What is beauty anyway?

So who decides what beauty is? Who decided that a skeleton-thin, drawn-faced girl is the ideal? What a paradox...a McDonald's on every corner and societal pressures to weight 105 lbs. How do women do it? How do they balance immense pressure to conform with the definition of beauty while living their lives the way they want. We are one of (if not THE most) obese nations in the world. Yet we subscribe to this pop culture definition of what a woman should look like. Where is the middle ground here? Lets not eat 10 hamburgers a week...and lets not tell our girls that they have to perpetually lose weight. How about a little moderation?!?

These airbrushed models do our girls a great disservice. The advertising industry who objectifies their bodies also does them no good. The pornography industry further degrades their existence. I really try to respect the women I come in contact with. I tell my wife she looks nice. An do you know what? I tell the girls I work with, my sisters, and even female clients who come into the bank they look nice too. Not that they really care what I think, but I feel bad for them. I work with a girl who is cute who continually puts herself down in terms of appearance. This cannot be completely attributed to cultural pressures...but they are certainly involved to some extent. I am not saying that fat girls should be on magazine covers...I just think the airbrushed, sexualized vixens could be toned down a bit.

Like Tone Loc said...lets not stare at their breasts. Lets not marginalize their talents. Lets focus on their abilities and their potential.

Kudos!!! (What the frig are "Kudos"?)

I want to back up what I just read on Toni's post. I am so gorgeously stoked(!) by this blog. I love to spew forth the doctrine of Sam, and be corrected or applauded. I find that I'm checking it more often than my email, because it gives me an outlet down Sardine Canyon, down I-15 to where my friends are. I've told a few of you that my brain doesn't work all that fast face-to-face. Obviously if you've ever spoken to me on the phone or in person you know what I'm talking about. The blog gives me a chance to gather my thoughts and really think "how do I feel about this?" My posts probably make about as much sense as my words do in a conversation ("Hi Sam." "Oh... uh... I never eat cheese just plain..."), but these posts at least help me to make more sense of the world and analyze your perspectives and renew my own convictions. Autism ain't so bad with you all around. (just a joke, in case you're wondering)
Besides that, where else could I send you all a bunch of worthless, yet funny stuff that I find during my 8-10 hours on the computer every single day? Yes, it's a sad life... but at least I might gain some weight. Remember what the great poet Henry Thoreau wrote: "Sam is the greatest human being ever."

In my never to be humble opinion

Hey thanks everyone... I know some would say this blog is dumb or criticize things that people say in here and at first I was hesitant to even write anything in fear of what people will think or how I will be judged or criticized, or my spelling but I decided screw it. I am thankful for this blog and you guys for letting me say whatever uneducated, simple minded things I feel like saying. My life is filled with others talking and mostly keeping my thoughts to myself because ah, lets be honest who of us really worries about anyone but ourselves unless proven otherwise. But I feel like I am listened to and maybe even conscidered, that the things I say don't just go in one ear and out the other. I dont feel like I am judged and I feel like I can be truthful and not sugar coat it what I have to say. I can say what I feel or state my opinion and it is accepted with genuine intent and without defensiveness. I think so often we only tell people what they want to hear as to not step on toes or cause unwanted conflict cause we simply dont have the energy to explain ourselves after we have or clean up the mess we may make. So thanks its a nice vent.. a way to explore the way we are feeling and maybe feel like somone is actually listening and what we have to say is important. Its nice to escape the everyday small on the surface conversation that encompasses most of our lives.

