The New Testament

Open course-ware is an amazing thing.  If you have wondered what it would be like to sit in a class at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, or MIT, without the hefty price tag now you can.  As time goes by these and other top tier universities are making popular classes available free of charge.  Because I am an education junky, I think this is great.  For me it is the equivalent of intellectual crack cocaine.  The major difference between this "virtual" crack and the real thing is this will not destroy precious brain cells and lead to a horribly addictive and destructive habit.

Many open courses are available through the iTunes store.  I have really enjoyed Yale professor Dale B. Martin's class introductory course to New Testament studies.  There is another Yale prof, whose name escapes me, who cover the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible, providing the historical background you don't get in your typical Sunday school, or institute class.

All of this is great.  My iPod is now full of these things making my hour long bike ride to work not only good for my health but good for my mind.  Check it out, you might be hooked.  

Grad School / Summer School

It is my first day back to school here at Oak Springs and the first day of my summer term at Clarion.  Things are about to get crazy.

Betrayal

The unfinished house to the left was Daren Palmer's.  You probably have not heard of this, but two years ago Palmer found himself under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly running a PONZI scheme in Idaho Falls.  The story was big enough that it made the New York Times.  Palmer swindled family and friends out of millions of dollars.  After two years of a building a case, it looks like Palmer will be spending some time in Federal Prison.  The story hits close to home because Daren Palmer was a member of my in-law's ward.  The people he defrauded were the same people he went to church with, coached their kids in youth football, and had other significant relationships of trust.

The whole situation makes me wonder if he was totally blind to what he was doing or if he knew all along what he was doing was wrong?  I guess the only person who knows is Palmer and from what I know about this guy it is highly unlikely he will ever come clean.  He entered a plea and will be sentenced soon.  He probably won't get the maximum of 30 years but will probably face some serious time for his crimes.  I will probably write more about this later.

Chris

New Bikes

Tina and I bought new bikes. Since we got married back in 2009 we have wanted to get bikes so we could go on bike rides together. Our jets were cooled and our love for Provo wained during the 09 summer when Tina's mountain bike was stolen from the Bostonian's parking garage. But now that we live in Orem and have a garage it felt like the time was right to get some new bikes.

I'm a mountain bike kind of guy. I began riding mountain bikes when I was ten and ever since they have been my bike of choice. Now I don't want anyone to think I am a hardcore mountain-biker who every Saturday morning hits the trails for an intense ride. No, I am the kind of person who wants flexibility. I want something to get me around town and also allows me the option of going off-road when I feel so inclined.

One think I have notice is bikes can get really expensive really fast. Just for fun I looked at some bikes on the Trek website and found a dual-suspension mountain bike that was over $6,000. That is crazy. You could either buy a car or a really expensive bike. I am very content with my modest Specialized Hardrock. It meets my needs and performed well on the 11 mile ride my wife and I took this morning. But if you are really into it, than maybe spending that much is a good idea.

Now that the weather is getting warmer I will be cycling myself all around town and the trails close to home. One great thing about Utah County is there are so many great places from hiking and biking. Life is good.