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Most Competitive Prices in the Industry
500 FREE Bullionaire Bucks when you Register
FREE Shipping on all orders above $75

2017-W 1 oz Platinum American Eagle Proof Coin - 20th Anniversary (w/Box & COA)

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2017-W 1 oz Platinum American Eagle Proof Coin - 20th Anniversary (w/Box & COA)

The American Eagle design is perhaps the most recognizable numismatic design in the world. The American Eagles are the official bullion coins in the United States and one of the most popular bullion coins on the marketplace. The mirror-like Proof finish on this coin only adds beauty to this amazing bullion.

Twenty years ago, on June 6, 1997, the US Mint produced its first legal tender coin made from platinum - the Platinum American Eagle Proof Coin. This astounding .9995 fine platinum 1 oz. piece was struck carrying the highest-ever denomination of a US legal tender - a $100 face value - and instantly became a huge hit among investors and collectors around the world.

2017 marks the 20th anniversary of its “most precious” of the precious metals coins by issuing them with their original 1997 designs.

Coin Features:

  • Coin made from .9995 fine platinum, weight of 1 troy ounce.
  • Coin struck at the US Mint West Point facility, which is reflected in the use of the “W” mint mark on the reverse field of the coin.
  • Weight and purity guaranteed by the U.S. Mint.
  • The max mintage limit - 10,000 pieces.
  • Coin comes in an original US mint box with Certificate of Authenticity.
  • The highest face value in American coinage - $100.
  • Obverse: Displays the face of Lady Liberty design below the word "Liberty," the year of mintage and "In God We Trust" to the side. "E Pluribus Unum" is engraved along Liberty's raised arm. Designed by John Mercanti.
  • Reverse: Features the magnificent heraldic American eagle with outstretched wings soaring in front of a sunrise with "United States of America" above. The weight, purity and $100 face value are also shown. Designed by Thomas D. Rodgers Sr.

At Bullion Exchanges, we are thrilled to give you the opportunity to own only the high-quality bullion coins. Order this exceptional 2017-W 1 oz Platinum American Eagle Proof Coin today and add it to your splendid collection. Click on ‘Add to cart’ and our experts will delicately wrap, pack and ship it you in no time. If you have any questions, write us a message or contact us by phone at 800.852.6884, and we will be happy to assist you.

Customer Reviews

Stunning coin (Review by Nico)
The proof version looks gorgeous! U.S. Mint is indeed offering amazing products year by year. Love it! American Eagle is "must have" for any collector.
(Posted on 8/4/2017)
Gorgeous Liberty (Review by Tom)
American Eagles are indeed one of the best series on the marketplace. Amazing coin with excellent quality! I was waiting for this Proof version! Thank you Bullion Exchanges.
(Posted on 7/24/2017)
Superb Coin (Review by Marco)
I collect American Eagle for 5 years now and I really love the platinum proof coins - very shiny and an outstanding quality. Superb!
(Posted on 7/20/2017)

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How is my order shipped?
Bullion Exchanges offers FREE SHIPPING for all orders above $75! Orders are shipped using USPS, UPS, FedEx, or Armored Vehicle at our discretion. All orders that total $250 or more require Signature Confirmation upon delivery. Orders are packaged discreetly using shipping labels that do not disclose or give any indication as to the contents inside.
Does Bullion Exchanges offer International Shipping?
Bullion Exchanges does not offer international shipping at this point; we only ship to US addresses and US people. We intend to add international shipping options sometime in the foreseen future. If you are an international prospective buyer, please sign up for our newsletters, as we will notify our mailing list when the international option becomes available.
What are your shipping fees?
Bullion Exchanges offers FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $75.
Is it Possible to Track My Package?
A tracking number is provided on all orders, you will receive e-mail confirmation that your order has been placed which will include the tracking number. Once logged into your Bullion Exchanges account the tracking feature can be used to see all tracking information pertaining to your order, as well as the scheduled delivery date. Please allow 24-48 hours for tracking information to be updated once your order has shipped.
Where will my order ship from?
All of our orders are shipped directly from our headquarters in New York City.
How long until my order arrives?
Orders will be shipped within 1-5 business days. Once shipped, orders typically arrive within 1-14 days. Please note that this is an estimation and actual times may vary.
Can I change my shipping address after I have placed an order?
We are unable to change any of the shipping details for credit/debit card orders. If payment is made by check or bank wire, we are able to change your address as long as the item has not yet been shipped.
Is my package insured?
All orders are fully insured by our insurance policy, however orders are only covered while in-transit. Coverage is terminated upon arrival of the package (marked as delivered or notice of signature from the carrier).
What if my products are damaged in transit or do not arrive at all?
Bullion Exchanges will honor requests for refund or exchange, however you must contact the Exchanges Customer Service Department within 7 days of receiving the product. If you wish to exchange a product you may be required to submit photography or other documentation to process the exchange. In the unlikely event that your package is lost or damaged in transit you will receive a refund full refund or replacement product..
Bullion Sales Tax in New York
Due to state and federal law we are obligated to collect 8.875% in sales tax on precious metals, however there are exceptions on purchases over $1000. Please contact us prior to placing an order if you are a New York State resident and are eligible for tax exemptions..

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The inspiration for BusheyDVD‘s inception came after a less than perfect attempt at converting a personal wedding video more than a decade ago.

Thankfully, in the years following, order our expertise has gone from strength to strength. BusheyDVD utilises professional quality hardware and software, website only quality brand DVDs and always provides the best quality editing and conversions possible.

We have transferred tens of thousands of tapes for our many satisfied customers and take pride in the excellent feedback we consistently receive.

We are a family-run business, and we will always treat your home videos as if they were our own. There is no job too big or too small, from one tape to 1000+ tapes, we will be very happy to help you.

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Quality And Quantity Of Technology Talent On The Decline?

TECNA survey of 1,500-plus executives offers national and regional views on business conditions, investment plans and policy concerns.

TECNA survey of 1,500-plus executives offers national and regional views on business conditions, investment plans and policy concerns.

Persistent Talent Shortage May Hinder Hiring Plans Of Tech Companies

Quality And Quantity Of Technology Talent On The Decline?

Posted by Heidi Schwartz

Technology companies across the country say they intend to hire new staff over the next 12 months, but those plans may be sidetracked by a continuing shortage of qualified tech talent, according to a new survey released today by the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA).

TECNA’s third annual National Survey of Technology, Policy and Strategic Issues survey reveals that the perception of the quality and quantity of tech talent has gotten worse. A net 74 percent of technology executives say there’s a shortage. Nearly a third categorizes the shortage as significant. By comparison, in the 2013 survey 69 percent of executives said there was a shortage, with 25 percent calling the shortage significant.

Tech talent quality.

The perception of a tech talent shortage comes at a time when 63 percent of executives say their companies intend to hire new staff over the next 12 months. Three-quarters of small firms (10-99 employees) and two-thirds of medium companies (100-499 employees) expect to add staff over the next year. Smaller percentages of micro firms (57 percent) and large companies (52 percent) plan to do so, as well.

“The skills shortage issue is one that affects technology companies from coast to coast and border to border,” said Steven G. Zylstra, TECNA chairman and president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council. “We’re in the midst of a great phase of ingenuity and innovation, and companies are poised to do even more, but the shortage of skilled workers poses a serious threat to their ability to reach their goals.”

“TECNA members are committed to doing all they can to ensure there is a sustainable pipeline of skilled new entrants into the nation’s technology workforce,” said Bob Moore, CAE, TECNA executive director.

Trends And Attitudes

Business sentiment: The survey reveals positive momentum in executives’ assessment of business conditions and the economy. Confidence in the U.S. economy made the biggest jump year over year, climbing from 56.4 (on a 100-point scale) in 2013 to 63.2 in 2014. Executives are most confident in their own companies (72.2), followed by the tech sector overall (71.9). At 54.6, the global economy had the lowest mark.

The six-month outlook is generally favorable, as well, with 65 percent of firms expecting improvement in their own companies; 47 percent in the tech sector; and 41 percent in the U.S. economy. Enterprise software firms, IT services firms and digital, media, apps and data firms have the highest expectation for improvement in business over the next six months.

Increased investments: Beyond hiring new workers, a significant number of companies have other business investment plans for the next six months. For example, 62 percent say they’ll invest in new product and business lines. Just over half plan more spending on advertising and marketing activities.

Growth Inhibitors: Concerns about the impact of the talent shortage registered the biggest jump when executives were asked about factors that could inhibit growth. But levels of concern about other issues either declined (general lack of confidence, government regulation) or held steady (lower margins, downward pressures on pricing, unexpected shock) from the 2013 survey.

Impact of Government: Executives gave low to middling marks when asked to rate how well government represents the interests of the technology sector. At the federal level, 45 percent said poorly or very poorly and 41 percent said “just okay.” Both figures are identical to the 2013 survey. At the state and local levels, the 2014 ratings were virtually unchanged from a year ago: 24 percent of executives said poorly or very poorly and 39 percent just okay.

