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Well, at least now we know where the “blessing the hands that prepared it” line comes from. The OP, and a couple of responses, got me thinking about what “bless” really means. Google seems to associate it with “consecrate”. I suppose that for Latter-day Saints who consider ourselves to be consecrated beings living consecrated lives, a formal consecration of food that is about to become part of our consecrated bodies provides a lot of opportunity for reflection and renewal. It’s not about “purifying” the food, per se; it’s about taking a moment to consider the Source of the food and ponder the food’s role in our ongoing quest to—with the Lord’s help—purify ourselves.

I don't know how the United Order would even work in a virtual currency and technology based economy. If everyone were producers of physical goods, sure...but how many are any longer? None. Even if one has a job producing goods, one isn't the producer of that good. One is an employee of the producer of that good, for which one gets a salary. And that's not even considering the fact that robots are the primary producer of goods now. And if the producers of goods gives it to the church to divide up evenly...the ability to produce those goods gets destroyed. The simple fact is that capitalism was the means of creating the cell phone, computer, or whatever you and I are communicating on. Without capitalism, these things would not exist. Capitalism has done more for prosperity than any other system. Yes...it allows for evil. But it also creates immense wealth and technology that benefits all. Without it, we'd all be farmers still. And maybe that's fine. It's interesting to consider. But I sure like my computer. And my lightbulbs. And my TVs. And my cars. And my heater and A/C. And my etc., etc.... all thanks to capitalism.

Hence the dancing banana. That being said.... socialism, as a theory, has a lot in common with the ideas behind the gospel principles of all things being common, and if could be applied without state control and voluntarily (which it cannot be without a truly righteous populace) would be great. It's the "state" part (and the associated removal of freedoms) that I actually have issues with. Socialism, as a theory, is less egregious to me as a welfare "state". A socialist "state" is just as egregious to me. But it's really the "state" part I have issues with. Welfare and the common regulation of goods isn't so much the issue to my thinking.

Not nuts, but missing a huge piece of the federal spending picture. And it's one that I haven't really seen addressed in DOGE's cuts. On the contrary, I think Elon is about to become America's biggest welfare recipient. He'd have to, because his shareholders at Tesla are going to revolt if things keep going the way they are for them. 📉📉📉 https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/corporate-welfare-federal-budget-0#:~:text=This study tallies corporate welfare,year on aid to businesses.&text=The federal government runs a,taxpayers and undermine economic growth. A lot of the stuff I'm organizing around at the state level in Minnesota centers on getting corporations off the government teet so that ordinary people who need government assistance can have access to better support resources.

Let me sum it up for you: TL;DR: US government is beyond corrupt, deep into secret combination land. US money is going everywhere but to help America. Real Americans are sick of it. Rant most people will think is insane: Americans pay way too much in taxes and get nothing back from our federal government because all our money is being sent overseas - most of that is not being used for the claimed purpose, but rather is being laundered into the pockets of the people who "oversee" the programs. Some of it is being used to start and continue wars that didn't need to happen - again, so that folks can make lots and lots of money off it - partly by Zelenskyy (a coked-up puppet, illegally installed by the US government) selling arms to drug cartels and terrorists rather than actually arming his soldiers so they can fight. As long as the war continues, Zelenskyy and others make lots of money. Meanwhile, in North Carolina, Americans are living in tents because the federal emergency management folk won't do a thing - like fix roads - and the Amish have to come in to build and furnish small houses (for free!) because our government bureaucrats and politicians are busy lining their pockets and having sex chats on government servers (NSA). (For the record, those Amish are headed straight for heaven when they die. Trump sent the Army Corps of Engineers and roads are finally getting fixed.) Meanwhile, criminals and crazy people are pouring over our southern border and destroying our country with horrific crimes and by taking government money for nothing (more than any citizen could get), and buying houses subsidized by government and corrupt realtors / builders (who are intentionally selling to illegals and keeping citizens out) - this one right here in good old Utah - which is soon to be the headquarters of Secret Combination, Inc., if it's not already. (Trump brilliantly declared cartels terrorist organizations so he could send the army to help secure the border.) Are you getting the idea? Americans are sick of it. We elected Trump (and yes, Musk, too) to clean it up - or at least put a temporary stop to it - or maybe just expose the deep state to some light. Whether they can is a whole other question - unless congress pass and revoke laws to help make it permanent, it'll last only as long as they do and will be limited by the power of the executive and the corruption of judges (hmm, Book of Mormon, anyone?). (And to those waiting in the wings to call me nuts - you're watching the wrong news.)

