Most of the universe is dark matter, which we know only indirectly, by inference.  A small nearby galaxy may rank among the highest of extraterrestrial bodies in its proportion of dark matter:   http://www.caltech.edu/news/dark-matter-dominates-nearby-dwarf-galaxy-48790   Posted from Marbella, Spain     Read more

    If, as I do, you spend a lot of time reading comments from apostates, cynics, and bitter enemies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you might be inclined to believe their enthusiastic and hopeful declarations that the Church is in steep decline — indeed, virtually on its death bed.   But it’s not:   http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2015/november/evangelicals-mormons-jehovahs-witnesses-church-involvement.html   Posted from Marbella, Spain     Read more

    Accosted by sister missionaries at Temple Square, he was inclined at first to be irritated by the interruption.  But his irritation passed quickly:   http://www.realclearreligion.org/articles/2015/11/21/what_mormon_missionaries_taught_me_about_faith.html   Posted from Marbella, Spain     Read more

    Cassandra Hedelius, Jeffrey Mark Bradshaw, Daniel Peterson, and Stephen Smoot discuss 1 Nephi 16-18 (2016 Gospel Doctrine lesson 5) in this, the 149th scripture roundtable published by the Interpreter Foundation:   http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/scripture-roundtable-149-book-of-mormon-gospel-doctrine-lesson-5-hearken-to-the-truth-and-give-heed-unto-it/   Posted from Marbella, Spain     Read more

    Ernest Hemingway loved Spain.   But he had many loves, both human and urban.   Apparently, more than a few people leaving flowers at the memorials in Paris have also left copies of his posthumously-published memoir of life there in the 1920s, A Moveable Feast, which is something of a love letter to the city.   Here’s the passage from the book that gives it its title:   “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a... Read more

    Christmas is drawing near.  We give gifts at Christmas.  So is Thanksgiving, when we reflect on the many things we’ve been given.  So is the end of the year, leading up to which many of us (in the United States, at least) think of making tax-exempt donations.   Here’s a touching video, relevant to this season — and to all others:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ymy-oHLnnU#t=35   Posted from Marbella, Spain     Read more

    Are the Trump folks ready for prime time?  Have they ever heard of the Constitution?  Do they know anything about history?   http://www.sltrib.com/home/3201632-155/did-trump-spokeswoman-misspeak-she-says   I report.  You decide.   (Actually, I’ve decided already.  But I’ll let you do it for yourself.)   Posted from Marbella, Spain     Read more

    There has been a lot of talk, lately, about how being tainted by any association with the Interpreter Foundation, or with Mormon apologetics, or with BYU Religious Education, or with overtly expressed Latter-day Saint belief, might destroy one’s chances of attending graduate school or ever getting a decent job in academia.  Young scholars have been strongly advised to avoid such things like the plague.  And there has been concern in some circles — including mine — about a... Read more

    Is it Friday?   It is.   So here’s a hint:   There’s a new article today in Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture:   http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/nephis-good-inclusio/   Posted from Marbella, Spain   Read more

    It was fun yesterday, traveling from Istanbul to Málaga, to fly over Tunisia and Algeria — two countries where I’ve never yet set foot.   My wife and I met two of our neighbors there and, after settling in at the place where we’re staying, had an excellent meal of sea bass with them at a little restaurant directly on the Mediterranean.   But how, you may ask, can Peterson be doing this?  Is he siphoning funds from... Read more