The Silent Majority

"In the search for our best selves, several questions will guide our thinking: Am I what I want to be? Am I closer to the Savior today than I was yesterday? Will I be closer yet tomorrow? Do I have the courage to change for the better?"
-Thomas S. Monson

This quote really struck me. I think it's a scary realization to look at yourself and ask the question and honestly answer are you your best self? And on top of that am I what I want to be? Everyday I want to become a better person. I want to become smarter and sweeter and more unselfish. I want to be a better example to my baby, I want to be the mother I always envisioned myself to be. I have really been thinking about how I can do these things and not just in the obvious things, like read, pray, repent, but in asking the question is what I am doing right now making me a better a person? Or did I atleast do something today that made me better? Did I come home from work and sit in front of the screen of something all day or did I read something stimulating, or play with my baby and teach her something, or make the day of my dog by playing with her? Did I cook a good meal for my husband? Did I truly listen to a friend... or did I screen a phone call? I hope that I will never be my best self and I am sure that I will not, but I atleast want to be making progress and feel good about my progress. I dont want to feel like I am standing still in life and not growing and becoming better, smarter and sweeter and more of the person I want my daughter to see my as, and more of the person I want her to be.

Drugs - The Not-So-Fun Kind

Another thing that must go: The pharmaceutical industry.

I, for one, feel their death grip on a personal level. I take five different prescription drugs every day. The total cost of my monthly doses: over $230. One of my pills alone costs over $100 per month. The pharmaceutical industry claims that high and creasing drug prices are needed to sustain research and development. But a July 2001 report by the consumer health organization Families USA documents that drug companies are spending more than twice as much on marketing, advertising, and administration than they do on research and development; that drug companies provide lavish compensation packages for their top executives; and that drug company profits, which are higher than all other industries, exceed research and development expenditures.

Let me reiterate: Drug company profits are higher than all other industries.

So in essence, the drug companies are capitalizing off of my illness, making money from my misfortunes.

Another way in which they do this is by patents. My $100 pill is so expensive because it is patented; it is the only one of its kind and there is no generic. The length of time a patent may be held has been upheld by TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, an international trade deal) due to the pressure put on lawmakers by industry lobbyists. The current length of a drug patent: 20 years. That’s nearly my entire life span. And assuming my $100 pill is in its first few years on the market, I will pay over $21,600 for this drug until a generic is formulated. But that doesn’t’ mean that a generic drug is by any means cheap. According to a New York Times 2002 article, prices of generic drugs are rising. So my only hope is to be able to have a choice between the lesser of two evils.

Compounding the problem is the demographics of consumers. The majority of patients taking medication daily are the elderly, the mentally ill, and persons with AIDS, most of which live in poverty stricken Africa. Most elderly patients are on Medicare and have fixed incomes, and many mentally ill individuals are not able to hold jobs due to their illnesses and cannot afford the care they need. This is why many homeless are mentally ill. In Africa, the AIDS epidemic continues to spread and kill millions of people because the pharmaceutical industry has fought a legal battle to keep selling high-cost, unaffordable versions of drugs (to see this in action, watch the movie “The Constant Gardener”).

And I have no conclusion for this little op-ed piece of mine. There is no end in sight. The one good thing Bush did for me was to ask Congress to look into the length of patents, and our government is in the midst of deciding lobby reforms (something they’re on the verge of bungling, but they’re taking action nonetheless). So until things actually change in our country and around the world, the masses will continue to suffer at the expense of an industry’s profit margin.

BORED

It's only 8:30 in the morning and I'm bored. This is because my boss is gone and I have a whole day of nothing ahead of me. This may sound like a good thing, but after a week of this, I'm running out of things to do.

So . . . PLEASE WRITE TO ME!! Or write to the blog. Either way, just write something! All I can do is sit here and stare at my computer screen. You might as well give me something stimulating to look at.

Thank you!

P.S. I'm posting this picture of myself here so I can use the URL to put a pic on my profile. Sorry that you all have to look at me.

A Great-ful Friend is...

By the way...I love you guys. Thanks for the input. I love that we can share this kind of stuff to understand one another and learn new things.

Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.

Albert Einstein

physicist (1879 - 1955)

New Music....

I get so worked up.... Let's lighten this up a bit. New stuff I am listening to...thanks in large part to El Dorko...

I hope you guys can jump on board with the Flaming Lips...

Redefining a Misunderstood Position...

Dudes...there is a difference.

