tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56569692011-12-26T14:01:42.048-07:00My thoughts about politics, with other random thoughts as well.Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.comBlogger2811100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-36833808147012940932010-06-10T18:57:00.003-06:002010-06-10T19:06:56.533-06:00

As some of you may already know, I'm no longer a Woods Cross Citizen. I moved my family to Riverton to have a bigger house and be closer to work. I'm still trying to decide what to do with this blog. Should I convert it to Riverton Citizen? I own the woodscrosscitizen.com domain through the middle of next year. If you are reading this and you are a Woods Cross citizen and would like to take over

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-69708674612749569992009-07-16T08:42:00.002-06:002009-07-16T08:48:58.488-06:00

This year in Woods Cross, the mayor and two council seats are up for re-election. The filing period ended yesterday. The Deseret News is reporting (see here) that Mayor Parry was the only person to file for the mayor's seat. The News is also reporting that the following people have filed for the council positions:John Hadlow - incumbentTamara Daley - incumbentLeo BeecherRyan WestergardAl

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-70774063816571188582009-02-11T08:40:00.003-07:002009-02-11T08:48:45.295-07:00

I have written in the past (see here) about posting anonymously to blogs and forums. Well, now a judge in Texas has ruled that the First Amendment doesn't offer the right to libel someone, anonymously or otherwise. Tarrant County District Court Judge Dana Womack served a subpoena to Topix.com to turn over any potentially identifying information it has on 178 people. The people had anonymously

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-73400999762252048302009-02-02T14:45:00.003-07:002009-02-02T14:52:20.807-07:00

My Grandpa Van Ry would have turned 98 today. He came to America from Holland when he was 12 years old. He didn't speak English at the time, but, learned to speak it fluently before he was 20 years old. I learned many things from grandpa including the value of hard work. He worked hard his whole life to provide for his wife and 4 children. He didn't expect a handout from anyone. He was proud of

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-55568812016535223892009-01-29T12:15:00.001-07:002009-01-29T12:15:01.093-07:00

Rep. Laura Black (D) of Sandy is sponsoring a bill (HB 242) that would change the date of the cutoff for Kindergarten from September to be in July. In a Salt Lake Tribune article (see here) about the bill, Rep. Black is quoted as saying, "It doesn't sound like very much when you're an adult, but two months in the life of a child can be huge in terms of what their development is."I've got a better

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-71785670175301261432009-01-28T01:00:00.001-07:002009-01-28T01:00:01.525-07:00

On September 19th, in comments to this site, (see here) George said that he would treat me to lunch at my favorite place if Dan Liljenquist were elected and didn't resign. Well, George, Dan Liljenquist was elected and is currently participating in the 2009 Utah Legislative session. Time to pay up?

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-18523981556164722162009-01-27T16:55:00.000-07:002009-01-27T16:55:00.481-07:00

I received a mailer last week from my Representative, Roger Barrus. On the mailer he said that he wanted the opinion of his constituents. You can help give him your opinion by taking his survey at his website at http://www.rogerbarrus.com/involved.htm. The current survey will close next Monday, so go make your opinion known.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-23813847793487454252009-01-27T08:45:00.004-07:002009-01-27T09:01:02.911-07:00

The US Senate approved a measure yesterday to delay the switch to DTV by 4 months. (see here) The US House must now pass the measure for the delay to actually happen. I am very much against delaying the switch for a couple of reasons.First, I believe that the majority of those who will not be ready for the switch on February 17th will still not be ready for the switch in June. It's not like there

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-23810589077659686162009-01-21T16:55:00.001-07:002009-01-21T16:55:00.800-07:00

To dispel any rumors that were floating around the internet about President Obama not using a Bible while taking the oath of office, I'm posting a picture that shows the "Lincoln Inaugural Bible" being held by Michelle Obama while her husband places his hand on it to take the presidential oath of office. I didn't vote for Barack Obama, but, I am hopeful for his presidency.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-63958239726290688652009-01-15T18:07:00.001-07:002009-01-15T18:07:00.665-07:00

Since it is an odd numbered year, it means that municipal elections are to be held this year in Utah. In Woods Cross, we will have two council member seats up for re-election as well as the mayor's seat. The two council members who are up for re-election this year are Jon Hadlow and Tamra Dayley.I haven't heard yet if any of the incumbents have decided to run for re-election. It should be a very

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-56947816590264060432009-01-05T16:05:00.002-07:002009-01-05T16:07:50.270-07:00

I've been browsing the Wild Wild Web World Wide Web since about the time the first Mosaic Netscape browser was released in late 1994. I even had my own domain name (see here) as early as 1996. Why do I mention all this? To show that I've been around these parts long enough to feel at home on the Internet. I've come to learn that you can find absolutely anything that you are looking for on the

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-49190394933493496382009-01-01T14:00:00.001-07:002009-01-01T14:00:01.596-07:00

To all my friends and family, here's wishing you and yours a Happy and Prosperous 2009!

