Two wrongs don't make a right.......

But, this does not mean that all wrong things are wrong to the same degree. Let me explain.

I have found the fallout of Max Hall's comments about Utah very interesting. I have seen 3 different reactions to his comments. First, BYU fans that are cheering the comments, obviously stupid. Second, fans, non-fans, and others who think he was wrong to say it, but understand where the animosity comes from. Third, people who refuse to aknowledge the source behind the comments and merely decry him as a classless jerk.

This got me to thinking about the idea of fans and to a larger extent people defending or at least explaining away bad behavior with the response that the opposition does it as well, as if that somehow makes it okay, or at least pulls the other side down to the same level of shame. I will try to illustrate my thought process with a few examples.

First, this one came to mind after I read Camille's comment about sports fans getting as bad as the political arena. I found this comment particularly astute. The animosity that has grown up around the BYU-Utah game is absolutely ridiculous. The anger, vitriolic comments, and actions that would shame people to their core at any other time seem fair game during the 'Holy War' week (a title I absolutely abhor). But, I also think the political analogy particularly helpful to my point as well. Just because two sides of an issue/contest whatever are both stupid, does not mean the are wrong/abhorrent to the same extent. For example. I had never before seen such anger and hatred spewed by a large portion of one group politically as I saw directed at our former President. It was sickening to the extreme, and though I continued to be more and more disillusioned with any politician on the right side of the aisle during the same time period, never did I feel as much disgust as I did for the left (generalizations used for conciseness), though they were both stupid, I was more disgusted with the left. This has now been eclipsed with the blind hatred spewed by those (mostly self-styled conservative republicans) who have taken up the banner of anti-immigration. Though I still disagree with much of what the left does, I am ultimately more disgusted by this faction of the right. They are not equal in stupidity.

Second, soccer fans. As I am sure Mark and Hilda will be quick to tell you, when they had to sit in the midst of Sam's Army during the U.S. v. Costa Rica game, that group of fans is rather disgraceful. I would not feel comfortable taking a child of mine to watch a game if they had to endure the profanity and obscenity spewed by the collection of idiots who have dubbed themselves Sam's Army and follow the U.S. men's national team around the country. That being said, their stupidity does not rise to the level of Mexican national team fans. I have never been more disgusted with a group of sports 'fans' as I am consistently with the Mexican fans. Batteries chucked at opposing players, bags filled with urine and worse dumped or thrown on opposing players/fans at any chance. I have more than once said that FIFA should not allow games in Azteca stadium until Mexico shows that they are willing to rein in their own fans. Sam's Army is a collection of idiots, Mexico's fans are a disgraceful stain on world sport that in my opinion should not be allowed to have a game played before them.

Utah and BYU. Now, I know that many of you will merely chalk this up to my own personal bias, but I think you should actually take a second to think over my points before you do. There are idiot BYU fans and there are idiot Utah fans. I don't think this can be disputed. I have attended many BYU football games (never against Utah, and I never will), I have also attended a BYU home basketball game, Alisa has been to several UofU Basketball games, and a few gymnastics meets, she has also been to a couple football games at the U. I felt disgusted at the BYU fans at the Basketball game, and frankly don't have any desire to go back, I found them immature and insulting. Alisa had nothing but good experiences at both the Basketball games, and gymnastics meets. The only complaint I have ever had at a BYU football game, was when the fans booed BYU's coaching decisions, I find that childish. Alisa was forced to move at one of her games, because of the incredibly large group of drunk and offensive fans in the student section. The question is what type of behavior is acceptable. At Utah football games, being drunk, loud, and profane seems not only to be accepted, but in some ways encouraged. While beer is not sold at the stadium many have been drinking for hours before the game at tailgating parties, and as I was informed by many Utah fans while in Law School, sneaking alcohol into the games was one of the easiest things ever. Whether the individual is a better person or not, a student who was drunk or profane at BYU would not go over well at all. This isn't to comment on the individual 'righteousness' of the fan, but what the culture of the stadium and school foster. Utah does its best to distance itself from all things Mormon and 'Utah-like'. You can list all the Apostles and GA's you want who graduated from Utah, besided the LDSSA, you won't find many on campus that care to remember that. Now, if you truly think that I am merely pulling opinion out of thin air, ask yourself this. Which campus has to completely cover every statue so that they aren't painted red? A BYU student caught drunk and profane at a BYU football game could very easily be kicked out of school, a U student might be escorted from the stadium. There is a different level of what is acceptable. While the idiots in blue are still idiots, and their actions are in no way acceptable, that does not make their actions equal to the idiots in red.

Now, how does this all pertain to Max Hall's comments? Well, to me, it helps me understand them. Are all of the U fans classless idiots, of course not, I have some friends who are season ticket holders, they are good people and would be incensed to see some of the stuff happen to people that U fans do. But, Max Hall's experience with U fans is thus, they verbally abused his family, and dumped beer on them. Then, for years, have used some of the most debased languange in chat rooms, message boards, and editorials including the school sanctioned 'paper' if you want to call the tripe that is the Utah Chronicle a paper, to describe him. Given him an obscene nickname that is freely bandied about by the majority of the vocal U fans. It is clear by the fact that no one does anything to rein in the Chronny that the administration of the U has no desire to foster any different attitude. Several of these things would not be found on the other side. Some of them would be, but not all. I really don't think it can be disputed, though both have their idiots, Ute fans, as a group are worse. It does not surprise me that Max Hall hates the U, their program, their fans, and the school. I understand it. Does that excuse it? No, he was out of line. He should be, and will be reprimanded by the league, and the school.

Anyway, the end result is this, the whole rivalry is getting stupid. And its being pumped up by media, and stupid fans. But the obscenity, the vulgarity, and the vitriol has to lay much more on the Utah side. Just read the articles in each schools newspaper, and the filthy comments that are posted on the U's. That wouldn't fly in BYU's paper.