Policy Priorities: More government support for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education at both the K-12 and secondary education levels should be the top policy priority in 2015, according to executives surveyed by TECNA. Following closely behind STEM education as an area for policy action is taxation and regulatory reform, cited by 42 percent of respondents.

Regional Breakdowns

  • Business sentiment is fairly consistent across all four regions, with executives in the West, South and Midwest slightly more confident than their counterparts in the Northeast.
  • Perception of the tech talent shortage is greatest in the West, where 80 percent of respondents say there’s a shortage. The South and Midwest came in at 76 percent each, with the Northeast at 69 percent.
  • Midwest executives believe their region is gaining momentum as a desirable location for tech startups. The Midwest’s self-assessment as a top-tier location increased 8 percentage points over last year – to 28 percent – the largest gain of any region. The West leads the way at 47 percent, followed by the South (42 percent) and Northeast (36 percent).

The 2014 National Survey of Technology, Policy and Strategic Issues is based on an October 2014 online survey of 1,561 senior (C-level) U.S. IT and business executives belonging to one of the regional technology associations affiliated with TECNA. The survey was conducted in conjunction with CompTIA, the IT industry association. The complete report is available online.

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Posen Collision

11037 Michigan Ave Posen MI 49776
(989) 766-2755
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1210 N 4Th St Jena LA 71342
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Tsr Inc was founded in 2010, and is located at 2695 N Sherwood Forest Dr in Baton Rouge. It employs 2 employees and is generating approximately $84,000.00 in annual revenue.

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This is a blog from the students of the Business Logistics class in Pompeu Fabra University. It has been created as a tool to develop our knowledge in the Business Logistics field. We want to be more aware of the global news in the economic sector, specifically those which are related to the logistics in the business.

What we want to make of this blog is a community where people engage in an active conversation and where every participant shares different opinions and creates original debates. This is why we introduced the section Community. It will enable us to create debates as well as share class notes in such a way that teamwork is reinforced.

On the other hand, we also want to be critical and develop a strong and consistent opinion on what we are learning. Therefore, the section papers will contain essays that one may find relevant to broaden specific knowledge or to create different opinions.

– Mireia Bigorra, Manel Saló & Oscar Valledor, blog creators


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Butchko Ten Year Anniversary Part II

Butchko: Reflecting on the Security Market in Our 10th Year

As most people know, we celebrated our 10 year anniversary on May 4. In my last blog I provided a glimpse of how Butchko Inc. was formed, paying particular attention to our values and competencies that made us successful.

In this blog, I look backwards and forwards in an attempt to provide you our perspective on how our industry navigated the last 10 years, where I think we are today, and where we are going.

In 2004, the security industry had the following attributes:

  1. Risk assessment methodologies exist, but no one methodology has become the industry standard.
  2. Integration is a hope, not a reality. Few technical systems are integrated.
  3. Security designs for buildings are performed by security consultants under the architect who managed most client communication.
  4. Few fully integrated access, video, intrusion, mass notification, intercom, and building management systems; many technology solutions are still proprietary.
  5. High-end security knowledge resident in government and military application areas, but level of maturity in commercial and industrial areas significantly lags.
  6. Few security certifications exist in commercial industry. Mainly CPP through ASIS, CFE through ACFE, and CISSP through ISC2.
  7. Video was primarily analog (0.3MP), DVRs were the leading technology.
  8. Biometrics and video analytics were the promise of the future.

Where are we Today?

  1.  Technical solutions are involving greater use of IT networks and technology.
  2. Manufacturers touting standards and open architecture, but struggling with the definitions and extent of truly ‘open.’
  3. ONVIF and PSIA pressing for industry standards for video and system interconnection. Progress being made, but still behind the IT world.
  4. Product development focus for ease of installation. However, many designers who have excellent knowledge of technology lack the core strengths in defining the most effective placement of protective systems.
  5. Large enterprises continue to stress the need for security leaders who understand business, not just law enforcement or ‘classic’ security.
  6. The alphabet soup of security certifications available and the sources of such are overwhelming – ASIS (CPP, PSP, PCI), BCCI, SIA, IAPSC, ISC2, and the list goes on.
  7. Video: Deployments continue to be more video-centric, with IP cameras being the prevalent product installed with HD or higher resolution.
  8. Biometrics and video analytics are still the promise of the future.
  9. Data analysis (Big Data) and visualization within command centers are driving business outside of security, and the security industry is trying to figure out how and if to get onboard.

Looking to the Future

  1. Metrics and Dashboards: To measure and drive security program performance increasing in acceptance.
  2. Visualization and Communication: Sharing of data across the enterprise increases the effectiveness of security as a business enabler.
  3. TCO: Systems design and purchase decisions more strongly incorporating life-cycle costs and benefits over purchase costs only.
  4. Program and Project Management:  The recognition by security executives that long term value can be identified and articulated through a persistent Program Management presence by an experienced program team such as Butchko and their partners, client project teams, and third-party suppliers.
  5. Executive Advisory (CEO, COO, CSO): To drive insights and guide the alignment of value. This helps the C-suite validate the value and effectiveness of detailed program development efforts which have formed the basis of Butchko, Inc. success.

It is our responsibility to drive change and innovation in our industry. More than ever before we take that as a sacred trust with our clients, partners and the industry as a whole.


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CoolEssay Review

CoolEssay Review

Service CoolEssay net has been in the custom writing business for only a few years. They are relatively new and not that well-known yet, which explains why we couldn’t find many company reviews. So, what do we know about CoolEssay service? Is this a legitimate company or just one more scam for students to avoid? Frankly, we already have our doubts about Cool Essay – poorly written content on their website is a red flag. Still, at we believe that every pay for essay service has the right to a fair trial. So, we hope for the best but prepare for the worst with this CoolEssay review.

  • Prices: Not So Affordable After All

At first glance, CoolEssay net has affordable prices that will suit most student budgets. A high school essay with 14-day deadline costs $10/page, while Ph.D. level writing with 3-hour deadline costs $49. The end price also includes free Title and Bibliography pages, free revisions and formatting and, surprisingly, a free e-mail delivery. For the record, we have yet to see a writing service that does make you pay for the delivery.

Cool Essay also offers some extra options and services to choose from. For instance, a Top Writer with 5-year experience in the field costs 25% more, while a Professional Writer costs 30%. You can check writer’s examples from previous orders for $5, and hiring an Editor will add 30% to your price. A one-page summary of your assignment adds $20 to the pile, and a Turnitin report cost another $14. Add some of these services to your cart, and suddenly it turns out that you pay for essay a drastically different price.

As for the CoolEssay discount code, it was surprisingly hard to find one for our CoolEssay review. The company clearly states they offer coupons for first-time clients and loyal customers alike. However, we could only find a 7% off CoolEssay service discount code at the very bottom of their discount page. It seems you’d have to contact customer support to get any other CoolEssay discount code for your order. All in all, your end price depends on whether you decide to use their extra options or not.

  • Overall Quality of Service: Decent

As always, we checked the company’s registration: London, UK. The support team facilities are located in Eastern Europe though. CoolEssay net states all their writers have Master’s and Ph.D. degrees and are native speakers from the US, the UK, and CA. We’ve seen more than one Cool Essay service review, disproving this otherwise though. Still, many customers confirm the overall decent quality of papers, with only occasional misspellings and grammatical mistakes. However, note that almost every positive CoolEssay review out there is from customers who order all those extra options above.

Cool Essay provides all the main types of academic writing, plus basic business writing and editing/proofreading services. Their deadlines range between 14 days and 4 hours, so you can choose from a variety of different urgency levels. CoolEssay service has a Revision Policy, allowing for unlimited free revisions for 14 days after the deadline. They also have a Money Back Guarantee, and promise a full refund on any stage before you approve the order.

  • Reputation On the Web: True Neutral

As we already mentioned, according to almost every positive CoolEssay review, service is okay only when you’re ready to pay extra. Still, even those positive reviews mention customers getting C grades at best for their papers. We’ve seen more than one CoolEssay review from satisfied international students, but American customers aren’t too happy with those grades. Moreover, we’ve found an alarming CoolEssay review about their refund policy. It seems you can request a refund only after 2 revisions, but before you approve the paper, so be careful.

To sum our CoolEssay review up, this service is legit, but clearly not the best choice out there. It can be pricey, and the quality that is acceptable for international students might be too low for others.

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Prophet, seer, and revelator

I often think that modern Mormons view the sustaining of their governing Church hierarchy as “prophets, seers and revelators,” as being exclusive to the offices. This is most readily apparent in the proclivity for us to refer to the President of the Church as “The Prophet,” when no such office in the Church exists. It was at Kirtland that Joseph, with ornate splendor, cracked the walls that separate people from prophets. And Brigham Young is perhaps the greatest fruit of his labor.