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-41111007155221155652008-12-31T14:15:00.000-07:002008-12-31T14:17:50.881-07:00

This past year has been a great one here at the Woods Cross Citizen blog. This post will be my 108th post for the year. Some highlights of my posts over the past year:In January I said goodbye to a great leader, President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I also posted about www.crimereports.com which still doesn't appear to have data from Woods Cross, but,

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-48608002661067775102008-12-30T11:00:00.001-07:002008-12-30T11:00:52.175-07:00

Will Blu-ray survive? I came across a column today at ZDNet (see here) that makes some great arguments about why Blu-ray could be dead soon. (Cue Monty Python's "I'm not dead yet" skit.)For Christmas, we got a 42" Plasma HDTV. Prior to getting this TV, I used to think that the whole HD craze was just a lot of hype. I've discovered that watching non-HD broadcasts on the new TV is painful. We opted

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-3216682833478637782008-12-26T10:26:00.003-07:002008-12-26T10:26:01.208-07:00

About two months ago, I started to read the book, Hometown Weekly by Bruce Lindsay. I only read two chapters of this book and I couldn't stand it. I felt like the author was almost insulting my intelligence. While reading this book I felt like I was listening to an 80 something year old grandma who has a touch of dementia telling these stories. The stories

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-89799199190377433292008-12-24T09:47:00.001-07:002008-12-24T09:48:49.470-07:00

To all my friends and family (and anyone else who reads this blog), Merry Christmas! I hope this Christmas finds you all happy and healthy! (The picture above was taken this past Sunday.)

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-33358792737015476512008-12-16T13:58:00.007-07:002008-12-16T14:07:26.683-07:00

This is taken from "The Spirit of Christmas" by Henry Van Dyke:It is a good thing to observe Christmas day. The mere marking of times and seasons, when men agree to stop work and make merry together, is a wise and wholesome custom. It helps one to feel the supremacy of the common life over the individual life. It reminds a man to set his own little watch, now and then, by the great clock of

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-89877268574288356182008-12-02T08:23:00.002-07:002008-12-02T08:27:14.407-07:00

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away around 11:30 p.m. last night. I will miss his talks that almost always included some sports story.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-44103434060300634852008-12-01T12:30:00.002-07:002010-12-20T07:46:36.781-07:00

Kurt Bestor has his annual Christmas Concert coming up at Abravanel Hall from December 10th through the 13th. With the recent boycotts called for (by the anti-Proposition 8 crowd) of those who gave money to pass Proposition 8, (see here) I thought, why not do the same to some of those who opposed Proposition 8? Mr. Kurt Bestor has profited for many years from the LDS Church and it's members. He

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-22981759364328983962008-12-01T11:30:00.004-07:002008-12-01T11:35:12.312-07:00

This says it perfectly.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-45423128868540806682008-11-26T10:23:00.004-07:002008-11-26T10:30:37.215-07:00

I want to preface this by saying that I'm a non-smoker. Nobody in my immediate family smokes. I would like to know if anybody else found the recent robo-call about additional taxes on cigarettes annoying? The robo-call has Dick Nourse saying that Utah residents, even non-smokers, pay a price for smoking. It then tries to get you to contact your legislator supporting a $2 per pack tax. I was glad

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-83899145465267723592008-11-17T11:24:00.003-07:002008-11-24T11:44:21.890-07:00

I'm rooting for the Utes to win on Saturday over BYU giving them a 12-0 record and sending them to a BCS bowl. GO UTES!

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-75101750746421732322008-11-04T08:49:00.002-07:002008-11-04T08:58:35.587-07:00

I went and voted today before work. I was in and out in about 15 minutes. One thing that I did find interesting was that on all the partisan races, the Republican was listed first. Is that because I registered as a Republican or did others who aren't registered Republicans experience the same thing? I was expecting the names to be listed in alphabetical order.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-71620461503503717522008-11-03T12:04:00.001-07:002008-11-03T12:04:00.575-07:00

On the Deseret News website today, I found the following disclaimer:"The Deseret News has had a longstanding policy of not publishing letters-to-the-editor addressing political contests the day before and day of the election.We are applying that same moratorium to comments on election stories beginning Sunday. We will apply the moratorium on older stories as well.The rationale for the policy is

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-77310474770243892912008-10-29T12:35:00.002-06:002008-10-29T12:35:01.042-06:00

If you've followed my blog, you know that I have personally met with two of the candidates for State Senate district 23, Republican Dan Liljenquist and Democrat Richard Watson. I've tried contacting the Constitution Party candidate, Jorgina Hancock, with no response. I posted answers from Dan and Richard to several questions that I asked. You can see those questions and answers here. I feel like

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-801014372418140972008-10-27T12:30:00.000-06:002008-10-27T12:30:00.972-06:00

I will start by saying that I am a registered Repbulican and I've decided to vote for J Dell Holbrook for Davis County Commission. I also want to state that I don't know either J Dell Holbrook or John Petroff personally. I'm basing my support for J Dell Holbrook on campaign websites for each candidate. J Dell Holbrook is very specific on his website about what he will and will not do as a Davis

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-28864937913457178092008-10-25T01:00:00.001-06:002008-10-25T01:00:07.506-06:00

