Photo Essay: The Gutters of Provo

The gutters of Provo, like gutters anywhere else, are for collecting excess water and for flushing away the sins of our conspicuous consumption -- or, in the above case, the unwanted harvest of Autumn.
I photograph the gutters because everyone else photographs the skies.
We should heed the words of Pliny the Elder, who wrote over twenty centuries ago: "Rome became great because she took care of her soldiers, and her gutters."

When I lived in Provo back in the 80's it was a city of irrigation rivulets.

Many of them are now paved over and defunct.

Provo once was greedy about its water, but no more.

We have to pick up after dogs, but not after smokers

The only difference between stagnant water and stagnant minds is that prejudices don't evaporate

Beauty will find a way to overcome utility

The Peaceable Walk

“. . . I judge these things of you because of your peaceable walk with the children of men.”

The stillness of a pond, for me,

Is better than the roaring sea.

The gentle slope of auburn hill

I prefer to mountains shrill.

A glacier’s stately juggernaut

Contains the truth I would be taught.

To walk in peace; no marathon

I need to keep me pressing on.

The voice that stills my aching heart

Is peaceable, from strife apart.

O let me settle in repose

On thy breast, thou who heals my woes!

doTerra convention breaks records

doTERRA Healing Hands volunteers

doTerra, the Pleasant Grove-based essential oils company serving all parts of the globe, hosted its sold-out 2017 doTerra Global Convention from his week in Salt Lake City.

Almost 40,000 essential oil enthusiasts from 68 countries gathered at the Salt Palace Convention Center for the annual event. Organizers say it was the largest single-company convention to date in Utah.

The convention promoted doTerra’s mission statement and values, educated attendees on doTerra products and launched new products and company directives, including an announcement of new initiatives regarding medical clinics and the state of the art Aromatic Plant Research Center.

“This year’s convention theme, ‘you,’ speaks to what I admire most about the people of doTerra: our love of others and commitment to share and give back,” said David Stirling, founding executive, chairman and CEO at doTerra. “This annual gathering of our community is a great way to celebrate our collective achievements, learn about the future of essential oils and get inspired together.

“We are honored to host Utah’s largest-ever single-company convention and introduce so many people from around the world to our beautiful state.”

As part of its Healing Hands initiative, doTerra employees, wellness advocates and volunteers with the Days for Girls Foundation came together for service Friday. The group assembled 5,110 feminine hygiene kits in only 36 minutes, breaking the previous Guinness World Record for the most personal hygiene kits assembled in one hour. The previous record was 1,002 kits.

Contact Wellness Advocate Amy Snyder for more information at a_lynns2979@yahoo.com

The Anoka Polka

Candy is back on at this year’s Grand Day Parade in Anoka, following weeks of backlash over a recent decision to ban the sugary handouts in a city billed the “Halloween Capital of the World.”   from the Mpls StarTribune.

You find them in the courtrooms and the offices of men,

They show up at conventions or in church to shout ‘Amen!”

Creeping from their lairs they lay waste to all good cheer --

Those do-gooders who at the sight of candy have to sneer!

Up there in Anoka Town, where Halloween is prized,

These lunatics decided that sweetmeats should be despised.

They banned the Baby Ruth bar and the pleasing M&M;

They took out all the gumballs and cut down the licorice stem.

They watched in satisfaction as the Halloween parade

Marched grudgingly about the town without a candy trade.

Little children whimpered and old men scowled in defeat,

Mourning the demise of a tradition once so sweet.

But then a mighty warrior (or maybe a plain group)

Rose up our rights to sucrose to successfully recoup!

He (or they) demanded that the goodies be restored.

They (or he) stormed City Hall with confident accord.

And so it came to pass that once again all treats and trickers

Were showered with a blessed rain of Skittles and of Snickers.

Let no one ever threaten the sweet tooth of our chaste city --

Or once again we will revive Three Musketeers banditti!

Hilary Clinton Persuades Judge to Jail Man Who Wants a Strand of Her Hair

Splitting hairs is kosher, but you better watch your step

If  human hairs you do intend to ever pluck and schlep.

Women do not like to have their private property

Picked like common cotton and displayed for all to see.

If you’re caught with evidence of hirsute turpitude

You’re jugged, and bread and water is your only prison food.

