Monthly Archives: December 2007


A Washington, DC. top congressional policy advisor who is also LDS, has said the vast majority of GOP congressmen are endorsing Mitt Romney.

He thought a Mitt presidency was no longer improbable, but, it is now something that ‘could happen.’

So…, if Mitt Romney became President of the US (code name POTUS) won’t we have something we’ve never had before — a president who goes to a specific church?

All other presidents belonged to religions that didn’t have tight congregational boundaries. Now, think about that:

What Ward would POTUS be in?

If you are his new Bishop, here are your top 10 questions:

1. Will you allow an inaugural ball to be held in the cultural hall? Do you mount security cameras on top of each basketball rim and have a secret service detail stationed on the stage?

2. Can you call Mitt and Ann as the Nursery leaders… even if you really feel inspired?

3. Who is going to home teach them? Will you call someone who needs activation but may not pass the vetting and national security screening?

4. If Harry Reid and Mitt Romney are in the same High Priest group, will you need to be there to keep order?

5. Exactly how will tithing settlement work? Will the Secretary of the Treasury come too?

6. Will you be inviting the new Romney family to speak in Sacrament Meeting… and if they go a little over at what point do you ask them to sit down?

7. Will the Secret Service do a sweep of the building before each meeting? And if the Romney’s always leave before Sunday School, will the Sunday School president need to interview them? If they stay, where will you hold the class?

8. Can you call the Secret Service agents to help out in Primary?

9. If you give Mitt a calling and the two Democrats in the Ward raise their hand AGAINST sustaining him - partly out of habit - does the Supreme Court need to be involved?

10. If you can’t give them a calling (job), and they don’t attend very often (for presidential stuff) will that mean they’re ‘inactive?’ If they’re not active, can you give them a Temple Recommend? And if you do, can they go? Will the Secret Service have to screen the temple too?

11. If the President wants to hold Sacrament Meeting at Camp David or the White House for security reasons, is that a conflict of Church and State?

If you’re assigned to be the Romney’s home teacher:

1. Can you just drop by, no appointment?

2. Can you even call them for an appointment or do you have to go through the Chief of Staff?

3. Can you bring by Christmas sweets and cookies? Will they be analyzed? And for how many people - family, secret service details?

4. If you don’t come can the IRS do an audit on you?

5. Will they want to do a national security background check?

6. Do you have to have a permanent companion who has been vetted? Can you just grab any teacher or priest to come with you? And what if that priest has been a little wayward? Do you need to search him first?

7. Do you have to help him move in and out of the White House?

8. If Ann Romney gets sick, are you allowed to bring in meals or at least tell the Relief Society about it?

9. What can you share with the Bishop about the Romneys?

10. Do you have to ask them about their year’s supply?

11. If you get a late night call for a blessing will reporters follow you around wanting to know what was wrong and what you said?

If Mitt Romney is assigned to be YOUR home teacher,

1. Is telling the group leader you haven’t been home taught a national security breech?

2. If he wants to come at the end of the month, do you accept his reason, “I’ve been out of town”?

3. Will he drop by unannounced or will the media crews give him away?

Grin!

(I wish I knew who to credit for this. If anyone knows please let me know.)

I have suffered from chronic Adultitis, off and on, for years now.  I began to suspect the magnitude of the problem when I started reading Robert Fulghum.  In one of his books he mentions visiting a Kindergarten class and asking how many could, sing, draw, dance, etc.  To every question, the answer was a resounding, “I can!”, from each child.  Then he asked the same question of a group of college freshmen.  Most didn’t feel they could do any of those things.  They clearly had already been smitten with Adultitis.  I began right then on the road to recovery.  It isn’t as hard as you might expect!  But, I realized today that I had allowed this insideous malady to creep back up on me of late. 

So, now, just in time for New Years resolutions, comes a recovery program!  Actually, that is a gross oxymoron, for making New Years resolutions is indicative of Adultitis in its more advanced stages.

Without making any resolutions, plans or charts, I’m going to start right now to laugh more, play more, love more, read Fulghum more, and let my hair down more.  Who knows I might even try stage rushing!

