John Mansfield
Mansfield in the desertA third-generation southern Nevadan, I have lived in exile most of my life in such places as Los Alamos, Baltimore, Los Angeles, the western suburbs of Detroit, and currently the northern suburbs of Washington, D.C. I work as a fluid dynamics engineer. I was baptized at age twelve in the font of the Las Vegas Nevada Central Stake Center, and on my nineteenth birthday I received the endowment in the St. George Temple. I served as a missionary mostly in the Patagonia of Argentina from 1985 to 1987. My true calling in the Church seems to be working with Cub Scouts, whom I have served in different capacities in four states most years since 1992. (My oldest boy turned eight in 2004.) I also currently teach Sunday School to the thirteen-year-olds. I hold degrees from two universities named for men who died in the 1870s, the Brigham Young University and the Johns Hopkins University. My wife is Elizabeth Pack Mansfield, who comes from New Mexico's north central mountains and studied molecular biology at the same two schools I attended. We have four sons, whose care and admonition, along with care of my aged father, require much of Elizabeth's time. She currently serves the Church as Mia-Maid advisor, ward music chairman, and choir director, and plays violin whenever she can. One day, I would like to make shoes.
Republican Pandering to Stem Cell Researchers
Posted on September 24, 2008 - Filed Under General | 13 Comments
A couple times while driving down Interstate 270, passing through Gaithersburg (home of NIST where Latter-day Saint and DNA scientist John Butler works), Rockville (home to dozens of biomedical reseach companies such as Celera Genomics, and historian and scientist Greg Prince’s Virion Systems), and Bethesda (home to NIH), I’ve heard the following radio ad:
They’re the […]
Community Standards and Private Acts
Posted on September 4, 2008 - Filed Under General | 1 Comment
Tuesday in its reporting on vasopressin 1a, a marital bonding gene, the Washington Post reminded readers that our inheritance comes in more forms than the genetic.
Walum [the lead researcher] said that the presence of the allele increased the risk of conjugal discord, but that many other factors probably shape marital behavior. However, he and other […]
Mormon Olympians Are Mostly Women
Posted on August 19, 2008 - Filed Under General | 12 Comments
The Mormon Times web site has information on 18 athletes competing in the current Olympic games who are Latter-day Saints. It is interesting that of the 18, 13 are women (72%). Three of those LDS women are competing in events where women did not compete in the past. There’s a weightlifter, a pole vaulter, and […]
Read More..>>Tracy Hall Dead at 88
Posted on July 30, 2008 - Filed Under General | 5 Comments
The featured obituary in today’s Washington Post is:
H. Tracy Hall, 88, who earned a place among America’s scientific wizards as a principal figure in the creation of artificial diamonds, died July 25 at his home in Provo, Utah. He had Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.
On Feb. 15, 1955, the New York Times reported on its front […]
Glad That We’ve Chosen the Better Part
Posted on July 23, 2008 - Filed Under General | 4 Comments
“I don’t know whether the pioneers enjoyed it. The journey across the plains was such an experience of pleasure to me, that I found it difficult to walk so I would run ahead, and then I would stop and wait for the crowd.”
–Evan Stephans describing his migration at age 12 from Wales to Utah. […]
Father’s Day Special: Relatedness of Abraham and the Children of Israel
Posted on June 15, 2008 - Filed Under General | 2 Comments
In all that we hear about fathers, one of their most fundamental, axiomatic even, contributions to our lives is seldom mentioned on Father’s Day: Fathers are they who gave us half or more of our genetic composition. “Or more?” the reader may ask. I shall elaborate with special consideration of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and […]
Read More..>>Private Morality, So Very Private That It May Not Extend Beyond Our Brains
Posted on June 4, 2008 - Filed Under General | 27 Comments
Why do a self-governing people hire police to enforce the laws? There are some good reasons, and some that aren’t so laudable. The work of police takes time, so it’s good to hire someone to attend to it and let them develop competence at it. Also, some law enforcement tasks are dangerous and require both […]
Read More..>>Most and Least Marriage-Indifferent States
Posted on May 16, 2008 - Filed Under General | 8 Comments
Read More..>>
Uchtdorf’s Germanness Not Yet Newsworthy in US
Posted on February 5, 2008 - Filed Under Any | 8 Comments
Once again, the president of the LDS Church was the big story on page A3 of the Washington Post.
It’s a nice piece occupying about a third of the page and has some
better-than-usual discussion of the challenges of conversion and
retention. Dieter F. Uchtdorf is identified in the caption of a 5×8
photo of the First Presidency, but […]
Utah Primary Voters in Today’s Washington Post
Posted on January 31, 2008 - Filed Under Any | 40 Comments
In today’s Washington Post, “Romney, New Primary Date Put Utah on the Political Map” by Joel Achenbach.
Opening sentence: “The BYU College Democrats assembled Monday in Diane Bailey’s apartment to watch the State of the Union address.”