This isn't really about bass. Just about...stuff. And by "stuff" I mean stuff. Like...you know....things. But I digress... I've gotten into sound lately. It's really weird for me. But here's the basic story: When I saw Top Gun Maverick in the theater I was impressed by the theater shaking when the jets roared. So then, recently, my daughter and I have gotten into watching movies together at night. And I thought it would be fun to get a subwoofer. And so I told her we needed to make the room shake (she's 8, btw). And she loved the idea. So we got the cheapest soundbar/woofer we could find from Walmart. And...yeah... it made the room shake...sometimes...sort of. But...you couldn't hear dialogue and you had to constantly turn the sound up and down while watching a show. But still...fun. We made the room kind of shake and she giggled. That was my goal. But it got me into it. So..... I purchased a better soundbar for upstairs. And then....hoo hoo hooo....I ordered a 12" subwoofer. And HOLY COW! Like...seriously....if I let it ride as it was when we first turned it on (about half way on the volume knob)...I feel confident it would literally damage the structure of the home over time. EVERYTHING shook. And it was AWESOME! But...too much. But I got it dialed in I think. Now it only shakes the room on the really big sounds. Just right... maybe. And the dialogue is clear and I don't have to turn the sound up and down and up and down. Though... I kind of want more boom/thump when it does kick in. Maybe a 14" woofer? Maybe a 2nd 12"? No....that's silly. The whole thing is silly. But my little girl giggles and exclaims how it made her "butt shake" every time. And it's silly but awesome and fun and makes us both smile. I don't know how long it'll last as a fun thing. It might become fatiguing pretty quick. But for now...happy daddy. And I turned on the first part of Raiders of the Lost Ark and...the sound!! So engaging and exciting. I love the movie without...but...it's like a new experience watching it again. I don't think I saw it in theaters when it came out in the 80s. So, always on TVs with TV speakers. Happy daddy. Anyhow...feel free to share, as I said, not about bass, per se, but silly 'stuff' that makes/made you happy, and maybe you got sick of too...or whatever. What silly reasons have you acquired any given thing just to see your little one giggle or the like? I thought it might make an interesting topic. If anyone cares. I got the Klipsch Flexus 200 soundbar* (normally $500 but I got it for $300) and the Klipsch R-12SWi subwoofer for $219. So $500ish all in for the really shake the room and clear dialogue system. The Walmart one was $150ish (Hisense). * I went with this Klipsch soundbar because it had a subwoofer out port so you could get any subwoofer for it, whereas most systems connect wirelessly only to their own subwoofers. And I can expand the system with surrounds speakers later if I want to. The sub that connects wirelessly to this bar is $300 and only a 10" (though I'm sure it still rattles the windows), but because of the sub out connection I could do a cheaper but bigger sub.

The media coverage on Trump is hardly favourable in Europe. While I think his anti-woke efforts are commendable. I'm not able to wrap my head around what's going on. The tariffs, attempts of slashing of foreign aid, the bluster over annexing the Panama canal, Greenland, Gaza and Canada, the generally unpopular view of how he is attempting to force a peace in Ukraine and the unanswered question of how he plans to handle Taiwan and distancing himself from NATO, in my view, leads to a diplomatically isolated USA, and a shattered American hegemony. America is really the only global rival to China, and it feels like Trump is handing China the win. I'm no economist, but his tariffs are leading to retaliation tariffs, meaning importing and exporting will become less feasible over time and history shows autarky's rarely work out for the best. What's the angle here? Do you believe this is best for your economy? Is this what you voted for? I don't have a hate for Trump, I don't froth at the mouth when I hear his name, I just don't understand his game plan here.

Most people are trying to play checkers with Trump. A few are playing chess. Trump is playing 3D chess (ala Star Trek) and most people do not realize that is the real game. I do not think he is as scary as the boogey man the media is trying to paint.