It was Joseph’s goal to instill God’s power into the people and to create a grand city of prophets. In 1835 and in dedication of their new temple to God, the priesthood rose in their various quorums and sustained the authorities of the Church. The Twelve were declared “prophets, seers and revelators.” I’m not sure that we can capture the zeitgeist of 1835, having heard that phrase repeated over and over in our lifetimes; but I believe that this was a great extension of the hand of God to His people.

And Brigham was a great beneficiary of this democratization. While he was a religious man and apparently experienced some gifts of the Spirit (notably glossolalia) he was no natural visionary or seer. After Joseph was killed and the Saints prepared for their doom in the West, Brigham made what I view as one of the most poignant confessions we have on record. Mary Rollins Lightner, heroine of the restoration, was one of Joseph’s wives, but was such, she later wrote, only as a result of her confrontation with an Angle. She remembered a bit of a conflict with Brigham in the waning days of Nauvoo and wrote that “he Said he would give anything to have seen what I had.” (1) Later near the end of his life, Susa Young Gates recorded that when asked if he had ever seen the Savior, Brigham responded that he hadn’t, and that he didn’t expect to until he died. (2)

Brigham was keenly aware of his own natural gifts and his relation to Joseph. At one point Brigham emphasized this when offering a predictive commentary to some visitors to his office: “I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet…” (3) It is uncertain if Brigham was alluding to Amos who made a similar claim:

7:14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:

15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.

16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD…

Jean Calvin, Mormonism’s archetypal foe, analyzed these verses in a way that is perhaps helpful when looking at Brigham:

…he indeed modestly says, that he was not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet: why did he say this? To render himself contemptible? By no means though the words apparently have this tendency; but it was to gain for himself more authority; for his extraordinary call gave him greater weight than if he had been brought up from his childhood in the schools of the

Like Amos, Brigham was an unschooled farmer and laborer; however, it was not the schooled prophets over which he attained primacy, but the natural prophets. In a Sermon delivered at the Tabernacle in 1860, Brigham spoke of “the characters of Oliver Cowdry, Martin Harris, and others, [and then] noticed that men, who have been natural Seers, and had many other remarkable gifts, had fallen away, principally because they had not Sufficient humility.” (4) The previous decade, he had similarly preached (speaking of himself in the third-person):

A person was mentioned to-day who did not believe that Brigham Young was a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator. I wish to ask every member of this whole community, if they ever heard him profess to be a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, as Joseph Smith was? He professed to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ, called and sent of God to save Israel. If you know what the calling of an Apostle is, and if there were ten thousand of them on the earth at the same time, you must know that the words of an Apostle who magnifies his calling are the words of the Almighty to the people all the time… Joseph Smith was a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator before he had power to build up the kingdom of God, or take the first step towards it. When did he obtain that power? Not until the angel had ordained him to be an Apostle. (5)

John Taylor in confronting one apostate defended Brigham and further explained what it means to be a natural seer:

Brigham Young in saying that He did not profess to be a prophet seer & Revelator as Joseph Smith was, was speaking of men being born Natural Prophets & seers. Many have the gift of seeing through seer stones without the Priesthood at all. He had not this gift naturally yet He was an Apostle & the Presidet of the Church & kingdom of God on the Earth and all the Keys of the Holy Priesthood & of Revelation was sealed upon him & the spirit & power of Revelation was upon him daily. (6)

Perhaps out of a measure of discomfort or out of respect for his dead friend, Brigham consistently avoided calling himself a prophet, seer or revelator. Elsewhere he was recorded saying, ” I am not going to interpret dreams; for I don’t profess to be such a Prophet as were Joseph Smith and Daniel; but I am a Yankee guesser;” (7) and “I have never particularly desired any man to testify publicly that I am a Prophet; nevertheless, if any man feels joy, in doing this, he shall be blest in it. I have never said that I am not a Prophet; but, if I am not, one thing is certain, I have been very profitable to this people.” (8)

Michael Quinn has noted that it wasn’t a regularity to sustain Church leaders as prophets, seers and revelators during the life of Brigham Young, except for conferences in 1855 and 1857 (9). This may be somewhat underrepresented as Orson Pratt recorded the Saint Louis Stake conference as affirming Brigham’s status as a prophet, seer and revelator in 1854 and conferences in England were doing the same. (10)

Despite Brigham’s reticence to employ the tripartite title, his co-religionists viewed him as bearing it. When the First Presidency and Twelve were rebaptized in the Endowment House font, each member of the First Presidency was re-ordained and commissioned as prophets, seers and revelators. (11)

Joseph ‘s vision was to use the Church as means to endow God’s people with gifts and power. Despite his proximity to Brigham, Wilford Woodruff obviously missed some of his comments; still his commentary on the nature of prophethood is an excellent analysis of Brigham’s behavior and our own potential within the Church:

It has been remarked sometimes, by certain individuals, that President Young has said in public that he was not a prophet nor the son of a prophet. I have travelled with him since 1833 or the spring of 1834; I have travelled a good many thousand miles with him and have heard him preach a great many thousand sermons; but I have never heard him make that remark in my life. He is a prophet, I am a prophet, you are, and anybody is a prophet who has the testimony of Jesus Christ, for that is the spirit of prophecy. The Elders of Israel are prophets. A prophet is not so great as an Apostle. Christ has set, in his Church, first, Apostles; they hold the keys of the kingdom of God. Any man who has travelled with President Young knows he is a prophet of God. He has foretold a great many things that have come to pass. (12)

  1. Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner, Autobiography, in B. Carmon Hardy, ed., Doing the Works of Abraham: Mormon Polygamy: It’s Origin, Practice, and Demise (Norman, OK: Arthur H. Clark Co., 2007), 48.
  2. Note, 1885, Susa Young Gates Collection, Box 11, Folder 1, Subfolder 1, Utah State Archives, Salt Lake City.
  3. Fred C. Collier, ed., The Office Journal of Brigham Young, 1858-1863, Book D (Hanna, UT: Collier’s Publishing Co., 2006), 5.
  4. Ibid., 184
  5. Brigham Young, Sermon, April 7, 1852, JD 6:319-320.
  6. Wilford Woodruff Journal, 5:549-550
  7. Brigham Young, Sermon, July 26, 1857, JD 5:77.
  8. Brigham Young, Sermon, October, 7, 1864, JD 10:339.
  9. D. Michael Quinn, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power (Salt Lake City: Signature), 251.
  10. Orson Pratt, Seer, 2:230.; Report of the London Pastoral Conference, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints…on Saturday and Sunday, December 25th and 26th, 1852… (N.p.:, n.d.), 1.
  11. Wilford Woodruff Journal, 4:460-461
  12. Wilford Woodruff, Sermon, December 12, 1869, JD 13:165.

  1. MarkinPNW says:

    This reminds me of the last line in the LDS Bible dictionary entry for “Prophet” ( which says that “In a general sense a prophet is anyone who has a testimony of Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost, as in Num. 11: 25-29; Rev. 19: 10”. When my daughter was serving a mission, I gave a talk in Sacrement meeting where I said that all of our missionaries are prophets out “prophesying” as they teach the Gospel of Christ by the Holy Ghost. Likewise, when any of us teach or testify of Jesus Christ and his Gospel by the power of the Holy Ghost, we are also Prophets (in this general sense).

  2. If Mary Rollins Lightner hadn’t been so obtuse, she wouldn’t have needed to have a confrontation with an Angle. …sorry, couldn’t resist.

    Very good post though, thanks!

  3. Peter LLC says:

    I am a Yankee guesser

    My new favorite Brother Brigham quotation.

  4. Staples, I’m curious how much of this was influenced by JSIII, David Hyrum, and the lineal priesthood. Was it a reference to Amos or to JSIII?

    I am fascinated by his uncertain relationship to native mystical powers. An interesting parallel to those of us who are supernaturalists more by desire than by aptitude.

  5. Mark Brown says:

    Excellent, Stapley. At the same event in Kirtland, Joseph Smith asked that “these, thine annointed ones, be clothed with salvation” in the prayer of dedication. Kirtland Mormonism was a place where everybody was a prophet and everybody was one of the Lord’s annointed.

  6. …would God that all the LORD’s people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them! (Num 11:29)

  7. SC Taysom says:

    Interesting insights. I’m curious though about how you would work around the tensions that tended to arise when individuals took the idea of a “grand city of prophets” too literally. The incidents involving Hiram Page and Ms. Hubble might complicate your model of democratization inasmuch as they suggest that Joseph was concerned about his position as THE Prophet among prophets. I like your take on this, I’m just curious about the other side of the coin.

  8. smb # 4, the same thing struck me. BY certainly seems to have been more the process man and recognized that himself.

    At the same time, I think the Apostle angle noted here is extremely important both to understanding this period of the Church’s history and to understanding the leadership of the Church today. It is something that we perhaps do not think about enough.

