Transformers are Cool

And Predacons are among the coolest of them. Unfortunately, we must part ways. I'm selling my nearly complete Predacons set on Ebay. Check it out!

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Did you enjoy National Treasure a couple years back? Yeah, it was okay for me, too. But only because Sean Bean is a great villain.

The sequel is coming out this December. The only reason I mention it is that it shines a spotlight on the Black Hills, South Dakota, where I spent an enjoyable week gawking at giant granite carvings and toting an infant around. The movies lets you take a gander not only at Mount Rushmore, but also Needles Highway and Sylvan Lake - a picturesque little lake that we visited.

Here is Sylvan Lake in the movie:






And here's Sylvan Lake as captured by my far superior video camera.




And finally, me standing on one of the rock outcroppings.



Take that, Nicholas Cage!

Romney Radio Spot on Immigration

Check out Mitt's latest radio spot.


Not bad, eh?

Romney: Another Day, Another Winning Poll

Mitt Romney is winning enough straw polls to make himself a nice hat. And while that may be one of the lamest things I've ever written, it's still significant that by dominating this latest poll, Romney continues to gain traction in the Midwest. Illinois, in this case.

Here's the breakdown.

1. Mitt Romney – 40.35%
2. Fred Thompson – 19.96%
3. Ron Paul – 18.87%
4. Rudy Giuliani – 11.61%
5. John McCain – 4.12%
6. Mike Huckabee – 3.04%
7. Sam Brownback – 1.08%
8. Duncan Hunter - .65%
9. Tom Tancredo - .33%


Barely three-tenths of one percent? C'mon, Tom--you can do better than that.

You can get the grades out of the ghetto, but...

...you can't get the ghetto out of the grades.

Yeah. That whole thing about "school of choice" and putting inner-city students in nicer schools and neighborhoods to help boost grades and make better citizens? It's been officially debunked.

Unfortunately, the Washington Post article is mostly full of quotes from people trying to dream up ways to save the politically correct theory, who basically say that the students didn't move to good enough neighborhoods.

I do agree with this snippet, however:

...Many of the parents had little faith that better teaching in better schools would help their children. They felt it was up to their children to make education work.

My opinion? It's not a child's environment that affects his or her achievements. It's the culture of the home. Does the child's family value studying, hard work and independence? If not, that family is only awarding the child all the benefits of ghetto living. And not all cultures are created equal.

Recognition for the Left

There's a big difference between leftist and lefty. I proudly eschew the former, and applaud the latter. And what better day to do it than today: Left-handers Day!

So find your favorite lefty. Give him or her a big hug, and maybe a candy bar. And stop criticizing the handwriting!

Ames Chooses Romney

The much ballyhooed Ames, Iowa straw poll, which is seen as a bellwether for the success of Republican presidential candidates, has given another solid and significant victory to Mitt Romney, who has maintained his upward momentum over the grueling past 12 months or so.

This result should narrow the field of Republican contenders significantly--particularly those who were hoping to slide into a close second place behind Romney and knock him off balance. In fact, Tommy Thompson had stated that he would drop out if he didn't achieve first or second place. I think others will probably follow suit. Bye bye.


Here are the results:

1. Gov. Mitt Romney with 4516 votes and 31%
2. Gov. Mike Huckabee with 2587 votes at 18.1%
3. Sen. Sam Brownback with 2192 votes and 15.3%
4. Tom Tancredo with 1961 votes, 13.7%.
5. Ron Paul with 1305 votes, and 9.1%
6. Tommy Thompson, 1,039 votes, 7.3%
7. Fred Thomson with 203 votes.
8. Rudy Giuliani with 183 votes.
9. Duncan Hunter with 174 votes.
10. John McCain with 101 votes.
11. John Cox with 41 votes.

Farewell, Faust.

James E. Faust 1920-2007

James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the LDS church (Mormons), passed quietly away early yesterday morning. This is significant to me as there was never a time in my life that he wasn't a high-ranking leader in my church. His conference talks were always gentle yet firm, and sparkled with the luster of truth.

From the article,

"Jim Faust was a great warrior for truth and goodness, who knew no shortcuts," said LDS Apostle M. Russell Ballard on Friday. "He was a great example to us all."

And,

Faust's life was best understood by "his adherence to principles and the priority assigned to his family that permeated his being," wrote the late Apostle Neal A. Maxwell in a 1995 biographical essay in the church's monthly magazine, The Ensign, after Faust's call to the church's governing First Presidency.

Maxwell related how Faust and his family had a special family home evening in 1972 when he was first called as a general authority in which he told his children that he could not succeed as a general authority unless he was a good father.

A similar family meeting took place in the Faust home in 1995 when he was called to the First Presidency, although this one involved 22 grandchildren, too.

"Accompanying his fixed priorities is immense integrity," Maxwell wrote. "Those who know him understand that President Faust will not yield to mere pressure, but he can be persuaded by principles."

Back from Bryce

Well, I've let my blog fall into neglect and disrepair over the last few weeks. I figure my readership has dropped from five to two.

So what better way to reengage with my audience than with a short pictorial of my awesome trip to Bryce Canyon? Check it out, and see why you should make plans for a visit if you haven't done so already.