An Elder Wirthlin Sampler

(Shamelessly cross-posted from my personal blog)

I think Elder Wirthlin was my favorite apostle, so I was shocked and saddened to hear it announced in my Computer Science 404 class on Tuesday that he had passed away Monday. I figured I'd do a little sampler of some of the talks that he's given that I've enjoyed a lot.

• This one really spoke to me: even though I'm a weird freak, I belong. I often think of his symphony of piccolos analogy.
  Concern for the One: "Tied to this misconception is the erroneous belief that all members of the Church should look, talk, and be alike. The Lord did not people the earth with a vibrant orchestra of personalities only to value the piccolos of the world. Every instrument is precious and adds to the complex beauty of the symphony. All of Heavenly Father’s children are different in some degree, yet each has his own beautiful sound that adds depth and richness to the whole."
  
  
• This talk pretty much sums up my philosophy of life and the importance of humor.
  Come What May, and Love It: "Have you ever seen an angry driver who, when someone else makes a mistake, reacts as though that person has insulted his honor, his family, his dog, and his ancestors all the way back to Adam? Or have you had an encounter with an overhanging cupboard door left open at the wrong place and the wrong time which has been cursed, condemned, and avenged by a sore-headed victim?
  
  There is an antidote for times such as these: learn to laugh."
  
  
• A great charity talk, and it was the backdrop for the indelible Conference moment when he started shaking during his talk (apparently due to locked knees) and Elder Nelson got up to support him so that he was able to finish it. A beautiful example of charity in action.
  The Great Commandment: "True love lasts forever. It is eternally patient and forgiving. It believes, hopes, and endures all things. That is the love our Heavenly Father bears for us. We all yearn to experience love like this. Even when we make mistakes, we hope others will love us in spite of our shortcomings—even if we don’t deserve it. Oh, it is wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us—even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will."
  
  
  
• I remember my mission president speaking on this topic when I was on my mission, and I really enjoyed the idea, and this Conference Address from Elder Wirthlin had a lot of the same thoughts (and now I can't remember which came first!). Either way, great stuff.
  The Abundant Life: "The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a religion of mourning and gloom. The faith of our fathers is one of hope and joy. It is not a gospel of chains but a gospel of wings.
  
  To embrace it fully is to be filled with wonder and to walk with an inner fire. Our Savior proclaimed, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”"
  

Also, I'd recommend this post of reminiscences of Elder Wirthlin. I'll miss his awesome spirit, but now he can be with his wife, and the church will move on and we'll get even more great new leaders.

Did you guys like his talks? Any special memories of him?

The White Album Turns 40

Only a bit older than mom and dad, there's the "The Beatles" a.k.a. "The White Album", which turned 40 on November 22. NPR had a great program commemorating it that I found fascinating. They include a bunch of outtakes, songs that didn't make it onto the record, and rough versions of the final songs we know and love so well.

My guess is that Dad and Benjamin will also appreciate the interview, mom maybe a little, and Diana, maybe you shouldn't even bother. But here's the link to the mp3. Mom, you should pay particular attention to the discussion of your least favorite Beatles song: Revolution 9 (the word song there, of course, is used in the loose sense); it starts a little after the 22 minute mark.

The White Album is my favorite Beatles album so this was quite a treat for me. Let me know what you think? Learn anything new? Gain any more appreciation for Revolution 9?

A Tortured Nation

Here's a link to an article I co-wrote with a guy from my ward in California when I was working with Palm last summer. It came out in the Political Review today, a BYU political newsletter thing. Let me know what ya think!

Ruling on Guns Elicits Rebuke From the Right

Guys: I thought this was pretty interesting comment on judicial philosophy, and from an unusual source.

Dad



October 21, 2008

ADAM LIPTAK

WASHINGTON — Four months after the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess guns, its decision is under assault — from the right.

Two prominent federal appeals court judges say that Justice Antonin Scalia’s majority opinion in the case, District of Columbia v. Heller, is illegitimate, activist, poorly reasoned and fueled by politics rather than principle. The 5-to-4 decision in Heller struck down parts of a District of Columbia gun control law.

The judges used what in conservative legal circles are the ultimate fighting words: They said the gun ruling was a right-wing version of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that identified a constitutional right to abortion. Justice Scalia has said that Roe had no basis in the Constitution and amounted to a judicial imposition of a value judgment that should have been left to state legislatures.

Comparisons of the two decisions, then, seemed calculated to sting.

“The Roe and Heller courts are guilty of the same sins,” one of the two appeals court judges, J. Harvie Wilkinson III, wrote in an article to be published in the spring in The Virginia Law Review.

Similarly, Judge Richard A. Posner, in an article in The New Republic in August, wrote that Heller’s failure to allow the political process to work out varying approaches to gun control that were suited to local conditions “was the mistake that the Supreme Court made when it nationalized abortion rights in Roe v. Wade.”

Sharp criticism of a recent Supreme Court decision by federal appeals court judges is quite unusual, though these two judges — both Reagan appointees — are more outspoken than most.

Judge Wilkinson, who sits on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in Richmond, Va., was recently considered for a spot on the Supreme Court. Judge Posner, of the Seventh Circuit, in Chicago, is perhaps the most influential judge not on the Supreme Court.

