NothingWavering.org - LDS Bloggers

Mormon Movie Guy: Introducing Darin Southam: An Interview with the Star of EPHRAIM'S RESCUE

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:14:00 -0700

You may not know Darin Southam by name, but if you live along the Wasatch front you certainly know his face, plastered as it is across billboards, posters, and newspaper ads for Ephraim’s Rescue (in theaters May 31). The film, which director T.C. Christensen described to me as “17 Miracles from the rescuers’ perspective,” tells the true but often overlooked story of Ephraim Hanks, a Church history hero who put his life on the line to follow President Young’s call to save the Saints stranded and dying on the plains. I recently connected with Darin, eager to get to know the actor responsible for bringing Ephraim Hanks to life on the big screen.

Reach Upward: Farewell to the Good Doctor?

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:45:00 -0700

"The problem with our education system" my doctor friend opined, "is that we have turned our teachers into data gatherers. We don't pay them to teach; we pay them to gather data on their students. When the geniuses at the top of the bureaucracy don't like the data they see, they merely tweak the data or gather different data. It never occurs to them that their data collection is harming the educational process."

"We don't have students anymore; we just have data points. They're not people; they're just numbers to be manipulated" concluded the doctor.

My exercised friend was certainly on his soapbox. "That's where the medical industry is headed too," he said. "Everyone is being turned into a set a numbers. Numbers can be important, but they are no replacement for the individual."

The doctor explained that the availability of all kinds of health data to individuals and health care professionals can be very useful, if taken as part of a much bigger picture. But focusing too closely on the details can result in a great deal of harm.

"I am trying to treat individuals here, not diseases or symptoms," said my friend. "But the bureaucracy is making this increasingly difficult. I'm not sure how much longer I can put up with it," my friend said as he reflected ominously on his future. "And Obamacare will make it much worse," he added.

"We will all simply be a bunch of numbers for an endless army of number crunchers to crunch," said the good doctor. "We will be coerced into trying to make all of the numbers look good, regardless of how it affects the patient." He further opined that non-compliant patients and health care professionals will be punished.

Another health care professional glumly noted, "It's the law of the land."

I don't particularly care for that statement. It is certainly the policy of the government and its cronies. But there is a difference between law and mere policy. Natural laws exist irrespective of what arrogant humans say is law. It is up to us to discover these laws. We do not create them. We can obey them or not, but there will always be negative natural consequences for violation of natural laws.

For example, it is naturally wrong to deliberately kill another human that has not proven himself to present an unacceptable threat to the lives of others. Even if this law were not codified as public policy it would still be a natural law that carries its own set of consequences.

Policy, on the other hand, is subject to the whims of humans that wield sufficient power (or that think they do) to get others to obey their pronouncements. The demand that certain forms be submitted to the government is an example of policy. While disobedience to the policy can bring nasty consequences, it carries no more natural weight of law than the rules children establish for playing a game of hide-and-seek.

The most respected and broadly obeyed public policies are those that closely approximate current (admittedly imperfect) composite understanding of natural laws. While policy makers (I disagree with the term 'lawmakers') may codify these laws, they did not invent them; they merely codified their discovery.

So I disagree with the health care professional that suggested that our current national health care policy is law. It is policy and nothing more. Citizens have a moral duty to disobey those portions of the policy that are immoral. (I do not say that all portions are naturally immoral.) Such disobedience will certainly bring down the wrath of an ever expanding and increasingly thuggish almighty government unless so many disobey that the policy is rendered moot. It is a natural law that standing for the right can prove unpopular.

Some have opined that current health care policy is driving good doctors out of practice. My friend is a good doctor. The bureaucrats may eventually succeed in replacing him with someone that is more to the number crunchers' liking but that is not necessarily a good doctor.
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A matter of preparedness: I've been a Little Preoccupied lately.....

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:40:00 -0700

I think I will glue this picture, this emotion, this moment in time to my brain forever. My son returned home from his mission yesterday. His plane was late, and after it arrived he didn't descend on the escalator for what seemed forever. Many passengers who came down the escalator and saw all of us anxious parents waiting. They smiled and then reported that "They are going to come down as a group.....but they are coming". Then we waited some more. Finally, finally, my Elder-Son descended down the Escalator...

Squeals of excitement ensued.....(not just mine)!

