Windseeker

Members
  • Posts

    1768
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    3

Posts posted by Windseeker

  1. I don't get the original post. Isn't that Ronnie James Dio?

    Well here are my top 12 albums of all time. Why 12...cause 12 Apostles, 12 Days of Christmas ..etc

    1. Rush Moving - Pictures
    2. Coldplay - X&Y
    3. U2 - Unforgettable Fire
    4. Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
    5. Pink Floyd - The Wall
    6. The Cars - Shake it up
    7. Big Country - Steeltown
    8. A-ha - Hunting High and Low
    9. Senses Fail - Still Searching 
    10. The Cardigans - Gran Turismo
    11. Doves - Lost Souls
    12. Gorillaz - Demon Days

    Favorite Soundtrack of all time - The Big Chill 

  2. 5 minutes ago, yjacket said:

    Wow . . . that is so far out-of-line, that is just rationalization and justification for saying it's totally cool to have a broken home in today's society . . .and you know it.

    To compare Christ's upbringing to a broken home . . .just wow.  Shame on you.

    I'm not justifying or rationalizing the breaking of homes.

    Just saying if you grew up with Jesus in your neighborhood you might not encourage your available daughters to seek him out looking at the surface. We as Latter Day Saints and Christians of course know the whole story.

    If you look at those in the Bible there were few who were raised in what we would consider a nuclear family. I wouldn't be surprised if there are several leaders in our Church who were raised in broken homes.

    My last two Stake Presidents in a row were raised by single mothers. Again not rationalizing just saying there seems to be lots of successful anecdotes.

     

     

  3. 5 minutes ago, yjacket said:

    ??? Huh . . . . 

    Um..yeah. Jesus was raised in a broken home, he had step-dad and half-brothers and sisters, but I think he'd make a pretty good husband. I don't find anything wrong with expressing caution, but hopefully we also teach our kids to look deeper. 

  4. 5 minutes ago, yjacket said:

    Okay, that is great you are using an anecdotal case (I understand that for some reason with humans, anecdotal cases carry at least twice the weight of raw facts and statistics). Bravo for those who stayed together.  Statistics say that your anecdotal case is not normal-it is an exception.

    What part of statistics do people not understand?  If statistics say children from divorced home have a 15% higher likelihood of divorce, yet your anecdotal case shows the opposite . . .congratulations count yourself lucky to buck the trend. 

    Just know that your anecdotal case is not the norm. Just like the statistics show beyond a doubt that a child raised in an abusive home is more likely to be abusive.

    Count yourself lucky that the abuse did not pass down to the next generation. Just know that it is more an exception to the rule rather than the rule itself.

    I absolutely count myself lucky. I just think there is hope. The irony is I literally did what Vort said, I specifically stopped dating a girl because she came from a broken home. Her mom was divorced and remarried 9 times. But I myself ended up divorced, I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up happily married. 

    My hope lies in the anecdote and not the statistic. There was a time when I warned my kids not to date people who had been abused because of my own experience, but I'm glad my Mother didn't take that advise.

    I'm sure there were those who avoided knowing the Savior because by all appearances he came from a broken home. 

  5. Divorced and remarried guy here. 

    When I got divorced I got primary custody over our four children. I tried to do what I thought was the Christ-like thing and keep my ex updated and used to encourage the kids on holidays to reach out and acknowledge her. I've since remarried and it took 5-6 years to realize it's not my responsibility to maintain a relationship with my ex or to encourage my kids to keep in touch. I moved across the country and she could have easily followed and been a part of her kids lives. But she chose not to. I don't speak ill of my ex wife and listen with a sympathetic ear when the kids feel frustrated about their mom or step mom. It's not my responsibility to make sure anyone gets along. I don't correct anyone's feelings whether or not I think those feelings are are wrong or right. With my ex-wife I feel commanded to be kind but that does not mean an obligation to maintain some kind of relationship. My job is to simply love those who are placed in my path whether by my own choice or by the will of Heavenly Father. 

