Mormon Tabernacle Choir has a guest director

On Monday night (sorry I'm a few days late) the Mormon Tabernacle Choir had a guess conductor. The conductor of the San Fransisco Gay Mens Choir. No, I didn't just make that up. Click here fo the story details. Again I apologize for being late to the story.

I think it's great-both for the conductor and for the church. The conductor should be praised for this, I'm sure he got a lot of criticism from his own community for agreeing to do anything with the church, which is falsely accused of being anti homosexual just because it is against gay marriage. The church also deserves to be praised as well, reaching out and interacting with people who don't have a lot in common with is always a bit scary.

This was a beautiful moment on both sides.

Album of the Weekend

Anvil-Plenty of Power

With Anvil, the problem has always been with the writing. Simply put, the guys from Anvil are not as good writing lyrics as the guys from other more popular bands. That's not to say they don't have well written songs, they do. In fact, unlike many other bands they have well written songs not just on their first few albums but on many of their albums throughout their discography. Plenty of Power, however, sounds great but does not have many well written songs on it. If every song was strictly an instrumental this album would have been a lot better.

"Pro Wrestling" is the classic example of this. I find myself liking the sound, but not the lyrics. I used to be a big pro wrestling fan but I'm not sure I would have liked the song even back then. "The Creep" is another song where musically it sounds great but I don't even remember the lyrics. That's not a good sign.

This album is hard to review. From a musical standpoint, it's quite good. Great headbanging stuff. Just don't pay attention to the lyrics. At all.

Laura Ingalls Wilder award changed

The author of Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder, had her name removed from an award that used to be named after her.  It's because she apparently relied on "stereotypes" but in reality, it's just another politically correct change to make the people who run the award feel good about themselves. They can pat themselves on the back and talk about about compassionate they are, while the rest of us just smile and accept it because we can't change it.

I never heard of this award until um, today, but it still bothers me. I don't remember reading anything by her but of course I've heard of the book-it's very well known in the states. I'm sure it'll be banned soon, like the works of Mark Twain. I wonder what'll be banned in thirty years. Probably everything. 

It used to the right that liked book burnings and censorship, but now I'm only seeing outrage from the left, and it's so depressing. Like or not, sometimes a great author did things that you might not agree, and that's okay. In fact, it's probably one of the things that makes them a great author. Thinking for themselves.

California breaking up.

It's not breaking from the union, though that's already been discussed. I'm disappointed that it didn't happen. This time, California is thinking of breaking up into three states. The always interesting USA Today has an article about it. 

In fairness, the article makes some good points. Someone from Los Angeles will no longer be able to pay "in state" tuition if they want to go to the University of California at Berkley. Same with someone who in lives in San Fransisco if they want to go to USC. The article also quotes a woman from the democratic party of California stating that the break up of California wouldn't solve any problems because instead of Sacramento making choices for her city, the other larger population bases would instead. She's right, and that is a problem.

I'd vote in favor of California breaking up into 10 states. Local control makes all of us better, and in some ways I'd like to think it makes it easier for people to be involved in the governmental process. Sure, it's not perfect but it's a good start.

Jameis Winston and being a "good person"

I live near Tampa, and recently the quarterback of the team, Jameis Winston, got himself in trouble again where it's alleged that he groped an Uber driver. While it's true, nothing is proven at this time it's not his first indiscretion. He's gotten in trouble in college and has a history of making stupid comments-sometimes in front of children. Regardless, some people are still calling him a "good person".

I've noticed in my life that when someone calls someone else a "good person" it's a major red flag. When someone is really a "good person" you don't need to tell us, we'll be able to see if for ourselves. And if your actions show that you aren't a good person, than nothing you say will change our mind. Everyone makes mistakes of course and no one is perfect, but if your history includes mistake after mistake after mistake, than yes, you are the problem perhaps you aren't as good a person as everyone says you are.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Suddenly, liberals are defending a merchants right to pick and choose who they serve and conservatives are complaining about a merchant refusing to do business with someone.

