David French reports and  comments upon an interesting and, frankly, worrisome new study:   http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/437310/do-children-same-sex-parents-suffer-higher-rates-depression-obesity-and-suicidal   Posted from Amsterdam, The Netherlands     Read more

    His ability to use flamboyance and outrageous remarks in order to gain free on-air time is, without question, stunning.  He dominated the primary news cycles and sucked all of the oxygen out of the room for his Republican rivals.   Whatever his weaknesses as a businessman and whatever the manifest defects of his character and personality, and despite his obvious weaknesses as a potential president, he is a consummate and well-practiced reality-show performer.   Will that be enough... Read more

    “I don’t want to have lived in vain like most people. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death!” Anne Frank (1929-1945)   Posted from Amsterdam, The Netherlands     Read more

    http://www.dailywire.com/news/7004/chelsea-handler-i-should-be-applauded-killing-two-amanda-prestigiacomo?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=062316-news&utm_campaign=benshapiro   Posted from Amsterdam, The Netherlands     Read more

    I simply want to point out a chiasm in today’s reading, Alma 41 — and, specifically, in Alma 41:13-15 — as identified many years ago by my friend Jack Welch:   A      The meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again B             evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish—   w1w2      good for that which is good;   x1x2         righteous for that which is righteous   y1y2       just for that which is just;   z1z2          merciful for that which is merciful.  Therefore, my son, see that you... Read more

    An excellent article by Peter Harrison, who, unlike many who pronounce confidently on the subject, actually knows a lot about about both science and religion:   Are Science and Religion in Conflict?   Posted from Amsterdam, The Netherlands     Read more

    http://www.americanvalues.org/magazine/trumps-candidacy-is-a-gain-for-isis/#.V3NzW1e0zdn   I’ve had the privilege of spending time with Dr. Hassan Mneimneh at small, nearly week-long discussions in Malta and in Malaga, Spain, and at the Jimmy Carter Center in Atlanta.  He’s extraordinarily impressive, and certainly one of the finest simultaneous translators I’ve ever seen.   Posted from Brockwood Hall, Cumbria, England     Read more

    I’m still  not sure how this happened:   http://www.ldsliving.com/Steven-Spielberg-Praises-LDS-YouTube-Family-They-Are-Famous-In-Our-Home/s/82509?utm_source=ldsliving&utm_medium=email   Posted from Brockwood Hall, Cumbria, England     Read more

    “I have felt a presence that disturbs me with the joy of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime of something far more deeply interfused, whose dwelling is the light of setting suns, and the round ocean, and the living air, and the blue sky, and in the mind of man . . .”  William Wordsworth, from “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey”   Posted from Brockwood Hall, Cumbria, England       Read more

    The news out of Istanbul is horrific.  It was meant to be so.   The international terminal there is a place that we know fairly well, and Istanbul is a city that we dearly love.   I’m told that tourism in Turkey has plummeted by roughly 45% over the past year, given the various recent attacks.  And this, of course, will drive numbers down even further.  Which is what it was meant to do.   The selection of,... Read more