Look at that lovely chart! Look at how absolutely everyone, even the poorest and most destitute among us, have consistently climbed upwards and to the right. It's interesting to think about how the number of millionaires America creates is always "more" as we move from year to year, decade to decade. From my perspective, that's what success looks like. I get that an ever-expanding gap beween ultra- and everyone else isn't sustainable. But I also get that hating on folks who build wealth for themselves and families is 85% of the personality of most lefties. Ok, but then in your next paragraph you move away from the definition and into the trap that has consumed the left for at least half a century: Again, letting a data center keep more of it's profit is NOT industry support. It is not the government writing a check to a corporation. It is not taxing me and giving my tax money to a corporation. It is not what the CATO article is talking about. So yeah. Common ground on that CATO article. Let's talk farm subsidies and cheese caves and government involvement in the insurance industry. But there is no common ground possible when we disagree on whether govt taking is the same or different than govt giving.

Bingo. Close to 20% of Israel is Muslim. https://www.allmep.org/resources/the-muslim-population-in-israel-2024-israel-central-bureau-of-statistics/#:~:text= At the end of,(2.2% in 2022).

For me, Trump is a mix of things I've hoped for since the 1980's, and stuff that worries the crap out of me.

FTR, this is not even close to true. Muslims can live anywhere they want in Israel (there may be laws about Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter--not sure), and there are thousands who profess Islam but who nevertheless identify as Israelis. Admittedly, there are vanishingly few Muslims in the IDF; nevertheless, there are millions of Muslims around the world who recognize e.g. Hamas as the terrorist organization that it is. And Arabs and their governments are becoming increasingly willing to say it out loud.

Greetings, friend. Generally, I agree with your inputs. I do have something I would like to add to this comment in your post. But first a little bit of background. Not so long ago I was the lead engineer over a upgrade and automation of a beef slaughter house facility of one of the nation's largest supplier of beef products for wholesale distribution. My involvement required that I become somewhat expert in the entire process of beef production. One element of beef production that drew my attention was the involvement of the FDA inspectors at the facility. I am sorry to say that the vast majority of their time was used up sitting in a nice office at leisure. It looked to me (and enforced by those employed at the facility) that the FDA inspectors were experts at their task, but I was quite surprised to learn what exactly their task was. The FDA inspectors would walk through the slaughtered carcasses and grade the meat according to FDA standards for prime, choice, select, standard, commercial, utility, cutter or canner. In short, these grades have to do with the fat content of the meat. Seldom (never from what I saw) would a carcass have one FDA standard. As part of the facilities standards – there were many critical tests outside of the FDA’s purview. These tests checked for bacteria, viruses, chemicals, hormones and other contaminants in the meat. I inquired about these additional tests and learned that the tests were run to avoid recalls and complaints that could be triggered by many sources. Not only are recalls and complaints expensive but severally impact their distribution reliability and credibility. The additional testing is strictly economically driven (something that I am concerned that posters like @Phoenix_person do not understand as to how such additional quality standards so severely impacts) the quality of products in a highly capital-based economy. The Traveler

Wow. We agree. Coolness. Let's have a bud.

