Shallow Cogitations

Cut Off Your Nose To Spite Your Face

2012-02-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

The Susan G. Komen organization recently decided it would no longer provide funding for breast cancer screenings and breast health education at Planned Parenthood. Here in Eastern Washington, a number of people are expressing their opinions on this decision which was made at the national level. Many are upset. As of this writing the national organization's blog is unavailable but their Facebook page is taking a beating.

So how did this happen? The organization has been taking a lot of heat since it began providing funding to Planned Parenthood back in 2005. The reason is that since Planned Parenthood provides abortions--in some states it's the only provider--the pro-life zealots associate Planned Parenthood with abortion even though overall abortion services consist of three percent of the services it provides. Regardless, the taint of abortion is unacceptable to some.

Enter the new vice president of the Susan G. Komen organization, Karen Handel. While running for governor of Georgia she posted this on her campaign web site.

First, let me be clear, since I am pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood. During my time as Chairman of Fulton County, there were federal and state pass-through grants that were awarded to Planned Parenthood for breast and cervical cancer screening, as well as a “Healthy Babies Initiative.” The grant was authorized, regulated, administered and distributed through the State of Georgia. Because of the criteria, regulations and parameters of the grant, Planned Parenthood was the only eligible vendor approved to meet the state criteria. Additionally, none of the services in any way involved abortions or abortion-related services. In fact, state and federal law prohibits the use of taxpayer funds for abortions or abortion related services and I strongly support those laws. Since grants like these are from the state I’ll eliminate them as your next Governor.

Even though she admits these grants did not go towards providing abortions, she would cut it off anyway just because Planned Parenthood provides abortion. Back in September, Rep Cliff Stearns, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations within the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, opened an investigation of Planned Parenthood (PDF). Stearns also headed up the Solyndra investigation. There's plenty of information about Solyndra on the Oversight and Investigations site, but nothing about the Planned Parenthood investigation. Regardless, the Komen organization created a new rule that it would not provide funding for any organization under investigation by local, state or federal authorities. So there we are.

Abortion is unacceptable for a lot of people. Consequently, they want nothing to do with any organization associated with abortion and work to shut them down. They can do that if they choose. But let's take this approach and apply it elsewhere. We can look at something else that's unacceptable and inarguably could never be justified by anyone--religious leaders preying on children. This is not unique to a particular faith and you can find a news article about it in the United States almost every day. If you find that reprehensible, why don't you work to shut churches down? If a fraction of pastors, monks, or priests molest young girls or boys, surely that's enough to warrant shutting down all churches, isn't it?

In Our Country's (Corporation's) Best Interests

2012-01-29T07:37:00.000-08:00

In today's Spokesman Review we have another article about a pipeline for transporting Canadian tar sands oil. Some excerpts and comments.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Canada’s national interest makes the $5.5 billion pipeline essential. He was “profoundly disappointed” that U.S. President Barack Obama rejected the Texas Keystone XL option but also spoke of the need to diversify Canada’s oil industry. Ninety-seven percent of Canadian oil exports now go to the U.S. (bolding mine)

Hence the reason for the Keystone XL pipeline to take it's oil to a port on the Gulf of Mexico or a port on the Pacific ocean where it can be shipped overseas. Right now Canada is stuck selling most of its oil to the U.S.

Meanwhile, China’s growing economy is hungry for Canadian oil. Chinese state-owned companies have invested more than $16 billion in Canadian energy in the past two years, state-controlled Sinopec has a stake in the pipeline, and if it is built Chinese investment in Alberta oil sands is sure to boom.

It's a simple supply and demand issue where those with greater demand will outbid others to get the oil they need. Canada knows this and wants to use it to its advantage.

But oil analysts say Alberta has enough oil to meet both countries’ needs, and the pipeline’s capacity of 525,000 barrels a day would amount to less than 6 percent of China’s current needs.

That's not the point. Canada doesn't want to supply the U.S. and itself. Canada wants top dollar for its oil and if China--or any other country--is willing to pay more than the U.S., then that is where the oil will go.

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers expressed her disappointment in President Obama's decision to delay the pipeline project.

This is a project that has bipartisan support, would create 100,000 jobs, and would reduce our dangerous dependence on Mideast oil.

First, the number of jobs she presents is totally bogus. It's more like 2,500 to 6,000. Second, since the purpose of the pipelines is to allow Canada to sell its oil anywhere it chooses as opposed to just the U.S., it isn't going to do squat to reduce our dependence on oil from the Middle East. Last of all, she never addresses the impact on the environment. Business is a privileged class for our politicians and the "government regulation impeding business" mantra is often used to distract from the reason for regulation--the protection of people and the environment.

