Fiannan

I have noticed that LDS people have low breast cancer rates (bonus for having children) but high prostate cancer rates (that can be related to obesity and not having enough sex). Just found that interesting.

Thanks, I didn't take anything you said negatively. Yes, the initial protests on day one were peaceful and ... well, better wait a few days before going into any other detailss. Interesting, I can use LDS Talk e-mail to send and receive messages in China but Hotmail is blocked. Also, isn't it ironic that using this computer here in Beijing I cannot click on links dealing with the Lhasa riots and get them to load?

I was in the Hymalayas but not near Everest. Sorry.

Was there the first day but the second day, when I left Lhasa, was when everyting got really violent. The Chinese papers are saying the Dhali Lama started it all and that all Tibetans are angry over his interference. I'll elaborate more when I leave China.

From what I understand Bill Gates and Albert Einstein have been listed as people displaying the characteristics of Aspergers. I have known people with this condition and personally I don't see it as fitting the normal categorization of disability. I know one guy who teaches advanced mathematics who has the social skills of Mr. Bean but is happily married with two kids -- just don't ask him about math or English soccer unless you want an hour long conversation without any deviation from his personal agenda. Suppose Aspergers could be a real advantage on a mission if the person was really into gospel issues.

True. Not sure about monitoring of communications. Guess I have to wait until I am back home to tell a few things.

Just wanted to say hi. I am currently sitting in an internet cafe in Lhasa and aside from it being a bit more difficult to go running at this altitude it is a really interesting place to be in.

Okay, a couple of days ago I was invited to witness the ceremony by one of the head official monks in one of the holiest monestary sites in Tibet. However, new regulations prohibit outsiders from viewing the actual feeding of the vultures. I was able to visit the alters as well as view the entire ceremony where the monks bless the dead bodies as well as foods and other objects at the same time. Quite an interesting experience and one in which very few westerners have had the opportunity to view first hand.

Agreed. Again, try to use one of the internet LDS dating sites. Maybe the person you are looking for is 28 years old, lives clear across the country (or maybe in another country) and feels nobody relates to her in Church despite her strong convictions and beliefs in the Church. She may be waiting for YOU Digitalbath!

The LDS Church in Sweden does not use the King James Bible -- I don't even think there is a copy of the KJB available that is in the Swedish language. The Church uses the standard Lutheran Church of Sweden Bible.

I don't know, I think it is ironic that men were willing to face jail time and have their property taken away for living God's commandment to have multiple wives (which was done with procreation as the central theme -- as is the biological imperative given to all mammal species) yet now people try to find reasons not to have multiple kids. I wonder how many mén who were married to 6 women look down from the highest levels of Heaven at their descendants who might shudder at the thought of haveing 6 kids.

