(MrCharly photo.)Deseret News reports, "Research says gratitude brings health, happiness." Perhaps that explains why so many Americans, citizens of the richest and most powerful nation in the world, are nevertheless unhappy. The U.S. ranks #13 in happiness at 84%. Iceland (#1 at 94%), Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands (tied for #2 at 91%) top the list-- and even the Philippines beats us (#12 at 85%). On the Happy Planet index, we rank a dismal 114th-- Costa Ric... Read Full Story
(Wiki photo.) Living where we do, we need to have a rifle behind the door. One day, a pack of wild dogs showed up, headed for our goats. And coyotes occasionally come too close. These are real threats we never had to deal with when we lived in the city. If we're going to keep animals, we must be prepared to protect them. Because I travel, we need a rifle my wife can handle. The small rifles we've tried didn't fit her relatively tall, slight frame, so she's been using the 30-30, a lever ... Read Full Story
A photographer whose work I used Sunday has a video that I found moving. The captions are in Spanish, but even with my limited comprehension, the message of the photos is unmistakable. Read Full Story
California students protested this week when the State hiked tuition by a staggering 32%. In-state tuition at the UC system will rise from $7,788 to $10,302 to cover the reduction in subsidies imposed by California's ongoing fiscal train wreck.
But Tim Haab at Environmental Economics argues the protesters are misguided: given a finite pool of education, raising tuition has the predictable effect of reducing the number of middle-income students who attend-- the students unable to afford ... Read Full Story
(Noesunjoc photo.)My niece writes from Guatemala,
"I miss you guys, it's so beautiful here, yet there's so much death, I've seen countless dead dogs, the poverty is crazy, I eat for 8 bucks. I had no idea what a third world was like."
I wish everyone could see what it's like outside our protected lives. Read Full Story
(Davitydave photo.)
"You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 23:9)
Often I hear about how illegal aliens are bankrupting this country. They're getting welfare. They're collecting social security. They're using our medical services.
Most of this isn't true. Take social security for example: the U.S. Government Information website warns that in order to apply for benefits, a person must provide "Your birth ce... Read Full Story
"Every day I wake up and still feel like I'm locked up. I can't make money, can't get my own apartment." --Harry Miller, convicted of robbery despite an airtight alibi, quoted in Deseret News.
In yet another case of justice miscarried, Deseret News reports that a Louisiana man was convicted of a Utah robbery in 2000 and completed 4-1/2 years of his 5 year sentence. But Harry Miller couldn't have committed the robbery-- in 2000 he was in Louisiana recovering from a stroke and couldn't ... Read Full Story
(Tekant57 photo: dump in Guatemala.)My niece, Emma, arrived today in Guatemala City. She'll spend the Thanksgiving break working with an organization that helps dump pickers-- the families that survive by scavenging in the city dump. For a country girl living in Maine, this will be an incredible experience. Hopefully she will learn (as I wish all Americans would) how absolutely privileged we are in comparison with the vast majority of the world.Emma is a vegetarian, so even ... Read Full Story
