Ironhold

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  1. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from mirkwood in Priesthood timing   
    A few things I've noted that critics of the church tend to overlook - 
    1. The Extermination Order wasn't officially repealed until 1976
    2. The last European power didn't relinquish its last colonial claim in Africa until early 1978
    Could it be that, simply put, these two things needed to happen first before humanity was ready for it all to happen?
  2. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from Vort in Countdown to presidential election begins   
    There's also the fact that due to the extreme heat in Kinshasa that day the ropes were incredibly loose; Ali's manager had actually *tightened* the ropes just hours before the match and they were still loose due to the heat having softened the materials. 
    This made rope-a-dope even more effective as the sagging ropes took even more of the force than anyone expected them to. 
  3. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from LDSGator in Countdown to presidential election begins   
    There's also the fact that due to the extreme heat in Kinshasa that day the ropes were incredibly loose; Ali's manager had actually *tightened* the ropes just hours before the match and they were still loose due to the heat having softened the materials. 
    This made rope-a-dope even more effective as the sagging ropes took even more of the force than anyone expected them to. 
  4. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from mikbone in Countdown to presidential election begins   
    The problem with doing this is that nowadays people spend more time going over these images for oddities that whatever AI program you were using managed to muster up.
    For example, in your top right picture Bigfoot is there in the background to the left of everyone. I'm guessing that whatever AI program you were using scraped that infamous image as one of its references for a wilderness situation. 
  5. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from NeuroTypical in Basic Math   
    Story time.
    When I was in high school, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry were required courses. Everyone had to take them.
    I did quite well in Geometry, but had middling grades in Algebra I and actually came close to failing Algebra II. It should have been clear that despite my "gifted" label math was not my forte and I should not seriously consider any math classes going forward unless they were specific courses like the "Math and Money" course the high school was offering. 
    One of my brothers, who was in graduate school, convinced my mom to sign me up for Pre-Calculus. 
    The Pre-Calculus teacher would take 30 minutes of each 90 minute class to go desk by desk and grade our papers right then and there so that she didn't have to do any grading at home. As a result, we almost never got through the day's material and she could never understand how that kept happening. Instead, we were just supposed to attend before-school and after-school tutoring, which was almost always packed with students who needed the help and so it was rare to get any one-on-one assistance. 
    My parents initially just blamed me for not keeping up, but fortunately in my depression I'd saved a copy of a paper where she wrote a message inviting me to leave the class. This was enough to trigger a parent-teacher conference with myself, my dad, the teacher, and the assistant principal. 
    Suffice to say that the assistant principal was mortified by what he found out during that conference. 
    I was switched to a different class entirely (a single-semester introduction to psychology course) for the spring semester, but the Pre-Calculus class damaged my GPA so much that I missed the top 10% by six slots... and with it the tens of thousands of dollars in state-level financial assistance I would have gotten because the state of Texas pays full tuition for all graduates of public in-state high schools who attend public in-state colleges. 
    So yeah, because my parents listened to my brother instead of me, and because the teacher was too lazy to do anything at home, my life was altered for the worst. 
    I think everyone here can understand why I do not like math despite being a business major, and instead chose to focus on marketing. 
  6. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from Traveler in Great News!   
    In general, the more narrow someone's existence is, the harder it can be for them to imagine any other way of life. 
    For example, a few years ago there was a to-do on Twitter because someone with a degree of prominence claimed that they could never see themselves living anywhere other than their major coastal city... because they legitimately believed that bodegas only existed inside of that city. They legitimately refused to believe it when people said that bodegas and larger convenience stores existed across much of the United States, and that if this was their only objection to traveling then it wasn't much of an objection. 
    Technology, travel, and population patterns are, metaphorically speaking, shrinking the world in the sense that people have more opportunities to interact with others outside of their own group. This is something we all need to take advantage of as we prepare the Earth for the Second Coming. 
  7. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from LDSGator in Great News!   
    In general, the more narrow someone's existence is, the harder it can be for them to imagine any other way of life. 
    For example, a few years ago there was a to-do on Twitter because someone with a degree of prominence claimed that they could never see themselves living anywhere other than their major coastal city... because they legitimately believed that bodegas only existed inside of that city. They legitimately refused to believe it when people said that bodegas and larger convenience stores existed across much of the United States, and that if this was their only objection to traveling then it wasn't much of an objection. 
    Technology, travel, and population patterns are, metaphorically speaking, shrinking the world in the sense that people have more opportunities to interact with others outside of their own group. This is something we all need to take advantage of as we prepare the Earth for the Second Coming. 