So heed this earnest warning -- if you want a locket strand,

Use a wig, me bucko, so you never will be canned.

Salt Lake County Mayor Calls Pleasant Grove Company a Mainstay of Utah's Economic Stability

Okay, losing Outdoor Retailer trade shows is painful, but it’s hardly a killer to Salt Lake County’s convention business, Mayor Ben McAdams and hospitality-industry leaders insisted Tuesday.“It always hurts to lose a big convention,” McAdams said of the owner‘s decision to move the two annual Outdoor Retailer trade shows — and the $45 million they brought to Utah’s economy — out of the state, in protest of Utah’s public-lands policies and its objections to the designation of Bears Ears National Monument.“But let’s put it in perspective,” he added at a news conference outside the Salt Palace Convention Center. “It’s not the only show here. It’s not even the largest show.”For the past three years, said Visit Salt Lake President and CEO Scott Beck, that honor has gone to doTerra, a multilevel marketing company in Pleasant Grove that sells essential oils.Just last week, doTerra’s global convention attracted roughly 30,500 people to the Salt Palace. That’s a few thousand more than attend the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, the larger of the two departing trade shows.“The distinction of being the largest citywide convention is significant,” said Beck, noting that doTerra convention attendees booked 60,000 hotel rooms in Salt Lake County over the four days of meetings, contributing $29 million to the economy. “And you could smell the lavender everywhere,” he joked, referring to the fragrance associated with many doTerra products.Beck and Kirk Jowers, doTerra’s vice president of corporate relations and European markets, said Salt Lake City’s ability to handle large conventions is a credit to the cooperation between the main partners in the local convention industry — Visit Salt Lake, which brings meetings in; SMG, the company that operates the Salt Palace and the SouthTowne Exposition Center in Sandy; Utah Food Services, which feeds everyone who comes into those facilities; and PSAV, the firm that provides audio visual services to conventions.

About doTERRA doTERRA is the world leader in sourcing, testing, manufacturing, and distributing CPTG® essential oils through a global network of more than 3 million independent direct-sale distributors, known as Wellness Advocates, and wholesale customers. doTERRA, the Latin derivative meaning "Gift of the Earth," sets the standard for essential oils by providing to its customers the most tested and most trusted oils and having developed the expertise and commitment required to derive these unique oils directly from the best sources in the world. doTERRA Co-Impact Sourcing® provides local growers and distillers fair compensation for their efforts, creating stronger local economies and a healthier, stable supply chain. In addition to a premium line of single-plant extracts and proprietary essential oil blends, the company offers oil-infused personal care and spa products, dietary supplements and healthy living products for the home.

Contact Wellness Advocate Amy Snyder for more information at a_lynns2979@yahoo.com

Judge Removed from Post for Wearing Trump Cap

Canada judge suspended for wearing Trump hat in court

From The Guardian

A judge up in Toronto wore a hat while holding court.

It sparked complaints from jurors who were of the better sort.

They said that a sombrero in the courtroom was too common;

It did not lend much dignity to such a legal Brahmin.

The judge, he got suspended and was sent home in disgrace.

Chapeaus, his brethren stated, in the courtroom had no place.

Judges who defile their robes with caps and beanies suffer

Their own brand of justice -- which is pretty rough and tougher.

Of course, a judge whose rulings are a prejudicial mess

Is never in much danger of defaulting his black dress.

But put on a fedora, and the legal system strains --

Because it just might hide the fact that judges have no brains.

New Director Appointed at World Famous Pleasant Grove Clinic

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah. -- doTERRA, the world's leading global essential oils company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Brannick Riggs to its corporate administration team as vice president of healthcare initiatives and chief medical director of doTERRA's medical clinic. Riggs, who has served on doTERRA's medical advisory board for five years, will continue to practice medicine while advancing the work doTERRA has already begun in research and healthcare in this newly created position.

"Dr. Riggs will lead doTERRA's new healthcare clinic that assimilates western medicine with integrative health practices," said David Stirling, doTERRA founder and CEO. "With over 15 years of medical experience, we can't imagine someone more prepared or qualified to assist us than Dr. Riggs. We look forward to all the good he will do for our company, our Wellness Advocates, and the future of healthcare."

