NEW! Exploring The Book of Mormon In Americas Heartland Photographic Book

NEW!  Exploring The Book of Mormon In Americas Heartland Photographic Book
NEW! Exploring the Book of Mormon In America's Heartland, A Visual Journey of Discovery by Rod L. Meldrum is a gorgeous, large format 200+ page heirloom quality photographic journey into the exciting new "Heartland Model" geography. Click on the Picture above to learn more. Picture Book Cover Click to Order

Sunday, December 9, 2012

O Come, Emmanuel - Christmas Version - ThePianoGuys


The True meaning of Christmas wonderfully done.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

LDS Video: Special Witnesses of Christ- What / Who was / is Jesus Christ?

His Grace is Sufficient by Brad Wilcox (What is the Grace of Jesus Christ)



Brad Wilcox was serving as a member of the Sunday School General Board of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as a BYU associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education in the David O. McKay School of Education when this devotional address was given on 12 July 2011.

I invite everyone to listen to this talk about the Grace of Jesus Christ, no matter your Religion or form of Christianity, this is an amazing simplistic talk about "His Grace IS Sufficient" I think anyone can learn and share with others about this topic, yes Brad is LDS, but take the time to listen then apply it in our own lives regardless of religion.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Scholar Unveils Ancient Script That Allegedly Quotes Jesus Referring to Wife | TheBlaze.com

Scholar Unveils Ancient Script That Allegedly Quotes Jesus Referring to Wife | TheBlaze.com


Scholar Unveils Ancient Script That Allegedly Quotes Jesus Referring to ‘Wife’

Scholar Unveils Ancient Script That Allegedly Quotes Jesus Referring to Wife
This Sept. 5, 2012 photo released by Harvard University shows a fourth century fragment of papyrus that divinity professor Karen L. King says is the only existing ancient text that quotes Jesus explicitly referring to having a wife. King, an expert in the history of Christianity, says the text contains a dialogue in which Jesus refers to "my wife," whom he identified as Mary. King says the fragment of Coptic script is a copy of a gospel, probably written in Greek in the second century. (Credit: AP)
BOSTON (TheBlaze/AP) — A Harvard University professor has unveiled a fourth century fragment of papyrus that she says is the only existing ancient text that quotes Jesus explicitly referring to having a wife.
Karen King, an expert in the history of Christianity, says the text contains a dialogue in which Jesus refers to ‘‘my wife,’’ whom he identified as Mary. King says the fragment of Coptic script is a copy of a gospel, probably written in Greek in the second century.
King unveiled the fragment of the ‘‘Gospel of Jesus’s Wife’’ in Rome on Tuesday. She says it doesn’t prove Jesus was married but speaks to issues of family and marriage that faced Christians.
King says on a Harvard website that the dialogue includes the disciples discussing whether Mary is worthy and Jesus saying ‘‘she can be my disciple.’’
“This fragment suggests that some early Christians had a tradition that Jesus was married,” King told The New York Times. “There was, we already know, a controversy in the second century over whether Jesus was married, caught up with a debate about whether Christians should marry and have sex.”
Scholar Unveils Ancient Script That Allegedly Quotes Jesus Referring to Wife
(Photo Credit: FILE)
King claims she received an email in 2010 from a private collector who requested she translate the ancient text. King, 58, has reportedly written books on the Gospel of Judas, the Gospel of Mary of Magdala, Gnosticism and women in antiquity.
The man who actually made the discovery asked not be be identified because, “He doesn’t want to be hounded by people who want to buy this,” King said.
Though many questions still remain, the discovery could again bring up theories that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’s wife and whether he had a female disciple.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My thoughts on this,
It is my belief is that he was married to Mary, he did have a wife, as it makes complete sense to me, if Jesus Christ was our perfect example in all things, part of what his Father in Heaven commanded the children of Adam and Eve was to marry and to have children, so for me at least it makes perfect sense, as he tells us to marry and raise families in order to fully understand life here on Earth and in Eternity, part of Eternal progression is Family Based lives.

So I know I am controversial on  this, however after the Original 12 Apostles were killed, and other leaders Christ put in charge there was a falling away of truth, and stories as well.... many versions of Christianity came forth, the largest would be the Catholic's of course. Eventually even they splintered as the Holy Bible was printed in other languages, and became available to the normal common person to read. The Reformation took place a great awakening. Many other churches developed over time from this era in history. 