  8. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from NeuroTypical in The Hobby Thread   
    Battletech has continuously been a thing, although the IP has changed hands a few times and this has caused a variety of complications for both the game itself and the fiction of the game. Your local Target might actually still have a few of the most recent starter box, which is premised on Solaris VII. Note that while Iron Winds Metal does still make a small amount of metal gaming miniatures, the game has largely gone over to plastic since it's a lot cheaper. 
    Car Wars is being revived, with brand new miniatures and other materials to go with them. 
    Ogre, though, doesn't seem to be very popular, at least not locally. 
  9. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from mirkwood in The Hobby Thread   
    5E never impressed me, and the scandals out of WOTC over the last few years have been such that I've basically noped out of D&D for right now unless it's an older edition.  
    That being said, I recently acquired the Anime 5E manual, and find that to be a far better balance of all-ages & compelling to play. I just need to carve time out to get a group together.
  10. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from NeuroTypical in The Hobby Thread   
    5E never impressed me, and the scandals out of WOTC over the last few years have been such that I've basically noped out of D&D for right now unless it's an older edition.  
    That being said, I recently acquired the Anime 5E manual, and find that to be a far better balance of all-ages & compelling to play. I just need to carve time out to get a group together.
  11. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from NeuroTypical in Grocery store prices.   
    https://www.heb.com/
    In much of Texas, there's a chain called H-E-B (named for the initials of its founder). 
    H-E-B pursues a *very* aggressive "low-cost leader" strategy that includes both store brands and in-store coupons. 
    Central to this is the "meal deal", where if you purchase a main course you'll get 2 - 4 sides and a beverage for free. For example, a few weeks ago they had it that if you bought two bags of store-brand chicken nuggets, you'd get a deluxe-sized box of store-brand macaroni & cheese, a bag of broccoli, a box of snack crackers, and a bottle of Italian-style soda for free. Most H-E-Bs have a dedicated end cap display with refrigerated unit and nearby wire racks where they keep the coupons and components to keep them all together. 
    This is helping ease the burden, but prices are still creeping up to the point that it's hurting. 
    What you see in this photo here? I got this a few years ago for $10. It was a prototype for a charitable "Thanksgiving in a basket" plan I was organizing, where people would assemble enough for a proper Thanksgiving dinner, minus the refrigerated items, and donate the whole assemblage to a local food bank. There's literally no way for me to put this together for $10 anymore; this is more like $20 now, especially as that brand of chili has been discontinued. 

  12. Surprised
    Ironhold got a reaction from mikbone in Grocery store prices.   
    https://www.heb.com/
    In much of Texas, there's a chain called H-E-B (named for the initials of its founder). 
    H-E-B pursues a *very* aggressive "low-cost leader" strategy that includes both store brands and in-store coupons. 
    Central to this is the "meal deal", where if you purchase a main course you'll get 2 - 4 sides and a beverage for free. For example, a few weeks ago they had it that if you bought two bags of store-brand chicken nuggets, you'd get a deluxe-sized box of store-brand macaroni & cheese, a bag of broccoli, a box of snack crackers, and a bottle of Italian-style soda for free. Most H-E-Bs have a dedicated end cap display with refrigerated unit and nearby wire racks where they keep the coupons and components to keep them all together. 
    This is helping ease the burden, but prices are still creeping up to the point that it's hurting. 
    What you see in this photo here? I got this a few years ago for $10. It was a prototype for a charitable "Thanksgiving in a basket" plan I was organizing, where people would assemble enough for a proper Thanksgiving dinner, minus the refrigerated items, and donate the whole assemblage to a local food bank. There's literally no way for me to put this together for $10 anymore; this is more like $20 now, especially as that brand of chili has been discontinued. 

  13. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from keeperofthegate in Adult Child has become heavily and visibly ex-Mormon   
    Another thing to remember is just how contrarian people can be. 
    Make sure you have your own firm knowledge and faith in case they try to challenge you at some point, but don't be the aggressor as they'll take that as being attacked. 
  14. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from Traveler in Countdown to presidential election begins   
    The senior officials with the Democrats don't understand that Biden and his cabinet have generated such confusion and ill will that there is a real danger a strong candidate would defeat them. Instead, not only are they insisting upon running him, at least one primary has confirmed that nobody *but* Biden will be on the ballot for President.
    This is causing people opposed to Biden to have a variety of negative sentiments, including taking this as "proof" of Biden being the puppet of a nefarious third party. Thus, these individuals are largely going over to Trump, who is seen as both the rightful President and the only person who can defeat Biden in a fair election. 
  15. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from NeuroTypical in Countdown to presidential election begins   
    The senior officials with the Democrats don't understand that Biden and his cabinet have generated such confusion and ill will that there is a real danger a strong candidate would defeat them. Instead, not only are they insisting upon running him, at least one primary has confirmed that nobody *but* Biden will be on the ballot for President.