Not all conservatives agree with the critics, of course. Robert A. Levy, a libertarian lawyer who was a principal architect of the victorious strategy in the Heller case, rejected the comparison to Roe.

The two sides in the Heller case claimed to rely on the original meaning of the Second Amendment, based on analysis of its text in light of historical materials. The amendment says, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

The more liberal justices said the amendment protected only a collective right tied to state militias, thus allowing most gun control laws. The more conservative justices found an individual right and struck down parts of a District of Columbia gun control law.

In Judge Wilkinson’s view, the upshot of the court’s extensive historical analysis was that “both sides fought into overtime to a draw.”

Others said the quality of the combat was low. “Neither of the two main opinions in Heller would pass muster as serious historical writing,” Jack Rakove, a historian at Stanford, wrote on the blog Balkinization soon after the decision was issued.

The strong reaction from the right after Heller was preceded, with a sort of symmetry, by liberal support for an individual-rights reading of the Second Amendment. For much of the 20th century, the conventional view of the amendment had been that it only protects a collective right. (Warren E. Burger, after retiring as chief justice in 1986, called the individual rights view “one of the greatest pieces of fraud — I repeat the word ‘fraud’ — on the American public by special interest groups that I have ever seen.”)

But some prominent liberal law professors, including Laurence H. Tribe of Harvard, Akhil Reed Amar of Yale and Sanford Levinson of the University of Texas, have concluded, sometimes reluctantly, that the amendment in fact protects an individual right. Professor Levinson’s seminal 1989 article in The Yale Law Journal captured the tone of the enterprise. It was called “The Embarrassing Second Amendment.”

In an interview, Professor Levinson said, “The result in Heller is eminently respectable.” But he added that he understood why some conservatives were upset. “People say the Roe court was too interventionist,” he said. “So is the Heller court from that perspective.”

Judge Wilkinson’s basic critique is that the majority, like that in Roe, used an ambiguous text to impose its policy preference on the nation, at great cost to the democratic process and to local values. He assumed, as most experts do, that the decision would apply to the states.

“In both Roe and Heller,” Judge Wilkinson wrote, “the court claimed to find in the Constitution the authority to overrule the wishes of the people’s representatives. In both cases, the constitutional text did not clearly mandate the result, and the court had discretion to decide the case either way.”

Judge Posner built on themes in his recent book “How Judges Think,” which argued that constitutional adjudication by the Supreme Court is largely and necessarily political. The Heller decision, he wrote in The New Republic, “is evidence that the Supreme Court, in deciding constitutional cases, exercises a freewheeling discretion strongly flavored with ideology.”

Indeed, Judge Wilkinson wrote, “Some observers may be tempted to view Heller as a revenge of sorts for Roe” or “a sort of judicial tit-for-tat.” As Judge Posner put it, “The idea behind the decision” in Heller “may simply be that turnabout is fair play.”

Mr. Levy, who helped win Heller, said some conservatives wanted almost all decisions to be made by the political branches rather than the courts.

“But these are constitutional rights,” Mr. Levy, now chairman of the Cato Institute, a libertarian research group, said of the rights protected by the Second Amendment. “They are not rights consigned to the legislature.”

The analogy to Roe, he went on, is misguided. There is no reference to abortion in the Constitution.

The Second Amendment, by contrast, indisputably protects a right to keep and bear arms, though there is sharp disagreement about the scope of the right. Mr. Levy said the natural reading of the amendment, one supported by historical materials, was that it protected an individual right.

In his article, Judge Wilkinson wrote that he “readily agreed” that Roe “involved the more brazen assertion of judicial authority.” But he added that the Roe and Heller cases shared a number of common flaws, including “a failure to respect legislative judgments,” “a rejection of the principles of federalism” and “a willingness to embark on a complex endeavor that will require fine-tuning over many years of litigation.”

Judge Wilkinson saved particular scorn for a brief passage in Justice Scalia’s opinion that seemed to endorse a variety of restrictions on gun ownership. “Nothing in our opinion,” Justice Scalia wrote, “should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.”

Whatever else may be said about the Second Amendment, Judge Wilkinson wrote, those presumptions have no basis in the Constitution. “The Constitution’s text,” he wrote, “has as little to say about restrictions on firearm ownership by felons as it does about the trimesters of pregnancy.”

Mr. Levy, too, said he was not a fan of the passage. “I would have preferred that that not have been there,” he said. “It created more confusion than light.”

It is too soon to say much about the legacy of Heller. But Judge Wilkinson said that Heller, at a minimum, represented “the worst of missed opportunities — the chance to ground conservative jurisprudence in enduring and consistent principles of restraint.” At worst, he warned, “There is now a real risk that the Second Amendment will damage conservative judicial philosophy” as much as Roe “damaged its liberal counterpart.”

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: October 23, 2008
An article on Tuesday about conservative criticism of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the application of the Second Amendment to gun control in the District of Columbia omitted two words from a passage in the decision concerning gun regulations that remained presumptively lawful. “Nothing in our opinion,” Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the majority, “should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.” The words “felons and” were omitted.

Happy Hallobamaween!

I thought this was a silly but fun video with a great political message (try to guess which candidate the video's makers support).

Almost Perfect, but...

The Smith Family blog has been quite neglected of late! Here's a poem that's been rattling around in my brain recently. It's an old classic from Shel Silverstein, who is often able to make profound points with silly humor:

"Almost perfect... but not quite."
Those were the words of Mary Hume
At her seventh birthday party,
Looking 'round the ribboned room.
"This tablecloth is pink not white--
Almost perfect... but not quite."