  9. MarkinPNW says:

    Maybe this is a threadjack, but I used to think that I became one of the “Lord’s Annointed” when I received my washings and annointings just before taking out my endowments, but now I tend to think that I became one of the Lord’s Annointed when I received the Gift of the Holy Ghost after being baptized (not that I am any great example of what one of the Lord’s Annointed should be, what with all of my mortal weaknesses I am probably far from such an ideal).

  10. Sam, that is a great question. The Smith family was absolutely primate and Brigham publicly differed to David. That Brigham would not pretend to be a replacement for that family is consistent with his history. Brigham’s own family was not without visionaries, though; but he himself appears to not have been naturally gifted. Whether his “not a prophet, nor son of a prophet” was a reference to scripture, to the Smith family, or both, we can only guess, but I think that that they are all likely.

    Taysom, there is no doubt that Joseph didn’t have much patience for challenges to his authority and control. There is a great tension and it is seen in just about every one of his organizations (the anointed quorum was perhaps the most successful, in my opinion). I mean, how can you have a “democracy” with an ordain “Prophet, Priest and King” over it all?

  11. Great stuff, J. Understanding more deeply how BY saw himself is an important key in understanding the place of “The Prophet” after JS. Josh Probert, PhD. student at Brown University, wrote his 2006 Bushman fellowship paper on BY’s developing sense of prophet-ness. IIRC, Josh found that at the end of BY’s life he started to call himself a prophet.

  12. Brigham echoed the words of Moses, would God that all would be prophets, so to speak:

    Is [being a prophet] the privilege of every person? It is. Permit me to remark here-this very people called Latter-day Saints have got to be brought to the spot where they will be trained (if they have not been there already,) where they will humble themselves, work righteousness, glorify God, and keep His commandments. If they have not got undivided feelings, they will be chastised until they have them; not only until every one of them shall see for themselves, and prophesy for themselves, have visions to themselves, but be made acquainted with all the principles and laws necessary for them to know, so as to supersede the necessity of anybody teaching them. (JD 2:89).

    “All creation could ask for no more witnesses than they have, that the New Testament is true, that Jesus is the Christ, that the holy Prophets are true, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet and Revelator. But the Lord has so ordained that no man shall receive the benefits of the everlasting Priesthood without humbling himself before Him, and giving Him the glory for teaching him, that he may be able to witness to every man of the truth, and not depend upon the words of any individual on the earth, but know for himself, live ‘by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,’ love the Lord Jesus Christ and the institutions of His kingdom, and finally enter into His glory. Every man and woman may be a Revelator, and have the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy, and foresee the mind and will of God concerning them, eschew evil, and choose that which is good,” (Brigham Young, 2:179)

  13. David, i thought that Josh was at Delaware? I’d love to read that paper. Do you know if he will be publishing it?

  14. #8:
    Is that “Apostle angle” the same “Angle” that visited Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner? ;-)

  15. I should also add that Brigham taught that it was the patriarchal right of an Apostle to ordain his sons apostles, regardless if they ever make it into the Quorum of the Twelve. The consequence of this practice is that there were likely very many more apostles outside the Quorum than in it. What is interesting about that is that it seems, in a way, that he replaced the family of natural prophets and seers with the family of institutional prophets and seers.

  16. Interesting re: # 5. While women certainly participated in the pentecost at Kirtland, were they really considered to be part of the more democratic version of the Lord’s anointed before 1842?

  17. IIRC some of his sons were very young (children) when ordained to the apostleship as well.

  18. Good point Kris #16. Remember too that women were not initiated into the anointed q. until the summer of 1843, more than a year after the group was formed.

  19. Sam,
    I’ll have to track down the relevant quotations later, but my understanding is that BY mourned the fact that JSIII and David Hyrum remained behind and publicly expressed his wish to have them come west and assume their rightful place as prophets in the kingdom.

  20. Stapley,
    I think Josh is at Delaware. His paper should be published at some point, if nothing else, in the proceedings of the post-summer-seminar conference.

    Interestingly, I am aware of exactly two instances in which BY used his prophetic status/office as a kind of trump card to legitimize his position: once to defend the Adam-God doctrine; once, before the territorial legislature, to prophecy that the cursed seed of Cain would never receive the priesthood.

  21. Brad–it’s pretty well-documented. The wonderful biography of David Hyrum (strongly encouraged reading, From Mission to Madness) has sources presented in a more compelling way than the standard Quinn presentation.

    #9 In earliest Mormonism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost was considered a proto-endowment but was distinguished from the actual anointings that Smith revealed in the late 30s and early 40s. The anointings were the second, mystical stage, and, if we have earliest Mormonism as our guide, you were anointed during the temple rather than with confirmation (confirmation was the public face of charismatic Mormon ritual).

    I write about the sacerdotalization of family in the book manuscript, stapes. It’s pretty clear that a) BY created a new family with his control over the temple primarily, one that could compete openly with the biological family, and b) he was following JSJ in this respect.

    Incidentally, this tension between fraternal (sororal) family created by priesthood ties and the biological and affinal family is one of the central paradoxes of Joseph Smith’s religion-making. It’s been underappreciated in the post-polygamy era.

  22. and taysom, I agree. There’s a lot of tension with institution and charisma even during JSJ’s life. bowman and I are working on a bit of this vis-a-vis antebellum religious encyclopedias and interesting notions about the meaning of historical enthusiastic heresies.

  23. Fascinating as usual, J.

    I am just observing in light of Wilford Woodruff’s statement:

    The Elders of Israel are prophets. A prophet is not so great as an Apostle.

    that we sustain the Q12 as apostles first, and then sustain them secondarily as “Prophets, Seers, & Revelators”. The same thing is done for the First Presidency.

  24. Sam, wow. Is there anything you aren’t working on? I’m envious of your productivity!

  25. #13 and #20: Yes, I misspoke, Josh is at Delaware. The last I talked to him about the paper he was not planning to publish it elsewhere, just in the seminar proceedings, as Brad suggests. I’ve sent him the link to this thread to see if we can entice him into participating in the ‘nacle. Previous attempts have not been successful, but perhaps this time he’ll come around.

  26. Steve Evans says:

    As an ignorant observer just let me say thanks to J. and to the participants on the thread. Fascinating stuff.

  27. I’m not sure what’s wrong with my browser this morning, but it has produced the following lines:

    It was at Kirtland that Joseph, with ornate splendor, cracked the walls that separate people from prophets.

    I have no idea how to crack a wall with ornate splendor, but I’m willing to learn.

    The Smith family was absolutely primate and Brigham publicly differed to David.

    I think we’re all primates, but I know that the Catholics have different kinds of primates than those that Ms. Fossey was interested in. I wonder if “absolutely primate” is something like “strictly ballroom.”

  28. This topic has fascinated me for years – especially in regard to how BY felt about his own role as compared to Joseph’s. There is something compelling in his feelings of inadequacy.

    Other than that, I second what kevinf said in #23 and echo Steve’s #26. Thanks, all; this is one where I will lurk and learn.

  29. Thanks indeed. I’m fascinated by the distinction between the natural family of prophets and the institutionalized family of prophets. The idea rings true to me.

  30. Kevin Barney says:

    Anyone interested in the angle of BY ordaining a son as an apostle should read the following:

    Compton, Todd M. (Todd Merlin), 1952- “John Willard Young, Brigham Young, and the Development of Presidential Succession in the LDS Church.” Dialogue 35 (4) Winter 2002: 111-134.

    I’ve always liked BY’s reticence about claiming great spiritual gifts and visions. It kind of annoys me that many apostles today kind of like people to think they have tea with Jesus Christ every Thursday. I don’t like giving our people the false impression that one must physically see the Savior to be an Apostle in this dispensation.

  31. Lurk and learn. Nice phrase, Ray. I do that alot around here.

    Wondering what “IIRC” means.

    Also could someone explain what the “annointed quorum” is? People who were ordained to be apostles but not in the quorum of the twelve? What did they do? Get together for really amazing testimony meetings?

    Thanks for the great post and comments.

  32. Mark, nice try funny-man.

    Kevin, I second that article (and general sentiment). That was a fascinating episode.

  33. Jami, see this post: The Anointed Quorum.

  34. Thanks, J. Very helpful. I appreciated the link within a link too. I’ve never printed out anything from a blog before, but those posts are going to hit my paper file.

  35. Matt Thurston says:

    Kevin (#30), I agree. David Bednar recently spoke to the youth of our Stake. At the end of his remarks he invited questions from the audience. One young girl asked Brother Bednar if he had ever seen the Savior. Bednar’s said he couldn’t answer the question because it was too personal. The conclusion of many in the audience was that he had seen the savior, else why would it be “personal”? This was discussed at much length in circles following the fireside, and even days later. Most people gave Elder Bednar the benefit of the doubt, with a refrain along these lines… “He’s an apostle after all, and Christ leads this church… we don’t know what goes on with these men in the temple.”

    I much prefer Brigham’s direct admission that he had not seen the savior, but expected to when he died.

