War

[Traveler]

It seems to me that war is becoming more popular.  In other words, more and more seem to be willing to resolve issues through war.  Ukraine is now attacking sovereign Russian territory.   Israel is taking the violence to wherever the leaders of Hamas or Hezbollah are operating their war efforts against Israel.  Various areas of Africa are becoming more violent and there is talk of a China invasion of Tiawan.  Even here in the USA there is an assignation attempt on a presidential candidate (which is looking more suspicious by the day that there was deliberate standdown of security).  In addition, there are acts (demonstrations) taking place, with the assistance of foreign nationals, against citizens and policies of the US here in our own country.

All of this seems to be advancing rapidly.   Is WWIII a possibility or even more of a probability.   If this is the case, will this be a final indication of the times and be concluded by the 1,000 years of peace and all that has been prophesied concerning the last-days?

 

The Traveler

[NeuroTypical]

Oh, maybe, but I doubt it.    Absolutely zero things on your list are unique.  They have all happened before, some of it has always been happening somewhere.  And it'll all happen again.

I mean, we can hope, right?  But I'm not going to hope so much that I stop adding to my 401K.

[LDSGator]

7 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

Oh, maybe, but I doubt it.    Absolutely zero things on your list are unique.  They have all happened before, some of it has always been happening somewhere.  And it'll all happen again.

I mean, we can hope, right?  But I'm not going to hope so much that I stop adding to my 401K.

That, and up until recently war deaths were declining. 
 

https://www.un.org/en/un75/new-era-conflict-and-violence#:~:text=Globally%2C the absolute number of,criminal%2C and international terrorist groups.

 

https://ourworldindata.org/war-and-peace

Edited August 10, 2024 by LDSGator

[Ironhold]

4 hours ago, Traveler said:

It seems to me that war is becoming more popular.  In other words, more and more seem to be willing to resolve issues through war.  Ukraine is now attacking sovereign Russian territory.   Israel is taking the violence to wherever the leaders of Hamas or Hezbollah are operating their war efforts against Israel.  Various areas of Africa are becoming more violent and there is talk of a China invasion of Tiawan.  Even here in the USA there is an assignation attempt on a presidential candidate (which is looking more suspicious by the day that there was deliberate standdown of security).  In addition, there are acts (demonstrations) taking place, with the assistance of foreign nationals, against citizens and policies of the US here in our own country.

All of this seems to be advancing rapidly.   Is WWIII a possibility or even more of a probability.   If this is the case, will this be a final indication of the times and be concluded by the 1,000 years of peace and all that has been prophesied concerning the last-days?

 

The Traveler

I'm north of 40. This means I was here to see the final years of the Cold War, Desert Storm, Bosnia, 9/11, and so many, many other things that people before feared marked the End Times. 

Instead of worrying about what might be, we need to worry about the here and now, the things we can control and anticipate.

[LDSGator]

Christians also need to be very careful about doomsday predictions. No one took Harold Camping seriously after he crashed and burned. Even the most zealous believer will start to question things if you predict the end of the world 44 times.  

Edited August 10, 2024 by LDSGator

[Traveler]

I would agree and disagree with everything that has been said.  So, to ask just one question – What does the Book of Mormon say will happen in the last days to that nation that occupies “The Land of Promise” that as a nation turns away from G-d?  Like @Ironhold I am north of 40.  I am also north of 70.  I recall a time that certain words and content could not be broadcast over the airways – broadcast licenses would be lost.  Most of the nation attended church. 

Today most of the nation does not identify with any church.  Even among those that do have some identity with a church – most do not attend.  There is a saying that stupidity is when someone does the same thing over and over again expecting different results.  What do we call it when someone does things differently by intent (or even observes that things are being done differently) and yet expects that things will not change and that the results will remain the same?

I would agree that we need not worry but rather take care of that which we can.  Are we doing what we should?  Who can say that they keep the Sabbath day holy?  As an effort to remind myself – I wear the clothing I worship in throughout the day.  The only criticism I get for my effort are from those of my same faith that seem more interested in justifying what they do to remember the Sabbath is a day.

I would be interested in what anyone is attempting to do, themselves, in hopes that their outcome will be justified?  Or is the general idea that there is nothing to be concerned about?  That this is a day and a time to continue as though nothing ought to change.

 

The Traveler

[LDSGator]

18 minutes ago, Traveler said:

There is a saying that stupidity is when someone does the same thing over and over again expecting different results.

The saying is “insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results.” Not stupidity. The two are different.  