I'm in the middle on this. Like I've mentioned about the baker serving whoever they want to but dealing with the consequences, a restaurant also has the right to serve whoever they want-as long as they deal with the consequences. I don't expect either side to be aware of their own hypocrisy, it's up to the rest of us to lean back in our chairs and laugh as the two sides go to war.

It's a very polarized political world we live in. Adults realize that eventually you need to take a stand, so I admit it's somewhat useless to complain about how divided we are as a nation. It's depressing to see the depths we've gone to, but it's real, and there is no solution.

Scripture Sunday Mosiah 7:33

I think the people in the bible and the Book of Mormon had much harder lives than you or I could ever imagine. Slavery, war, famine, hunger-I have a cynical attitude when people tell me that life today is somehow harder than what it was back then.

The Lord promises us that He will "deliver you out of bondage" and of course I agree with this scripture, after all, I agree with many parts of the Book of Mormon, but what is bondage today compared to what it was back then? To some degree, it seems that they had more to complain about yet had more faith than we ever will.

We also need to turn to the Lord 100%, with full purpose of heart and full trust. We can't just go halfway-this scripture doesn't seem to allow that.

The war on science

The war on science is over, and science has lost in a crushing defeat. How else can you explain the pseudo scientific garbage out there that people so strongly believe in? From republicans denying that global warming and climate change are real, and that homosexuality isn't biological to democrats believing that organic food is better for you and that economics (yes, also a science) is a right wing conspiracy-both sides clearly have a war on science. Everyone of course claims to "love science" until it conflicts with their values. Science is a harsh mistress who doesn't care about your personal views.

What really alarms me is how many people on both sides blindly believe things that simply aren't true. A full moon doesn't effect human behavior at all, but people (even vastly intelligent people) believe that it does. No one is hiding a cure for cancer, but conspiracy nuts believe that something (the Masons, pharmaceutical companies, the illuminati) is hiding it for their own gain. "Vaccines cause illness and harm people" is another garbage belief- (actually, they save millions of lives). So many people of all stripes believe such nonsense about science that it depresses me deeply, and I don't even like science. I'm an English/humanities guy to the core.

I blog about it so much (sorry to be repetitive) because it's such a passion of mine. Scientific illiteracy is a huge problem in our culture, and no one seems to give a damn. So the war on science is clearly over.

Album of the weekend

Godsmack-When Legends Rise

In an era where bands come and go very quickly, it's nice to see a band like Godsmack stick around for a longer period of time. Their evolution and slight change in musical styles is also interesting. It's like a long novel that you can't put down even during the parts that you find boring or uninspired. I saw Godsmack in April in Jacksonville at the Rockville festival, and they still have the same energy and passion on stage in 2018 that they did back in 2004, when I saw them for the first time at an acoustic show in Manchester, NH.

The style of their music hasn't changed with this album but the lyrical content certainly has. It's no longer angry and aggressive like it was in their first few albums-the lyrical content has become almost gentle and contemplative in comparison. It's still a good album, and the song "Bulletproof" is fantastic. I've been playing it frequently on long car drives.  If you are looking for the aggressive, in your face lyrical content of their first album, avoid this. If you are wanting something that sounds much more innovative than their previous work but still sounds the same musically, check this one out.

Fake news and science

I've mentioned before several times that everyone "loves science" until it conflicts with their values. Hence why the right gets nervous about science that proves that global warming might be real or that evolution has taken place-and the left gets nervous about science that proves that organic food is not healthier or that there are only two genders. I'm increasingly beginning to see that news is tragically falling into the same category. It's fake news if it challenges what we believe, and it's real news if we agree with it.