Trump actually thinks several steps ahead. Just take a look at what happened with Zelensky. He could have easily stopped the meeting and gone behind closed doors. Instead, he let it run out. Zelensky stormed out. And then Trump did something that has not been made public which caused Zelensky to come back to the table. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ This really should be a no brainer. They're reciprocal tarriffs. We just want fair trade. If you charge us, we charge you the same percentage. That's the policy. Why is this controversial? It seems like common sense. It's a given that things are in flux currently. Eventually, I think you'll be surprised at how little foreign aid is actually cut when all is said and done. He's mainly focused on the aid that doesn't make any sense, and is more-than-likely being used for liberal programs and funnel money back to Democrat campaign and political agendas. The canal is a strategic facility that was supposed to facilitate our naval and shipping activity throughout the world. But Panama decided to give priority and much control over to China. This was a violation of the treaty which was attached to their stewardship of the canal. It preventd us from doing what we built it to do. Most Americans (who were paying attention) were absolutely livid when Pres Carter just "sold" it for $1. But because of the violation of the treaty, we have a leg to stand on when we say we're taking it back. It is rich in resources, oil being one of them. The location is a key strategic location for arctic travel/shipping/warfare. There are a lot of reasons we would want it. But he's not going to "conquer" it. He wants to win them over. And there is a political path for Greenlanders to elect to cut ties with Denmark and become a US Territory, which is what the leaders of Greenland have said they want. But the people are still discussing. FYI: a Territory has a lower status than a State. But they get two advantages: US military protection (and commerce) & No federal income tax on residents of a territory. If you're pro-Gaza, I've got nothing that I can tell you that you'll accept. The lines are drawn. No one moves. As far as Trump, two things: 1) He's pro-Israel. 2) We still have several US citizens who are hostages in Gaza. I have no idea. I can see the strategic value of having all that area under our control. But I just don't think it is worth it. But it may be something beyond what the lay-person considers. I know most Europeans don't quite get this. But Trump really hates the idea of sending troops into battle. That's why he's been so reticent to use more graphic language when speaking with Hamas, Zelensky, Putin, Ping, or Kim. For all the financial and military aid we've given to Ukraine, we aren't getting anything out of it. Why are we doing this? Many in the west think that Ukraine is our ally. And, I guess, kinda-sorta... But the fact is that they have laundered money to the Democrats for the past four years in return for that aid. They've also sold half of our missiles and other military equipment to drug cartels and terrorists who are now working against the US. It's this whole cycle that Trump is looking at, not just one piece. No, he didn't like Putin starting that war. But he absolutely disapproves of how things are going right now. This is an interesting take from you. Many Americans tend to believe that the rest of NATO hates Americans meddling in everything and "forcing" them to go to war when it has nothing to do with them. If our impression is true, then please make up your mind. Trump's policy has always been "Americans should be America First. British should be British First. French should be French first." That is not isolationist. It's just common sense. Nothing about that says that we can't be part of an alliance. But NATO has been sucking America dry without keeping up their part of the military burden. So, yeah, you get to be under our protection. What do we get out of the deal? Why would we necessarily want to be the Hegemon? Why would you want us to be the Hegemon? Again, the reciprocal tarriffs are just to make things even. And China needs us a whole lot more than we need them. It may take some growing pains to bring more manufacturing to the US. But as we settle in, our economy could double what it is now. Like all things: Some of it, yes. Some of it, no. Overall, I approve. And his HIGH approval ratings are at 44%. Overall approval ratings at 69%. The economy will see a dip this year because of growing pains. But if he can continue his agenda, the economy will be like nothing I've seen since Clinton or Reagan -- and probably better. Well, I've explained it. But I have a feeling that your European, socialist mindset is probably going to blind you with how market forces really work. Not an insult. I just find that Europeans simply think in socialist terms rather than capitalist terms. And whether you like it or not, human beings will always gravitate toward capitalist principles when it comes to individual choices (like what I buy at the store).

There are several reasons why Dems made themselves look like fools by being in the chamber at all, this being one of the bigger ones. If the idea was to resist, then a better way would have been to boycott the address like some of their colleagues did. I also would have loved to see every Dem in that room get up and leave with Al Green. But as you said, it's all political theatre. They wouldn't have been able to sit there with their paddles and disappointed looks if they left. 🙄 Also, it's transGENIC mice, not transGENDER. Big difference. I'd say a speech writer should be fired, but I have a feeling the mixup was deliberate.

Old school thread. LP and I still talk about once a week. She’s doing fantastic. 🙂

I forgot about that thread. I feel bad for the posters that didn’t get the humor, but at the same time I appreciate what they posted.

Let me help you since you may not be able to find what needs to be considered on Google – but I would say you can go to a Muslem mosque on a Friday (Islamic day of worship) and ask the following. On the last day of the Hajj before sundown – why are stones thrown at a pillar? What is the significance of the last day before sundown and the pillar and throwing a stone? And then as a follow-on question – What is the primary indication of HaSatan’s power at the end of times. If you do now want to take the time at a mosque I will help you. The Hajj is a symbolic representation the path in life leading to submission to Alah. The word Islam means submission to the will of G-d (Alah). The last day before sundown is representative of the last days of a world ruled by evil. The pillar is representative of HaSatan that is the evil ruler currently in power of this world. The throwing of a stone is representative of submission to the will of G-d to fight violently against HaSatan at the end of times. The primary indication of HaSatan is the gathering of wealth by the means of compound interest. As a side note this is parallel a Biblical (Christian) doctrine that the love of money is the root of “ALL” Evil. The Traveler

The one I have has a phase reverse switch to solve that problem I think.