[mikbone]

On 8/10/2024 at 9:48 AM, Traveler said:

All of this seems to be advancing rapidly.   Is WWIII a possibility or even more of a probability.

Not the feeling I am getting.

Putin is losing a war with a small country that doesn’t even have a navy.  Ukraine’s actions will continue to undermine Russian’s support of Putin.  And Russia does not want a war with NATO.

The middle east will never have peace.  I fully support Israel.  If you came into my house and kidnapped, rapped, tortured and kept hostage my children…  There is no length that I would go to retrieve my family and reign vengeance and destruction upon you and all that support you.  “**** around and find out.”

Iran has found itself in a tricky position. There is alot of bluster but they havent done anything in 2 weeks, and probably wont do anything for another 2 weeks.  Their final response will probably be as lame as the last.  They also know that their own Iranian guard has been compromised.  They are afraid of Israel let alone the USA.

China doesn’t need to fight the USA.  All they need to do is to continue giving their population more freedom.  Continue science, education, industry, and they will become a great nation.

USA’s stagnation is what worries me.  Boeing’s shoddy work.  Uvalde’s police department.  Elon Musk producing a better space exploration product than NASA.  

 

[LDSGator]

35 minutes ago, mikbone said:

China doesn’t need to fight the USA.  All they need to do is to continue giving their population more freedom.  Continue science, education, industry, and they will become a great nation.

China is also watching the Ukraine-Russia conflict and they are taking notes. They have no desire to be embarrassed like Putin has been.   

[mirkwood]

 

Quote

Uvalde’s police department.

Not even remotely the norm in the USA.

[mikbone]

4 minutes ago, mirkwood said:

 

Not even remotely the norm in the USA.

Thank goodness.

If it was the norm, our country would have already self destructed.

[mikbone]

8 day visit turns into 8 months?

Really?!

This is worse than Gilligan’s Island.

[Vort]

1 hour ago, mikbone said:

Elon Musk producing a better space exploration product than NASA.

And it's not even close.

[mordorbund]

4 hours ago, Traveler said:

What does the Book of Mormon say will happen in the last days to that nation that occupies “The Land of Promise” that as a nation turns away from G-d?

Good news. Scholars tell me it’s talking about Mexico.

[LDSGator]

22 minutes ago, mikbone said:

8 day visit turns into 8 months?

Really?!

This is worse than Gilligan’s Island.

@Vort-how will these two survive up there? Does the ISS (apologies if I’m misnaming it) have enough supplies for them? Enough oxygen?

[Vort]

23 minutes ago, LDSGator said:

@Vort-how will these two survive up there? Does the ISS (apologies if I’m misnaming it) have enough supplies for them? Enough oxygen?

I'm sure they have plenty of food, and I'm also sure the oxygen is regenerated (and the CO2 removed), just like the water, so those issues shouldn't be problematic. Seems to me that the biggest problem is psychologically preparing for an eight-day stay and ending up remaining in what amounts to a large cardboard box fort in your living room for eight months.

[LDSGator]

15 minutes ago, Vort said:

I'm sure they have plenty of food, and I'm also sure the oxygen is regenerated (and the CO2 removed), just like the water, so those issues shouldn't be problematic. Seems to me that the biggest problem is psychologically preparing for an eight-day stay and ending up remaining in what amounts to a large cardboard box fort in your living room for eight months.

Thanks. 
 

Those living conditions seem horrific to me. 

[Ironhold]

4 hours ago, Traveler said:

I would agree that we need not worry but rather take care of that which we can.  Are we doing what we should?  Who can say that they keep the Sabbath day holy?  As an effort to remind myself – I wear the clothing I worship in throughout the day.  The only criticism I get for my effort are from those of my same faith that seem more interested in justifying what they do to remember the Sabbath is a day.

I would be interested in what anyone is attempting to do, themselves, in hopes that their outcome will be justified?  Or is the general idea that there is nothing to be concerned about?  That this is a day and a time to continue as though nothing ought to change.

 

The Traveler

During the high school football season, the newspaper I'm with publishes a special Saturday morning sports tabloid that sums up the previous night's game. I'm up about 4 AM or so to get to the office at 5, and with any luck I've got it distributed all across town by 10 provided I have at least one volunteer with me to help out. This means I often nod off during the Saturday sessions of October Conference.

One year, I nodded off during one talk but could still hear it in my sleep. 

In the dream I was having, I was driving down a road and listening to that talk on the radio. 