So there have been legends, myths about this topic. Now I see this as a possible  verification of it.
Either way it will not tarnish my personal knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World for all humankind, he is the literal Son of God the Father, he is the light of truth for all, and will be the final judge of all humankind for their actions or in actions during their lives here on Earth. May we all find Christ, and live good lives following his example on how to treat one another as we can read in the Gospels in the Holy Bible.  This truth I know and do bear testimony of its reality.

God Bless America, and the whole Earth to some day find the True Peace as taught by Jesus Christ. Let us all have our Free Agency to choose Good and light vs. Evil and darkness, remain and be available for ever. Let no government take that agency from us for it was Granted by God.

Stephen Huls.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Lazeria Map Collection: Is the Earth Hollow? Interesting theory?

Due to the many stories and myths about the lost history or hidden facts about an unknown land to the North of North America and the other nations of the Northern hemisphere.
I add this as food for thought, as these people walk us through some facts of ancient to modern maps and map makers it is a very intriguing theory based upon what they have to share.

I say if your mind is open and creative it is a fun journey in the listening / watching of this video.
Then you have to opportunity to verify for one's self what they share.

Much is known, much is unknown about our planet Earth, I do know that through out the ages, those who rule make the history to be passed on, so things can be lost, and found.

Since the blog is for Hidden or lost information, then I shall add this, as Some Native American's do speak of emerging from the inner earth or under world, some speak of races they had interactions with as well. The Vikings of Greenland speak of a lost city where one of their own disappeared to the lands of the north long ago, and the Inuit speak of watching them walk northward.

Many things still left to find in the puzzle known as the history and doings of life on Earth.
Let us all enjoy our journey of discovery, may we always keep and open mind, for that which today we may call fact of science, just a few years in the future will be scoffed at with us being the silly people as they find new evidences for the science that will be known then verses now.

Good journey.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Romney Campaign Officially Announces Paul Ryan as Vice Presidential Running Mate | TheBlaze.com

Romney Campaign Officially Announces Paul Ryan as Vice Presidential Running Mate | TheBlaze.com


Romney Campaign Makes it Official: It’s Paul Ryan

Romney Campaign Officially Announces Paul Ryan as Vice Presidential Running Mate
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) campaigned together earlier this year in Wisconsin. The Romney campaign announced Saturday morning Ryan would be his vice presidential running mate. (AP)
Mitt Romney has tapped Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan to be his vice presidential running mate, ending weeks of speculation about who would join the former Massachusetts governor on the Republican ticket.
The Romney campaign announced the Ryan pick to supporters beginning at about 7 a.m. Saturday via an iPhone app.
Romney and Ryan will appear together later in the morning at a naval museum in Norfolk, Va.
Romney Campaign Officially Announces Paul Ryan as Vice Presidential Running Mate
The "Mitt's VP" app officially announced the news Saturday morning.
Multiple news outlets began reporting that Ryan was Romney’s choice shortly after midnight Saturday, but the app announcement was the campaign’s first official word.
The website romneyryan.com went live early Saturday morning, as did the new Twitter handle @PaulRyanVP.
At 7:43 a.m., a tweet on Romney’s official Twitter account stated: “I am proud to announce @PaulRyanVP as my VP. Stand with us today. http://mi.tt/Romney-Ryan  #RomneyRyan2012.”
Romney Campaign Officially Announces Paul Ryan as Vice Presidential Running Mate

Friday, August 10, 2012

Brigham Young University's Neal A. Maxwell Institute Fires Ardent Heartland Critics, "Heartland" Book of Mormon Geography Model of North America.

Travel image
Exciting News About the "Heartland" Book of Mormon Geography Model of North America!
FIRM News                Aug. 9, 2012 
 Dear Stephen,

Many fellow supporters of this research have been asking over the last few weeks what we know about the recent firings of the editorial staff of the FARMS Review by BYU's Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship (MI).  We have been looking into the matter and have waited for some of the dust to settle for a clearer view before posting online what we have learned.     
Brigham Young University's Neal A. Maxwell Institute  
Fires Ardent Heartland Critics
What is known is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owned Brigham Young University oversees an organization called the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship.  The BYU appointed management of this organization made a profound change in direction when, on Thursday, June 14th, 2012, Executive Director M. Gerald Bradford fired Daniel C. Peterson, a founder of FARMS (Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies) and long time advocate of Mesoamerican theories, along with his entire editorial staff. Much speculation abounds as to why these firings occurred.  The answer to this question has not been forthcoming.   

