askandanswer

I've been pushing hard for a few years now to have a National Koala Week as a week long public holiday, when we all do for a week what koalas do most of the time, which is sleep for up to 20 hours a day. So far the idea hasn't taken off yet. That hasn't stopped me from leading by example and celebrating my own koala month every second month.

And for those who live downunder where everything is upside down, its 11/11/11

And for those who live downunder where everything is upside down, its 11/11/11

And for those who live downunder where everything is upside down, its 11/11/11

I had to think about this for a moment. It's business as usual here today with no turkeys and no family gatherings. The only days we officially note in November are Remembrance Day, on 11 November, to remember the signing of the World War 1 armistice, which occurred at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, which is not a public holiday, and the first Tuesday in November in the state of Victoria, which is public holiday in that state, known as Melbourne Cup day, when the Melbourne Cup horse race is held. 

Fixed it for you  

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I’m so thankful for everyone here! 

@Jamie123, @askandanswer
Happy Thanksgiving! 

This is a previously unmentioned political position. I wander what the relationship is between a governor and a judge or chief judge. If they are the same person it suggests that the role of the chief judges went further than simply judging Alma 58:4 4 And it came to pass that I thus did send an embassy to the governor 
 
 
f they couldn't attack the Lamanites who were in the cities, why not attack the Lamanites who were out of the cities, ie, those who were delivering supplies? Did they really have a secure supply line all the way from where these supplies started their journey up until where it ended? Alma 58:5 5 But behold, this did profit us but little; for the Lamanites were also receiving great strength from day to day, 
 
 
The Lamanites have gone from being a group of people who rebelled against their king in order not to fight, to having an innumerable and growing army. Alma 58:8  yea, to contend with an enemy which was innumerable.
 
Why is is that none of the 2,000 newly arrived recruits could explain why their numbers were so small or explain the changed political circumstances in Zarahemla? Alma 58:9 9 And now the cause of these our embarrassments, or the cause why they did not send more strength unto us, we knew not;
 
Pre prayer they were fearful and discouraged, after prayer they were courageous and determined. Their circumstances before and after prayer were unchanged but they felt differently. This is the difference that prayer can make.
Alma 58:12 And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies,
 
This is just a larger version of the same strategy that Antipus and Helaman used in chapter 56 and the Lamanites fell for it a second time.
Alma 58:22 Now this was done because the Lamanites did suffer their whole army, save a few guards only, to be led away into the wilderness.
 
I thought that around about this time the king men were in control of Zarahemla and were in league with the Lamanites. It seems as if communications between different military groups, both for the Lamanites and the Nephites were quite poor. Alma 58:24 24 And when the Lamanites saw that they were marching towards the land of Zarahemla, they were exceedingly afraid, lest there was a plan laid to lead them on to destruction;
 
Except for verse 21. Perhaps he means only Nephite blood.
Alma 58:28 28 without the shedding of blood.
 
They had just finished a march that took them towards Zarahemla. How hard would it have been to send two men on into the city to ask for more men for the army and to find out what was going on in Zarahemla?
Alma 58:34 Now we do not know the cause that the government does not grant us more strength; 
 
 
This sounds almost like complete victory in this part of the land. The Lamanites didn't flee to other Nephite possessions they held, but fled all the way back to their own lands. Alma 58:38 we are in the possession of our lands; and the Lamanites have fled to the land of Nephi.

This is a previously unmentioned political position. I wander what the relationship is between a governor and a judge or chief judge. If they are the same person it suggests that the role of the chief judges went further than simply judging Alma 58:4 4 And it came to pass that I thus did send an embassy to the governor 
 
 
f they couldn't attack the Lamanites who were in the cities, why not attack the Lamanites who were out of the cities, ie, those who were delivering supplies? Did they really have a secure supply line all the way from where these supplies started their journey up until where it ended? Alma 58:5 5 But behold, this did profit us but little; for the Lamanites were also receiving great strength from day to day, 
 
 
The Lamanites have gone from being a group of people who rebelled against their king in order not to fight, to having an innumerable and growing army. Alma 58:8  yea, to contend with an enemy which was innumerable.
 
Why is is that none of the 2,000 newly arrived recruits could explain why their numbers were so small or explain the changed political circumstances in Zarahemla? Alma 58:9 9 And now the cause of these our embarrassments, or the cause why they did not send more strength unto us, we knew not;
 
Pre prayer they were fearful and discouraged, after prayer they were courageous and determined. Their circumstances before and after prayer were unchanged but they felt differently. This is the difference that prayer can make.
Alma 58:12 And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies,
 
This is just a larger version of the same strategy that Antipus and Helaman used in chapter 56 and the Lamanites fell for it a second time.
Alma 58:22 Now this was done because the Lamanites did suffer their whole army, save a few guards only, to be led away into the wilderness.
 