    And why would seeing the savior be personal? Isn’t that an apostle’s calling, to testify as a “special witness of Jesus Christ.”?

  36. SC Taysom says:

    Kevin and Matt, you have touched on two of my biggest wishes:
    1. I wish we would stop asking apostles questions that we know they won’t answer
    2. Since #1 won’t happen, I wish apostles would answer the question (after all, it wasn’t too personal for Joseph Smith or Lorenzo Snow).

  37. Name (required) says:

    Personally, I find it somewhat dishonest when the apostles imply that they have seen the Savior. These guys are smart enough to know what they are leading people to think when they give their ‘its too personal’ response.

    If they actually have seen the Savior, you’d think that they could admit as much even if the detials are too personal. A good explanation of WHY it is too personal would be helpful as well, since prophets haven’t been shy about it in the past.

  38. It may get into your meaning of the word seen and saw.

    After all, Romney SAW his dad march with MLK… :)

  39. Name (required) says:

    After all, Romney SAW his dad march with MLK…

    At first, I thought that ‘see’ here implied something that you learn about or read about. In reality, ‘see’ here means something that never happened. I understand now–there are indeed many events in my life that never happened that are too personal for me to tell you about.

  40. #37 & #39 – It bothers me when apostles are called liars with no solid foundation.

    Seriously, I find it extremely presumptuous when someone assumes someone else is being dishonest when they say they can’t talk about it. Elder Bednar’s quote is perfectly appropriate on any number of levels, *especially* if the answer is “Yes” in any number of truly sincere ways – but he doesn’t want that to get twisted into whatever the hearers think it means – and if it really is too personal for him to discuss. In my own case, I would answer that question in the exact same way he did – although I’m fairly certain that our reasons for answering that way are somewhat different.

  41. Name (required) says:

    I apologize if I was presumptuous. I sincerely don’t understand why it is something that can’t be talked about. I don’t think that I’m alone in not understanding this, considering the comments in #35, #36:

    And why would seeing the savior be personal? Isn’t that an apostle’s calling, to testify as a “special witness of Jesus Christ.”?

    I wish apostles would answer the question (after all, it wasn’t too personal for Joseph Smith or Lorenzo Snow).

  42. Ray, I agree that those comments were over the line. I do agree with the sentiment that Taysom related, though. Personally, if someone were to ask if I had seen the Savior, I would simply respond like Brigham: “no.”

  43. And to be fair, Name, we only have Lorenzo Snow’s account via his family members. To my knowledge he never told the public of his manifestation.

  44. Jami,

    IIRC = If I recall correctly

  45. Name, there is a difference between asking why it would be too personal to discuss and saying he was being dishonest. For example, I have no problem with someone asking me why I won’t talk about my answer to that question, but I it would bother me to have someone tell me I was being dishonest for saying it’s too personal to discuss.

  46. Name (required),

    Part of the concept of personal revelation we hold to in the church is that it is, well, personal. There are experiences I have had in my life that I don’t speak much about, for the reason that they were intended for me as an experience, and may or may not have any value to others. In some cases, the experiences have clearly not been for public consumption (relating to leadership positions at a ward level). I totally appreciate the reasons for Elder Bednar or other apostles answering a question in that manner.

    I once had a friend share with me a visual image of striking detail that came into his mind once during a sacrament meeting, prompted, he believes, by his thoughts at the time, and the message of the meeting. He “saw” something, but certainly not in the way that you and I normally “see” with our eyes. He would have to think hard to answer a question about what this experience, to really answer accurately.

  47. J, I respect that greatly, but the answer isn’t that simple for some people – even those who aren’t apostles. I won’t elaborate further, but it just isn’t that simple for everyone.

  48. Steve Evans says:

    aw Ray, don’t be coy. You’ve seen Jesus — admit it.

  49. Kevin Barney says:

    The problem with the “it’s too personal” response is that it’s a de facto “yes” with only a very slight veneer of plausible deniability.

    My guess is that the reason for that response, which is a stereotyped one and very commonly the one given to that particular question, is that a lot of people would lose faith if they learned that an Apostle had not actually seen the Lord in the flesh. And the Apostles don’t want people to lose faith. I would be willing to bet that they are actually instructed to give that very response whenever they are asked that question.

    But why would people lose faith? Because over time we’ve created the expectation that Apostles see the Lord, and we keep that expectation alive with the stereotyped “it’s too personal” response.
    If one or more apostles would just come out like BY and forthrightly say “no,” that would go a long way to deflating the hyped up expectations we’ve created among our people.

    Preserving faith is often a matter of managing expectations, and in my view it’s irresponsible to inflate expectations in such a way as to set a lot of people up for a fall in their faith.

    Unless it really is the case that every Apostle of this generation really has had a personal interview with the Savior, which I do not believe.

  50. #48 is a good example of why I love you, Steve.

  51. #49 – Kevin, I agree with everything you just wrote, including the last sentence, but think of what would happen if “full disclosure” by the apostles showed some (or even just one) who had and others who had not. I will not go into detail, but suffice it to say that I think that would have been the case at various times in our history. Personally, I don’t want to know the answer to that question – and I mean that in deepest sincerity. It sets up a standard for questioning that I simply don’t like – kind of an abrogation of personal responsibility for individual members.

    “I believe since Elder Bednar said he saw Jesus.” “Elder Oaks (just as an example) can’t be a true apostle since he hasn’t seen Jesus.” I just can’t accept the premise of the question, much less making each apostle answer it.

  52. Apostles are “personal witnesses of the savior”, which can be interpreted in many ways. I once heard the temple recorder of the Salt Lake Temple speak in a fireside one Sunday night, many years ago. He mentioned happening to sit at the same table in the cafeteria at the COB with a newly called apostle, whom he did not identify. In the course of small talk, he (the recorder) made the comment, “I guess that it must be pretty special having a Road to Damascus kind of experience”, with all that implies.

    The apostle answered him, “If that were what it took to become an apostle, then there would literally be thousands of them”. The recorder was quite embarrassed.

    As I noted in # 46 above, “see” and “saw” can have a lot of subtle variations in regards to personal revelatory experiences. I tend to be more optimistic than the Barney who shares my name, although I respect his statement. The reality is that we can make all sorts of assumptions about these things, and if we ever were to get definitive knowledge of the answers, we’d probably end up saying “I prefer not to answer that question”.

  53. Matt Thurston says:

    Ray (#51), I don’t see how can you agree with everything Kevin Barney wrote in #49 when it is more or less the same thing Name (required) said in #37 and #39.

    Kevin didn’t use the word “dishonest” like Name, but he did use the word “irresponsible” and suggested the response was canned, possibly even coached. Maybe that doesn’t qualify as “dishonest,” but it falls short of the word “honest.”

    And I agree with both Kevin and Name.

    While I appreciate some experiences are “personal,” as pointed out by kevinf and others, seeing the Lord was not too personal for Moses, Nephi, PeterJames&John, or Joseph Smith to talk about. (Imagine if it had been?) No, they testified of Christ, which is what they were called to do.

    I’m not saying an apostle has to see the Savior to testify of Christ, but testify of Him as best you can (like Brigham Young); don’t hide behind stereotyped “it’s too personal” responses.

  54. The problem of the logic that equates apostolic office with a Damascus experience is that it can quite easily lead to a logic that makes such experiences the exclusive prerogative of the apostolic office.

    I suspect, to plagiarize a trusted colleague, that there are more janitors in the Church who have seen the Savior than there are apostles.

  55. Name (required) says:

    The apostle answered him, “If that were what it took to become an apostle, then there would literally be thousands of them”.

    Perhaps its the attempt to have it both ways that bothers me. In statements like the one above, the apostles are making it seem like a common experience that happens to thousands of people. At other times, they say that such an event would be too personal to even confirm or deny. Which is it? Do visions of the Savior happen all the time? Or is it something that doesn’t happen to even some apostles?

  56. Matt, my response to you is the same as my response to Name. “Canned” and “coached” are FAR different than “dishonest”; I have given both canned and coached responses in my professions that have been perfectly honest. Perfectly honest. It also is different to claim that our apostles are “hiding behind” a response – since that, at the very least, implies that none of them could answer the question with a simple, “Yes.”

    I don’t have any idea if any of them have or have not, but your implied assertion that they absolutely have not if they don’t make that direct claim (and that they are being dishonest if they don’t give a fully nuanced answer every time they are asked) is insulting to someone who would give the exact same answer Elder Bednar gave – without hiding or lying in the process.

    I won’t argue about this. We see it differently, and I have explained my feelings as best I can. However, I will challenge anyone who says our apostles are liars who shirk their responsibilities over something like this. That is what you just said, and I simply won’t go there.

    Sometimes, “I can’t answer that, since it’s too personal” really is the best answer possible.

  57. Brad makes an important point.

    Still, let’s consider this thread jack ended.

  58. #55 – Why can’t it be both?