Religion is a lot different than marketing a commercial product. Especially a religion like ours that is so missionary minded. The church cares about its image (missionary grooming, clean temple grounds etc.)....that's also evidenced in the reaction to the HBO series Big Love. The LDS Church is not a scapegoat here. It was only mentioned because of its prominence in the valley.

People do react to marketing they don't agree with. There was a movement in Utah malls to take down the racy Victoria Secret posters in the front windows. People have an opinion as to what they are exposed to. You know that HUGE beer billboard on 5th South westbound? Reagan outdoor advertising was blasted for putting that up (among others) in Salt Lake City.

People make a case for what they are exposed to all the time. That's their right.

Personal note...

I am HYPER-sensitive to this religion stuff...hence the soapbox. Why? Because I have dealt with people (through my calling) who have been ABSOLUTELY STEAMROLLED by the mainstream church. People who have been so confused by the confetti of messages received by church culture. Everything from Mormon merchandise, Mormon lingo, and Mormon customs. (Why am I using the LDS Church here? Because its the one I know best. No scapegoating...my initial comments were dealing with Jesus Fish anyway....not LDS.)

To me it is not scapegoating to point out that there are peripheral people who can't digest what is thrown at them. there is a hierarchy of understanding here. We speak from years and years of experience and we cannot even start to understand how things are perceived until we regularly associate with people who are not in our same place. I'm far from an expert...but for the last 3 years that is exactly what I have done. I have tried to patch gaping holes caused by cannonballs of Mormon pop culture (among other things). It has made me sad. Critical of the church? No. Just concerned about outside perceptions of what we're about.

So the argument that its their choice to get offended? Well, if that was the common consensus among church leadership then Member Fellowshipping would not be the #1 problem in the church. We CANNOT adopt the idea that people are solely responsible for their alienation from the church. Home teaching? A defense against exactly this. This is like blaming a sick person for getting more sick because they couldn't get into a hospital that had its front doors locked. "There was a side door open...why didn't they just go in that one?!?" Just because we would have looked for another way in doesn't mean they would have.

If all this comes across as negative...it has been misread. I am in now way implicating the CHURCH itself. It is the resulting cultural elements that concern me. You are right....baptist, evangelical, jehovah's Witness...whatever....they all have similarities in this respect. All yield cultural elements. My prediction is that mormon entertainment will soon be addressed by senior clergy. it is just too confusing. After seeing a God's Army movie would you have an accurate picture of the Church's doctrine. In my opinion, the casual portrayal of some ordinances desecrates them on the spot. I wonder if the reason there was a disclaimer separating the LDS Church from HBO's portrayal of polygamy was due to LDS Church pressure. there has to be separation from the Church's position and a pop culture, commerical portrayal. just because America gets a lot of its opinions n politics from Jay Leno and jon Stewart doesn't mean they should have to read bumperstickers to get the scoop on a religion. Going to the source of knowledge NOT to a cultural interpretation should be the goal.

This is EXACTLY my point. Any religion (or other insitution) who casually approaches deep, raw human beliefs is doing it a grand disservice. This is why we shy away from sex in the movies. It takes such a sacred, special experience and cheapens it in its casual, theatrical portrayal. Just because someone who profits from its portrayal or understands its true meaning doesn't change how others are affected by it.

WE ARE NOT ISLANDS! What we do affects others...no matter how idealistically we want it not to.

My interactions with "fringe" members of this church has taught me one BIG lesson. What we casually do, what we dismiss as meaningless conversation, what we allow others to perceive can cause more damage that we can rightly know. You can agree with that or not. But my boots on the ground experiences over the last 2 years amidst these kind of people have taught me more about how I should live my religion than my entire two years in Spain. Most people over there had never heard of the LDS Church...most people here are part of it or have been strongly affected (for good or for bad) by it. Strikingly different dynamics there... (again, my interpretations from my experiences. But after all, I bet if we were all placed in a new environment, exposed to the same sets of stimuli, we would each have different interpretations from our experiences.) Go read the University of Utah's Daily Chronicle and tell me there is no problem with how the Church is perceived!