"Almost perfect... but not quite."
Those were the words of grown-up Mary
Talking about her handsome beau,
The one she wasn't gonna marry.
"Squeezes me a bit too tight--
Almost perfect... but not quite."

"Almost perfect... but not quite."
Those were the words of ol' Miss Hume
Teaching in the seventh grade,
Grading papers in the gloom
Late at night up in her room.
"They never cross their t's just right--
Almost perfect... but not quite."

Ninety-eight the day she died
Complainin' 'bout the spotless floor.
People shook their heads and sighed,
"Guess that she'll like heaven more."
Up went her soul on feathered wings,
Out the door, up out of sight.
Another voice from heaven came--
"Almost perfect... but not quite."

This is a good reminder for me to focus on the GOOD things, not the imperfect things. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the poem! Love ya!

What I Learned From A Week of Vegetarianism

So, I'm obviously a bit late writing this post. Austin and I finished our week of vegitarianism last Sunday, and I've been mulling over what I learned (or didn't learn) during a week of eating no meat. Here are some things I personally felt:

1) I don't eat enough vegetables. Even during the week of being dedicated to this, I still didn't eat enough of this food group. This is a bad thing, and I was made aware of it during the week, which leads me to my second point:
2) Vegetarianism does not necessarily equal "heathly" eating. Pop tarts are "vegetarian" - so is chocolate, sugary cereal, and banana bread (all of which I consumed during the week). It's a reminder to me that no "diet" can really substitute for a balanced diet (in the best sense of the word "diet" - not the quick fix type). Most of my meals are based around meat and/or carbs. This week experiment made me think about how I need to change that. I think one of the main principles of Word of Wisdom eating is "moderation in all things" - so meat eating is okay, in moderation.
3) I like meat. I like its smell, its taste, and its texture. I'm going to keep eating it, and I don't feel bad about doing so. In Eliza Doolittle's words, this probably makes me a "heartless guttersnipe."
4) I don't enjoy eating veggies. Vegetables simply don't taste as good to me as other things (unless slathered in butter). This weekly experiment reminded me that I need to make a conscious effort to include veggies in more meals. Vegetables do have important nutrients .

Austin, what did you think? Anybody else have anything to add?

How many Americans think we shouldn't take sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict?

The answer, surprisingly enough, is 71%! From an interesting article about popular opinion being politically taboo. The main example given is that the vast majority of Americans (one side never gets over 70% on a controversial issue like this--though I guess that's the point, it isn't really controversial among actual Americans) don't think we should take sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict, yet if any politician promotes that view they are skewered. It is troubling that we can't really have any substantial debate on this issue. I agree with the view that we should be impartial; both sides have been pretty stupid in that conflict, and I think we should work towards peace and dignity for both Israelis and Palestinians, but I don't feel good about automatically backing up everything Israel does.

What do you think? Should we become more impartial in the region, or is our pro-Israel stance justified? Do you think there are some topics in American politics that are just viewed as taboo despite popular opinion that goes against the status quo?

This video makes me happy

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

What do you think?

Just in case you weren't convinced yet...

Waterboarding is indeed torture. So says Christopher Hitchens, who didn't think so until he underwent the process himself and recorded it on video for us all to see. So sad that our country is ok with torturing people.

Root Beer Taste Test

I thought this was a fascinating article. The New York Times wine critics did a Root Beer taste test! One of my favorite parts was their tasting report: "Plays well with ice cream." The only one on their list that I'd ever heard of was IBC, which came in at number 2 (they tried 25 different brands total and ranked their top ten). Apparently these brands are "generally available in good retail shops and on the Internet." Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

In Training

Dad and I thought this article about the importance of hard work, preparation, and goal-setting was pretty good, so we're sharing it with you all. Make sure to read the title closely!

What do you think, should we apply this message to the Sea Gull Century Bike Ride that Dad wants to do for his birthday?

Update: fixed the link, though the erroneous link goes to an interesting article too! (good catch, Dad)

Looking at Eternity through an Escherian Lens

Thy mind, O man! if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens, and search into and contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity—thou must commune with God.

--Joseph Smith, from The Teachings of Jospeh Smith, ed. Joseph Fielding Smith, pg. 137


I was looking at all the pictures that Helen's mom took of the Escher prints and it reminded me of some random gospel connections in some of his work. For example, this first one, called "Circle Limit III" is how I've always envisioned God's omniscience. We are like the little fish things in the print: it looks like our universe extends infinitely in every direction--and it does!--but God is outside of it and looking down on it, so he can see everything in it all at once. And at the same time, he doesn't know everything, but he does know every possible thing going on in our universe. Just like we can see everything in the fish things' universe all at once but if we look up off the page we can't see everything at once in our universe.


This next one is what I think of as hell: always going in circles, perhaps with a false sense of getting somewhere and surrounded by people who think the same, but never progressing at all. The weird hoods that hide the climbers' faces just makes it better. I think Satan is one of the guys just sitting there beneath, watching or moping.

What do you think? Are my theological musings pointless or inspired? How do you try to comprehend the infinite? Have you ever used art or any other medium for trying to understand the eternities?