Hugs were given all around....our Missionary was home!

His former Mission President came to greet him. That was so very touching to both of them. More hugs, lots of pictures and lots of questions were asked.

Soooooo, although I am very excited to have my missionary home again I am going to make a few suggestions to the missionary parents who may be anticipating this event.

Be Patient: There are so many things that you have to wait upon. Travel Itineraries, admission to school, transportation for our missionary after he comes home, insurance, etc. I was doing pretty well with all of this until we were at the airport. He just wasn't coming down the escalator....we finally sent my Son-in-law with my grandson to 'accidentally' scale the stairs and watch for him. My middle son and is boy did the same. (There were strict instructions that Mom gets the first hug though!) When they saw him coming, they quickly came down the stairs. Where had he been for those many long minutes? He was doing just what he should. Because the of Tornado activity yesterday (which he was totally unaware of), the plane was delayed and some of the missionaries in his group missed their connections. He stayed to ensure that all of them were taken care of with connecting flights etc. before he left them. Who wouldn't want their son to be so caring and responsible?
Give him or her time: This is a cultural shock to leave the life of a missionary and then all of a sudden come back home. We all had questions for him. One (which I thought was so simple), was too overwhelming for him. "Where do you want to go eat?". He said he couldn't even think that far ahead. This is a huge clue. Try not to bombard your returning missionary with questions such as "What type of cellphone do you want to get?", "When do you want to go visit ______", etc. It was just too much for him. He kept saying things like, "We should go teach someone tonight".
Getting into the house: Try to have favorite foods or requested items. Have something for him to wear....these guys often grow and develop over the two year span.
Let him/her enjoy every minute of being a missionary: Before our Stake President came to release him, he referred to his impending release as a "Missionary killer" moment and dreaded for it to come. The Stake President, after he arrived, asked our Elder to bear his Testimony to his family one more time as a missionary. I thought I had shed enough tears before, but with this sweet Testimony, they came freely. The Stake President then gave us all advise and counsel. Finally, he asked me to do something I hadn't been asked to do with my other two missionaries.....he asked me to remove my son's Missionary Badge. That was bitter-sweet for him.
Beware of a time change: Your son/daughter most likely will not be used to your time zone. If you have had an international missionary, you may want to check with your physician about how to regulate sleep cycles to help you missionary adjust.

It has only been a few hours, but already as a Mother, I feel whole again. All my chicks are around or are in a place that I can call and talk with them at a moment's notice. I think I am going to like having to trip over an extra pair of shoes again.....

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Thread Ethic: Cannes 2013 Notables

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:30:00 -0700

Jessica Chastain in Versace Fan Bing Bing in Elie Saab Dita Von Teese in Elie Saab Rosario Dawson in Marchesa Aishwarya Rai in Elie Saab Mila Jojovich in Chanel Zoe Saldana in Valentino Here is the collection of more modest dresses from the Cannes Film Festival taking place as we speak. Do you guys have a favorite? (We are quite partial to Jessica Chastain's more simple Versace look.) ...
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Thread Ethic: Casual Tulip Skirt

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:30:00 -0700

This skirt and loose blouse are summer staples in Desirae's closet. The casual look of the skirt makes it wearable for everyday. Throw on some flats and you're ready for running around in the heat. Although this is a skirt from seasons past at H&M, the trick to staying cool in the summer is by wearing a skirt that goes with almost everything. Although casual looking, more stylish skirts are harder to find (we were searching for you to n...
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Reach Upward: Running Up Debt to Death

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:02:00 -0700

I worked at a bank when I was a young adult. One day an older woman came in and spoke with our branch's customer service representative. The woman, who had been a widow for a little more than a year, was embarrassed and confused about a series of expensive bounced check charges.

The bank rep carefully went over the charges and showed where the customer had exceeded her checking account balance on a number of occasions. None of this made sense to the woman. She explained that her husband had always handled the finances and that they had never bounced a check before.

After much kindly and painstaking work, our rep succeeded in helping the customer understand how little money she had in her account. "How can I have no money left in my account?" the woman asked. "I still have checks in my book!" she exclaimed.

I initially thought this situation to be humorous. But the more I thought about it, the sadder it seemed. This lady had been tossed into a financial world in which she had no basis. Moreover, her ability to comprehend her situation may have diminished due to normal aging processes.

