Monday, 28 October 2019: “Recovering a Lost World: The LiDAR Revolution and Ancient Maya Warfare”

Monday, 28 October 2019: “Recovering a Lost World: The LiDAR Revolution and Ancient Maya Warfare” October 19, 2019

 

I wish that I could be there.
The poster for next week’s lecture

 

From Book of Mormon Central, regarding a lecture to be given on the Brigham Young University campus on Monday, 28 October 2019:

 

“Dr. Stephen Houston Speaking on Mayan Warfare at BYU”

 

Although he is not and has never been a Latter-day Saint, Professor Houston taught at BYU from 1994-2004, before joining the faculty at Brown University.  I had occasional interactions with him during that time, and I was privileged to look over one or two Mesoamerican sites with him while I made a brief visit to Mexico and Guatemala many years ago.  He is an extraordinary scholar and a very decent fellow.

 

I hope that some of you will be able to attend his presentation of the inaugural John L. Sorenson Lecture, for which the chosen title is “Recovering a Lost World: The LiDAR Revolution and Ancient Maya Warfare.”  I myself will, unfortunately, be unable to attend.

 

***

 

I like to be of help, and so, whenever I see a story that some of my readers might be able to include in their Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File, I share it.  Here’s one such:

 

“Latter-day Saint leaders lend support in humanitarian effort and meet government leaders in Texas and Arizona: When 48,000 asylum seekers needed help, a coalition of 40 churches, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came to their aid.”

 

And here is an overlapping story:

 

“Apostles of Jesus Christ Minister in Southwest United States: Elder Rasband visits Arizona, Elder Soares travels to Texas”

 

I saw some discussion a few days ago about supposed anti-Catholicism among current Latter-day Saints and their leaders, so the account of Elder Soares’s visit to Texas was especially welcome.

 

***

 

There is an explicit Latter-day Saint connection here, but I have resolved not to comment.  I simply pass on links to two articles that I believe some of this blog’s readers will find interesting:

 

“Trump’s Court Artist: Jon McNaughton once painted landscapes and religious scenes. Now he’s focused on reverently depicting the Trump era for future generations.”

 

“Might even ‘Trump’s Court Artist’ (per The Atlantic) have a sense of humor?”

 

And here is another LDS-related art story.  A rather curious one:

 

“A Massive Sculpture of an African American Last Supper, Hidden for Years, Has Been Discovered in Columbia Heights: Joy Zinoman found quite a surprise when work began on Studio Acting Conservatory’s new building.”

 

***

 

Finally, here’s a link to a book review by Stephen Smoot.  I expect that some out there will find this worthwhile and will perhaps want to go on, as I hope to do, to read the book itself:

 

“Review: New Book Explores How the Book of Mormon Counters Anti-Semitism”

 

 


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