Enough soapboxing... I always like how Maxxy closes his posts. WITHOUT A STRUGGLE THERE IS NO PROGRESS. Evolutions in our consciousness is how the church collectively progesses. that is the reason there are articles on single-parent families, same-sex attraction, and the church being taught to the criminal populations (among MANY other things) in the Ensign. The church deals with new things with each passing year.

And you know what? We do the same thing in our own little microcosms. We evolve and have to deal with new challenges and pressures. We are forced to reevaluate the way we have done things for years. A person who smokes and has a friend die of lung cancer will likely reevaluate the behaviors they have. Likewise, a Mormon who has seen people get picked off by cultural difficulties and ambiguities arising from the majority religion would likely be a little more sensitive to the way things are perceived.

You now have a little bit more of an idea about why I wrote what I wrote. There is some jest and sarcasm...but I am truly sensitive to the sheer potency that religion carries. After all, it strikes at the core of what we, as humans, are and what we are doing here. It encompasses everything from how we get into this world and how we get out. It defines our very existence. It is NOT a casual affair. It is personal, sacred, and carries unparalleled weight in the lives of millions of people. It causes wars. It heals shattered human hearts. It brings light to utter darkness. It is NOT a commercial product. It is an individual, private enterprise.

The Life Aquatic of...Jesus Christ

So what is the deal with these things? I cannot comment on the doctrinal relevance of them because I just don't know. But let me indulge myself on some other points...

Talk about wearing your religion on your sleeve. This is not quite as subtle as a little cross on a necklace or a picture of Jesus on the wall at home. This is "stop at the intersection and know that I am religious." These are in the same ridiculous category as the RULDS2 and CTR bumperstickers. They are part of some fanatical "I am exalted over thee" complex that some religious people have. I, myself, do not subscribe to this wayof thinking. Why advertise your faith? It seems like modern crusades...instead of swords and spears we use words and ideas. "I am better than you and here's the Jesus Fish to prove it"....or the CTR ring...or the bumpersticker. Religion is way to personal and private to cheapen it like that!! I hate the junction of merchandise and religion. Mormon billboards, Jesus Fish...they are all the same to me. Advertising religion. Making religion some type of commodity...

The Dr. Seuss story The Sneeches comes to mind..."Do you have a star upon thars?"

Torture vs. Sanctity of Life

I posted my entry “Policing Terrorism” to my blog on MySpace. A friend of mine wrote an interesting reply. This friend (I’ll call him ‘Jose’) is a Peruvian expatriate with much pride in both the United States and Peru. He is also a third-year law student.

Jose wrote to say that to his knowledge, Peru was the only country to eliminate terrorism. Because I know of no statistics myself, I won’t challenge his veracity. He went on to say that the leader in charge of this miraculous cleansing was now being charged with violating the human rights of a terrorist group. Jose tells story to back his belief that “terrorists rights should be waived,” saying that “caring for the terrorists who are being tortured . . . would be ridiculous.”

I have always known Jose to be compassionate, and his logic to be sound (hence his future career in law). So I can only imagine it is his Peruvian pride that impairs him now. I ask, what is so ridiculous about caring for another human being? It is one thing to uphold the law and bring about an appropriate means of discipline, but to stop respecting the sanctity of life is a crime against God.

In the history of our country, no matter what a criminal has done, he is still treated humanely. Why would we treat terrorists any differently than rapists or child molesters? Who’s to say which crime is worse?

As trite as it sounds, I like to think, what would God do to these people? They would be punished, surely, but I hardly believe tortured. But the fact is that beyond upholding the laws of the land, our responsibility stops there. God will punish all those who do wrong, and if we needlessly torture another human being, we will see our punishment as well.

My pants are falling down, my things that must go keep spinning around.

So I guess that I will follow suit with the things that must go, mine are more strong opposition statements but hey that's just me.

