
Despicable Me. But there also just happened to be one flower calendar
remaining. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The January picture is of a vase of purple lilacs on the window
sill of an open window (a subliminal suggestion of warm weather). The old wooden
window frame is painted bright blue. Faded
curtains frame the window. Interspersed among the lilacs are some fragile white
flowers. I could not <i>not</i> buy this
calendar. The picture of lilacs on a cold winter day conveys such hope to my
heart and soul. I can almost smell the lilacs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I stopped to gaze at the lilacs again today and my heart
smiled enough to reach my face: Hope. The fact that the calendar cost only 84
cents also makes me smile. However, to me the picture is priceless.</div>
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On New Year’s Day, I changed our cottage sign. The December
cottage sign was “Christmas Cottage.” The January cottage sign is “Hope Springs
Cottage.” The idea that should come to your mind is the phrase “hope springs
eternal” (from “An Essay on Man” by Alexander Pope). It also implies, “hoping
for Spring” (<i>I</i> am hoping for an early
Spring).The background of the sign is a montage of snowflakes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Yes, Winter <i>will</i>
again yield to Spring. Meanwhile, the picture of the lilacs gives me joy and hope.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-87733573932565743362013-12-20T13:50:00.004-07:002013-12-20T13:50:57.491-07:00Thinking About Christmas<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ben fixed my
internet and computer issues this morning. My 20 years of experience with the
internet and more than that with computers have not resulted in my becoming the
least bit internet or computer <i>savvy</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A month or so ago I tried to do something with my Facebook account that Emily
could have done in less than 30 seconds, but me it took all morning—that’s how
UN<i>savvy</i> I am. So, thanks, Ben!—I shall
regard it as your Christmas present to me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">. . . Speaking of
Christmas . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">. . . There is this family <i>tradition</i> with meatballs . . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For the past
30 or more years, 15 pounds of homemade meatballs and gravy simmering all day
long in a crockpot have warmed and charmed us on Christmas Day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have usually made
the meatballs far in advance of Christmas Day and stored them in the freezer
until the big day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Somehow, it
slipped my mind this year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, I fear there
may be all kinds of sadness on Christmas Day: “What??? NO MEATBALLS???!!!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Cue the
background music: “You’re a mean one Mister Grinch … your heart’s an empty hole, you’ve got garlic
in your soul!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Another
confession: there’s no Christmas tree this year either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“What??? NO
CHRISTMAS TREE???!!!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Cue the music:
“You’re a monster Mister Grinch … (etc., etc.)”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To top it
all off, there are also no outside lights decorating the eaves and bushes…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“… your soul
is full of gunk, Mr. Grinch.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hopefully,
Christmas will come anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hopefully,
there will be so much Whoville-like Christmas Spirit and love amongst our
family members that no one will even notice what is missing . . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-32135005825488531042013-12-16T17:03:00.001-07:002013-12-16T17:27:06.495-07:00Goodbye Mr. Chips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I was
18, I saw “Lawrence of Arabia” starring Peter O’Toole in a movie theater in
Duluth, Minnesota. I actually watched it twice in the space of a week or two
because I was so mesmerized by the stunning, captivating image of heroic Lawrence
on the big screen. However, the truth is that the story starts on an exultant
high note, but descends slowly (in about 4 hours) into Hell, as Lawrence
essentially is driven to a kind of madness. So, I “loved” only the first part
of “Lawrence of Arabia.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Truthfully, it
was watching <em>Peter O’Toole</em> (as Lawrence)—who was so dashing, stunning,
captivating, and mesmerizing on screen—that I loved. Therefore, when the movie “Lord
Jim” came to Duluth, I went to it because it starred Peter O’Toole. I went
because I hoped that he would somehow reprise the image of the heroic T. E. Lawrence.
Instead, O’Toole’s portrayal of the anguish and psychological turmoil of Jim
was so eerily believable that it was deeply disturbing to me. Additionally, “Lord
Jim” reminded me of O’Toole’s depiction of T. E. Lawrence’s disturbing descent
into madness and Hell, which I did not want to remember. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLTAxMj48KsbEyKTPyDDARecUeHL3OIwk5dq6x_JPoFOOyllz1Nyqp6cjm5IqK_ISlorRRbCy4iubEwflzLxn4G7aBqrM5OkXPvWw4JDu3e7g6WfFsVG1YeGjfTTYB-CFZfbQxCTXgKY/s1600/OSKAR+-+LORENS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLTAxMj48KsbEyKTPyDDARecUeHL3OIwk5dq6x_JPoFOOyllz1Nyqp6cjm5IqK_ISlorRRbCy4iubEwflzLxn4G7aBqrM5OkXPvWw4JDu3e7g6WfFsVG1YeGjfTTYB-CFZfbQxCTXgKY/s1600/OSKAR+-+LORENS.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<o:p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As I viewed
each succeeding Peter O’Toole movie over the years, in my mind’s eye I fondly
recalled O’Toole as heroic Lawrence and I sentimentally yearned for just a
glimpse of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">him</i> somewhere in each
movie – to no avail. That stunning image was gone forever.* However, O’Toole’s haunting
portrayals of madness in Lawrence and in Lord Jim seemed to echo through many
of his subsequent movies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Even though
I foolishly yearned for a glimpse of the hero, in time I gradually—if begrudgingly—
learned to “appreciate” O’Toole’s immense acting ability. It was clear that he
was able to immerse himself so completely into a character that he seemed no
longer to be “acting” – he <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">became</i></b> the part. These portrayals
were always disturbing because they were so <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">real</i>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;">According
to the New York Times:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;">“His
acting method … </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was a process that blended ‘magic’ with ‘sweat,’
a matter of allowing a text to flow into his mind and body until he fully inhabited
the character…. ‘I use everything – toes, teeth, ears, everything,’ he said."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Indeed! It
was obvious: he truly deserved each of those eight Academy Award nominations as
best actor!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My favorite
O’Toole movie—one that I have watched several times and will yet enjoy watching
again in the future—is “Goodbye, Mr. Chips.” I love it because it is sentimental,
and gentle, and full of love. It is a story about hope and charity. In his
quiet, reserved way, Mr. Chips was truly heroic. And I think that <em><strong>in</strong></em> Mr. Chips,
we can actually catch a glimpse the<strong> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">real</i></strong>
Peter O’Toole.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuKkOUs6k-E1oRq0xtFvoGdb_hOufvpHjOLUhhZuyReSqQI_4BaJ6NmyCC7TuHht6CTJ1jEoOpd3L9m2bCNUqndzQJ9iX5e4TN41HfgmFFup5ajxkCbZvkqtvzmAJv4GTjaRSlaEBlsk/s1600/2807chip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuKkOUs6k-E1oRq0xtFvoGdb_hOufvpHjOLUhhZuyReSqQI_4BaJ6NmyCC7TuHht6CTJ1jEoOpd3L9m2bCNUqndzQJ9iX5e4TN41HfgmFFup5ajxkCbZvkqtvzmAJv4GTjaRSlaEBlsk/s320/2807chip.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Goodbye, Mr. Chips -- rest in peace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">* <span style="font-size: x-small;">There is one image from Mr. Chips that is reminiscent of
Lawrence: Mr. Chips runs across campus with his academic robes flying about
him; Lawrence runs across the top of a train with his Arabic robes flying about
him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-58956995262741415982013-11-28T11:01:00.000-07:002013-11-28T12:09:31.295-07:00Perfect<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Weather-wise,
it is a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">perfect</i> Thanksgiving morning:
sunny and calm with a few patchy clouds and an expected high temperature of
about 50<sup>o</sup>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In stark
contrast, I can still vividly recall the Thanksgiving of 2010. An arctic cold
front blasted through Provo-Orem with temperatures in the single digits and a deadly
wind chill factor. That weekend, a big snow storm dropped at least 6 inches of
snow on us. (Shudder!) And, while the 2010 Thanksgiving weather was not “typical”
for Provo-Orem, neither is today’s weather typical. This is probably the best
Thanksgiving Day weather since we’ve moved here. I think it even rivals the lovely
November weather we experienced in Albuquerque from 1993 to 1999. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The weather,
of course, is merely the back-drop – albeit, a splendid, spectacular back-drop!
