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New Orson Scott Card book 'Laddertop' written with daughter

Deseret News - In his new graphic novel "Laddertop, Volume 1," author Orson Scott Card teams up with his daughter, Emily Janice Card, to explore one of his common themes — extraordinary children who are placed in extraordinary circumstances. The result is a compelling first volume of a science fiction series that will appeal strongly to young adult readers — specifically young women, since the protagonists of the book are two 11-year-old girls. ...

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LDS athlete wins spot on U.S. National Gymnastics Team

LDS Church News - LDS gymnast MyKayla Skinner has been selected as a member of the U.S. National Gymnastics Team. MyKayla, of the Chaparral Ward, Gilbert Arizona Higley Stake, is known for her ability to perform difficult skills, such as the double twisting double back. “Only three girls in the country perform that skill,” said Lisa Spini, coach and owner of Desert Lights Gymnastics, where MyKayla trains. At 4-foot-9, MyKayla is earning the reputation of being a petite powerhouse. As a member of the U.S. National Team, she hopes to compete in the Olympic Games next summer in London. ...

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The naive newlywed and the realities of marriage

Deseret News - My little sister got married last month. As she and her new husband drove off in a flurry of pink tulle and clanking cans, my aunt and I turned to each other with the same words on our lips: “They just have no idea.” They have no idea what life is going to sling in their direction. They don’t know about the stress of a new job, crippling finances and a cross-country move. They don’t know about kids who come along with physical or emotional challenges. They can’t see the difficulty of merging two different parenting styles onto a single child....

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Opinion: Mitt's Persistent Mormon Problem

The Daily Beast - Mitt Romney can’t quite shake the Mormon question. My Daily Beast colleague McKay Coppins obtained some emails from a Perry evangelical adviser to a “leader in the development of Christian talk radio” showing that at least some within the Perry camp want to keep the issue, as they say, alive. The New York Times reported lengthily Sunday on Romney’s years as bishop of the Boston LDS temple. Christopher Hitchens has now declaimed on Mormonism’s “weird and sinister” belief system (rather tame adjectives, for Hitch). Is all this fair? Or, as Romney and his backers have it, is it religious bigotry? I’m...

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Questions about Mitt Romney's faith are fair game

Deseret News - This isn't the first column you've read about the role of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney 's religion in the 2012 election cycle. Given the media's fascination with the topic, it might not even be the first today. Romney's membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is among the hottest topics at America's communal water cooler. Stories about Romney's faith often boast polling data showing an ever-shifting percentage of voters will not vote for a candidate who is a "Mormon." Sometimes the media editorializes that wary voters surely must question how Romney's faith would affect his leadership as...

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BYU-Idaho: Leading by innovation

Deseret News - Betty Oldham has seen her fair share of changes at BYU-Idaho. She came to this campus in Rexburg as a student in the late '60s and she's amazed to see how much it's changed. Now the assistant to the president, she recalls that 40 years ago all her main classes were in one building. There was only one grocery store in town and none of the students had cars. Today, Oldham has bright blue eyes, bronze-rimmed, oval glasses and curly white and gray hair. She's still as pretty as she was in the 60s, but she has something she didn't have...

Transparent helper

BYU volleyball team holds off Zags

Deseret News - A third-set scare couldn’t hold the BYU women’s volleyball team back from a 3-1 (25-23, 25-8, 25-27, 25-19) rout of Gonzaga Monday night, which pushed the Cougars to a tie with San Francisco for third place in the West Coast Conference. “We’re excited to win this one on the road,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “We had a good second set but didn’t come out as strong in the third. It was nice we could battle down to the wire. They won 27-25, but we responded well in the fourth and made adjustments to come back to win.” ...

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BYU’s Vocal Point advances to top 8 on NBC

BYU News - BYU’s male a cappella group Vocal Point returned to compete in the Top 10 of NBC’s “The Sing-Off” on Monday. After their classic rock ‘n roll performance, the judges had only positive things to say, and they will be continuing onto the next round of the competition. Vocal Point had the crowd dancing when they sang their version of "Footloose." Joining them was their teammate Ben Murphy, who had been home in Australia spending time with family after his father died from Leukemia. “I know that all your brothers here are really happy that you are back,” said Sing-Off judge Sara...

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Elder Oaks testifies before Senate committee, defends charitable deductions

Deseret News - Elder Dallin H. Oaks told the U.S. Senate Finance Committee Tuesday morning that proposed "impairments" of the charitable tax deduction in order to increase tax revenues available for government expenditure are not religious, political or even economic issues. Rather, he said, they pose "a question about the nature and future of America." Elder Oaks. a member of the Quorum of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was invited to testify at the committee's hearing on charitable giving by ranking committee member Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. He was accompanied by representatives of the Catholic Church and the...

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How to Get Teens to Read the Book of Mormon

Dennis Gaunt - The prophets have asked every Church member to read and study the Book of Mormon. But for some teens, reading every day becomes at best a chore and at worst a trigger for a fight with Mom and Dad. Here are five simple ideas to help increase your teen’s interest in reading the Book of Mormon. 1. Make it matter. One of the most common reasons why teens aren’t interested in the Book of Mormon is because they have a hard time seeing how it has anything to do with their lives. We should always ask how a principle applies to...