I thought that around about this time the king men were in control of Zarahemla and were in league with the Lamanites. It seems as if communications between different military groups, both for the Lamanites and the Nephites were quite poor. Alma 58:24 24 And when the Lamanites saw that they were marching towards the land of Zarahemla, they were exceedingly afraid, lest there was a plan laid to lead them on to destruction;
 
Except for verse 21. Perhaps he means only Nephite blood.
Alma 58:28 28 without the shedding of blood.
 
They had just finished a march that took them towards Zarahemla. How hard would it have been to send two men on into the city to ask for more men for the army and to find out what was going on in Zarahemla?
Alma 58:34 Now we do not know the cause that the government does not grant us more strength; 
 
 
This sounds almost like complete victory in this part of the land. The Lamanites didn't flee to other Nephite possessions they held, but fled all the way back to their own lands. Alma 58:38 we are in the possession of our lands; and the Lamanites have fled to the land of Nephi.

Has anyone else watched a Peter Santello video or three?  Dude has a youtube channel with 3 million subscribers.  He basically goes into different communities in the US, finds some folks willing to talk about those communities, and asks a million dumb questions and learns.  Indian reservations, Chicago's most violent hood, Appalachia, Las Vegas sex workers, US border towns, Amish, Hasidic Jewish enclaves, etc.   I've probably watched a dozen over the last few years.  They are fascinating glimpses into worlds I know nothing about.  Dude shows up with genuine interest, his only goal is to go, as an outsider, into a place, and learn straight from the source.  
3 days ago, he released the first of several promised videos on Mormons.   
Cool stuff.  He found a BYU student history buff who walked him all around SLC and Provo.  I look forward to his next LDSocentric videos. 

I will be traveling to Australia next year but will not be visiting Alice Springs - maybe another time.  It does look a little amateurish but fun.  The family I grew up in has always been driven by at least some level of risk.  I have a brother that has built a 3-man land yacht.  Not so much for competition but for fun.  Here in Utah, we have old lake beds (like the Bonneville Salt Flats) – not just little dry creaks.   A couple of years ago they tumbled their yacht going about 80 mph.  Generally, white water rafting is safter.  I avoid the class 4 hydraulics rivers like the Colorado and Cataract Canyon (my rafts are smaller).   Two of my brothers have equipment for the heave stuff.  I run mostly class 3 hydraulics with more family (over 12) orientated intent.  We have expedited with as many as 60 – 70.  My kids run most of the show now.
 
The Traveler

I have walked around Uffington Castle many times and don't remember ever seeing any signs of a wall. I haven't found any speculative pictures of what it looked like, but im sure i do remember seeing one on TV once. I think its generally believed there was once a wall, but it would have been a wooden stockade, not a stone wall. (The motte and bailey castles built by the Normans would originally have been wooden too, though later replaced with stone.)
Offa's Dyke may have been a mound and ditch, but it was nearly 200 miles long, so no mean achievement. I don't know if it originally had a wall or not, but I did find this picture:

Another example would be Hadrian's Wall, but I don't think that had an earthwork - it was just a wall.

As was the Roman wall around London. That wall was still intact in 1066, and it allowed the Londoners to repel William the Conqueror. (That's right! Whatever you may have been told, London was never conquered by the Normans! William tried twice, but was repelled both times. He eventually had to negotiate a peace, whereby they would recognise him as king provided he didn’t interfere with their affairs. That is why to this day London is not only its own city - quite separate from Greater London - but its own county*.) Only a tiny fragment of that wall now exists, next to the Tower of London:

(BTW only the lower part of that wall is Roman - where the stonework is darker. The upper part is much later.)
*One reason why Matilda never became queen after capturing her rival was because she refused to recognise the special status of London. The Londoners slung her out of the city and reinstated Stephen as king.

This is great news! It looks like I can get rid of the sin tracker and that I won't need JAG

It's a puzzling contrast between Alma and his people and King Lamoni and his people who were prospered very quickly even though they had been in a state of greater wickedness for a longer period than Alma's people. 
 
I think that requiring the military to prop up or restore your government, not once, but twice, in five years, is indicative of a failure by the civil government

Not exactly.
Onidah was a fortress in which they gathered as a place of defense and refuge.  This would be the rally point and central command station of the Lamanite army near the boundaries between Lamanite and Nephite lands.  And, yes, such a place also had an armory with weapons (probably not armor).
Antipas was a place nearby which was a place for actual combat where armies would clash in open combat.  No tricks, no fortress.  Just skin against armor alone.  

The problem is that a lot of people nowadays don't understand nuance. They want the world divided into a binary system where you're either "good" or "bad". This complicates efforts to evaluate people from history. 