The Gathering Storm

This is the latest installment in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I will continue to refer to it as Jordan's even though Brandon Sanderson is, quite wonderfully, finishing off the series for the deceased Jordan. Luckily for all of us fans, Jordan left a plethora of notes and outlines, as well as haven already written somewhere in the range of 10-20 thousand words already. The 'final' book ballooned to a reported 800 thousand words, and subsequently is being published in three different volumes. So, basically, it went from a 12 book series to a 14 book series. Some may cynically see this as a money making ploy. I frankly don't care if it is, as long as I get more great story, and honestly when you pick up this latest book, it couldn't have been three times this size and been manageable.

On to the book itself. I will not put down any spoilers, I hate spoilers. (The most shameful experience of my life is giving the ending away to a movie for some inexplicable reason that I still can't comprehend, sorry Mark). Anyway, many Jordan fans began to be turned off around books 8-10. Admittedly, the story slowed to a snail's pace. I will not spend time defending the books as good, which they are, or explaining that on a second or third reading there are parts that you really get to appreciate, which is true, I will simply say that in books 11 and 12, the story jumps back to the amazing form that fans were used to at the beginning of this series.

The first thing I must say is that Sanderson did a masterful job at picking up where Jordan left and weaving Jordan's notes into a book that, frankly, is impossible to distinguish from Jordan's writing. I was leary that the books would have a different feel, being authored by a different person, but it did not. For you fans, do you remember the way you couldn't put down The Shadow Rising because of how compelling the story was, or the excitement of Fires of Heaven. The Gathering Storm should be placed firmly in the very top of these books, as good as any of them. Story's begin to resolve and it is clear that this series is headed quickly and decisively to an amazing conclusion. I wish I knew more people who have read it, so I could start talking with them about it, so far its just Alisa and me, as far as I know.

For those fans who gave up back in the slow time, come back and catch up with this series, I promise you won't be disappointed. For those who were tempted away by that flash in the pan George R.R. Martin, or any other of a myriad inferior writers/series, you need to catch up and read The Gathering Storm, it was a masterpiece, plain and simple.

400 thread count sheets

Holy cow. Just bought some 400 thread count sheets from Sam's Club the other day, put them on last night. I can't adequately describe how awesome they are. I'm used to just the cheapo 100-150 thread count sheets, which are fine, but wow, what a difference. If you have the chance, splurge, get some of these, its worth it.

Fourth on its way.

So, Alisa is pregnant with our fourth. We are both very excited. It will be interesting to see if the trouble making continues to be distilled in each subsequent child we have. Its like an exponentially growing amount so far. Anyway, she is due sometime in April, so at least she won't ever be cold this winter.

My Blog

So, its been quite a while since I posted anything here. This was kind of my outlet for my thoughts. Unfortunately, I realized how it can be taken and twisted, so, I kind of lost the passion for it for a while. This was the place that I wouldn't have to censor myself to make sure that everyone was okay with it, but now I have to worry as I post, who is going to read this? And what will they do with it. Its stupid, I know, but that is how it is.

Lance, yet again.

As many of you know, I am a huge Lance Armstrong fan. He is the only person, in my opinion, who can make the Tour exciting. When he doesn't race, I can understand everyone else's opinion about bike racing being like watching paint dry. But when he races, I'll get out of bed at the crack of dawn to watch a stage where he is going to make a move, go flying up a climb, and fight past people to cross the line first.

The most recent issue of Sports Illustrated had two separate articles about Lance, the first basically talking about how Lance is a giant hypocrite for not admitting that he dopes. It talked about how many people dope, about how in Europe its pretty much agreed upon that all of them dope, and that Europeans don't care that much, get caught, serve a supspension, all is forgiven. It hammers Lance for pages about how ridiculous it is for him to think that anyone would believe that he could be that much better, and not dope. The second article talks about the following commercial.



The person who wrote the second article took Lance to task for what she saw as almost unforgivable arrogance in trying to tie criticisms of him to the fight against cancer. She argued that he was making it impossible to critique him without coming off as being an opponent of what he stood for. Finally she finished with saying that he should be less forceful in his tone about his critics.

Thats a load of crap.

In the same magazine that she spouted that tripe, her editors felt the need to put in pages denouncing Lance as a fraud, and a doper, and a hypocrite. His tone seems to be right on the money to me.

There are many who claim there is no way he could be as good as he is, so automatically assign him to be a doper and a cheat. I find it amazing that the same label is not automatically put on Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Lebron or Kobe. No one claims that Barry Sanders must have been a juicer to run like he did, especially with the sieve of an offensive line that the Lions had. No one says you must be blind and naive to think that Joe Montana, or Steve Young must have been cheating to have the success that they saw.

You want hypocrites, look to the people who, because cycling isn't America's pasttime, are so quick to denounce someone who dominates the sport when they don't hold their sports heroes up to the same standard.

Is it possible that Lance has taken some performance enhancing drugs, of course. Of course it is possible that he has access to drugs that are impossible to detect over literally thousands of tests given at completely random times with more scrutiny that any other athlete in the history of the world....its possible. But it is out of the realm of logic to make the claim that because doping exists, that because people in his sport have doped, and because he has beaten those same people consistently for years, that he too must be guilty absent any and all evidence to back it up.

I'll still be excited to watch him win the Tour this year, and make no mistake, when they finish in Paris he'll be wearing the Yellow Jersey. The critics can continue to say whatever they want, this guy actually makes it exciting to watch men race bikes for hours at a time, tell me one other professional athlete with that kind of charisma.

Me and the BSA are gonna have a fight.

I couldn't be more enraged by the stupidity of this new BSA policy. Story here.

Apparently the BSA thinks its a grand idea to say that any scout or leader who is overweight, as decided by the BMI scale, will be banned from participating in many activities. It seems the rule is that if one is overweight you cannot participate in any activity that would take you more than 30 minutes from emergency medical help.

I have more than one problem with this. First, the BSA already required a physical to go to scout camp etc.. If someone were unable to safely participate the doctor would not clear them. Second, with the state of health in the youth of the country, is banning them really the good option here. But, if these were the only problems, I would just be annoyed, what enrages me is the use of the BMI to label kids and leaders.

I hate the BMI, I hate how it makes its blanket labels with no real differentiation between body type, or variables.

