Monthly Archives: April 2011

Utah’s Tribute to the “Golden Ratio”

Posted on 29-April-2011 by

Earlier this month, a friend and I were driving back to Provo by way of Green River UT.  Near the western I-70 exit at Green River, in a prominent location, is a 4-story high stack of giant blocks.  My first reaction was … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, monumental, mormonism, utah | 1 Comment

How Liberal and Conservative Mormons Think

Posted on 29-April-2011 by

According to Peggy Fletcher Stack writing in the SLTrib (28 Apr 2011): In his book “Moral Politics:  How Liberal and Conservatives Think,”  George Lakoff describes the two camps using separate metaphors.  The best metaphor for the conservative world view, Lakoff writes, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, mormonism, Religion | 1 Comment

The Works (or Icons) of Carl Bloch

Posted on 25-April-2011 by

Carl Bloch Altarpiece at BYU Exhibit The most recent Ensign (Apr 2011) has a six page photo spread of the current Carl Bloch:  Reaching Toward Heaven exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art. According to the Ensign: Nine years in … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, mormonism, Religion

David Brooks on Mormonism (and Conservative Religion in General)

Posted on 24-April-2011 by

I have always enjoyed David Brooks’ political commentary on the Friday PBS nightly news . . . even though I’m politically liberal.  He represents the “right” (but not necessarily the “Tea Party”) very admirally with his cogent comments.  In a … Continue reading →

Posted in mormonism, Religion, Social Justice | 6 Comments

Ugandan Coffee

Posted on 19-April-2011 by

Depressing factoid of the day: $0.66:  The amount earned by the average Ugandan coffee farmer for every $100 spent on retail coffee purchases in Western countries. Source:  Time (26 Apr 2011) perhaps citing work from George Mason University.

Posted in Social Justice, uganda | 1 Comment

Please Reassign Michael Otterson

Posted on 18-April-2011 by

I thought that the LDS Church PR department was maturing.  Unfortunately, I was wrong; a recent blog entry for the Washington Post is a case in point.  In his article, Michael Otterson, Head of Public Relations for the LDS Church, … Continue reading →

Posted in mormonism, Religion, theatre | 10 Comments

Heaven on Earth

Posted on 17-April-2011 by

According to Jon Meacham, a Pulitzer Prize winning author who is one of America’s foremost thinkers on the role of religion in public life, writing in Time magazine (25 Apr 2011), there is a new rebellion in conservative Christiandom (Evangelicals).  … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, mormonism, Religion | 1 Comment

Reworking the “Word of Wisdom”

Posted on 15-April-2011 by

Revelations, like the Mormon “Word of Wisdom,” need to be updated from time to time.  This need is brought about by constantly improving scientific information about the human relationship with food and drugs, and the wider number of substances available to use and abuse. It should … Continue reading →

Posted in mormonism, Personal Essays | 2 Comments

Losing Our Privacy

Posted on 13-April-2011 by

I recently wrote a blog piece for the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies on their website (http://ieet.org) dealing with the loss of personal privacy.  It can be read and commented on at:  http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/hansen20110413. If you are so inclined, you can also … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, transhumanism | 2 Comments

Sandra Postel on Freshwater Management

Posted on 11-April-2011 by

The following is a quote from an essay by Sandra Postel, an NG Freshwater Fellow, from the book Written in Water (edited by Irene Salina): Is there honest hope for a water-secure world, one in harmony with earth’s life-giving water … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Philosophy, Religion, Water History | Leave a comment