carlimac

70 year old Sister in the ward: “We’re thankful for the rain that is replenishing the earth. And we’re grateful it’s not snow!” (Actual chuckles from the congregation)

70 year old Sister in the ward: “We’re thankful for the rain that is replenishing the earth. And we’re grateful it’s not snow!” (Actual chuckles from the congregation)

Maybe...but I think there is a invaluable skill set it is trying to instill.
The thing that is being pushed behind many of the goal setting is prayerful revelation.  To listen to the Holy Ghost and get revelation and inspiration on what your goals should be.  If one can learn to truly recognize and identify the Holy Ghost they can develop and unshakeable testimony.

Can’t love this enough!!

The Filipino kind where people just show up without needing an invite... we usually have around 100 people and I usually spring for a water slide bouncy house and I spring $3 for an ironed-on bday t-shirt for giveaways to the kiddos - I make 40 t-shirts every bday.  So the kiddos get all good and wet and then they dry up and then change into the t-shirts and we all sing happy birthday around the cake and take a picture.  It's awesome.  Hah hah.
So my mother-in-law has been trying to find all the shirts for every year so she can make some kind of quilt for my son's 18th birthday... she couldn't find all the shirts so she ended up ditching the project.  But it would've been the craziest awesome thing to do because... and now I'm gonna cry again... for the first time in my son's life, he will not be spending his bday with us next year as he will be on his mission.  Waaaaaaa!

They probably didn’t know about them. Actually only a very small percentage of wards and stakes have access to those camps. It’s mostly a western US advantage. Here in the east and the rest of the world we go through the process every year of having to find a place for the girls to have camp. It has cost my girls at least $100 out of pocket each to attend. 

That was the old way. I’m talking about the changes made Sunday night. If wards are still strict and demanding on achievements, that is there deal, not the church’s

...holy cow...

To all of you arguing over costs... THIS IS IRRELEVANT because you are all arguing over a faulty premise - that the amount of money spent on a program is indicative of how much "precious" the program is.  This is Bull Hokey.  Do you think the Temple in Orlando is more precious than the Temple in Manila because they spent millions of dollars more on it?  Of course not.  Likewise, whether YW get more money or YM get more money is IRRELEVANT.  What is relevant is the activity itself.
Scouts cost money.  A lot of money.  It is a rigorous merit-based program that requires specific activities.  You don't just go to camp once a year.  You go to camp as many times as is required to achieve a certain merit.  The Church did not come up with these merits and therefore cannot eliminate certain activities and still get merit.
Personal Progress doesn't have to have a lot of money to run superbly or it can spend more money than Scouts if leadership designs it to be.  That is because every single activity in Personal Progress is determined by Church Leadership and if there's one thing the Church is really good at - it's operating on shoe-string budgets.  I know this because I used to be the Activities Coordinator and I had a $300 annual budget to plan 6 ward activities for the year.  My kid's birthday party costs twice more than the annual activities budget.
Regardless of how much money you spend on your specific programs, what makes it a good program is determined by the quality of youth graduating out of the program.  If you spent $300/year on your kid in the program and he/she's just as obnoxious and useless to society as he/she was going in, that program is a crappy program.  If you spent $10 on the program and your obnoxious and useless kid came out of it a paragon of virtue it was a great program.
 
 

That may be true to a certain extent but it isn’t a message that is very clear.In many wards there has been enormous leader pressure to accomplish the goal or project. Our last YW President put a huge emphasis on completing Personal Progress and devoted at least one activity a month towards it. There was absolutely no “this is optional” message there. I don’t know how the girls who just didn’t respond to the checklist approach to progressing personally could not feel like losers. Especially when the ones who finished it all in their first year of Beehives were praised and honored copiously!
 
My oldest daughter who is Primary President in her ward already predicts that the activities on the Primary level will be based on the “noise” of several squeaky wheel parents in her ward. The quieter families will just have to go with the flow.

This is how I interpret what you have written.
Your sons are priceless therefore they deserve whatever can be taught them whatever the cost and your daughter will benefit because her identity is based on what kind of "priceless" husband she will marry.
Do you ever consider that your future daughters-in-law might have some qualitities in them that might benefit your sons? If so, how do you think these young women will learn to possess these qualitites?
M.

This betrays a fundamental, very deep misunderstanding of what it means to ask someone to dance, and in fact of what a dance is (or is supposed to be).
A dance request is not a marriage proposal or an invitation to retire to anyone's boudoir and remove clothing. A dance request is fundamentally a request for social interaction, not much different from trying to strike up conversation.
In former times, women never asked men to dance; such would have been seen as desperate. So the man assumed all the responsibility for initiating a dance request. The woman's part in this arrangement was to graciously accept. A woman did not have to accept a dance invitation, of course; but refusing a man would be equivalent of turning on her heel and walking away when the man was engaging in polite conversation. Only a boor would do such a thing; such gracelessness would never have been considered acceptable behavior in any kind of polite society. If a woman was simply not dancing that evening, then of course she could refuse a potential dance partner; but in that case, she had better not dance with anyone else, either. Which would lead to the question of why she's at a dance if she's not dancing...
If young women were being instructed never to turn down a dance offer, then good for them and their leaders. They were being instructed on very basic and (what should have been) very obvious etiquette. For a woman to turn down a man's dance request is utterly churlish and almost certainly inexcusable.
But then, today's so-called dances are ridiculous affairs, even or perhaps especially at Church. "Loud" and "vulgar" are the operative terms at dances today. Perhaps such behavior as a young woman bluntly turning down a young man's dance request is acceptable, as presumably would be a young man pointing mockingly and laughing at some hapless young woman. If so, we must question whether the Church ought to have anything to do with such "dances", and almost certainly arrive at a negative answer.

