Posts for Monday, December 24, 2007

Question #41736 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

If I offered to make werf brownies, could I get a nice, kind, and self-esteem building response from A Slap to Quell the Histeria?

- Craig Jessop

A: Dear Craig,

No.

-A Slap to Quell the Hysteria

Question #41729 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Architecture

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I live in Wyview Park and noticed that above each door there are little tiny holes, which appear to have plastic tubing running through them. They are pretty inconspicuous, but I am extremely curious to find out what they are and the purpose they serve. Any help?

- Killed the Cat.

A: Dear SchrÃ¶dinger,

See Board Question #41020.

- the librarian

Question #41726 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Food & Drink

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,
how much does the standard carrot weigh?? like i've heard soo many answers and i just want the truth... and yes i can handle it :)
((the kind like bunnies like to munch on))
- MissMatch

A: Dear Miss,

The problem here (and probably why you've heard so many answers) is there's no such thing as a "standard" size for produce. They tend to vary in size depending on the specific variety and the growing conditions. With that said, one source of nutritional information listed a carrot as 7 1/2" long with a mass of 72 grams (approximately 2.5 ounces).

—Laser Jock

Question #41725 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

BYU - Campus (physical) - Buildings - Library

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Why do people come into the library, ask if you mind them sitting at your table, sit down, and then whisper the whole time??? If you're in the library, and whole room is silent, wouldn't you try to respect everyone that's quiet around you? Besides, whispering without even glancing at the notes you put on the table isn't very conducive to studying...

- Trying to Study for Finals

A: Dear Trying to Study for Finals,

I was wondering the same thing yesterday, only he didn't ask if he could sit at my table and then invited what I later deduced to be his soon to be fiancée to sit next to him (I swear she looked 17 with grownup makeup on). There was much whispering and giggling and their hands were doing something under the table that I'm not quite sure they were supposed to be doing. And I don't think I've ever heard a girl chew gum so loudly. So loud.

For the love of sanity. Please go somewhere else if you need to talk.

- steen

Question #41722 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Health - Hygiene

Board - Writers

Q:

Dear Foreman,

What color is your pouf?

- Twister of Fate

A: Dear Twister-

Ahh ha ha ha ha!

For you less-observant readers, Twister of Fate is referring to this answer. And it's an excellent question. A few words in explanation:

Back in the early days of my mission, I realized that transporting a bar of soap, even in one of those little boxes, was a pain and a half. It is messy, constantly waterlogged, and ruins the soap like mad. I was not content.

Enter my trainer. He wisely informed me that body wash, being contained in a bottle, had no such issues. Why, it's as easy to carry to another apartment on an exchange as would be your shampoo! So I invested, and was satisfied.

I still, however, resisted the loofah. Or pouf. Or whatever. I thought it outrageously girly, and withheld for over a year. An unwise choice, let me tell you. Eventually, at behest of another wise companion, I broke down and bought one; my life changed that day. It was amazing! Guys, the girls have been keeping this one a secret from us for a reason. For you doubters, I must insist that you give it a shot. The personal motto I gained from this time of life was "Can't knock it 'til you try it," which has led me to many great things.

Still, the pansy colors of poufs available was discouraging. It seemed girly enough... did I really need pink thrown in to compound the problem? For a while, sky blue was the name of the game.

Wal-mart proved to be my salvation. While walking through the aisles, what should my eye fall upon but: Manly Poufs! They were in glorious, dark, testosterone-charged colors, including navy blue, hunter green, and burly black (the other colors had modifiers. "Black" by itself just looked too lonely). I immediately purchased a black one, and that was my standard fare from that day forward. Unfortunately, they're harder to find here in Provo than where I served, so we're currently making use of the hunter green variety. Still overwhelmingly manly, I assure you.

There you have it. I am a man.

-Foreman, on assignment in DC

Question #41720 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Random

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I have noticed an odd phenomenon. As I walk across campus or stand at my post at work, the eye contact I make with people seems to differ. As I see my friends their eyes have a different 'light' in them than most strangers, yet there are some strangers whose eyes 'light up' in a similar fashion. It's not the same, but it is interesting. Then there are those whose eyes do not seem to 'light up' at all. There are some people (it seems to mostly be females) who you can't even see the whites of their eyes, just their irises and pupils, thus, no 'light.'
I think it has somewhat to do with familiarity, but that doesn't explain how some strangers have that 'light.' To what do you accredit this? Am I a nutbar or has anyone else experienced it?