Call it being deceitful, duplicitous, disingenuous or all of the above. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is not serving her district's or her country's best interests in this matter.

Lost Hearing Aid

2012-01-24T19:31:00.000-08:00

I went for a run following the route below today during lunch. Afterwards, I was just about to get in the shower when I reached to remove my hearing aids and discovered the left one was gone. Totally bummed out, I cleaned up, got dressed and traced by steps back to where I removed my hat on Riverside. No luck.

View Lunch 4.6 mile loop in a larger map

In the unlikely event someone should be out running along that same route, here's what it looks like. And don't get me started on the cost of these things. Believe me, I know all too well.

It looks just like this but with blue writing. My initials, H.G., are also printed on it.

What Goes Around, Comes Around

2012-01-24T19:08:00.001-08:00

For several years now, Kathy has decorated the yards of friends and relatives for their 40th and 50th birthdays. A couple of them struck back today, this being Kathy's 50th. They actually saved the decorations Kathy used for them and put them to use again.

How it looked when Steph got home.
The inside was made to look like there had been a party.
Steph made the recent WSU graduate a no sew fleece blanket.
Go Cougar!

Valentine's Day - A Day Of Purity

2012-01-22T07:05:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across this rather creepy video about a week ago. I took a look at the whole Day of Purity message sponsored by the Liberty Counsel, but watch the video first and see what message(s) you get from it.

The Purity Fact Sheet presents of number of "facts" that aren't so much after you look into them.

Teen virgins can expect an average income that is 16 percent higher than sexually active teens from identical socioeconomic backgrounds. This will mean an increased average salary of $370,000 over their lifetime according to the Heritage Foundation.

When a woman is married as a virgin, her divorce rate is 76 percent lower than a non-virgin. For men it's 63 percent lower, according to The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States.

Among those who have already lost their virginity, two-thirds wished they had waited longer to have sex (77 percent of girls and 60 percent of guys) according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

The Heritage Foundation study referenced by the first "fact" references another study and then draws conclusions as if the outcomes were strictly based on sexual behavior being the causal factor.

The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States sampled only 3,432 men and women whose birth year groups were divided up in 1933-42, 1943-52, 1953-62, and 1963-74. It does make the following statement:

But later on, after considering all the factors involved in the study, there is this statement:

Next, a survey by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in which 501 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 were asked questions.
I'm not saying the responses are false, but the important part that's missing are the reasons why they wish they had waited longer. As exciting and frightening the formative teen years are, one can imagine a number of reasons why someone who had sex at 12-17 years of age would wish they had waited. By the way, the respondents generally gave their sex education high marks, recommended waiting for sex until after high school, and said that sexually active teens should have access to birth control.

More from The Day of Purity fact sheet:

Every year on Valentine’s Day thousands of students participate in the Day of Purity in their schools, youth groups, and other public locations. Some people wear white shirts or wristbands to symbolize purity. Others pass out educational fliers to their peers or have a Father-Daughter event.

Leaving the "facts" aside, what I find disturbing is the emphasis on the young lady's purity. Sure, they want young men to wait until marriage as well, but the purity message overwhelmingly applies to the girl.

This video portrays the young lady as a temptress--not a particularly enticing one, but she's the one showing that opportunity awaits--and it's the creepy sounding bear acting as the young man's conscience reminding him of his responsibility to keep her pure until the big day. It's like girls can't help themselves and must be looked after to keep their purity intact. How demeaning.

So is the "Please use front entrance" sign on the door is an accidental double entendre?

Getting Ready For The New Year

2012-01-21T18:17:00.000-08:00

According to Steph's Justin Bieber calendar, Monday is the Chinese New Year.

"Oh my God can we make fortune cookies?"

Sure. What better way to bring on the Chinese New Year than to make a cookie characterized as "introduced by the Japanese, popularized by the Chinese, and consumed by Americans."

Pouring a circle of batter.
Adding the fortune before folding.
A glass is useful for the final fold.
Voila! Notice the cookie in the top right. Steph calls it the platypus cookie. When you remove the cookie from the sheet, it's very hot. You have to fold it quickly before it cools. I managed to fold it in half all the while feeling like my fingertips were burning off so it didn't make it to the final fold. By the way, these homemade cookies are very tasty, far better than the ones served in a restaurant.

