Album of the weekend-Musical Month

Musical month concludes with the classic, but overrated, Phantom of the Opera.

This seems to be the favorite musical for people who don't like musicals. It's over the top, garish, and most importantly-enjoyable. Phantom has always been more style than substance-think of Kiss, spy novels, and eating frosting while ignoring the cake itself because the cake itself doesn't taste good.

More so than any other musical, Phantom relies solely on who is cast in the lead role of-surprise!-the Phantom. I'm not sure any other musical places such importance on one role. Jesus Christ Superstar can survive if it doesn't have a charismatic and likable Jesus. Perhaps The Music Man is like Phantom. I can't imagine it being an enjoyable show if Harold Hill isn't entertaining. Both shows-The Music Man and Phantom-are sort of sneered at by elitist musical fans, but don't let that stop you. Phantom is an enjoyable musical that everyone should see at least once. 

Sears II

Sears is closing even more stores-I'm surprised there are any left to close, and I don't know why they don't just pull the plug and end it. Eddie Lampert, the CEO, is obviously a brilliant guy. No, you don't get to be a billionaire by being stupid, but when it comes to running a retail store he doesn't seem to know what to do. I'm sure he sees what everyone else does. Sears is no longer capable of competing in retail in 2018, but he is unable to accept the inevitable.

Wal Mart and Target should be taking notes. Every retailer should, simply because Sears was once the biggest retailer in the country and now is a shell of it's former self. Forty years ago, if I told you that Sears would one day have it's stock trading at under two dollars, you'd ignore me or laugh at me. Now, it's trading at about $1.14 as of this blog post. Even the biggest companies can collapse, and it looks like this is the end of Sears.

Prop 2 in Utah

I don't live in Utah, so I'm not interested in the politics behind their initiative to ban medical marijuana. I'm more interested to see how the official statement and feelings of the church effect LDS voters.

Utah is changing. The mayor of Salt Lake City is an out lesbian. Ask yourself if that would have happened twenty years ago-which was only 1998. Probably not. Sure, while the majority of Utahans are still Mormon, at least nominally, immigration and changing demographics have weakened the influence of the church.

Ireland recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of abortion. Commentators correctly said that it shows how little influence the Catholic church has over Ireland. While Prop 2 is no where near as controversial or impactful as abortion, I'm still eager to see the results of the referendum.

Workout update

Many months ago, I posted how I was trying to get in better shape. You can read the original post here.  The battle continues, but I'm fighting back with both barrels. The gloves are coming off and I'm determined to beat my lazy, undisciplined and unmotivated inner self.

All my life I've been very thin. It's probably because I smoked two packs a day all though college-up until my late 20's, and I had other bad habits with substance abuse too. It's been about three years of sobriety, and now that I've fixed my problems I'm trying to make up for it and ask my body for forgiveness. So far, it's been going great.

I've also noticed that I've become very defensive about my work outs. People will make smart ass comments like "Oh, put your iPhone on the dog so she could measure your steps, huh?" And I'll get super irritated. As my body is getting healthier my skin is apparently getting thinner.

Twitter costs an intern her job

NASA apparently fired an intern after using foul language on Twitter. Let this be a lesson everyone-what you say and how you act on social media matters. Poor girl was just excited, I understand that and no, I'm not really offended by her language. However NASA apparently disagrees with me, and it sounds like they took away her internship. I understand why NASA did that. I assume that it's a highly competitive position with many people applying for it. If you mess up at all, it's going to someone else.

I don't have a Twitter, but I do have a Facebook. I post some things that might appear controversial or darkly humorous, but I accept the risk that it brings and I know that no, you can't please everyone. Having your boss on your Facebook page might lead to trouble down the road. Since Twitter seems to be more public than Facebook, having a Twitter at all might be more dangerous.

We live in the social media era. That should be obvious. What is not obvious is how to behave on social media. The girl here learned a valuable and troubling lesson-Twitter never forgets.

Scripture Sunday 3 Nephi 11:29

Christians, especially LDS, are often thought of to be peaceful and non argumentative by nature. It's a stereotype and of course there are angry and unpleasant LDS just like there are angry and unpleasant people of all types of religion. However, many times LDS do try to really put on a pleasant demeanor and avoid conflict.  This passage is why.

It states that "For verily I say unto you, that he that has the spirt of contention is not of me, but of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirs the hearts of men to contend with anger and with one another." This passage is a beautiful one, and one that always reminds me that anger and contention are emotions that we should do our best to quell and avoid.