Over my lifetime I have watched as people have become increasingly comfortable with debt. The manager at my bank branch said that they once had a sign in the window that said, "Come in and get a loan to pay off all your debts." This was commonly understood as a joke for many years. But eventually people actually did start coming in and asking about such loans, so they ended up taking the sign down. Now debt consolidation loans are big business. (This article cautions about common scams targeting those seeking such loans.)

Not only have younger generations become lax about debt, increasing numbers of people are entering retirement with debt—even student loans! (See Business Insider article) I was surprised a few years ago to hear from a friend that works in the home mortgage industry of the hefty increase in the number of retirees and people within a few years of retirement getting large 30-year mortgages on new homes.

This Washington Post article discusses steadily decreasing financial retirement preparedness among Americans. Financial planners advise retiring with the ability to replace 70% of your pre-retirement income to maintain your standard of living. But the typical baby boomer will be able to enter retirement with only 60% and the typical Gen-Xer will start retirement with only 50%.

Those are huge differences that cannot be easily offset. One of the major factors involved is increasing debt load (see WSJ article). Home values and investment performance also play major roles. As explained in my 3/20 post, the current Federal Reserve policy of extremely low interest rates is killing senior investors' traditional investment returns and causing them to opt for more risky instruments that will eventually rob them of much of the value they think they are now earning.

While there is no shortage of those that assume they can safely cross the bridge of retirement funding when they get there, many Americans can read the writing on the wall. It is increasingly common for those that have crossed the traditional line of retirement age to work longer. Younger generations expect to work even longer. They are planning for a shorter retirement to ensure a stable standard of living.

This isn't necessarily a bad way to go, as long as your health holds out. Health issues that reduce or eliminate employment opportunities necessarily impact retirement cash flow. For that matter, so does anything that reduces employ-ability, including skill obsolescence.

As noted above, the trend is toward decreasing retirement preparation. Our culture seems bent on enjoying perks today at the expense of how we will be able to live in retirement.

Lest you console yourself with how well prepared you are, it might be well to consider how your neighbors' preparedness (or lack thereof) can impact you. Has it not been obvious of late how easily politicians can use envy to develop public policies designed to relieve those that have prudently prepared from their 'excess' savings? If you have prepared you will soon be maligned as being a rich hoarder.

So don't tell yourself that this isn't your problem. The question is how to go about dealing with it.
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Gently Hew Stone: Seven Brides For Seven Brothers

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Mon, 20 May 2013 03:57:00 -0700

Saw this live once at a community theater performance and loved it. Still love the movie–fantastic dancing. And the humor in this musical is just excellent. Like this:Like Loading... Posted in Arts | Tagged musicals, plays, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers | ...
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Eric James Stone: Tweets for the week of 05-11-2013

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Sat, 18 May 2013 22:59:00 -0700

Blog post: http://t.co/5Kk9UaapnY – Tweets for the week of 05-04-2013 00:00:27, 2013-05-12
@jimduckett Well, you seemed like a man of obvious taste and discernment. in reply to jimduckett 22:56:50, 2013-05-14
I interview alternate history author @LauraSAndersen over at the blog of the Association for Mormon Letters: http://t.co/GgypjWQ2hC 13:58:49, 2013-05-15

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Gently Hew Stone: Hooray For Aging!

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:01:00 -0700

The tagline for this blog has always been, “The rebel of the 21st century will be old fashioned.” I could add that the true rebel of this century might just be old. I don’t want to write a screed about our society’s wretched worship of youth, but I will say this: I love being 35. […]
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Mormon Movie Guy: New reviews- STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS; THE GREAT GATSBY

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 17 May 2013 02:14:00 -0700

I've got two high-profile reviews for you today. First is the sequel Star Trek Into Darkness, the follow-up to the acclaimed series reboot from director J.J. Abrams (Super 8). The second is The Great Gatsby, a visually-stunning adaptation of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel by director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge). Are they appropriate for you and/or your teenagers? What Gospel truths do these films teach? Are they any good? Read on to find out! If you like the site, please share it with your friends and consider supporting it by purchasing from the ads below.
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Thread Ethic: Comfortable Clothes

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:30:00 -0700

Melody lives in these clothes on tour. End of story.
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Thread Ethic: Solange Knowles In Stephane Rolland

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:30:00 -0700

Such a beautiful look coming from the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
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Reach Upward: Runners In the Springtime OR Spreading Guilt for Fun

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:13:00 -0700

I'm seeing more of them. They're all over the place. The weather gets warm and suddenly they're swarming the roadsides. It's as if the hard winter and cool spring have kept them in hibernation until now.

