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It's a Utah headquartered company named Morinda Inc. whose sales have increased 6,137% in the five years since the company was founded in July of 1996. From 1996 through 2000, Morinda's sales totaled more that $929 million. The sales explosion continued in 2001 with annual sales of $438 million. Sales this year will top the 2001 figure and still Morinda is the best-kept secret in North America... UNTIL NOW!!
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Morinda currently is open and has offices in nineteen countries worldwide and Tropical Express Company (TEC) services another forty countries for distributors with personal consumption availability of products only. Japan is the #1 country in sales right now and the United States is second. You'll see why Morinda is on its way to soon doing $1 billion and more in annual sales.
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Almost 90% of the company's volume is done with one product -- Morinda TAHITIAN NONI® juice from the French Polynesian Islands. It's a natural fruit juice and today the healthy beverage and food market is the fastest -- growing segment of consumer food products worldwide. TAHITIAN NONI® juice is already among the world's top-ten brands of healthy beverages. ... Morinda has four major building projects going on right now and will have no problems with the growth. Please read carefully about the four projects.
1. The new Tahitian Noni World Headquarters in Provo, Utah with 150,000 square feet of floor space will house Morinda's world headquarters staff and the North American Sales Support team. One of the features of this building is the 300-seat auditorium that will serve as both a training facility and a sales office for the Global Family as well as a meeting facility for distributors in Utah. They will occupy this facility in the fall of 2002.
2. The Tahitian Noni Research and Manufacturing Center in American Fork, Utah will have a total floor space of 143,000 square feet. This facility will serve as the new expanded research and quality assurance lab, the dedicated manufacturing facility and the distribution center for the Western US. They will begin operation of this facility in the fall of 2002.
3. The Tahitian Noni Processing Center in Tahiti is an 80,000 square foot facility. This building will house the state of the art processing facility for TAHITIAN NONI® juice and other products. They will complete the project sometime in late 2003.
4. The Tahitian Noni Japan Headquarters building has 47,000 square feet of floor space. Morinda recently completed the purchase of this nine-story office building in downtown Tokyo, which will house the entire Japanese staff and act as a Tahitian Noni Showroom, Visitors Center and Seminar Center for the Tokyo area. This building is located in one of the most prestigious areas of Tokyo at the confluence of two of the busiest roads in Tokyo. The facility will have high visibility and will give Morinda an unbeatable image in Japan. The building will be completely renovated by March 2003.
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Morinda has joined forces with award-winning movie producers Gerald Molen and John Garbett to shoot and produce a full-length feature film titled, "The Legend of Johnny Lingo". Morinda is now the sole funding source of this production.
Who are Gerald Molen and John Garbett? Gerald Molen has been affiliated with Steven Spielberg and won the Academy Award in 1993 for "Schindler's List". He recently produced "Minority Report" starring Tom Cruise.
John Garbett has produced such Touchstone Productions as "Three Men and A Little Lady", "Father of the Bride" and "Alive" and contributed to the production of "The Matrix" and "Shrek".
Johnny Lingo was a famous trader who lived in the South Pacific during the late 1880's. The movie will be an adventure tale with bits of a love story inter-twined, and presents a very wonderful message for families. The producers and scriptwriters have worked closely to ensure that the TAHITIAN NONI® Story is told naturally and in a way that will make Noni a household word.
The movie is currently being shot in the South Pacific with a 100% South Pacific cast. Two of the cast members are currently starring in "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones".
"The legend of Johnny Lingo" will be released in 2003 for general distribution and will find its way to movie theaters all over the world. The TAHITIAN NONI® story will reach millions of people in North America alone.
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mormons are building a culture that reflects their gospel convictions. They don't drink alcohol or coffee, they refrain from cigarette use, and they generally don't spend money on Sundays. Their males flaunt mostly clean-shaven faces, most of their women don't wear mini-skirts or sleeveless tank-tops, and a good portion of them give up 18 months to two years off preaching somewhere, often in foreign tongues.
In recent years, however, it may be observed that Mormonism has become increasingly commercialized. Their gospel has been pulled from its hallowed place on the Pedestal of Inviolability and placed in assorted shapes and sizes in bookstores, cd shops, and on Web sites.
Ever seen the t-shirts that take a Nike swoop and turn it into Moroni blowing his trumpet? Or heard Jericho Road wail out their squeaky cleanness against a backdrop of LDS themes? How about the little Book of Mormon action figures (of which Nephi seems to be the favorite)? Then there's "Charly", "Handcart", "God's Army", "Brigham City", "The Other Side of Heaven", and the soon-to-be-released remake of Johnny Lingo. View Photos of LDS Singles at ldsmingle.com, or name your Utah baby at geocities.com/Heartland/3450/, or adopt a curelom at mormonzone.com.
There's Mormon fiction (e.g. The Work and the Glory), Mormon music (i.e. Julie de Azevedo), Mormon movies (ex. Singles Ward), Mormon art (see Greg Olsen), and Mormon software (re: 'LDS Temples' screensaver).
There are entire stores devoted solely to Mormon missionary products.
Latter-day Saints enjoy CTR rings, Young Women's values bracelets, Child of God lockets, Nauvoo Sun charms, necklaces, key rings, and dog tags.
You name it, the Mormons make it.
Church history buff? Try the Kirtland Temple Interactive CD-ROM.
Want to spice up a handout for Sunday school? No problem -- sample one of the almost sixty LDS clipart programs at Deseret Book.
Looking for ways to find an eternal mate? There are almost 140 Mormon romance titles available online.
But in the middle of this LDS shopper's dream, one must face the question: when is it going too far?
How about when it is shocking to discover that a member of the Church, baptized at age 8, never (don't say it!) owned (please, no!) a CTR (stop, stop!) ring (gasp!)?
Or when someone has never heard of Gerald Lund and people say, Seriously? No way!
Or when people put off regular scripture study because they're reading other "church books" (i.e. The Porter Rockwell Chronicles)?
The moment Latter-day Saints begin to equate church membership or standing or doctrine with Mormon products is the moment the gospel has become lost behind a pile of CDs, cassettes, posters, books, jewelry, t-shirts, and Nephite action figures.
For the most part, Mormon commercialization is okay. Indeed, it is part of creating a culture.
But the most important part of that culture -- namely, the pure and simple gospel of Jesus Christ -- must never lose its front and center place.
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After bashing Charly, Benson lamented:
"What's next? Johnny Lingo in its expanded, big-screen version? Will they move The Testaments to the 16-plex? Will Mr. Krueger's Christmas be coming soon to a theater near you?"
Hold on to your laptop Lee. Johnny Lingo is on its way to the silver screen. It was re-tooled as a feature film and shot this summer in the South Pacific by producers John Garbet and Jerry Molen with Other Side of Heaven editor, Steve Ramirez at the helm. The same people who loved Charly can't wait.
...My final point is one I've made before. If you fail to support the movies by LDS film makers who struggle to make a difference and who want to create family friendly films that run counter to popular culture -- however imperfect and flawed their early attempts -- then you forever forfeit your right to complain about Hollywood and the steady decline of popular culture.