- West Desk Sentinel

A: Dear,

You're not crazy. There's the "hey, I recognize you and I'm glad to see you" look that friends tend to give each other. Often, it's wider eyes, and slightly raised eyebrows. Or the way the area around your eyes crinkles up a little when you really smile.

Sometimes, strangers don't just make eye contact, they acknowledge that they've made eye contact. When I do it, I do it by doing the same things I'd do if I saw a friend, but maybe a little less excitedly. Just enough to say "oh, hey. I'm not staring daggers at you, I'm just looking around," or "looks like you're stuck back there behind the West Desk. Keep up the good work," or "hey, it's Josh! No, wait, it's not. Let's pretend I'm just that friendly."

If I had to guess, I'd say the strangers you see whose eyes are lighting up either really are that friendly. Sometimes, you're just in a good mood, and you smile a little as you make eye contact, because you're cheerful enough that everyone seems like a friend you haven't met yet. At least, that's what it is with me. So if you see a redheaded girl flashing a grin at you as she passes, give a grin back. It makes the day that much better.

-Uffish Thought

P.S. I've got a guess for the girls whose eyes seem so dark, too. Not only are you just another person in the crowd, and thus not getting the stranger-nod, they're wearing more eye makeup than the guys, and so more of the whites of their eyes are blocked out.

Question #41718 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Language & Linguistics

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Is "brunette" an appropriate appelation for dudes with brown hair? If not, what would be more appropriate? "Bruno?"

- Blonde dude

A: Dear dude,

Any word with an "-ette" suffix should never be used to describe a guy. I don't care how metro he might be.

According to Wikipedia, "A brown-haired male may be called a brunet, though this usage is relatively uncommon." "Dude with brown hair" should be sufficient for your needs.

-Cognoscente

A: Dear Blonde dude,

For what it's worth, "blonde" is also feminine adjective in the original French. (The masculine form is "blond.")

- Katya

Question #41717 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Board - Writers

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

How many of you will spend your Christmas vacation answering questions?

- Larry the Cucumber

A: Dear Larry,

Ooh! Me! I will!

Okay, I actually have an awful lot of other things planned for the break. But I'll be answering questions too.

—Laser Jock

A: Dear Laser Jock,

You totally stole my thunder and forced me to swallow my own words.

Dear Khefin,

What else is there to do during break?

-Azriel

A: Dear Cucumy,

I've been really busy this semester and haven't been able to answer as much as I've wanted. So I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with the Board. Huh? Wha? What about my family you ask? Oh don't worry, I'll spend lots of time with them. But the Board is part of my family.

~Krishna

A: Dear Larry,

If I don't retire, I might.

You might even be treated to an appearance of Team HAT. What more could you ask for Christmas?

-Tangy

A: Dear Larry,

Hopefully, a lot of us will, because the inbox is full of red questions.

- Katya

Question #41716 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Transportation

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I am going to start going to BYU next fall and would really like a way to get around. I know that there are alot of things to do on campus and nearby, but I think that I would like my own transportation. Since whatever I have to pay for whatever I get, I have been looking into getting a motorcycle since they are cheaper and get good gas mileage. I wondered how safe something like this would be on roads near BYU and if BYU even offers anything to accomodate bikers. Any Advice?

Thanks,

- Tyler

A: Dear Tyler,

I happen to know that my friend bismark has a scooter he's been using all semester. I passed your question on to him:

dear tyler,

i have been riding a yamaha scooter around byu campus for the last year and a half. it has been really handy. the roads are usually just fine. there are some larger potholes that occasionally pop up around provo that I would not want to hit while on a scooter, but as long as you are careful its not a big deal. there are generally only a few days throughout the year that the road conditions in provo don't allow me to go out (ironically those are always the days i need to go somewhere the most...). i have never felt extraordinarily unsafe on any of the roads, though i would recommend having a helmet just in case. one of the nicest things about riding a scooter to campus is i never have to worry about parking. the parking lot right in front of the wilk always has plenty of scooter/motorcycle parking, and it doesn't even require a parking sticker. there are also many other very conveniently placed bike parking spots around campus. and if you are interested, i am selling my scooter since i am moving away from provo. you can contact me if you are interested at bismark90 at gmail dot com.