John McCain II

John McCain, the senator from Arizona and the presidential candidate back in 2008 is in the final stages of his life. Apparently, someone in the White House made a stupid comment about his health, insinuating that his opinions don't matter because he won't be with us much longer. Republican, Democrat, independent, or agnostic about politics one thing is certain. If you take glee over the death of someone you disagree with, you've got serious problems and your opinion on everything else should be marginalized.

Is McCain my favorite politician? No, of course not. Him and I disagree on many issues. I do admire his war service and his ability to think for himself. I hope his final days are peaceful and pain free.

Album of the weekend-Musical Month

Title of Show-Original Broadway Cast

This musical is delightfully quirky. While many of us think of Broadway musicals as lavish and over the top, Title of Show has only "four chairs and a keyboard." It's a minimalist approach to musicals with a strong sense of humor as well. It's also surprisingly touching-you will find yourself choking up during several of the songs. I'm not sure if Title of Show ever made it to Broadway-it's not really the style of a Broadway show, but it never got the attention it deserves. 

One of the songs in Title of Show is called "Original Musical". The show is loaded with references to itself, and one can truly say it's the most "original musical" out there. 

University of Iowa student groups

Several religious groups are apparently suing the University of Iowa, which has deregistered them because they do not allow homosexuals in some cases.  The battle between religious freedom and homosexual rights isn't ending anytime soon. When it does, there will be so much bloodshed (speaking metaphorically here. Hopefully) that neither side will be able to be declared a winner.

Oh sure, any group should be allowed to pick and choose who they want as a member. A Christian group has the right to exclude LDS people. A gay group has the right to exclude anyone they want to. And a music appreciation group should be allowed to bar people who like the Dave Matthews band. If it's moral or not to do this is a totally different argument, but if you truly believe that someone is making choices that are vastly different to your moral code, no, you don't have to hang out with them or associate with them.

The bigger question to me is if the University of Iowa should be forced to finance them. No, they shouldn't. Your tuition dollars shouldn't pay for a Christian group if you are an atheist.

Washington DC couple killed in terrorist attack

Sadly, two people who were biking around the world were killed in a terrorist attack.  There are rumors going around that they were trying to prove that evil doesn't exist, and that it is only a man made concept. There are also rumors that they just wanted adventure and to get away from their 9 to 5 jobs for a bit.

I've had that wanderlust before, so I know what they were going though. I packed up my life and moved across the country, and I've never been happier. I still love to travel,  but I want to see America more than other countries.

These two died in a tragic terrorist attack, so no, I'm not scoring political points at their loss. I hope their loss is a warning sign to others-there is evil in the world, and it's extremely naive to pretend it doesn't exist.

Sam Young saga comes to an end

His hunger strike ended. I'm not sure he can claim victory, because his main cause failed. No apostle met with him. I wasn't excepting the apostles to meet with him-they might have viewed his actions as manipulative. To some degree, they are right, even though Youngs cause was noble. He attracted some more mainstream news attention, but not the kind he wanted. I'm not sure that people outside the LDS world were aware of what went on. 

The news story about yet another scandal in the Catholic church trumped what he was doing. There are more Catholics than there are Mormons, so news about the priest scandal will logically attract more attention. Perhaps the Pennsylvania scandal would bring attention to Sam Young, because they both revolve around children. 

Sam Young IV-meeting with Dr. John Dehlin

If Sam Young was on a hunger strike until all Utah schools had a Book of Mormon in them, I'm not sure "progressive" Mormons would feel the same way about him. In fact, they'd view him just another right wing fundamentalist Mormon. I watched the Dr. John Dehlin interview with him on Mormon Stories (#962) recently.

Dehlin is a smart man, and a deeply compassionate man. I admire him for that.  Like many other post Mormons, I think he feels somewhat guilty about what he used to believe and is now bending over backwards to appear compassionate and progressive.  However, I find him very fair. Incredibly fair, actually, and always willing to listen to both sides. This guy is not a bomb thrower. It might seem odd that a believing LDS (though I am inactive) admires him, but it's out there. No apologies.

Sam Young is not doing this for publicity and he is also a very compassionate and caring man, but comparing himself to Ghandi is a bit overboard. Bobby Sands and Ghandi didn't have safety nets. Sam Young admitted that he'll stop this when wife wants him too. Few others on hunger strikes have that. 

Scripture Sunday 2 Nephi 5:21

Without question one of the most troubling passages in the Book of Mormon, this verse has been used to justify racist behavior, and sadly, there is no way getting around it.

