Elphaba

Wasn't she an actress? I really don't think Jane Mansfield was LDS in the least. Yediyd and I established early in the thread that we were talking about Jane Elizabeth Manning James, who was one of the pioneers. Yediyd just mispelled her name. Elphie

Can I just say these balloons . . . well, maybe I better not say it . . . Did anyone ever see "Look Who's Talking"? Elphie

You need a little of the coughing, sniffling, sneezing, aching, stuffy head, fever so you can get some rest medicine. Plus one of these fake bearhugs (no real germs)! Elphie

Okay, PR, try this: "I can call you Emma, And Emma, when You call me, You can call me Al!"Elphie

Don't really have to say anything about that one. Did you catch the "KOLD" TV? Elphie

Absolutely! Mine too! Only I call her Jane Elizabeth Manning James. Elphie Hey PR, no Emma here. It's "Elphaba"! I think you should take Yediyd's advice and get that punching bag. I'm not through with you yet. hehehehe Just kidding! Elphie

I have always been a great fan of Emma Smith, the wife of Joseph. One of my favorite stories is how she received her very own revelation from the Lord wherein she is called the "Elect Lady." On June 28, 1830, Emma was baptized into the Church by Oliver Cowdery. That evening, as friends began to gather for her confirmation ordinance, she was shocked to see a constable on the doorstep for Joseph's arrest. He charged Joseph with "being a disorderly person and setting the country in an uproar by preaching the Book of Mormon." Emma made arrangements to stay with her sister Elizabeth, and waited two days for Joseph to return. When he finally came back, Emma's face was "wet with tears . . . [and] her very heartstrings [were] broken with grief." Joseph had not been convicted of anything, but it had been very hard on Emma waiting for him. She had spent the entire time praying for him, and was visibly shaken by the ordeal. It was after this that Emma received her "Elect Lady" revelation, directed exclusively to her. Although Joseph occasionally mentioned women in his revelations, this one is the only one addressed solely to a woman. Whether she heard it first as Joseph spoke the words, or whether he dictated the verses for Oliver Cowdery to write, Emma believed it to be a communication from God to her. According to Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith: The revelation addressed Emma warmly. "Hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God while I speak unto you, Emma Smith, my daughter," it began, then in recognition of her acceptance of the gospel it further explained, "all who receive my gospel are sons and daughters in my kingdom." "Thy sins are forgiven thee," the Lord assured her, "thou are an elect lady, whom I have called." She would learn God’s will for her life and "if thou art faithful and walk in the paths of virtue before me, I will preserve thy life, and thou shalt receive an inheritance in Zion." Probably in reference to others' viewing of the plates while Emma was not allowed to see them, the instructions continued, "Murmur not because of the things which thou hast not seen, for they are withheld from thee and from the world." That single line urging Emma to "murmur not" would later give rise to speculation that Emma had complained of not seeing the record. Future writers would use that phrase to condemn Emma, but nothing in the Elect Lady revelation approaches the chastisements Joseph occasionally received. The revelation outlined Emma's responsibilities toward Joseph. "Let thy soul delight in thy husband and the glory which shall come upon him. . . go with him at the time of his going . . . be for a comfort in . . his afflictions [and offer] consoling words in the spirit of meekness. . . . Thou shalt be ordained under [Joseph's] hand to expound scriptures and to exhort the church," the words continued. "Thy time shall be given to writing and to learning much." "Lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better." the revelation said, then it gave Emma two specific assignments. The first was to act as scribe for her husband. The second gave Emma responsibility "to make a selection of sacred hymns . . . which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my church. My soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yeah, the song of righteousness is a prayer unto me." The revelation ended with a phrase of hope. "Lift up they head and rejoice, and cleave unto the covenants which thou has made." It urged Emma to beware of pride and to keep the commandments continually. "A crown of righteousness thou shalt receive. And except thou do this, where I am you cannot come." ----------------------------- Emma was ecstatic at her very own revelation. Not only had the Lord spoken specifically to her, he had given her two assignments which fitted her specific personality. She sang as she worked and sang as she worshipped, so it would be pure joy to put together a hymnal. Additionally, her intellect, combined with her education, qualified her to act as Joseph's scribe, which would most likely now be penning letters, revelations and blessings. Combined with her compassionate nature, her true leadership qualities would soon be apparent and relied upon by both her husband and the Church as a whole. I often think if only Emma could have made time stand still at this moment. Imagine you've just been given a phenomenal personal revalation by God. You're forgiven of your sins, you're given tasks to complete that you know you're going to love, and best of all, you've been told you're going to end up with Him. And yet, even though she had much heartbreak ahead of her, she also had a wondrous life, married to a man she was completely devoted to, and adventures very few could ever imagine. I just love this "Elect Lady." Elphie

Why is Friday the 13th unlucky? Elphaba

. . . do hope you don't mind me asking where you friends with the people you were staying with? Charley No, I wasn't. They were friends of my best friend's. Elphie

would it be safe to say that we agreed here or almost for a second time now.....LOL!!!!! What does your wall say? Elphie

Yediyd, Did you guys make this up? Elphie

I hope one day to visit Nauvoo. Its history is so rich, full of wonder and tragedy. As an amateur historian, I have spent many hours reading the journals of its inhabitants and never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity, the sacrifice and the joy of those who built the "City of Joseph." Even though I am no longer a believer, I know that had been there I would have had tears in my eyes as well, just by being there. Elphie