The speaker (I don't recall who it was) happened to be talking about how everyone has a place within the church.

In the dream, it occurred to me that my place is not having a place at all. That is, it's my mission to go where I need to go in order to do what I need to do. Not having a defined "place" gives me more freedom to go between groups and activities, but at the cost of my not having any sort of safe harbor when my own life goes sideways. 

Yes, in the dream the revelation was such that I missed my turn and had to loop around. 

Do I exactly keep the Sabbath "holy"? Most people who look at me would say that I'm far from it. For example, I normally have my headphones in and the iHeart Media app to Casey Kasem during church. Then when church is over, it's off to 7-11 for gas & lunch, followed by Walgreen's to pick up a few things. 

Thing is, the circles I transit and groups I hang out with are such that someone who came strutting up with a name tag would be turned out on their face just because of that name tag and everything associated with it, while someone like me who meets them on their level and they know as an associate they're willing to at least hear out. To them, I'm the guy they talk comic books with, or the guy they know from around town. Something like that to where they're comfortable and a little more open-minded. 

[LDSGator]

1 hour ago, Ironhold said:

Casey Kasem

Isn’t he dead?

[Ironhold]

1 hour ago, LDSGator said:

Isn’t he dead?

Premier Radio Networks, a content syndicator that is a subsidiary of iHeart Media, has been remastering select episodes of American Top 40 from the 70s and 80s. 95% of the time the remastered episodes are the same as they were when first broadcast, but I've caught a few instances where songs were edited due to modern-day sensitivities (like "Money For Nothing" by Dire Straits) or artificially sped up (generally around 110% speed if my guess is right, enough to where a person not otherwise familiar with the song wouldn't even notice) to make room for the bits where a modern-day announcer explains that it's a rebroadcast.

A number of radio stations, mostly iHeart-owned "classic top 40" formatted stations, air these remastered episodes on Sunday mornings. Some will air both AT:40 70s and AT:40 80s, like KBGO-FM Waco Texas, while others will only air one or the other. Additionally, the iHeart Media app has a 24-hour digital-only station that airs these episodes back-to-back, generally airing a 1970s episode and then a 1980s episode (with both episodes picked at random).

Note that in media markets where iHeart owns multiple radio stations, one station will be obligated to switch to an all-Christmas format for at least some period during the year. If the classic top 40 station is the designated sacrificial offering, then instead of the regular episodes that would have been scheduled to air you'll get some combination of the two Christmas episodes he did in the 1970s and a handful of Christmas shows he did in the 2000s. Casey is obviously very sick during these 2000s shows, and so it's actually rather depressing to hear these episodes; when KBGO is forced to switch formats I use the app to listen to the 80s show via WSWR Shelby Ohio. 

[LDSGator]

4 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

Premier Radio Networks, a content syndicator that is a subsidiary of iHeart Media, has been remastering select episodes of American Top 40 from the 70s and 80s. 95% of the time the remastered episodes are the same as they were when first broadcast, but I've caught a few instances where songs were edited due to modern-day sensitivities (like "Money For Nothing" by Dire Straits) or artificially sped up (generally around 110% speed if my guess is right, enough to where a person not otherwise familiar with the song wouldn't even notice) to make room for the bits where a modern-day announcer explains that it's a rebroadcast.

A number of radio stations, mostly iHeart-owned "classic top 40" formatted stations, air these remastered episodes on Sunday mornings. Some will air both AT:40 70s and AT:40 80s, like KBGO-FM Waco Texas, while others will only air one or the other. Additionally, the iHeart Media app has a 24-hour digital-only station that airs these episodes back-to-back, generally airing a 1970s episode and then a 1980s episode (with both episodes picked at random).

Note that in media markets where iHeart owns multiple radio stations, one station will be obligated to switch to an all-Christmas format for at least some period during the year. If the classic top 40 station is the designated sacrificial offering, then instead of the regular episodes that would have been scheduled to air you'll get some combination of the two Christmas episodes he did in the 1970s and a handful of Christmas shows he did in the 2000s. Casey is obviously very sick during these 2000s shows, and so it's actually rather depressing to hear these episodes; when KBGO is forced to switch formats I use the app to listen to the 80s show via WSWR Shelby Ohio. 

Cool. Thanks. 

[Ironhold]

6 minutes ago, LDSGator said:

Cool. Thanks. 

When it comes to the four-hour episodes of the show (very late 1978 through to the 1980s), there have been a few instances where either a story Casey told or one of the week's Long Distance Dedication requests actually synced with what we were talking about in Sunday School / Priesthood. 