It had to do primarily with paying the BSA dues.
I'm stunned at all of the bitching and moaning I have heard over the years about how "favored" the boys were. Bull crap. (I could speak more plainly, if you like.) As the father of sons, I say that if the boys needed BSA to become the men they needed to become, then we pay whatever price is necessary. My boys are priceless. And as the father of a girl, I say exactly the same thing. Who do you think my daughter will marry, spend her life with, and bear my grandchildren with? Spending money on the boys benefits her as much as it does them.
If it were the girls whom the leadership had decided needed more money, you would never have heard a peep, much less endured the interminable hand-wringing we have seen through the years. Witness the girls' and women's restrooms vs. the boys' and men's. Witness how the Relief Society in any given ward has typically been given three times the budget of the elders and high priests combined.
Guess it's okay if the girls and women appear to be favored. It's only when vulnerable teenage boys seem favored that the fangs are bared.

At first I thought, oh dear this is not helping! Why do we need to define what kids do anyway under the label of a church program? But by the end when they announced the medallions and plugged in the numbers I thought, ok this makes more sense as a “program” or “initiative” as they call it. 
I’m still thinking the transition will be brutal for some wards. And Personal Progress was just a catchier title than “Children and Youth”. Again, kids who respond to goal challenges will like it. Others who just want to do their own thing without tracking progress may feel nagged by it. I guess it will be helpful for some who struggle with motivation or just don’t know where to start with self improvement. 
Also, as with ministering, I still feel Church leadership doesn’t trust us because we have to be assigned to serve each other and because there has to be a structured program to teach our children how to improve their lives.  Does this mean we we’re still unwise because we have to be compelled to do this stuff?

Once I start playing the “why did he say what he said?” or “what did she really mean” game, there’s no logical stopping point until sink into a sort of nihilism wherein I don’t believe anyone about anything.
Speaking generally:  sure, peer pressure to testify of the Church—or the Gospel—or Jesus—or one’s love for one’s family—is always a potential factor.  But I think I owe it to most people to at least go into an encounter taking what they say at face value.  If I want to dig a little deeper, and it’s important to me; I can always take them aside one-on-one later to ask them to clarify or provide additional perspective.
Personally, I avoid the phrase “I know the church is true”—first, because I generally avoid the phrase “I know” in testimonies (I believe far more than I know); and second, because the more I parse the phrase the less I understand what “the church is true” actually means.  (That the prophet is a bona fide prophet?  Fine, say that.  That there is safety in adhering to and living the lifestyle the Church promotes?  Fine, say that.  That the Church has a unique claim to divine favor and inspiration and authority?  Fine, say that.  But I don’t know what “the Church is true” means, anymore than I know what “the American Bar Association is true” means.)

I didn't notice "Latte" either. But I served my mission to Italy, and "latte" is Italian for "milk" (which is why the coffee concoction is called a "latte"—apparently, it contains milk). So despite living near Seattle, I'm not sure I would have made the coffee connection anyway. I would more likely have thought it was the Church of the milk of gospel truths.

My guess would be...
Latte..

My computer screen on Deseret Book. 

1. You had pointed out that we should be wary of causing others to stumble.  I was just trying to point out that this might also cause some to rise.
2.  We can't control how others react or what they conclude.  This was simply a choir of men singing.  I refuse to stop doing what's right and being a friend to others because of how others might interpret it.
Overall, I think music is a safe way to interact with a community that exists, whether you want it to or not.  We can be civil and "break bread" together without agreeing.  

But what of the good that can come from it?  Consider a kid who's struggling with same-sex attraction and all the shame, self-loathing, etc that can go along with that, especially in those who grew up in the church.  What if he sees this and realizes that it gets better. This might just save his life, keep him from attempting/committing suicide.  
Also, I think there is a difference between providing a venue for a performance (which is what DC Temple is doing) and sponsoring or endorsing a group.  The choir formerly known as MoTab has performed with many different individuals and choirs that did not uphold the same standards or beliefs.  It's a performance, not a sermon.  