Who Needs Cameras In Federal Court

2012-01-20T16:44:00.000-08:00

...when you can watch it all on the Puppet Court instead? The corruption trial of a county commissioner is brought to life via transcripts and puppets.

Ain't No Stoppin' Them

2012-01-20T16:11:00.000-08:00

Walkers. Runners. Doesn't matter.

Move To Amend - Occupy The Courts

2012-01-20T16:01:00.000-08:00

A pleasant yet vociferous group of protesters, part of Move to Amend - Occupy the Courts, gathered in front of the federal courthouse during the lunch hour today. I hope they generate enough interest to actually get our political leadership to actually do something about the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.

Josh's Birthday

2012-01-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

Josh turned 20 today. UW cancelled classes and HvZis delayed a week because of snow so he had plenty of time to do as he pleased today. But someone is looking out for him. Today he woke up to this:

Boarder Patrol

2012-01-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

Colbert Still Rocks

2012-01-15T20:02:00.000-08:00

Stephen Colbert and his Super PAC demonstrate the influence of unlimited money on elections thanks to the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

"Money equals speech, therefore, the more money you have the more you can speak ... That just stands to reason. That's why I believe in super PACs." - Stephen Colbert

Exploratory Trail Ride

2012-01-14T15:59:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing about the trails west of the Fairwood area for years now. All three of my kids have run these trails while on the Mead cross country team. So what better way to clear the mind after attending a town hall meeting than to go for a bike ride. I only drew the first part of the trail on the map. From there I went exploring.

View Fairwood-Little Spokane Area Trails in a larger map

One of the three switchbacks that take you down to the Little Spokane River area.

After descending the switchbacks, the bottom of the trail was ice covered. I stumbled across a number of babbling brooks that feed into the river. There's one right next to this. I straddled the bike and slid on my feet from the gate downward. It was strictly walkies on the return trip.

After crossing a bridge I headed north until I got to this sign. Not being that familiar with the area I decided to turn around. No sense making a property owner upset.

This photo doesn't really convey how steep this is. I was riding up this trail and when I got to the rock my front tire lifted off the ground. It's to be expected since my Elephant has a short wheel base. Anyway, the part of my brain connected to my left leg desperately trying to regain my balance by hopping backwards on the downward side of the trail was saying, "I got this. I got this." The part of my brain connected to the balance mechanisms in my inner ears laughed, "That's a losing bet." I landed on my back and the Elephant landed on top of me below that log on the left so I was hopping backwards for about eight feet. No bikes or cameras were injured. This trail turned out to be a mostly rideable loop with a couple of short technical parts I had to carry the bike through. But some fat tires and low gears should make short work of it.

One of those babbling brooks that seem to be everywhere.

Since it's a marshy area, there were parts of the trail that were ice covered. The icy parts in the trees were easier since they had pine needles and leaves stuck in them helping with traction.

Obligatory pretty bike photo shoot moment.

The Half-Million Dollar Senator

2012-01-14T12:34:00.000-08:00

I attended Senator Michael Baumgartner's town hall meeting at the MAC this morning. He was pleasant and respectful during the very informal meeting that lasted about 1-1/2 hours.

This isn't his chart but he was using to emphasis the same things we keep hearing about the budget. Government wastes too much money; we don't need to raise taxes; collective bargaining is bad for the budget; the budget has structural issues; government worker pensions are too expensive, etc. I asked him at which point the numbers on the chart were based on the assumptions listed below. He said the entire chart was based on assumptions. Setting that strong selling point aside I asked what the historical rate of increase of state revenue was. He said last year's was 7 percent but didn't have any more numbers.

Things got a little sidetracked towards the end. Would you believe Baumgartner supports the Ryan plan? Plus he thinks Social Security contributes to the deficit--it doesn't--and should be privatized but we shouldn't call it privatized. Call it giving people a choice, which would make sense if Social Security was an investment or a savings plan. It's not. What remains a mystery is how giving people a choice makes the program more sustainable.

You'd think there'd be more interest in Mike Baumgartner's town hall meeting since he and Chris Marr spent nearly a million dollars fighting for the seat. All told, there were a dozen people present to listen to a pleasant and respectful person put a sane face on Tea Party politics.

After installing Google Earth and checking out the new legislative district maps, I find I am soon to be transferred to Legislative District 7. Sigh.

Childless Couples Contribute To Society's Downfall

2012-01-14T07:21:00.000-08:00

Fresh on the heels of proposed legislation to allow same-sex marriage in the State of Washington, four Washington State Catholic Bishops released a letter entitled "Marriage and the Common Good - A statement on legislation to redefine marriage."