Immigration

Hey guys, this is an old article that I'd heard about but just stumbled across. Interesting view on immigration.

Dad

Debate resumes over illegal immigrants' status in LDS Church
By Dennis RomboyDeseret NewsPublished: Friday, Feb. 15,

2008Comments made by an LDS Church leader this week again stirred debate in Mormon circles about whether the church should baptize illegal immigrants or allow them to enter its temples.
"The church's view of someone in undocumented status is akin, in a way, to a civil trespass," said Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the Seventy, relating it to coming onto someone's property uninvited. "There is nothing inherent or wrong about that status."
Elder Jensen's comment came Wednesday during an interfaith forum on immigration at Westminster College in response to an audience question.
The LDS Church has no official policy on illegal immigration nor does it ask local clergy to question prospective converts or members seeking temple privileges about their citizenship status.
"The church does not see itself as an enforcement agency," Mark Tuttle, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said Thursday, repeating earlier church statements.
That doesn't sit well with some Latter-day Saints who wonder why the church baptizes people and issues temple recommends to members who live in the country illegally. To qualify for a recommend, they must avow to a bishop and a stake president that they are honest in their dealings with others.
Some members can't reconcile church membership and illegal status, particularly in light of one of the church's Articles of Faith that states, "We believe ... in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law."
"I wonder how they'd feel about the second great commandment, to love thy neighbor as thyself. It's not an answer to your question, but it's another question. Sometimes it's hard to do them all," Tuttle said.
Discussion about how local church leaders deal with undocumented immigrants arose on the heels of remarks Elder Jensen made earlier this week.
Speaking on behalf of the First Presidency at the interfaith forum, Elder Jensen asked Utah lawmakers to consider proposed immigration legislation with a "spirit of compassion." He called for a more "thoughtful and factual, not to mention humane, approach" to the issues.
The Legislature is debating a string of get-tough-on-illegal-immigration bills including measures to revoke driver privilege cards and repeal in-state tuition options at state colleges and universities.
While reiterating the LDS Church is politically neutral, Elder Jensen noted that immigration is not only a political issue but a moral and ethical one.
Addressing the matter of baptism and temple rights for undocumented immigrants, Elder John C. Pingree, an Area Seventy, told the Deseret Morning News in 2005, "It's not a problem for me."
Questions about citizenship are not part of the formal interview local leaders conduct with people before they join the church or attend the temple, which is open only to members deemed worthy. Bishops and stake presidents look for commitment to live the tenets of the religion, he said.
Enforcing immigration law is not the role of the church, said Elder Pingree, who served as a mission president in Mexico City.
"This isn't the church's issue," he said. "This is the government's issue."
The October 2005 interview with Elder Pingree came in response to a Morning News request to the LDS Church to speak with a leader about the church's stance on illegal immigration.
His comments were included in a story headlined, "Church chooses to stay out of questions of status," which was part of a Morning News series on illegal immigration.
The church, Elder Pingree said, does everything it can to encourage its members to stay in their home countries to strengthen local stakes and wards. "But once they're here, we want to make them feel like part of the community, a valued part of the community," he said.
Tuttle said Thursday that statements Elder Pingree made then remain accurate.

Mormon Bikers Unite!

I liked this post about Mormons biking to work a lot. It's presented in a Q&A format. A little taste:

Q: Dan, what does bike commuting have to do with Mormonism?
A: Well, bike commuting is a way for Mormons to show their willingness to take responsibility for their quality of life. In an age where SUV owners are actually setting fire to their cars to get out of ownership arrangements they can no longer afford, and where the news is characterized by mawkish profiles of “pain at the pump” and politicians either going to Saudi Arabia to grovel for more oil or calling silly Congressional hearings to whine at oil executives who manage no more than 12% of the world’s oil prodution, bike commuting is a way for us to reject the world’s flailing, pathetic response to financial adversity that results from our own consumption decisions. Besides, I read somewhere that if you go to heaven and mention that you lived in the time of $5/gallon gas and drove to work every day, a hush will fall over heaven and the pioneers will fall at your feet, rolling on the floor laughing at you.
Parenthetically, during the 1974 oil crisis, President Kimball responded to the crisis by asking members of the Church to start walking to church where possible, and he and Camilla led by example, walking to their meetings. Just one more reason he’s my favorite…

I'm so proud of our family, half of us ride bikes and/or walk to work often. Feels great, doesn't it? Let's keep it up!

The Essential Man's(Or Woman's) Library

I think I found this list on Digg a while back and bookmarked it for fun, although I looked back into since I have to pick a book to read over the summer. The requirement says I have to 'Read a novel or memoir by an author from a country other than the United States of America.' I was thinking something by Dostoevsky, because I've never read anything by him, although I'm open to other suggestions. What do you guys think? Also, I think the guy that made this list seems to have an abnormal admiration for Teddy Roosevelt. Maybe he's his favorite president or something.

Harry Reid has a new book out!?

I didn't know either. But it sounds interesting. Here you can read a positive review of it. I had no idea he'd been investigated as "Mr. Cleanface" and alleged to have been in the pocket of the mafia when he was Nevada Gaming Commissioner (he was cleared of all wrongdoing).

What do you think? Want to read it? Give it to dad for Father's day (what do you think about that, dad)? When is Father's day, anyways? Or maybe to Kevin when he gets home?