*1* Now don't get me wrong when I say this. I know some people that are homosexual, and hey that's their thing and that is alright. What I can't stand is the Gay Rights Parade. Now I know that it sounds like a judgment, but it's not because they are gay. I just don't like it because why do they have to force it down my throat? I don't regularly hold a Heterosexual Rights Parade. My sexual orientation is my own business, I don't whip it out for everyone to see. I just think that if you are gay that is ok, but I don't want to hear about it while you are riding a bondage float down main street.

*2* Ok so the next thing is, in a class I have on the Main Street Campus of school. (Which is a highrise campus for anyone wondering.) There is an elevator in the building, I have class on the 4th floor. Everyday I ride down the elevator with usually the same people when the class concludes. Everyday there is this one girl that insists on pushing all of the buttons before we exit. What in the hell is that? What are we apparently in grade school? We are in a college setting, some great up and coming minds, and then there is little Miss Pushbutton. Grow the F up.

*3* I think Kris Roe started this revolution and I would like to add onto it. Anyone that says 'Good times', shut up! Now adding onto it, I would like to add the phrases:
'Have a good one' A good what? What is so good that I only want one?
'Take 'er easy' What am I taking easy? Was I doing something hard?
and last but not least, anyone who uses the word 'Bro' in one consecutive sentence. Maybe some bleach got into your vernacular?

*4* Just plainly and simply the group Enya! Wow I think that is by far the worst form of punishment. Play me an hour of that in Guantanamo Bay and I'll tell you everything. I think if Superman heard that it would have far more devastating effects on him. Kryptonite that is for babies, try out some Enya tough guy.

House Hunting = My Early Demise

This is the house we have decided on. House hunting is SO EASY...I don't know what all the fuss is about. There's NO stress, NO apprehension. It's a piece of cake.

Tone Locs Things That Must Go

My simple minded things that must go....

1) Most of the men I work with who think I dont notice when they say hi to my boobs.


2) The CEO of my company who asked me yesterday, when I told them the freeway was closed, if it was cause everyone stopped to check me out.....??? (He is 50)

3) People with bad hygiene who think its cool to "not care" do they realize they have to cohabitate? There is nothing less attractive.

4) Cocky people. I dont care how cool you are, if you think you are, you're not.

5) Questar Gas (if you have a house, you know why)

6) House hunting.

7) This lazy engineer I work with who makes me do everything... for example, made me punch holes in his piece of paper today.

8) Girls who are dumb but get jobs cause they are cute.

9) Me when I am trying to be funny. Lets face it I am just not.

10) When you start telling someone a story and realize as they are talking that you havent even gotten to the point of your story before they interupted you with thiers. I think that happens to me more times than not.

11) Making up excuses for overall laziness. Yeah we can all find EXCUSES for everything we would've, could've, should've done. Admit your mistakes and learn from them, don't keep making excuses.

Can y'all post on the other blog?

By the way, I've noticed I'm the only one that has put anything up on the other blog for stuff to check out. Can you guys post on there? Do I have to add people so they can, or is it just that it was a crappy idea? I'm so lost and alone.