-bismark

So there you have it. He seems to have been happy with it, though it can be a bit less usable in icy conditions. Provo is usually pretty good about keeping the roads clear, though, so it's not a big deal.

Good luck!

-Yellow

A: Dear Tyler,

See also Board Question #22099.

- the librarian

Question #41713 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Food & Drink

Products

Medical/Body - Products

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

At this website: http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/Additives/Artificial-Colors.htm, it says that red 40 was banned in the US. I still see it in plenty of foods though. Is it just wrong?

- Queen Lucy Pevensie

A: Dear Highness,

Yes, that web site is just wrong. On the FDA's color status additive list, Red No. 40 is on their permanently approved list of color additives. FD&C Red #40 is listed as approved for "food, drugs, and cosmetics, including drugs and cosmetics for eye area."

—Laser Jock

Question #41712 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Relationships - Dating

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I knew this girl once who would get SO nervous before a date that she would (not always but usually) throw up. I was assured that it wasn't an eating disorder thing, but honestly a nerves thing. Is this a common practice among girls? And if not, what are some things I can do to make girls nervous enough to throw up before a date with me?

- Hodag

A: Dear Hodag,

No, it's not common, and why on earth would you want to do that to a poor girl?

- Katya

A: Dear Hodag ~

What an awful thing to say! If I didn't already have an arch nemesis, I would consider you for the position. This poor, sweet girl has enough problems in dealing with this awful, horrible problem without dealing with your jerkface slimeball-esque qualities. If I were this girl, I would never go out with you if you were the last man on earth and most of the goats were dead. I hope if you succeed, she throws up on you... [grumble, grumble, jerkface men, murmur, murmur....]

~ Dragon Lady

A: Dear Hodag,

Try a Puking Pastille. Then you can also appear the knight in shining armor by offering her the other end and making her all better. How could she not love you after that?

- Niffler

A: Dear Hodag,

Nope, not common. Be sure you don't know her very well, first, and then just be devastatingly handsome and take her somewhere really expensive with very little drivetime (read: comfortability-enhancing buffer zone), letting her know ahead of time that the date might end in kissing, and you are a very, very good kisser.

(Note: This works best with shy girls, not only because those things have a better chance of making them nervous, but also because they might be too afraid to say no.)

I'm serious about the devastatingly handsome, though. And about dropping the cash. Let us know how it goes.

-Olympus

Question #41710 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Science - Physics - Astronomy

Science - Meteorology/Climatology

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

So, last night I was thinking about winter. Winter solstice is december 21st, right? And that day is the shortest of the year based hours of daylight? If yes to both, why on earth does it keep getting colder and colder until february? My understanding was always that day length and tempurature were both caused by the orientation of the earth with regards to the sun. If that's the case, shouldn't the sun be hitting us from a warmer and warmer angle starting when the days begin to be longer and longer?

Buggy

A: Dear Buggy,

See Board Question #2631.

- the librarian

Question #41709 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Employment

Board - Writers - What's your favorite

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

What has been your favorite summer job?

-Future Job Hunter strikes again!

A: Dear Scrab,

I was a private tutor once. Most. Amazing. Job. Ever.

-Azriel

A: Dear You're Back,

It's not anyone's dream job, but I really enjoyed doing landscaping for a university one summer. It was hot, sweaty, dirty work, but I loved the chance to work hard. I liked shoveling and raking dirt, since it gave me a chance to get stronger. It was just fun. I also got to work with some people I never would have known otherwise.

—Laser Jock

A: Dear FJHsa!:

Being a grader/research assistant for the Religion Department. (A bonus was that it became a summer through spring job.)

---Portia

Question #41708 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

BYU - Student Life

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

What on-campus job has the best privileges? Like how Cougareat employees get discounts on food...that kind of thing.

-Future Job Hunter

A: Dear FJH,

Probably "President."

I think he can do pretty much whatever he wants.

-Yellow

A: Dear FJH,

Of the jobs I've had, BYU custodial had the perk of getting to hang out in the visual arts department and look at everyone's cool projects and Physics Dept. TA had the perk of access to the physics labs supply room (which had all the physics toys in the world).

As far as other jobs go, if you work for IT services or for the university police department, you've got access to a lot of information about people, and if you work in the NOC, then . . . you just get to walk around feeling cool, I guess.

- Katya

A: Dear Job Hunter,

When I worked in the Bookstore, I got 10% off everything, including textbooks. I've heard it's now up to 20% off everything, except textbooks which are still 10%.