The big argument in California against Proposition 8 seems to be "It's not a moral issue, it's a civil issue." Yesterday I read an interesting argument against Proposition 8. In the argument, the author is trying to refute the claim that adoption agencies will be forced to adopt babies to same-sex couples. He uses an interesting comment. He says, "California already has on its books (and has for

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-9737598460423121402008-10-24T13:39:00.002-06:002008-10-24T13:44:29.602-06:00

I posted back in March (see here) about an intriguing blog that I happened upon where someone was posting their marriage and divorce story. I quit updating that post. A friend of that individual (no, I don't know her personally, I've just been intrigued by her story) posted a link to all the entries in that story. You can see it here: http://10019musings.blogspot.com/2008/10/i-am-not-alyssa.html

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-52239823241178337702008-10-23T11:00:00.000-06:002008-10-23T11:02:23.599-06:00

Recently there were several news reports that said, "Avoid long lines, vote early!" Yesterday I decided to take this advice and go and vote early. I went to the Bountiful branch of the Davis County Library at 4:30 p.m. When I arrived, the parking lot was packed and I was told that there was an estimated three hour wait to vote. Since I had to be home by 6:30 p.m. I figured even if the wait ended

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-56949331028776683192008-10-21T13:00:00.001-06:002008-10-21T13:00:00.892-06:00

A Salt Lake Tribune article (see here) says that officials are trying to get the Legacy Parkway designated as a National Scenic Byway. In the article Woods Cross City Manager Gary Uresk is quoted as saying that the designation would give the highway some recognition and attract tourists. It would also make Legacy eligible to receive Federal Highway Administration funds.According to the National

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-3213152793892229092008-10-17T18:25:00.000-06:002008-10-17T18:25:00.947-06:00

I've been thinking lately, along with most citizens, about the economic issues affecting our country and I wonder if the way our children are being raised has caused at least a part of this mess. Let me give an example and we'll see if this post makes any sense by the end of it.About 30 years ago, I played little league soccer. One year I was part of a team that was absolutely terrible. All the

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-74352462323525190752008-10-07T09:30:00.000-06:002008-10-07T09:54:54.799-06:00

There's been several news reports over the last few days about the possibility of combining the five South Davis cities of Bountiful, Centerville, North Salt Lake, West Bountiful and Woods Cross into one city. It seems these news reports have originated because of some preliminary discussions between Woods Cross Mayor Kent Parry and Centerville Mayor Ronald Russell. All of these news reports seem

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-49950443612705974422008-10-02T17:42:00.003-06:002008-10-02T17:42:00.957-06:00

Some of you may know that I work as a Unix/Linux Systems Engineer for the LDS Church. On September 23rd 2008, it was announced that our entire department will be moved to a new location at 3740 West 13400 South in Riverton. This will change my commute from currently living 8.2 miles to my parking lot to living 34.5 miles from my parking lot. This move will likely begin sometime in Q1 or Q2 2009.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-23724609400461258072008-10-01T08:00:00.000-06:002008-10-01T08:24:55.784-06:00

I've posted previously about Jill Ekstrom pleading no-contest to charges of stealing adoption records. (See here.) Jill now has her own blog where she tries to give her side of the story. In one of her posts, she says, "if your posts are mean spirited towards me, if they are nothing more then you trying to slam me because you have not read all the posts I WILL reject them." (See here.) I tried

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-82893785571660688392008-09-25T01:05:00.001-06:002008-09-25T01:05:00.680-06:00

This is the last in a series of questions posed to the candidates in the State Senate District 23 race. To see the previous questions in this series, please go to http://www.woodscrosscitizen.com/search/label/Answers.Before getting to the answers to this last question, I would like to sincerely thank both Dan Liljenquist and Richard Watson for taking the time to answer my questions. I have

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-50966269656238422262008-09-23T01:05:00.001-06:002008-09-23T01:05:01.664-06:00

This is the 12th in a series of questions posed to the candidates in the State Senate District 23 race. To see the previous questions in this series, please go to http://www.woodscrosscitizen.com/search/label/Answers.12) What do you see as the biggest issue facing our state? What would you, as a state senator, do about it?Democrat - Richard Watson:Long-term planning. What does long-term planning

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-12218489216864435962008-09-18T01:05:00.002-06:002008-09-18T01:05:00.376-06:00

This is the 11th in a series of questions posed to the candidates in the State Senate District 23 race. To see the previous questions in this series, please go to http://www.woodscrosscitizen.com/search/label/Answers.11) What are your reasons for running for State Senate?Republican - Dan Liljenquist:I am running for the Utah State Senate because I believe I can effectively represent the citizens

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-5279442171716242832008-09-16T01:05:00.003-06:002008-09-16T01:05:00.481-06:00

This is the 10th in a series of questions posed to the candidates in the State Senate District 23 race. To see the previous questions in this series, please go to http://www.woodscrosscitizen.com/search/label/Answers.10) Do you support school vouchers?Democrat - Richard Watson:Absolutely not.Republican - Dan Liljenquist:I voted against the voucher bill. Here is the text of the editorial I had

