GrumpeeGramp

Why is the Mormon church sitting on 350 billion in assets

Hot take for my Japanese friends: I strongly suspect my state—Utah—has the highest concentration of 外人 who can speak Japanese. That thought occurred to me one day when the following announcement was made over the public-address system at the BYU bookstore: “If anyone here can speak Japanese, please come to the customer service desk on the third floor,” apparently to help translate for a customer who spoke only Japanese. I immediately saw at least ten 外人 rushing to the third floor to help. Probably not what you’d expect to see in the Rocky Mountains, right?

Very Interesting 🧐 Idaho’s so-called “Zone of Death” is one of the most unusual legal curiosities in the United States, blending remote geography with a little-known constitutional loophole. It exists within a small, uninhabited portion of Yellowstone National Park that extends into eastern Idaho. While the vast majority of Yellowstone lies in Wyoming, this sliver of land—roughly 50 square miles—sits west of the park’s main boundaries and is characterized by rugged wilderness, dense forests, and volcanic terrain shaped by the same forces that created the park’s famous geysers and hot springs. Geographically, the Idaho section of Yellowstone is remote even by the park’s standards. It features thick lodgepole pine forests, uneven lava-formed landscapes, and limited access, with few roads or maintained trails. The area lies near the western edge of the Yellowstone Plateau, a region influenced by an ancient volcanic hotspot. Nearby features like Island Park and the broader Snake River Plain reflect the same geologic history, with vast lava flows and caldera formations that give the land a stark, otherworldly feel. Wildlife such as elk, bears, and wolves roam freely here, and human presence is almost nonexistent, making it one of the most isolated places in the contiguous United States. The “Zone of Death” nickname comes not from the landscape itself, but from a legal loophole tied to how the park is governed. Yellowstone is entirely under the jurisdiction of the federal court district of Wyoming, even the parts that lie in Idaho and Montana. This creates a conflict with the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees that a criminal defendant has the right to a jury drawn from both the state and the federal district in which the crime occurred. In the Idaho portion of Yellowstone, this becomes problematic: while the crime would occur in Idaho, the judicial district is Wyoming. Because the Constitution requires jurors to come from both the state and the district, a trial for a crime committed in this area would need a jury composed of people who live in the Idaho section of the Wyoming federal district. However, no one lives there. The area has no permanent residents, making it effectively impossible to assemble a legally valid jury under the strict interpretation of the Sixth Amendment. This theoretical inability to conduct a proper trial is what gives rise to the idea that someone could evade prosecution for a serious crime committed in this zone. The loophole was first widely discussed by Brian C. Kalt, who outlined the issue in a 2005 law review article. He argued that unless Congress adjusts the district boundaries or legal requirements, the problem remains unresolved. Despite its dramatic name, no one has successfully exploited the loophole, and the U.S. government would likely find alternative legal strategies if such a case arose. Still, the Zone of Death highlights how the intersection of geography, population, and constitutional law can produce unexpected gaps in even the most carefully designed legal systems. In the end, Idaho’s Zone of Death is less a place of danger and more a fascinating thought experiment—where remote wilderness and legal technicalities combine to create one of the strangest anomalies in American law.

Someone is home 💡 Spiral Lights on for the first time in 6 years. Salt Lake Temple

One day, we will be out there, among the stars

This is the year of the yolk.

I feel miraculously better. Like night and day different. Yesterday, I was so sick, I couldn't move my joints. It hurt to walk and felt like I was encased in cement. I curled in a ball and cried when husband finally came home. Today, Im totally fine. Just a headache. 🥹 Thank you so much for the prayers and faith on my behalf

Retarded quote of the day 🥇

Not who you want in charge of superintelligence

After reading this piece on Sam Altman, one can reasonably conclude he’s put profit over loyalty, principles, and company governance. There’s business savvy and ruthlessness, and there’s Sam, who at multiple points in his career has been the subject of investigations and forced departures from companies he’s founded. When those closest to him raise alarms, they should be heeded by those whom he tries to con into business dealings. While Dario is also insufferable, it should be obvious to all why both him and Elon, who worked closest with Sam, find him to be a dishonest swindler. The last takeaway I have — this article is written by a gay Democrat, one of Sam’s own people, and even he is quite unconvinced that Sam is a good person. OpenAI was clearly changed from a non-profit to for-profit to benefit Sam. It’s clear he lied to Elon and his co-founders. “I think there’s a small but real chance he’s eventually remembered as a Bernie Madoff- or Sam Bankman-Fried-level scammer.” This is the truth and the world sees it.

The Passover contains a hidden key to understanding sacred tokens that most people miss.