  59. Matt Thurston says:

    kevinf (#52) said: “The apostle answered him, ‘If that were what it took to become an apostle, then there would literally be thousands of them’. The recorder was quite embarrassed.”

    No, probably more like millions, and only a fraction would be of them would be of the LDS faith.

    The same could be said of the millions who could say the same about Buddha or Allah.

    Not to diminish the temple recorder’s story, but this is the kind of wishy washy, open-ended, folklore-ish statement that is repeated in seminary classes and the MTC on a fairly regular basis. It’s a warm fuzzy, there is nothing doctrinal or factual about it. There is no personal testimony to back it up.

    On the other hand, the statement does say a lot about people. Which is to say that we are spiritual beings, we experience abstract spiritual phenomena while both awake and asleep. These experiences are ellusive and difficult to pin down, difficult to describe even to ourselves, and are therefore better left as “personal.”

    Along these lines, I’d agree with the newly-called apostle of the temple recorder’s story. Mormons and Christians and Buddhists all have “Road to Damascus” stories to tell.

    But when members of the church ask if an Apostle has “seen” the Savior, they are refering to something much more tangible, something more along the lines of a literal Road to Damascus or First Vision experience. Don’t you think?

  60. Can’t most of us fall back on the “not recently” response for having seen the Savior?

    Seriously though, “I don’t feel comfortable answering that question because it is too complex, too personal and might be misunderstood by some.” seems to be the meaning behind Elder Bednar’s non-answer. A polite churchy way of saying “no comment.”

    IIRC, Elder McConkie’s last conference address was a pretty powerful testimony of the Savior’s reality, even though there was no hint in the talk Jesus had physically visited him as an Apostle.

  61. Matt,

    I think that was my point, but perhaps I made it poorly. It is exactly the kind of folklore that the recorder got entagled in as well . But you are also right in your last paragraph that the question was referring to a very personal visitation/First Vision kind of experience.

    Back to the original thread, I still think it significant that the role of prophet is something sustained after we sustain the office of the individual. Often the blessings given with the setting apart to a calling reflect this democratization of revelation to all members of the church. I have seen this also from time to time in some patriarchal blessings, an invitation to seek revelation. And would we not consider patriarchs as revelators or seers? Anyone have any thoughts on the setting apart of patriarchs, how that is done?

  62. I think it might be best for Apostles and church members in general if they have had such an experience to keep their mouth shut with regards to the details and simply testify that Christ is real and he was resurected and let the spirit convert.

    I don’t want a national media uproar everytime the LDS church gets metioned that, “remember how that Hinkley fellow said he was visited by Jesus…”

    Many will want proof. Many more will use it as a wedge against the church and its members.

    What happened to the church the last time we had a prophet who spoke openly abou this visions? I can only imagine the level of taunting, verbal abuse, sometimes physical abuse that would ensue if the adversaries of the church could post a youtube video of some Apostle telling us in detail about how he saw the Savior, etc.

    But there will always be sign seekers. I’m still wondering when the church will unveil those gold plates.

  63. OK, the whole visitation topic has been played. Further comments will be removed.

  64. kevinf (#23),

    Woodruff’s position was probably derived from 1 Cor 12:28:

    And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,…

  65. I haven’t had a chance to catch up on the comments, but I got an email back from Josh that may be helpful.

    One thing you can add on your post, if it already hasn’t been said, is that to Brigham Young, Joseph Smith was never fully gone. Remember that Young is seeing him in dreams, talking to Joseph, receiving guidance, etc. Joseph still presides over the dispensation and is the great prophet, so Brigham is clearly reticent to assume such a mantle. Plus, in the minutes of the Nauvoo showdown with Rigdon, Young uses the term prophet to characterize Rigdon–a charismatic leader without priesthood authority. In contrast to this, Young forwards the Twelve collectively as having authority to lead the church, but he goes on to say that Joseph will never be replaced.

  66. Josh’s point (via David G.) is an important one. Joseph’s presence as The Prophet extended even into the 20th century. As I recall, Quinn made the point that until David O. McKay’s presidency, any reference to “the prophet” had as its object Joseph Smith.

  67. I wonder what light BY’s statements and experience might shed on our current Prophet’s inability or reticence to speak about certain topics that were apparently and formerly important doctrines, and in his opinion, no longer are? (I am thinking of the “becoming like God, and God once being like us”). Also, Pres. Hinckley’s narrative of the receipt of the 1978 revelation on priesthood is almost emphatic on the point that while it was a “Pentecostal spirit”, WE did not see anything. I think it is interesting that he does not restrict the lack of a visual revelation to himself, but states that none of those present (presumably the whole First Presidency and Q12) saw anything.

  68. I agree, Taysom, that is very important.

    AHLDuke, I tend to think that modern equivocations on obscure doctrine are born of sound judgment. Brigham had no problem with doctrinal innovation. His perspectives on spirit birth, Adam-God, exaltation, etc. are well documented…it just so happens that most people think he was also quite wrong.

  69. #68 – Amen, J. We decry speculation from the past that led to doctrine that later was dropped – then we decry our current apostles’ lack of speculation. We can’t have it both ways, and I much prefer the current model.

  70. Most people think Brigham wrong on spirit birth? I think his view is still the majority view. Ditto with exaltation. It’s only the identity of the father of our spirits and the father of Jesus in the flesh that is considered an error.

  71. Clark, Brigham proposed that our mind was not eternal, and that our identities and existence as individuals began with spirit birth. I don’t know too many folks that believe that. As to exaltation, the details are esoteric, but generally, I believe most Mormon’s would disagree with Brigham’s process.

  72. Ah. OK. I thought you were referring to something else.

    Regarding Brigham’s process you’d have to be clearer. I think some elements folks would agree with and some disagree with. The role of becoming a Christ being the key issue.

    Regarding individualism and the spirit birth I actually think things are a tad more complex. But certainly he didn’t accept an eternal Cartesian mind the way many do.

  73. One interesting bit of church history trivia that is seldom talked about is that when Oliver Cowdery was called by revelation to help pick and ordain the 12 apostles, he told them that their calling as apostles would not be “complete” until the Savior appeared to them and personally ordains them.

    I find that particularly interesting in light of the quote by BY saying that: he hadn’t seen the Savior and that he didn’t expect to until he died.

    After studying virtually every known sermon that BY gave, I tend to think that quote from Brigham is authentic and accurate.


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Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw

When Capshaw was cast as Willie Indiana Jones: The Temple of Doom, Spielberg was still married to his first wife Amy Irving. They still grew close on the set and after the director divorced Irving in 1989 (and paid out a whopping $100 million settlement), she converted to Judaism and married him two years later. The couple has been together ever since.

12 directors who ended up marrying the stars of their movies

Hanna Flint

Workplace romances are pretty common, especially when that workplace is a movie set.

Some of these romances last for the length of a shoot, while others carry on after the final take and usually it’s the director and the leading lady or gent who end up walking down the aisle together.

Here are twelve examples of that being exactly the case.

Idris Elba: We need more multicultural stories
The Bodyguard slammed for ‘bad Muslim’ stereotypes
Guardians Vol. 3 on indefinite hold


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September 24, 2014 / 7:34 AM / 4 years ago

Of millions spent to fight trafficking, victims get little

BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Millions of dollars have been spent to fight human trafficking, but it is not clear how this money is spent, while very little actually reaches the trafficked people themselves, according to new research.

The concerns raised in the latest edition of the Anti-Trafficking Review, an annual journal by the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW), call into question the efficiency and effectiveness of the funds that governments, the United Nations and private foundations pour into anti-trafficking efforts.

“Compared to much other spending by governments and international aid programs, the degree of transparency and accountability on how these millions are spent has been very limited,” Mike Dottridge, guest editor and former director of Anti-Slavery International, said on Tuesday in Bangkok at the launch of this year’s journal.

He added that the vast sums spent on improving the criminal justice system have not translated into increased quantity and quality of prosecution of traffickers.

The journal’s articles confirm the suspicion that “only an infinitesimal portion of the millions was being used to assist people who were already trafficked and to enable them to rebuild their lives”, Dottridge said.

Experts estimate between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year. Illegal profits from exploiting forced labor total $150 billion each year, according to a report released in May by the International Labor Organization.

GAATW, a network of 120 nongovernmental organizations, says this is the first time the funding and spending on anti-trafficking efforts worldwide have been closely scrutinized.

Research by the journal’s editors and authors found that the European Union, United States and Norway together gave nearly $100 million for anti-trafficking efforts in 2011. They estimate that every year, more than $100 million is allocated as international aid to stop trafficking, in addition to another millions of in-country spending.

Data on anti-trafficking is “patchy, inconsistent and difficult to access,” according to GAATW, making it difficult to extrapolate what proportion of funding goes to the victims.

According to Dottridge, the U.S. State Department’s Anti-Trafficking Bureau is the only government donor that publishes a list of its grantees every year.