The Vermonster!

Okay, so I've heard a tale of a monsterous feat that our family should accomplish. Its almost as difficult as running a marathon(although probably just as grueling) and it will test the limits of your determination! The task: THE VERMONSTER! The largest serving of ice cream any store offers, as far as I know. Offered by Ben & Jerry's, this monster tub consists of the following:

• Twenty scoops of ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sorbet (usually five scoops of four flavors or four scoops of five flavors)
• Four ladles of hot fudge
• Four bananas
• Ten scoops of chopped walnuts
• One fudge brownie
• Three cookies
• Two scoops each of four different toppings
• Whipped cream

This behemoth is quite the opponent. If you want to see pictures of it, check here
I was thinking we should go for it at its most vulnerable point: the Ben & Jerry's headquarters when we visit Vermont. Sounds like a deal? I think so.

What to do in the District?

Hey, as you might be aware, Helen and her parents are going to be in town from June 3rd - 10th. We've got a bunch of stuff in mind to go see and do, but I thought it would be cool to get you guys' opinions on a few can't-miss DC hotspots. I'm thinking of things slightly less commonly known than the Capitol and the Lincoln memorial etc. What are your top recommendations?

Bonus: Helen and her parents want to go to a seafood restaurant at some point (I guess they figure it'll be better here than in the middle of desert Utah). Where would you recommend specifically for that as well?

Where were you?

I guess this post is aimed mostly at Mom and Dad. I read this really cool post over at By Common Consent about people's memories of where they were on June 8, 1978. Kind of like hearing about where people where when Kennedy was shot or on 9/11, but happy instead of devastated. Check it out, read the comments, there are some good stories in there. Dad, you were on your mission, right at the end of it, correct? Mom, you said the next week you were in a ward where a young black kid was able to pass the sacrament, right? Where exactly were you when you heard the news? What kind of changes have you seen in the church since then?

For Diana and Benjo (and me): how hard is it to even comprehend how different the church was back then? Any thoughts/impressions/whatever?

Bonus (x2): one of the responses on the original post linked to another awesome story here about the first black woman to serve a mission. Great story with her, and also read the fifth response there for another awesome anecdote about how that day changed peoples' lives miraculously!

What's your theological worldview?

I took an interesting quiz today designed to determine your "theological worldview" (whatever that means). Now, a quick disclaimer: No, I don't think a 50-question multiple choice quiz can accurately capture much of your spiritual feelings. Also, I think there is some serious bias in the questions and a lot of room for interpretation on some of the horribly ambiguous questions. Nevertheless, I don't think it's completely depraved, er, worthless, so give it a go here!

But, as usual, there is a catch! You MUST return here and post your results. MUST! That's right, no agency. Sorry. I found out I have a dictatorial worldview that has no respect for human choice. My actual results are in the comments...

Documentaries about Latter-day Saints

I just found a wonderful website by a BYU film professor that has short documentary films about everyday Mormons. It's called Fit For the Kingdom. I've watched the last four: Ramona is about a stay-at-home mom who used to be a professor at BYU, Rusty is about a recovering alcoholic weightlifter-poet, Leroy is about a crossing guard in Provo, and Heather is about a handicapped young girl who reminds me a lot of Laura Schwab.

So go to the website and watch some of them and then come back here and add a comment and tell us all what you thought. Please! It's worth it!

My Favorite Things

Top Ten Top Ten

I’m horrible at writing in my journal, but I want to remember the wonderfulness of my experience here at Brigham Young University. So, consider this a 7 year journal entry of what I love and will remember about BYU, it’s a Top Ten list of Top Ten lists. I wrote this mostly as a reflective experience, but I don’t want to bore you. Feel free not to read it at all! (we’ll also test to see if anyone actually reads this blog…)

Spiritual Moments

10) Book of Mormon Journal: One of my Book of Mormon professors made us read every day from the BOM and write about it in a Journal. It was a really good experience and forced me to ponder about what I read. I hope I still have that Journal somewhere K

9) Fall 2007 Stake Conference: I think this Stake conference really resonated with me because a lot of the talks were about life after college (or maybe that’s what I read into them). One of my favorite talks was about Moroni 10:34 and “denying not yourselves of Godliness” – i.e. remembering your worthiness.

8) Devotional, “How Great Thou Art”: My first devotional at BYU during Late Summer Honors, a quartet sang a beautiful rendition of this song, and I still remember the wonderful spiritual feeling that I had that God knew me personally. It was a big blessing especially since I worried about being a very small fish in the big pond of BYU.

7) Come Thou Font of Ev’ry Blessing, Acc 402, Junior Year: The dreaded “Junior Core” of accounting classes was really weighing on me. The class right before Thanksgiving, Prof. Monte Swain played us a clip of all the BYU Choirs combined singing this song. This peaceful and wonderful feeling just washed over me and I felt like I COULD pass my accounting classes without having a nervous breakdown.

6) General Conference, April 2007, Saturday Afternoon session: This was just after Grandma Bortolussi had passed away and I felt like so many of the talks spoke to me directly and comforted me. I remember watching this session in my apartment and just crying. After the session was over I just had to kneel and say a prayer of gratitude for the wonderful feeling of peace that I felt.

5) Mission Prep Sunday School class, Sophmore Year: I truly believe my bishop was inspired to have this class. My roommate Kara and I went to this Sunday school class, it really strengthened my desire to go on a mission.