    This is causing people opposed to Biden to have a variety of negative sentiments, including taking this as "proof" of Biden being the puppet of a nefarious third party. Thus, these individuals are largely going over to Trump, who is seen as both the rightful President and the only person who can defeat Biden in a fair election. 
  16. Like
    Ironhold reacted to zil2 in Easter thoughts?   
    This lesson was really powerful for me.  The first time I heard it was the moment at which I finally consciously comprehended that the things of God are the inverse of the things of man (as a principle / rule rather than just as various examples).
    Excellent choice.
  17. Love
    Ironhold got a reaction from zil2 in Easter thoughts?   
    https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-george-albert-smith/chapter-21?lang=eng
    Going with a story about President George Albert Smith. 
  18. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from NeuroTypical in Johns Hopkins Diversity Office   
    It's my unfortunate experience that things like DEI, Privilege Theory, and so on tend to be embraced largely by academics or people who otherwise have little real-world experience outside of academia. 
    This is why, for example, they fail to understand that most people define "privilege" on the basis of "wealth, power, and prestige" and so don't understand why people respond to their rants about "white privilege" the way people tend to do. I *literally* had one person I tried to explain this to snap at me and tell me that it's not *their* job to educate the public on the different definitions and that the public needed to just educate itself.
  19. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from LDSGator in I'm a Christian.   
    "Miracle Man" by Ozzy Osbourne was him mocking Swaggart over his troubles, but since the song merely references "Little Jimmy Sinner" it could actually apply to both men. 
    The video depicts swine wandering through a chapel while a man in a mask melodramatically begs forgiveness. 
  20. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from askandanswer in Meaning of Eternal Progression   
    Pro tip: if you see a critical source use ellipses (the little "..." you sometimes see in quotations) when referencing something that was ostensibly said by a church leader or presented in official material, find the original citation and read it in full. 
    Critics of the church - and others - frequently play games with people by using ellipses to change the context of various citations. 
    In one extreme situation I personally encountered, a critic took two paragraphs from one of Young's sermons that were talking about unrelated topics, inverted their order, and used ellipses to stitch them together as if they were all about one single thing. When I pointed out what she'd done and showed everyone the real citation, she tried to do a "my bad" and then couldn't understand why no one would trust any of her citations until we saw them for ourselves. 
  21. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from LDSGator in They Had it Coming   
    No, they don't. 
    Modern "progressive" society teaches people that it's all about "I", that the needs and desires of the individual should always trump everything else. 
  22. Surprised
    Ironhold got a reaction from LDSGator in Merry Christmas (and turkey stuffing)   
    In all seriousness, last year there was the infamous "That Pink Sauce" which some internet influencer was making and selling via mail-order. 
    Due to both considerable problems with the labeling and numerous reports of people getting sick, the Food and Drug Administration began an investigation of the influencer and how they were making the product. 
    Cue the person making a video in which she protested "Why is the FDA after me? I'm not making medicine!". 
  23. Haha
    Ironhold got a reaction from Carborendum in Merry Christmas (and turkey stuffing)   
    In all seriousness, last year there was the infamous "That Pink Sauce" which some internet influencer was making and selling via mail-order. 
    Due to both considerable problems with the labeling and numerous reports of people getting sick, the Food and Drug Administration began an investigation of the influencer and how they were making the product. 
    Cue the person making a video in which she protested "Why is the FDA after me? I'm not making medicine!". 
  24. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from zil2 in Easter thoughts?   
    Already did an "Entertainment 101" bit a year or so back on the concept of Easter Eggs in media, and so I'm waffling on a separate column on the topic. I've done it before when a topic had too much material for a single column, but I've tried to avoid it. 
  25. Like
    Ironhold got a reaction from zil2 in Easter thoughts?   
    For those who don't know, we're having a total eclipse next year. It'll be in early April, not long after Easter. 
    The town I live in will be in the path of totality. 
    A few months ago, one of my brothers confirmed that he was wanting to come down with his family in order to see it in person. He's normally got everything together, and so more than likely has already reserved a hotel room (no, no more rooms are available within several *hours* of where I live). I don't have an office at the newspaper, and so I have to do all of my typing from home. This means I'll still have a few hours at night or in the early morning in which I can work. 
    Well, I literally just now found out that my second brother is also wanting to come up with his family, but that he likely didn't get a room. That means staying with us unless they can make other plans, and that means someone camping out in the family office as that's where we have a spare mattress set up. 
    This means I now have to get my annual Easter column, and at least two additional columns, knocked out ASAP to compensate. 
    So... what are some topics you'd like to see explored in print? Keep in mind that it's a family of secular local-level newspapers, so I can't go deep into anything. I just need some ideas for things I can slap together quickly.
    Thanks.