At my current job, I don't have to plan out any specific hours. I can just come in to work whenever I feel like it. I think that's pretty desirable as far as on-campus jobs go.

Cheers,

-Tangerine

A: Dear future,

BYU Catering. Best uniforms on campus and you usually get to eat leftovers, plus there are billions of people who work there so you get a rocking social life even if you work weekend nights.

-Olympus

Question #41707 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

BYU - BYU Rumors/Myths

Folklore - BYU Rumors/Myths

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I remember asking my boss about the BYU Recycling Plant a long time ago, thinking it was the place where BYU took all the paper from those little blue bins and, well, recycled it. But he drove me by this place with all these piles of dirt and said that that was the recycling plant. What do they recycle? Dirt?

-I'm King of the Mountain!

A: Dear King

You can see a list of the items that BYU recycles here. You can watch a video about BYU's recycling program here (the video possesses perhaps the sweetest soundtrack in the history recycling videos). Seeing the list of items BYU recycles I assumed you saw the location of the compost recycling. After watching that video with the sweet, sweet soundtrack, I'm more convinced of this.

In essence, yes, they are recycling dirt. But, if you watch the video (the one with the great soundtrack) you'll see that other types of recycling are done at non-dirt pile locations.

-Humble Master

Question #41705 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

LDS - Doctrine

Q:

Dear writers,

Adam and Eve came to this earth perfect. Can you explain to me why God made them so gullible. They obviously showed human emotions/flaws for example, Adam was lonely when all the animals had mates, and he didn't. Eve gave in easily to temptation. So did Adam. They lacked a basic sense of judgement.

1. how can you be perfect when you are so easily wavered by temptation. I guess you can argue that they were just "innocent"
Did God see it coming? That they were going to eat from the forbidden tree? And why was the tree even there? To test them? Was it part of the plan?
im starting to confuse myself.

2. Do you not aggree that the Bible is some what flawed?

- btw, Cognoscente i understand that you didnt get my sense of humour. And obviously do not share my love for sarcasm. But how could i have possibly "butchered" the english language. Or is it just part of your persona to be a cognoscente?

- IB pro.

A: Dear Advil,

I'm not Cognoscente, but for what it's worth, the term "butcher" may be only a slight overstatement. Man alive, read over this question! I could go through and point out every error in the grammar, but that's not really pertinent. Besides, I don't claim to have a perfect grasp on the English language, so far be it from me to set myself up as a grammar master. Oh, and I didn't really get your joke either. By the way.

To the questions!

Think of your favorite three year old. If you pretend to pull a penny out of their ear, they are ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED that you have performed the greatest miracle of all time. Does this make them imperfect? Of course not! They're as pure as the driven snow.

Adam and Eve were created in adult form, but I assume (CLAUDIO DOCTRINE) that they had just as much of a veil over their eyes as we did. That means that when they came to the earth, they didn't come equipped with all of the knowledge they had in the heavens. As such, they were born, it could be said, as children. Children know love, loneliness, and, above all, are a bit gullible.

They were without sin until they were given a commandment that was understandable, they were held accountable for it, and they broke it. This is, in LDS theology, what happens at about the age of eight. Apparently Adam and Eve had reached this point, as a loving and just God would not hold them accountable for a broken law that they didn't understand.

Did God see it coming? Well...yeah. It's a bit difficult to pull a fast one on a being known as "the Almighty." God, in his omnipotence, knew that Adam would fall. That's the reason he went to such care to make sure a Savior would be provided before the earth was even formed. If you recall, the idea of agency was the central tenet of the Plan of Salvation presented in the premortal life. As such, as Lehi told his son Jacob in 2 Nephi 2:11, "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility."

God wasn't going to force immortality on Adam and Eve. They could choose it by eating from the Tree of Life and keeping the commandments. God also gave them the opposite, or death, which they could also choose (being fully aware of the consequence) by partaking of the forbidden fruit. They chose, man fell, and here we are!

As far as your second and somewhat non-sequitur question, yes, the Bible is probably flawed to some extent. The Eighth Article of Faith says, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly." So, yeah, there are translation errors. There's also the Song of Solomon, which Joseph Smith said was not divinely inspired. Other than that, though, I stand pretty much by the Bible. From your question you seem to be inferring that the Bible is flawed because it tells "weird stories about a mythical garden with a magic tree." If that's how you mean it, then no, I don't think the Bible is flawed. I think that happened as it was written. Can I explain everything in it? Not at all. But I stand by the word of God as declared by the prophets of God.

