Why I'm Moving to Norway

from the Houston Chronicle:

Norway's government has saved so much money it doesn't know what to do with it all.

The Scandinavian nation's sovereign wealth fund topped $1 trillion this week, or about $191,000 per citizen. The U.S. Congress, meanwhile, has authorized the government to incur more than $19 trillion in debt, putting every American taxpayer in hock for $165,000.

Norway's socialist system has the largest savings account in the world, built from scratch in 1998 from oil and natural gas revenues. The fund now throws off more money from its investments than the country earns from energy.  

In Norway they’ve got enough dough

To laugh at the ice and the snow;

Each citizen can

Take off for Thailand

Whenever the winter winds blow.

All good things from Christ do come

“. . . and in Christ there should come every good thing.”

All good things from Christ do come, and suffer he will not

A thing of evil or of hate -- nor beauty will boycott.

The whisper of a falling leaf upon the tempered grass;

The glittered dew and twilight glim no devil can surpass.

The coruscating seashell and the patterns of sunlight

Are his to give to us, each one -- all free, as our birthright.

The scent of rose and honey savored lead us gently on

To excellence above the clouds that gambol in the dawn.

His fountains in the wilderness, his streams of loving bliss

Flow through the countryside and town and never run amiss.

Look past the majesty and awe to find his simple charm;

His friendly gaze is good to me and will my fears disarm.

Illinois Mother Discovers Essential Oil Health Benefits for Her Son

(Rockford, Illinois)

Seeing her son struggle with side effects from asthma medications led Christy Moore of Rockford to research the benefits of essential oils.

She diffused “Breathe” – a blend of oils that includes peppermint and eucalyptus – from the direct-sales company doTERRA, and Moore said the congestion in her son’s lungs started to clear. Fast-forward a few years, and Moore now leads a team of about 750 people for doTERRA as a wellness advocate and swears by the oils to aid with everything from digestive health to headaches to sleeping.

“I think people are getting better at asking questions and learning about their own health,” Moore said of the increased awareness of essential oils. “More and more people are wanting to get to the root cause of their health concerns, be proactive and take a holistic approach to caring for their bodies.”

The use of essential oils certainly has increased in recent years. You might recognize popular companies such as doTERRA (which exceeded more than $1 billion in sales in 2015.)

Their use can be controversial because the oils are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Miriam Carl, Illinois state director for the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA), attributes the increased popularity of aromatherapy to the rise of social media and the “effectiveness of aromatherapy as a healing modality.”

Education about their uses are as essential as the oils themselves.

“I definitely recommend consulting with a professional aromatherapist,” Carl said. “There is a lot of false information out there about aromatherapy, and it’s very difficult for the consumer to sort it all out.”

Carl is a certified clinical aromatherapist through the NAHA and The School for Aromatic Studies with more than 450 hours of formal training. One tip she suggested when shopping for essential oils is looking for proper labeling requirements. The NAHA has a robust “Explore Aromatherapy” section on its website at naha.org with methods of application, safety information and potential drug interactions. The site notes that the essential oils listed are “not intended to diagnose, cure or prevent any disease, and should not be used as a substitute for medical care.”

Christy Moore likes doTERRA for several reasons, among them is that the company does third-party testing on its oils and tests for quality and clarity. She thinks most people are open to trying natural products, but the skepticism comes when they don’t do enough research and buy low-grade products.

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

Trump Works with Democrats on Status of DACA

The Democrats have brainwashed Donald Trump, we all agree.

Why else would he be meeting with them quite so frequently?

To think of them consorting and forgetting all their spats

Is like the thought that harmony exists tween dogs and cats!

For Democrats are wily and such superficial mules

That Tea Party adherents hate their very molecules.

And vice versa consequently Democrats contend

Republicans have all gone round that ever-lovin’ bend.

To see these two antagonists draw closer is a shame --

Don’t they know that’s not how patriots should play the game?

At each other’s throats is what the public does demand.

Consensus is not tolerated in our raucous land!

GIVE AMERICA BACK TO THE PASSENGER PIGEON!

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