Some excerpts:

Marriage in faith and societal traditions is acknowledged as the foundation of civilization. It has long been recognized that the stability of society depends on the stability of family life in which a man and a woman conceive and nurture new life. In this way, civil recognition of marriage has sought to bestow on countless generations of children the incomparable benefit of a loving mother and father committed to one another in a lifelong union.

I'm curious as to the source of the statement that the stability of society depends on marriage that results in conception. Also note the emphasis on civil recognition of marriage which is not the same as religious recognition. Just because the state recognizes you as married, religious organizations don't have to if you're not a member.

Married couples who bring children into the world make particular sacrifices and take on unique risks and obligations for the good of society. For this reason the state has long understood that it has a compelling interest in recognizing and supporting these mothers and fathers through a distinct category of laws. Were the definition of marriage to change, there would be no special laws to support and recognize the irreplaceable contribution that these married couples make to society and to the common good by bringing to life the next generation.

Again the emphasis on married couples having children.

[Society] recognizes the value of marriage as a bond of personal relationships, but also in terms of the unique and irreplaceable potential of a man and woman to conceive and nurture new life, thus contributing to the continuation of the human race. A change in legislation would mean that the state would no longer recognize the unique sacrifices and contributions made by these couples, thereby adding to the forces already undermining family life today.

I think I see the problem here. It's the childless couples who are not doing their fair share to stabilize our society. Regardless of the reason for not having children, they are reaping the same legal benefits as married couples who have conceived and nurtured new life but without making the same sacrifices. The marriage rate in Washington state for 2010 is 6.0 for every 1,000 people. The 2010 divorce rate is 4.2 for every 1,000 people. What do those numbers mean? A lot of life-long unions aren't. But that's not news, is it?

I don't see stats on divorce rates for childless couples, but this is another area where they fail to do their part for society. Divorced childless couples don't have to make the same sacrifices when it comes to fighting over who gets the kids, when they get the kids, and explaining to the kids why mommy and daddy aren't together any more. Had they conceived the stability of our society would not be as imperiled as it is today. We need to do away with special laws that benefit childless couples who fail to make the irreplaceable contribution made by married couples who bring life to the next generation.

The letter in full - click to embiggen.

Downtown Today

2012-01-13T20:48:00.000-08:00

Readers
Runners
Riders
Grazers
More readers

Just Don't Capture The Moment

2012-01-13T06:13:00.000-08:00

Today's Review contains an article about the US trying to contain the damage from a video showing US Marines urinating on corpses.

As the video spread across the Internet in postings and re-postings, U.S. officials joined with Afghans in calling it shocking, deplorable, inhumane and a breach of military standards of conduct. It shows men in Marine combat gear standing in a semicircle urinating on the bodies of three men in standard Afghan clothing, one whose chest was covered in blood.

It’s not certain whether the dead were Taliban fighters, civilians or someone else.

...

“The danger is that this kind of video can be misused in many ways to undermine what we are trying to do in Afghanistan and the possibility of reconciliation,” [Defense Secretary Leon] Panetta said at Fort Bliss, Texas, adding it’s important for the U.S. to move quickly to “send a clear signal to the world that the U.S. will not tolerate this kind of behavior and that is not what the U.S. is all about.”

So let's review.

Enhanced interrogation - acceptable.
Urinating on corpses - unacceptable.
It's all about sending "a clear signal to the world that the U.S. will not tolerate this kind of behavior and that is not what the U.S. is all about."

Every Day Cyclist Feedback

2012-01-13T05:38:00.000-08:00

Catching the STA for the ride home after work yesterday evening, I sat next to a gentleman who looked at me and then pulled out the January issue of Out There Monthly. Pointing to the Every Day Cyclist piece, he asked if I wrote it. I told him I did.

It turns out he lives north of Spokane not far from me and he has always wished there was an easier way to get downtown by bike than following the busy arterials. He wants to ride his bike to the Centennial Trail and Fish Lake Trail instead of hauling it there by car.

He asked if there was a map of Spokane bike routes. The only maps I'm aware of are the master bike plan maps but they don't show routes, only roadways that have lanes, are shared, etc. It shows the overall plan but doesn't tell you the best way to get from one point to another. You're left to divine that for yourself or find out from someone with experience.

Since he was stoked to learn there was a good route to follow from his home to Riverfront Park, I offered to draw it up on Google maps and email the link to him. Having done so, here's the map for anyone else who cares.