LDS and non-LDS alike have to take a serious look inward when it comes to the issue of race, and this verse should not and will not be swept under the rug. Is it offensive? Yes, no doubt. Is it problematic? Yes, no doubt. You can turn a blind eye, you can plug your ears with your fingers-but this verse has still caused untold misery to minorities and it's been used to justify racism in the past.

It was wrong and hideous when it was written, it's wrong and hideous now. The LDS church does allow African Americans and other minorities in the priesthood and now, minorities have the full blessings that the temple provides. It's a good start, but an apology for the racism and in some cases, hatred-that this verse has provided throughout the years would certainly be appropriate.

Church name

Church President Russell Nelson has asked that the church no longer be referred to as "the Mormons" or the "LDS church".

With all due respect to him, I'm not changing the name of this blog.

The term "Mormon" is so engrained in the culture of America that it'll be impossible to fully change the name. It might one day be changed in to a faux-pejorative, something that only anti-LDS people use as an insult.

I remember as a child hearing a commercial that needed with the phrase, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, The Mormons!" so the church has itself to blame, at least a bit, for what they are called. There was also a movie released a few years ago called "Meet the Mormons" that I believe the church financed. So the church has itself to blame, at least partially, for the popularity of the name.  

Album of the weekend-Musical month

Tick Tick Boom!

I think Jonathon Larson wrote this musical before his much more famous one, Rent. While both musicals are fantastic, I do prefer Tick Tick Boom. I'm hardly an expert on the life of Larson, but Tick Tick Boom seems more personal. The main character is, interestingly enough, named John. While it's true, writers and characters are often different, this is obviously a roman a clef in musical form.

Tick Tick Boom is incredibly moving. I find myself having met people like the characters, or more interestingly, wanting to meet people who are like the characters. They are real people who go through the same problems and ask the same questions that many of us have before. At the end of the musical, you find yourself wanting the characters to succeed, and more importantly, caring deeply if they don't.

An underrated gem.

Stolen plane?

Seriously, how do you steal a plane? Do they have keys? If you play Microsoft Flight Simulator enough can you just walk into a 777 and take off?

And apparently this guy wasn't even a pilot.

After 9/11 you would think that airport security was a bit more intense, but apparently many people who work at the airport have some degree of access to the airplanes. This event creeps me out, and obviously security needs to be tightened. What if some angry mechanic steals a plane and decides to fly into a building? It happened in Tampa after 9/11 where some homicidal teenager flew his Cessna into a building.

I accept that perfect freedom will always entail some risk. We don't want to live in a society where everything is 100% safe and guaranteed, because that society will have no degree of personal freedom. Where people can choose right and wrong, some will always choose wrong. We need some control though. This was a major security breach.

Madonna at 60

I read an article about Madonna (yes, that one) and about how she still "shocks us at 60."   Really? Does she still shock us? This is 2018, where we've seen pretty everything twice and nothing shocks us anymore. This isn't 1984 where female sexuality was still sort of taboo. We've crossed the line years ago.

Now, instead of sexuality shocking us, it bores us. If it didn't bore us the birthrate would be much higher than what it is. We've seen everything and there are no prudes left. In fact, the only people yelling about sexuality are those saying everyone else is offended by it.

The truth is that time has passed Madonna by. She's become the female version of Hugh Hefner. Someone who seems oddly quaint in our society. Heffner started the sexual revolution and became a victim of it. Madonna talking about who she is sleeping with and showing off her skin at age 60 is the same thing. Instead of being shocked, we barely notice. 

Ben Shapiro debate

The latest socialist star, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez has declined an opportunity to debate the  conservative activist/commentator Ben Shapiro. She accused him of engaging in cat calling, and that he was an "unsolicited man with bad intentions". Shapiro sweetened the deal by offering to donate 10,000$ to her campaign. She declined again. In other words, she's a coward who will only engage with people who already agree with her. 

Ben Shapiro is not Ann Coulter. In fact, he's a reasonable and decent conservative, regardless of if you agree with him on the issues or not. If you can't debate someone who disagrees with you, that almost always shows a fragility in your own beliefs. Religious people are just as guilty of this of course. It always bothers me when I see a religious person dodge a debate as well. 

I don't expect much from socialists. They might be good people, but anyone who refuses to debate a gentlemen like Shaprio clearly isn't secure enough in her own views or debating ability. 

Sam Young III

While still being talked about on social media, the Sam Young hunger strike hasn't got much attention  outside of Utah. That's mostly because no one outside of the LDS circle cares much about the LDS world. That makes sense. I don't know of many Catholics who care about LDS news, nor many LDS who care about what the Southern Baptist Convention is currently doing.  