My Grandmother had a stroke not too long ago. Being of age a full recovery is totally out of the picture. In an ideal world, a family would take her in, and we did for a time, but it became quickly apparent that we didn't have the resources to facilitate the round the clock care she would need. So we started to pay for a live in care team to help, but she continued to deteriorate. So she was moved into a care home, we paid for as long as we could, but the money ran out, so we sold her house to be able to continue to pay. Again, the money ran out. Now the state pays for her care. As a working class family, we haven't the resources in time, space or cash to care for her, and if it weren't for the free care she received now, she'd be languishing in a chair. A state which educates it's children, creates a more skilled work force, and one which looks after its population makes a healthier one. The state shouldn't have to do much, but there are people who cannot do these things for themselves.

Dude I was literally reading the chat of my progressive DEI group, where they spent an entire hour griping about the evils of the word 'merit', and expressing their anger and hatred of the term and everything it entails. Describing the ways they've been victims of the merit-based mentality. Talking about how they as a historically marginalized racial minority was only able to get a jump up because of some program that replaced merit in the name of fighting white privilege. Such notions are commonly expressed in that group across the 4 years I've been involved with 'em. So yeah, 'conservative lie' my flabby cuthroat capitalist hiney. Or, more charitably, you've got your work cut out for you to convince many of your fellow progressives of the virtues of merit-based principles. In your next community activist gettogether thing, maybe bring up how meritocracies are good things that help folks, and let us know how that goes.

Of course it does. From my perspective, all human economic systems are set up for human betterment. Many of them is the benefit of certain humans only - warlords, dictators, royalty, etc. Socialism/communism is the notion that the best answer is equality of outcome. "from each according to their ability, to each according to need" and so forth. Doomed to fail because human nature, in fact nature in general, in fact universal laws force inequality of outcome. The "E" in DEI is all about that. A refutation of merit rewards, in favor of equal rewards regardless of merit. Capitalism is the notion that equality of opportunity is the best answer. Merit based, not equity based. "Nothing's stopping you, show us what you can do, and you'll be rewarded if you create value." Its the best thing we've come up with yet, because it aligns with human/natural/universal laws. It forces individuals/families to create and grow their own merit and value. It relies on human kindness and compassion for safety nets for the folks who can't. If your birth defect is severe enough, you have zero chance of creating wealth. Is it also doomed to fail as the wealth gap grows? I dunno. Maybe all systems are doomed to fail. But capitalism, for 150 years, has done more to advance the human condition, than any other system. Capitalism has the fewest massacres and genocides and mass deaths, no matter how it's measured.

I think 9/11 was about a lot more than compound interest.

Dems had a good reason for getting vocal about corporate taxation starting in the 80s. We've had 40+ years of Reaganomics, and this is where it's gotten us. From the article: And that $181B is just at the federal level. The two main state-level issues that we're working on are 1) Opposing tax incentives for new data centers, and 2) Eliminating state funds from the reinsurance pool that health insurance companies use to help cover high cost claims without jacking up premiums. It's basically additional insurance for insurance companies. As someone with a multi-million dollar skin repair job, I can certainly appreciate the need for such a fund. I just don't think taxpayers should be footing the bill for a multi-billion dollar industry, and Minnesota is one of the few states that has it set up that way. Most states don't have a reinsurance program at all, and most of the ones that do make insurance companies pool their own money.

I tend to think of it as the hysteria that cause the Salem Witch Trials. It ended when (IIRC) someone from the State Government came to see what was going on in the locality and put a stop to it. The participants still took a while to cool down. I hope something like that happens today as well... regarding the cooling down. I pointed this out during his first term on this very forum. But no one else here had heard about it. And I couldn't remember the source. And a google search didn't return anything. It may be the same man.