Now, I am the first to admit that I am overweight, and I am currently working on losing weight. But, I would direct you to this BMI website. It will tell you what weight you need to be to be considered not overweight according to them. For me? I would need to lose 78 pounds to finally drop into 'normal' weight. I would have to weigh 191 lbs. If this rule were actually enforced, I would have never been allowed to go to scout camp, work at scout camp, go rock climbing, etc.. I would have been unable to take my Varsity scouts down the Snake river a couple years ago.

It is hard enough to find adults who are willing and able to help out with scouting, if this is actually enforced, it would really be the death of any sort of outdoor/high adventure scouting.

I couldn't be more enraged at the BSA.

Already getting excited.

Granted, all these guys are still seniors this next year, but its always exciting to see future good news. ESPN story here.

The top QB prospect in the country decided to commit to BYU, with him came one of the top WR prospects (decommitted from Texas, committed to BYU), and a top linebacker from California.

For those who are BYU football fans, its always good news to get the big name Mormon recruits (no all you BYU haters, not because they 'should' come to BYU, but if we can't get big name recruits with the BYU/mormon thing going for us, how are we ever going to get big name non-mormons.)

And, as I always do, I hope these guys choose missions, I'd rather wait an extra two years to see them succeed on the field.

Troubled by Judge Sotomayor

I always hate to have even close to the same opinion as people like Ann Coulter, but I do have some serious reservations about Pres. Obama's nomination for Supreme Court Justice.

Judge Sotomayor has said, and I quote,

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,"

Now, some of Obama's supporters have given explanations such as this,

"Charles J. Ogletree Jr., a Harvard law professor and an adviser to Mr. Obama, said Judge Sotomayor’s remarks were appropriate. Professor Ogletree said it was “obvious that people’s life experiences will inform their judgments in life as lawyers and judges” because law is more than “a technical exercise,” citing Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.’s famous aphorism: “The life of the law has not been logic; it has been experience.”

I do not disagree with Mr. Ogletree at all. I do think that people's life experiences will to some extent affect their judgements, however, nothing he says seems to go to the heart of her comment. She says, and feel free to disagree or point out where I am misunderstanding her statement, that one judge would 'more often than not' rule better from the bench, or be a better judge if they were a) hispanic and b) female. At least, they would make a better judge than a white male, I guess we cannot extrapolate where a black man/woman, white woman, hispanic man, etc. etc. etc. fall on her scale of who makes the best decisions.

As much as I feel that this process has become too obstructionist, I would have to oppose her confirmation, if it were up to me.

Things I don't get; heavy bass.

So I was running an errand yesterday, and behind me, at a stoplight, was some moron with his bass pumping. I don't get the bass thing, I don't get why it makes you 'cool'. I find it nauseating, literally, whatever it is doing to my inner ear or insides is incredibly uncomfortable. When I get stuck by someone blasting their bass away I get the urge to take a baseball bat to their sound equipment.

My Anniversary

I know, 4 posts in a row, but I was thinking about it, and had to post a bit.

So, on May 18th Alisa and I had our 7th anniversary. For some of you that's small beans, but then you're old so.... Anyway. I find it kind of odd, on the one hand it seems like only yesterday and its wierd to think that its been 7 whole years, but on the other hand, I can hardly remember my life without her. Alisa is amazing. I am so grateful for her.

Star Trek

To follow up on the post a few inches down, I went and saw this movie with Alisa, it was awesome. I give it *** 1/2 stars, and I am quite confident it will be just as good the second time around. Probably one worth owning. Go see it.

C.S. Lewis

I just finished rereading The Chronicles of Narnia. Its been said so many times that I don't really know what I could add to it, but those books are fabulous. I would implore anyone who hasn't read them to read them. They are some of the most beautiful literary works ever. Yes, you read that right, not just in children's lit, or fantasy genre. Of all literary works ever written, these are some of the most touching and beautiful. I love these books. As I reread them I was at time amazed at times moved by the simpleness of the story, and the wonderful way he is able to convey such deep religious themes in what on the outside seems to be a children's tale of centaurs, dwarfs, and magic.

Read them, you won't regret it. Read them again.

Back: Something about Obama

So, I have been meaning to blog about something now for weeks. So, today I'll drop two quick little entries, and hopefully be back in the full swing of things.

Pres. Obama just signed into law a regulation that will require auto makers to up their fleet mpg to 35. I like this. Before anyone starts talking about free market etc. etc., I don't buy it. When the consumer has true choice you might be able to argue free market. However, that is not the case. The vast majority of people either cannot afford some sort of hybrid car, or the cars currently in manufacture will not meet their needs (large families, etc.). Furthermore, I believe that as a country we have a flat out security/environmental need here. Our petroleum based economy is absolutely flawed, and we need to get off the oil kick (not just because of foreign oil, I frankly don't care that much where it comes from), and we have a need to lower emissions in any responsible way possible. And in case you've never read my environmental opinions before, that stance isn't because I implicitly believe that we are causing global warming or any such thing. It is because I believe we are required to be wise stewards and I do not think, as a society, we are....at all.

So, thumbs up Pres, I think that is a great move.

Prediction

So, I have mostly sworn off of making sports predictions. One always looks bad when the vagueries of chance turn out to not be in your favor. I am going to suspend that rule for March Madness however. I'm not going to talk about BYU, or Utah. I am going to talk about a blow out in the making. Marquette vs. Utah State.

Utah State won 30 games this year, thats insane. They beat Utah, nearly beat BYU, and blew through the WAC like they were playing High Schools. Marq is from the Big East (this is where you are supposed to gasp in awe). They've probably never heard of Boise (where the game will be played) and barely are able to condescend to play there. Utah State fans will drive up to Boise and they will be able to watch Marquette get lit up, this thing is going to be a blowout. You can take that to the bank.

Back to geek stuff. Star Trek: The Movie.

Go here watch the trailer, it is awesome. If we are lucky the movie will live up to that trailer.

Chiropractors Part 2: Unknown

So, I went to the Chiropractor. A lot of things that he did were pretty awesome, he has this table with rollers on it that you just lay on as it massages your back with a heat pad and electric things on your back. It felt great, wish I had one at home. Then he did get a few good pops out of my back when he messed with it. However, I think I am now sure that it is/was a muscle thing. Either a pull or a tear. I felt pretty good as I left the place, then as I cooled down, my back just tightened back up and this morning I hurt again, but I can pretty much tell that it is muscle pain. So, to be fair to chiropractors, I don't think there is anything he could have done to help a pulled/torn muscle.

