Many of you will remember actor/commenter Ben Stein (pictured in AP file photo) as the monotone science teacher in "Ferris Bueller's Day off." But did you know that he regularly visits Sandpoint? In a recent post for CBS News, Stein writes that he doesn't know how why gold prices are soaring while prices for everything else is stagnant. Or how the U.S. will keep Iran from having a nuclear bomb. Or why the U.S. Treasury is riding high when investors are nervous. Then he adds this: "I do know that on the south end of the railroad bridge across the mighty Pend Oreille River here in North Idaho, a family of osprey have built a magnificent, sturdy nest and sit unmoved as freight trains a mile long go by, shaking the whole town. I know they are fearless, majestic, a glory to see. They fly next to my little boat and dive on trout and bring them back to their nest, and I could watch them all day. I cannot figure out this wicked, cunning world of men"/Ben Stein, CBSnews.com. More here.

Question: Do you lose site of the beauty around us as a result of the various crises in this country and the world and the nastiness of partisan politics?