No clue about the Danes but here is one about Swedes: You know you’ve been in Sweden too long, when... It's acceptable to eat lunch at 11.00.You think Leif 'Loket' Olsson is entertaining.You rummage through your plastic bag collection to see which ones you should keep to take to the store and which can be sacrificed to garbage.You associate pea soup with Thursday.The first thing you do on entering a bank/post office/pharmacy etc. is look for the queue number machine.You accept that you will have to queue to take a queue number.A sharp intake of breath has become part of your vocabulary, as has the sound 'ahh'.You associate Friday afternoon with a trip to system bolaget.You think nothing of paying $50 for a bottle of 'cheap' spirits at system bolaget.Silence is fun.Your native language has seriously deteriorated; you begin to "eat medicine" and "hire videos".Your front door step is beginning to resemble a shoe shop.When a stranger on the street smiles at you, you assume that: a. he is drunk; b. he is insane; c. he is American; d. he is all of the above. You stay home on Saturday night to watch Bingolotto.It seems sensible that the age limit at Stockholm night clubs is 23 or 25.The reason you take the ferry to Finland is: a. duty free vodka b. duty free beer c. to party The only reason for getting of the boat in Helsinki is to eat pizza.It no longer seems excessive to spend $200 on alcohol in a single night.The fact that all of the "v's" and the "w's" are together in the phone directory seems right.You care who wins 'Expedition: Robinson'.Your old habit of being "fashionably late" is no longer acceptable. You are always on time.You no longer see any problem wearing white socks with loafers.You know that "religious holiday" means "let's get pissed."You are no longer scared of volvos and volvo drivers.You have your own innebandy club.You enjoy the taste of surströmming.You find yourself debating the politics of Carl Bildt.You use mmmm as a conversation filler.An outside temperature of 9 degrees Celsius is mild.When someone asks for "three cheers", you say "hoorah, hoorah, hoorah, hoorah".You wear sandals with socks.You eat jam with savoury dishes.You have only two facial expressions, smiling or blank.You think riding a racing bike in the snow is a perfectly sensible thing to do.You think it's more fun to stay at home and drink then go out.You wear warm clothing when it's 25 degrees plus in April - because it's April.You wear shorts and t-shirt when it's barely 10 degrees in July - because it's July.You get extremely annoyed when the bus is two minutes late.You think women are more than equal than men and deserve to have better positions in the work place.Your wife watches TV while you look after the kids.You become a punctuality freak and dump your friends for being late more than once.You spend the week's entertainment budget on a pack of cigarettes and a drink in Gamla Stan.When a stranger asks you a question in the streets, you think it's normal to just keep walking, saying nothing.You've been engaged for four years and don't have any plans to get married.Americans start to look entertaining, witty and fun, and you just want to go to the U.S.A., travelling across country on a greyhound, because it's "romantic."You and your friends know exactly the same information, and have the same attitudes and beliefs in the value of Social Democracy.You lose any artistic talent whatsoever.You think that if you smoke a joint you will wind up in an insane asylum. [or become a habitual criminal]You seriously contemplate getting into S & M.You wear a dress or skirt over your trousers and combine them with training shoes. [this is especially problematic if you're male]You jot down 'fisk fingrar' on your shopping list.You no longer look for Vegemite on supermarket shelves, even if it's your first time in that particular store.You think black rimmed glasses are cool.Your wardrobe now consists of 20 different shades of black and grey.You get excited watching a bunch of lame 'celebrities' on a fortress island playing games that are about as intelligent as mud-wrestling.You look forward to the next program about practical jokes done on lame celebrities/has-beens by other lame celebrities who don't really deserve air time.It doesn't feel like lunch unless it's a hot, full course meal drenched in gravy.You eat unlimited amounts of sausage products without worrying about your nitrate intake.You think that an unripe wedge of tomato on a limp leaf of iceberg lettuce can be called a salad.You don't question the concept of 'telephone time'.It seems reasonable that no business can be conducted on Friday afternoons. [or the entire month of July]You assume that anyone who apologises after bumping into you is a tourist.You think it is normal that a huge restaurant has a smoking section which consists of three tables near the door.You reach for your pocket 20 times a day as mobile phones ring all around you.You actually care if your mobile phone meets the fashion standard - and so do your new Swedish friends!It seems reasonable that even those asking you for money at T-centralen reach for their pocket as the melodic music of the Swedish mobile phone resounds.You get into a Mercedes taxi cab and think nothing of it.Paying $5 for a cup of coffee seems reasonable.You understand that when a colleague asks you out for "a drink," it will probably be a long night with a severe hangover the next day.You start to think that having a sauna in the nude with a bunch of strangers is a necessary part of daily life ... and a necessary part of business.You believe that when you finally win your Nobel Prize, it is best to be modest and say "Oh really, it was nothing!"You get offended if, at a dinner party, someone fails to look you in the eyes after raising their glass for a toast.Seeing a young woman with lit candles stuck to her head no longer disturbs you.You become extremely skilled at assembling pre-packaged furniture kits."Candles" are a permanent fixture on your weekly shopping list.You get to the movies early so that you can watch the commercials.Most of your friends have the same names and you must use both names to distinguish between them.

Funny: ANTIMATTER: REPORT: BRITISH CLONES WILL STILL HAVE BAD TEETH

Just to clarrify something said earlier, if a couple get sealed, and a divorce takes place in the future, and the man wants to get sealed again (assuming that a temple divorce is either not asked for or is not granted) he can get sealed to the new wife after his ex wife submits a letter granting him permission. If she does not grant permission then an investigation takes place surrounding the circumstances behind the divorce before he can get sealed to the new wife. So yes, you can be sealed to two women who are both still alive.