-Claudio

A: Dear IB ~

May I suggest that you take a deep breath and start respecting one of our foundational doctrines? Next, may I suggest that you read The Savior and the Serpent: Unlocking the Doctrine of the Fall by Alonzo L. Gaskill? He takes great care to explain all the questions you ask and in much greater detail than I will give you here.

Adam and Eve were not gullible. They were part of the Council in Heaven. They knew exactly what needed to happen in order for the Plan to succeed. Yes, they had the veil put over their eyes and entered this world as little children, but they learned as they grew. God would never have let them fall without being prepared to handle it. Just because they did not have a full knowledge did not mean they did not have agency. God will never take away our agency. He gave them a choice to stay in the Garden and stay in happy blissful ignorance, or to eat of the fruit and bring life into the world and allow us each a chance to prove ourselves and live up to our full potential. They chose the latter, and thank goodness for that.

Yes, God saw it coming. He planned the Atonement and provided a savior to redeem us all. Why would he have done that if he didn't anticipate a Fall? The Fall is just as essential to our salvation as the Atonement is. There is a reason the Fall is one of the three pillars of the gospel. It was not a mistake that Adam and Even partook of the fruit. It was planned from the beginning. Why was it there? Because God, being perfect, could not create an imperfect world. Yet, we needed an imperfect world in order to be truly tried and tested. Our faith could not have been proven if we had a sure knowledge. Thus, a provision was made to ensure a way for temptation and evil to enter the world in order.

Yes, the Bible has flaws. In the words of one of my professors, "The Bible is a manly book written by men, about men, for men." Of course it's flawed. Just kidding!!! (Well, he really did say that... but I'm just kidding about that being the reason it's flawed.) The Bible is the oldest text to be continuously transcribed and passed down generation after generation. You've played Telephone, I'm sure. You know how a message can get garbled after telling it to only 10 people? Imagine how a book the size of the Bible could carry innocent transmission errors after millenia of rewriting it over and over and over again. Now add into that crafty men who want to use the Bible to their own advantage. It happens. We have to accept that. That's why we have the Joseph Smith Translation. People say that the books of Isaiah and Revelation are the most accurately transmitted because they are so cryptic and thus, no one knew how to change them to make them fit their purposes. However that does not mean that the Bible is not scripture. That does not mean that we can dismiss anything in the Bible that we don't like and chalk it up to error in transmission. The Bible is still the Word of God and as such has also had divine protection. I'm sure that left solely in the hands of men, the Bible would be much more hashed and full of error. It is truly a miracle that we have the Bible today and all of the many great wisdoms and truths that it contains. The Bible is the word of God--story of the Fall and all. If you read the account in the books of Moses and Abraham, if you go to the temple, you will find three more accounts of the Fall that are not flawed and give a remarkably similar account. With the four accounts combined, we can put together a full picture of what actually happened in the Garden of Eden.

The story of Eden and the Fall are beautiful and sacred tales, full of symbolism and truth. However, when you are making a mockery of God and his perfect Plan, He will not give you those plain and precious truths. He is kind and will not give you information that will only prove your downfall. If you are really sincere about wanting to know what happened and truly understand this account, I suggest you find some humility and respect. Get down on your knees and ask the one person that knows the entire story. Turn your attentions to the accounts themselves. Study them. Look for application. Become thoroughly acquainted with them. Then, in more prayerful study, turn to books written by Church authorities. Read their witnesses to the event so crucial to your own salvation. Then perhaps you will get the answer you seek.

~ Dragon Lady

A: Dear IB,

I'm not sure what to make of your message. Clearly, there must have been a disconnect between your incisive rhetoric and brilliant satire, and my dim, feeble brain. I apologize. I'll try to do better next time.

-Cognoscente

Question #41703 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Relationships - Dating

Board - Writers

Q:

Dear Foreman,

Despite being a fully and securely heterosexual male, I find myself very interested in your dating application process. Can I go through your stealth mission, without any resulting awkward man-date?

- Diemer

A: Dear Diemer-

While my first instinct was to regretfully shut you down, your question had the fortunate effect of literally making me laugh out loud, which is actually a pretty rare phenomenon while I'm reading. So I thought I'd see what I could do. Diemer, my lucky friend... I'ma hook you up.

