He that has light within his own clear breast May sit in the centre, and enjoy bright day: But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts Benighted walks under the mid-day sun; Himself his own dungeon.  John Milton (1608-1674)     Read more

    A very brief but entertaining and informative video featuring Dr. Arthur Brooks, a scholar whose work I greatly admire and have written about:   https://www.prageru.com/courses/economics/myths-lies-and-capitalism     Read more

    Among other things, Mosiah 25 is interesting for what it tells us about the demographics of the Book of Mormon peoples.   For example, we learn from verses two and three that the descendants of Mulek outnumbered the people of Nephi, but that, even taken together, the Nephites and Mulekites were  less than half as numerous as the Lamanites.  Which allows us to deduce that the Nephites proper were outnumbered more than four to one by the Lamanites. Which, in turn, strongly... Read more

    Really spectacular:   http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160406-pictures-nasa-terra-aster-satellites-space-science/     Read more

    From his base in Brisbane, Australia, Warren Aston has been doing pioneer work for decades now on the the Lehite sojourn in Arabia.   Here’s his most recent article:   http://ldsmag.com/the-longest-voyage-lehis-journey-to-the-promised-land/     Read more

    So, to sum up, there’s an event on Friday at noon and another on Saturday evening, both at the LDS Institute in Tempe.  And then, on Sunday night, there’s the event described above.     Read more

    This author doesn’t seem to feel very positive about Mr. Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran:   http://www.nationalreview.com/article/433753/obamas-iran-deal-fraud-congress-begins-investigation   It’s a somewhat lengthy and very serious piece.     Read more

    Some of you may find this interesting:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865651714/How-Belgian-Mormons-rallied-together-in-the-minutes-hours-and-days-after-the-Brussels-bombings.html?pg=1   It conflicts just a bit with the assertion by some especially virulent anti-Mormons that, in this case — as in most if not all others — the Church jettisoned the missionaries once their usefulness for recruiting lucrative new tithe payers had been compromised.   I addressed this nasty falsehood in an earlier post (“How the Church has callously abandoned the missionaries who were wounded in Brussels”).   I would like... Read more

    “Can a truly absurd universe so convincingly mimic a meaningful one?”  Paul Davies, The Goldilocks Enigma: Why Is the Universe Just Right for Life?   Read more

    http://www.weeklystandard.com/special-editorial-abortion-and-mr.-trump/article/2001825?utm_source=newsletters&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=JVL+04_06_16   Of course, if you like this kind of thing, this is the kind of thing that you’re going to like.   Trump in 2016!  Keep abortion legal, common, and lethal!     Read more