The major focal point, however, of what will be perfect about today is the
family gathering at Dara’s house. About half of our children and grandchildren
will share one another’s boisterous company and a potluck feast during one raucous,
breath-taking, whirlwind celebration in the afternoon. (Dara is such a good
sport – and gracious hostess – to share her spacious home that can accommodate
a crowd of 20 that seems more like a crowd of 40!)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Abraham
Lincoln issued his proclamation of a national “day of Thanksgiving and Praise”
150 years ago, on October 3 1863. The call to recognize God’s blessings came even
amidst the sorrows and devastations of the ongoing Civil War. It is a perennial
human irony that we often do not recognize God’s many blessings in our times of
prosperity. Then again, in times of sorrow and trial, it is also so human a
tendency to “charge God foolishly” rather than to remain faithful like Job.
Therefore, because of our human weaknesses and failings, we need this special
day of Thanksgiving and Praise to remember our beneficent Father, and the debt
we owe to God and to so many others.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am deeply grateful for family and friends, and God's many blessings.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Happy Thanksgiving!</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-72895184093218301092013-11-20T15:37:00.000-07:002013-11-20T15:37:05.920-07:00Winter in Utah<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have a small Holmes space
heater that I have been using for the past couple of weeks while I am at my
computer desk. It’s purpose is to keep my feet and legs warm. Meanwhile, while
it is ostensibly warming up my cold feet and legs, my upper half is often too
warm. Goofy body.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Feeling over-cooked on the
top today made me remember being a kid on our Minnesota farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the winter, the old fashioned wood
burning cook stove in the kitchen produced enormous heat. I loved to sit on a
chair near <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the back of the stove,
soaking up the Kelvins. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Between the ages of 8 and 21,
I lived through 13 brutal Minnesota winters. Mercifully, temperatures below <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-40<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">o</span></sup>F [40 degrees below zero] ]were only an occasional and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> an every day occurrence. However, in
my estimation, any temperature or windchill factor below 0<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">o</span></sup>F was, by
definition, brutal. And potentially deadly. And that describes most Minnesota
winter days.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_dstRYmknW9_qgWFqEQ4CyKqK6MIUdDKsRhNne0GJ8fLZQZktPFbKbxXZnzcYK_YKnbrGZdc-OTAa0cJQ1SGxiWW5cqAPAU4lDI1Jog7SiLW5295xj5q4ulblRQ-p9tief0-x0Hsoeg/s1600/40below4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_dstRYmknW9_qgWFqEQ4CyKqK6MIUdDKsRhNne0GJ8fLZQZktPFbKbxXZnzcYK_YKnbrGZdc-OTAa0cJQ1SGxiWW5cqAPAU4lDI1Jog7SiLW5295xj5q4ulblRQ-p9tief0-x0Hsoeg/s320/40below4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As a matter of fact, I
personally dealt with my own first degree frostbite symptoms throughout the duration of each
Minnesota winter: itching and painful toes, fingers, thighs and buttocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes I scratched the affected areas
until they bled. I remember many occasions when I immersed my frozen hands into
cool water that felt like it was boiling hot. And this in spite of my best
efforts to dress warmly—I <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was not like
some of today’s young people who insist on wearing shorts and sandals year
round even during a blizzard—but somehow whatever I wore was never sufficient.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Consequently, at the end of
each brutal wintry day, as I roasted slowly next to the great cook stove, I often
thought of the Robert Service poem, “The Cremation of Sam McGee.”</span> At the
end of the poem, the corpse of Sam McGee is smiling in the midst of the cremation
flames, and says, “Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it's the
first time I've been warm!”<i> </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I
felt great empathy for Sam. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course, I no
longer live in Minnesota—nor even in Indiana, for that matter (I also spent 8
semi-brutal winters in Indiana). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now I live in Utah.
Here, our license plates proclaim, “Greatest Snow on Earth.” In the recent
past, it has even been possible to go snow skiing in the mountains on the 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
of July! However, Utah winters (in general) could hardly be characterized as
brutal. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Winter temperatures
at our house (in Provo-Orem) during the past dozen years have not once reached
brutal (0<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">o</span></sup>F).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, in
my estimation, as long as this trend continues, there is no justification for
complaining about Utah winters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">So, hush! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">If things change, there’s always St. George!