Director Bradford cited a desire to "take the Review (Mormon Studies Review, formerly FARMS Review) in a different direction."  The "shake-up," as it was called in a Salt Lake Tribune newspaper article, involves the dismissal of several of the most ardent critics of the Heartland Model Geography, and marks the end of the organization formerly known as FARMS and their flagship publication, FARMS Review. 

The FIRM Foundation Executive Board has published our official statement on the matter online which includes several very informative links for further information which can be accessed on our website by clicking HERE. 
    
The FIRM Foundation 
Mission Statement and Goals 
Many have wondered what is the overarching purpose of the Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism? The Executive Board would like to announce our aspirations.

They are now published online at our FIRMLDS.org website.  
    
FIRM Foundation  - Mission Statement

The FIRM Foundation (Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism) is an organization dedicated to showing forth evidences for the Book of Mormon in order to provide LDS Church members with well researched information enabling them to powerfully and respectfully defend its historicity and thus its truthfulness - with the ultimate goal of bringing people unto Christ.

FIRM Foundation - Goals
  1. to bring people to Christ through evidences of the Book of Mormon that cause them to realize that it is a literal historical and prophetic account of real people and events thereby encouraging them to read, study and ponder the book - which ultimately builds and strengthens testimonies of its truthfulness through the Holy Spirit, 
  2. to utilize the prophecies and promises in the Book of Mormon to increase awareness and understanding of the ancient prophetic history that took place in a long established covenanted and promised land - which today is found within the borders of the nation-state called The United States of America,
  3. to conduct research in a multiplicity of scientific and scholarly fields of endeavor which may provide secular support for the historicity of the Book of Mormon - including, but not limited to such disciplines as genetics, archaeology, climatology, anthropology, history, religion, geography, linguistics, mythology, meteorology, astronomy, metallurgy, architecture, ancient texts, Jewish customs, zoology, agronomy, oceanography, geophysics, etc.,
  4. to correlate, publish and offer through our bookstore works of LDS scholars and researchers involving the Heartland Book of Mormon Geography Model and related research in support of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
  5. to produce, provide and encourage well-researched articles, papers, books, films, newsletters and presentations in support of the Book of Mormon through the Heartland Model,
  6. to create one or more online repositories of knowledge, research and educational materials pertaining to evidence of the Book of Mormon's historicity through the Heartland Model, 
  7. to organize, conduct and sponsor events such as presentations, symposiums, firesides, webinars, and conferences providing educational opportunities for all interested,
  8. to objectively evaluate and review the assertions, articles, books, films, speeches and conferences of individuals or organizations promoting the plethora of Book of Mormon historical settings, and when said research is critical of the Heartland Model, to correct erroneous, unfounded, misrepresented, ill-conceived or poorly researched information as it pertains the Heartland Model through dispassionate instruction and education in a respectful and Christ-like manner that seeks to avoid confrontation and contention,
  9. to provide further on-location educational opportunities through travel and tours to visit proposed Book of Mormon sites and museums in conjunction with Church History and United States history,
  10. to provide forums ( blog, facebook, etc.) where responsible scholars, researchers and interested individuals can discuss and present ideas and discoveries consistent with the Heartland Model setting for the Book of Mormon, and
  11. to organize and engage the many thousands of volunteers who have offered to help with this research and organization.


FIRM Foundation logo

 

FIRM Conclusions          
We have felt it newsworthy to share with our readership these important events.  We also hope that this information helps you in coming to a better understanding of the directions of organizations involved in Book of Mormon geography research. It is our intent only to inform, not judge.

Thank you all for your ongoing support and help in providing powerful, faith building and testimony strengthening evidences in support of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon as are being discovered in America's Heartland!

Executive Board
Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism 
The FIRM Foundation
In This Issue
FIRM Mission Statement - Goals
Quick Links
  

  
NEW ITEM!
    An Everlasting
          Decree: 
        
Ensuring A Title To Liberty For the Promised Land 

by Bruce H. Porter!
 
 
An Everlasting Decree
Some say that it doesn't matter where the Book of Mormon took place.  However, if the Promised Land cannot be identified, then the associated restrictions, blessings, and responsibilities can also not be realized, nor can the prophecies and promises in the text become a moving force, as hoped for by the prophets who speak out of the dust.  The location of the Promised Land is significant and necessary for the spiritual security and temporal salvation of those who would dwell upon the land.    