Still though, anytime someone takes this drastic action to dedicate themselves to a cause, it should be newsworthy. I doubt Sam Young wants to be a martyr. He wants the LDS church to change the way it deals with minors, I don't see him just doing this for attention or because he needs to lose a few pounds. 

Like I've mentioned before, you have to give some respect to anyone who cares so much about their cause to stop eating for it. 

Scripture Sunday Mosiah 13:28

First off I am not an expert on Jewish law, so if the following post is way off, I apologize.  I'm also not an expert on the Book of Mormon or other Christian denominations, so if I'm off on that too, my apologies. This is just my opinion of the latest Book of Mormon passage I'm talking about.

Something that separates Christians from Jews, in the Christian standpoint, is if we have to obey the laws in the Old Testament. Christians believe that the atonement of Jesus Christ (Him dying for our sins) takes the place of following the old testament law-so we no longer have to do the many things described in Leviticus or the other books of the Torah. I believe that when this passage says "The Law of Moses" it's at least partially talking about the laws and rules that many Jewish people have to follow.

LDS teen suing school district

An LDS teen is suing a school district, alleging that she was denied a leadership position because she's LDS.  You might think I'm in favor of her lawsuit, given that I'm LDS.

But no. 

If a florist can pick and choose who they serve, than a Christian group should be allowed to as well. If you don't like that, no one is forcing you to join. You don't have a right to force groups to pick and choose who they associate with, or what customers they choose to serve.

Album of the weekend-Musical Month

The Avenue Q original cast recording 

I will have always have a crush on Kate Monster. 

This musical is not LDS approved. It's vulgar, crass, Un-pc, and certainly rated R. It's also hilarious, touching, insightful and an absolute treat. Avenue Q tells the generic story of a small group of people trying to make it in NYC. Oh yeah-they are all poor, young, hungry and portrayed by puppets interacting with "normal" actors and actresses. 

I have yet to see Avenue Q live, and that's a shame. It went to Boston while I was still in college and couldn't afford food, much less show tickets. Rent made musicals hip again, and I'll forever be grateful to it for doing so. Avenue Q made musicals subversive and hilarious again, and I'll forever be grateful to Avenue Q for that as well. 

Best songs from Avenue Q are "For Now", "Everyones a Little Bit Racist", "My Girlfriend who Lives in Canada". 

The Pope and the death penalty

The Pope recently said that the death penalty should no longer be used in any circumstance. That's fine, even though I disagree. He also said that life in prison shouldn't be used at all either. That's not fine. In fact, it shows a shocking naivety. This isn't a Catholic blog, but it got me thinking. If Russell Nelson, the prophet and president of the LDS church, said something like that would I feel the same way? The answer is yes, I would.

When you are the leader of the large organization-church, social, business, government, etc-you can very easily become deluded. You are surrounded by people who in some ways, fall your feet and practically worship you. If they don't go that far, they certainly hang on your every word and wait for whatever you are going to say next. It's easy to get a warped ego. It's also easy to forget how the real world works. There are very, very evil people out there. Some want to do nothing but hurt innocent people for their own gain. These people need to be stopped, and sometimes it takes more than "You leave them alone and be nice or no seconds on dessert young man." Sometimes yes, it takes force. More importantly, bad people need to be punished. Life in prison and/or the death penalty isn't pretty, but it's a necessity in this fallen world. In order to defend innocent people, sometimes you need to take drastic and severe measures.

Banning Alex Jones videos

Alex Jones, the whack job conspiracy theorist made popular by lonely and sad people, has had his videos removed by various social media sites. He's a lunatic, no doubt. And yes, social media sites are private companies and can ban whoever they want to for whatever reason they want to. And since I think Alex Jones is legit lunatic, I should have no issue with them banning him.

Would a left wing conspiracy nut also be banned? Yes, leftists also have radicals and lunatics, even if they aren't as well known or as dismissed as Alex Jones is. I'm not sure that social media sites would be so quick to ban the left wing Alex Jones as they were to ban the actual Alex Jones.

Yes, only the government is restricted from banning forms of speech they don't like. A private company can do whatever they wish. The question you need to ask is how would you would feel if someone you agreed with was banned or removed from social media.

"I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.".

Sam Young II

The Sam Young hunger strike has entered week two (if I'm off by a few days, I apologize). Regardless of how you feel about him personally or his goals, you should admire his dedication and determination to stand by a cause he believes in. I'm not sure many of us could do what he is doing right now.

