I’m wondering whether this complaint is as ludicrous as it sounds, or whether there’s more to the story:   http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/08/17/air-force-officer-faces-investigation-over-bible-on-his-desk.html   I’m not overly impressed by the argument that the desk is government property.  Do those who’re complaining think that Major Lewis should also be prohibited from, say, placing photos of his family or his dog on it?  Or symbols of his favorite baseball team?   Posted from Oslo, Norway     Read more

    http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865660423/Is-the-Book-of-Mormon-a-literal-translation-from-the-plates.html   Most of the commenters seem to have entirely missed my point.  Oh well.   Posted from Oslo, Norway       Read more

    “All my days I have longed equally to travel the right road and to take my own errant path.”  Sigrid Undset, Kristin Lavransdatter   Posted from Oslo, Norway     Read more

    While I don’t expect that his film will prove the existence of God, I think that the argument on which it seems to focus is a very interesting one and worthy of consideration:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865659835/Christian-filmmaker-claims-his-new-documentary-proves-God-exists.html   I look forward to seeing the film.   Posted from Oslo, Norway     Read more

    A good piece from my BYU colleague Bruce Young.  I don’t agree with him on every detail, but, on the whole, I think he’s got it right:   http://secret-memo.blogspot.no/2016/08/the-rise-of-mussolini-and-what-we-can.html   Posted from Oslo, Norway     Read more

    I gave a somewhat different fireside here in Oslo on Sunday, but that fireside, although it was evidently broadcast to at least one other Norwegian congregation, was apparently not recorded.   However, the remarks that I gave near Göteborg, Sweden, back in June are now up, in case anybody out there cares.   Posted from Oslo, Norway     Read more

    It’s still possible that Mr. Donald J. Trump could be the next president of the United States.  But it’s quite unlikely, and he seems to be preparing for his historic loss:   “Insiders to Trump: Drop Out”   His only hope is that Hillary Clinton might self-destruct, leaving him as the sole electable survivor of this year’s presidential reality show.  And she could, conceivable.  She’s a terrible candidate, the second most unpopular in modern history.  But she’s running... Read more

    A new book is out on an often contentious Mormon-historical topic.  Stephen Smoot reports:   http://www.plonialmonimormon.com/2016/08/book-review-joseph-smiths-seer-stones.html   Posted from Oslo, Norway     Read more

    I’m guessing that this is where some of my most obsessive critics come from:   http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/second-earth-discovery-nasa-esa-space-solar-system-scientists-a7192341.html   They can’t go outside; they would be noticed.  That’s why they spend so much time commenting on message boards about me.  Sheer ET boredom.   Don’t they have anything else to do?  Like sucking up our planet’s water or taking possession of terrestrial humanoid bodies or creating giant grasshoppers?   Posted from Oslo, Norway     Read more

    A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed.  (Henrik Ibsen) Posted from Oslo, Norway     Read more