(And space heaters.)</span><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-33689327942762780002013-07-16T12:11:00.000-06:002013-07-19T20:47:58.344-06:00Stephen R. Covey and My Daily Private Victory<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">One year ago today, Stephen Covey passed away due to complications
from injuries he suffered in an unfortunate biking accident. I am reminding you
of him today because I have been reminded of him nearly every day since his
death. The reason I have thought of him is because I have a file in my computer
documents called “Daily Private Victory” which I see every day. “Daily Private
Victory” is what Covey called his daily lifestyle practices of continually “sharpening
the saw.” While Covey’s “daily private victory” included four dimensions: spiritual,
physical, social/emotional, and mental, I chose to focus on the spiritual in my
own personal daily private victory. During the past year, under each day’s
date, I have logged the scriptures that I have read that day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">On 16 July 2012, when Covey died, I was about halfway
through <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Book of Mormon</i> and I was also
reading Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s talks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Additionally,
a footnote in one of Elder Maxwell’s talks had led me to the writings of Malcolm
Muggeridge, including his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confessions of
a 20<sup>th</sup> Century Pilgrim</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Third Testament</i>, and “The Christ-Centered Life,” which I was also in the
process of reading in July 2012. At that time, however, my reading of the
scriptures was not always consistently done on a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">daily</i> basis. My purpose in deciding to keep this log was so that I
would become more consistent in my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">daily</i>
reading of the scriptures. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, each day I see the words: “Daily. Private. Victory.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daily</i> reminds me that I made a
commitment to read the scriptures every day. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Private</i> reminds me that keeping my commitment has everything to do
with my spiritual health and strength. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Victory</i>
reminds me that the very real struggle is between my “natural man” and my spiritual
nature. “Daily. Private. Victory.” And then I log in the readings of that day. I
am happy to report that although I have not been perfect at it, I have indeed
improved! In mid-December 2012, I finished reading the second half of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Book of Mormon</i>. The next day, I
began again. A few days ago, I yet again completed the cycle and began again. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">I expect that there are those who would wrinkle up their noses
at so many re-readings of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Book of
Mormon</i>. I may even have been one of those in the past. But, the counsel
from more than one Prophet of the Church has been to read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">daily</i> from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Book of Mormon</i>.
Obedience brings blessings. (Incidentally, for those who might be concerned
about such things, I am also reading from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Doctrine and Covenants</i>, and from the writings and talks of the General
Authorities, among other things.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Many thanks to Stephen R. Covey for his inspirational example
and teachings. He is gone, but not forgotten.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-46320537038622123922013-06-30T21:34:00.000-06:002013-07-19T20:49:54.418-06:00The Four-Year-Old Epicurean<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This evening I caught a glimpse into the mind of a
four-year-old Epicurean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Henry had asked his father to put mustard and relish on his
hot dog bun, “and ketchup, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">of course</i>,”
he said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">His mother cautioned him about the relish since he’d not had
relish on his prior hot dog experiences. But Henry insisted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After a few bites, however, Henry decided that the relish
was not to his liking, so the relish was scraped off the hot dog and out of the
bun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">About half way through the thus altered hot dog and bun,
Henry began hoping for a reprieve of some kind. But his parents were not
persuaded. They expected him to finish his hot dog before he could have chips
or watermelon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As his Grammie, I felt sympathy for the little guy’s chore
of choking down that bun slathered with ketchup, mustard, and relish juice. I hoped
that I might revive his interest in finishing his hot dog by announcing that we
would be having homemade banana cream pie for dessert.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I began to cut the pie into pieces and to top each piece
with an overly generous dollop of Cool Whip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first piece went to the grandpa who inhaled his piece in
a flash. The next two pieces went to Ben and Emily. Then Audrey was ready for
hers. Audrey’s pie was half the size of the adult serving, but it nevertheless
had a scoop of Cool Whip that more than equaled the size of her pie slice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Henry was still struggling with his hot dog and bun.
Suddenly the hot dog squirted out of the bun and landed on the seat of his
chair. The bun and hot dog were reunited, and Henry’s task continued.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In spite of his hot dog struggles, Henry was monitoring the dispersal
of each banana cream pie slice topped with a magnificent cloud of Cool Whip. Last
of all, I dished up Henry’s slice of pie. It was like Audrey’s, with a towering
billow of Cool Whip perched atop the pie, and I set it on the table just out of
his arm’s reach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At that point, Henry stuffed the remains of his hot dog and
bun into his mouth. His mouth was so full, I was sure that it would impossible
to chew and that he would choke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Amazingly, at last he triumphed. His eyes sparkled as he was
given his pie, and he began to dip the tip of his fork into the cloud of Cool
Whip and savor the taste. Dip. Taste. Dip. Taste.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then, suddenly Henry let out a horrified howl: the cloud of
Cool Whip had toppled off his pie onto the side of the plate. Grief overwhelmed
the little guy who cried, “It’s RUINED!” More howls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Emily, as any good Mommy would do, quickly scooped the Cool
Whip back atop the pie, and spread it around so that it would not fall off
again. “There!” she said, expecting a return of happiness and calm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Henry’s grief and howls and protests only increased. “It’s
RUINED! I never want this to happen again in my whole life!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was a moment of such drama as I had not seen in some
time. I couldn’t help but laugh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But I understood:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Henry had been given a “perfect” piece of pie with an
astonishing, fantasy-fulfilling mound of Cool Whip on top. He had envisioned himself
savoring each bite. He had imagined extending his pie experience for as long as
possible. Maybe forever. He had contemplated the perfect and most memorable way
to eat his pie: it would be a memory to last a life time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then, tragically, it was all ruined. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s hard being four.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-11500062698361184832013-04-12T09:58:00.000-06:002013-07-19T20:50:52.963-06:00Seeing the Good<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today it’s a
beautiful spring morning here along the Wasatch Mountains of north-central
Utah. The sky is a stunning, smile-inducing, cloudless blue. Snow-capped,
majestic Mount Timpanogos, contrasts exquisitely with the green grass, jaunty daffodils,
and blossoming fruit trees in my backyard. It’s supposed to warm up to about 60
degrees by this afternoon. Almost Paradise. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6J0bOFXirgb4qz3rhvwFtqpY70NSbJJwIT5maXbEBCmcO6g7kRmlZYWa657ersBdAagG2HnySzvkbq5o-XfqF8-rR92MifawjM_ADaTB9FjEOCv7jvynP8zfe3Fge9iJ8Xm61R7upJFY/s1600/daffodil25591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6J0bOFXirgb4qz3rhvwFtqpY70NSbJJwIT5maXbEBCmcO6g7kRmlZYWa657ersBdAagG2HnySzvkbq5o-XfqF8-rR92MifawjM_ADaTB9FjEOCv7jvynP8zfe3Fge9iJ8Xm61R7upJFY/s320/daffodil25591.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With such a
glorious day before me, I whimsically wish I had the energy of Henry, nearly age
four, so that I could run everywhere – as he wants to do – all day long. With
that energy, I would be able to conquer the world: I could do the spring
cleaning of the entire house before lunchtime, plant flowers in my flower beds
and visit all those whom I love most in this valley before dinnertime, write interesting
and encouraging letters to half a dozen loved-ones in the evening, and end the
day reading inspiring and uplifting literature for an hour before falling
asleep with a grateful smile on my face . . . . <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Being a
realist, however, I recognize my limits. So, I thank Heavenly Father for the
beautiful day and for whatever energy I have, and then I set about doing what I
can to ‘see the good’ and do the best I can in my present circumstances. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Just being
able to see the beauties of nature outside my window and to acknowledge God as
the creator is soul-healing. Everyone I know is searching for a soul-healing ‘balm
of Gilead’ or a place of refuge from the stresses and storms of daily life. Sadly,
many choose endless mind-numbing activities, hoping in vain that they will feel
better.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had a
break-through experience in ‘seeing the good’ recently. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been guilty of becoming angry or
irritated every time I was compelled to clean up a mess that someone else had created.