 This is the followup book to Prophesies & Promises with answers to our Mesoamerica based critics.  
   - 332 pages, softcover

Only $19.95
for a limited time!
 NEW ITEM!
Touring Book of Mormon Lands In North America 
Wayne May, touring BoM land in NA 
Thinking of Taking a Heartland Model Tour? 
Take a Video Tour First!
The Publisher of Ancient American magazine and renown Book of Mormon scholar Wayne N. May has been exploring the Heartland of North America for evidences of the Book of Mormon for decades.   

 Wayne May
Now you can have Wayne take you on a "private tour" of the sacred sites of the Book of Mormon  through incredibly stunning, beautiful photography and video work, that is the next best thing to being there!  This 70 minute  video will take you to many of the sites typically visited on our tours as well as several others inaccessible to the tours.  You'll even be the first to enjoy remote "helicopter" fly-overs of several of the mound structures! Take a trip and never leave the comfort of your own home!  Get your copy today so you can take others on the tour as well!      

Enjoy Unlimited Touring of Book of Mormon Lands  
in America's Heartland for
ONLY $19.95  

Order Today and Take YOUR Tour Next Week!  


 
Important Note on Forwarding! We encourage you to share this information with others, however, if not done properly it can lead to your being unsubscribed from our newsletter and updates!  This is because if you simply click the "forward" button on your email server, this exact email will be sent and if the person you forwarded it to doesn't want the emails and clicks on "SafeUnsubscribe" below, it will be YOU who is unsubscribed!  The safe way to share is to click on "Forward email" below and paste in the email addresses of those to whom you want to forward.  This will remove the possibility of YOU being unsubscribed accidentally. 
 

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Clinton Emerson on SOFREP Gives Tips for Women Traveling and Visiting Foreign Countries Safely in General | TheBlaze.com

Clinton Emerson on SOFREP Gives Tips for Women Traveling and Visiting Foreign Countries Safely in General | TheBlaze.com

Good advice for those who travel a lot.

Top Tips for International Trips and Female Travelers…from a Former Special Ops Guy


Clinton Emerson on SOFREP Gives Tips for Women Traveling and Visiting Foreign Countries Safely in General
Customers wait to check luggage at O’Hare International Airport. Emerson offers tips for labeling your baggage as well. Read his full post to find out more. (Photo: AP//Nam Y. Huh)
Who better to get personal safety advice from than a well-decorated special operations member who now runs a company that helps the government and other agencies whose employees are required to travel internationally? Clinton Emerson, CEO of Escape the Wolf, gives the readers of the SOFREP (the Special Operations Forces Report) tips for both international travel in general, as well as more specific advice for females.
Emerson himself served for nearly 20 years in combat and other Department of Defense operations. His tips on SOFREP are broken into two posts.
First, he writes that as more women have become involved in elite operations over the years, “lessons [have been] learned [...] that have allowed them to get in and out of hostile environments undetected.” Culling through these lessons, Emerson provides those that are important for personal safety and offers them as what you “should and shouldn’t do to blend in, decrease exposure, and ultimately elude any potential threats.”
Here are just a few compiled from his categories of personal security and preventing sexual assault:
  • Observe local customs as much as possible and try to learn unintended implications of your personal behavior, mannerisms and dress.  For example, smiling, making eye contact or touching males can be misunderstood in some cultures.
  • Carry your handbag on the side away from the street to avoid grab-and-run attacks.
  • Stay at reputable hotels and avoid rooms by elevators, hallways or terraces.
  • Choose a room above the ground floor but not higher than the seventh floor for fire safety purposes.
  • You are at your most vulnerable arriving and departing from your hotel.  Don’t linger in the public space around the hotel, the parking lot or indoor garage.
  • Use a door alarm, carry a whistle and keep a self-defense weapon near your bed (a fishing weight wrapped in a handkerchief makes a great weapon).
  • Wear clothing that is hard to remove. Avoid tight-fitting clothing and make-up.
  • Consider wearing a wedding or similar ring, even if you aren’t married.
  • Remember, assaults can also be at the hands of acquaintances, so choose fixers, interpreters and drivers carefully.
  • Avoid wearing anything that could be grabbed – jewelry, ponytail, etc.
Check out Emerson’s full post on personal safety while traveling specifically directed toward women here.
With regard to international travel in general — although Emerson writes even L.A. can be dangerous — as hostile protests become more prevalent, he first suggests waiting to travel until “economic crutches are removed and solutions implemented.” If travel can’t be avoided, here are some of Emerson’s tips, including those for situations of civil unrest or meeting a checkpoint:
  • Invest in good local interpreters recommended by the embassy, local being the most important word.
  • Established, personal relationships go a long way. Where possible, have someone on the ground maintain ongoing working relationships in underdeveloped parts of the world.
  • Have an exit strategy at all times. Plan this in advance, before heading into any situation, especially one where there is civil unrest.
  • Run… BEFORE all else fails. Be aware of your surroundings at all times, identify potential risks and set invisible thresholds. Take action if threats cross the thresholds you have set in advance.
  • If possible, avoid the checkpoint. It might be an ambush. If legitimate, third-world countries have weak economies and poor training – a potentially deadly combination when you’re stopped and at the mercy of someone (sometimes a kid) with an AK-47.
  • A line of traffic and soldiers/police vehicles often signals a checkpoint ahead.
  • When approaching a checkpoint, overwhelm the security personnel with kindness, yet always be cautious!
  • Show the palm of your hand, have your ID ready, but don’t immediately give up who you are or your occupation.
  • Start with broad explanations when asked where you are from – Example: America.
  • Don’t roll windows all the way down. Keep all doors locked. If asked to roll windows down more, roll them down, but never all the way.  Or, say the window is broken, or that you are not able to roll them down.
Read all of Emerson’s tips in his full post about foreign travel here.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Restoring Love - A World Wide Event I invite all to watch