That being said, Ryan Seacrest is the current host of the show. Many Top 40 and "Hot Adult Contemporary" stations, particularly the ones owned by iHeart, air the show, usually on Sunday mornings as well. There's also a similar 24-hour stream of episodes on the iHeart app. Unfortunately, the format of the show has changed drastically since Seacrest took over; the Long Distance Dedication is gone, I didn't hear a single listener letter on those few episodes I did catch, and half the time Seacrest did little talking beyond introducing the songs. It just doesn't feel the same under this new format.

Also - 

Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40 is still on the air producing new episodes; stations can choose from a straight-up Top 40 or a "Hot Adult Contemporary" Top 40. This is in addition to remastered episodes of his show from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s that they can choose to air as well. For the new episodes, some of the artists on the chart will actually record jingles for the show which he'll play intermittently. 

[LDSGator]

5 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

When it comes to the four-hour episodes of the show (very late 1978 through to the 1980s), there have been a few instances where either a story Casey told or one of the week's Long Distance Dedication requests actually synced with what we were talking about in Sunday School / Priesthood. 

That being said, Ryan Seacrest is the current host of the show. Many Top 40 and "Hot Adult Contemporary" stations, particularly the ones owned by iHeart, air the show, usually on Sunday mornings as well. There's also a similar 24-hour stream of episodes on the iHeart app. Unfortunately, the format of the show has changed drastically since Seacrest took over; the Long Distance Dedication is gone, I didn't hear a single listener letter on those few episodes I did catch, and half the time Seacrest did little talking beyond introducing the songs. It just doesn't feel the same under this new format.

Also - 

Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40 is still on the air producing new episodes; stations can choose from a straight-up Top 40 or a "Hot Adult Contemporary" Top 40. This is in addition to remastered episodes of his show from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s that they can choose to air as well. For the new episodes, some of the artists on the chart will actually record jingles for the show which he'll play intermittently. 

I never understood long distance dedications. The odds of your significant other listening to the radio the same time you are is pretty slim. 
 

The only FM radio I listened to was WAAF in Boston over twenty years ago. They played mostly metal-but I preferred CDs, mp3s, etc. WAAF doesn’t exist anymore, sadly. I will listen to XM to catch sports, Ozzy’s Boneyard, etc. 

[The Folk Prophet]

10 hours ago, mikbone said:

Elon Musk producing a better space exploration product than NASA.  

This isn't an indication that the US isn't great. It's WHY the US is great. 

[Traveler]

During the 80’s I was working for the Defense Department.  The US was so far ahead in the cold war with superior equipment and training it was pitiful.  Something rather strange happened at our top naval aircraft training that surprised everybody.  The second world countries’ equipment was inferior and was well simulated in arial dog fights.  All of a sudden, the inferior planes were winning all the aerial combat training incursions.   What happened was that those simulating the inferior craft went to Radio Shack and purchased cheap fuzbuster and installing them in their cockpits.  All the multimillion-dollar advantage was outwitted by the cheap fuzbusters allowing the more nimble cheaper craft to set up traps and decimated their superior highly expensive counter parts. 

All of this was discovered in our own testing environment and thus rectified.  I do not have the confidence of others that it is such a great idea to put our most advanced technology on the front lines of conflicts that we claim to not be involved in – allowing our enemies to probe our tech and discover shortcomings with no real consequences.

I do agree that in a conventional military slugfest the US would easily subdue any challenge.  But I am also aware (especially from past actions like 9/11) that our enemies are not even trying to think in terms of a military slugfest.   Some strategically placed dirty bombs in critical public places along with carefully executed incursions into soft infrastructure targets would decimate public willingness to support foreign allies – just considering what is being currently achieved with anti-Semitic actions at universities (including the very conservative University of Utah).

I submitted a very simple operation to the FBI that could be carried out by a handful of dedicated combatants that could result in up to 20 million lives lost.  If, without much effort, I can think of such actions – others much more motivated than myself could devise much more effective and devastating operations.  And with our open borders I am quite sure there are much more than a handful of dedicated combatants already placed. 

Perhaps a serious 9/11 or Pearl Harbor event will unit our country, but I am of the mind that various elements within our country will behave more like similar types and shadows in the Book of Mormon that use such intrusions to divert attention from their own nefarious objectives while those more concerned about county, family, liberty and freedom are diverted from internal problems to external threats.

 

The Traveler