But, gradually, I began to see that, while I was in the process of cleaning up
these messes, many times the mess was indeed a blessing in disguise. Important
things needed to be done that I would not have discovered if I had not had to
stop to clean up the mess. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope I
have had enough experience now to always look for the good, and see the good,
in what otherwise looks like a frustrating and unnecessary mess. Becoming angry
or irritated is soul-wounding, to say the least.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">May all the “messes”
in your day today turn out to be blessings in disguise, too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6J0bOFXirgb4qz3rhvwFtqpY70NSbJJwIT5maXbEBCmcO6g7kRmlZYWa657ersBdAagG2HnySzvkbq5o-XfqF8-rR92MifawjM_ADaTB9FjEOCv7jvynP8zfe3Fge9iJ8Xm61R7upJFY/s1600/daffodil25591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-41493105744447221392013-04-11T15:50:00.003-06:002013-04-11T15:51:06.385-06:00ThinkingIt's been such a long time since I posted anything. <br />
<br />
But, never fear, I <em>have</em> been thinking.<br />
<br />
And thinking. <br />
<br />
And thinking.<br />
<br />
I expect to blog some of my thoughts soon.<br />
<br />
So...<br />
<br />
<em>I'll be back!</em><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ulEhwAb9q-xJDsQZiNYPflgK4MhmEJE-Fhj6j5L6BIr54w0N4UwBn1s7QmsGTz4WoTQipmUyilBVousleHUTGKuAaIeCNSKJE-YiqBqEgdHQFSUvunEhl2WDVJVpE6BtbTsCPJJz8Ns/s1600/yellow%2520and%2520pink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ulEhwAb9q-xJDsQZiNYPflgK4MhmEJE-Fhj6j5L6BIr54w0N4UwBn1s7QmsGTz4WoTQipmUyilBVousleHUTGKuAaIeCNSKJE-YiqBqEgdHQFSUvunEhl2WDVJVpE6BtbTsCPJJz8Ns/s320/yellow%2520and%2520pink.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
(...thinking...?)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-85371468013559930132012-12-13T09:28:00.002-07:002012-12-13T09:43:19.947-07:00Christmas Messages in the Night<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 189.75pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Early this morning as I was semi-awake, a phrase from a Christmas hymn was playing over and over in my mind:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 189.75pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“And He leads His children on to the
place where He is gone.” </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 189.75pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 189.75pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Those words, coupled with the words from the poem “The Gate
of the Year,” generated an image in my mind of my being led through a great darkness by
the Savior as he held my hand:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"I said to the man who stood at the gate of
the year,<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Give me a light that I may tread
safely into the unknown.’<br />
<sub><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></sub>And he replied,<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Go out into the darkness and put your
hand into the hand of God.<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That shall be to you better than a light
and safer than a known way!’"<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCF31d1qW0fIz9D2MvwHxXuLMx_RFZSeyxhH1NlBD9UXYmEv6ZpSvIOTXO8kq5OMV-xXXHKjmW0xd9Cw-e70LLNyP05EHqyLo37zEMwdYZpwJqcBhvYTGiVbsdFot4LNSfzhdAJaOXAM/s1600/montana_10_bg_061905.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCF31d1qW0fIz9D2MvwHxXuLMx_RFZSeyxhH1NlBD9UXYmEv6ZpSvIOTXO8kq5OMV-xXXHKjmW0xd9Cw-e70LLNyP05EHqyLo37zEMwdYZpwJqcBhvYTGiVbsdFot4LNSfzhdAJaOXAM/s320/montana_10_bg_061905.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think the encouraging message to me was that I can
travel through much darkness or trials in my life with peace and even joy, as long
as I stay focused on Him who is leading me, and the reality and safety of His
strong hand holding my hand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> "The night is dark and I am far from home, lead Thou me on."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1DL8xpfHvAV8XgmQ6OC1Ax9YNSok21jyiD0FnFw6MAC4Zu8jc-ryJeRRa6pXyjZ7K23kEGdhssEOYVgLUpova8pMQAIImQK4pu-Q5MdW6FNmLr5YI5u3zqiWG_iI4qW7w3XjCLJwhUs/s1600/still+storm.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1DL8xpfHvAV8XgmQ6OC1Ax9YNSok21jyiD0FnFw6MAC4Zu8jc-ryJeRRa6pXyjZ7K23kEGdhssEOYVgLUpova8pMQAIImQK4pu-Q5MdW6FNmLr5YI5u3zqiWG_iI4qW7w3XjCLJwhUs/s320/still+storm.bmp" width="246" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-61361475887041831492012-12-05T14:03:00.001-07:002012-12-26T09:33:56.911-07:00"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCeGGM1-wr_FsExxtrpnTmVdhHeSpVIr-rTwrcSwA3wTnwJoT7m5ZgIM_bOaQxFje_o40xy46czcXwiF3FXCe_UU3ltQobjVVcXobwTR8Ee60MKi9zhacMb_oEnj55Yo3GTS1WfwbyVws/s1600/jon+schmidt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCeGGM1-wr_FsExxtrpnTmVdhHeSpVIr-rTwrcSwA3wTnwJoT7m5ZgIM_bOaQxFje_o40xy46czcXwiF3FXCe_UU3ltQobjVVcXobwTR8Ee60MKi9zhacMb_oEnj55Yo3GTS1WfwbyVws/s400/jon+schmidt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For some Christmas Spirit, click on the following link to
watch an exquisite music video. (Or copy and paste the link.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://youtu.be/ugV6QGcafEE" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/ugV6QGcafEE</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The pianist is Jon Schmidt and the cellist is Steven Sharp
Nelson. The video was filmed at the LDS church’s Jerusalem set in Goshen Utah.
