User:Kslarsen

Kent, a New Yorker who happens to have been born in Salt Lake City and to have grown up near Washington DC.

I am a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but politically much more liberal than most Mormons. I served an LDS mission to Portugal, learned the Portuguese language there (knowledge later improved with a bachelor's degree in Portuguese from BYU).

In addition to the bachelor's degree in Portuguese, I have an additional bachelor's in Accounting and an MBA in Marketing (NYU).

My Interests

 * Mormonism, but my interests lie less in doctrine than in Mormon culture and in the Mormon experience outside of Utah and the Intermountain West.


 * The Portuguese language and the Portuguese-speaking countries of the world, their peoples and cultures.


 * Books and book publishing.

I have the good fortune to work in all of these areas!

My biases

 * I'm heavily involved in Mormon efforts online that involve Mormon culture and literature, so I want to see more acceptance and interest in those areas.


 * I believe that Portuguese and Portuguese literature has not received the recognition it deserves in world literature, and that Portuguese-speaking countries are an important part of our world today.


 * I believe that sound economic and business practices and principles are an important part of the success of any organization, regardless of whether it seeks profit. But I also believe that profit for profit's sake confuses the means for the end, and is usually immoral and useless to society.


 * I believe that copyright law in the United States and the World is important for ensuring the future production of works of art and literature. While the term may have become too long and enforcement mechanisms overwrought, the basic principle behind copyright is sound and important.