Final determination, unable to quantify his overall effect. So, I don't know how well chiropractors work.

But I still hurt.

Chiropractors Part 1: Do they work

So, I was helping my neighbor move last night and something in my back popped. I wasn't lifting or twisting (the two big killers), I was pulling a big appliance dolly with a freezer on it. Who knows what kind of irreperable harm I have done to myself, right now I'm willing to have back removal surgery. Anyway, I have made an appointment with a chiropractor for this afternoon. Part 2 of this stirring in depth investigative report will be whether or not I will survive to perform my Elder's Quorum duties again.

Two more Obama decisions, one indifferent, one bad.

Yucca mountain. So, after we have spent 16 billion dollars to prepare Yucca mountain to be the depository for the nations spent fuel rods, the Obama administration has decided to scrap it because, as the energy seceretary says "we can do better". Thats all fine and good, and may even be true, but I think that is beside the point. We currently have spent fuel rods that have to be stored on site. By law, the federal government is supposed to take possesion of those, and store them, they currently are not. In order to comply with the law, Yucca mountain was chosen as the site. We have spent the money, but now, I guess, the mountain will just sit unused. Is there possibly a better option, who knows. Is the status quo better than Yucca mountain, by no stretch of the imagination. Anyway, it seems to be political pandering that doesn't help anything, and is actually harmful, and wasteful. Big disagreement from me.

Second, stem cells. Here I could have done an entire post on this topic, but something else has me a little more miffed, so this one will stay on the shorter side. Stem cells are a hotly debated topic, problem is, I think the argument is on the complete wrong portion of the process in my opinion.

Currently those who go through the in vitro process harvest and fertilize more eggs than they use, when they are not used, the vast majority get dumped down the sink (maybe not the exact technical process, but the result is the same.) Anyway, the arument is over whether or not these embryos should be used (or actually whether or not federal funding should be used) in research. So, people can have their safe moral stance against it, because surely a human life > research, right? I would agree, but don't think that is the comparison. When these embryos are going to be flushed, shouldn't our debate be about whether or not its moral to create so many embryos that will never be used, and discard the excess? By the time we hit research stage, these embryos are disposable either way. But it is harder to take a moral stance against people who want to have a baby. It makes the debate more complex, but I think its more intellectually honest.

So, I am kind of indifferent to Obama's lifting of the ban on research money.

How to fix Utah's education problems.

Now, I realize this idea may well catch on and run like wildfire through all 3 people who frequent this blog, but the whole subject infuriates me so much, I have to put down my solution to it, its cathartic.

Every year around legislation time here in Utah we hear the same thing, not enough money is going to schools, why aren't we putting more money into schools, etc.. I found it especially nauseating this year as people were wanting to 'hold education harmless' in this budgetary crisis, even though they got like a 10% funding increase just last year, when everyone thought the State was flush with money. Heaven forbid they feel the bite of the budget axe like everyone else.

This post won't be about how we should decrease funding for education, I'm not espousing that position (though it is important to note that we spend more on education as a state than any other thing budgeted). This post will be about how that vast sum of money could actually be put to some sort of efficient use.

One of the biggest problems is the popular idea that we need 'local' control over our schools. I don't even know if anyone has ever defined that in the debate, as it makes no logical sense. Are people fearful that those in Vernal will push their Godless views on us Davis Countians? Or maybe that the special and unique needs of the student in Washington County couldn't possibly be addressed through the same curriculum as the kid going to Bear River. "Local Control" has acheived near unimpeachable status, it is good because it is good. We value it, because it is valuable. Ridiculous.

I would like to tear local control from the cold dead fingers of the bloated beasts that are school districts, and give all that power to the state. Let me explain. If one were to do a little reasearch (which I have), one would find that the number of administrators in a fairly good sized school distric (say Davis County), is just seven people fewer than the population of Albania. There are 5 curriculum supervisors for special education alone. Now we are not talking about Special Ed teachers, no, we are talking about district level administrators, making well over what the top teacher in the district is being paid. Now, forgetting for a moment that it shouldn't take 5 people to administer special ed for Davis County, let alone just the curriculum; does anyone really think that every single school district in the state needs a duplicative position, coming up with curriculum for the special ed needs of a school that may be within walking distance of the next district to the North, or South?

This is the bare bones of my proposition.

All local school districts are disbanded. There is a superintendant of schools for the state of Utah. This superintendent then has around 2 dozen assistant superintendants (or whatever title makes people happy). Each of these individuals, like VP's in a corporation, are in charge of a different area/geographic locale. When there is a local issue, this assistant can meet with the principles, teachers, whoever is needed from the local area. And guess what, instead of having some giant monstrosity of a district building, that meeting could take place in any number of buildings that the government already owns....called schools.

There can be a curriculum committee, for the entire state, as the kids in different areas of the state do not need separate curriculums. You can have specialists (either serving as assitant superintendants, as previously mentioned, or on the curriculum committee), for things like Special Ed. or ESL.

There can be one, count em one purchasing agent, so that instead of each district having separate contracts for books, paper, etc., there is one. Guess what, paper is the same in St. George as it is in Logan, and Houghton Mifflin doesn't have different Chemistry textbooks in Tooele.

There are 200+ individuals on Davis County Schools payroll that make more than the highest paid teacher. People scream that teachers need to be paid more. Well, from the way it looks, its not because there isn't money being spent on the State level.

The current division in the school districts in the Salt Lake Valley is going to cost the State an estimated 1 million dollars, just this year. And what was the purpose of that? Why did the people rise up and kick out the west side of that school district? That's right 'local control', which in this case was a catch phrase that merely covered up the idea that the wealthier east siders just didn't want their money going to the poorer west side schools. Nice.

I would love anyone, please, to point out how anything that a local school district does couldn't be done better on the state level. I would love for anyone to point out what would be worse through State control, without using the phrase 'local control'.