View North Spokane Bike Route in a larger map

Sen Baumgartner Town Hall Meetings

2012-01-12T06:24:00.000-08:00

My state senator is holding two town hall meetings this Saturday. One is out at Eastern University, well outside District 6, and the other is at the MAC.

The first town hall will be at 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 14 in the Multipurpose Room (PUB 101) at Eastern Washington University in Cheney. This meeting will be hosted by the Associated Students of Eastern Washington University.The second town hall is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 14 at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane. The address is 2316 W. 1st Avenue.

I think I can make the second meeting.

Not The Family Feud

2012-01-10T20:44:00.000-08:00

You have until Jan 25 to participate in a survey by one Steve Beren, a former antiwar activist and socialist who is now a patriot and a Christian, concerning the GOP picks for this election year.

1. AGREE or DISAGREE? "President Obama is not just an average statist progressive liberal Democrat. He is one of the worst presidents ever. We can't have him making the Supreme Court nominations through January 2017. We can't have him holding a veto pen when Congress repeals Obamacare in early 2013. We should support our favored candidate in the primary/caucus process, but once a GOP candidate wins the nomination, we should unite to support that candidate as superior to Obama, even if the GOP nominee is not our first choice, and even if we disagree with the nominee on some important issues."

2. AGREE or DISAGREE? "The effort to repeal and defund Obamacare will be a central 2012 campaign issue. There should be no federal or state mandates forcing people to buy healthcare insurance. The GOP needs a presidential candidate in 2012 who can persuasively, articulately, and effectively lead the effort to repeal Obamacare. We need a candidate whose candidacy would convincingly embody the citizens' opposition to government-run healthcare."

3. AGREE or DISAGREE? "President Obama lacks a victory strategy in the war imposed upon us by the pro-terrorist, anti-liberty, caliphate-seeking Islamic fascist political movement. The GOP needs a candidate who supports the traditional pro-liberty, morality-based conservative foreign policy of Reagan to reverse the Obama foreign policy of apology, weakness, retreat, appeasement, decline, and defeat."

Survey says? It's a bit over the top.

In The Alleyway

2012-01-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

Steph says this is frightening.
Steph says this is cool.

Who You Talkin' To?

2012-01-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

Cathy McMorris Rodgers is upset and had this to say on her Facebook page.

Like many of you, I oppose President Obama's unprecedented recess appointment of Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - I believe it is all too indicative of this President's unwillingness to work with Congress. At a time when the American people are demanding bipartisan solutions, the President couldn't have picked a worse way to start the New Year. It's time for the President and Congress to work together to address America's problems because that's the only way we're going to solve them.

Our congresswoman is severely bothered that President Obama is unwilling to work with a Congress which has been rendered incapable of legislating by a Republican party that is solely focused on making Obama a one term president and ensuring the One Percent get to keep their money all the while pretending to look out for you and me.

Not only did Obama do a recess appointment of Richard Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which is not able to completely function without an appointed director. He also appointed three people to the National Labor Relations Board which was unable to function as of January 3 when the term of one of it's members--a recess appointment from last year--ended and left it with only two people. (The Supreme Court ruled that a quorum of three is required.) With a full board it is ready to continue its work. The CFPB can now do its job of protecting consumers in the "shadow" banking arena and announced it will begin examining payday lenders and others outside the banking industry.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers is not pleased with this. Not pleased at all. Apparently she would prefer that Senator Mitch McConnell continue his filibuster of these appointments, as he has been doing for quite some time now. Recess appointments are not common, but only because the Senate has rarely been involved in a determined effort to prevent a president from making any appointments. Here is the result of such an effort since Mitch McConnell took over as Senate Minority Leader with the 110th Congress.

A cloture is the only procedure by which the Senate can vote to place a time limit on consideration of a bill or other matter, and thereby overcome a filibuster. In the meantime, around fifty people nominated for federal judge positions wait...and wait...and wait as McConnell and his fellow Republican party senators filibuster without speaking.

McMorris Rodgers is right. It is time for the President and Congress to work together to address America's problems. But I get the impression she's not directing her remarks to her own party.

Downtown Spokane Today

2012-01-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

Seems you can't go anywhere without someone pointing a camera at you.

Surprise!

2012-01-03T20:32:00.000-08:00

Last night my mom called up. She's been sick and was started on an antibiotic the day before and now she was having a reaction to the medicine. It was late and Kathy, being the good nurse, wife, and daughter-in-law, recognizing that I had to work in the morning and she didn't, volunteered to pick up some Benadryl and bring it over. Yes, my wife is an angel. She left and I went to bed.