4) Freshman Scripture Study Group: Alison Whiting, Taylor Hall advisor had a weekly study group meeting. She was a returned missionary and a great example—the things I learned in this class have stuck with me and I think this class helped me better understand what it means to have a personal relationship with Heavenly Father.

3) Music Room Prayer, Freshman year: A dear friend was in the hospital with a serious condition and I couldn’t do anything to help her. I went down to one of the Piano rooms in the basement of Taylor Hall and just prayed for her, a really simple prayer. I felt the Holy Ghost so strongly, like arms wrapped around me, comforting me. This experience is one of the ones that helped me understand how the Holy Ghost speaks to me.

2) Serving in the RS Presidency with Lauren, Jane, and Tara: Really blessed to know such kind and wonderful people, and learn from their examples of pure and Christlike service.

1) MTC and My Mission: I count this as a BYU experience since the MTC is in Provo a stone’s throw from BYU. The MTC was awesome and very spiritually strengthening, and I don’t have enough words to describe how awesome my mission was. My mission president wasn’t kidding when he said I would be grateful every day that I went on a mission (at least so far, it’s true).

People I’ll Remember

10) Professor Bob Crawford: Not because he was a good professor. The only professor I had at BYU who made fun of his students and did not care if they learned anything. If I am ever a teacher in ANY setting, I hope to not repeat his bad example.

9) All the BYU Democrats friends I made, especially those tried by the fire of the Cheney protest.

8) Bishop Smith: Without doubt, the best Bishop I had at BYU, he knew each of the ward members and cared about each of them. Just a really good, kind man and a truly generous spirit. He was a really good example of seeking the lost sheep and taking care of those who were still in the fold.

7) Sister Goff: The wife of our ward clerk in Bishop’s Smith’s ward. She was such a great lady, knew a lot about music and helped me so much when I was choir director/ward music director. She managed to support me in my calling without making me feeling like I was bad at it.

6) Professor Pinegar, Finance professor: Though I don’t like finance, Professor Pinegar was the exact opposite of Professor Crawford. He cared deeply about his students’ success and was the best business professor I had at integrating spiritual subjects into class. He also still remembers my name when I see him, 1 ½ years after I had him as a professor.

5) Professor Scott Cooper: Took a really great international economics class from him, and then worked as his research assistant. It was a great experience because I had a good mentor relationship with a professor. Professor Cooper forced his research assistants to critically examine their assumptions, and I really improved my writing skills.

4) Jessica Jones (even if she is from Maryland): Our friendship grew from a Virginia-Maryland rivalry, shared mocking of American Heritage class, and next-door neighborness. She is a dear dear friend!

3 & 2) Kara Merrill and Lauren Major: Can’t rank one of these girls higher than the other. Both of them are my roommates this year, and I’ll be brief: BEST ROOMMATES I EVER HAD. They are fun girls and I’ve enjoyed this year SO SO much thanks to them.

1) Austin. Either I matured, or he did, or both. Still, I’ve realized by taking a class with him this semester that I’ve gotten to know him better over the past years at BYU and he’s now my friend. I’m really glad we went to the same college (not sure if he would say the same).

Best Classes I took at BYU

10) American Heritage: the religious propaganda notwithstanding, this class was fun, if only because I dearly love American history (and the professor showed clips from the Simpsons).

9) Honors 200 (Freshman writing): I liked this class, and it did prepare me well for college level writing. I still think about things we discussed in this class (deconstructing the meaning of the Family Proclamation’s choice of words, for example).

8) MBA 509 (Professional Communication): a really “easy” class, but full of practical knowledge about how to give better presentations, write clearly, and answer questions well.

7) PL SC 150 (Comparative Gov’t): Donna Bowen, who taught this class, is a Mid-east expert and a fabulous and engaging lecturer. I took the class on the cusp of the Iraq war, and we studied Iraq. A really fascinating and topical class (and what motivated me to be a poli sci minor).

6) Russian classes: Yes, I am a huge Russian nerd now. I loved my Russian culture class when I came back from my mission, as well as the grammar, business language, and literature classes I have taken since.

5) MBA 632 (Social Entrepreneurship): When you read a book for a business class called “Building Zion,” that’s just plain awesome. All about how to use business principles for good instead of filthy lucre.

4) MBA 582 (Business Ethics): I really liked Professor Vernon, who taught this. It was a class full of discussion and grey areas and different opinions, which I really enjoyed.

3) Acc 200: Ahh, the joy of the first accounting class I ever took. There I learned the immortal maxim which will shape my career (“Debits = Credits”). Norm Nemrow is amazing.

2) Acc 523 (Tax Research): At the time, I probably didn’t appreciate this class because I took it before all my other tax classes. But, it has been extremely useful because it taught me how to read the internal revenue code and write research memos, stuff I will be doing a lot in the years to come.

1) Rel C 211/212 (New Testament): Stephen Robinson was an amazing teacher and I read the New Testament with different eyes thanks to him.

Silly Things (some of which I won’t miss)

10) Craziness related to marriage. For a statistics class, we did a survey of wedding ring prices and percentage of girlfriends who “Dear John” their missionaries. Bishops admonish people to get married as soon as possible. Front page newspaper articles are written about marriage trends, dresses, rings, etc. People get engaged after dating for weeks. Provo Mormon culture is so silly.