The video also features portions of New Testament videos filmed there by the
church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Merry Christmas.</div>
</span><br />
PS: try this one too!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
<a href="http://youtu.be/iO7ySn-Swwc" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/iO7ySn-Swwc</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-15565434487516214862012-12-04T13:52:00.000-07:002012-12-04T19:30:14.416-07:00Not the Benedict Arnold of Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wKtKY-KvBbAA5nIquBoqjz17PpwB9m-Fp25h0t9bkA7pn2pZj7tXb6ydJ6w9q15PT12XCYzCxSHwv9f8TbG-BxQadrKPfxHJaTyFigi-ZQ1IH9XMxAZD1FbIQuJe8oxDUL7Aoh8bwq0/s1600/christmas-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wKtKY-KvBbAA5nIquBoqjz17PpwB9m-Fp25h0t9bkA7pn2pZj7tXb6ydJ6w9q15PT12XCYzCxSHwv9f8TbG-BxQadrKPfxHJaTyFigi-ZQ1IH9XMxAZD1FbIQuJe8oxDUL7Aoh8bwq0/s320/christmas-3.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Did you happen to see the recent headlines about
Pope Benedict that falsely implied that he said the traditional Christmas story
was not true? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The major media (CNN, The New York Daily News,
etc.) published headlines like this:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Killjoy pope crushes Christmas nativity traditions”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Pope
sets out to debunk Christmas myths"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Of course, I was shocked and dismayed that the
Pope had apparently lost his mind and had caved in to atheism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">But there was something about such shocking news
that didn’t quite ring true for me. So I did a bit of investigating (on the
internet) to find out what the truth really was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The brief story in the local Deseret News by Matthew
Brown, “Vatican comes to the defense of pope’s book on Christmas,” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was almost too brief. It merely noted
the current media flap, but <em>left out the important point that the Pope had been
misquoted and misunderstood!</em> The five people who sent in comments to the
Deseret News obviously thought that the Pope was probably guilty as accused: the
Benedict Arnold of Christmas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">However, on the website, firstthings.com, Kevin M. Clarke,
set the record straight, showing that the media reports were sloppy journalism
at the very least. His parting words:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As should be painfully evident, there is a big
difference between what the media says that the Pope says and what the Pope
himself actually says. Each time the waves settle from their slipshod coverage,
the media should find that it has displaced a bit more of the public trust,
trust that they will deliver the truth about Vatican news. They forfeited my
trust a while ago. If anyone were to ask me, “How should I read news about the
Vatican from the secular press?” I would say, “It can be useful for
information, but must be read with a fundamental principle of uniformly applied
suspicion and doubt. In other words, read it in the same way in which they
would have us read the Bible.”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">In reality, we probably should regard <em>any and all</em> of the media’s news stories
with “Uniformly applied suspicion and doubt,” not just stories about religion.
But especially about religion!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Sad, but true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Even Matthew Brown of the Deseret News did not
work very hard to set the record straight on Pope Benedict. He missed an
opportunity to defend someone misrepresented by the mainstream media. Shame on him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYq2JTjgzuC0IQR3yQWi18V-JdUVBptvMvcAuo0iJQgWgiL9Bwb1TMPZELeZlWPlSkOM3ST7oj3SDtsyQV8yD_Xuks37KlEv5_uKFV6hKmMdft7F0q6sCH7JDc5v9IjqR4MZJblRcYUa4/s1600/SilentNight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYq2JTjgzuC0IQR3yQWi18V-JdUVBptvMvcAuo0iJQgWgiL9Bwb1TMPZELeZlWPlSkOM3ST7oj3SDtsyQV8yD_Xuks37KlEv5_uKFV6hKmMdft7F0q6sCH7JDc5v9IjqR4MZJblRcYUa4/s320/SilentNight.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-56579091942375133052012-10-31T16:29:00.000-06:002012-11-01T10:25:17.503-06:00Astronomical Baloney<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Astronomical
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>baloney often shows up unexpectedly. The
other night, I was watching the first show (the pilot) of “Warehouse 13,” a
SyFy Channel series now on DVD. In one scene, Pete, the hero, is gazing skyward
into the night sky in South Dakota and says something about seeing Leo, Cygnus,
and Sagittarius. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the online
character profile, </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Pete “has extensive esoteric knowledge, including
popular culture and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomy" title="Astronomy"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">astronomy</span></a></i>.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTRVInfe2cQXTX0QQe-kgrx_kfCkLjz6hZukkGYJZ90hVz0ZOvGAiMuqD7sIWmezypF8meJTKlFZ49MP7IEsIt1wB4RCUCz90qYy6yc-1tBwzpEDzW3nBHAda5aROSUoJCf3cs__vFy8/s1600/warehouse13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTRVInfe2cQXTX0QQe-kgrx_kfCkLjz6hZukkGYJZ90hVz0ZOvGAiMuqD7sIWmezypF8meJTKlFZ49MP7IEsIt1wB4RCUCz90qYy6yc-1tBwzpEDzW3nBHAda5aROSUoJCf3cs__vFy8/s320/warehouse13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most viewers
probably didn’t know or care a fig about the constellations that Pete mentioned.
However, it came into my ears like hearing a novice attempting to play the
violin. Something was definitely off key. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, I asked
myself: Is it actually possible to see Leo, Cygnus, and Sagittarius at the same
time? The answer is, not really. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sagittarius
is a summer constellation that is located by looking southward. Leo is a spring
constellation that sets in the west by the time Sagittarius becomes fully visible.
