Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

When I started reading this book I couldn't put it down.  It is about the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints.  They hold to the original teachings of the Mormon faith by practicing polygamy.  Some of the men have a few wives, others have had at least 40.  All of the founders of the faith were polygamists and they saw it as a gift and a requirement for salvation.
The book focuses on a family.  There were six Mormon brothers, and three of them decided to become members of the fundamentalist sect.  They became very obsessed with their new faith, and they decided that the wife and baby of one of the other brothers had to die.  The poor wife was newly married and had a baby girl.  She was upset at her husband's decision to join the polygamist sect and was opposed to his wanting more wives.  Two of the men willingly murdered them both because they believed that God wanted them to do that.
The FLDS church has made the news quite a few times over the last few years.  There have been children taken away from these compounds because they were being physically abused or forced into marriage at a young age.  There are many "lost boys" that the sect gets rid of so that there won't be a surplus of single men.  They single those boys out for small things such as wearing long sleeves.
This book is a glimpse into a subculture that is an enigma to most other people.  Though many members claim there is a lot of happiness, there are many former members that are glad to be away from that lifestyle.  I do believe that there can be a lot of love in those families, yet there are still many problems there too.

Comments from CNN about Haiti's Cholera Epidemic

 

I am appalled at all the arrogance here.

 

 

 

MyCollie2

To be quite honest. I'm tired of hearing about Haiti. I got my own problems. The country doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned.

0 minutes ago | Like | Report abuse

godscock

Haitian birth rate has gone up since the earth quake.

1 minute ago | Like | Report abuse

Guest

Haiti has always been a mess. Haiti will always be a mess. Get over it.

2 minutes ago | Like | Report abuse

Dan613

OK, I am for donating, and I actually did. But the question still remains... how do we know how the money is being spent? Is there any way to know? We are talking about millions and millions here... well, maybe my question is sort of stupid anyways...

19 minutes ago | Like | Report abuse

jokers1444

Apparently Jamaica, Barbados, the Antilles, the Bahamas, Martinique, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, and other Caribbean nations don't have any natural disasters. Or they do and they are able to cope. How much money has the US been asked for from those countries?

21 minutes ago | Like (1) | Report abuse

Nobias1776

Like spending tourism $ in those places, and they like getting the tourists and $ too.

16 minutes ago | Like | Report abuse

Alucinanto

"Who will supply clean drinking water? Who will make sure there are proper bathroom facilities? Who will dispose of the waste? Or for that matter, the dead bodies?" Etc., etc., etc., ad nauseum. These are the types of questions about which Zannini is thinking. What happens after all the Haitians ... more

"Who will supply clean drinking water? Who will make sure there are proper bathroom facilities? Who will dispose of the waste? Or for that matter, the dead bodies?" Etc., etc., etc., ad nauseum. These are the types of questions about which Zannini is thinking. What happens after all the Haitians get back on an even keel? Well, before long, there'll be another crisis — except, of course, that by then there'll be even more people in trouble. (Because all the people who were save will have bred another gazillion babies by then.) If sustainability isn't made an integral part of the equation, then Haiti is doomed! For that matter, without sustainability, the whole world is doomed. Think about it! less

28 minutes ago | Like | Report abuse

zoosphere

This seems very tragic. Probably, neighboring countries need to be prepared for the epidemic, and also the safety of aid workers in Haiti are concerned.

28 minutes ago | Like (1) | Report abuse

kittycat5

WHAT ABOUT THE POOR AND ILLITERATE IN A M E R I C A?

36 minutes ago | Like (1) | Report abuse

Mother Teresa's Anyway Poem

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
>
> If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
> Be happy anyway.
>
> The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
> Do good anyway.
>
> Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
> Give the world the best you've got anyway.
>
> You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
> It was never between you and them anyway.

Violet.

My cat Violet passed away.  I am very upset about it.  I have also lost other pets this year.  In May my mother's dog Sam passed away due to an illness.  My two old tomcats passed away last summer at the ages of 16 and 19.  I lost some rescued animals I took care of in Korea.  Now, just as I was returning home, I lost Violet.
Violet was among the best pets I have ever had.  She was a sealpoint Siamese cat that I received in 2006, just as I was returning from my first time in Korea.  She was totally attracted to me and followed me around constantly. She often sat near me and slept with me.  At the end of 2008 I returned to Korea without her. I would have a roommate that wasn't into animals.  I wish I didn't leave her behind.  I came home for Christmas in 2009 and was so happy to see her again.  I cried when she finally came back to my bedroom and walked around me. It would take her another day to finally get under the covers with me again.
On November 16 this year my sister's cat, Sasha was hit by a car and died.  My sister was heartbroken and brought her to my mother's house for burial.  That evening Violet got out of the house and ran away.  It turned out that she eventually found herself in a neighbor's window well of their basement.  She was very cold and didn't eat anything they offered her. They called animal control, where she was put into the town shelter.  Even though she was in a heated kennel, she was found dead in the morning.
I am so disappointed.  I regret leaving her behind.  I wanted to take her back to Korea with me, but I didn't think she would like the tiny apartment I had.  I was planning on going home last summer, at least for the summer itself, but I changed my mind and took a new job in Korea after my last contract ran out.  I wish I didn't do that.  I could have come home and saw my family, friends, and Violet.  The job didn't work out as I had hoped anyways.
2010 was such a horrible year when it came to pet loss, job troubles, and sickness for me. I don't want to relive it.  I thought I had enough, and then Violet had to pass away.  I am thankful that I know what happened to her, yet I wish I had my Siamese cat again.

Things I wanted to do in Korea

1. Visit Cheju Island.

2. Visit Ulleongdo, Oedo, and Geoje.

3. Go to Gyeongju.

4. Hike on the Baekdu-Daegan Trail.

5. Learn martial arts better.

6. Learn how to cook Korean food.

7. Take a boat to either Russia or China.

8. Write something about Korea for a website/newspaper and get it published.


9. Go to the World's Fair in Yeosu in 2012.

10. Visit Seonunsa and Dadohae Haesang Park.


In the end, I didn't get to do much of those things. I made it to yellow belt in Taekwondo, because I had such bad health I didn't get as far a I had hoped. I did want to make a blue belt in a year. oh well.  It doesn't matter, because I had fun anyways.

Being Negative

It is hard to be positive now.  I have had a very, very rough year.  Many things went wrong.  I sometimes felt that I just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up.  At least not in this world. I have just wanted to go to sleep and wake up and find myself in Heaven.  Yes, a place far away from all the problems and heartaches I have dealt with this year.
Yet, I know I must move on.  I can only hold regrets for so long.  I can't change the past.  I can only learn and keep going forward.
Yes, there is always hope.  There is hope in Jesus.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.--Revelation 21:4

Leaving Korea

Two weeks ago I finally left Korea. I had been thinking of leaving for a few months. I do wish I left earlier or had a long vacation earlier.  Things weren't going well for me there.  2010 was a terrible year. 
I know I am  being negative.  Yet, I had many mishaps there that I don't want to relive at all.  I do keep asking myself just WHY I didn't leave last summer for a long break, and try to get back later; or just WHY I didn't leave a few months ago since I did stay there last summer after all.  For many reasons, I wish I just left.
One thing I do have to accept is that I can't change the past.  What has happened has happened.  There is no going back.  In my mind I have been going back and changing things, yet that is all just in my head.  I do have to move on, yet it will take me a few weeks go get everything sorted out.