    Regarding Children of divorce, I honestly think it really depends. They have an opportunity to see and experience, in a way, how a marriage can fail and take steps to ensure success in their own marriages. In my experience those who come from broken families are far from doomed. In my immediate family of 6 kids there are two divorces and in both divorces, myself and my brothers, the parties all came from intact homes. The four remaining marriages that are going strong all involve spouses that come from broken homes. This same trend extends to my cousins as well. The other two divorces were couples who came from intact homes. So I can't agree with yjacket. 

    BTW, my Father was molested for years by his uncle. Nothing even close to that ever occurred in my family. Same with my ex wife, she was never inappropriate with our kids in anyway.  

    Not so certain about the sins visiting on the heads of the children with that atonement thing getting in the way.

  6. 7 hours ago, anatess2 said:

    Womder Woman

    Finally.  DC got a winner.  Chris Pine is fast becoming one of my favorites.  But, here again is what is wrong with DC... you got a superhero movie that kids love and DC shows Chris Pine fully naked with just his palm covering his male part.  Sigh. 

    Evidently this movie is upsetting all the right people (Salon.com, anti-Israel leftists, etc..). I look forward to seeing it. I suspect it's as you say... a winner :) 

  7. 1 hour ago, Godless said:

    I was going to disagree with you, but then I noticed the portion that I underlined. Yes, the soil and volume of vegetation is far different in your area than mine.

    Here's the things I like about Texas:

    Barbecue - Even our sub-par bbq (I'm looking at you, Bill Miller) is better than most bbq you'll find out-of-state. 

    High speed limits - Relative to my home state of Maryland, anyway.

    Guns - Yes, I like guns. And yes, I'm fine with strict background checks to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. I'm not a fan of open carry.

    The San Antonio Spurs - It's very hard to live in this city and not love the Spurs. Such a great organization from the top down.

    Tacos -  Especially barbacoa (but not with Big Red, as is the custom down here). I'm a sucker for breakfast tacos too. 

    No income tax 

    Great job market - This is the reason why I moved here in the first place. San Antonio was growing rapidly when I moved here in '06, and it still is over a decade later. 

     

    I really liked Texas. My wife did undergrad in Fort Worth. In a recent trip to Austin, I couldn't believe how many homeless there were though. I think overall Texas has the best food of any state hands down.

  8. After my mission I was a flight attendant for 4 years. While I mostly did international flights (Japan) I wasn't senior enough to hold a regular schedule so got pulled into fill allot of domestic flights. My experience lead me to firmly believe that if you look at a map of the last election, Electoral Map 2016, the red states are where you will generally find the most polite and kind people. I came to that conclusion far before I had a single political thought. I remember the cities I would try to avoid flying was San Francisco, New York (I lived in Manhattan a year and loved New York but New Yorkers make great neighbors and disgusting strangers) and sadly Seattle where I was based for 3 of those years and ended raising my kids for the next 14 years. I liked people from Utah but consistently found that my excitement at running into another member of the Church was never ever reciprocated. Even though I can understand being raised in an environment where most people are LDS might lessen the joy of finding a member somewhere I can't help but feel a little jaded that I'm treated like some weird grinning stranger, even though I'm a weird grinning stranger. 

    Now I live in Florida with these other two (Anatess and Gaterboy). I kiteboard, surf and stand up paddle board so I love the access to the beaches. The more North you go in Florida, the more South you go, and people seem more friendly. I am moving soon to Stuart from Boca Raton and really glad to be moving away from the city of Ariana Grande. If you ever saw her "I hate America" doughnut licking epsiode this is typical how these privledged kids behave. My older kids survived (barely) and glad my youngest gets to go to a place where the kids are raised a little better. 

    So yeah, Florida. Beaches, Disneyland, Universal Studios Harry Potter World (I love it but hate crowds so go maybe once every couple of years), Sunny skies, Mango trees, Jerk Chicken,  beautiful diverse population, Republican Governor. 

    I just got back from Portland, Oregon to see my sons debut concert, he who moved there with his band-mates from Florida. They love it. All of them work in the service industry and have PTSD from SE Florida. Whenever they see a man in a business suit they expect the worst and are always pleasantly surprised at how kind and human they are. Much love to the motherland! I'd move back there in a heart beat. The Gorge, Ocean, Mount Hood..love it all.