And, the constellation Cygnus is found in the northern half of the sky. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Obviously the
writers were not intentionally making Pete look like one of those fakers who merely
pretends to know something about astronomy, or who was randomly name-dropping
constellations in a failed attempt to impress Myka. Because, if so, since <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">she</i> is the bookish one, having grown up
in a bookstore, she would have spotted his balderdash and immediately challenged
him. So, why did Pete name those three particular constellations? There is
nothing that logically or visually connects them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I suspect
that it was the writers who were just randomly name-dropping constellations…. Just
think: they could have chosen Cygnus, Lyra, and Aquila, the three
constellations in the “Summer Triangle.” Or they could have name-dropped the
three bright stars of the Summer Triangle: Vega, Deneb, and Altair. At least those
names have logical and visual connections. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Astronomical baloney also popped up in Leif
Enger’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peace Like a River</i>, which I
reread recently. I expected better of this author who, for many years, was a
reporter and producer for Minnesota Public Radio. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDSWDw6mYVLAuMloM43mt69lJuUc5m1bSt5VJ1XT1zMIzFe0Wd8FwHj0lHoxFvOx3sse61yue5UlNMuvg8oryei46wnMzuhE61atuTKMMNhSVRwB_Jw92zBrxkhrJj2Ea2gSjslCYdLk/s1600/peacelikeariver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDSWDw6mYVLAuMloM43mt69lJuUc5m1bSt5VJ1XT1zMIzFe0Wd8FwHj0lHoxFvOx3sse61yue5UlNMuvg8oryei46wnMzuhE61atuTKMMNhSVRwB_Jw92zBrxkhrJj2Ea2gSjslCYdLk/s320/peacelikeariver.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first
astronomical blunder Enger made was on page 117 when he wrote that as evening fell,
“Stars were appearing. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Venus in the east</i>.”
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Italics added.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The immutable
astronomical facts are these: Any time that Venus is visible in the evening, it
is always seen in the west, never in the east. The only time that Venus can
appear in the east is in the morning. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The second
astronomical mistake Enger made was on page 224. Enger has Reuben seeing the
“blue disk” of either Venus or Jupiter in the South Dakota sky just after
midnight in the winter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two
problems. First of all, Jupiter does not appear to be blue; it looks more
yellowish. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Secondly, it
would be impossible to see Venus at midnight in the winter in South Dakota.
Perhaps south of the Arctic Circle in northern Alaska during the summer, you
might possibly see Venus at midnight, because Venus is found during the
twilight near the sun. This obviously could never happen in South Dakota in the
winter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A suggestion
for Enger: The most noteworthy star in the winter skies suitable for
determining general direction would be Sirius (found in the southern half of
the night sky). Also, some easily spotted winter constellations can help with
direction: Orion and The Big Dipper. Traditionally, the Big Dipper and the North
Star/Polaris in the Little Dipper are used to establish the direction north. In
the early 1960s (the timeframe of the story), every kid in Minnesota knew that.
I knew that (I was there). Reuben, who was a kid from Minnesota, would have
known that. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For some
reason Enger seemed fixated on Venus: Two references to Venus – both of them
inexplicable nonsense. Astronomical baloney.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQU56tw_rmRLe4Lwc0DZ_SZwnkA7LGSb1rXbZzF5r1-mBHZ8gmcdzpICtRd9MdVkgN7FqSy_4YHPNjmM74K1sy6ElISGpjY-qcK8xIcpIo0OXZC_JbrA1GxN5qLZMSMlDMOjP3yHnMjN8/s1600/800px-Venus-pacific-levelled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQU56tw_rmRLe4Lwc0DZ_SZwnkA7LGSb1rXbZzF5r1-mBHZ8gmcdzpICtRd9MdVkgN7FqSy_4YHPNjmM74K1sy6ElISGpjY-qcK8xIcpIo0OXZC_JbrA1GxN5qLZMSMlDMOjP3yHnMjN8/s320/800px-Venus-pacific-levelled.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-699375999127827942012-09-20T16:21:00.000-06:002012-09-21T14:31:26.858-06:00David and Goliath 2012<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxk3MucU69Z4p24QGZMoOcWSDxFJd38L9-Y0RybkEqER-G1qWjJ7KzwfD3FfWgNKEdewK5W4cPNnoCic9k2XUT-dN0kElqyYJgrAEiNYWoQ2Tmn8uljsjjeB8D6UY12ncptKIfNPYrt-E/s1600/brandon+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxk3MucU69Z4p24QGZMoOcWSDxFJd38L9-Y0RybkEqER-G1qWjJ7KzwfD3FfWgNKEdewK5W4cPNnoCic9k2XUT-dN0kElqyYJgrAEiNYWoQ2Tmn8uljsjjeB8D6UY12ncptKIfNPYrt-E/s320/brandon+flowers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As you may have
previously surmised, I am not into rock music. Classical is more my style. So, prior to a
few days ago, if someone had dropped the name Brandon Flowers while conversing
with me, I would have been completely clueless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not so today. Although I’ve not listened to him sing, and I cannot name
any of his hit songs, I will now call myself one of Brandon Flowers’ fans. Why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While on a
concert tour this summer, Brandon was being interviewed on a Norwegian TV show when
the host asked him questions about his Mormon faith. After Brandon responded
with positive remarks about prayer, the Church, etc. the host brought out another
guest, the famous atheist Richard Dawkins. Dawkins, true to form, launched into
an attack on Joseph Smith, whom he called a “charlatan,” and the Book of Mormon,
which he called “an obvious fake.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was apparent
that Brandon was surprised by this deliberate and cynically planned ambush. The
goal of the show seemed to be: Let’s humiliate this Mormon guy -- and don't give him a real opportunity to respond.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">So, after
Dawkins spewed forth his huge disdain for the Mormon faith (looking directly at
Brandon as he did so), Brandon responded: </span><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;">“The book's been studied and torn apart and looked at — and I am not one of
the professors that have done it — but to call this man a charlatan, I take
offense to it.” He also told Dawkins that he (Dawkins) “needed to do his
research” (on the Church and the Book of Mormon). Dawkins huffed that he <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">had</i> done his research, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">obviously</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brandon, of course, was absolutely right.