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-3257830445530852432008-09-11T01:05:00.000-06:002008-09-11T01:05:01.473-06:00

This is the ninth in a series of questions posed to the candidates in the State Senate District 23 race. To see the previous questions in this series, please go to http://www.woodscrosscitizen.com/search/label/Answers.9) Are there any changes that you would like to see made in relation to charter schools?Republican - Dan Liljenquist:With 30,000+ students on charter school waiting lists, I am in

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-12315015932052224652008-09-09T01:05:00.000-06:002008-09-09T01:05:01.120-06:00

This is the eighth in a series of questions posed to the candidates in the State Senate District 23 race. To see the previous questions in this series, please go to http://www.woodscrosscitizen.com/search/label/Answers.8) What are your feelings about charter schools?Democrat - Richard Watson:Again, charter schools began as a great idea for Utah families. And charter schools continue to serve the

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-76438198831175414162008-09-04T01:05:00.001-06:002008-09-04T01:05:00.233-06:00

This is the seventh in a series of questions posed to the candidates in the State Senate District 23 race. To see the previous questions in this series, please go to http://www.woodscrosscitizen.com/search/label/Answers.7) What are your feelings about the federal government mandating states to follow certain criteria, such as they did with NCLB? What about the Utah Legislature mandating cities to

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-62731985458360532952008-09-02T01:10:00.001-06:002008-09-02T01:10:00.971-06:00

This is the sixth in a series of questions posed to the candidates in the State Senate District 23 race. To see the previous questions in this series, please go to http://www.woodscrosscitizen.com/search/label/Answers.6) What are your feelings about "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB)?Democrat - Richard Watson:What seemed like a great idea when it passed, NCLB has now become a miserable failure. In

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-66339002349436412432008-08-28T01:13:00.005-06:002008-08-28T01:13:00.662-06:00

This is the fifth in a series of questions posed to the candidates in the State Senate District 23 race. To see the previous questions in this series, please go to http://www.woodscrosscitizen.com/search/label/Answers.5) In the 2008 legislative session, Senator Dan Eastman sponsored a bill (SB46 http://le.utah.gov/~2008/bills/sbillenr/sb0046.htm) that limits the decisions that the government of a

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-62252527924383251862008-08-26T01:15:00.003-06:002008-08-26T01:15:00.347-06:00

4) In the 2008 legislative session, Representative Brad Daw sponsored a bill (HB139, http://le.utah.gov/~2008/bills/hbillint/hb0139.htm) that would have placed certain restrictions on anyone providing wireless internet access. Pete Ashdown, owner of Xmission, has publicly opposed this type of legislation and has said that he will shut down the free wireless provided by Xmission in downtown Salt

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-90131031213504437112008-08-25T14:56:00.003-06:002008-08-25T15:03:00.800-06:00

According to KSL (see story here), Dan Liljenquist, the Republican candidate for State Senate District 23 survived a plane crash that killed 11 people in Guatemala. I'm glad that he survived this horrific ordeal. I wish him a speedy recovery from his injuries. I'll keep him and his family in my prayers. I'm sure it is traumatic for his wife and children to go through something like this.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-76338543365398369092008-08-21T01:05:00.001-06:002008-08-21T01:05:00.779-06:00

3) What are your feelings about the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency, better known as UTOPIA? What about other similar entities?Republican - Dan Liljenquist:UTOPIA is the perfect battle ground to debate the first two questions posed. I have spent much of the last month studying the issues surrounding UTOPIA. The intent of UTOPIA is to facilitate economic development by

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-38851164384951541602008-08-19T00:59:00.003-06:002008-08-19T00:59:01.671-06:00

2) As a state senator, would you vote to make it more or less difficult for cities to create such entities as those listed in Question 1? (see Question 1 here)Democrat - Richard Watson:I definitely would work at making it less difficult for cities to create any entities. What's more, I would look at reversing some of the "Big Brother" laws that restrict cities to govern responsibly and give

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-35122451467993197812008-08-18T11:49:00.001-06:002008-08-19T08:11:37.625-06:00

In Sunday's Pignanelli and Webb column (see here), Frank argues to have the Electoral College abolished. He uses the argument that Utah hasn't seen a presidential contender in any recent campaign. Utah is an anomaly. If the Electoral College is done away with, states like Nevada will never see a presidential contender. How many times has a presidential contender visited Nevada, Missouri, and

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-27989576629897145102008-08-14T00:51:00.004-06:002008-08-14T09:18:43.477-06:00

1) Do you support or oppose cities coming together to create certain entities such as the South Davis Recreation District, South Davis Metro Fire District, United Fire Authority, etc.? Why?Republican - Dan Liljenquist:I support cities coming together to create partnerships that benefit their citizens. I believe that it is good policy to allow this type of inter-city partnering for a few simple

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-23581522423559484342008-08-12T21:48:00.003-06:002008-08-12T21:51:24.338-06:00

I mentioned in a previous post that I have received answers to my questions for the Senate District 23 candidates. Due to the length of the responses, I have decided to post the answers in 13 separate posts. I will post two questions with answers each week. Look for the posts beginning this Thursday.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-62655895994510251682008-08-07T07:00:00.002-06:002008-08-07T07:00:19.999-06:00

