Guided past cool springs of water

They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
1 Nephi. 21:10

Guided past cool springs of water,

never fainting from the heat,

Father, help thy son and daughter

all our sorrows to defeat.

Give us strength, thou greatest Leader,

gentle mercy we implore;

in the swamp or stand of cedar

help our ancient faith restore.

Only thou canst bring us gladly

through the danger that is life,

as the world around us madly

sinks into a murky strife! 

The World Belongs to Uber

In Uber’s vision of the future, most people won’t own cars. Riders will hop on electric bikes and scooters for short distances, and summon cars with drivers for longer rides. Takeout dinner will become a vestige, replaced by hand-delivered meals. Garages will empty and parking lots will be ripped up and transformed into grassy parks.

Eventually, robots will rule. Self-driving cars will shuttle people around the roads—and in the air—while drones will make the deliveries. Robotrucks will roam the highways. And Uber will be at the center of it all.     WSJ

The world belongs to Uber, leastways that is what they plan,

making them Conspiracy's primary bogeyman.

If your bus is not on time, then Uber is to blame.

When a hubcap's missing it's an Uber-funded game.

All the bikes and scooters have the markings of the Beast.

Drones are multiplying like a pack of Fleischmann's Yeast.

Soon no movement can you make unless an Uber-clerk

signs a chit or pulls a switch with irritating smirk.

Up, my comrades, let us march, and tear this monster down!

(And let the ruler true come forth, as Google we do crown.)

Disrupt this Blog!

Mr. Hatkoff was captivated by the “disruptive innovation” theory Clayton Christensen posited in his 1997 book “The Innovator’s Dilemma.” Creative thinkers unafraid to depart from routine, the theory goes, can find unexpected ways to improve the world. They also find unexpected ways to shake up ceremonies.    WSJ

Disruptive innovation is what poetry's about.

It oughta make the public run away and scream and shout.

Alas, I'm such a hidebound hack that never do I soar

above the mediocre -- I am just a rhyming bore.

My work is not intrusive; it would not upset a flea.

You couldn't get it banned in Boston for hyperbole.

To make this poem disturbing I will end with Arabic:

داعيا جميع الدول عادة النفط إلى الركل

New York Times Takes Down Paywall to Celebrate World Press Freedom Day

Every day, journalists at The Times and other mission-driven, independent news organizations around the world work hard to hold the powerful to account. To celebrate their work and press freedom, The Times is taking down its paywall from May 3 to 5 so everyone who registers can browse as many articles as they like.    NYT

Once a mighty giant, celebrated and despised;

giving us Red Ryder, showing wrongdoers chastised.

The Times and other juggernauts are chastened nowadays;

but that don't mean they still can't flex their muscles and amaze.

Their staffs have been depleted as the internet presumes

to give us journalism when it's really only fumes.

And so I lift a cup of ink to journals of all kinds;

their keen reporting saves us from the void of narrow minds.

Peace as a river

. . . then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. . . . 
1 Nephi. 20: 18.

A river of peace flows to waves of the sea,

where righteousness vast is available free.

Free for the taking and free to enjoy,

since gatekeepers there the Lord does not employ.

He alone welcomes me, looks to my soul,

decides if I'm ready and tempered and whole.

And if I am not, then in mercy He stays

my entry until I obey more in praise.

Maine Bans Styrofoam Cups

Maine became the first U.S. state to
ban single-use foam containers this week,
a major legislative
victory meant to curb the flow
of plastic pollution.

Huffington Post

In the rustic state of Maine

legislators make it plain

they don't want no styrofoam

messing up their backwoods home.

Coffee must be served in mugs

made of bark and leaves and bugs.

Takeout soup or chili beans

must be served in old blue jeans.

Should you use such contraband

they will slap you on the hand --

or perhaps lock you in jail,

and feed you on but bread and kale.

I have not spoken in secret

. . . I have not spoken in secret . . .

1 Nephi. Chapter 20. Verse 16

The Lord has made it very clear

that His own time is very near.

Though veiled in mists we cannot tear,

we still can feel His tender care.

And all his servants have proclaimed

that none need feel the blood and shame

of sin and error if they trust

in God alone, and not man's dust.

All secrets does our God reveal

to those who worship Him with zeal!

Roundup Sellers Boost Advertising as Lawsuits Sprout for Weedkiller

Roundup is getting an advertising boost after thousands of plaintiffs have alleged that the world’s most widely used weedkiller causes cancer.

Bayer AG, the manufacturer of Roundup, and Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. , which markets it to home-and-garden retailers in the U.S., have spent millions of dollars this year on expanded marketing for the weedkiller, Scotts executives said.    WSJ

Roundup is a wonder drug that kills not only weeds

but also tells the diff'rence tween the Persians and the Medes.

Pour a little on your hair and it will sprout anew.

Give your cat a little taste and it will roar, not mew.

Brush your teeth with just a dab for whiteness, glory be!

Spray it on your PC and your Netflix will be free.

Put some in your gas tank and your Nissan will ignite,

passing ev'ry cop car and then running each red light.

Of course exposure, if prolonged, can eat away your nose;

but by then you'd better start in counting all your toes . . . 

Postcard to the President

My Boss is now a robot

Millions of low-paid workers’ lives are increasingly governed by software and algorithms. This was starkly illustrated by a report last week that Amazon.com tracks the productivity of its employees and regularly fires those who underperform, with little human intervention.  Amazon employees have complained of being monitored continuously—even having bathroom breaks measured—and being held to ever-rising productivity benchmarks.   WSJ

My boss is now a robot, a machine that keeps an eye

on all my daily labors and will never tell me 'hi.'

It knows when I come in to work; it knows about my breaks;

it measures toilet water when I go into the jakes.

At meetings if I start to nod, a drone will buzz my ear.

No matter where I gossip my new boss can overhear.

And if I check my Facebook page a siren just may sound,

and all my desktop pics and plants some robot will impound.

If I try for promotion in this crazy mixed up place,

it means I'll be a cyborg and forget the human race.

Algorithms hound me; they are passionless and smug.

(I think it's time we all arose and pulled their cursed plug!)