This shows the egoistical and fragile world that we live in. No mortal alive-no one-is right all the time. Me, you, your dad, your preacher, and your best friend all believe things that are probably not real. It should be our goal in life to look for truth, not what comforts us. Sadly, I'm noticing that people are placing their political and religious views over what the truth is. We are so political and so focused on being right that we forget to be skeptical of everything, including what we already think.

Illegal Immigration

Some of the stories coming from the border are heartbreaking, and what is disgusting is how both sides are scoring political points from manipulating our emotions. First off, I'm generally in favor of open borders. Most people come to America seeking a better life, and those who break the law or enter America to smuggle drugs back to their country are the minority. America is the land of opportunity and everyone should be given a chance here.

That said, I'm not naive to the problems and issues that open borders create. I don't want terrorists and gang members waltzing into our border states to seek out innocent victims. Trust me, you don't either. If a criminal has children than yes, you need to break up that family and send someone who has been convicted to jail as a last resort.

I'm depressed but not surprised that this immigration issue has become the latest test of compassion. No, just in case someone disagrees with you doesn't mean they either lack compassion or have more of it than you do. That's a huge, unsolvable problem in our culture today-thinking you are morally superior just because you hold to a politically correct opinion.

Family Search allowing Same Sex families on their database

A genealogy database the church apparently uses is adding same sex families to their database. Needless to say, some LDS aren't happy about it.  I don't do genealogy work-it bores me to tears actually. However in the LDS religion and culture it's very important and people spend a great deal of time researching their family trees. 

Personally, I applaud Family Search for doing this and I support them 100%. Like it or not, your family might include same sex individuals and even if you disapprove of their lifestyle choice, they are still part of your family. You don't have to agree with their choices to acknowledge their existence.  

Is Father's Day important?

I'm not a father, but I think one day out of the year celebrating Fatherhood in general is extremely important. Of course, elite opinion is that fathers don't matter. In fact, a columnist recently wrote a piece saying that Fathers Day should be abolished. Among other things, she's claiming that it's "outdated", "heteronormative" and that it's a "made up holiday". She wouldn't say those things about Mothers Day, and neither would her elite friends because they don't want to be accused of being anti woman. 

What I've noticed on my Facebook is several single woman who complain about doing double duty and not getting credit for it. I know single fathers who also do double duty and don't complain about it, but anyway. The women seem to get more support while the Father's are basically ignored. There is a double standard out there, and it's so depressing. Fatherhood is a wonderful thing and a blessing-I wish our culture saw that.

Scripture Sunday Alma 39:14

At first, this passage seems straightforward, and it is. "Seek not after the riches nor the vain things of the world, for behold, you cannot take it with you." However, this passage might be misunderstood or worse, twisted around to achieve political goals or make a social statement. While it's true, you shouldn't make material gain your number one priority in life, it's important to not let this scripture passage carry you onto other sins, such as self righteousness or worse, envy.

Amber Alerts and social media

Have you ever seen someone posting about how bad technology is from their Facebook account one minute, than posting an Amber Alert the next minute and about their new iPhone the minute after that? I have, a few times actually. Facebook is many things of course and yes, people use it for good and bad, but in reality like most things in life, Eric Clapton was right. The morality is truly "in the way that you use it."

Amber alerts are a perfect example. If you complain about technology you should never share an Amber alert through social media. Ever. In case you can't tell, Amber alerts wouldn't exist twenty years ago, and even if they did, they could only be broadcast on the radio and television and not through your phone. Amber Alerts save lives, and they work best if you get more and more people to see them. The best way to do that in 2018, is through social media.

Album of the Weekend

The Queers-Don't Back Down

You've probably heard the song "Punk Rock Girls" and if you haven't, stop reading this (the one of you who does) and go download it now. It's not really punk-to me it sounds more rock-ish-but it's the best song they've ever done. The Queers always got more controversy and were never taken as seriously than they deserved. For some people it's because of the name, for others it's because of their sometimes questionable songwriting abilities.

