BYU-I Planetarium

by Allison Jones

 

BYU-Idaho physics department hosts a planetarium in the Romney building.  There are public shows every Thursday at 7:00 pm except during holidays, school breaks, and all of August.

Each month a different show is played.  For March, Secretes of the Sun played.  It has a run time of 22 minutes and focuses on the effect the Sun has on the rest of the solar system, including life on earth, and its life cycle.  April brings Tales of the Maya Skies to the planetarium.  This show focuses on astronomy in Mayan culture and runs for 35 minutes. 

The planetarium only holds 40 adults, so be sure to arrive early.  Occasionally, if there are enough people, the staff will run a second showing right after the original so that everyone can get in.

Besides the public shows, groups can schedule private shows of any of the available programs.   Because the planetarium is staffed by astronomy teachers and occasionally their teacher’s aides, there are limited times available.  Scheduling must be done at least two weeks in advance and to make sure you can get the time you desire you may schedule your group up to one month before hand.

For more information visit www.byui.edu/planetarium.

Did we get enough snow this winter?

This winter was oddly lacking in snow for Rexburg.  But many say it only really matters if it snowed in the mountains in order for the area to avoid drought conditions.

According to Idaho Department of Water Resources all of the area had a below average snow pack this year.  Though, mountains on this side of the Snake River Plain did better than the ones across the valley in the central mountains.  

Despite the lower than normal snow fall, the reservoirs in the Upper Snake River Valley are not badly depleted and are slowly refilling with melt water.  

While we have had an abnormally dry winter, we are not currently in danger of a drought.  Hopefully next year will be wetter.

The Federalist No. 1

Alexander Hamilton, the instigator of the project, wrote and submitted the first letter published October 27, 1787.  It served as an introduction to the rest of the letters from “Publius”.

Hamilton first impressed on his audience the importance of the decision to accept or reject the new constitution, saying, “it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country … to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not, of establishing good government from reflection and choice”.

He asserts that the Articles of Confederation that formed that basis of their current government were not able to produce an efficient government.  That they needed a stronger central government or the country would fall apart.  “The vigour of government is essential to the security of liberty.”

While stating that those will designs on power or profit provided by the then current system would fight against ratifying the Constitution, he admits that most people would not have ulterior motives, merely being biased.

What follows is a plea for civility and discussion of political discourse that is still applicable today. 

“We upon many occasions, see wise and good men on the wrong as well as on the right side of questions,” Hamilton says, continuing to say that those with impure motivations are also present on both sides of arguments.  This is something we would do well to remember today as those on opposing sides are often demonized in the media when usually they mean well, even if one does not agree with methods or results.  “Heresies... can rarely be cured by persecution.”

Hamilton calls for the use of reason instead of emotion in deciding political questions, calling attention to the history of tyrants courting public support before seizing absolute power.  It is rarely logic that gets such responses from the public. 

“I have had an eye, my Fellow Citizens, to putting you upon your guard against all attempts, from whatever quarter, to influence your decision in a matter of the utmost moment to your welfare by any impressions other than those which may result from the evidence of truth.” 

No side is justified in using improper methods to sway the public in its direction.  The founders were men of high ideals, which we could benefit from living up to.  Imagine a campaign where none of the candidates fought dirty or used emotional manipulation.

After completing his reasoning for a civil discussion based on facts and reason, Hamilton enumerates the purposes that will be address in the series of letters to follow.

1. To show why union is better politically than facing the world as individual states.
2. To show why the Articles of Confederation were insufficient to preserve union.
3. To show that they needed a government powerful enough to succeed in keeping the states united.
4. To show that the Constitution was in line with the priciples of republican government.
5. To show that it wasn't that different from the constitutions already governing the individual states.
6. To show that adopting the Constitution would provide more security to preserve their republican mode of government, their liberty, and their property.

Each of the following letters will fall under one or more of these topics, starting with the necessity of Union in the next.

Symbolism 101

By Allison Jones

Symbolism is something that often goes over our heads in this modern age.  We tend to expect language to always be literal.  But literature, both secular and religious, from earlier times is full of symbols.  One of these books that is still read by millions is the Bible.  Most of its stories are better understood and new layers of meaning are exposed if the symbols employed by the authors are recognized.  The myths of many cultures make more sense when one considers what the events and characters may have symbolized to their adherents.

Alonzo L. Gaskill has written a book to help us understand what some of these symbols meant when they were used.  His focus is on symbols in the Bible, but the Bible has greatly influenced western society.   The book is The Lost Language of Symbolism: An Essential Guide for Recognizing and Interpreting Symbols of the Gospel.  It is available through Deseret Book and there is a copy in the public library.  Gaskill has also written several other books on symbolism.

In this book he looks at symbolic meanings of body parts, clothing, colors, numbers, people, names, and animals.  The symbolism behind many of the Mosaic laws is fascinating.  I had never before thought of the dietary requirements as being more than arbitrary.  But a look at what the different animals may represent reveals a new level of meaning.  For quick reference there is a table in the back for a summary of all the symbols discussed in the book.

Gaskill received a Master’s Degree in theology and a Ph.D. in biblical studies and has taught religious education classes at the University of California and Idaho State University.  He is currently assistant professor of church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University.  While he is a professional scholar, he uses language that is easily understood by everyone and uses footnotes to refer the reader to more detailed works or other supporting works by other scholars.  One that I was interested in was on the symbolism of hands.  Gaskill wrote that the different parts of the hand and the position that they are also have more specific meanings but he didn’t go into them.  Instead he referenced the work of another scholar who wrote about that topic.  

Symbolism is an intricate part of communication.  It adds depth to writing and allows one to say much with fewer words.  It was common in the past, but modern people don’t use it as much.  Metaphor is still used and it is symbolic language.  The only difficulty is understanding the associations those of the past connected with the things used as symbols and this book is a beginning to understanding.

Heralds of Spring

Signs of Spring are sprouting.  Soon we will be enjoying blooms of tulips and daffodils in Rexburg.
Song birds are already staking out their territories with songs.

The Federalist Papers

By Allison Jones

In 1787 the convention to rework the Articles of Confederation (the governing documents of the United States after the Revolution) resulted instead in an entirely new document called The Constitution.  Before it could have any force, it needed to be ratified by the states.  

“The friends of the new Constitution have been portrayed in some books as conservatives; but their actions looked radical to contemporaries,” writes Garry Wills, a historian and author.  New York was not in favor of the new Constitution, so Alexander Hamilton decided to write a series of articles defending and explaining the Constitution in an attempt to sway public opinion.   He recruited John Jay and James Madison to help him write the articles under the penname “Publius”.

While Hamilton did not succeed in making New York more likely to ratify the Constitution (it eventually did, but only because the enough other states had ratified it so that New York would be left on its own if it didn’t ratify it), “The Federalist” did provide the populous “with the most authoritative interpretation of the Constitution once it was adopted.”

The articles argue for the necessity of a central government, one powerful enough to actually get done what it is intended to do.  The separation of powers was based on function rather than societal class like the English Parliament.  Representation was intended to separate the government from mob rule; it separates the law from the factional interests of the public.

Currently judges use The Federalist Papers to see how contemporary people viewed the Constitution.  They allow modern readers to understand what the people who voted for and gave power to the document intended it to mean.  It is important for modern citizens to understand our government’s founding document.  How can we make wise choices when voting if we do not understand what are representatives are for?

The Local Review will feature an exploration of The Federalist papers and seek to explain what each means for us today.