I thought about this for a bit to see if this is true for me. I realized, I'm not sure what that means. When I heard music as a kindergartener, I immediately sensed if I like it or not just as surely as if I liked the flavor of certain foods. I just liked it or not. It had nothing to do with music education or understanding music theory, obviously. It was just a personal taste. As I became more exposed to more types of music, I didn't exactly evolve. I simply increased my experience. A few years ago (in my old age) I'd come to like the Jolly Rogers. And I'd never heard anything like it before.

(For the record, since the only things that truly matter are baseball and music, I can’t stand the Grateful Dead)

From what I can tell, folks develop their taste in music somewhere in their teens. @LDSGator, for example, still will fight anyone who talks smack about Flava Flav. For me however, I didn't find my music until my mid-40's. But when I found it, I found myself reacting like a 14 yr old boy who needs his tunes to think. And yes, it mostly involves a lot of bass. - I used to fall asleep to a playlist of dubstep and death metal. - I started to wear earplugs when driving so I could turn up the music so loud I could feel the vibrations from the door speaker in my legs. Still do on occasion.

I can't find the original statements from the Greenlanders right now. But the very first day that Trump posited the idea, there was a sentiment that they wanted independence so they were willing to listen to what kind of Deal Trump was offering. At that time, they realized that they were so small that if they were completely independent, they would get taken over by hostile powers. So, they needed an umbrella. You are correct that no one actually said, "We want to be a US Territory." I listened to what they said and recognized this as the status of a US Territory. They have our protection. But they are mostly independent. Perhaps the Greenlanders don't realize that what they are describing is exactly what we would offer as a Territory. It's not logic. It was a condition of the treaty we had with them. You don't seem to understand the difference between the treaty of the Suez Canal vs the treaty of the Panama Canal. Similar situations, with different treaty conditions. That's not true. There are MANY Muslims who live in Israel in peace and live as citizens protected by law and military. I would try to explain the entire history and how the entire world (backed by Israel) gave the Palestinians so many opportunities to either live in peace or build up a nation. But that would take too long. We agree. I'm done trying to predict anything about this latest conflict. But I hope they can get back to peace. While TFP may have been teasing, this ^^ type of statement is exactly why I assumed you were a socialist. Having a strong welfare state is exactly what results in government run socialism. Because of government run socialism. So, you want the benefits of socialism, but you aren't willing to accept the mess it makes. Well, good luck with that.

That might be the description of Trump that I’ve ever heard

Errrr...maybe that's because you need to modify your strike laws.

Hey, we've got common ground! The article defines 'corporate welfare' as "a broad definition of corporate welfare, which includes direct cash subsidies and indirect industry support" That's a more sane definition than I'm used to. The '80's and '90's and 2000's were full of Dems claiming that not-taxing-corporations-as-much-money-as-we-used-to was included in that definition. It was easy to refute. No, leaving an entity with more of it's own money, is NOT the same thing as the government giving money to that entity. I guess the devil's in the details. What's "indirect industry support"? Is that a reference to the military-industrial-complex?

Govt ain't payin' ta turn the mice trans nothin nomore. I mean, it sounds lowbrow when you say it that way, but it's basically the response the majority of the entire world has given to radical gender theory. Since the dawn of humans, every civilization at every point in history, pretty much without exception, has figured men are male and women are female. Here come progressives with a new way of thinking that will supposedly be a net benefit of empathy and caring for all humanity. "Convince me", said humanity. After half a dozen years of cancel culture, deplatforming, accusations of transphobia, men injuring women in women's sports so much the UN finally took a stand against it, and parents being told "you can either have a dead son or a live daughter" only to regret it later, y'all have failed to convince us. Radical gender theory is this century's version of the frontal lobotomy. Including the 'crimes against children' parts. If it's any consolation, y'all have pretty much succeeded totally with the LGB end of the acronym. The humans are just rejecting the TQIA+2SpiritZe/Zir/Meowself end of the flag. Did you know that the highest ranking openly gay US Cabinet member in history sits in Trump's cabinet? We saw him in that address.

