Gabelma

Actually I know of at least one Atheist cafe - and yes I have met more truly happy athiests than I have met happy LDS to be honest. My boss at a museum I worked at was an athiest (her two assistants were ironically myself a LDS and my friend a Jehovahs Witness) - she was an amazing woman, had a good solid companionable marriage, she had spent 20 years successfully raising her 4 children and vegetables, she was strong physically, loved the enviroment and everything that surrounded her, and thanks to an unexpected massive pay rise when she was promoted from part time museum assistent to full time curator at nearly 60 she was considerably better off than she had planned on being financially not to mention the huge amount they made on their house. At 66 she is loved, adored and admired by herfamily and most people shecame into contact with, her marriage is as solid as it can be (he was my English teacher), she spends a lot of her time walking or going on holiday (her and her husband quite often take different holidays lol - he likes reading cruises in the med she loves being up a mountain in Scotland). She has achieved great things personally and professionally (she raised 3million pounds and re-built the museum to its former glory). She is a smart cookie never gets treated badly by others but also never treats anyone badly she builds everyone up.So tell me what is she missing? aside from a religious belief her life contains everything I believe would make me as a Latter Day Saint heppy and its as a result of her being a fantastic person? -Charley

ok like I say to my daughter sorry means it won't happen again, like Bunzy I will accept apology as I realise it is not something you do easily. I actually even defend you occasionally as I think sometimes its your sense of humour which I find funny but can be offensive.However just so you know I don't mind blunt, my Mum is a scouser and my Dad a Yorkshireman any British people here can tell you that means blunt and sarcasm/irony is part of my culture. However its not a quality I admire in someone I find it neither honest or honourable when it is used as an excuse to hurt someone or ignore feelings of others. Especially when that person is in a position which requires them to put aside those feelings. I recognise however its something you are willing to work on so good luck and hope you succeed. -Charley

The median wage for registered nurses in the United States ranges from a low of $19.50 per hour (Memphis, TN) to a high of $39 per hour (Oakland, CA). Do socialized countries pay that much? the amount doesn't count its the proportion. And it depends do you mean socialist based countries or 'communist countries' And if you had read my second post you would have realised I was not arguing for socialism more a social conscience, within a captalist system. I suspect your ball players get paid more than in most other countries? -Charley

I think you have nothing to feel guilty about Pam, as long as you use it to move on and improve that way whatever else happened in the mans life, his death has a meaning in at least your life. Something my primary school head teacher said was to always smile, be polite, keep you head up when walking and greet strangers... you never know what is going on in that persons life and that smile, that please, that thank you could be the only light in that persons life, and just think when they smile back your life has more light than it did. I think if I hadn't been LDS I'd have committed suicide years ago - its the only way I know to end the physical pain in my life,,, I have had 2 days in the whole of my life without it. I now know its a blessing but has taken me many years to learn that. I have no mental condition - I just know that if I moved on to the next stage of my life I would be without pain. I think that is as true for someone suffering mental or emotional anguish. Just needing the suffering to stop. -Charley

Give me a break. No one hijacks anything. Suzie has a habit of plagarizing. Three threads that I've seen this weekend. Its a bad habit that she ought to break. If you interested in staying on topic, maybe you ought to do that instead of complaining about things other than the topic. But to your point - the topic and what the orginal author said: "That means we can confidently walk into anything God brings our way." It simply doesn't jive with reality. Take for example a young child horribly abused and then murdered. How confidently should the child have walked into that? Now it could be that God doesn't bring rape and murder your way. Maybe it's something other than God that brings things, for good or ill our way, which, if true, still conflicts with the point, since he lets all sorts of bad things happen and no amount of 'walking confidently' will get you out of it. actually if my child faces something horrific I want them to know with confidence whatever else happens they are loved by Mummy, Daddy, Heavenly Father and Jesus. That there is more to life than horror. Being confident and walking confidently may not prevent horror but it helps you deal with it no matter how low life takes you. And Snow you could have done a general post or a pm but no you chose instead to hijack a thread. And tbh most LDS have come across this stuff and know it isn't Susie's work so hardly plagerism or deception, willing to bet most of us have it in our inbox. Not everyone without a certain level of education knows what to reference or how. Your option to bring unpleasentness to about 5 threads in past few days has ruined the spirit of the board for me. Now maybe something is happening in your own life, thats fine but as we don't know about it don't expect us to be nice to you when you are being appallingly bad mannered and a pretty poor moderator - anymore than you are allowing Susie leeway because of the horror going on in her own life right now. -Charley