Real scholars who have actually done honest research on the Book of Mormon, undoubtedly would agree that there were tell-tale signs that Dawkins had done no
true research. His argument against the Book of Mormon was a "straw man" argument that would earn Dawkins a C-minus in any college logic class. Dawkins, in fact, is himself the charlatan -- a person who pretends to have expert knowledge or skill that he does not have. He specializes
in sound bites, and he has no real interest in the truth. <em>Obviously!</em></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8uEr69s5nQ&feature">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8uEr69s5nQ&feature</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-54593339151633921322012-08-20T13:20:00.001-06:002012-08-26T16:48:50.368-06:00Of Friends (and Cousins)<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Suppose you
were befriended by a kindly person during the saddest time of your life. Would
you not love that person and see his friendship as a gift from a benevolent
God who saw your need and sent an angel? <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have a
favorite movie in which a forlorn, unloved, and tortured young man named “Smike”
is rescued from the clutches of evil people, and taken in as a brother by another
young man named Nicholas. Smike, who is an orphan, suddenly enjoys the love of
a family for the first time in his life. When Smike contracts tuberculosis,
Nicholas takes care of him like a father, until Smike dies. Nicholas then lovingly
buries him near his own father’s grave. In every way, Nicholas loved and served
Smike as a beloved brother. Only later does Nicholas learn that Smike was
actually his cousin. Smike’s father and Nicholas’ father were brothers. This
movie, of course, is Dicken’s novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nicholas
Nickleby</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBP-9ZqqfyXziLlGrha6pjvSF4CwNNpZYUBwCOo9y1QSk0GxGcc5olNTtljn7ObZlGYAnizkEtkrSO98uH-aoRtDCZKniWZnSUoQFYGPZWdHaGxnfwuj7MjQi4CqP05hc5QxOy5bqSm0/s1600/Nickleby_serialcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBP-9ZqqfyXziLlGrha6pjvSF4CwNNpZYUBwCOo9y1QSk0GxGcc5olNTtljn7ObZlGYAnizkEtkrSO98uH-aoRtDCZKniWZnSUoQFYGPZWdHaGxnfwuj7MjQi4CqP05hc5QxOy5bqSm0/s400/Nickleby_serialcover.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The fact
that Nicholas loved Smike so faithfully and purely was touching and inspiring. But when we
learn that they are actually cousins, suddenly, something quite profound seems
to have been at work. The hand of Providence brought the two young men together
during a trying time in both of their lives, to be a blessing to one another,
and for the purpose of reuniting and sustaining their family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have you
ever had such an instant rapport with a new friend that you have felt to
remark, “we must have known one another in the Pre-existence”? That’s how I
felt about my friend, Anita, who first entered my life about thirty years ago. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A new perspective has emerged this past week
on that wonderful friendship. She is my cousin. Thirty years ago, she was indeed
a gift sent from God – God who cares about blessing our lives (while also uniting
and reuniting and strengthening families). This week while I was working on
Family History, I made the connection in my ancestry with Anita’s. Knowing now that
we are family tells me that our friendship thirty years ago was indeed brought
about by the hand of Providence. A smiling Providence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We shall
not cease from exploration <br />
And the end of all our exploring <br />
Will be to arrive where we started <br />
And know the place for the first time. (T.S. Eliot)</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-43520100268017592182012-08-10T15:44:00.000-06:002012-08-10T15:45:49.741-06:00Marathon Man<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFa1RXdM8jkKqF4YlRFvfvvkbS6P4dlivYDsc6S6tauh1n0p-dOCQE7KE0bXucm-hrVUvRqgQBH9O0r94DiZOycPeBTvIUJev8sMEjBru0efDpv3onnz9lBwF4a3JyKJ-chzjtj37ljQA/s1600/IMG_2500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFa1RXdM8jkKqF4YlRFvfvvkbS6P4dlivYDsc6S6tauh1n0p-dOCQE7KE0bXucm-hrVUvRqgQBH9O0r94DiZOycPeBTvIUJev8sMEjBru0efDpv3onnz9lBwF4a3JyKJ-chzjtj37ljQA/s320/IMG_2500.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The London Olympics
will come to a conclusion on Sunday, August 12. The final event of the Olympic
Games is the men’s Marathon which will happen on Sunday. No other event is
scheduled on the closing day of the Olympics. Clearly, it is the capstone
event. Two weeks ago on July 27<sup>th</sup>, as the Games were set to begin, a
vivid memory from a previous Olympics came to my mind: Frank Shorter winning
the Marathon in 1972.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4BVkq8BDi4cz5G0bY_ihf_oskiwzJc9nROD8Vk9FQgTlZ9GlrTsUX3ql3olyOkcOcEQwAOpyUBHUOljZdDTui1XgyfPQZYb4TzVqaZMtJlUFpYBQhTW7ZPGBq1JGj7-JqtEZKILHpWw/s1600/200px-Frank_Shorter_at_Boston_2002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4BVkq8BDi4cz5G0bY_ihf_oskiwzJc9nROD8Vk9FQgTlZ9GlrTsUX3ql3olyOkcOcEQwAOpyUBHUOljZdDTui1XgyfPQZYb4TzVqaZMtJlUFpYBQhTW7ZPGBq1JGj7-JqtEZKILHpWw/s1600/200px-Frank_Shorter_at_Boston_2002.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After
winning the Gold Medal, Frank Shorter instantly became a household word in the
United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember being inspired
as I watched him run: I so wanted to run like him. I was not alone in my
feelings. Frank Shorter is credited with triggering the running boom in the USA
that occurred in the 1970s. And the rest is history, as they say.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-30244033601294133722012-08-09T14:17:00.001-06:002012-08-10T19:03:47.159-06:00Inexorable<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Inexorable" was the word that came to my mind as I contemplated today's date and my having arrived at this point in time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first acquaintance with the word inexorable occurred in my UMD English class when I was a freshman in college. Or it might have been a word in one of Robert Frost's poems. It's a word that, over the years, I have repeated silently to myself, letting the syllables roll over my tongue: in-ex-or-a-ble. It sounds so profound.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inexorable means something cannot be prevented or stopped. The passage of time is inexorable. The arrival of old age is inexorable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the great things about living many years, is the many priceless memories. Because of my many priceless memories, I am a "wealthy" woman today.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZQ12O-aGd-Xn-EWAoyPIArzTEyxd8JIN0Y0W4lAhZDnSqSURgmgXP30UkJIzVvsJP43GTAwXNhyphenhyphen148ISnu51dWgd85zqieSgTquX-xlnZTyx12jMSSzHjyMd1Nqsy1cOL542W1xiO8M/s1600/Utah+sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZQ12O-aGd-Xn-EWAoyPIArzTEyxd8JIN0Y0W4lAhZDnSqSURgmgXP30UkJIzVvsJP43GTAwXNhyphenhyphen148ISnu51dWgd85zqieSgTquX-xlnZTyx12jMSSzHjyMd1Nqsy1cOL542W1xiO8M/s400/Utah+sunset.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-30117738097345952452012-07-30T11:04:00.001-06:002013-07-16T17:01:16.722-06:00Stephen R. Covey<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two weeks
ago, on July 16<sup>th</sup>, Stephen Covey passed away at the age of 79; he’d
have celebrated his 80<sup>th</sup> birthday in another 3 months. For me, his
death was completely unexpected because he always seemed ageless, full of life,
and as energetic as though he would live forever. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And he <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">could</i> have, but he now is enjoying "other scenes of haste."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In April he
