*** An online non-fan of mine who goes by the name of Dumb-Dud, or something like that, seems to be trying to outbid my Malevolent Stalker on the matter of how angered I am by the FX/Hulu miniseries Under the Banner of Heaven. They’re both convinced — or, anyway, they’re both pretending to be convinced — that I’m absolutely incandescent with rage at the enormous success of this Lafferty Brothers production that stars Andrew Garfield. The spoofs of... Read more
*** I recently read The Shortest History of Germany: From Julius Caesar to Angela Merkel―A Retelling for Our Times, by James Hawes, who is a lecturer at the University of Oxford (though not, I think on history but rather on creative writing, even though he earned a doctorate in German literature [with a focus on Friedrich Nietzsche] from University College, London). I thoroughly enjoyed it, and not only because it is very well and brightly written. In... Read more
*** Episode Six in the Interpreter Foundation’s series of short video “reels” that are connected with its larger Witnesses film project has gone up. It is entitled “Sidney Rigdon and the Witnesses.” We invite you to watch it, to share it, and to subscribe to the Interpreter Foundation’s YouTube channel. *** I’m a very enthusiastic admirer of the writing and thinking of David French, and this article has done absolutely nothing to dampen my enthusiasm:... Read more
*** We docked this morning in the ancient Spanish city of Cádiz, which was founded by the Phoenicians more than three thousand years ago. Alas, though, a choice was forced upon us, and we chose to join a tour to Seville, about two hours away. I regret not seeing more of Cádiz, but I don’t regret visiting Seville. It was our second time there, and it was really good to refresh our memories of the... Read more
*** It’s Friday, so, naturally, a new article has just appeared in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship: “Khor Rori: A Maritime Resources-Based Candidate for Nephi’s Harbor,” by George D. Potter Abstract: Khor Rori, which forms the mouth of Wadi (Valley) Darbat, is the largest inlet along the Dhofar coast of southern Arabia. The khor was excavated into a harbor by the erosive action of the river that flows through Wadi Darbat. In ancient... Read more
*** We’re hoping that this new two-part documentary will be viewed by large numbers of people and that it will receive the widest possible distribution: The Interpreter Foundation: “DVD Now Available of Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon” Called to Share: “New Docudrama, Undaunted, Shares Story of Witnesses of the Book of Mormon” LDS Daily: “The Story of the Witnesses of the Book of Mormon Told in Unprecedented New Docudrama”... Read more
*** It may have been Brigitte Bardot who made Saint-Tropez, a commune in the southern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, famous in the United States. Certainly both the place and the famous “sex kitten” associated with it were already somewhat iconic by the time I became aware of the world around me. Although she was born and raised in Paris, Miss Bardot has long lived in Saint–Tropez. She first became an international sensation in the wake of... Read more
*** I haven’t yet seen anybody watching it here on the boat, but I’m reliably informed that the new Interpreter Foundation docudrama Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon became generally available today, presumably at Deseret Book outlets and perhaps even elsewhere: Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon *** Come, Follow Me — Old Testament Study and Teaching Helps Lesson 23, May 30–June 5: Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16 — “The Lord Raised Up... Read more
*** Besides watching a couple of films on the way over from New York City — I watched the late Joshua Wong’s The Calm Beyond and, for one of my granddaughters, Disney/Pixar’s Brave — I read Jens Amberts, Why an Afterlife Obviously Exists: A Thought Experiment and Realer Than Real Near-Death Experiences (John Hunt Publishing, 2022). I don’t know much about Jens Amberts except that he studied and may teach philosophy at Linköping University, in Sweden. His... Read more
*** I can always find something to complain about. I sat for two or three hours on Sunday in the Delta Lounge of JFK Airport in New York City. And their internet didn’t work! I’m credibly assured that I lived for much of my life without instant access to the internet, and that I nonetheless did fairly well during those years. But I find that idea difficult to imagine, let alone to believe. Nowadays, even a... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In