9) Snowmen. People build snowmen around all the statues on campus, it cracks me up.

8) Pedestrian traffic director. There used to be a unique individual who would dress up in a multi-colored wig, dance around to his boombox, and “direct traffic” between classes. He did it just to bring a smile to people, and it’s people like that that make me laugh.

7) Paper airplanes: for Acc 210 we got to fly paper airplanes through the atrium of the Tanner building. Mine crashed and burned (figuratively).

6) Chalk circles. The BYU Honor code has a phrase in it about how Karl G. Masaer (one of the 1^st BYU presidents) would never step outside a chalk circle if he had given his word of honor that he wouldn’t. So people like to draw chalk circles around his statue. I’ve also see people throw hula hoops over him.

5) Bell chimes playing “Come Come Ye Saints” on the hour.

4) Soapbox: I don’t know what happened to this, but it was basically a box that they set up in Brigham square with a microphone. Anyone could get up there and say silly things like “people who have two earrings in one ear aren’t good Mormons.”

3) “When the Saints go Marching In”: I don’t think they play this tune when the library closes anymore, but this music is what I remember from staying the library til midnight during Sophmore/Junior year.

2) Divine Comedy. Not the book, the BYU comedy group. I think they’re hilarious, kind of a Mormon version of SNL.

1) Letters to the Editor/Police beat: the two best parts of the Daily Universe newspaper. The Police Beat is usually hilarious because it involves things like people calling the police to report suspicious people loitering who turn out to be BYU students waiting for their ride.

Foods I Associate with BYU/College Time

10) Pizza: for some reason, my taste buds evolved during college, and I like pizza now.

9) Cornbread in applesauce: I know this sounds strange, but this was one of my favorite things to have for breakfast freshman year. It’s good, I promise.

8) Water chestnuts: I had no idea what these were until I got a salad with them in the Cougareat. I really liked them freshman year, because I would use my meal plan to buy salads sometimes.

7) Funeral potatoes: this is more of a Utah tradition thing (although I think Mom makes them). I have had them at countless ward functions or BYU dinners.

6) Sconecutters: another great Utah tradition. But still not as good as Mom’s.

5) Homemade Oreos: Kara taught me how to make them Sophmore year. Yum!

4) Creamery Ice Cream: I love the names of their flavors, and it’s so delicious.

3) Fresh bread: Almost every morning Sophmore year, I would buy a mini-loaf of hot, fresh white or wheat bread with honeybutter at the Cougareat. So dang good.

2) Subway sandwiches: the on-the-go lunch of college champions.

1) BYU Mint Chocolate Brownies. Chocolate, minty goodness.

Memorable Events

10) Senator Reid’s visit! How awesome is that – the U.S. Senate Majority Leader is a MORMON (and a Democrat, too, as a bonus!).

9) Hunger Banquet: a good visual image of inequality. A few people get a really good meal, a few more get pizza, and the rest of the world (representing the third world) gets rice and beans. You learn about poverty and the money donated goes to help people!

8) September 11^th: This happened about 1 ½ weeks into my Freshman year. Still remember where I was when I heard the first plane had crashed, and then the second. It was a confusing and scary time, for sure.

7) Iraq War (pre- and post- faculty panels): Before the Iraq war, there was a faculty panel sponsored by BYU where faculty members spoke in favor of the war. After four years had gone by, there was another faculty panel where 3 out of 4 professors spoke out against the war. Hindsight is 20/20.

6) Dinners with the Gongs: these were really fun when I was a freshman/sophomore. They were like mini-McLean reunions.

5) Honors Conference with Richard Dutcher: not sure if this was Freshman, Sophomore, or Junior year, but this Honors Conference was really thought-provoking and inspired me with more desire to be creative.

4) Opening Ceremonies at the Olympics: so fun.

3) BYU/Utah football game, freshman year. We won by like three points in a close game at LaVell Edwards stadium. Everyone rushed the field, it was an incredible moment of energy.

2) Cheney protest: I won’t bore you with the details you already know.

1) Graduation!!!!!!!! (if I don’t flunk out)

Nature Appreciation

10) Snow in springtime: almost every April I’ve been here, it has snowed, and it’s a really pretty sight to see budding trees covered in snow. It reminds me of the Russian phrase “White Whiteness” to describe a snow/ice storm.

9) Sprinklers: Many times walking down from campus at night, I have gotten the wonderful surprise of sprinklers. I guess that’s what happens when you live in a desert.

8) Flowers on campus: the grounds crew works really hard to plant pansies, daffodils, and all the beautiful flowers that BYU, I enjoy the flowers every day.

7) My Favorite Color Mountains: Coming out of my freshman American Heritage class, the sun was setting in the west and it hit the mountains just right, making them purple. Just for me.

6) Rock Canyon park: A really pretty rock canyon (aptly named) in Provo, it also has really good sledding hills.

5) Provo Temple: Man-made, but I’ve still come to love its beauty at night when it’s lit up. You can see it coming off the freeway in South Provo, or coming down the hill from Orem

4) Driving across country: Now, the plains states are boring, but driving through Ohio/West Virginia in the springtime is beautiful

3) Snow on Mt. Timpanogos: I love Timp!