When I woke up this morning I saw that the other half of the bed was empty. There had been no phone calls during the night so I assumed Kathy stayed with my mom. Like I said, she is an angel.

The garage door opened at 6:15 this morning, signalling me that Kathy was home. She walked in carrying a few groceries and wearing a big smile. I asked if she spent the night at mom's and if everything was okay.

I spent the night at the casino.

Uh...what?

I made sure your mom was doing okay after giving her the Benadryl. It was about 11:00 when I left and I thought, "I'm not that far from the casino."

Call me strange, but when I'm leaving my mom's house in the West Central area, that is not the first thought that comes to my mind. And then she gives me the good news.

I won six hundred dollars!

Not only is that good news, it's also very unusual. As in, it's never happened before.

Do you want a hundred dollars? I can give you a hundred bucks if you want.

Sure, who doesn't want a hundred bucks. She hands me a crisp Ben Franklin.

I'm going to bed and get some sleep. You have a good day at work.

I kissed her goodbye and headed out to the park 'n' ride to catch my bus. But I had this nagging feeling. I sensed something was wrong and then it finally dawned on me. Maybe some of you readers picked up on what is wrong here.

Washington is a community property state. I should get half.

Oh, and mom is doing better.

No Need To Know The Words

2012-01-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

I saw this a few days ago and it kept popping up in my head so maybe posting it will help me think of other things. I love the antics of bass and piano players.

Extending The Children Of the Sun Trail

2012-01-01T08:52:00.001-08:00

Progress on the North-South Corridor continues and yesterday, while taking my new ride out for a spin, I happened to check out the new section of North-South Corridor roadway that's going to connect Highway 395 with Highway 2 and the existing NSC roadway. In doing so I discovered that the Children of the Sun Trail will continue to run parallel to the NSC all the way to the Village Centre Cinema at Wandermere. I stumbled upon the trail where Pittsburgh ends a block north of Northwood Middle School.

Looking west on the trail from Pittsburgh. There will eventually be a chain link fence separating the trail from the roadway.

A pleasant downhill going towards Wandermere.

From here you can turn down Wandermere Road or continue onwards on the left.

End of the trail. Welcome to the movies. Note that to the right is a controlled intersection so you can get across Highway 395 and head towards the Mead High School area or northwest to Mill Road.

At the other end, there's a trail head on the north side of the NSC connecting to Shady Slope Road. There are two paths to take from here. Going left takes you to an underpass.

The underpass gets you on the south side of the NSC.

Giving kids who live on the north side of the NSC a safe way to get to Farwell Elementary and Northwood Middle Schools. Nice.

Following the right side path from the Shady Slope trail head takes you across Highway 2 and to this bridge crossing Farwell Road and connecting to the existing trail. As you can see, the danger signs probably refer to the fact that the sides of the bridge are not completed.

All of the trail is paved except for a section that runs parallel to the NSC from Farwell school to Pittsburgh. In the meantime you can dump out at Farwell school, follow Center west to Pittsburgh, turn right and get back on at the end of the road. Even though the roadway and trail are not officially open to traffic yet, there was no shortage of runners and dog walkers making use of them yesterday. Hopefully that will increase once it's open.

Houses by Wandermere Golf Course in the shadow of a NSC bridge.

Is This Idaho?

2012-01-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

We have a lot of clocks in the house. They are all functional but many of them are primarily decorative. I just noticed that I did not change the time on the clock in one bathroom nearly two months ago when we returned to Daylight Wasting Time. So far nobody has come rushing out of that bathroom claiming to be late nor has anyone remarked on the incorrect time. Just in case I suppose I could leave the clock alone and hang a sign on the door.

A New Steed In The Stable

2011-12-31T14:06:00.001-08:00

I bit the bullet and ordered a bike from Glen. I picked it up last Monday and today was my first opportunity to take it out. I have to say, Glen makes a helluva bike.

An Elephant in it's natural habitat.
I'm not a gear head so you're not going to hear me talk about frame geometry, gear ratios, components or the like. It's better to leave that to people in the know. But I can tell you that I took this out on trail and asphalt and it was the most comfortable riding bike I've ever been on. It handled great on the trails and I was struck by the improvement in maneuverability over my road bike. Cyclocross racing is going to be even more fun next fall.

Approaching my exit.
Bucket O' Elephant.

The Boogeyman Is Out To Kill You In Your Car

2011-12-31T07:31:00.000-08:00

In today's Spokesman Review we have an article by Steve Johnson about hi-tech vehicles being vulnerable to hacking. The article was originally published in the San Jose Mercury news three days ago.

