Bio

Farm boy. Attorney. Five children, eight grandchildren (God's gift to grandparents).  Lifelong Mormon.

Heroes:  C. S. Lewis and G. K. Chesterton.

Love golf (much more than it loves me). Avid reader.  Recently e-published a book on Mormon culture.


This section of tabula rasa's profile is hidden.


People Following tabula rasa

This section of tabula rasa's profile is hidden.


Conversations tabula rasa is Following

This section of tabula rasa's profile is hidden.


Conversations tabula rasa has Started (572)

Display starting at 572 of 572 user conversations

tabula rasa's Profile

tabula rasa
Name:
tabula rasa
Hometown:
Salt Lake City
Joined:
Jun 9, 2010

Recent Comments

tabula rasa

John Walker

tabula rasa

John Walker: I have, and have always had to the best of my recollection, what I describe as an extremely minor and utterly useless super-power.

So in the pantheon of super-heroes, you would be "Remembers the Context of Random Comments Man."  Don't plan on a comic book.

Ahhh, but the movies! · 21 minutes ago

And who am I to criticize?  I'd be "Remembers Historical Facts Man."

Little boy runs frantically into room and says, "Help, a man has kidnapped my family and is demanding that someone recite the chronology of the Battle of Gettysburg within the next hour, or he'll start shooting."  No comic books, no movies.

tabula rasa

John Walker: I have, and have always had to the best of my recollection, what I describe as an extremely minor and utterly useless super-power.  Given a phrase of music or a few memorable spoken words, I can immediately identify where I first heard it, and even provide a description of the location sufficient to make a sketch of it.  This happens all the time when I'm listening to Ricochet podcasts on my walks and they cite passages from earlier podcasts.

I have no idea how this ability might have been selected for evolutionarily, or what its utility might be.  One person with whom I've discussed it said that remembering you heard the sound of a predator or prey in a given location might be a survival trait in hunter-gatherer days.

I haven't met anybody else who has this experience, and I don't think it has ever been useful to me in any circumstance. · 1 hour ago

So in the pantheon of super-heroes, you would be "Remembers the Context of Random Comments Man."  Don't plan on a comic book.

tabula rasa

Midget Faded Rattlesnake

tabula rasa: My office is upstairs.  I spend a lot of time on the main floor wondering what I came down for.

I spend significant time wandering from room to room like a particularly clueless zombie, trying to remember what I changed rooms for.

Usually, if I go back to the room I left, some cue prompts me to remember why I left that room for another, but if I forget again once I'm away from the cue...

Sometimes, to save time, I write down the reason I'm leaving a room on a scrap of paper. · 1 hour ago

Edited 52 minutes ago

I like that last idea.  Hope I can remember to do it.

tabula rasa
Dave Molinari: I can remember very specific details of my childhood, but as an adult, my 20's and 30's were almost a blur. I think when you are a child, life is very regimented. Every year is significant, you can usually remember what grade you were in when something happened, or at least close to it, so you have better reference points.  Once school is over, everything blends together. 

Ditto.  Which raises another issue.  The lives of my children when they were young is a blur.  My wife often remembers specific things that I've either forgotten or can't relate to a specific child.  Is that innate to Moms?

tabula rasa

Things I'm good at remembering:

1.  Historical facts.  For some reason, I'm good at remembering dates, but even more importantly, how historical facts relate to each other (which is good when you're interested in causation). [Assuming we're not talking Back to the Future, if fact A happened after Fact B, Fact A can't have caused Fact B--liberals have a big problem with this one].

2.  The names of books and their authors, though I tend to forget all of the plot details.

3.  Obscure quotes, the more trivial the better.

Things I'm bad at:

1.  Despite the fact that I can remember the names of books and authors, I'm horrible with all other names (though if I can ever get them into the brain, they tend to stick--this seems to take a lot of time).

2.  Anything related to mathematics.  Algebra: forget it.  The quadratic equation: never heard of it.

3.  I'm a lawyer.  After a case is over I tend to forget all the facts.

4.  My office is upstairs.  I spend a lot of time on the main floor wondering what I came down for.

Edited 15 hours ago
tabula rasa

BTW, Tiny Lies is the best $1.25 I've ever spent except for all the money I've spent on Snickers (sorry, James, but I love Snickers).

tabula rasa

I wonder if Bishop Schori ever reads a fellow from a couple of generations ago who was part of her same spiritual tradition?  He was an obscure professor of medieval literature at Oxford.  