me too don't stop posting Susie - I get the daily gems too but I never really paid a lot of attention to them until you posted them here, I now make a point of reading and pnndering in them.Charley

Under Islamic belief everyone is born a Muslim they use the term revert rather than convert.And actually there are as many Islamic sects are there are Christian. Some of the most strong minded free thinking women I have ever met have been Islamic -Charley

yes of course I am, it means my healthcare is good and costs me much less than the US equivelent, plus I get police, fire, education and social security thrown in, actually in the long run costs me much less - and I am not talking about communisim, are you familiar with Supachai Panitchpakdi former Buddhist Monk that was head of the World Trade Organisation? I watched an interview with him that started to change my views a lot prior to that I was always left wing, but wasn't sure things were all that bad either.His view was of capitalism but fairer, people paid a fair wage for the services or work, people paid fairly for the products they produce and sell. And that we see our economies on a world stage. My arguement would be to change our education, so people get to see what big business does around the world, from a younger age. Here people power lol has managed to change some of the practices of bigger businesses and the major one was when we saw pigs being housed differently. Show people that really they would like a good nursing staff. My Father in Law served your countries military for 42 years in total he would have been treated better here and cost him £1000s less. There was no availible palliative care to ease his suffering. Explain to me where the mercy or justice is in that? I see none in the way my in Laws were treated - together they have served your country dilligently for 80 years+ and they get treated worse than a dog at the vets would be here. Most of the nursing staff didn't speak very good English I might as well have been in Cuba or Mexico, Doctors were rarely seen. -Charley

Basic economics. Supply and demand, scarcity of services. yeah which is why I believe the forms of capitalism we have in the UK and US are wrong. We have the wrong values. It stinks whether I were to pay high tax here or ridiculously high health insurance in the US I get crap nursing staff at the major medical centres, that is why you get people that can't speak English taking care of you in hospital. Why because they can't afford to live there. If you want less corruption in public services we need to pay for it. And personally I can live without the movies and the ballgames.#-Charley

I agree some nights we do lessons others we just have fun. With los the lesson lasts about 10 minutes and then we play. -Charley

I have been one of those children and yes had I been in a country like the US chances are I would still be on the streets and my daughter and I would be dead, when my parents had me my Dad was on a good salary, I lived next to my millionaire auntie and uncle in a house that would now be worth £1 million dollars. Not exactly a poor background. We also had private health insurance By my 15th birthday I was homeless for the first time (despite having skivved off school and worked 20 hour days to keep my Mums business going). My Dad had taken my brother didn't really want me and my Mum was living with another woman and an alcohlic so her family wanted nothing to do with her and that also included me. I was at that point squating in a building with no heating or water and it was February, I was surviving on food from my Mums business. Because of where I live Mum managed to get a house before we evicted entirely. And help to furnish it, money to pay the rent and food. I was able to go to school. Because of my country;s welfare state I was able to get to university, where I had an offer to study forensic anthropology to Phd level, held down 2 jobs and walked 7 miles a day. Then I got sick, my diagnosis was handed down when I was 21 just 5 days after I came off my Dads private health insurance, I couldn't get my own to cover it because ti was an existing illness. I couldn't fucntion and came home, thanks to my government when Mum lost it an attacked me, they again gave me a home and assured I was cared for. Things didn't go as planned for my husband and I either due to immigration trouble we have never earned a huge salary, private health insurance is out of the question (despite being half the price of the US equivelent), I do ponder would I have gone into the Drs the day my face was swollen, I was pregnant and assumed I had a bit of an allergy, because I was pregnant I knew Iwouldn't even need to pay for any medication. Its unlikely I would have been alive a few days later if I hadn't gone in. I don't feel guilty heck its why I pay taxes, why previous generations paid tax and national insurance, yes our tax is high, but you know what I like it, we have much better services down to subsidised bus routes. I don't think captalism as it stands is fair - why should a footballer get paid more than a nurse? shouldn't the nurse be the one in luxury oh yes thats right people won't pay as much in taxes as they would for a ticket to a game. What about those in services that give their lives? oh yes of course we need more overpaid movie stars lol -Charley