A majority of last year’s grant winners were intergovernmental organizations, and very little seemed to have gone to victim assistance, he said.

In Nigeria, for example, out of 777 trafficking victims identified last year as eligible for government assistance, 47 received $425 each, said Victoria Nwogu, GAATW’s board member for Africa who wrote about anti-trafficking efforts in Nigeria.

This amounted to about $20,000, or 6 percent of the national anti-trafficking agency’s estimated $3.3 million budget, Nwogu said.

“That sum is supposed to restart life. That amount of money... in Nigeria will not pay rent for more than two months,” she said at the journal’s launch in Bangkok.

The authors said the emphasis has been on criminal justice to respond to forced labor and trafficking, while protecting, compensating and rehabilitating survivors have been neglected.

Reporting By Thin Lei Win, Editing by Alisa Tang

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Buy a Business

Each member of Caber Hill's leadership began their careers on the buy-side, working on the corporate acquisition teams of large public companies and high-growth private companies. We leverage these experiences combined with several years of successful buy-side advisory work to support the expansion efforts of our corporate and private equity clients. Our custom-tailored approach can help increase deal flow, expedite due diligence, and shorten the time from sourcing to close.
For Business Owners and Executives
The Caber Hill team has several decades of combined corporate M&A experience.  We've rolled up industries, entered new markets, and eliminated competitors. As buy-side advisors, we partner with ownership and management to define the optimal M&A strategy, identify the most logical targets, manage due diligence, and execute transactions.
Whether you want to acquire a single company or consolidate your market, you need talent to get the job done. Why spend the time and money required to hire an internal corporate development team when you can put our experience to work today?
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The Caber Hill team sits at the intersection of industry expertise and execution excellence. Forming an investment thesis? Rely on our deep industry expertise for the insights you need. Having a hard time finding adequate deal flow? Increase your bandwidth by relying on us to keep your pipeline full.
For a list of active buy-side searches, cilck here.

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Thursday, 8 June 2017

Gluten free banana bread.

A tasty staple bake that's always handy to use up some over ripe bananas, this gluten and dairy free version is just as yummy, and incredibly quick to make, so you can leave your oven to do the rest of the work for you!

It's a recipe that's always handy to have around, so finding this gluten free banana bread recipe was great - it's one of my favourite bakes to knock up for a quick and easy cake. I've made a few tweaks to the original recipe (as referenced in at the end of the page), that work perfectly for me and should hopefully come in handy for fellow gluten/lactose intolerant bakers too.

100g dairy free margarine
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
170g gluten free plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 over ripe bananas

Pre heat your oven to 180c/170c fan/gas mark 4. Grease and line a loaf tin ready for your bake.

Cream together the dairy free margarine and sugar till pale and fluffy. Then add in the eggs one a time and mix, followed by the vanilla extract, then whisk to mix in.

Sift in the gluten free flour, adding half the quantity to start, then add in the remaining flour with the baking powder and mix well. For this bake I used Dove's Farm plain flour, but I also recommend Sainsbury's own label gluten free plain flour too - both have been perfect for my free from bakes to date!

Then add in the over ripe bananas, you'll want to mash these beforehand so they're ready to add in to your cake mix. Fold to mix the bananas in with your cake mixture.

Spoon the tasty cake batter into your loaf tin and spread evenly to level it out. Then bake for 45-50 minutes, till a cake skewer comes out clean.

Leave the cake in the oven to set for an hour before removing it from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool down.

The end result is just as tasty as you remember, in fact I found that this was easier and quicker to cook than my old gluten filled banana bread recipe! It should last well for a few days when kept in an airtight container.

Recipe adapted from “The best gluten-free, wheat-free and dairy-free recipes” Grace Cheetham.


text:
Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

Book - 1937
Average Rating:
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A controversial tale of friendship and tragedy during the Great Depression

They are an unlikely pair: George is "small and quick and dark of face"; Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet they have formed a "family," clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation.

Laborers in California's dusty vegetable fields, they hustle work when they can, living a hand-to-mouth existence. For George and Lennie have a plan: to own an acre of land and a shack they can call their own. When they land jobs on a ranch in the Salinas Valley, the fulfillment of their dream seems to be within their grasp. But even George cannot guard Lennie from the provocations of a flirtatious woman, nor predict the consequences of Lennie's unswerving obedience to the things George taught him.

"A thriller, a gripping tale . . . that you will not set down until it is finished. Steinbeck has touched the quick." -- The New York Times
Publisher: New York : Penguin, c1937.
ISBN: 9780140177398
Branch Call Number: FICTION STE
Characteristics: 1 v.

From the critics

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Sep 14, 2018

The novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck is a classic. It is full of very descriptive imagery, while also including a steady plot with characters developing throughout. This short novel is filled with twists and turns that will be sure to have you in tears by the end. I read this for a writer’s craft class and I feel that this novel is a great read for anyone looking for examples of archetypal characters with a spin. Steinbeck uses a variety of methods to describe his character’s characteristics, yet also keeps this novel short and sweet. I find that this novel was quite a short read considering it’s about 110 pages long. Although short, this classic is able to show a lot of powerful wordplay and imagery. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a very visual novel. I give this book 3.5/ 5
@TheCuriousBookworm of the Hamilton Public Library Teen Review Board

This is a heartbreaking story about two friends who are simply trying to make it in this world. George wants nothing more than to keep Lennie safe, and Lennie only ever wants to make George happy and proud. A humble tale about thriving for the American dream while facing discrimination and death brings readers on a roller coaster of emotions. Readers learn the dynamics of power and how one obtains it. They live vicariously through the two friends and understand what its was like to live in the U.S. during the Great Depression, what it is like to be mentally disabled, and what it is like to be a ranch worker. I only wish we got to see more of the duo’s past and their friendship. Rating: 4
- @Pandora of the Hamilton Public Library Teen Review Board

Mar 06, 2018

I read this book for the "A Novel That Is Considered A Classic" part of my 2018 reading challenge. It was a very quick and simple read, I would have liked if it went into more detail and explained the men's lives better.

Feb 18, 2018

I read Of Mice and Men for my book club. I'm aware that it is a classic; but I'd be lying if I said that I know what qualifications make a book a classic. It's a good novel and I applaud Steinbeck for being able to tell a good story in just a little over 100 pages. Obviously, I didn't appreciate how Crooks was treated by Curley's wife; but I'm glad that the author gave him a voice rather than treating his character like common furniture in a room, especially due to his social status on the ranch. I'll admit that after reading this story, I wouldn't mind reading another Steinbeck novel.

Sep 05, 2017

Is a sad book but is really easy to undersatand. I like it.

Aug 19, 2017

Of Mice and Men is a story following two men and their adventure in achieving the ‘American Dream’ which is owning their proper ranch. However, along their journey in accomplishing that dream, they must overcome certain obstacles and learn the truth about what it means to be human while encountering friends and foes.
The author of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California. During his early years, he lived a comfortable life with his family. He also worked at a ranch, which gave him the images used in Of Mice and Men. He also experienced the time of the great depression, which was the time during Of Mice and Men. This gave him the vision and idea of writing Of Mice and Men.
The purpose of this novel is to illustrate about what it means to be human. Isolation is one of many themes in the novel and the author illustrates it well in the novel. The relationship between a female character and the men in the story represents the theme isolation well. Also, the relationship between a coloured man and the rest of the characters also represents this theme very well.
Overall, this a very good read if you’re interested in the perspective that the author has on humans.
- @newtricksterx of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men follows two farm workers Lennie and George who travel from farm to farm looking for work during the Great Depression. George is a smart man while Lennie is mentally disabled. However, they both dream of having their own farm to live on, and consequently develop a close friendship because of their shared dream. The book is a gripping read as George and Lennie have to overcome many difficult obstacles on their way to owning a farm. Lennie’s mental disability and extreme strength get the two friends into trouble when he breaks their employer’s hand in a confrontation. Additionally, the Great Depression in the United States makes it almost impossible for them to buy a farm. Nevertheless George and Lennie try to accomplish their dream despite the challenges and George often consoles Lennie when he is stressed by recounting stories of the cute bunnies they will grow on their farm. Their resilient friendship makes the story emotional at times and the book as a whole is a very enjoyable read.
-@CookieMonster of The Hamilton Public Library's Teen Review Board

Jun 17, 2017

This is an amazing short novel. It contains so much material for it's length. 5 stars.

Apr 03, 2017

Very short book, almost more like a short story. I did however enjoy it. It was a very enjoyable read.

Mar 31, 2017

I like easy reads and this is one - a very short novel. However, I find the dialogues to be too 'rustic' for my liking. Still, the story is interesting. I think the film versions (there are two) are more entertaining.