The song "Don't Back Down" sounds just like "Suzanne" by Weezer to me. Several of the other songs sound a bit like other classic punk bands. This album isn't pure punk, it's more like a cross between punk and pop. Think Blink-182 meets some of the Ramones later albums. 

Paul Stanley's voice problems

Paul Stanley, the lead singer of Kiss, has gone on record telling many other bands that they should quit when they no longer "have it." It's good advice, and advice he'll never take himself. After watching a few Youtube videos, it's obvious that his voice is not what it used to be. Before you say, "Give him a break! He's almost 70." Yes, that's true-but I'm not the one who is telling other bands to pack it in.

Time waits for no man, and Paul Stanley is of course, no exception. I'm a huge Kiss fan and his voice has always been among my favorites in all of music. The show is over, and he shouldn't be screwing the fans anymore by touring. Oh sure, he has every right to tour, and Muhammad Ali had every right to fight until he was 60 years old. 

Mark Zuckerberg hearings

Remember those? I do. They happened last month and of course, that's an eternity in our news cycle. Zuckerberg was dragged into congress and questioned by a bunch of people who still think AOL is relevant. Sure, Facebook isn't always innocent and yes, they have a bias that is certainly left wing-but no one forces you to use Facebook in the first place, so I have little sympathy for those who complained.

And complain they did. I have four people on my friends list who declared that after June first, they'd never go back on Facebook and they'd switch to another social media network. These people mean well, but fail to comprehend that every social network wants to be Facebook-it's why they are operating in the first place. In the rare, rare case that these other social networks become as popular as Facebook, they'd be doing the same things Facebook is doing right now.

And oh yeah, as of June 13th, those four people are still on Facebook.

Robert De Niro

In his youth, Robert De Niro was one of the greatest actors of all time. Raging Bull. Taxi Driver. The Deer Hunter. The Godfather Part II. I could go on. Sadly, his recent movie choices have been questionable at best. I don't watch a lot of movies, but at gunpoint once I was forced to watch "Meet the Fockers". Watching one of the greatest actors in history lower himself to this movie was one of the most depressing things I ever saw. Regardless of his recent movies, his earlier movies are nothing short of brilliant.

Those of us who like movies and music know that the actors and artists that we enjoy probably don't share our politics. If we lean to the right, we know that they probably look at us with disdain. They have every right to their own politics and they have every right to express their disagreement. But don't act like they are being brave. It's not brave to say something that the 95% of the audience will agree with.

True bravery would be what Johnny Ramones did at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 (watch the video here). De Niro might be brave in his personal life, but this was not one of those moments.

Alligators

I live in Florida and I love it. To me, it's the greatest place to live in the country and everyone who makes fun of us is just jealous. Sure, in a state of 20 million people you are going to find your share of scumbags and criminal and yes, your state has them too. Aside from scumbags and criminals we also have our fair share of alligators. In the news recently a woman walking her dog was attacked and eaten by an alligator. Very tragic.

Of course, the amount of ignorance about this is huge. People online are asking how anyone could live in Florida or for those of us who do, how come we don't live in fear of constant alligator attacks. I am not trying to downplay her death, which was incredibly tragic, but common sense would tell us that if alligator attacks were as constant as the media makes them out to be, then 20 million people probably wouldn't live in the state. The other award truth is that there are only about 2-3 alligator deaths a year in Florida. That's 2-3 out of about 20 million. Those are really good odds.

Alligators are dangerous. A good rule of thumb in Florida is that you should assume every body of water has an alligator in it and use common sense. Some parents down here only allow their children to swim in pools-and that's what I would do too. Alligator deaths, while deeply tragic, and also incredibly rare.

Scripture Sunday Alma 37:40

Miracles are a funny thing in todays society. You have people who simply don't believe in them at all, and people who throw the word around much too easily. When you are going out with your friends to dinner and running late, you might say that, "It's a miracle that I got here in time." On the other side of the coin, someone who found out they had cancer and was cured by chemotherapy and medication might say it was a "miracle" that they got cured. I'm a believer in God and I do believe in miracles, but I think both uses of the term are a little silly.