It was 5 years ago today that I wrote my first post on this blog. This blog has gone through periods of slowness (especially 2004) and periods where there were regular postings. It is interesting for me to go back and read some of my early posts. I've also noticed that some of my views have changed in the past 5 years. If nothing else, this blog has served as an outlet for me to post random

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-9672661236149037162008-07-29T09:45:00.002-06:002008-07-29T09:56:30.735-06:00

Dan Liljenquist has sent me his answers to my questions (see here) for the State Senate District 23 candidates. I will be creating a post soon that contains his answers along with those of the Democratic candidate, Richard Watson. I haven't heard anything back from, Jorgina Hancock, the Constitution candidate in this race.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-36996398722376409982008-07-23T07:42:00.000-06:002008-07-23T09:49:37.766-06:00

I've posted twice previously (see here and here) about Jill Ekstrom's legal troubles. Jill was sentenced yesterday for stealing adoption records from the Davis County Courthouse. She is to server 18 months on probation. She was also ordered to pay a $540 fine and $850 in restitution to the Davis County Sheriff's office.The worst thing about this case is that it makes those who want to find out

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-55323979423877113312008-07-18T07:54:00.004-06:002008-07-18T08:03:49.712-06:00

According to an article in the Clipper, (see here) the Woods Cross City Council approved a resolution to put the RAP tax on the ballot in November. Councilmember Rick Earnshaw said “I tell them we’re already shopping in Bountiful and paying the tax, so we may as well be reaping the benefits ourselves.” I don't agree with Rick, because, a large percentage of my purchases over the last 12 months

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-56909726481490642602008-07-08T17:12:00.001-06:002008-07-08T17:14:27.663-06:00

There's a great post over at JumboJoke.com titled If People Bought Cars Like They Buy Computers. I thought it was extremely funny and fitting.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-67853875928670549192008-07-07T16:28:00.003-06:002008-07-11T15:09:00.389-06:00

There is a post at the Utah Amicus (see here) that references the resignation of Mark Walker from the state legislature. I can fully understand the actions of Mr. Walker. Nobody can realize the affects this can have on a person as well as on their family members unless they have personally gone through a similar situation themselves. I can tell you that when accusations are made it affects those

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-49623716812836452902008-06-30T15:29:00.003-06:002008-06-30T16:09:03.717-06:00

I went to lunch today with Richard Watson, the democratic candidate for the State Senate District 23 seat. I had a very nice visit with him. No, he is not trying to buy my vote as I paid for my own lunch. We talked about several things including the questions that I e-mailed earlier to all the candidates (see here). He e-mailed me his answers to those questions 12 days ago. I still have not

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-75430733658745491962008-06-25T11:59:00.001-06:002008-06-25T11:59:00.876-06:00

I voted in the Republican Primary yesterday. I was glad to wake up today and see that Dan Liljenquist had defeated Ron Mortensen. I haven't put my reasons on this blog for not supporting Ron Mortensen. I've always felt like Ron Mortensen would not be responsive to his constituents, and, that he wanted to be in the Senate to push his own agenda. This was confirmed to me by the lack of any response

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-40220154712904506372008-06-24T02:25:00.000-06:002008-06-24T02:25:00.843-06:00

Today is my 15th wedding anniversary! It's hard to believe that my wife has put up with me for all these years. I love her immensely!Happy Anniversary Sweetheart! Here's to 15 (at least) more!

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-62965729694143158412008-06-16T17:16:00.001-06:002008-06-16T17:16:00.712-06:00

Yesterday my wife asked me an intriguing question. She asked me if we were to move away from the South Davis area, would I be as interested or involved in politics as I am? Since she asked me, I've been mulling it over in the back of my mind. (That's what techie types do. We work on a solution to an issue in the back of our mind.)Would I be as involved in local politics if I were to move away

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-40967842578032300142008-06-12T22:26:00.001-06:002008-06-12T22:29:07.896-06:00

Tonight I attended a "Meet the Candidate" event at Woods Cross City Hall for Dan Liljenquist who is one of the Republican candidates running for Utah State Senate District 23. I must admit that I was impressed with what he had to say. I didn't agree with his position on everything, however, I felt like his position on several items matched my feelings.He was asked how the state can make sure the

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-31765087032956108812008-06-12T06:58:00.003-06:002008-06-12T06:58:01.539-06:00

I recently read the book, "The King's Highway" by Howard Fullmer. This book reminded me of a subject that I've wanted to write a post about for some time. The subject is that of materialism vs. service to others. Do we value our physical possessions more than we value our relationships with family and friends? Do we care more about gathering lots of things for ourselves or making the journey

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-47612017462720074372008-06-11T12:33:00.002-06:002008-06-11T14:54:31.552-06:00

I previously posted about Jill Ekstrom being charged with stealing adoption records from the second district court. A news item on KSL's website says that Ekstrom entered a "no contest" plea on Monday, June 9th. Sentencing has been set for July 22. According to the report, Ekstrom claims that she will withdraw the plea because she was taking pain killers on Monday. Maybe later we'll find out she