Restoring Love




Restoring Love Dallas Cowboys Stadium - 7.28.12 Coming together to heal a nation - Live coverage available exclusively on GBTV Plus

What? Over the past two years, Glenn has traveled the world promoting messages of faith, freedom, honor and love. This July, Glenn brings the global movement for good home to Dallas, Texas with Restoring Love. This series of events concludes with an epic show LIVE from Dallas Cowboys Stadium, featuring a host of musical performances and an empowering speech by Glenn himself. Join Glenn and countless others as they pledge to build a better America for us all through service and love. Don't miss this historic event! Click to read a special letter from Glenn.
When and Where? Watch all the events LIVE (or on demand), including Saturday's main event on July 28th with coverage beginning at 8:00pm ET, exclusively on GBTV Plus! Click for the full broadcast schedule.
How do I watch if I can't be in Dallas? Live coverage will be available exclusively on GBTV Plus.
Why GBTV Plus? Why now? As a GBTV Plus subscriber, you will be guaranteed a front row seat to all of Glenn's thought provoking daily programs, plus you'll have access to riveting documentaries, huge special events like Restoring Love, LIVE election coverage, and a slew of other original programs covering everything from politics to comedy. All this content is what makes GBTV more than just a network — it makes it a catalyst for action! No matter how hard it gets, we remain committed to bringing you revolutionary, real-time, and relevant programming available anytime, anywhere.

Start Your 14 Day FREE Trial with GBTV Plus
GBTV: Watch Glenn Beck Anytime & Anywhere On your TV, At your computer, On your iPad or iPhone
GBTV Plus ProgrammingFeatures Glenn's daily show, plus a full slate of original programming including a nightly news show, documentaries, reality TV, programming for your kids and specials covering a myriad of entertaining and enlightening topics.
Available AnywhereViewers can watch GBTV on multiple devices including their computer, TV (via Roku or Boxee), iPhone®, iPad® and iPod® touch through the GBTV app.
Available AnywhereAll programs are broadcast in and are available live or on-demand.
See the full scheduleSee the full schedule
Have More Questions?Click here for the GBTV FAQs

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Seth Huls: July 4, 2012Seth has moved on from Freight-liner...

Seth Huls: July 4, 2012

July 4, 2012

Seth has moved on from Freight-liner of Utah after 4 months of working with them. They felt he did not quite fit in with a member of management, thus to his surprise and his co workers they let him go.

Seth is currently looking for a New home to share his skills with and to learn from their years of experiences they can share with him.

He hopes to find another Mechanic's job that will allow him to grow and advance with them while helping the company to the best of his abilities. A company that has a possible long term future.

If you or anyone you know are in need of a good mechanic contact Seth and interview him to see if his skills and personality will fit your style of business.

Thanks for stopping by.


Oldest Map With the Word ‘America’ on it Discovered at Ludwig Maximilian University Library | TheBlaze.com

Oldest Map With the Word ‘America’ on it Discovered at Ludwig Maximilian University Library | TheBlaze.com


Oldest Map With the Word ‘America’ on it Discovered in Germany…Between Two Geometry Books!

