Trekkies
By Karl Bowman and Jonathan Walker

Why would you rush to a video store to rent a documentary?

If we were to play a word association game and someone started with the word “documentary” many of us would immediately say “boring.” Most of what comes to mind are those dry films we saw in high school about the fall of the Roman Empire or the reproductive process of a sunflower. Why would we rush out to the video store to rent something like that?

Gladly, there is a wide range of documentary films which can be so much more than just informational. These non-fiction films, like fiction films, often feature compelling stories, ideas, and characters and command our interest through drama and humor. The best documentaries also possess depth-layers of meaning that seep out from the material and provide significant food for thought. Documentaries are also valuable in helping

The Supreme Court and the Future of the Boy Scouts
by Maurine Jensen Proctor

In a highly charged debate, the Supreme Court is hearing a case that could impact the future of Scouting in America.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints-the largest single sponsor of Scouting in the United States-would withdraw from Scouting if it were compelled to accept openly homosexual scout leaders. This is the contention in the brief submitted to the Supreme Court representing the Church and four other religious organizations that represent 2/3 of the 60% of scout troops sponsored by churches..

It is a bold assertion considering how intricately the Scouting program is woven into the teaching of the young men of the Church, but also an indication of the pivotal nature of the case concerning James Dale and the Boy Scouts that is currently being considered by the Supreme Court.

James Dale grew

I had planned something totally unrelated to the stock market this month but turbulent events of recent trading sessions prompt me to make a few observations. At the outset I want to say I am not offering any stock market predictions or offering any investment advice. My purpose here is to offer some thoughts I believe the reader should carefully consider.

I believe there is evidence of heavy speculation in the stock market today. The speculation is primarily evident in high tech stocks of all kinds and is reflected in the action of the NASDAQ index. Investors should seriously consider the level of speculation that exists. In cold hard terms of a market cycle, speculation is neither good nor bad. It is simply a stage that all cycles

You’ve Got Mail
by Karen R. Merkley

His messages always come at precisely the right moment-not a nanosecond too soon, never too late.

I’m 43, or is it 44 now, and I still get flickers of anticipation when I walk across the street to check the snail-mail, wondering if there might be a handwritten letter with my name on it. I admit to similar feelings when I pop up Outlook Express, double-click on “Retrieve/Send” and wait for the verdict to display. It’s always a refreshing boost to see “You’ve Got Mail” or Unread Messages: 4″ appear on screen. I often will catch a glimpse of senders’ names, click on one, and enter the joyful world of cyberspace connections. And, frequently, I am changed by them. I can’t imagine a day without checking my mail.

I must confess that I feel the same way about checking my scriptural mail. As I

The Second Rescue
by Maurine Jensen Proctor

In 1856 in Wyoming’s high mountains, members of the Willie and Martin handcart companies watched their rations disappear, their limbs freeze, and their friends die. The first rescue came in time to save most of them, the second rescue wouldn’t arrive for another 135 years.

Sweetwater River passes beneath Split Rock Mountain here in the Wyoming highlands.

The group who stood anxiously on the dock at Liverpool waiting to board ships to America shared two things in common. They were converts to the Mormon Church dreaming of going to Zion and they couldn’t afford wagons to get there. Instead they would discard their precious things, strip their belongings to the bear bones and pull handcarts to Zion. As the wind swept across their assorted bundles and bedding, Margaret and Samuel Pusell didn’t shrink before the arduous journey ahead. They had already tasted sacrifice

Honesty in Business-Part 1-Best of Meridian
by Marianne M. Jennings

Without a foundation of ethics, the society falters.

     “Are you honest in your business dealings?” It is significant that this question is part of each Latter-day Saint’s temple worthiness interview. Business ethics rank equally with our standards of morality, our activity in our wards, our faithfulness, and our commitment to paying a full tithe. That the question about honesty in business must be asked is compelling for two reasons: (1) that the Lord considers dishonesty in business a deal breaker for his promises; and (2) that there is a need to ask the question even of Latter-day Saints.
     Some years ago, my husband and I were selling our old Volvo through newspaper ads. The car sat idle for months as we waited for a buyer. Finally, a struggling young couple purchased the car. Being good lawyers, we used a

Video Review: A Man for All Seasons-A Sermon on Integrity
by Jonathan S. Walker

Roper: So, now you give the devil himself the benefit of law?

More: Yes, what would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get at the devil?

Roper: Yes! I’d cut down every law in England to do that.

More: Oh? And when the last law was down and the devil turned ’round on you, where would you hide…the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws coast to coast, man’s laws, not God’s, and if you cut them down, …do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I would give the devil the benefit of law for my own safety.

I must admit, I never tire of A Man for All Seasons. I was first introduced to it as