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-81842159518212473682008-06-02T14:18:00.003-06:002008-06-02T14:26:11.687-06:00

I still haven't received answers to my questions from the candidates for Senate District 23 race. I did hear back from both Dan Liljenquist and Richard Watson. They both said that they were (understandably) busy, but, that they would put answers together and get them to me.They at least were responsive enough to get back with me and let me know that they had received the e-mail and were working

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-38360131666755899402008-05-26T02:00:00.001-06:002008-05-26T02:00:02.358-06:00

Happy Memorial Day! This day was set aside to honor those men and women who have served in the US Armed Forces. For a great history of observance of Memorial Day in the United States of America, see http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html.Today, I'd like to honor my maternal grandfather and his brother. My grandpa served in the navy during World War II. He passed away 11 April 1991. His

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-59312343242235577622008-05-24T07:00:00.001-06:002008-05-24T07:00:02.402-06:00

The Utah State Senate District 23 race has four candidates right now, two Republican candidates who will face off in a June 24th primary, a Democratic candidate and a Constitution Party candidate. I have compiled a list of 13 questions that I have e-mailed to these four candidates. I will post any responses that they permit me to post.Yesterday, May 23 2008, I e-mailed these 13 questions to:

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-33280403348254823402008-05-19T17:53:00.002-06:002008-05-19T17:53:00.754-06:00

I read a book years ago titled, "The Simple Truths of Service." (see here.) In a portion of this book it tells the story of Johnny the bagger. (Click here for the full Johnny the bagger story.) Johnny went out of his way to make every customer feel like they were important. Consequently, people wanted Johnny to be their bagger, even if it meant waiting in a longer line for a longer time. In most

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-74313987930318191922008-05-15T17:30:00.004-06:002008-05-15T17:30:02.211-06:00

The Deseret News has an article about the 3rd District GOP primary race between Jason Chaffetz and Chris Cannon. Now I'm not a part of the 3rd District, so I can't vote in this race, however, I want to offer some of my comments about the race or at least about this article.The article talks about the up-hill battle that Chaffetz obviously has to beat an incumbent. That being said, I think that

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-3184366476036421392008-05-06T18:45:00.003-06:002008-05-06T18:55:35.672-06:00

It appears to me that our governmental entities here in Utah budget just as well as Utah families. That, unfortunately, is not a good thing. I believe many families in Utah don't budget well. In fact, many studies show that American families in general don't budget well. Many American families subscribe to the buy now, pay later mantra. We see this as well in government. Many governments are

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-55652707018030142602008-04-29T12:01:00.002-06:002008-04-29T13:46:21.325-06:00

Today is an anniversary for me. It was 15 years ago today that my wife agreed to marry me. A recent article (see here) in Mormon Times by Orson Scott Card sums up many of my feelings about my marriage.In the article, he says in marriage, "there's somebody who shares your goals and your problems, somebody to rely on, somebody to hear you out. You're not alone." One of the great things about being

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-1469280377123261292008-04-28T12:16:00.003-06:002008-04-28T15:11:26.142-06:00

There is a great post over at "The Cultural Hall" blog. (See here.) It deals with the phrase of "Every Member a Missionary" which is used in the LDS Church. The blog post makes an excellent point of noting that you need to be a friend.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-63684363950805463202008-04-25T12:15:00.001-06:002008-04-25T12:15:01.183-06:00

The following poem attributed to Martin Niemöller is inscribed at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -because I was not a Socialist.Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out -because I was not a Trade Unionist.Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -because I was not a

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-80414023364796892982008-04-24T16:46:00.005-06:002008-04-25T08:04:40.622-06:00

I have been meaning to write a blog post about this prior to now, but, I haven't done it yet. Last November we were looking at replacing our 2003 Chevy Suburban. There wasn't anything wrong with it, I just wanted to upgrade to something different. Now when you have seven children, your options on vehicles is fairly limited. Our choices really became one of the following three options:School BusA

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-57211624933300157852008-04-23T16:40:00.000-06:002008-04-23T16:40:00.654-06:00

Representative Steve Urquhart says in a recent post, (see here) "I want to go on record now, to state that Utah should not bail out cities for the huge indebtedness they will incur because of their involvement with UTOPIA."I personally find this offensive because when I was on the Woods Cross City Council, it seemed that Utah always tried to reduce the amount of money that cities received from

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-922693026432317862008-04-20T21:06:00.005-06:002008-04-20T21:26:08.263-06:00

An article in today's Deseret News (see here) talks about the "quiet zone" that is being established for the trains in the Northern Utah area. The article mentions that the effort to get quiet zones instituted in the commuter rail area was organized by Woods Cross City Manager, Gary Uresk. I know that there were many complaints from citizens about the train horns during my term on the council.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-22770352628377270502008-04-18T12:15:00.000-06:002008-04-18T12:15:00.567-06:00