Two men seek jobs during the Great Depression. Both have challenges. Throughout the story their friendship strengthens until one gets into trouble. This book is one of my favorites because it shows how strong friendship can be. - Franchesca, Teen Volunteer

Sep 15, 2016

This book was amazing. Very tough, a lot of language but amazing. I loved the story from chapter 1 and all the characters were interesting.
You'll cry so so much at the end, I don't want to give anything away, but it is the saddest book ever. Simply amazing though.
Though I am in grade 8, I'd say this book is good for ages 16 to 1000
Very mature teens of younger ages (like me) would love this too. If you get the story, you'll love the story!

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navy_dolphin_253 May 20, 2015

navy_dolphin_253 thinks this title is suitable for 16 years and over

black_penguin_254 Jan 24, 2014

black_penguin_254 thinks this title is suitable for All Ages

aagarwal73 Aug 16, 2013

aagarwal73 thinks this title is suitable for 12 years and under

SABRINA JANE SALRIN thinks this title is suitable for 14 years and over

red_jellyfish_40 Jun 01, 2013

red_jellyfish_40 thinks this title is suitable for 14 years and over

RainbowMunchkin May 24, 2013

RainbowMunchkin thinks this title is suitable for 14 years and over

Dec 01, 2012

tuslik thinks this title is suitable for 15 years and over

May 20, 2012

sunshineagain thinks this title is suitable for 16 years and over

Apr 12, 2012

Green_Cheetah_11 thinks this title is suitable for 14 years and over

CBearjkn Dec 12, 2011

CBearjkn thinks this title is suitable for 15 years and over

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Add a Quote

Jun 17, 2017

"A guy needs somebody...to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you.

I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick."

Jul 15, 2016

"An' I got you. We got each other, that's what."

Jul 06, 2016

“Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.”

Jul 06, 2016

"There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle-up near water."

Laura_X Apr 13, 2015

I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.

black_penguin_254 Jan 24, 2014

"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. . . . With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us."

RainbowMunchkin May 24, 2013

"Never mind you. A guy got to sometimes"( Slim117 ).

Dec 18, 2010

"You hadda George, I swear you hadda."

Add a Summary

Aug 03, 2016

Quick read. Very strange story. It was easy to follow. Surprise ending. I can see the dreams of the hard working men in these times dreaming of a better life. Lennie loved soft things.

Jul 06, 2016

The compelling story of two outsiders striving to find their place in an unforgiving world. Drifters in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie have nothing in the world except each other and a dream.

black_penguin_254 Jan 24, 2014

Two migrant workers, George and Lennie, have been let off a bus miles away from the California farm where they are due to start work. George is a small, dark man with “sharp, strong features.” Lennie, his companion, is his opposite, a giant of a man with a “shapeless” face. Overcome with thirst, the two stop in a clearing by a pool and decide to camp for the night. As the two converse, it becomes clear that Lennie has a mild mental disability, and is deeply devoted to George and dependent upon him for protection and guidance. George finds that Lennie, who loves petting soft things but often accidentally kills them, has been carrying and stroking a dead mouse. George angrily throws it away, fearing that Lennie might catch a disease from the dead animal. George complains loudly that his life would be easier without having to care for Lennie, but the reader senses that their friendship and devotion is mutual. He and Lennie share a dream of buying their own piece of land, farming it, and, much to Lennie’s delight, keeping rabbits. George ends the night by treating Lennie to the story he often tells him about what life will be like in such an idyllic place.The next day, the men report to the nearby ranch. George, fearing how the boss will react to Lennie, insists that he’ll do all the talking. He lies, explaining that they travel together because they are cousins and that a horse kicked Lennie in the head when he was a child. They are hired. They meet Candy, an old “swamper,” or handyman, with a missing hand and an ancient dog, and Curley, the boss’s mean-spirited son. Curley is newly married, possessive of his flirtatious wife, and full of jealous suspicion. Once George and Lennie are alone in the bunkhouse, Curley’s wife appears and flirts with them. Lennie thinks she is “purty,” but George, sensing the trouble that could come from tangling with this woman and her husband, warns Lennie to stay away from her. Soon, the ranch-hands return from the fields for lunch, and George and Lennie meet Slim, the skilled mule driver who wields great authority on the ranch. Slim comments on the rarity of friendship like that between George and Lennie. Carlson, another ranch-hand, suggests that since Slim’s dog has just given birth, they should offer a puppy to Candy and shoot Candy’s old, good-for-nothing dog.

RainbowMunchkin May 24, 2013

George Milton and Lennie small have been friends for a long time. Lennie acts like a child.George and Lennie move from place to place looking to find new jobs... There is a conflict between a few people in the book, and in the end George has to make a decision that will be life changing and truly upseting.

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Jul 23, 2011

Violence: (Mild)

Jul 23, 2011

Coarse Language: This title contains Coarse Language.

Jul 19, 2010

Sexual Content: This title contains Sexual Content.

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text:
Four Ways To Be A Christian

Four Ways To Be A Christian

If someone who was a seeker of spiritual truth investigated Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Bible on FaceBook, website’s, blogs and many other places on the Internet they could get a wrong impression of Jesus Christ and his teachings.

Many of these groups share their opinions and their private interpretations of Christianity. Many of them add to a correct and positive discussion about Jesus and his teachings and many muddy the waters.

There is a lot of yapping and nipping from one Christian to another in Facebook pages and various web sites around the World Wide Web. They all espouse their view of what a Christian is. A truth seeker could easily be filled with incorrect ideas about what being a Christian is all about and what it means to be a Christian.

To set the record straight would take a series of books and the right people would likely never read them. So in an effort to stir the proper discussion among those who profess to be Christians, I will outline four ways to be a Christian. This list is, by no means, complete. It’s just a beginning. But if we strived in these four areas it would make a world of difference to our self and to those around us. It would further the work of the Lord to save souls, not to tear them down. Most Christian could provide four other ways of being Christian that would be correct. This short list is intended as an example of the many aspects of being a true Christian.

What we know about Jesus Christ, we learn by reading the Bible. If any truth seekers are reading this article then I would suggest you start learning about Christianity by prayerfully reading the Holy Bible and not rely on what is written about Jesus and the Bible online. Online resource can be valuable after you have a foundation built on Jesus Christ and his teachings found in the Bible.

If you are seeking truth by reading web pages and Facebook groups you will get peoples opinions about what Jesus said and did as his lived on the earth. There are many great website’s, blogs and Facebook pages out there but start first with you and the Bible.

These four ideas all have one major underlying quality about true Christian Discipleship and that is love.

We are taught, among other things, from the Bible to be a peacemaker and an example of Jesus Christ. We are taught to love our neighbor as our self and to seek to do the will of the Lord.

In a world of conflict, from arguments and disagreements in the home to the neighborhood and communities we live it, from politics to national debate and war between countries. We are surrounded by conflict and strife. We need to seek to become peacemakers. Rather than seek to divide, we need to seek to unite in Christ. Being a peacemaker from a worldly point of view saves lives and precious resources. From a spiritual point of view being a peacemaker, we open the doors to peoples heart where a spiritual change can happen.

While peace is an illusive topic in the last days, there is much peace that is possible. We need to follow the Saviors teaching on “blessed are the peacemakers.”

To be an example of Jesus Christ first requires that one should read, study, ponder and pray while delving into the sweet pages of the Holy Bible. The Bible mentions a commandment that we should be perfect like Jesus and Heavenly Father are perfect. While that, is not attainable in this life directly. We can rest comfortable in the knowledge that we are taught throughout the good book that we will receive grace through the loving mercies of our Savior. Combined with our efforts to become perfect and the saving grace of Jesus Christ, we can become perfect.

So short of being perfect we can live our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ by striving to follow his example and in the process becoming an example ourselves to others. Ask yourself, if someone followed by example, would that bring them closer to the Lord?

Like all messages from the Holy Bible, love is the major theme behind them all. Loving ones neighbor is an oft repeated theme though out the scriptures. To be a Christian is to be one who loves his neighbor. Love the sinner (person), not the sin. Love thy neighbor as thy self. Love the Lord thy God and so on. If there is not love in your heart for your fellow man then either you are not a Christian or you are a beginner.

If you’re a beginner then love will only continue to grow. But keep in mind that love is the essence of Christianity.

Seeking to understand and then striving to do the will of the Lord may be one of the more challenging aspects of being a Christian, but it is an essential part of being a Christian.

More than once did Jesus teach in the hallowed pages of the bible the need to do the will of the Lord. Christ was always doing to the will of the Lord even down to the time he spent suffering for the sins of the world in the Garden of Gethsemane and upon the cross of Calvary.

In summary, these are just four essential aspects of being a Christian. If people saw you striving in these areas, they would assume you are a disciple of Jesus Christ without you ever having to open your mouth. If we concentrated on these four aspects of Christendom we would attract many more disciples and stem the tide of the younger generations falling away from the rock of our salvation.

I don’t mean to say that these are the only ways one is a Christian. There are so many more to add to the list. But what I hope to put forward for discussion among Christians is rather than tear down other Christian denominations lets all work to the end of bringing souls unto Christ rather than let the younger generation slip away.

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