A PET study of voluntary movement in schizophrenic patients experiencing passivity phenomena (delusions of alien control) Introduction: Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by abnormal beliefs, behaviours and experiences. The presence of delusions and hallucinations (in particular those of the ‘first rank’ of Schneider; see Koehler, 1979) has suggested temporal lobe dysfunction on the basis of a resemblance to the psychosis of temporal lobe epilepsy (Trimble, 1990). Recent PET blood flow studies have supported this concept (Liddle,1987; Liddle et al., 1992). Schizophrenic patients experiencing passivity phenomena believe their thoughts and actions to be those of external, or alien, entities. We wished to test the hypothesis that voluntary motor action in such patients would be associated with aberrant patterns of activation within the cerebral motor system. We used H2 15O PET to study patients while they performed paced joystick movements on two occasions 4–6 weeks apart. During the first scan passivity symptoms were maximal, while by the second scan these symptoms had significantly improved in five of the seven patients. Two control groups were also scanned on two occasions: deluded schizophrenic patients without passivity phenomena and normal subjects. In normal subjects, performance of freely Keywords: schizophrenia; passivity; delusions; PET; cerebral blood flow. Abbreviations: rCBF 5 regional cerebral blood flow; SPM 5 statistical parametric mapping. ------------------------------------------------------ Schizophrenia is a serious disorder and shouldn't be ignored if someone is showing symptoms. I can see you wanting to give someone a blessing if he/she is seeing aliens, but I'd be doing it on the way to the psychiatrist--just in case. Elphie

Ahhhh.....sorry. I forgot the title of the thread. Ironic indeed. Elphie

An emerald green gem of a woman. Elphie

Ahh, then I suspect I was projecting my own dislike of my body onto the dancers in the film. I am "nouveau obese," and it's very hard to get used to. I look in the mirror and don't recognize myself. I watched the video again, after I read your note, and saw much more movement than I had noticed the first time. Maybe I'll pretend I'm Pushka and do the cha cha. Speaking of dancing, I found this odd little piece on YouTube. I like odd things. Elphie You're probably too young for this, but his looks remind me of a young Robby Benson. Anyone else notice that? (Yes, I used to have a crush on Robby Benson when I was about 16.) Elphie

42! Elphie I kissed a frigg once. That explains the phobia. Elphie

There are some situations you just can't control. I have extremely sensitive ears, and I've learned to wear earplugs wherever I go. When I go to a movie, I have to go with my daughter, and we have to sit in a certain spot, with me next to the wall and I have to wear earplugs. Yes, I am a freak. Elphie

Even in jest, that is not a very peaceful message.Hi Dr. T, Later in the article: "At a press conference, Williams expressed regret over her choice of words. Her supporters point to her life's work as an advocate for children worldwide. They chalked up her comments to her passion and love for those suffering due to U.S. actions. " I watch the war closely, and I cry every day. IMO, the horror just wasn't worth it. So many of us want it to STOP!, and Bush is just not going to do that. The frustration I feel is so strong, I can see myself saying "I could just kill that man!" But I don't mean it literally. It's a turn of phrase when you're furious with someone, and it's not that uncommon. However, I do not condone what she said, especially in a public forum. Elphie

Excellent point. Did you ask them to keep it down? I would have. Elphie

Hi Shantress, When the photographer went crazy with her, he actually had her put on four different outfits, meaning he shot a whole portfolio. He said he does about 20 shoots a week, and during the whole year he only sees about 10 people who could model. She thought she was too short, but he said it has to do with how you work the camera. I've told her I'd be her agent! :) I don't think she wants to do it though. But we have about 50 pictures, just like that one. Even for one day it was a blast. Elphie

Thank you Begood. You know, it was an interesting story (at least to me it is). She had won a photo package like you would get at Sears, but at a professional studio. About 15 minutes into the session, the photographer yelled Stop! He threw this gorgeous formal dress at her, stuck a CD in, cranked it up and we were doing a PHOTO SHOOT! I was her "stylist," while he took pictures of her for almost 3 hours. One of the employees asked me where she had modeled.....but she never had. She just loved the camera. The best thing was that my daughter's personality just exploded up there. She's usually somewhat shy and, though she's much better than she was five years ago, her self-esteem still isn't that great. So watching MY DAUGHTER just milk it for the camera was a thrill for me. Elphie

You're right. I can't imagine that happening here, and I'm in Utah! You get your diapers and wipes free? Wow...I think that is cool. I am all in favor of mothers nursing their baby whenever he/she needs it, no matter where they are. I think Americans aversion to this is unfortunate. You sound like a great mother. Elphie

I have a really hard time believing the pilots would agree to turn the flight around just for a toddler who is babbling. I think there must be more to the stotry. I actually side with Six on this one. Listening to noisy kids on a flight is excruciating, and I too have lost patience with parents who do nothing to stop it. I am very assertive about that now. If it's bothering me I tell them so, and most of the time it's as if the parents didn't even realize the child was being noisey. I absolutely detest when I go to a movie, dinner or theatre and people bring their babies and toddlers. If I'm in line for a movie and I see someone with a baby, I will ask them if they're seeing the same pic as I am, and if they are I will get my money back. I had to see Phantom of the Opera three times before I actually "heard" it. When my children were babies we simply did not take them to public places where they're screeching, laughing, and crying would cause other people discomfort. I think it is rude and disrespectful. I really am a witch, aren't I? Elphie

Oh my, I think the earth just moved.! I am so weird. I am not a red meat eater. I would always prefere chicken or fish over a steak. I cannot stomach looking at Prime Rib. When I was married I would always poistion my menu so that it hid his plate full of huge, blood dripping, raw pieces of flesh. I seriously could not look at it. However, all that squemishness goes right out the window when it comes to a hanbuger. I love them, and am even thinking about them right now at 5 in the morning I could eat one. Makes no sense to me, but there you have it. Elphie