This passage is interesting-the more faith you have in God the more likely you are to believe that every good thing that happens in your life is somehow the outcome of divine intervention. I don't like that way of thinking, it makes all Christians and believers out to be superstious and very naive. The miracles that this passage talks about might all have other explanations, and we need to be careful how we use the term.

Recent celebrity deaths

This past week we've had two celebrities tragically take their own lives. While I was never a fan of either person (I only vaguely heard of both before this week), my heart breaks for their families and fans. They are in my prayers, and I pray that their troubled souls find peace.

In our society we often think that celebrities have lives better than ours. They don't worry about money and seemingly have perfect lives after all. That might be true, but we can never see the inner struggles and turmoil that these people are going through.  Human of all stripes suffer from mental illness-the rich, the poor, celebrities and the unknown. My hope is that anyone struggling with mental illness gets the treatment they desperately need. Like everyone else, I think that one suicide is one too many.

Album of the weekend

AC/DC-Back in Black

Back in Black is one of those albums that virtually everyone of a certain age has. It's like Dookie by Green Day, Led Zeppelin IV by, um, Led Zeppelin, and Thriller by Michael Jackson. Back in Black has transcended it's time and become iconic. You've heard every single song on this album, and you probably know many by heart. Anyone who grow up listening to rock on the FM radio has heard the majority of these songs. I don't hear them much on XM radio.

But is the album good? AC/DC is like Kiss. You know what you are getting and at this point, you expect nothing new. AC/DC has a bit more mainstream and broad appeal than Kiss, and their music is certainly popular. There are few "must own" albums in rock music, but even if you don't like AC/DC, this is a must own.

Confederate Statues and the south

I grew up in the north, but I live in the south. I prefer it down here for many reasons, but the weather and fact that it doesn't snow are 1A and 1B. Growing up in the north many people have a delusion that the south is racist and is still fighting the civil war. It's nonsense of course, and it shows how arrogant and elitist the north is. I'm convinced that Confederate statues would be ignored if it wasn't for them being the latest test to show how progressive and politically correct you are.

The civil war is over, and the only ones who keep fighting it are those who try to tell the world how racist everyone is down south while ignoring the own racism in their backyards. Removing Confederate Statues will do absolutely nothing the day after the statue is removed, but it'll make those who remove it feel really good about themselves.

Latest Trump/Sports drama

"In a democracy, everything is political"-Palpatine to Anakin Skywalker

He was correct. Politics is creeping into everything, including sports, music, and religion. I'm not sure politics was ever separated from those topics. This time, Trump disinvited the Eagles to the White House because of the NFL flag controversy. It's all political theatre. They weren't going to go anyway because Trump is Trump, and Trump wasn't going to invite them in the first place because of the flag controversy. In other news, Jello Biafra won't be allowed to dine at the White House either. His invitation got lost in the mail.

This isn't a new issue. In the 90's some player from a football team didn't want to meet Clinton because his stance on abortion. The right lauded him for standing up for morality and decency. Shockingly now, the right is calling the Eagles unpatriotic not only for their stance on the flag but for not going to the White House. Like everything in life, who is a hero and who is a scoundrel all depends on what side of the aisle you are on.

Supreme Court bakery case

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to decorate a cake for a gay couples wedding. He agreed to bake it, just not decorate it. It was a 7-2 ruling, with justices Breyer and Kagan siding with the more conservative wing of the court. The ruling was apparently very narrow-the Supreme Court believes that the Colorado mistreated this baker but certainly did not say that all merchants have the right to refuse service to anyone they choose.

While this ruling is a good one for those who believe in religious freedom and individual liberty, the issue is hardly settled. There are more court cases that are coming in that deal with the same issue. It's always better to win then to lose-though both sides are still stocking ammo and have their guns turned towards one another.