2) Deer, 2 a.m.: Coming home from the library one night during Junior Year, I saw two deer on Masear hill. It was a beautiful and peaceful sight.

1) Provo Canyon/Sundance in the fall: beautiful leaves and sweet breezes.

Service

10) BYU Dairy Farm: during late summer honors, they bused us down to the Spanish Fork farm for a service project. In the rain, in a field of mud & cow manure, with old tools and wet clothes, we got to scrape old paint off a barn. We stood under the eaves so the rain dripped right onto us. I can laugh about it now, but at the time I knew it was the Worst Service Experience Ever.

9) Food & Care coalition: I’ve volunteered here a couple random times, it is a soup kitchen in Provo. Wish I could have spent more time here, I have so much I need to give back more.

8) Donating blood: before my mission, I liked to donate blood every six weeks or so. Jessica and I even did it over the summer in Virginia. Now my blood is polluted by Russian germs and I can’t donate anymore.

7) TOPS: Tutor Outreach to Provo Schools, where I volunteered for a semester during Freshman year. I realized I wouldn’t be a good elementary school teacher, but I loved it anyway, because the kids were fun to hang out with and talk to.

6) Enrichment teacher: my first calling, and I loved it. It was great experience and I got to know the sisters on my Freshman hall floor

5) TRC: The Teaching Resource Center at the MTC, I got to go and listen to the missionary discussions once a week for about a year. It is wonderful to hear the missionaries testify of Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith and the restored Gospel.

4) Guatemala trip: Christmas trip/vacation to Guatemala, it was wonderful to do a tiny bit of service on this trip.

3) Mission (okay, I’m double counting this experience on two lists…): maybe I wasn’t the best missionary ever, but I tried to love and serve the Russian people, who are amazing.

2) VITA lab: Volunteered in the “Volunteer Income Tax Lab.” I felt lucky to be able to help people with their taxes, it’s good to know that I can use my education not just for selfish reasons.

1) Going to the Temple (almost!) weekly during the last two years. Yeah for having the temple a five-minute drive away!

Classes I Wish I had Taken (of course, if I had taken all these, it would have taken me 37.6 years to graduate)

10) Greek & Roman Mythology

9) More classes about other religions (Islam, Buddhism, other Christian faiths, etc.)

8) Cooking class: so that I can make more than my five basic dishes.

7) Old Testament: I did take an Isaiah class, but the books of Moses and the rest of the OT still baffle me.

6) Church History class: where better than BYU to learn about Church history?

5) Jerusalem Center experience: someday I still want to travel to the Holy Land!

4) History classes: I should not have let my really boring freshman year history teacher turn me off from History. I love it, and it would have been fun to take college level courses in History.

3) Pearl of Great Price (especially w/ Stephen Robinson as a teacher)

2) A good tax & politics class: unfortunately, neither the Accounting nor Political Science departments offer a class on this subject.

1) Political economy of women: a really awesome class about women & politics, taught by two awesome professors: Donna Bowen and Valerie Hudson.

Favorite Books I Read (I’m not including the Standard Works here, those are a given)

10) Koran. Really. It’s good to know for myself that Muslim radicals completely invert the true teachings of the Koran.

9) Crime and Punishment (re-read it): A book about repentance and its complexities (at least that’s what *I* say it’s about)

8) Team of Rivals: really awesome book about Abraham Lincoln and his contemporaries.

7) Reading Lolita in Tehran: a complex look at real life in Iran.

6) The Audacity of Hope: don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Barack Obama is perfect or anything, but the man can write and truly inspired me.

5) My Sister’s Keeper (by Jody Picoult): a well-written fiction book with a gripping narrative.

4) State of Denial by Bob Woodward: the facts about why the Iraq war was (and is) poorly managed and understood.

3) Harry Potter: maybe it’s low brow, but I love all seven books.

2) Anna Karenina: I really like the characters of Levin and Kitty in this book, and it was good even though it’s probably the longest book I’ve ever read.

1) The Brothers Karamazov: a very Christian book that caused me to think about what I believe.

Nobody Knows

I thought this was a good review of Nobody Knows: The Untold History of Black Mormons. What are your thoughts? Want to see it? I want to buy it when it comes out on DVD.

Have an Average Day!

In case you didn't get my email, and especially if you did, here's a place to discuss this article. What do you think? Is that really a good attitude? I can see the benefits of it, but isn't there a place for large dreams too? I guess it's all a matter of balance.

Leave a comment and discuss! Share your thoughts!

Obedience through Blogging

Elder Ballard recently spoke at BYU-Hawaii's graduation ceremony, and told the graduates that they should participate in the "New Media", especially blogs. One salient quote is:

Now, to you who are graduating today, along with the other students at this wonderful university, may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet, particularly the New Media, to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration. Most of you already know that if you have access to the Internet you can start a blog in minutes and begin sharing what you know to be true. You can download videos from Church and other appropriate sites, including Newsroom at LDS.org, and send them to your friends. You can write to media sites on the Internet that report on the Church, and voice your views as to the accuracy of the reports.

So in the spirit of Elder Ballard's speech to BYU-Hawaii grads, let's actively blog here about what's going on in our lives and in the world, what we find interesting or uplifting, and what our plans, dreams, and aspirations are. Happy blogging!

The Obligatory Pointless First Post

Here it is! Welcome to the Smith (/Bortolussi) Family Blog! Enjoy!