actuallty no JK Rowlling is a Scot lol OWLS were based on the old Scots O Grades or English O Levels. AWLS would be H Grades or A Levels:) Scotland has a different education system to England Charley

Like a-train I am an its in person, for me what you say that only works with prophets in the past (whether that be Paul or Howard W Hunter) not the current prophet I will say not all that is in our canonised scripture is correct to 100% it can't be we are mere mortal humans trying to understand the etermity we can't see. If you study physics at school, at university you will be told to forget what you have learned at school as it is only a mere shadow of what you will learn at degree level, when you go to university historical facts all of a sudden become probabilities or theories. Your secure world should have its tree shaken, and you should realise that as humans we actually don't know an awful lot for sure. If we have to progress in learning here and see it change as we go how can we hope to expect scripture to tell us all there is to know about God? or any prophet. President Gordon B Hinckley can give us the gospel as it is today, nothing he says should be something that will lead us astray eternally. For example if I had believed Joseph Smith and Brigham Young about there being men on the moon - it wouldn't have damned me to an eternity in outer darkness or even come close. And at that time the idea of people on the moon was a way of understanding people somewhere in the universe/mulitiverses etc whatever you believe on that score. The moon was pretty much their universe, I still believe there are people/beings created somewhere else whether that be in another dimension etc Just like whilst I think its personal opinion and one I don't like - it won't do my husband any harm to get his hair cut and be clean shaven. So President Hinckley still trumps Paul for me, andhe will trump Joseph Smith. Only thing he doesn't trump is my relationship with God -Charley

the one about smiling reminded me of my Primary (Elementary) Head Teacher, she told us to walk down the street with our head up high, say hello and smile at everyone you meet, you never know what a person is going through and somedays that smile may the only light they see. I still do it lol -Charley

ooh thats a point maybe our men should start growing beards less waste:) I want my husband to have his hair and beard back-Charley

As a Latter Day Saint yes Gordon B Hinckley trumps Paul anyday lol - I love the original words they are beautiful. What I will say is disimissing a testimony as warn and fuzzy or ignorant is a little ignorant imo OK I agree you don't have to take it as gospel, and I can find them annoying, but they are a persons relationship with God those feelings are not warm and fuzzy unless you want to describe God that way. Everyone in the world is on a different stage in their path through life it is entirely appropriate for someone to be allowed to state what they know or they understand, even if it isn't at someone elses lofty perspective. I have done the arrogant intellectual and then was humbled by losing it all, I do not have the same ability to martial a coherrent arguement I did 10 years ago, but I do know that my relationship with God is important and I know that what I believe is right, somedays however I can't tell you why its right just I know it is. And that is my stage of life and its just a relevent and dear to me as all the learning and quotes a person can come up with. You recognise Das seems younger or less educated than yourself yet you make no allowances for it, that is a very ignorant position. The best intellectuals are the ones that can make their position understandable to everyone and teach. You could just accept that is what he knows. -Charley