The education budget in this state could be cut significantly, and I'm not even talking about taking that money away, but think how much more could be done with that money. Of course, the UEA would collectively crap a brick at the very idea. Why? Who knows. They like to be contrary, case in point.

What about local school boards you say? I again throw down the gauntlet, please tell me what benefit they give the community. The only thing of substance that I know of that the Davis county school board did, was effectively end the Church's allowing missionaries to do service in public schools, everywhere in the country. Thank your local school board member, it was the best service I got a chance to do, until we were told we couldn't anymore, because of the consequences of a Davis County School Board decision.

So, please, I beg of you, anyone who thinks this is a flawed idea, please give a better one, or somehow try to defend the current system. Its not that I have to be right, its that I want a better system. So if this isn't it, let me know what would be.

Big fan of Energy Solutions

So, ES is back in the news. They have been trying to find a way to be allowed to expand their business to accept a very, very, lucrative contract. For those of you who don't know, ES specializes in disposal/management of radioactive material. Now hold on, I know the term radiactive makes you think of Marty McFly in his big yellow suit putting the Plutonium in the Delorean, but there are lots of types of radioactive material. I'm not an expert on radioactive materials, however, there are different levels. What Energy Solutions wants to do is bring in low level waste from Italy. Italy, not surprising, has no where to really put it, so they are willing to pony up big dollars (or Lira, though I would suggest that ES gets dollars), for somewhere to put it. Think about it, Italy is only 116,000 square miles with a population of 59 million, Utah itself is 85,000 with like 2.5-3 million. So, space wise, we're pretty open. But I am getting ahead of myself, I'll get back to our natural resource later.

Many people are completely against ES being allowed to do this, at the forefront is Gov. Huntsman. Though, I really think the reason people are against it is more PR and scare tactics than anything else. People seem to imagine glowing liquid being poured into their sewer's when they think of radioactive waste disposal. Please take a moment to go to this site. It is an aerial satelite view of Clive Utah, the only thing in Clive, is the ES disposal site.

ES has been blocked at every turn in trying to get authorization to bring in the italian waste. They have come up with a new proposal. With the state in such dire straights, economically, ES has proposed that in consideration for getting authorization to bring in the waste, they would give Utah 50% of the profits of the italian contract. That portion is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Now, I frankly think that ES should have already been allowed to do this, as I don't understand the roadblocks put in front of this legal, legitimate, and very successful employer in our state. But, with this to sweeten the deal, I cannot fathom saying no. However, our Governor has vowed to veto any legislation that allows it. Some are hailing him as a hero, standing on the tracks, not allowing the death sludge into our state. I think he's being a grandstander.

With the clear boon to our state, and the fact that we are talking about a very good employer, and business, it baffles me that the State seems to be doing anything and everything they can to stand in the way of this businesses expansion and success.

Pride

So, I think in his being incredibly naughty, my son Hyrum gave my Dad a greater surge of pride than any of us ever did in our obedience. So, yesterday we left our kids at my parents for an hour or so while Alisa and I ran to Target. When we came back we were just in time to catch the tail end of his being in trouble. Apparently, he crawled under the piano and found a complex system of pegs, springs, levers, etc. that I didn't even know where there. Well, as Hyrum is wont to do, he messed with it, and took it completely apart. This resulted in all the pedals falling off. It took my Dad a while to get it all put back together again. Anyway, the result was my Dad saying that Hyrum would have to be an engineer. He then said we needed to get Hyrum an erector set, lincoln logs, tinker toys, et. al.. I think my Dad is hoping for an engineer in the second generation, since none of us turned out to be one.

Stimulus, as I see it.

So, I am filled with a dual sense of anger and joy about the stimulus bill passing. I am of the opinion that one was needed, and not just one filled with tax cuts, I don't think that would have helped much of anything. However, I am angry at how it seems people (see democrats in the House and Senate for the most part), decided that this was the time to increase spending on so many of the things that they support. Now, some of these can be argued that they are good and worthwhile or not, but thats not what this bill was supposed to be about. This was emergency stimulus, meant to be money injected into our economy to create jobs, stop losses, boost the economy, and in general begin to right the ship of the American economy. Some of it did that, and I am grateful that it passed, some I think is the worst kind of irresponsible spending forced through under the guise of stimulus, and peppered with the threats of 'if you don't pass this, people will lose their jobs'.

As of now, I will be referring to the house bill, as that is the one that I could readily find this specific info on. This won't be the final product, but I doubt it will be too much better. I will be referring to this chart I found it helpful.

Good Things: Military construction, Highway construction, federal building repair, water infrastructure, defense facility repair, national park renovation, anything construction related.

Maybe: modernizing nations electricity grid (depending on what is meant by this), Elementary and secondary school renovations (again, depending on what they mean specifically), community development grants (" "), Rural development, Extend unemployment benefits (this one is a big iffy for me, it really depends on how it is implemented)

Things I don't like at all:

18.5 billion for renewable energy programs. The only way I would be on board with this is if it were actual construction, this shouldn't be a research bill (though I support research funding, just not here).

17 billion for pell grants. This has nothing to do with stimulus, again I am not against pell grants as a rule, but it doesn't belong in this bill.

20 billion for food stamps. Before anyone gets up in arms about me wanting kids to starve, if this program is getting stretched thin, then they need to look at how it is run. I found this on the internet. It has a chart of maximum amounts you can get based on number in family and income. One example, the maximum for 5 people in the household (same as I have), is 643 dollars. I make what I consider to be a fairly good living, and we budget 200 dollars a month for groceries. Now, that is low end, because we choose to put money on other budget things, and we could definitely spend more. But 643 dollars as a monthly grocery budget is frivilous. Flat out frivilous and irresponsible. The fact of the matter is, if we needed to, we could survive on less (and I don't mean just eating ramen). 200 dollars a month is eating well, but making choices, and shopping sales etc. I in no way support 20 billion more to food stamps, not until there is a complete overhaul of their evaluation system, then if they still need more money, I would be behind it.

11.1 billion, other unemployment compensation, I don't even know what that means, they already added more on for unemployment insurance.