  9. I've been enjoying movies that were made before I was born so I looked up some top classics and added them to my collection.(vudu.com)

    Singing in the Rain - Really entertaining and my kids put down what they were doing and watched it. I told them the girl was Princess Lea's mom and they thought that was cool.

    Rear View Window -  I've seen the remake and even though I knew the story line it still made me very anxious. Grace Kelly literally took my breath away in one of the scenes where Jimmy Stewart wakes up to her face. She is stunning and it's weird that modern movies and movies stars just don't have that affect on me. (I ended up picking up Dial M for Murder, Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Psycho and look forward to watching them)

    Giant - I enjoyed this movie, the story really pulls you in. I really liked the character that Elizabeth Taylor plays.  

    The Searchers - I think it's become my favorite western of all time. This movie had me feeling tense and also had moments where I laughed out loud, which I normally don't do. Great movie. Beautifully transferred to digital (HD).

    What are your favorite classics?

  10. I think you got some excellent advice. I have a few additional thoughts.

    First, There is a thing called financial seperation. I would definately look into that before considering divorce. 

    I would read The Millionaire Next Door, and also one of Dave Ramseys book together with her. 

    The Millionaire Next Door, makes a great case for the need to cut the financial strings to kids. It also outlines ways to help them financially without destroying them. Your wife is destroying them.  The reason why Bill Gates has said several times publicly he is not going to leave one penny to his kids isn't because he hates his kids it's because he loves them.

  11. I'm an eternal life scout with a project to go and really tried to make it up with my youngest son. I was shocked when I attended Scout Camp and there were girls everywhere. While it was surprising I didn't have a problem with it until my son's swimming class.

    There were about 30 boys and one girl in the class and the instructor (18-20 year old) literally had his back on the entire class while focused on the girl. The boys were all in various states of not doing as he was instructing (could have been drowning for all he cared) while he ignored all of them the entire class time while working with this girl who seemed to enjoy the attention. It was then I saw the writing on the wall. The inmates are running the asylum. (Don't get me wrong..I probably would have loved it when I was a Scout and can imagine all the trouble I would have gotten in). Now top it off with this..how are they going to deny girls that say they identify as boys?

  12. Trump won because Obama failed. 

    In my opinion the vileness between Hilary and Trump pretty much cancels each other out. Which leaves us with policy and the fact that Obama's was a complete disaster for eight years. His single greatest achievement has little to do with him or his policy and all the credit goes to the American people; that is putting a Black person in the highest most powerful position in the world, something that ought to heal the divide and give hope to all. Yet Obama's legacy isn't Hope, but Black Lives Matter, a testament to the racial despair and division he sowed every time he opened his mouth. Rather than give hope he chose to use fear and hatred to strengthen and seal in his base while alienating and dehumanizing his opposition painting them as racist even to his last speech. ie.."If we’re unwilling to invest in the children of immigrants, just because they don’t look like us, we will diminish the prospects of our own children — because those brown kids will represent a larger and larger share of America’s workforce." Newsflash...no one in the USA makes policy, immigration or otherwise, based on how it affects our racial makeup and many of the "brown kids" I know are getting fed up with identity politics and becoming wise to how they are targeted and used as political pawns.

    While Obama didn't start any open ended war, announcing the exact date we were leaving Iraq created the vacuum that would give rise to ISIS and his bumbling action/inaction on Syria played a role in 400,000 deaths and Europe’s immigration crisis. His foreign policy was a disaster and erased any progress we were making in the fight against Radical Islam. 

    His supporters us terms such as "impeccable integrity", "above reproach", "avoid even rumors of scandals", "play by the rules" to describe his Presidency but predictably forget Fast and Furious, Benghazi, Solyndra, Deepwater, Obamacare (“if you like your health care plan you can keep it”), the IRS targeting conservative and pro-Israel groups. 

    Eight years of ignoring and disrespecting his opposition, failed Domestic and International policy proved not just a disaster for Obama's Legacy but a disaster for Democrats. When Obama took office in 2009, he had a 58-seat majority in the Senate, a staggering 256 seats in the House and held 28 governorships. Since then he lost his party 63 House seats, 10 Senate seats and 12 governorships.