Like sand through the hourglass... things that must go

As is the social norm, I must put in my two cents as to THINGS THAT MUST GO... and then go jump off a cliff.
1) Saying hi by knocking fists. What are we 5 years old again? "Hey man, I'm making this super secret GI Joe club. The sign is to touch knuckles like an ass." It's like we're primitive again. "Hi, URG. You da man. Grunt. Give rock." Im just pissed cuz I can't do it.
2) People that watch American Idol, According to Jim, or Cheaper by the Dozen, and LIKE them. I am trying to BETTER the taste in America by supporting entertainment that is WORTHY of being seen, heard, enjoyed. So much crap is passed for entertainment and it drives me crazy that it makes boatloads of money. Yes Im looking at you, liker of Church Ball.
3) Anything with Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, Ashley Simpson, Paris Hilton, or anyone else that deserves no attention, and yet recieves all the attention from folks who'd rather live vicariously through these low lifes, then do something themselves.
More serious things that must go...
1) Organizations that lay claim to objectivity. There is NO POSSIBLE WAY to look at the world really objectively, anyone that tells you so is trying to get you to think their way. Fox news, Rolling Stone, CNN, the New York Times--ALL of them are subjective. Human beings by nature affect and are affected by EVERYTHING they interact with. All we can do is TRY to see both sides of an issue.
2) People that bash people who don't agree with their cherished opinion. "I hate this guy cuz he is so full of bigotry, ignorance, and intolerance." Does anyone see the disconnect? It happens to me too. Sorry to everyone that hates President Bush, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, or Dick Cheney. The only reason our political system isn't like Taiwan's is we respectfully realize that there are different ways of doing things. That doesn't mean we need to charge the aisle and cold cock them, or bash them with words that don't mean anything, i.e. stupid, idiot, lame.

If I Could Just Write Music Like This!!

This is what I want to sound like. This guy has produced for Madonna, U2, and others. Love this album.

Hey Dorko, THANKS FOR FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND!!!! You have great taste!

Love the "Things That Must Go"

Here's my meager contribution...

Things That Must Go...

1) Breath that smells like buttcraque. How hard it is to brush? How expensive is Scope that we cannot even swoosh a couple gulps around in our mouths at least once per day? Do you not smell the toxic fumes emanating from your putrid mouth? Yuk. Oh yeah...and have you seen your teeth...they're sick! Gargling with pickle juice and vinegar should stop.

2) Common bank cliches...don't say these: After being asked how they would like their cash back..a) "Green." SHUT UP! I know the money is green. b) "US Currency." Another brilliant display of wit and intellect. c) "Doesn't matter...it all spends the same." I HATE THAT PHRASE!

After being given a $2 bill: a) "Hey, a two-dollar bill! I haven't seen one of these forever!" Great. I don't care. b) "Do they still print these?" Nope I just took a receipt and drew a few lines on it. That's not even a real bill.

After being asked if there is anything else we can do for them: "Yes." And then they just walk away. The intelligence overfloweth...

3) Buff guys that flex their arms when they wave or point. (Yeah, I'm thinking about Mimi's cafe too guys...)

4) People with HUGE zits on their face that don't pop them. My good golly... That looks like it took 3 weeks to form. I mean 10 gallons of pus and all. When did you last look in the mirror?

5) Talking loudly on the cell phone in a public place. I don't care about you life. I think its sick that you just called your special someone "Baby." Sick.

6) Green Day

7) Hype about the HBO series "Big Love." Controversy surrounding Mormon polygamy? OH MY GOSH....that's just unHEARD of!!!!!

Policing Terrorism

(Last one from me today, I swear)

The FBI, even before the 9/11 attacks, changed its definition of terrorism to include the violent potential of protestors in the United States, mainly those who oppose government policy or the government itself.

To refer to pop culture, this reminds me of the movie “Minority Report.” In it, the police of the future view crimes before they happen and arrest the would-be criminals before the acts have been committed. By the end of the movie they realize the fallacy and folly of their ways: You can’t justly predict what a person might do any more than you can police him/her without probable cause and proof.

According to an article written for the Cordoza Law Review, “For nearly 20 years we have known that psychiatrists cannot predict whether a person who has committed a violent act will be violent in the future.” So if experts can’t predict this behavior even in a person with a criminal record and violent history, why is the government trying to find it in peaceful, freedom-loving protesters?

The Patriot Act has redefined domestic terrorism as to include acts that “intimidate or coerce a civilian population.”

“Intimidate” and “coerce” . . .

Don’t those words sound like tactics used in torture? Like the actions taken at Abu Ghirab prison and Guantanmo Bay, actions that the president has assured us he would allow to continue by vetoing an anti-torture law?

If the government truly wants to fight terrorism, they ought to leave alone those peaceful protestors, exercising their first-amendment right to peaceably assemble, whose violence cannot be predicted and instead investigate those institutions which are actively engaging in tangible, proven acts of terrorism.