Because of health issues I could not use manufactured items for the six years prior to my "change of life" (menopause). It took me a bit, but I found reusable pads. These were so expensive that I designed and made my own from cloth baby diapers. I was satisfied with the not so pretty but very utilitarian item. For the cost of one dozen diapers, a 12 pack of inexpensive white wash clothes, a roll of waistband elastic, a package of plastic hooks used for swimwear, thread and a sewing machine - I was all set. These have served me well for those last six years and they are still in servicable condition. I made my own maternity ones with fleece and old nappies, they were great and do have some reusable pads mine are leopard print lol but have to say I love my mooncup as my PMS disappeared when using it. Charley

one for the ladies and very brave gentlemen you have been warned but it has been the best green thing I have ever bought lol http://www.divacup.com/ (US) or http://www.mooncup.co.uk/ (UK) -Charley

I think maybe that is fine for our earthly life but we do need to attain that perfection at some point in our eternal life or we can't live in our Heavenly Fathers presence.-Charley

Makes me think of Joseph Smith and the rough stone rolling quote, life is about getting our sharp edges knocked off. Charley

you are in the UK have you tried the Citizens Advice Bureau? Many local councils have debt advice centres and then there is the social work department. But the key is she has to do this herself - you can approach all these people but only your Mother can dig herself out of this. If it is a council house she is in then she can go in and arrange to pay the backlog off at as little as a £1 a week, but I would make sure you have an advice service on your side, that way she should not be evicted, as long as she pays rent from now on. If she is so badly off that the Lord needs to help out financially has she tried for housing and council tax benefit? or Working Tax Credit. You know losing her home may be what she needs - it will give her the opportunity to dig herself out. She is not going to recover from her alcoholism as long as you enable her to continue and if she takes no responsibility now you wll be in the same position next year.. The council are required to give her temporary accomadation, she will not be left roofless. There are also alcohol advice centres in many areas. I appreciate in some areas the welfare state doesn't work as it should but they do have certain legal responsibilities to keep a roof over your Mums head. If you haven't already try your local CAB and see if they are any good they will let you know about the organisations in your area - or there is the Church services in Sollihull that can offer advice at least by phone or email. My Mum is an alcoholic - I threw her out in the end 5 years ago best decision I have ever made for both of us, she is now sober most of the time, and has a nice little flat. -Charley

What are "ecoballs" for the washing machine? I have heard of the earthship architecture before, but calearth was new to me - thanks for posting the url. (You might run in to zoning/code problems with either style in Kansas, but it's definitely worth looking into.) http://www.ecoballsdirect.co.uk/ here they are they are great - I can wash all my clothes at 30C, on a short wash, even Gabey's nappies come clean my only intial complaint was the clothes didn't smell of anything - which was weird I used some essential oils until I got used to it. There are a couple of domes in Kansas already so we are hopeful, if not I have come across a lot of adobe houses and the earthbag building technique can be used to build what looks like a standard adobe house, with the added bonus its unlikely to be very affected by a tornado. -Charley

being green more often than not saves money. We use lemon juice, baking sods and vinegar instead of cleaners, conserving fuel of any kind saves money my sons cloth diapers have cost us about £500 including laundry, and thats for 2babies our local veg boxcosts less i am lucky our local transport doesn't cost me anything - however will need tolearn to drive when we move ecoballs forthe washing machine save huge amounts of money buying secondhand clothes and furniture we are hoping when we move to Kansas to build an earthship or superadobe house (www.calearth.org or www.earthship.org) less enviromentally friendly than a fixer upper but both style of buildings arecheaper and easier than standard buildings to erect. -Charley

I agree that God created the world from nothing (spoke it into existence) vs. organizing something that he did not create. God is bound by logic. He is bound to certain things. I wish I could spend more time but it will have to wait. By saying "the God I worship is above our logic" does not follow. By describing God, we use logic which you are saying does not bind him. He is the greatest, most powerful, perfect, etc. being. He is beyond normal laws of physics as can be seen through the miracles. He presented as a burning bush that did not consume, came back from the dead, walked on water, etc. That is not the issue. I'll post more later. ok i don't believe God is above laws of physics, I just believe we don't entirely understand them. He created us there is some of him in each of us. They are his laws.

so sorry Dr.T my daughter asked same thing as we were sorting out our prayer box actually came back to ask, we will put Dr.T's family in if that OK? losing a family member is hard.Charley.