The discovery of a 500-year-old map in a German university library just a few days ago ended up becoming the oldest — and the first — global sketch to mention the name “America.”
Experts assumed that there were only four copies of German cartographer Martin Waldseemueller’s maps, but the discovery of a fifth at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich is a bombshell of sorts. It is believed that Waldseemueller, who died in 1522, produced the map himself.
Oldest Map With the Word America on it Discovered at Ludwig Maximilian University Library
Image Credit: Ludwig Maximilian University
His global drawings hold major significance. One of the four was sold at an auction for $1 million back in 2005, showcasing just how valuable the maps are in terms of historical value and intrigue. According to the university, the other three are in Minneapolis, Offenburg and in the Bavarian State Library in Munich.
The fifth map was discovered by a bibliographer who was working on revising the library’s catalogue. It was apparently “nestled between two printed works on geometry.”
“The new find shows the world divided into 12 segments which taper to a point at each end and are printed on a single sheet, which, when folded out, form a small globe, with the three rightmost segments depicting a boomerang-shaped territory named America,” reports the Telegraph.
Oldest Map With the Word America on it Discovered at Ludwig Maximilian University Library
A globe that was made after the copy of the map segment in the library. (Image Credit: Ludwig Maximilian University)
A web site setup by the university to offer the public a closer look at the map explains, in detail, more about the discovery:
The “new” Munich copy of the segmented map itself has obviously followed a tortuous course to reach its present haven. And the story of this voyage is at least as fascinating as that of the discovery and exploration of the New World. Its latest chapter began only a few days ago in the Munich University Library. [...] The 19th-century librarians, at any rate, had failed to recognize the significance of Waldseemüller’s map…The first copy of the segmental maps to be discovered only turned up in 1871, in the Hauslab-Liechtenstein Library in Vienna. “And the Munich copy was returned to the obscurity of the stacks.”
But it survived the Second World War unscathed, although the University Library itself was devastated by air raids. In November 1942, large portions of the holdings of older books, including the unassuming volume containing the two geometry treatises, had been transferred to a safer rural location. Stefan Kuttner has ascertained that the book was among the contents of deposit box No. 340, which was first stowed away in Burghausen, and later transported to Niederviehbach near Landshut. The box was returned to Munich in 1955, and provisionally stored in the Northeastern Repository at LMU.
You can read the rest of the history here and check out some of the images and interactives the university created for the general public to view.
(H/T: The Telegraph via Business Insider)

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Families Can Be Together Forever

President Thomas S. Monson - He is Risen

An Apostle's Easter Thoughts on Christ

He Is Risen

The Savior Suffers in Gethsemane

He Lives: Testimonies of Jesus Christ

Testimony of the Book of Mormon

Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration

Look to the Light

Parable of the Good Samaritan

Addiction: You Will Be Freed

What Matters Most

Lifting Burdens: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

Voice of the Spirit

Rescued by Christ

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Jade Axes Proof of Vast Ancient Caribbean Network, Experts Say

Jade Axes Proof of Vast Ancient Caribbean Network, Experts Say


Jade Axes Proof of Vast Ancient Caribbean Network, Experts Say

Charles Petit
for National Geographic News
June 12, 2006
A discovery of ancient jade could shake up old notions of the New World before Columbus. Scientists say they have traced 1,500-year-old axe blades found in the eastern Caribbean to ancient jade mines in Central America 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) away, New York's American Museum of Natural History announced late last month.
The blades were excavated in the late 1990s by a Canadian archaeologist on the island of Antigua in the West Indies (see map of Antigua and Barbuda).
But the jade used to make the blades almost certainly came from Maya mines in distant Guatemala (see map of Guatemala), says mineralogist George Harlow of the American Museum of Natural History.
The find may call into question a once dominant archaeological picture of the pre-Columbian Caribbean.
Previous theories held that a few big or budding civilizations existed on the mainland of Central America, with only isolated, village-based societies on islands in the Caribbean Sea.
The new analysis gives weight to a competing view, which suggests that organized, long-distance trade networks were based primarily on those islands.
"There has been a closed mind-set that these [ancient] people out here were primitive, but we are learning there was a whole world out here we don't yet fully know about," said Reg Murphy, an archaeologist at the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda in St. John's, Antigua.
Murphy collaborated with Harlow on the research.
Murphy says it's likely that complex societies not only existed on the islands but also communicated with other cultures in South America along the Orinoco and Amazon Rivers.
"Those rivers [in South America] were highways of exchange that extended around the coast all the way to Guatemala," he said.
Harlow and Murphy's research team reported its findings in the April issue of the journal Canadian Mineralogist.
Saladoid Culture
Continued on Next Page >>