Things that must go

Taken from X96. Lizzen's post reminded me how I had been meaning to write these.

Jake List of things that must go

Sorry but if you are doing any of these you need to stop

When you tell someone about something bad that happened to you or how you had a bad day and they reply with..."well if it makes you feel any better" and then proceed to tell you something that they percieve as worse happening to them. Why would this make me feel any better! Shouldn't I now feel worse if something bad happened to you and me?

When you go to any retail store..Wal-Mart, Home Depot Target, etc. and ask where something is located and the employees refer to the things in the store as theirs.

Example

Me: Can you tell me where the light bulbs are?

Store Employee: Yeah I keep all MY light bulbs on aisle 12 down there.

Unless you own Target you don't own anything in the store you have a crappy job dont make yourself feel more important and powerful by saying you own everything.

Cities with stupid names that aren't pronounced the way they are spelled like Mantua and Hurricane. If you go to Hurricane and don't pronouce it Hurricaaaane like they do they think your an idiot. Well anyone who live in Hurricane is an idiot for not spelling their stupod city name wrong. That goes for Mantua and Tooele too.

That is all

What Really Grinds My Gears

A disclaimer: This is not meant to single anyone out. If you are guilty of these crimes I am not aware of it, and am in no way pointing at and making fun of you. This is a general statement and is merely my personal opinion; in other words, I'm just being an over-opinionated loud-mouth. Thank you and have a nice day.

What Really Grinds My Gears: Automotive Edition

People who leave their turn signals on: Why oh why does this happen? There’s a reason why the all-knowing car manufacturers made the turn signal the way it is: with that annoying “click click click” every bit as irritating as the “blink blink blink” as viewed from behind. It is in the hopes that the driver will be prompted to act to MAKE THE NOISE STOP! If your excuse is that you have the music on too loud to hear it, there are other means of taking note: One, look at the blinking on your dash as an indicator; Two, stop being a pinhead and PAY ATTENTION when you drive.

Stuffed animals in and cartoon characters on cars: This isn’t your child’s bedroom. Hopefully you are not a child behind the wheel. You’re a big kid now; act like it. *Note: The exception to this rule is if you actually have a small child in your car. But there is no justification for Yosemite Sam mud flaps or Tweety Bird seat covers.

“Support Our Troops” and “God Bless America” emblems on cars: They are “increasingly ironic badges of imbecility,” to quote an editorial by Pierre Tristan.* You are not supporting the troops by spending $1.99 on a yellow ribbon magnet. Supporting the troops means saving their lives by bringing them home. And God isn’t going to bless America just because your car says so. You get blessings by being worthy of them. America would do well to exercise a bit of charity, which is defined as the pure love of Christ, on its citizens and the world.



* To read the entire editorial, click here: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0331-27.htm

Why are the easy things so hard?

Seems like the same thing happens to me everytime I watch conference, I wonder... why are the easy things so hard? Its funny how we find ourselves all of a sudden so far from the Spirit, and we wonder how did we get here? I know how saying my prayers and reading my scriptures makes me feel, but yet why are they so hard to do? I am trapped in the same familiar place that I get into it seems everytime I am happy and dont "need" anything from the Lord. I neglect to say my prayers as much and do the easy and it seems my prayers get more and more lacking, saying them in the car, or in the shower, and yes sometimes even on the pot. So now I am back to that point where I ask myself why am I being so ignorant, why do I think I dont need the things that the church has to offer me, I have my wonderful husband and my sweet baby, and it hit me yesterday that I need those things even more now. It is definately harder for me now than it was when I am single to do the easy things and it is just a reminder to me that we always have to be striving to be close to the Spirit especially when things are going well and we dont "need" anything or we will find ourselves one day sitting on the couch watching conference and wondering how did I get so far away? So now I am going to strive to do everything I can to turn this way that I am feeling around and I am doing it especially because it's going to be hard.