While serving on the company's medical advisory board, Dr. Riggs made major contributions to doTERRA's research and education initiatives. Prior to joining doTERRA, Dr. Riggs taught as an associate professor at the University of UtahCollege of Medicine, practiced as a physician and partner at Revere Health, and served as Revere Health's Medical Director of the Northern Utah Region. He graduated from the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

While studying at Arizona, he received training in integrative medicine under Dr. Andrew Weil, an internationally recognized expert in this field. He is passionate about marrying modern medicine with essential oils, proper nutrition, and exercise. He enjoys using essential oils in his personal and family life, teaching individuals and healthcare professionals about them, and conducting research in this field.

"The work we are doing at doTERRA is on the cutting edge of healthcare in the United States, and I'm excited to be on the forefront of change in medicine," Dr. Riggs said. "I'm honored to help design doTERRA's new state of the art clinic, continue practicing medicine, and work with Dr. David Hill to teach healthcare professionals around the world how to better care for their patients."

About doTERRA doTERRA is the world leader in sourcing, testing, manufacturing, and distributing CPTG® essential oils through a global network of more than 3 million independent direct-sale distributors, known as Wellness Advocates, and wholesale customers. doTERRA, the Latin derivative meaning "Gift of the Earth," sets the standard for essential oils by providing to its customers the most tested and most trusted oils and having developed the expertise and commitment required to derive these unique oils directly from the best sources in the world. doTERRA Co-Impact Sourcing® provides local growers and distillers fair compensation for their efforts, creating stronger local economies and a healthier, stable supply chain. In addition to a premium line of single-plant extracts and proprietary essential oil blends, the company offers oil-infused personal care and spa products, dietary supplements and healthy living products for the home.

Contact Wellness Advocate Amy Snyder for more information at a_lynns2979@yahoo.com

Monkey Gets Money for Famous Selfie

In 2011, Naruto, a curious 6-year-old monkey in Indonesia, peered into a camera lens, grinned and pressed the shutter button on the unattended camera. Little did the endangered crested macaque know that he may have been providing for his future.

The selfie of his bucktooth smile and wide amber eyes made Naruto an internet celebrity. But the widely shared image became embroiled in a novel and lengthy lawsuit over whether the monkey owned the rights to it. Naruto lost the first round in federal court in California in 2016, but won a victory of sorts in a settlement on Monday for himself and his friends.

The camera’s owner, David J. Slater, agreed to donate 25 percent of future revenue of the images taken by the monkey to charitable organizations that protect Naruto, who lives in the Tangkoko Reserve on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, and other crested macaques.   From the NYTimes.

So my dog stepped on my phone while it was on the floor,

And took a photo of his butt and tail forevermore.

PETA heard about it and began a dogged campaign

To make me pay cash dividends to my own darn Great Dane!

My dog and I, at loggerheads, were taken into court,

Where lawyers learned that ‘housebreaking’ was not a simple tort.

My pooch laid evidence before the jury that was strong;

The janitor was summoned by the judge’s wrathful song!

I was fined for littering, and ordered to give cause

Why I should not put hard cash into my dog’s front paws.

I pled nolo contendere; the jury disagreed --

So now I’m on a chain gang clearing ditches of pokeweed!

Henry Fonda Portrays Emmett Kelly

“Good evening -- it’s circus season all over the country once again!”

So begins Ronald Reagan in a 1955 GE Theater TV biopic of Emmett Kelly, labeled simply “CLOWN.” This obscure little television drama purports to show the ‘birth’ of Emmett Kelly the nonpareil clown. Running all of 27 minutes, the script is hard put to explain such a delicate transformation in such a short space of time, so instead it relies on some howling cliches and inaccuracies that any circus buff worth his or her weight in sawdust would grimace at.

However there is no use in caviling about the faults of this modest little teledrama. The heart of the story is in the right place, in that it shows some of the mystery and pathos surrounding the making of a great clown. From a historical as well as acting viewpoint, it is well worth watching -- just to see Fonda’s interpretation of Weary Willy. He gets the makeup right, yet his face is just different enough to make the makeup a bit disturbing -- more paranoid than pathetic.

Once again we can thank YouTube for posting a good copy of this 62-year old curiosity. You can watch it for free at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSg78kC9OB4