A Salt Lake Tribune article from April 9th, (see here) had some interesting news about Qwest investing in more fiber in Utah. I have included a portion of the article below.Utah consumers interested in getting ultra high-speed Internet service may no longer have to wait for the financially struggling Utopia network to keep its promises.Qwest Communications International Inc., as part of a $300

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-68173794015835446352008-04-15T17:30:00.005-06:002008-04-15T17:30:00.201-06:00

On August 21, 2007 the Woods Cross City Council held a public hearing about the curbside recycling program. During that meeting, they also presented the 2007 Mayor's Beautification Awards. I remember commenting that the first windy day when the recycling cans are emptied, the city won't be as beautiful anymore because newspapers will be blowing around. That snide remark somehow didn't make it

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-18180061838816480312008-04-14T18:49:00.000-06:002008-04-14T18:49:00.265-06:00

In the past I've had thoughts about a disconnect that may exist between upper management and the techies in the trenches. I have seen signs of this disconnect in my current employment as well as in previous places of employment. Let me give an example that may show how this disconnect exhibits itself.Let's say that a company pays for several managers and techies in the trenches to attend training

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-28588643462605652492008-04-14T11:59:00.001-06:002008-04-14T11:59:00.378-06:00

The two people that I know personally who were running for the State Senate District 23 position, Lamont Peterson and Kent Parry, were eliminated at the Republican nominating convention held Saturday. The two Republican candidates who will face off in the primary are Ron Mortensen and Dan Liljenquist. I've mentioned in a previous post why it will be hard for me to support Dan Liljenquist. I'm

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-33886930156268766432008-04-12T19:52:00.003-06:002008-04-12T19:59:40.413-06:00

I'm looking forward to my church meeting tomorrow. Maybe the reason I'm looking forward to it is that the length has been cut in half this week. Instead of the normal three hour block of meetings, our new ward has only one meeting scheduled for an hour and a half. That's one reason to look forward to it. Another reason I'm looking forward to it, is because it will be the first meeting of our new

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-70976841537361546812008-04-08T20:14:00.000-06:002008-04-08T20:14:13.049-06:00

I've posted previously about the Utah Legislature's reluctance to pass bills that concern their ethics. (see here, here, and here.) Well, I found some interesting things in the campaign finance disclosures for the Senate District 23 race. It would appear to me that Dan Liljenquist is trying to buy himself a seat in the Utah Senate. During the reporting period of "Party Convention" he has spent by

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-38752222005176324022008-04-08T07:11:00.001-06:002008-04-08T08:57:57.848-06:00

In a post on this blog (see here) over two years ago, I posted about how I liked the Centerville Citizen blog. At that time, the blog was run by a different person than the most recent person, WP. I mentioned at that time that I liked how the Centerville Citizen blog was run. It had posts that were relevant to Centerville and stuck mostly to local issues. After WP took over the blog, the posts

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-32283251326332773672008-04-07T11:59:00.001-06:002008-04-07T11:58:34.758-06:00

The Woods Cross curbside recycling program begins pick up tomorrow. This doesn't affect me as my house is on the "Green" schedule. That means that my pick up begins next week. Woods Cross City has recently placed some great things on their website about the recycling program. The first is a map of the city marking what homes are on the "Green" schedule and what homes are on the "White" schedule.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-20335984507388072412008-04-05T15:53:00.003-06:002008-04-05T16:00:18.730-06:00

In a Mormon Times article, (see here) Orson Scott Card likens a LDS ward to a village of people where people are "groomed" by each other. Last Sunday night, my "village" had new boundaries created. This is the fourth ward boundary change we have been involved in while living in our current home. We were made part of the new ward that was created. This is also the fourth different ward that we

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-9893883938963286982008-04-04T19:12:00.003-06:002008-04-04T19:31:15.185-06:00

My list of things that I want to do before I kick the bucket had two things on it completed this past week. I've always wanted to see Delicate Arch in Arches National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. This past week I took my family to see them both on a much needed vacation. It was beautiful weather for a vacation to South Eastern Utah. Our new 2008 Chevy Suburban averaged 18 MPG on the way

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-73074451547259719092008-03-25T11:30:00.001-06:002008-03-25T11:29:55.702-06:00

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has apparently issued a letter that was to be read in sacrament meetings last Sunday. I found out about this letter from the Deseret Morning News. The article says, 'church leaders said any ward or stake meetings should not conflict with the "important meetings."'Apparently the statement says, "Precinct caucuses are the most fundamental

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-2359517319467487142008-03-24T12:50:00.003-06:002008-03-24T12:55:32.220-06:00

We received our recycling can 1 week ago. I've been very disappointed with what we can actually put in the can. I decided to make a list of things that we have put in our regular garbage that have the recycle symbol on them. In case some of you may not know, I'm going to first show the recycle symbols and then give some examples of what the symbol would be found on. There are more recycle symbols

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-20096412818138537612008-03-21T13:13:00.004-06:002008-03-21T13:49:07.796-06:00

Reading a post by Mike Ridgway (see March 18th, 2008, here) made me think of a great talk by President Thomas S. Monson. (see here) President Monson talks about harboring ill feelings toward others. He says, "There are hidden wedges in the lives of many whom we know—yes, perhaps in our own families."In typical President Monson fashion, he tells a couple of stories to make his point. He then says,