Cahokia mounds reveal a vast copper workshop

Cahokia mounds reveal a vast copper workshop


Cahokia mounds reveal a vast copper workshop


Junior Sarah Luongo and Steven Broderick, Class of 2009, work on excavations overlying a copper workshop found in Cahokia Mounds. A team of researchers led by John Kelly, Washington University archaeology professor, and James Brown from Northwestern University discovered a copper workshop that will provide insight into the lives of the Cahokians who leaved near the mounds more than 1,000 years ago. (Courtesy of John Kelly)
Nearly 1,000 years ago, the ancient city of Cahokia flourished only 20 minutes away from modern St. Louis in the floodplains of the Mississippi River. Today, the discovery of a copper workshop by a team of researchers led by John Kelly, Washington University archeology professor, and James Brown of Northwestern University will provide insight into the lives of the mysterious Cahokians.
Native Americans began to settle the area around East St. Louis in 1000 A.D., and the city had a population boom 50 years later. More than 20,000 people lived in the city during Cahokia’s Golden Age.
Four plazas were built around Monk’s Mound, believed to be the largest mound of Cahokia. The mound is approximately as large as the Danforth Campus.
Today, the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site still has 80 mounds of various sizes out of the more than 100 mounds built. These were created when Cahokians dismantled constructed buildings and buried the pieces underneath the earth. These buildings were sometimes reconstructed.
“One of the important elements in Indian cosmology is rebirth,” Kelly said. “They look out at the world around them; everything is dead now, but in two months it’s going to come back again and be reborn…We start with the building, the burial of the building, the rebirth of the building and the burial again.”
Only 1 percent of these mounds have been excavated to date. The copper workshop was found within Mound 34, where, according to Kelly, pieces of copper were discovered. Cahokians used the metal to create religious ornaments and other decorative items. It’s hypothesized that workers hammered and heated the copper to 600 degrees Celsius to flatten out the metal. The sheets were pressed onto carved wooden templates to create the ornament. The metal may have been obtained from the Great Lakes region. Copper specifically was used because it was considered to have special properties.
“They see that there is power in everything,” Kelly said. “Copper is something that is very powerful so how you handle it, how you deal with it is very important.”
After four centuries, the population of Cahokia began to decline and the city was abandoned. Although it remains unknown why the Cahokians left their city, theories range from environmental factors, like drought driving away inhabitants, to geopolitical issues. Artifacts from 1200 A.D. uncovered in excavations indicate a shift in focus from community life to warfare. The copper workshop itself is dated to 1200 A.D. The Osage tribe located in southern Missouri may have originated from Cahokia. Researchers currently work with the Osage tribe as they excavate, preventing changes to the mound.
Kelly and Brown won a grant from the National Geographic Society to continue their work two years ago. The team turns to current Native American culture to develop their hypotheses and theories regarding the lifestyles of the Cahokians.
Cahokia also presents a unique opportunity to examine the early formation of a city.
“What we’re looking at here is the very beginning of…urbanism,” Kelly said. “So it hasn’t had a chance to really flourish; it’s just starting to come into existence.”
The excavation team hopes to continue its work in the summer. Amateur archaeologist Gregory Perino had first found the copper workshop. In the 1950s, he had been hired to find artifacts for museum display. Kelly and Brown used his maps to retrace the copper workshop. The team now hopes to collect soil samples from the mound to test for copper levels.

Friday, June 8, 2012

A Tragic Loss: Maj. Rex McTyeire (Ret), U.S. Army Special Forces, and Oath Keepers VP, Has Passed Away (Apparent Sudden Heart Attack)

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A Tragic Loss: Maj. Rex McTyeire (Ret), U.S. Army Special Forces, and Oath Keepers VP, Has Passed Away


b-smallOath Keepers,

It with great sadness that I inform you that Maj. Rex H. McTyeire (Ret), U.S. Army Special Forces, Oath Keepers Eastern National Vice President, has passed away.   Rex died at home of an apparent sudden heart attack on the night of June 6, 2012.   His wife, Karen, was with him.
We have lost a brother in arms and a great friend. America has lost a great patriot and warrior in the cause of freedom. His shoes cannot be filled.  He cannot be replaced.  This is a terrible shock. I just saw him a week ago at Rolling Thunder in D.C., where we spent the weekend outreaching to all of the veterans who had gathered there for Memorial Day.  He was as spry and witty as ever.  I truly am grateful I had the chance to spend that time with him, but this is such a heavy loss.