This has been a remarkable discussion/argument, at least 6 pages worth that I did not read but only skimmed because it was just too tedious and hair splitting and nit picking and incomprehensive and mind boggling.  But I thought I'd just drop this in here:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/mormon-tabernacle-choir-rehearses-with-san-francisco-gay-mens-chorus?lang=eng
And this: http://www.newnownext.com/sf-gay-mens-chorus-conductor-directs-mormon-tabernacle-choir/06/2018/
And this: https://www.deseret.com/2018/6/26/20647875/it-s-all-about-the-music-san-francisco-gay-men-s-chorus-performs-with-mormon-tabernacle-choir
The trail has already been blazed by the Tab Choir. Looks like a good time was had by all. So not to worry about church-wide apostacy and such. "It's all about the music."  Some people who self label as gay are extremely musically talented and have much to offer. For those of us who are close enough to go hear it, all we have to do is just listen with our ears and hearts and enjoy the music. The rest of you don't need to fret or even pay any attention.  I did get a giggle out of this headline from the SL Trib. https://www.sltrib.com/religion/local/2018/06/25/the-mormon-tabernacle-choir-gets-a-gay-conductor-for-a-night/  ( Anyone who stopped reading at "conductor" just may have wet themselves or had a heart attack. 😄)
 

If you are not a Christian, embracing Catholicism will bring you closer to God. Catholicism teaches good and holy principles to a much greater extent than does the practice of homosexuality. 

I would point out that congress does not need a "reason" to impeach a president.  The process is that the house determines by whatever rules or process they want to being articles of impeachment.  It is then up to the Senate to determine if the president is to be removed or not.  By law the removal of a president requires a 2/3 majority of the Senate.
Recently there have been two Presidents impeached; Nixon and Clinton.  When the impeachment was sent to the Senate for Nixon - there never was a vote because Nixon resigned.  For Clinton there never was a vote because those wishing to remove the president never had enough votes so the vote never happened.
I do not know what the Democrats are currently doing beyond holding secret hearings and leaking whatever they wish and withholding whatever they wish from the citizens.  We cannot say they are breaking any rules because they have not made any any formal charges.  I guess that they can say what they will.  If the constituents of those Democrats do not like what their representatives are doing they can elect new representatives.  If they approve they can reelect them.  We have an election coming up.  If the American people want a change or want to continue - they will have that say.
As for my personal opinion - those that align behind political parties got us into this mess and it does not appear either party looks to change anything they are currently doing.  I have lost faith that we will vote ourselves out of any problems - or if we do that it will last beyond the next election.  I agree with Will Rogers - by time congress agrees to do anything it will most likely make whatever they are fixing - worse.  During my lifetime our government has made everything it touches worse - and of course there is likely to be an exception - but that is exactly the problem - that any exception is by some stroke of unplanned chance - an exception.
 
The Traveler

This has been a remarkable discussion/argument, at least 6 pages worth that I did not read but only skimmed because it was just too tedious and hair splitting and nit picking and incomprehensive and mind boggling.  But I thought I'd just drop this in here:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/mormon-tabernacle-choir-rehearses-with-san-francisco-gay-mens-chorus?lang=eng
And this: http://www.newnownext.com/sf-gay-mens-chorus-conductor-directs-mormon-tabernacle-choir/06/2018/
And this: https://www.deseret.com/2018/6/26/20647875/it-s-all-about-the-music-san-francisco-gay-men-s-chorus-performs-with-mormon-tabernacle-choir
The trail has already been blazed by the Tab Choir. Looks like a good time was had by all. So not to worry about church-wide apostacy and such. "It's all about the music."  Some people who self label as gay are extremely musically talented and have much to offer. For those of us who are close enough to go hear it, all we have to do is just listen with our ears and hearts and enjoy the music. The rest of you don't need to fret or even pay any attention.  I did get a giggle out of this headline from the SL Trib. https://www.sltrib.com/religion/local/2018/06/25/the-mormon-tabernacle-choir-gets-a-gay-conductor-for-a-night/  ( Anyone who stopped reading at "conductor" just may have wet themselves or had a heart attack. 😄)
 

This has been a remarkable discussion/argument, at least 6 pages worth that I did not read but only skimmed because it was just too tedious and hair splitting and nit picking and incomprehensive and mind boggling.  But I thought I'd just drop this in here:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/mormon-tabernacle-choir-rehearses-with-san-francisco-gay-mens-chorus?lang=eng
And this: http://www.newnownext.com/sf-gay-mens-chorus-conductor-directs-mormon-tabernacle-choir/06/2018/
And this: https://www.deseret.com/2018/6/26/20647875/it-s-all-about-the-music-san-francisco-gay-men-s-chorus-performs-with-mormon-tabernacle-choir
The trail has already been blazed by the Tab Choir. Looks like a good time was had by all. So not to worry about church-wide apostacy and such. "It's all about the music."  Some people who self label as gay are extremely musically talented and have much to offer. For those of us who are close enough to go hear it, all we have to do is just listen with our ears and hearts and enjoy the music. The rest of you don't need to fret or even pay any attention.  I did get a giggle out of this headline from the SL Trib. https://www.sltrib.com/religion/local/2018/06/25/the-mormon-tabernacle-choir-gets-a-gay-conductor-for-a-night/  ( Anyone who stopped reading at "conductor" just may have wet themselves or had a heart attack. 😄)