A strife of interests

Following President Obama’s ambitiously upbeat State of the Union address, I was reminded, all too soon, of this Ambrose Bierce quote.

Utah! Where seldom gets heard – a discouraging word

It’s always now

Sam Harris notes on his blog, that he’s observed a number of instances, on You Tube, where folks have set the audio portions, from some of his appearances, to slide-show, animation, or video creations of their own. And to sometimes much greater effect, in his opinion, than watching himself standing at a podium. Wishing…

Time to turn up the heat, in the disappearance of Susan Powell

. . (from Nov 6, 2010) . In the disappearance of Susan Powell, the latest word out now, is that Josh Powell is claiming “Susan left us behind.” Not only that, but Josh’s father, Steve Powell, has gone on record as saying he thinks Susan ran off with a boyfriend. It’s an especially disgusting set…

Religious indoctrination, and the harm that it does

(from Oct 17, 2010) I had an Uncle who was a lay minister at a local Assembly ‘O God church, where I grew up. But I spend a good many Sundays, as a young boy, sitting on wooden benches, or hard metal folding chairs, attending the non-denominational, fundamentalist services that my paternal grandmother attended, when she wasn’t…

Cognitive Evolution Laboratory study could shed light on Mormon morality

(from Sept 30, 2010) . Following the Harriman Machine Gun Fire, the largely Mormon population of those affected by the fire were counseled by their church leaders against filing excessively inflated, or otherwise bogus claims, against the National Guard. Apparently sparked by reports of claimant opportunists, unconflicted by any apparent moral dilemma in going after…

The human condition, and the genius of Alexander Pope

(from September 24, 2010) Philosopher-poet, Alexander Pope was an 18th century critical genius, at dissecting the human condition. In a short series, I’ll be coming back to Mr. Pope, in parsing some very important – and oft quoted – works of particularly unique insight, that are still revered today. So, by way of introduction, for those who’ve never been touched by the depth…

Sex – The Lie That’s Too Big To Be True – coming soon to a school near you?

(from September 21, 2010) Here, in the ‘land ‘o just stuff a little more cotton in the’r ears,‘ sex education is pretty much watched over, and limited to a young adult version of The stork and the cabbage patch – and that with signed parental permission slips. That’s because, watched over by some Bald Eagle…

H1N1 flu vaccine denialists may be taking a high toll on unprotected children

(from September 20, 2010) The Salt Lake Tribune published an excellent article by Heather May earlier today. It’s about findings released by the Primary Children’s Medical Center, on a study done in conjunction with the Center for Disease Control, and pointing to the critical importance of immunizing children against the H1N1 flu virus. Last year,…

Execution of Sentence for a Killer

Two loud bangs end 25 years on death row for Gardner The Salt Lake Tribune Updated: 06/18/2010 08:03:55 AM MDT Draper, Utah » Five shots. Four bullets. With two loud bangs in quick succession, Ronnie Lee Gardner’s quarter century on Utah’s death row ended. . . read more . . . In the Reader Comments following the…