Thanks for your response. Riding society (at least on a limited basis) may be closer than you think. Both by scripture (Quran) and by the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) the first or prime directive of a Jihad (holy war) is the ending of compound interest and Satan that is behind it. This is the primary reason that the twin towers on Wall Street in New York, were targeted in 9/11. My argument directed to my Islamic friends, is that 9/11 was evil because all the deaths were carried out on innocent captive slaves of compound interest and that the perpetrators of compound interest were unharmed. The Traveler

Are you sure this wasn't USDA? FDA would review the facility's standard operating procedures, records, equipment logs, cleanliness, etc. for compliance with law, compliance with the company's own standards1, and verification that procedures were followed. Pretty sure they don't rate the meat to the standards you list - that's USDA. 1Want to stay out of trouble with government regulatory agencies? Don't have SOPs that require more than the law does, or if you do, make sure you follow your own SOPs - that's right, they can fine you for failure to follow your own SOP, even if your SOP requires something more stringent than the law requires.

*cough* socialist! *cough*

I agree with you, to be clear. I just don't think eliminating compound interest is a realistic goal right now. Greed is too deeply entrenched in every aspect of our financial system, and the people who benefit the most from compound interest have themselves deep in the pockets of politicians of both parties. You'd have just as much luck abolishing credit cards altogether.

FWIW, CATO could most accurately be described as Libertarian, though I find that their economic analysis tends to be overall very balanced and well thought-out. Generally speaking, the conservative playbook is to cut spending programs that benefit the poor to enable tax cuts for the wealthy, the leftist playbook is to do the exact opposite, the liberal playbook is to try to subsidize both classes, and the libertarian playbook is to subsidize neither and eliminate taxes altogether.

That is true. That is the label that was put forth to dump on Trump. This is not true. Both labels can be true at once. The trangenic procedures they were performing included changing their sex hormone levels. So, no. Not a big difference. And there was no mixup. But it appears that the leftist media are putting quite a spin on it for the sole purpose of denying Trump's narrative.

So, I've watched SOTU addresses since 9/11. It's political theater, where the party in charge spins things one way, and then the minority party tries to spin things the other way. Every statement generates a response from the audience, and the nation proceeds to judge the responses. News is generated not only from what POTUS says, but also how it is received by both sides of the aisle. Who stands and claps, who sits silent, body language and facial expressions - all are a measure of the vibe present in congress, how much bipartisanship or divisiveness there is at a certain slice of time. I am not a fan of political theater, but I watch it, because I want to see what's being communicated back and forth. I don't trust recaps or summaries or news coverage - might as well drink from the stream at the source, rather than after the water has run through a few fields of cattle. In every single one, part of the show involves POTUS showcasing various individuals with stories that support their spin. The noble and the tragic everyman gets a spotlight for a minute. Look at this patriotic American (succeeding due to the policies of my administration). Look at this poor victim (who has suffered due to the policies of the other guy). There's an art to it, and these folks are usually held up in such a way that both sides of the aisle must rise and applaud or be seen in a negative light. Every speech I've ever witnessed has fallen somewhere on @EH12NG's cringe fest scale, no matter who is POTUS or who's side of the aisle is bigger. But yeah, this one is the most cringeyist I can remember. So, with all that said, here's Trump's picks for the valorous and best and most victimized of us. Democrats sat still and stony faced through them all. Applause was sparse and barely given begrudgingly. Only the little kid with cancer got only one single democrat to rise and applaud. Yeah, Trump is better at political theater than anyone else. He took the Dem's pre-planned stony silence, and made 'em look like a bunch of bad guys with disinterest towards female victims of deepfakes, murder victims, victims of male to female violence, innocent bystander victims of an assassination attempt, former hostages of Russia, and a plucky little black kid fighting cancer. On @EH12NG's cringe-fest scale, one can hardly be more cringe than sitting stony-faced and silent when presented with an opportunity to publicly show appreciation/support/empathy for such folks. Dems played right into Orange man's hands, and it's costing them.

But did... dey eet?

