Just back from attending a concert, with my wife and one of our sons, of Gaelic music at BYU — sung almost entirely in Scots Gaelic.  Julie Fowlis was the principal vocalist (and pipe and bagpipe and some-other-accordion-like-Gaelic-thing player), and she was accompanied (sometimes vocally, as well) by her Irish husband Éamon Doorley on the guitar-bouzouki, and Duncan Chisholm on the fiddle, and Tony Byrne on the guitar.   Of course, Julie Fowlis is most widely known for this.   Earlier,... Read more

    On Monday night, my wife and I enjoyed a Thai dinner with friends — Thai is one of my very favorite cuisines — and, last night, we attended a touring Broadway performance at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City of the Gershwin-inspired musical An American in Paris.  Life can be very good.   ***   You may have noticed that I like to help the hobbyists, out there, who are zealously adding... Read more

    From one of the manuscripts I’m currently trying to prepare for publication:   The last Jewish stronghold was the spectacular mountain for­tress-palace of Masada, 1300 feet above the barren wilderness of the Dead Sea. It’s still possible today to stand upon Masada and see the outlines of the siege walls left behind by Flavius Silva and his Tenth Legion in the arid, hot soil. The Romans must have wondered just who was besieging whom. (Occasionally, the Jewish garrison... Read more

    I started this blog rather abruptly back on 8 February 2012.  Here’s my very first entry:   For years now, people have asked me whether I had a blog.  I’ve always answered No, but have felt that, really, I ought to. So, finally, I’m taking the plunge.  I probably won’t be posting long entries here — I have plenty of outlets as it is, and am already behind on more writing commitments and goals than I can count... Read more

    An autobiographical reflection:   I came to Brigham Young University as a freshman mathematics major.  I had a virtually life-size poster of Albert Einstein on the wall in my dorm room.  My real fascination, however, was with cosmology — the very biggest of big subjects.  I was interested in the origins and the nature of the cosmos as a totality.  And in its structure.   I soon realized, though, that mathematics wasn’t really my passion, as it was... Read more

    Paganism Condemned Another common theme beginning in the earliest chapters of the Qur’an is a denunciation of paganism, the worshiping of pagan gods. This theme drew enthusiastic praise from Parley P. Pratt: Mahometanism included the doctrine that there was one God— that He was great, even the creator of all things, and that the people by right should worship Him… On this account, on the simple subject of the Deity and His worship, if nothing more, I should... Read more

    An interesting, even inspiring, short article from the inimitable Jeff Lindsay:   “Learning from Russell M. Nelson’s Response to an Inspired Recommendation from President Kimball”     ***   From World Religion News:   “Did You Know Mormons Dominate Competitive Dancing?”   Actually, I did know.  But, alas, I’ve never done anything at all to contribute to that domination — except, perhaps, by conscientiously refraining from dancing.   Curiously, I don’t think that the article mentions BYU’s record... Read more

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    Many of you, no doubt, heard Elder Dallin H. Oaks’s remarks at the recent October 2017 General Conference of the Church:   “The Plan and the Proclamation”   With that in mind, you’ll perhaps find the headline to this article, by Fred Karger, as . . . umm, as remarkable as I do:   “Mormon Church’s Crusade of Hate Goes On”   I’ve received communications from certain observers who have described Elder Oaks’s talk as “a hateful rant.”... Read more

    I apologize.  I should keep better notes; I’ve forgotten who it was that kindly brought this item to my attention about a week ago:   “Thousands of Muslims march against ISIS as brother of one of Jihadi John’s victims remembers his death”   ***   Thanks to Matthew Wheeler for calling this heartwarming story to my attention, a harbinger of the utopian bliss that will inevitably dawn when atheism bears universal sway:   “Chinese police order Muslims to hand... Read more