29 billion on education programs. This is not an education bill, its supposed to be stimulus. I don't care if the programs are awesome, this is the wrong place.

20.2 billion to the Dept. of Health and Human services. Their budget is wildly bloated if they actual can claim to need 20 billion more. I would love to know what they specify this money is needed for.

5.6 billion in expanding broadband. Again, this is not stimulus. It can be argued (and is elsewhere on this blog), whether its something the feds should get involved in, but certainly not in a stimulus bill.

3 billion in research grants. Wrong place, period.

40.8 billion in health insurance assistance for the unemployed. This looks like an end run frankly. I'm not sure exactly how or in what way this is supposed to be implemented, they already have 90 billion in temporary federal medical assistance (I assume medicaid and medicare).

So, just those things are 165 billion dollars. None of which I see as even remotely stimulus. Oh well, whats done is done. But I don't like how it was done.

The dangers of Nitrous Oxide

Three things so far.

So, Obama has been in place for a few weeks now. Personally I think the whole first 100 days idea is pretty dumb, because I don't think any presidency can or should be judged on their first 100 days, but that is a different rant.

Anyway, I wanted to comment on three things I have seen so far, and how I judge the administration on those.

First, I was ecstatic to see that the Obama administration is taking the BLM by the scruff of the neck and shaking some sense into them. Now, I may not agree with the reasons, I think Obama's administration will be more against domestic drilling as a blanket stance, and that isn't my opinion on it, however, I do love the fact that they are going to hold the BLM to the rules and regulations that are already in place to protect natural resources. Utah's BLM in particular has been running roughshod over regulations playing fast and loose with rules that I frankly agree with that require certain levels of research and discretion with our natural resources. No more energy corporation rubber stamps from Utah's BLM. I give the Obama administration an A+ on this one. Good job.

Second, Obama has been talking a lot about the new stimulus package, and how it must be passed now. My opinion is similar, I do think a stimulus package is necessary, and I do think the quicker the better. However, I think it does require a big level of scrutiny to make sure this doesn't become (or isn't already) a big Christmas tree for everyone to hang their own pet projects on. I do not think rhetoric like mentioning how many people will lose their jobs every day this package is debated is helpful, or productive. I think it is a bullying tactic to get Republican Senators to pass the bill and shut up about those parts they think are excessive, or unhelpful because they aren't actually stimulus. So, I agree there needs to be a stimulus, but I am very disappointed by the tone of the rhetoric that seems to be trying to stifle debate in a hurry up don't pay attention to the man behind the curtain, because this is important, way. Because of the importance of the issue, and how much I hate that kind of rhetoric: D+

Third, I am conservative, I do like the idea of smaller government in areas that I don't think the government is necessary. Case in point. Obama is talking about trying to take broadband internet access to everyone in America. Now, in theory I think it would be great if everyone had access to broadband internet. In fact, I thought it was a great investment for all of the Utah communities to decide to get on the wagon for the Utopia project. But, that is my point, I thought it was a great idea for the communities. I in no way think it is a good idea for the federal government to get involved in providing access to the internet for all citizens. This is not a vital bit of anything. Are there benefits to having the internet, sure, but I don't think they are a federal government interest. I remember that I was the first person in my family to have a private email address, and it was only a few months before I left on my mission, so, I do know that one can get along without the internet all together, let alone high speed broadband access. For going off on a completely uneccessary tangent that is stupid, and is nothing the federal government should be getting involved in: F.

So, not a lot of surprises so far. Because of our differences on what government should be involved in, there are sure to be lots of disagreements between me and this administration, but I like to give credit where it is due, and hope that good decisions keep coming.

Adoption

So, Thomas and Erin are trying to adopt. They have gone through all the paperwork etc., and are now just in the waiting stage through LDS social services. Apparently at this point, there is a lot to do with who the birth mother wants to choose, so PR is a big deal. Thus I am posting a link to their adoption bio via lds social services, if you happen to know anyone, link to here, or send them here.

Wall E

So, I know I am way behind, but we just saw Wall E this last weekend. So, here's the review.

Wall E *****

I loved this movie. It was funny, touching, and completely entertaining. It was amazing how much emotion Pixar conveyed with the robots who spoke only a couple of words. Wall E may be the most loveable animated character I have ever seen. Completely wonderful movie. Most likely the best movie of 2008 (I loved Dark Knight, don't get me wrong, but I think I'll have to say that it was merely a very close second place in '08)

Anyone who hasn't seen it (which I don't know if there is anyone left, it may have just been me and Alisa), you need to see this as soon as you can, it was great.

Movie Reviews

The Forbidden Kingdom ***
I remember when this one came out in theaters, I thought it looked intriguing. It stars Jet Li and Jackie Chan, as well as the kid who played Jack's son on Will and Grace. It is about a kid who finds a staff that takes him back to ancient China. I know what you are thinking, you've seen/heard/watched a movie like this before. And you are right, it isn't very original. But what it is, is made well. And it has some surprisingly good actors doing it. I like both Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and they can definitely make an exciting fight scene. It has a lot of top notch people working on the movie as well, and was mostly filmed in China, some very, very pretty backdrops. Anyway, I found it funny, interesting, and an enjoyable watch. Nothing objectionable, Alisa and I were both struggling to figure out why the PG-13, even the 'reasons' given on IMDB are stretching it big time. All around good movie.

Horton Hears a Who ***

I don't think I liked this as much as the kids did, but it was because of their enjoyment that I give it 3 stars. Its a cute little movie based on the Dr. Seuss book. Jim Carrey, Steve Carrell, and several other names you would know, including my favorite one in the film, Carol Burnett as the evil Kangaroo. It was cute and fun and like I said, the kids loved it.

Pirates of the Caribbean 3 ** 1/2
I found this to be the weakest of the trilogy. It still has some good action, and I liked Chow Yun Fat in it. I continue to find Davy Jones the most interesting of the characters, and found myself by the end hoping that he and Calypso would end up together, kind of winning. But, alas, no one kills Keira Knightly, who is at her most annoying in this movie. And I think of Orlando Bloom like I always do, unless you are an elf, you need to stay out of movies altogether. Depp was good, and I enjoyed the fact that Keith Richards showed up. So, it was a pleasant enough diversionary movie, but I thought it really was a disappointment after 2, which was my favorite of the 3.