Not only may you go through the stealth process AND avoid a man-date, I'm actually going to get YOU a date. My Brainy Board-readin' Babe (which, since it keeps coming up, is apparently going to need an acronym, methinks. "BBrB," from now on) friend Sophie has agreed to go on a date with you, provided you survive the assigned tasks. Yeah. She's awesome. You'll thank me later.

Note: this is most likely a one-time event. Sorry, other guys, Diemer got it first.

You know what to do.

-Foreman, on assignment in D.C.

Question #41695 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Business

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I'm surprised no one has asked this one yet! Have you seen those billboards on I-15 about UPlej? It looks like it might be a pretty good idea; only problem is, there is almost no information on it. The site indicated very little, and when I ran a WHOIS, it goes through 1And1 web hosting, so that's a dead end.

Just curious to see what the famous 100 Hour Board can dig up!

- Amateur Web Sleuth

A: Dear Amateur

I haven't seen the billboard in question, but I'm assuming the website in question is uplej.com. As you noted, the site doesn't indicate much about what uplej is or how it works beyond stating:

UPlej is...
Designed to help you lose wieght, stop smoking and it can even help you stop drinking.
Designed to help you earn money for yourself and for others by doing something extraordinary! Like shaving your head or walking backwards.
A service that will help you focus your energy on others while helping yourself in the process.

Hmmm...okay, I have no idea what that means really. Those three statements don't seem to have any correlation to each other.

However, the site does contain two other bits of information that could help the desirer of knowledge about UPlej. First, it states:

The future of UPlej, coming 2007

Taking into account today's date, the future, which will hopefully be more informative than the present, will most likely arrive any day now. Patience should result in answers in this case. Secondly, there are four email addresses listed, one of which is Questions@uplej.com, which, conveniently, is where you can send questions to the company. So, if you have any, feel free to send them on. They'll probably get back to you with answers promptly (I'm not exactly sure what your question was, so I didn't send any on to them).

-Humble Master

Question #41685 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Art

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Does any scrapbooking writer know of an awesome scrapbooking site? It could be ideas, merchandise, anything. If there is nobody who scrapbooks and/or does not have a good website that is fine. I have googled it. I am just looking for suggestions from fellow scrapbookers.

- Free Time!

A: Dear Gil,

I'm actually more into card making, but the two are essentially the same thing when it comes to ideas, yeah? My favorite store ever has got some pretty good ideas listed here. Roberts Craft also has some scrapbooking layout ideas that you may want to take a look at. I know in the store Pebbles often has some creative ideas, so maybe take a look and see what their site has to offer, too.

Hope that helps to get your creative juices flowing!

-Azriel

Question #41675 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Family History/Genealogy

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

So, I have heard from different relatives that somewhere in our family history (i think my grandpa's grandpa or great-grandpa), there is a Native American ancestor, which I have heard was Cherokee, though possibly Sioux. How do I go about gathering more information about this ancestor besides the obvious trying to find out where they fit in the tree and what nation they were. Second question: someone once told me I have "Cherokee eyes", because they are hazelly green....any validity to that?

-Cherokee eyes sounds exotic

A: Dear yes it does,

Well, aren't you in luck. As my omniscience has been coming in, I've learned the key way to find out about an ancestor besides doing the obvious geneological work. However, it's a bit messy (and involves spoiled goat milk so the smell is something awful), so I'm not willing to do it. This leaves us, unfortunately, with the obvious as the main course of action. So, beyond finding where this ancestor fits in the family tree and if they were actually Cherokee, you can then use the dates they lived to locate more information. Some helpful information about researching Cherokee ancestors can be found here, and some important information about "how Cherokee ancestry falls into different categories as the result of the Indian Removal Act in the 1800s" can be found here.

As for the eye color thing...well I found a person saying this on a forum:

Re: Your Eye Colour

Light Brown - Hazel (When I don't have my Freaky Contacts in)

I'm Cherokee Indian/German/Irish

So, um, maybe.

-Humble Master

Question #41648 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

LDS - Doctrine

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,
An investigator friend was attending our ward when we discovered that a family that had recently moved into the area and received a calling lived beyond ward boundaries and will now go to that ward. The family was sad to leave but understanding of this doctrine/policy/principle (what ever it is categorized as). This makes sense to me, but I have been a member my whole life. In answering my friends questions of this I brought up Moses organizing the tribes of Israel, and revelations in this dispensation, but I was unable to give an answer as to when geography became associated with authority (of a bishop or other leader). What is the history and doctrinal basis for this connection?