Scoville Family Cemetery

This past summer, my sweetheart and I went ancestor hunting in Michigan, Ontario and Quebec where I found graves of many of my progenitors.  I just located some of those sites on Google Earth.  Here is a photo of the Scoville Family Cemetery on Scugog Island, near Port Perry, Ontario.  Google Earth Placemark ~GE1568.kmz

I regularly check the Week In Pictures at MSNBC.  There are always some amazing photos.  At the end of every December they do the Year in Pictures, they’re wonderful, especially the Space Photos.

Click on the photo to learn more about the JAXA, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and their HDTV images of the Moon.

In this case it gets a lot more expensive.

 

Spinning, Clinton Style 
 
 
Judy Wallman, a professional genealogical researcher, discovered that 
Hillary Clinton’s great-great uncle, Remus Rodham, was hanged for horse 
stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. 
 
The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows. On 
the back of the picture is this inscription: ‘Remus Rodham; horse thief, 
sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the 
Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and 
hanged in 1889.’ 
 
Judy e-mailed Hillary for comments. Hillary’s staff of professional 
“image adjusters” sent back the following biographical sketch: 
 
‘Remus Rodham was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory. His business 
empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and 
intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1883, he 
devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility, 
finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, 
he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned 
Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an 
important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which 
he was standing collapsed.’ 
 
And THAT is how it’s done folks!———–GET READY!!!! 

Snopes is pretty confident this isn’t true.  Regardless, it is funny.

In the gift shops of Newfoundland, this summer, we found funny little costumed creatures for sale.  We asked about them and learned of the Newfie tradition of Mummering.  This video pretty much tells the story. 

Have yourself a very Mummery Christmas!

I found a couple of photo collections with some amazing stop action.  You can view them here and here.

Here is a web site with 20 Pictures taken at exactly the right angle.  Very amusing.

rosemary-crushed-copyweb.jpg

Bent Objects has some pretty amusing art, using ordinary things found around the house.  Each tells a comical little story.  What a remarkable expression of the human imagination.

To get an idea if a hippopotamus is the right thing for you, watch this.  Who knew there’s even a song about wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas.

The opening of Peter Berg’s movie The Kingdom encapsulates US - Saudi history in a mere four minutes.  A little review that’s well worth watching.

Enjoy this week’s edition of Uncle Jay’s enlightening broadcast!

On December 12 I posted of video of Chris Bliss and his choreographed juggling performance.  I was impressed.  Today, I discovered a video of someone duplicating Chris’s performance but instead of juggling 3 balls, he uses five!  Be sure and watch to the grand finale. 

 What we have here is a video of my nephew (he’s the one in the red shirt, right at the beginning of the video) clambering on stage to, I can’t imagine what; to be with/be near/be about/be in close proximity to, Morrissey.  As you can see, he is not a teenager.  Neither of course is this Morrissey person.

First of all, watching the video didn’t present Morrissey as being a person of any particular talent, sex appeal, or charisma.

Second, this is obviously an expected, frequent and probably encouraged behavior.

Third, did my nephew receive something in return for this behavior?  Some payment, gratuity, bragging rights, applause or souvenir?

Fourth, does my nephew feel somehow sated by this experience?  Or will he seek to repeat the behavior to satisfy some lust or compulsion that I cannot imagine?

In short, would someone please help me understand why a frumpy old man would have the urge, controllable or not, to make contact, in such a manner, with another frumpy old man, who clearly doesn’t know him from Adam.

A Parol is a Christmas Lantern.  They are fundamental to the celebration of Christmas in the Philippines.  Having spent a couple of Christmases in that great land, these were favorites of mine.  I still miss the festive decorations that surrounded the season in the islands. 

My first Christmas there was a bit of a shock.  There was no snow.  There were no evergreens for Christmas trees.  But there were many many things about a tropical Christmas that I will always miss.

In many homes an entire banana stalk was set by the door and banannas given to guests as they ripened through the season.   Back then most of the Christmas trees were abstract art in some variation of a cone shape, often made of string and covered with more traditional ornaments.

There, as here, Jesus Christ, was central to the season.  There, as here, the warmth of love, family, giving and peace.  And celebration of the birth of the King of Kings, brought joy and happiness.

See more about Parols here.

Learn to make a simple Parol here.