FINALLY.

So, finally a judge has ruled (at least on a temporary basis), that you cannot flout the law, and get away with it. Go here to read the full story.

The Bill Barret Corporation, with the aid of the BLM has been busy destroying resources left and right to get to some natural gas in the most invasive and harmful way possible. And now, a temporary restraining order has gone into place stopping the further development (or sale) of new leases in Nine Mile, and other possibly sensative sites.

To be clear, and to have full disclosure. I have no problem with domestic drilling. I do think that it is a short term solution, that isn't as important as many others think, but I do not think there is any real reason to block domestic drilling. I do, however, have a problem with going after natural resources in an irresponsible manner. I do not believe that the government should rubber stamp the path of least resistance for a company to get to the resources. I don't think we should give the okay to the most irresponsible way of extracting those resources so that the company can save a few bucks. And I especially do not believe that the required safeties, and hoops that are supposed to be jumped through should be ignored, or side stepped to green light a project.

Also, I, and my family, have enjoyed Nine Mile Canyon for decades. It is, in my opinion, one of the top 2 or 3 greatest most amazing sites in Utah. My uncle has been the BLM archaeologist there for decades, and my aunt is the head of the Nine Mile Canyon coalition and quoted in the above article.

The BLM has been underhanded, deceitful, and duplicitous throughout this entire process. And to say that I believe that there are corrupt individuals on the local level in this organization would be an understatement.

There are only a few corporations that I feel are truly evil (I'm not one of those big evil corporation people, I like corporations, they create jobs, and make stuff, etc..), but my top four in no particular order would be C&H (yes, the sugar people), Uncle Ben's, Dole, and the Bill Barret Company.

I'm sure there are worse ones, but this is my list, go make your own.

It will continue.

So, apparently on Friday Tom Hanks opined on how un-American Mormons are. Or at least those who voted for Proposition 8. I won't bother to quote him, for those interested in the story, you can go here.

I will forego the discussion of whether its ever unamerican to vote, but will point to a different point I want to make.

I first heard about this while we were discussing the Joseph Smith lesson. And the first thing that came to my mind was a quote from the Prophet.

The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.

This isn't a list of hypotheticals, nor is it symbolic. I truly believe these things have, are, and will continue to happen. Calumny has been, and will continue to be used to defame the Church. The point that I made in Elder's Quorum today was that we have a choice. We can either choose to follow as the work of God goes forth boldly, nobly, and independent, or we can choose to be ashamed of our testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately more and more people in positions where their words will be heard will choose to badmouth the Church. I say this not as a position of victimhood. I say it as a statement of how I see reality. I am disappointed that Hanks chose to take this stance, I have been a big fan of his work, but more importantly been a fan of his dedication to remembering the veterans of WWII. Being an actor doesn't give one common sense, or intelligence, nor does fame, but, I have enjoyed his work for WWII monuments, etc..

I am glad that in a world of constantly shifting values, I know exactly where I stand.

The end of his era.

So, as I drove home last night, I heard a good portion of Pres. Bush's farewell speech. I have to admit I liked it. There has been so much acrimony, so much divisive anger over the last eight years, I have become fairly dismissive and cynical about politics as a whole. Much of the animosity directed at Pres. Bush is in reaction to some policies and practices that caused anger. I think that the best that can really be said about this administration is that they did a mediocre job at an incredibly difficult time. But, as I have mentioned before, I think the reaction from the left has been unreasonable and overreaching.

As I listened to him speak, admit mistakes, and talk about his reasons for doing what he did, I came to a conclusion. I truly believe that he based his decisions on what he felt was best for the country. Was he always right, no. Did he surround himself with people whose interests were contrary to those of the country, absolutely. I think that he had many people telling him things that were calculated, and meant to steer him down a path that was not best.

Does this excuse the mistakes, and the problems of this administration, no. But as I listened to Pres. Bush speak, I once again felt sorry for this country. People revel in their hatred of him. They excuse it, and their reactions to him, blaming him for how they act and speak.

Anyway, just my thoughts of Bush as he exits.

Movie Reviews: Get Smart, Indiana Jones.

So, I caught up on two other movies I didn't get in theaters.

Get Smart: ***1/2

I really enjoyed this movie. I thought Steve Carrell was very funny, and likeable. The Rock was great, Anne Hathaway was really good (and I have hated her in movies before *cough* The Princess Diaries *cough*) It was just what it intended to be, funny. I could definitely hope for a sequel here, it was a fun watch, recommended.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: *** 1/2

I went into this having heard mixed reviews. I will start out by stating that I think that this movie fell victim to the same thing as the first three episodes of Star Wars, too much anticipation. Expectations were raised, flaws in earlier movies are downplayed as the epic nature of those movies are cemented in the mind. This Indiana Jones movie was good. It wasn't the best of the four, but I don't think it was necessarily the worst either (bear in mind, being the worst I.J. movie wouldn't necessarily be bad). I have heard criticism about too much blue screen vs. old school doing actual stuntwork (reasonable critique). And complaints about the alien nature of the story (a complaint that I don't agree with, Indy is always about supernatural, I didn't find this too far off the beaten path for him). In this one he is up against Soviets instead of Nazis, but it still works. Good performances by Cate Blanchett, and Shia Lebouf, and the chick from the first Indy is still unattractive, but thats okay too. You should see this if you haven't.

Luxury. Yeah, I can get behind that.

So, on Monday the Jazz played the Indiana Pacers. Nothing unusual about that you say, but you would be wrong. My Dad had been gifted by his company with a couple tickets to their luxury box. Being the only sibling that really follows non-soccer sports, I got the nod.

Wow.

So, we got their and hung our coats up in the private luxury box closet, next to the private luxury box bathroom (that, creepily enough, had a mirror that covered the entire wall you faced while standing up to pee, so, yeah, that was a little wierd).