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-19683145277914108362008-03-20T12:42:00.005-06:002008-03-20T13:14:56.612-06:00

I received an e-mail yesterday from Mayor Kent Parry. He is soliciting help for his campaign for the Utah State Senate. The e-mail says, in part:"Senator Eastman has decided to not run for re-election and I feel that now is a great opportunity for me. I feel that I will be able to represent and meet the needs of the residents of the south Davis County due to my experience as a mayor.I am asking

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-76194890548806980932008-03-17T16:50:00.001-06:002008-03-18T09:26:33.818-06:00

Woods Cross Mayor, Kent Parry, has filed to run for the Utah State Senate representing my district, District 23. You can see a list of all those who have filed at http://www.elections.utah.gov/2008Candidates.htm.Interestingly enough, I personally know one of the other Republican candidates for State Senate District 23. Lamont Peterson and I used to work together at Guru Labs. Lamont, as far as I

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-21778749227796452862008-03-17T09:22:00.003-06:002008-03-17T11:05:42.932-06:00

I wrote in a previous post (see here) about my fears of Jill Hadley Evans being able to make unbiased decisions when it comes to issues about the Woods Cross City parks. It looks like it only took three months for my fears to apparently come true.Councilmember Jill Evans has had two items placed on tomorrow's City Council Agenda (see here) that deal with Woods Cross City parks. Normally I

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-77269795825334643922008-03-14T13:00:00.001-06:002008-03-14T14:06:11.241-06:00

A comment on my previous post (see here) from someone with the alias of ebgdae (must be a guitar player) raised several questions that I felt would be better answered in a new post rather than a follow up comment to the previous one. I will give my answers to the questions that ebgdae asks and then add some thoughts from my perspective. To add perspective to the comments and questions from ebgdae

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-37686334142900393352008-03-12T16:26:00.003-06:002008-09-23T12:37:41.510-06:00

An article at the Deseret Morning News website (see here) talks about Jill Ekstrom being charged with allegedly stealing microfilm that contained adoption records. Jill runs a research company called UtahFinders with a website that used to be located at www.utahfinders.com. Though the website is no longer available, below is an image of what it used to look like. You can click on the image for a

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-78517493667823282582008-03-11T08:00:00.001-06:002008-03-11T08:35:48.122-06:00

A post on Mark Towner's blog (see here) made me think of the widespread problem of perpetuating rumors and falsehoods. With the advent of e-mail and the internet, it seems all too easy for people to pass on rumors and falsehoods without even checking if they are true. Mr. Towner has done that with his post. He says in part, "This is an actual job application that a 75 year old senior citizen

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-67875162723191715262008-03-06T12:41:00.002-07:002008-03-06T12:44:06.699-07:00

Mark Towner makes an interesting comment in a recent post at his blog. He says, "I would hope the Supreme Court decision and HB 493 puts to rest that this action was somehow not warranted, and would expect several bloggers who were very vocal in opposition to my actions, without the actual facts of the case, that they might want to apologize to my wife and family."I can tell Mr. Towner, from my

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-41999811924930783202008-03-06T08:24:00.000-07:002008-03-06T09:32:52.172-07:00

The Utah Legislative Session ended at midnight last night. Our state legislators passed about 400 bills and a bunch of resolutions. (see here) This session, as with most sessions, was a lot like a roller coaster ride. Lots of twists and turns, up and downs, and an abrupt stop at the end.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-47665742697995739292008-03-04T14:49:00.002-07:002008-03-04T14:51:49.803-07:00

Do you eat a lot of Candy Bars? Even if you don't, this is a fun quiz to take:http://food.aol.com/play-with-your-food/candy-bar-id-quizI got 15 out of 20 correct.

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-52914237632228053242008-03-03T19:16:00.005-07:002008-03-12T10:12:13.577-06:00

In my travels around the blogosphere recently, I've come across some interesting posts.First off, there is the story of one persons engagement and marriage:Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6Part 7aPart 7bUpdate: Part 8Part 9Part 10Part 11Then there is another persons post about "A Real American Hero." This one is a great example of being positive.These are just a couple of the stops I've made

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-42419720471849867702008-03-01T18:45:00.003-07:002008-03-06T12:43:41.975-07:00

I decided to write a post in response to a recent comment to my previous post. The comment says that being positive is "too narrow and restricting." I believe that if more people were positive in this world, a lot more things would get done. Not only would more things get done, but, a lot of wars wouldn't happen. To use the analogy that the commenter used, if certain people had been positive and

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656969.post-36189170162127266982008-02-25T08:25:00.003-07:002008-02-25T09:23:11.895-07:00

One of the cultural beliefs of the department that I work in is titled "Be Positive." It goes on to say, "I contribute to a positive and optimistic work environment."An article in Saturday's LDS Church News (see here, subscription and login required) made me think about this cultural belief in relation to my blog posts. Am I truly contributing to a positive on-line environment? The article says,

Thad Van Ryhttps://profiles.google.com/107555888495799934801noreply@blogger.com1