Actually, from what I understand vultures are immune to just about any microbe or parasite and their stomach acids are the most powerful of any vertebrate species. I have to agree with you on the burial process. I remember watching a sci-fi horror moview once where they did an embalming on a body and it was really quite disturbing at the time. I know one of the big reasons for embalming becoming popular 100 yeras ago was due to the incredible fear of being buried alive -- no chance if you have been embalmed. The rear was so great that many people had tubes into their coffins with a strong attached to a bell that was above ground. A person would have the job to sit in the graveyard (even at night) and listen in case a bell was rung by a person who had been buried alive. That is where the term "graveyard shift" came about.

Actually, is it really that negative? Their religion believes that once the soul leaves the body then the body should be returned to nature. Personally, I find that actually appealing in a sense. Some Indian tribes on the plains would put the body on a platform and allow nature to take its course. I think that is kinda cool. Once I stay in Tibet I'll share other aspects of the culture. I'm sure there are some interesting things I'l be able to pass along.:)

I was speaking to a Tibetan today but I did not have a chance to ask him about this. I think I will wait until I get there next week to see how this all operates.

Wow, no commentary? I would find it a rather interesting ritual to view, that's for sure.

What about the wife's agency to be a mother in Zion? Also, the longer a woman waits into her 40s the greater chances of having a deformed child.

I have a rather interesting question. Let's say a man is married to a woman in the temple. He has a long-time friend but they are only friends. He dies before his wife and his wife indicates that this family friend would be ideal to be married to her deceased husband in the afterlife and requests that her kids do a sealing of the husband and the friend in the future (when all are deceased). Would that be kosher?

Well, we all know there is polygamy in Heaven -- I mean really, I know several men whose wives have died and they have remarried in the temple. Case closed there. Second, I suspect polygamy will come back. I once heard that church leaders in the past have said (heard from a friend who was a total obsessive when it came to backing up stuff with references) that polygamy will come back when the world has more infanticide (in the 19th. century infantacide and birth control were often interchangeable terms) than births. Seems we live in such a world today -- even Latin nations are seeing low birthrates developing. Sorry I never bothered to get the name of the specific leader he quoted. Makes sense however. Polygamy wouold have eugenic as well as cultural advantages. In time the laws of western nations will develop more tolerance and later acceptance of polygamy. At that time maybe the manifesto will be fulfilled (in a manner of speaking) and polygamy will come back. It will certainly come back during the Mellenium.

YouTube - Sky Burial - Tibet Interesting. I had no idea of such a practice actually surviving to the present day. The deceased is wrapped, given a funeral, and then three days later put on an alter, chopped up and fed to vultures. This would be quite fascinating to witness. I wonder how the Han Chinese react to this when they move there to take over and find this custom.

Yeah, but I don't trust medications for he most part.

Thanks everyone. I am in good physical condition and I have challenged one of my younger female collegues to go running with me once we arrive at our destination -- wish me luck! I am curious though, one of the problems with altitude seems to be headaches for some. Is it best to take asperine or tylenol if one develops such a problem?

I absolutely agree with you PC. However, there are a few women in the LDS Church who feel this way. The good thing is that you only need one person to marry and I am sure there are ample numbers of good LDS women who don't care -- heck, lok how many marry guys outside the Church for evidence of that. I have four daughters and when they are old enough for serious dating I would never tell them not to consider an active, devout man if he did not serve a mission. I did not serve a mission (parents asked me not to since they wanted me to go to college and I joined when I was almost 18) and I have stayed active in the Church. I think a mission is good, don't get me wrong, but not something that I think makes a huge diverence in choosing someone for marriage. Digitalbath, you are only 46, right? That mean you still have time to get married and have a family. My advice would be to totally take appraisal of your spiritual goals and family goals. If you want to be active and have a wife and kids my suggestion would be to join some of those LDS dating sites. A friend of mine was in his late 30s when his wife left him and he joined one. He placed his profile out there (active, several kids, no mission, and all the personal stuff) and he was getting hits from interested females ranging in age from 19 to his age. And maybe if you are a bit unconventional that could be a plus since maybe there's a girl out there who shares in your unconventional ways of life and (like you perhaps) feels like an outcaste in the LDS social scene but is a firm believer in the Gospel. Really, I have run across devout LDS people who are anarchists, red necks, semi New Agers, gun nuts, nudists, bikers, hunters, veggans, hippies you name it. Try out the internet stuff and you may find someone who fits you. Personally, if I were single and wanting to find an LDS gal at my age (about the same as your's digitalbath) I would go the internet route because I think the singles program for over 30 people is totally messed up in the Church.