Fear is a strong attention getter so what better way to get the reader's attention than this:

Imagine this nightmarish possibility: al-Qaida terrorists remotely disabling the brakes on thousands of cars racing down a Bay Area freeway during the morning commute, leading to massive chaos, death and destruction. Implausible? Maybe not, some experts warn.

Let me rephrase that.

Imagine a group of low-tech religious fanatics notorious for once using box cutters to take over four planes and killing themselves and their passengers by flying them into buildings now disabling the brakes on thousands of cars by remote control, leading to massive chaos, death and destruction. Does that seem reasonable or probable? Some experts say maybe so.

Really? It's interesting that we tend to think something is more likely to happen just because we can imagine it happening. After imagining this "nightmarish possibility" it now seems more likely, doesn't it? Well, please, think again.

Don't Do The Crime If You Can't Do The Time

2011-12-30T06:08:00.000-08:00

Shawn Vestal tells a sympathetic story in today's Review. In a truly generous and worthy cause, a gentleman dressed as Santa and accompanied by family members dressed as elves delivered presents to St Margaret's Shelter. The problem is that he got a $450 ticket for parking in a spot reserved for the disabled.

At first, Finn pulled up in front of the shelter on Hartson, but was told it would be better to leave that spot – the closest to the front door – open. He pulled into the empty parking lot – and into one of three open handicapped spots.

Understandably, a lot of people are upset at the perceived unfairness of this situation. Surely someone who is doing something so kind and wonderful--and it is--should not be punished for parking in a disabled-reserved parking spot.

Does the law apply equally to us or do we make exceptions for certain people? (I'm leaving out the law as it applies to the 1%.) Maybe I should rephrase. Should the law apply equally to us or should we make exceptions for certain people? Who will decide what those exceptions are? Would that be fair?

It's not like Finn had no place to park. He could have returned to the slot out front and told the people inside that it was the only one available. Regardless, he chose to park where he did.

Sitting through several sessions of a commissioner presiding over parking tickets--and suffering through a painful experience of my own--I learned that the only way you can have the ticket thrown out is if you can prove you did not violate the law. Ignorance of the law is no excuse and motivations and excuses have no part in it. The commissioner is permitted to reduce the fine for mitigating reasons so maybe Finn can have the fine reduced. But the most it can be reduced is by one-third unless the rules have changed within the last year. I'm pretty sure Finn is looking at at least a $300 fine.

While this all makes for good press and garners sympathy for Finn, I think he should pay the fine. It would be nice if other generous people chipped in to help him out. I'm willing to throw in a ten spot.

Wearing Thin

2011-12-26T11:42:00.001-08:00

I've been feeling restless because I haven't run since last Thursday so I headed out today for an easy 4-1/2 miles. It felt great to get out. The Vibrams have held up pretty well after 16 months of use. I don't keep track of my miles so I have no idea how many they've done. If I was to use the Texas Official Scale of Measurements then I'd say it was a shitload.

Overall the wear patterns are pretty symmetrical except for my right heal. It has more wear than my left heel. Curious, I checked my soles. The skin on my right heel is thicker than the skin on my left heel. Whatever I'm doing wrong, I'm being consistent about it.

A Mellow Christmas

2011-12-26T11:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a lot fun for us this year. We kept it quiet and laid back, interrupted only with intense games of RoboRally.

Their excitement was almost too much to bear.

Geoff getting into the spirit.

Josh knows just what to use this for.

Shades of A Christmas Story
You'll shoot your eye out, kid.

No sign of 31+ years of marriage taking a toll on Kathy.
She's as beautiful as ever.

Don't Feed Into It

2011-12-24T06:38:00.000-08:00

Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers has posted another survey on her site.

A new session of Congress will start in January, and we have a full plate of issues to work on. Please fill out this survey to let me know your views and opinions.

Yep, a full plate. As if they cleared anything off their plate during this last year. Well, they did stop the EPA from regulating farm dust even though the EPA had no intentions of doing so. Anyway, check out the wording of the questions and answers. I'm going to touch on some of them.

If you can only choose one, then how about using radio buttons instead of check boxes? Although the input text box for Other is very small, you do get a maximum of 2048 characters to add comments about working WITH the opposition, being LESS ideological, to STOP ignoring science, etc.

Simple and false either-or answers that do not resolve a complex problem. By the way, Social Security does not contribute to the deficit.