  13. I love Peggy Noonan and as she is a former speech writer really appreciated her take on the speech. 

    I was more moved than I expected. Then more startled.

    Quote

    The Trump Wars of the past 18 months do not now go away. Now it becomes the Trump Civil War, every day, with Democrats trying to get rid of him and half the country pushing back. To reduce it to the essentials: As long as Mr. Trump’s party holds the House, it will be a standoff. If the Democrats take the House, they will move to oust him.

    Because we are divided. We are two nations, maybe more.

    Normally a new president has someone backing him up, someone publicly behind him. Mr. Obama had the mainstream media—the big broadcast networks, big newspapers, activists and intellectuals, pundits and columnists of the left—the whole shebang. He had a unified, passionate party. Mr. Trump in comparison has almost nothing. The mainstream legacy media oppose him, even hate him, and will not let up. The columnists, thinkers and magazines of the right were mostly NeverTrump; some came reluctantly to support him. His party is split or splitting. The new president has gradations of sympathy, respect or support from exactly one cable news channel, and some websites.

    He really has no one but those who voted for him.

     

  14. Was hoping to hear your take Vort. 

    Obviously populist, but no more a slap in the face then Obama's farewell speech. 

    ie.."If we’re unwilling to invest in the children of immigrants, just because they don’t look like us, we will diminish the prospects of our own children — because those brown kids will represent a larger and larger share of America’s workforce."

     

  15. Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: Thank you.
    We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people.
    Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for years to come.
    We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.
    Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent.
    Today's ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another -- but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People.
    For too long, a small group in our nation's Capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished -- but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered -- but the jobs left, and the factories closed.
    The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nation's capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.
    That all changes -- starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment: it belongs to you.
    It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America. This is your day. This is your celebration. And this, the United States of America, is your country.
    What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people. January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.
    Everyone is listening to you now.
    You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before. At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction: that a nation exists to serve its citizens.
    Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves. These are the just and reasonable demands of a righteous public.
    But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.
    This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.
    We are one nation -- and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our dreams; and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny.
    The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.
    For many decades, we've enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military; we've defended other nation's borders while refusing to defend our own; and spent trillions of dollars overseas while America's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.
    We've made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has disappeared over the horizon.
    One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions upon millions of American workers left behind.
    The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed across the entire world.
    But that is the past. And now we are looking only to the future. We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power.
    From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.
    From this moment on, it's going to be America First.
    Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.
    I will fight for you with every breath in my body -- and I will never, ever let you down.
    America will start winning again, winning like never before.
    We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.
    We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation.
    We will get our people off of welfare and back to work -- rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.
    We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and hire American.
    We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world -- but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first.
    We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow.
    We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones -- and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.
    At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.
    When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice. The Bible tells us, "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity."
    We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity.
    When America is united, America is totally unstoppable.
    There should be no fear -- we are protected, and we will always be protected.
    We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God.
    Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger.
    In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving.
    We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action -- constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.
    The time for empty talk is over. Now arrives the hour of action.
    Do not let anyone tell you it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America.
    We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again.
    We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow.
    A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.
    It is time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget: that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag.
    And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty Creator.
    So to all Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, and from ocean to ocean, hear these words:
    You will never be ignored again.
    Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.
    Together, We will make America strong again.
    We will make wealthy again.
    We will make America proud again.
    We will make America safe again.
    And yes, together, we will make America great again. Thank you. God bless you. And God bless America.
  16. This is one of my favorites because it's an Appalachian song that is done by a traditional Irish group. The rendition is especially touching because Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's husband Frankie Kennedy who together founded Altan passed away from cancer. He was an amazing flute player.

     

     

    Fare thee well
    My own true love
    Farewell for a while
    I'm going away
    But I'll be back
    Though I go 10,000 miles

    10,000 miles
    My own true love
    10,000 miles or more
    The rocks may melt
    And the seas may burn
    If I should not return

    Oh don't you see
    That lonesome dove
    Sitting on an ivy tree
    She's weeping for
    Her own true love
    As I shall weep for mine

    Oh come ye back
    My own true love
    And stay a while with me
    If I had a friend
    All on this earth
    You've been a friend to me