I'm not stating an opinion for the actual issue.  Given that I don't have children of my own, I find it quite bold of myself to tell the church how to interview children. I find it even more obnoxious if I told a parent what to tell a church leader in regards to interviewing their child.

Big Brother!

This season of Big Brother has reminded me why I love the show in the first place. Most of the evictions have been blindsides-meaning that the person who was voted off the show doesn't see it coming. I don't remember any season in the last 6 or 7 years that has had this many blindsides. A cliche in Big Brother is that the pawn usually goes home. Sometimes it's true, sometimes it isn't-but anyone who is a fan of classic reality shows would probably love this season.

There are also no returning players. For the last decade or so every single season has had a returning player from another season enter the house and participate. Thankfully, that didn't happen this year. There are only so many times that I want to see the same people play the game.

Is this season "rigged" by the producers? No. Reality shows are sometimes over produced, and yes, production can give people suggestions on how to act. But no, they don't pick and choose who gets voted out. No matter how cynical I get about television, I don't believe that. 

Scripture Sunday 3 Nephi 11:9-10

One of the claims of the Book of Mormon is that Jesus Christ visited his "other sheep" in the Americas. This is the passage where He does just so. While I am not a biblical scholar, this passage reminds me of Him appearing to his disciples in the Middle East after He died-asking them to put their hands into his wounds and feeling his palms where they crucified Him. To all LDS, this should be the crowning moment in the Book of Mormon. Nothing that any other prophet says or does is more important than this moment in history.

New York Times writer

A writer for the New York Times still has her job after vile and racist Tweets have surfaced. Because The New York Times is blinded by political correctness, it's not going to fire her. Hell, I'm surprised she didn't get promoted.

I could say "If the races were reversed, how would you feel?" but I'm not going to. Racism is universal, and yes, everyone can be racist. As a younger, more naive man I thought racism was only a white persons thing. After all, racism was about power, right? I was wrong. Racism is about hate, pure and simple.

Even modern day social justice warriors aren't immune to human nature. The New York Times has no bravery by allowing her to work, and in the long run-it's their choice. I'm happy I cancelled my subscription years ago, and I'm happy that newspapers are fading away. This will be the final push out the door.

Album of the weekend-Musical Month

Rent-The Original Broadway Cast

Rent is many things, but at it's core it's a bromance between Mark and Roger, the two main characters. Sure, it's an ensemble and there are many "main characters", but those two are the first two we are introduced to and the play does seem to revolve around their interactions. Their girlfriends, their ex girlfriends, and even their friends-but the musical begins in their loft and it should end with the song "What You Own", which is also sung by them. It doesn't end with "What You Own", and one of my only complaints about the musical is that it goes on a bit too long.

Other than going on too long, this musical is rightly considered fantastic. It deals with issues that at the time were cutting edge and often forgotten about in our society. While it addresses those issues, it doesn't get preachy. In fact, one could easily argue that it looks with a somewhat jaded eye at the bohemian lifestyle that it's followers say it embraces. Regardless of what Rent is about, it's a wonderful musical and one that you should absolutely check out.

Chris Davis

The first basemen/outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles, Chris Davis, is having a horrible year. He's on track to have some of the worst statistics for a major league player in history. Yes, there are other things to worry about, but my heart breaks for this guy. When you or I fail at our job, it's not public. Granted, we aren't getting paid what he is, but all the money in the world isn't worth this kind of public humiliation.

Just to make it to the majors means you are better baseball player than 99.9% of all other baseball players. Sure, he's much better than we are, but he's better than a lot of other people too. He's struggling right now, and it must be brutal for his teammates, his family, and most important himself. But it's important to remember that one at bat in the majors or one inning pitched means you are an outstanding ballplayer.

My team is the Rays. Not many of us out there but we are the few and the proud. For now though, I'm rooting for Davis to do better.

For profit colleges

Okay, first off no, I didn't go to Harvard or Yale. I graduated college in my mid 20's and I was not a traditional student. I was asked to leave my first school, went to a tech school, then finally got it together and managed to graduate college. So take this blog with a grain of salt, I guess.

For profit colleges are one step above diploma mills. Your degree from there will be basically meaningless, and in some cases it might even hurt you if you have to go into debt. 

University of Phoenix, Ashford University and Rasmussen College are the more famous ones, but there are of course others. The "credits" you get there aren't transferable, so the degree is rather useless. Like the famous MFA degrees, it's terminal. The job placement departments that the school runs aren't much better-many employers don't view the degrees as legit.

You might be better off saving the money you spend on tuition and putting it towards a private college.