You are in my prayers my friend. 

I can meet you half way. Regardless of how much Heavenly Father forgives us, we need JAG. 😌

I'm not sure which I feel worse about.  Being told that PC should make greater efforts to preach to me, or being compared with Gator.

@prisonchaplain I think as long as we have people on here like @Carborendum and @LDSGatorperhaps you could consider doubling your preaching or using the "extra strength" version.

This is great news! It looks like I can get rid of the sin tracker and that I won't need JAG

@prisonchaplain I think as long as we have people on here like @Carborendum and @LDSGatorperhaps you could consider doubling your preaching or using the "extra strength" version.

Using treachery, murder and intrigue are common techniques in somes times and places to gain power but Amalickiah demonstrated particular skill in the use of these techniques by becoming king of a people who were the enemy of the people from whence Amalickiah came. Alma 47 Amalickiah uses treachery, murder, and intrigue to become king of the Lamanites
 
 
This is a bit surprising. Usually the Lamanites seemed willing to battle against the Nephites at the drop of a a hat. Alma 47:2 2 And it came to pass that when the proclamation had gone forth among them they were exceedingly afraid;
 
 
It seems to be a rash move to give command of part of your armies to someone who has only recently made the move from the land of the enemy. And it seems like the king is not too interested in what his people think or feel. I'm a bit surprised that the king gave more weight to the words and wishes of one traitorous dissenter than he gave to the wishes of the majority of his people. Alma 47:3 And now it came to pass that the king was wroth because of their disobedience; therefore he gave Amalickiah the command of that part of his army which was obedient unto his commands, and commanded him that he should go forth and compel them to arms.
 
 
It seems like the Lamanite king was a bit out of touch with his people. Alma 47:2 And it came to pass that they would not, or the more part of them would not, obey the commandments of the king.
 
 
They kept their weapons in one particular place? This seems a bit inconvenient, particularly if they were ever needed in a hurry. Alma 47:5 therefore they fled to Onidah, to the place of arms.
 
 
So they go to Onidah to get their weapons and then they go to another place for battle. If this is typical of their military practices it would help to explain why they so frequently lose to the Nephites. Alma 47:7 And it came to pass that they had gathered themselves together upon the top of the mount which was called Antipas, in preparation to battle.
 
 
Amalickiah used the king's lust for power and control to end the king's power and control and life. The king (supposedly) loaned some of his power to Amalickiah in the form of control over part of his army in the hope or the intention that Amalickiah would use that power to gain control over that part of the population that was resisting him and he would then use all his population to gain control over all the Nephites as well. In the end, his lust for power led to the loss of his life. Clever Amalickiah, dumb king. And eventually, the same thing happened to Amalickiah, for the same reason, but only after years of war and death. Dumb Amalickiah. I think there are some lessons I can learn here if I ever choose to go into politics Alma 47:8 Now it was not Amalickiah’s intention to give them battle according to the commandments of the king; but behold, it was his intention to gain favor with the armies of the Lamanites, that he might place himself at their head and dethrone the king and take possession of the kingdom.
 
 
If Amalickiah had seriously intended to engage the Lamanites in battle he probably would have chosen a better place to pitch their tents. In the valley, below the mountain occupied by the people you are supposed to attack doesn't sound like a good place. Alma 47:9  And behold, it came to pass that he caused his army to pitch their tents in the valley which was near the mount Antipas.
 
 
Amalickiah's persistence, the fact that these communications were happening in secrecy, at night, and the fact that Amalickiah was offering to give up his men should have been enough to signal to Lehonti that something suspicious was happening. Alma 47:12  and he sent again the fourth time his message unto Lehonti, desiring that he would come down, and that he would bring his guards with him.
 
 
Now if Lehonti thought in the same way as Amalickiah, this was the perfect time for Lehonti to kill Amalickiah. He lost his opportunity to do so and was himself killed. Alma 47:16 16 And it came to pass that he delivered his men, contrary to the commands of the king. 
 
 
Lehonti failed to look a gift horse in the mouth. Alma 47:18 And it came to pass that Amalickiah caused that one of his servants should administer poison by degrees to Lehonti, that he died.
 
 
 think a wise king would have retained his own secret intelligence sources within the army as a means of getting reliable information about the activities of his military leaders. Alma 47:21 And the king came out to meet him with his guards, for he supposed that Amalickiah had fulfilled his commands, and that Amalickiah had gathered together so great an army to go against the Nephites to battle.

My Branch no longer zooms our services but the neighbouring branch which uses the same chapel continues to do so because their branch boundaries stretch out a few hundred kilometers. And I think all our baptismal services are streamed to the Mission Office, although not the actual baptism. We streamed a funeral a few weeks back. I think, but I'm not sure, that these services are streamed live and not recorded.