I just read that The DaVinci Code author Dan Brown won his suit against The Daughter of God author Lewis Perdue.

I love this quote:

Perdue alleged that Brown copied the basic premise of Daughter of
God, including notions that history is controlled by victors, not
losers, and the importance of the Roman Emperor Constantine in
requiring a transition from a female- to a male-dominated religion.

The Constantine bit aside, who does Lewis Perdue think he is, trying to “copyright” the notion that history is controlled by the victors?

Oooh! I’m going to copyright the “notion” that the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies are on a collision course! While I’m at it, I’ll copyright the “notion” that mercenaries are people who will perform acts of violence in exchange for money!

Based on what Perdue was asking for, it’s a good thing he lost the suit. I could care less whether Dan Brown won.

–Howard

I went swimming this morning. It works out my shoulder nicely through the full range of motion, but the water was cold enough (read that “cooler than my body temperature”) that my back, shoulder and neck started to seize up.

Let’s rewind 12 hours. When I went to bed last night I was in a TERRIBLE mood, and I decided NOT to take any drugs. The pain kept me awake, on and off, until 4am. At 4:45 I muttered some epithet or another and took two of my last three Lortab and one of my last two Soma. Sleep came quickly, and I felt really good. Good enough to go swimming with the family at 10:30am.

After the swim I realized something: As long as I behave sensibly during the day, I only really need the painkillers at night. Without them, I don’t get enough rest.

So… contrary to my original plan, I’ve gotten some more Lortab, and some more Soma. I’ll keep taking them until I can sleep without ’em, and that probably means being on the drugs every night until I can roll over on my right side and not notice.

I hate being dependent on drugs. I hate pain-induced insomnia more. Hopefully I’m striking the right balance here.

–Howard

The Boy Scouts saved a life in the mountians of Wyoming recently.

Included in their extensive preparation for the trip (you don’t want to be the next Boy Scout Troop In The News) was a satellite phone and a GPS unit. When a man in a neighboring camp site had a heart attack, they were able to call in an air rescue unit, and give them exact coordinates. Late Friday night at the University Of Utah Medical Center the man underwent successful open heart surgery for a five-vessel heart attack.

He lived to tell about it, and has nothing but nice things to say about the men and boys who saved him up on the mountain. It turns out not to be so bad, being the next Boy Scout Troop In The News.

Be Prepared.

–Howard “why yes, I AM an Eagle Scout” Tayler

I just read this article. Upshot — a former Latter-Day Saint bishop, Simon Southerton, was excommunicated by Australian church leaders for adultery. He also happens to be the seventh author from SLC-based Signature Books to be excommunicated. He published a book which posits that DNA evidence disproves key claims outlined in The Book of Mormon, especially the claim that a tribe of seafaring Israelites settled in Central America around 600 B.C.

This is hardly world or even national news, and is likely of little interest to any of you. Utah Valley will be buzzing with it for days, however, and the comments page under that article will be so full of anti-Mormon vitriol you’ll wonder what we did to make people so angry.

I have some thoughts on the matter, and they are wide-ranging.