When Karen is able to, she will write up Rex's life story so we can post it, and I will post a more detailed memorial write up.  But I wanted to inform you as fast as possible so you have the option of attending the memorial services, which are scheduled for this coming Monday, June 11, 2012.  Here are the details:

MEMORIAL SERVICE:
Monday 11 June 2012, at 1400 hours (that's 2:00 pm) EST:
Blakely Funeral Home
1047 Chesnee Highway
Gaffney SC, 29342
Phone #: 864-488-1141

All Oath Keepers are invited to the memorial service and to a wake/fellowship gathering directly after the Memorial, at the home of Rex and Karen. At the memorial, we will provide directions to the home (that way only those who attend the memorial will know where it is, and Karen's privacy will be respected).

IF you can possibly make it, please do come and let's give Rex a send off he would be proud of.   He deserves the highest honors and the presence of as many of us as can make it. K aren wants all of you to come if you can, to both the memorial and the gathering at the home after.  Come join us in fellowship as we honor this brother in arms, as we toast his life and his service, and as we recommit to going forward in the cause of liberty to which he gave his fullest measure, to the very last.  I think it will be most fitting for us to hold an oath renewal ceremony, in his honor, and then raise a glass of scotch whiskey in toast to this great American warrior.

There will be a military honor guard and a bag-piper at the memorial service, but please do bring any flags you have, and anything else you think appropriate to honor this warrior. A snare drummer would be awesome too, if you know anyone.

I will be there, and so will Rand Cardwell (National BOD and TN chapter president) and David Helms (Ranger vet and retired Oath Keepers National Board of Directors). Both Rand and David knew Rex well and I know Rex would be pleased to have them there, as fellow warriors of the highest degree.

SC Chapter President Richard Grumbine will be helping to coordinate.  He should be your first stop with any questions on logistics and details, besides what I post here.  He can be reached at at 843-708-7717.

We have lost a damn good man. Karen has lost her husband, and right on the heels of losing her Mom last week. She really needs our fullest support and help right now.

MEMORIAL FUND:

We have set up a memorial fund to help with funeral costs and to help his wife Karen with all else she is dealing with.   When I know where to send cards and flowers, I will post that too.  To donate to the memorial fund, click here:



At the moment I really don't know what else to say, except that the good die far too young, and life is far too short. Rex, brother, we will miss you terribly and we were MOST honored to have had you among us.

Rex was one of the very first men to step up from across the country when we started Oath Keepers (you can read his testimonial here). He grasped immediately its importance, and he was there at our conference in Vegas in October of 2009 and jumped in with both feet, joining our National Board of Directors, and serving as our first South Carolina Chapter President.  I later asked him to become my Eastern U.S. Vice President. He was a tireless leader and spent countless hours online, on our forums, on the phone, and in person getting things done. Having such a fine Special Forces officer in Oath Keepers helped us in immeasurable ways, and besides that, just the way Rex was, as a stubborn Scotsman, made all the difference in many fights. I was proud and honored to have his serve as my Vice President, and all of us on the National Board of Directors were honored to have him among us. He was our brother in a band of brothers.

I remember well his speech at our first convention in 2009 in Vegas, when he spoke of his participation in the Scottish Independence Movement, and he choked up a bit when he spoke of his Scottish heritage, and of the long history of the struggle for freedom in Scotland, and tied it to our current struggle here in America.  He read this quote from the Declaration of Arbroath, of 1320:

for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.

Amen. Rex understood that the struggle for freedom is eternal, timeless, and endless, and that every generation, and every man who dares call himself a man, must take up the standard and stand in the breach. He knew it, and lived it. For him, the Special Forces motto of "De Oppresso Liber" (to Liberate the Oppressed), was not just a motto, but a way of life, and a solemn promise, part of his oath, and part of him. He lived it every day of his life, to the very end, and he did not give up, or give the cause of freedom up, but with his life itself.
Please join me in remembering and honoring this great warrior and leader.  Your comments in memorial are most welcome, and we will print them up and give them to his wife, Karen, to keep always. 

For the Republic,

Stewart Rhodes
Founder and President of Oath Keepers



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