-Trent

A: Dear Trent,

Interesting question. The assignment of ecclesiastical authority by geographical division in this dispensation dates back to the early days of the church. When the Saints were moving west to Nauvoo, there were large gatherings of the Saints both in Kirtland, Ohio and in Nauvoo, Illinois. While Joseph Smith was clearly the prophet presiding over both areas, it was impossible for him to be simultaneously present in both areas to handle the daily and weekly affairs of the people. Joseph sought guidance, and the Lord instructed him to call bishops in each area. (Note that the priesthood position of Bishop had already been active prior to this; the new thing was simply the calling of multiple bishops to watch over separate congregations.)

This practice was even pronounced as the Saints made their trek across the plains. They came in "companies", and each company was, in some sense, spiritually self-sufficient. (Forgive the extreme alliteration.) They held weekly meetings under the direction of a priesthood leader just like we do today. Their effective ward boundaries may have shifted as the Saints travelled, but they were certainly geographically based.

Thus far, one might argue that ecclesiastical authority wasn't limited by the geography, but rather that geography limited the people to a particular priesthood leader. Note, though, that the Lord's house is one of order. We read in D&C 20 that the teacher's duty is to "watch over the church always." It is difficult for a teacher to watch over a congregation that is defined simply in terms of those who are interested in attending meetings; those most in need of watchful care are probably those who choose not to attend any meetings. If ecclesiastical authority is not limited to a specific geographical area, the Church organization ceases to have the capability to reach out to those in need in an orderly manner.

I can't give you an exact date for the first time that someone drew a line on a map to divide ecclesiastical stewardship, but we do know that the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will do whatever is necessary to watch over his people, and thus, whenever it has been necessary for the orderly care of his people, I believe that such divisions have been made.

-Yellow

Question #41060 posted on 12/24/2007 3:01 a.m.

Current Events

Social Science - Government/Politics

Human Rights

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Hey, I have two friends with strong, opposing convictions about the U.S. Naval prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. One, who is extremely conservative, believes its your run of the mill prison of war camp where people are happy. The other, who's deeply Liberal, believes its a horror house where people are arrested and tortured for having the wrong skin color, and stand no chance of having a fair trial for committed crimes. Both feed me massive amounts of propaganda, that doesn't really tell me much of anything. When I look it up, all I can find is extremely biased information on the subject, leaving me back where I started in the first place.

So, I was wondering if you guys could help me out a little. What are your views on this, and is there any information on it that isn't biased that I can base an opinion on?

- Thanks a lot, from the guy who's confused about a prison.

A: Dear confused,

It's hard to find an unbaised opinion about Guantanamo Bay. The BBC has a reputation for providing unbiased information, but some would argue that that reputation is unearned. A 2003 documentary done by the BBC presented interviews from both Guantanamo military personnel and recently released Guantanamo detainees, but the format of the presentation was essentially "Military claim, Detainee rebuttal. Repeat." It gave very little room for one to have faith in the U.S. military.

Personally, I have strong concerns about Guantanamo Bay. Since the prison is not on U.S. Territory, the military claims that detainees have no legal right to constitutionally guaranteed legal rights. I find this to be a weak argument, but I don't have the legal background to know how accurate it is. What I find more appalling, though, is that the military tribunals carried out there are often run by people having no legal training. The detainees at Guantanamo are said to exist in a "legal black hole," with no legal recourse available to them. As stated on Wikipedia,

The International Committee of the Red Cross has stated that, "Every person in enemy hands must have some status under international law: he is either a prisoner of war and, as such, covered by the Third Convention, a civilian covered by the Fourth Convention, [or] a member of the medical personnel of the armed forces who is covered by the First Convention. There is no intermediate status; nobody in enemy hands can fall outside the law."

Ultimately, the problem with getting an unbiased opinion is that it's hard to know which side of the fence you're on when nobody can see the fence. The U.S. military has been very restrictive in allowing free information out about the conditions inside Guantanamo Bay, and as a result, we are forced to make assumptions based on imperfect information.

In the end, this answer doesn't really leave you any better off than you were before. But at least you have my opinion now.

-Yellow