TA: Audience: Whitney

We’d decided to make doughnuts. We were all doing something; it was like a machine; roll, pinch, toss, sizzle—it smelled pretty darn good. Our little machine took a little detour; Destry bent down, and when she stood up her head hit the tongs that were used for flipping, and the uncooked doughnut spiraled through the air and landed behind the stove. For some reason we thought this was hilarious (You and I anyway) and we were rolling on the ground. I can’t pinpoint the exact reason why it was so funny, but even now as I’m picturing it I’m smiling. Perhaps the powdered sugar in the air had just gotten to our heads.
After the doughnut affair, we drove to the grocery store in the lovely fifteen-seater van in order to buy some life saver mints—(if you chew on them in the dark they spark in your mouth). Destry was trying to ride in a cart. I think she crashed.
On the way home we saw what we thought was a cat and so we started chasing it with the van. It turned out to be a fox. When we got to your house I think I parked the van on the street—I was too nervous parking it on your long driveway. We watched Robin Hood: Men in Tights with your grandpa, and ate doughnuts. Then we laid under the stars on your trampoline looking for UFOs, conversing philosophically, and pointing out shooting stars.

FW: Individual worth

Individuality and personality were part of our preearthly state. The traits that we developed premortally assist in establishing the individual personalities that we each have at the present. They are gifts from God—he actually wants us to have personality. Both our Eternal Father and His Son had a personality particular to them individually, and the personalities that we developed in the preexistence helped God place us in our specific circumstances. Our individuality comes from within us, and no power can take it away.

“Individuals have a genetic and an environmental inheritance, each of which is powerfully important. But there is an even earlier bestowal that follows us from our premortal existence wherein our personalities and traits were developed in various ways and in various degrees and strengths. The third bestowal is at least as important as those involving genes and environment. All three combined would, if fully comprehended, give us a true picture of the human personality and how it has been shaped and molded. This would help to explain human differences that are not explainable solely on the basis of genes and environment, varied as these are.”

Neal A. Maxwell. “Third Session,” Deposition of a Disciple. Gospelink. Salt Lake City, Utah. Deseret Book Company: 2004.

TA: LDS Audience

D&C 59:6 states, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Thou shalt not steal; neither commit adultery, nor kill, nor do anything like unto it.” It is important to note the last fragment of the section, “nor do anything like unto it.” This illustrates it is not enough to simply follow the letter of the law and, for example, refrain from killing people; there is a responsibility involved in this statement that requires an understanding to what God expects of his followers. Stephen R. Covey puts it aptly as he states, “What we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do. We all know it. There are people we trust absolutely because we know their character.” As stated in the scriptures, “Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit…Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them” (3 Nephi 14:17-18, 20). A tree will yield it’s own type of fruit; the nature of the tree determines the nature of the fruit. Hanging ornamental fruit on the tree (i.e. trying to change the fruit) will not alter the tree; the tree itself must change, and the fruit will change as a result. Our character is the origin for our works; therefore, by reforming our character, our works are also altered. Our actions are motivated by our founding principles, and so our characters must be such that the choices we make will advance the will of the Father.

RA: Live meeting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ZyV6kDC0Q

This ad has a young business man looking very sauve and business-like. There is intense music going on, the man gets out from a cab, and proceeds through an airport to an elevator. During this short journey, text on the screen reveals that he is, "Tyler Johnson, Vice President-International Sales" and a few seconds later, "Destination Helsinki, Product Feedback Meeting." He does some masculine business-like things; he runs his hands through his hair, straightens his suit, checks out the backside of a lady standing infront of him in the elevator. Then just has he is leaving the elevator, the doors slam his head. He drops to the floor where the doors close again on his head, and again. Finally, the janitor outside moves him out of the way, and the doors are able to close. On the closed elevator doors are the words, "Business Travel Stops Here, Microsoft Office Live Meeting."
This ad tells the audience that business travel is after all, just a big head ache. The audience is business men (like the poor Tyler Johnson). The name "Tyler Johnson" is a pretty average name, and so the average business man can put themself in his shoes. Some business men would begin watching the ad and think, "Yeah, that's me. I'm a business man," even though it's a highly idealized rendition, these type of men are optimistic. On the other side, you'll get the more realistic business men who'll start watching the ad thinking, "that's not what it's like at all." The ad's conclusion works for both. The first type will think, "I don't want that to happen to me" and the second type, "business meetings are a headache, it's true." What is the answer? Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

TA: artist audience

Art should be beautiful. This is more than attractiveness; one should be able to be moved by beauty. In art, something may not even be “pretty,” but it can be deeply satisfying, beautiful even. Something can be happy, but things can also be sad, and sadness can be its own kind of beautiful, too.
Art should be good. Art should be good in the opposite way that evil is evil. Art should not seek to be malevolent, but to be virtuous and worthy in its intent and effect.
Art should be outstanding. It should aspire to be exceptional, to be excellent, and to hold itself to its highest quality and standard.
Art should be uplifting. It ought to have the ability to change a person who has experienced it in a way that will enrich their lives. It should lift and edify people.
I think that part of the reason that people create art is that the act of creation is divine, and as sons and daughters of The Creator, we have an aching to touch upon that divinity which is inborn in us all.

FW: To be Great

Greater joy from sorrow.
Greater love from giving.
Greater strength from toil.
Greater life from living.

RA: Cake commercial

The commercial’s website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwswkJZEdS4
The message of this commercial is buying the Fabia will make you happy because it is full of things that will make you happy. I thought this was a very clever commercial. It starts of in a bakery with all of these workers busily making cakes. They are all smiling and happy in their work. It looks like they are undertaking quite a project, as the cake they are making is huge. The cake begins to take the shape of a car, and pretty soon the viewer sees that they are constructing the new Fabia. The commercial portrays that it’s not just a cake that looks like a car, but the actual car itself because they are not only constructing the outside but also making cake-like chairs and putting a cake-like engine under the cake-like hood. The whole time during its construction the Julie Andrew’s song “Raindrops on Roses” is playing. At the end of the commercial the bakers pose with their new car and the words come on, “The new Fabia. Full of lovely stuff.” It’s enticement falls to a more feminine audience, who like pleasant, happy things. It’s saying, “this car is as good as eating cake”, or “you like cake don’t you? Well, you’ll like this car.” The viewer knows that the car is not really cake, but the commercial gives a pleasant clever atmosphere that the advertiser wants the viewer to associate with owning the car.