was out riding his bicycle in the foothills of Provo when he crashed while
going downhill. He didn’t break any bones. However, even though he was wearing
a helmet, the impact caused some bleeding in his brain. This is what ultimately
took his life three months later.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YlcaJicaeYCGq4N0KTHvVawongFULRg0cUdTXQNIOey0IlUJCdgYTrijxfN1A7JWlzt9nynQhQZWBJ_h0xUVpf6mukDvxppKL89wrCMv212FLPVKImIHqWT3oOEnZTJZ5KVUOzBTgJo/s1600/Stephen-R-Covey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YlcaJicaeYCGq4N0KTHvVawongFULRg0cUdTXQNIOey0IlUJCdgYTrijxfN1A7JWlzt9nynQhQZWBJ_h0xUVpf6mukDvxppKL89wrCMv212FLPVKImIHqWT3oOEnZTJZ5KVUOzBTgJo/s1600/Stephen-R-Covey.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, the
accident happened as he was “sharpening his saw” with aerobic exercise. He was pro-actively
taking care of his physical body in anticipation of living a long, active, and
productive life. He was setting an excellent example for all of us; he was
following his own admonitions found in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
7 Habits</i>. I can just picture him on his bike, wearing his helmet, looking
like a Tour-de-France guy, grinning at me as he zooms by, with that familiar
twinkle in his eye. I shall picture that whenever I think of him from now on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I met Stephen
Covey before he became world famous (in the early 1970s). For the last 12
years, since moving here from Albuquerque, I have thought of Stephen Covey every
time I have driven down into Provo from Orem. His house in Provo stands out
conspicuously in the foothills of the Wasatch Front.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have, on
my bookshelves, three of his books, including, of course, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People</i>. I’ve read 7<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Habits</i> several times. About twenty
years ago, I even bought a dozen copies and gave them away to my friends,
because I was convinced that he had “nailed it.” What had he “nailed”? The “character
ethic” is what he called it. A formula for successful leadership is what
millions who’ve read the book have called it. A “Personal Reality Check” is what I
call it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-12889865325979436002012-06-19T13:22:00.000-06:002012-06-19T13:22:34.253-06:00Great Minds Think ...<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Timothy
Clark, in today’s newspaper, made some points in his column that tie into my previous two blogs. Among them:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: purple;">If children
don’t taste real success [or, in other words, accomplish something worthwhile],
they may look elsewhere for fulfillment. They may get the idea that pleasurable
pursuits are the equivalent of solid achievement. That is of course what our
inane popular culture teaches, and children tend to believe what they are
taught. The truth is much of the pleasure we seek is a waste of time. It leads
to mediocrity, untapped potential and even destructive addiction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: purple;">If our
children go back to school and have amassed nothing but hours on the gaming,
Internet and television log, it will be a lost summer. We have a vested
interest in our children, and we know the mass media does not.</span></span><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some of his recommendations?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: purple;">Teach your
children that the grand aim in life is not to consume, but to create and
contribute. It’s a whole lot more fun.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: purple;">Identify
projects to complete: service, arts and crafts, music, cooking, gardening,
learning a language, sports, home improvement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To read more, go to</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: text2;"><a href="http://desne.ws/KipoGV"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://desne.ws/KipoGV</span></a></span></u></b><u><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: text2;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My previous
two blogs were each written without knowing what might catch my eye in the next
day’s newspaper. I termed it serendipity yesterday when a new article tied into
my previous theme. Three days in row, however, is more notable than mere serendipity.
And it’s more notable than merely a case of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“great minds think alike.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“In the
mouth of two or more witnesses shall everything be established.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday’s newspaper URL for the article on the effect of
electronic media on our brains and relationships is<span style="color: blue;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: #1f497d; mso-themecolor: text2;"><a href="http://desne.ws/LzLkyc">http://desne.ws/LzLkyc</a></span></u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603710743994695525.post-30561467987625990242012-06-18T12:53:00.000-06:002012-06-18T15:10:55.652-06:00Fried Brains and Frenzied Souls<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today’s
newspaper carried an interesting article titled “Electronics Overload” – which I
thought was a serendipitous follow-up for my previous blog (“Summer” – see below),
in which I touched on the behavioral and psychological drawbacks of too much empty
electronic media, resulting in a tortured emptiness of soul. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Coincidentally,
last week’s newspaper sounded the alarm about children spending 3 or more hours
per day using the computer. The concern of that article was the dearth of physical
activity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The opening
paragraph of today’s article certainly caught my attention: “Parents addicted
to their electronic gadgets – and children who follow their example – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stand
to lose brainpower</i></b> . . . .” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Losing
brainpower is a scary prospect. According to the article, spending too much
time using electronic media can “re-wire” your brain in detrimental ways,
resulting in an inability to focus or think deeply. (So, now, I can attribute
my struggles with a more or less constant state of distraction to cyberoverload
rather than approaching Alzheimers. Hmmmmm. I am <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">almost</i> relieved.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two books
were cited as sources: “Conquer CyberOverload” by Joanne Cantor, and “The
Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains” by Nicholas Carr. Carr’s
book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Describing
some of the detrimental effects of too much use of electronic devices, Carr
said, “We are welcoming <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">frenziedness</i></b> into our souls.” Our “capacity
for concentration and contemplation” is being depleted, robbing us of “our
ability to have certain kinds of thoughts and experiences – the kind of
thoughts and experiences that have defined our humanity” – resulting in a “shallowness
of thinking and relating.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Loss of
brainpower is bad enough, as it limits our ability to grasp things meaningfully
and to communicate effectively. Loss of our ability to relate in deep and
meaningful ways is probably even worse, as we become mechanical with our
interactions: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Less than fully human</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I haven’t
read Cantor’s or Carr’s books yet, but I think I shall. I’ll keep you posted on
what I glean from having done so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0