I'm talking about runners and cyclists, of course.

They're out there with their high-tech athletic clothing highlighting their lean and sculpted forms, working their craft along the sides of the busiest roads where they have the greatest chance of making as many passing couch potatoes as possible feel guilty about their own sedentary lifestyles.

Cycling I understand to a certain extent. I have a good mountain bike that I ride from time to time. I can get to many good trails within a mile of my house. Unlike one of my die-hard friends that likes to ride all day, I usually ride for half an hour to an hour. My main purpose is exercise. The cycling experience offers some variety to my regular indoor workouts.

I try to avoid busy streets as much as possible. A man I knew was killed several years ago while biking on a narrow but fairly busy road not far from my home. But don't worry too much. Knowing his personality he was likely joking about it as soon as he got to the other side.

Some cyclists I see are very serious about their hobby. They have top notch equipment and clothing. Some are very casual. And there's everything in between. They're all out there riding along the busiest roads, sucking in all of that vehicle exhaust and putting their lives at risk. It's got to be exhilarating.

Then there are the runners. What can I say about this? I have never understood the penchant for running.

There is a scene in Back to the Future III where Doc Brown is in an old west saloon regaling the hard bitten cowboys in the establishment with tales of what the future will be like. After telling them about modern transportation, one asks if anyone in the future walks or runs. Brown responds, "Of course we run. But for recreation. For fun." The old timer (played by Pat Butram) responds, "Run for fun? What the h*** kind of fun is that?"

That about sums up how I feel about running. I do it when I must. But the idea of actually choosing to run for leisure boggles my mind. Especially when I hear people talking about their 10-, 15-, or 20-mile runs. (Or 100-mile runs, as one of my former assistant scoutmasters undertakes on a regular basis.) What in the world are they thinking? Do they really enjoy the incessant injuries, the stresses on their bodies, the dogs, the gravel, the cars, etc?

A doctor acquaintance of mine tells me that he runs to escape from the stresses of life. When he's running he gets to disconnect from the office and focus on something entirely different. Others tell me that they run for their health. I wonder what they tell their bunged up feet, inflamed shins, and aching joints.

Recent research is calling into question how healthy running really is (see WSJ article, London Mail article). It would seem that people that run more than an average of eight mph or that run more than about 20 miles per week erase any longevity benefits that might have been gained by exercise.

One physician and exercise advocate says, "If you are running more than 15 miles a week, you are doing it for some reason other than health." Hmmm.... I question whether you're doing it for some reason other than health if you're running more than 200 yards a week.

If running a marathon does about the same thing for your heart as smoking a daily pack of cigarettes for a year, you have to question why in the name of Gondor (to borrow a Tolkien phrase) you are doing it. If it's just for escapism, as it seems to be for my doctor friend, maybe recreational chemicals would be safer.

If you are running so that you can feel superior to others, well, I'm sure there are at least 50 other ways to fulfill that vanity.

Of course, I am writing all of this mainly to assuage my own non-runner's guilt. On occasion I have entertained the idea of doing some grand feat like running a marathon to spite my increasingly obvious mortality. (Isn't that why all middle-aged and older people run?) Fortunately for me, sanity has so far always kicked in.
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Gently Hew Stone: “No one knows when the harlot’s cry…”

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:15:00 -0700

Regarding the recent viral rant by Texas high school student Jeff Bliss against his history teacher (below), there may well be legitimate grievances here. Three things that deeply worry me about this are the three things that nobody is commenting on. First, the whole Internet is rushing to get on this kid’s team. But none […]
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Thread Ethic: Black Tulip Skirt and Denim Shirt

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:30:00 -0700

Who knew that pairing a black skirt would suddenly dress up some denim? This look is reminiscent of Zara's Look Book a couple of seasons ago that we absolutely adored. And yes, this is what happens when we're on tour - we can't pack a ton of shoes, so yes, you get the same pairs regularly (similar here). And let's just say these are some of Desirae's favorites at the moment. Throw in some gold jewelry and suddenly denim seems pretty lux...
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