I can't stress enough that refusing to bake a cake or decorate it is uncommonly silly. Take their money, give them what they want, and move on. It's also bullying to tell a merchant that he or she has to do what you tell them to do when you could just as easily give your money to another merchant who agrees with you and doesn't view you as immoral.

To me, if both sides grew up this issue would be immediately solved.

Being known by your religion

I don't like being known as an LDS. I never have, I never will.

First off, the obvious reasons. Unlike some other LDS I don't like sharing my religion with other people. I assume that if you want to change religions in 2018 you can contact us, not the other way around. While I think missionaries are among the biggest blessings to the church, I'm not sure that they are that successful when it comes to conversions. One look at our conversion rate will show you that we're spinning our wheels when it comes to growing the church like that. My non member friends are usually surprised that I don't try to convert others.

The other reason I don't like being known by my religion is that I'm afraid people will look down on all LDS because of my own sins and weaknesses. Yes, I do many things that a regular LDS wouldn't partake in (coffee, drinking, the occasional cigar) and if I make any moral claim about Mormonism or Christianity -people will assuredly say "How can you make any moral claim hypocrite? You drink wine?" A Christian/Mormon apparently has to be perfect or their words hold no value. Very sad.

Scripture Sunday Alma 38:13

This is another passage about prayer, and I apologize for having two of them recently. It's a fascinating topic for me because I think it's so misunderstood by otherwise wonderful people. This time, the passage isn't talking about praying for this or that or even praying in thanksgiving or gratitude. Instead, it's a brief passage that talks about how not to pray. Might be a bit strange at first, but in reality Christ has talked about this before.

We all know religious hypocrites. Those who claim to believe one thing but do the other. Like the famous quote by Dieter Uchtdorf, to some degree we are all hypocrites, just because living all the gospel teachings 100% of the time is literally impossible. However, the worst kind of hypocrite is one like the passage is talking about-one who goes to church only to be seen by other people, and not because it's what they believe. They desired to be praised not only for their wisdom, but also for their righteousness, even if it's only superficial.  These people are among the worst people out there.

Political endorsements

Trump recently endorsed one of the GOP candidates in the California gubernatorial race. This isn't about Trump or the GOP candidate, it's about endorsements. Most of the time they are incredibly overrated and usually hurt the candidate. At their best, they can only do damage. While it seems like they would help a candidate, they don't. In reality those who are going to vote for the candidate would do so even without the endorsement and those who are going to vote against them would do so anyway.

What endorsements do is energize the opposite side. They do very little to the side that already supported the candidate. When a Hollywood actor endorses a certain candidate, I can't imagine someone saying "Well, I was in the middle but George Clooney supports her, so she's got my vote." What I see happening is, "I don't want some Hollywood big shot telling me what to do, so I no longer support her." It also happens in the opposite way too. "What? That scumbag Nazi Trump supports this guy? I was looking into voting for him, but not now."

In California, there just aren't enough conservative republicans/Trump supporters to carry a guy to victory. If Trump really wanted to help him, he should have endorsed the democrat.

Album of the Weekend

Offspring-Smash

I listen to Offspring with a bit a sadness, though this is a decent album. This is good Offspring-an album where the songs had an edge and intensity. It deals with aggression, self loathing, anger, manipulative relationships-the lyrical content fits in perfectly with it's sound, which is a punk/grunge/alternative mix. It stops short of being a great album, and Offspring is not a legendary punk band. To me, this album is like the movie Planet of the Apes (the original). It deals with deeper issues than what people think, it's enjoyable and entertaining-but it's does have flaws.

One of the flaws is what Offspring would become. At one point, they had talent and they could have become a much more influential and popular band than what they were. Instead, they started writing comedy songs that weren't funny or entertaining. Why they changed, I'll never know. It was the biggest suicide of a band that I've ever seen. The taint of what they became is over this album, but for a time, this showed what they could have been.