To catch a predator: My Chris Hansen moment

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Brian Duffin

A friend of mine recently came over to my house and shared with me some issues he has been having with one of his teenage children. As a parent of two small children, my ears perked up and my blood pressure spiked when he mentioned that his second oldest child–very much a minor–had met someone over the age of 18 on a social networking site.

Although my children are only five and two, I am keenly aware of the dangers that lurk on the internet through chat rooms and social networking sites. My five-year old son is presently content with Noggin and Disney on the internet, but the day will come when he and my daughter want to set-up accounts on social networking sites to stay in touch with their friends. Continue reading →

FHE: perception vs. reality

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Geoff B.

Before I joined the Church I had this idyllic view of Family Home Evening. Respectful, attentive children listening as Mother and Father discuss the joys of the Gospel. And then: the children themselves happily leading the discussion as they grow older. Beautiful singing. Wonderful treats. Peace and harmony.

Then reality took over.

Continue reading →

Mormons appear in the most interesting places… #3: The Blind Side

Posted on January 12, 2009 by guest

Thus began the great Mormon grade-grab. (214)

“The Mormons may be going to hell,” said Shawn. “But they really are nice people.” (228)

I’m not much for sports reading, so it seems odd to me that of the three sports books I read in 2008, two would mentions Mormons. (I blogged the other one here). Continue reading →

Can we agree the Huckster is a liar?

Posted on January 10, 2009 by Geoff B.

Here’s what Mike Huckabee had to say when visiting Utah this week:

“Boy, do I ever know” that he is not well-liked in Utah, said Huckabee. But, he added, “I have never said anything unkind about Mormons.”
When “11 words were completely misconstrued” when spoken about the LDS religion in a long New York Times profile of him, Huckabee said he “immediately” apologized publicly to Romney and church members in general.

A sign of the times: suicidal businessmen

Posted on January 8, 2009 by Geoff B.

So, I’m reading the (subscription-only) Wall Street Journal yesterday and there is a front page article on the suicide of a German billionaire. Right next to it was a story of a real estate CEO who shot himself. Right next to that was a list of other suicides of prominent businessmen, some of whom are mentioned in this article.

Two thoughts came to mind: this is like the Depression when businessmen jumped off of buildings after the market crash. And the other was of the line from Clarence the angel after he jumps into the water to save George Bailey in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life: “Ridiculous of you to think of killing yourself for money.”

Continue reading →