OK, didn't we have a thread here years ago about someone opening a business selling "pre-blessed food"? Searching... For the record, I wasn't trying to find fault in others, but rather explore what makes sense, why it makes sense, and how to improve my own practice. Like @Vort, a decade or so ago, I realized I could not keep mindlessly repeating the same "blessing" I'd heard my entire life - I realized I could not honestly ask for it because I didn't believe it (whether to disbelieve is a fault, I'm not sure; but to ask in disbelief surely is). I always pray for my car to function properly on a long trip, and for help being attentive as I drive, and similar things. I've also received help finding things - one time, there's no doubt God was patiently smacking me upside the head - look where I told you to look; no, serious, look harder, it's there; go look again and be thorough this time; tear that box apart - it's in there! (Sometimes, I'm dense. Full disclosure: The Lord didn't really say it like that. What He told me, repeatedly, was, "look in its box".) Thank you for additional perspective, @Traveler. I'm going to move your post right to #0 in my list!

Prayers concerning what we eat has long been an interesting topic for me. I thought to post some thought that I have dealt with. On my mission I had a companion that wanted to bless the food when we brought it home from shopping. He gave some reason – I will include a few. It avoids unnecessary repetition (we are encouraged to avoid vain repetition in our prayers). Many items saved as leftovers have already been blessed. A box of cold cereal can end up being blessed many times. It saves time before meals and also food can be eaten at preferred temperatures. You also do not have to worry about blessing snacks. A good friend of mine (a Polynesian) insisted on a prayer on everything – even a stick of gum. He also included a blessing that nourishment and strength would come from the blessing of what was being partaken. I would kid him about blessing donuts, but he always insisted. I have become convinced that such faith has a positive effect. A long time ago, when I was attending university at BYU, many students would say a prayer on their food in public at the cafeteria. One very spiritual friend never would say a private prayer on food in public. I like to know things so I asked why. They responded that for them, private prayers were kept private. They would offer a private prayer at home for their away meals. For myself, I have found this consideration to be of value especially when traveling. For all my experiences, I have concluded that prayers (not just on food but for many things of which we use and partake), especially of thanks, are a good thing and that Latter-day Saints ought not to criticize humble prayers – regardless of words or physical things we personally may not use or prefer for ourselves. If there is any doubt, I think it is best to error on the side of too many prayers rather than too few. I think we should be thankful for all things that we use. My Polynesian friend mentioned above would bless his car for trips and other things that he would use. I want to thank those posting in this thread to remind me to seek blessings on things I use (beyond food) with a promise to use things according to my covenants. Even though I am embarrassed and sometimes loose things – I find prayers for assistance and help very beneficial. I believe it wise to bless all things we use and partake of – even things like headphones, computers, tools and sport equipment. I believe offering prayers of thanks and prayers of benediction to be used for good as an act of faith and in line with our covenant of consecration for benediction – even of our talents. I think we ought to support most blessings – of course there are exceptions like blessing for use things like alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs. If someone wants to offer blessings on their clothing, tools or even a woman that wants to offer a prayer for the makeup they use – I can support such things asked in faith and humility. The Traveler

Democrats (in front of the camera): "Shame on Trump for giving tax breaks for billionaires!" Also Democrats (behind the camera): "We have to keep the war in Ukraine going so Zelenskyy can keep laundering money into our pockets!"

It comes from many sources. But Americans get it mainly from the Anglican Prayer Book. Over time, we have come to make variations on a local level. But this and similar traditions are the source of it. I agree that there is no real scriptural basis for it. It is merely tradition. But I try to make sure my household always remember that the purpose of "grace" is to give thanks more than it is to "bless" the food. Remember that blessing the food is not a "blessing" as we normally think of it. It is really a way of thanking. Imagine when a person does something nice for you. An old-fashioned response would be "may the Lord bless you for it." Often, it would be shortened to: "bless you" = "thank you." But today, we don't understand this linguistic quirk and simply repeat things based on tradition. Look up the etymology of the word "bless" and you'll get a more full picture of how blessing could become part of giving thanks.

Sacramental food is blessed and sanctified for a specific purpose. Food at gatherings may similarly be blessed to fulfill its social purpose. I can find different accounts of Jesus giving thanks for food, but this is the only account I know of where he blesses food.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Gray is a color. Grey is a colour. (Saying it doesn't really help, though. People just stare blankly. They need to see it written out.)

I believe humour references a woman's um....moon cycle? Edit: I forgot to add this to the above comment:

That was uncalled for. We know nothing about his politics. Wait until he tells us his view on economics before you assume he’s a socialist. For all you know he could be a devotee of Margaret Thatcher.