Here are a couple of things she might benefit from:

“And I will tell you another view that is also too simple.  It is the view I call Christianity-and-water, the view which simply says there is a good God in Heaven and everything is all right—leaving out all the difficult and terrible doctrines about sin and hell and the devil, and the redemption.” Mere Christianity

“Do not attempt to water Christianity down.  There must be no pretense that you can have it with the Supernatural left out.  So far as I can see Christianity is precisely the one religion from which the miraculous cannot be separated. You must frankly argue from supernaturalism from the very outset.” "Christian Apologetics"

Now I suppose she may believe in something like the "supernatural."  But it seems to be a "supernatural" only on her terms.

 

tabula rasa
Cornelius Julius Sebastian: Hysterical: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/simcha-fisher/psst-episcopalians-over-here/  · 3 minutes ago

I followed this link and found this classic Q and A with Reverend Schori:

Q: How many members of the Episcopal Church are there in this country?

A: About 2.2 million. It used to be larger percentagewise, but Episcopalians tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children

I'm a Mormon, and thus not as well educated as our Episcopal friends, but perhaps I can explain.  Yes, we do have more kids than average.

Why?

(1) They're a gift from God.

(2) It's a great compliment that God would give us stewardship over some of his children. Accepting that responsibility carries with it great duties (for which we will be held accountable).

(3) We like them (most of the time).

(4) No children, no grandchildren.

(5) Someone has to help pay the Social Security for those old, childless Episcopalians (think of it as voluntary income redistribution from Mormons to Episcopalians). 

BTW:  Mormons think that Paul was awesome.

Edited on May 23, 2013 at 5:49pm
tabula rasa

Have fun!!  I nominate you and Felicia as Ricochet travel correspondents.

Edited on May 23, 2013 at 3:21am
tabula rasa

Just when I get completely cynical someone posts something like this. I even have a granddaughter named Tatum.

Way to go, Jon, you've revived some of my faith in human beings.

Edited on May 22, 2013 at 11:39pm
tabula rasa

I spent nearly 25 years working for one of those big, evil corporations. Yes, they're bureaucratic. People occasionally can skate away from  responsibility for their actions.

But more often than not people were held responsible for their failures (including demotions and firings)--they were also awarded for their successes. It was imperfect, but then everything is.

As far as I can tell, IRS higher-ups regularly receive large bonuses, but none of them ever seem to be held responsible for their screw-ups (except for the guy who was going to retire in a week or two).

tabula rasa

Guys like him make me ashamed to be a lawyer.

tabula rasa

Mormon here:  I do believe in the reality of Satan.  Our theology teaches that he is real.  Nothing I've seen in the world gives me any reason to deny his existence.

Was the Pope performing an exorcism?  I have no idea, but unlike Jay Carney, if the Pope says he wasn't, I accept his statement. His credibility is very high.

tabula rasa

Mendel

tabula rasa: 

For a supposedly rational people, it's baffling why 60% of Americans consider it morally OK to have a child out of wedlock.

I think that question was phrased badly.  Having a child out of wedlock does not necessarily mean a child raised by a single parent, and many of the respondents may have assumed the question referred to unmarried parents who nonetheless remain in a committed relationship throughout the lives of their children.

So perhaps not all is lost? · 2 hours ago

I suppose some may have reached that conclusion, but by far the greatest source of single-parent families is women bearing illegitimate children.

I hope all is not lost, but that 60 percent number was 45 percent a little over a decade ago.  This is not a positive trend.

tabula rasa

DocJay

tabula rasa: Eliana Johnson at NRO is reporting that the Issa committee immediately issued a subpoena.  Whether they can get it served in time remains to be seen.

When high government officials plead the fifth, I think we can conclude (1) it's an official scandal and (2) it's time for a special counsel. · 1 minute ago

We need a number of special counsels.   · 1 minute ago

Doc:  If and when you get subpoenaed by Congress, I hope you send a  letter telling them you intend to rely on the Second Amendment.

tabula rasa
DrewInWisconsin: At least now we know which part of the Constitution she believes in. · 8 minutes ago

Isn't she the one who said she's not good at math?  I'm shocked that she didn't decide to rely on the Second Amendment.

Welcome Visitor!
Join  or  Sign In

Become a Member to enjoy the full benefits of Ricochet:

Ricochet: The Right People, The Right Tone, The Right Place.  Join today!

Already a Member? Sign In