We then proceeded to feast on appetizers (I came straight from work, so was a bit hungry by this point, 7pm), they had chips and guac, shrimp cocktail, fried shrimp, some sort of asian salad, and hand munchies, like party mix and nuts, and m&ms. Got myself a drink out of the fully stocked fridge, and started watching the starting lineup, etc.. The game started, and our personal chef came in (you read that right). You could then go up to him and direct him in making a personal serving of stirfry, which was quite tasty. I took my plate and went to sit on my well padded luxury box seat to watch the game. Okur played awesome, which is good because he is on my fantasy basketball team, and the first half was great, food in hand that was free, comfortable padded seat, etc.. Then came halftime.

A nice young woman came in and announced that the dessert cart was here, if we would like to come out and select something. There was tiramisu (which I personally find repellent), tarts, pastries, cheesecake with fresh blueberries, chocolate mousse cake, key lime pie, and the biggest slices of carrot cake ever. I love carrot cake, so I went that route. A couple more bottles of ice cold water from the fridge as I sat in the second half eating my carrot cake on my well padded seat completed the evening as the Jazz went on to win the game.

On top of all of this, Will had given me a hint on the greatest parking spot ever which got us out of the game and home in like 35 minutes.

Thanks Dad, you're awesome.

I'll never be able to satisfactorily watch a Jazz game again.

I am going to hate the next 8 years (at least in part).

Lets face it, I'm pretty convinced that the next 8 years will all be Obama presidency years. That being said, I'm going to loath them. Hold up, not for the reason you may think. I'm not going to hate them because Obama will be president, no. I am going to hate this continuation of what the Dems have been doing for the last 8 years.

For the last eight years, Democrats as a whole, and definitely as an entity, have rejoiced at every stumble, have cheered every misstep, and have basked in the perceived glory of anything that has happened to degrade, denounce, or attack the current president. It is a level of classlessness that is completely unparralleled in my experience.

I found it sickening. Did I like W? No, I think he is at the best, a mediocre president, that performed less than stellar during a very difficult 8 years. But it doesn't bring me joy to say that I think he failed in many ways. I don't say it with an 'I told you so' grin on my face. I refuse to join that mob as it forms beginning January 20th, as I can promise you it will. Except now it will be made up of Republicans, waiting with baited breath at any problem that comes up, almost hoping for problems, so they can point and snicker at Obama.

Now, to be clear, I didn't want him to be President. There are basic principles that we disagree about. I didn't vote for him, and wouldn't. That having been said, I hope and pray for his success. Its my country he will be leading, his failures will be our failures, and his success' ours. I want him to lead this country out of economic turmoil, I want him to make those policy decisions that will successfully fight world wide terror, and protect this country. Even when he does things I disagree with, I will hope that he does better.

I do not hate Barack Obama. I will not vilify anything he proposes, because he proposes it. I will not oppose him on some twisted principle. This is how I feel the Democrats have worked for the last 8 years. It has been one of the most disgusting displays I have ever seen, and I fear it has set a new standard, that the Republicans will be more than happy to live down to.

As he embarks on his first term, I will hope that it is successful, because I will gain nothing if he should fail.

Great article

I found this over on ESPN today. Its a great one. It points out many of the problems with the BCS. I always liked Reilly when he wrote for SI, he seems to be doing just as good over with ESPN.

Follow up on the last post.

So back in Oct., I beleive right after BYU lost to TCU I got the following email.

Danny boy,

My condolences. Last night your misguided notions and ill-founded fantasy world about byu football completely collapsed. Like your anemic rhetorical skills, the cougars were woefully inadequate. In short, byu SUCKS!!! Go UTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It came from someone named Jill Taylor, her(I assume) email is greenapple3@live.com.

I sat and puzzled it out, and couldn't for the life of me figure who she? is. So I sent the following email.

I have tried, and for the life of me can't figure out who you are. Where do we know each other from?

Dan

I thought that was pretty nice, after all, I have lots of friends who razz me if BYU loses, and I'm fine with it. Imagine my surprise when I get the following response.

A more enlightened source than you on several topics, including college athletics. That's who I am. Also one that has laughed at your insufferable blather in matters where you have paltry understanding. Don't bother yourself to know more; after all, facts are often contrary to your nature. Just know that humble pie down your gullet has been and continues to be highly entertaining. Thanks

Are you picking up the animosity? I sure did, and still have no idea what its source is. Apparently this person has disagreed with me before, I don't know if its from things I have posted on this blog, or others. I don't know if I even personally know this individual. So, I responded thusly.

Okay, whatever. Just for your own info, I really don't care about peoples opinions when I don't know them, or respect them. And since I have no idea if either would be the case with you, I won't have to worry about it.

Dan

I never heard back....until this morning. When I got this.

Any more room down your gullet for extra crow and humble pie? You and your laughable byu bias. Go UTES!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, I will tell you the same thing I told her(?). I sat in front of the TV and cheered Utah every play of that game, and loved seeing them beat up on a big SEC powerhouse. This proves to me that this individual has no idea how I stand on anything. I love seeing MWC teams do well, I have no raving Utah animosity. I only talk smack about Utah in relation to BYU. Do I have BYU bias? I hope so, I am a huge fan. Any fan that doesn't have at least some bias for their team isn't much of a fan.

So, I guess I will continue to wonder who this mystery emailer of anger filled barbs is, but I will sleep fine knowing that they clearly don't know me, as anyone who has even had a short conversation with me about college football, or read my posts, or replies on other people's blogs, knows where I stand with Utah football, or any MWC team.

Congrats Utes, your win was huge, it was great for the MWC, it was great for BYU, it was great for spitting in the BCS' eye. All wonderful goals.

The U. Wow, well done.

Unlike most U fans I run into, I actually want 'the enemy' to win. I didn't think the U would win, but that kind of wild optimism is for fans. But man, I watched the game, they kicked can. Frankly, unless Florida or Oklahoma blows the other out of the water, I think Utah should be number 1.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button **-****

Not sure how I feel about this movie, thats why the somewhere between 2 and 4 stars. It was incredibly well acted, and was an intriguing story, to say the least. I'll have to mull over it to decide how I feel though. Just saw it tonight.

If this is Ice Cream, what have I been eating all my life?

Holy cow. I just had cold stone creamery ice cream for the first time tonight. It was amazing. Best ice cream ever.