Yes, we know you voted to repeal health care reform. The Congressional Budget Office said repealing the law would increase the deficit. Repealing health care reform would allow insurance companies to deny coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and leave 32 million people without health care.

The Keystone XL pipeline is designed to bypass oil refineries in the Midwest where it must be sold in the US and take it straight to a Foreign Trade Zone on the Gulf Coast where it can be exported tax free. And that is the stated intent by Canada, the seller, and Valero, one of the largest potential buyers.

You can check both answers to this question. But notice the question is about gun ownership, not gun control. Gun control comes up is when we talk about adding checks or restrictions to buying guns after some nutcase goes on a shooting spree. In response, some legislators want to allow college students to carry guns on campus and the like. As well armed as this country is, carrying more guns around will make us safer.

Right.

Our fair congresswoman co-sponsored the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011--passing the House last month--which would override state laws (whatever happened to state's autonomy and reducing federal regulations?) and requires states to honor concealed weapon permits from other states. If the Senate passes this, look for a huge uptick in applications in state(s) where it's really easy to get a concealed carry permit.

None of the answers directly answer the question of placing more restrictions on abortion. Unfortunately, there is no Other box to comment on defunding Planned Parenthood so they can't use federal funds for providing abortions which they already do since they can't use federal funds for providing abortions. But let's not let be bothered with pesky facts.

Overall, this survey is feedback to feed the talking points. Write a letter instead.

Another Email Scam

2011-12-21T20:23:00.000-08:00

I received this interesting email purporting to be from an agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigations. The attachment contained a note telling me a Visa cash card loaded with money and addressed to me had been intercepted by customs and I needed to email the agent to make the necessary arrangements to get my millions. I was curious as to what the scam was because there was no mention of payment for anything so I emailed the so-called agent--at his New Zealand email address.

No reply. Bummer.

Then I received another one of a similar nature.

Ah, so that's the deal. I would have to pay a mandatory fee to have the card sent to me. Like that's gonna happen.

A Falsehood About A False Vote

2011-12-21T19:13:00.001-08:00

On her Facebook page, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers is trying to blame stubborn Senate Democrats for failing to extend the payroll tax holiday. I guess she has no quarrel with the thirty-seven stubborn Republican senators who followed suit.

But here is what she's not sharing with her constituents.

The bill that was brought to a vote was simply a procedural ploy by Speaker Boehner that allowed members to record a yes or no vote and kill the bill regardless. A "yes" vote called on a conference committee to be established while rejecting the Senate bill. A "no" vote rejected both establishing the conference committee and the Senate bill. The Republican House leadership did not give the Senate bill a fair vote because no matter how the representatives of this extremely tarnished institution voted, the bill would be rejected. So...yeah...that's moving the process forward...in a backwards sort of way.

Downtown Today

2011-12-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

A suspicious package left in front of the Post Office.
Sheriff's helicopter looking for bodies in the river.
Pigeons watching from a safe roost.
An unperturbed, well-trained canine waits patiently
outside Riverfront Park Square.

Tebow Time

2011-12-18T04:58:00.000-08:00

I'm not a huge football fan but you have to be living off the grid to not hear about Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos quarterback who makes sure everyone is aware of his religious faith. I've only watched one Broncos game this year and that's because I was visiting friends who are longtime Broncos fans. I am impressed that Tebow is willing to take so much punishment while running the ball, but I have to wonder how long that will last. Football is a brutal sport and professional players have their lifetimes considerably shortened for the privilege of submitting their bodies to weekly beatings.

Much has been said about Tebow's constant talk about his faith. Again, that's why you nearly have to be off the grid to now know about this. The first thing out of his mouth during the interview after every game is to thank his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Far be it from me to determine that a supreme being has taken an interest in the 2011 Denver Broncos making almost every game a tale of an underdog struggling against all odds and then prevailing in a near-miraculous victory. I'll leave that to the experts.

America loves a good story and Tebow--a misfit when it comes to the traditional NFL quarterback mold--and his team's success has been a great story. The team has obviously come together in a supportive congregation behind their quarterback. He's more than willing to put himself out there and lead the team, an unconventional quarterback running unconventional plays and getting results.

But people are starting complain about all the press Tebow is getting. That is not his fault nor is it a sign that people dislike or hate the man. It's a function of our media to entertain us. Tebow and his come-from-behind wins are the story for now. If not him, then perhaps we'd be hearing more about Aaron Rodgers and the Packers as they get closer to completing a just-as-miraculous undefeated season.

When you stop and think about it, what does it matter? It's football. It's entertainment. It's supposed to get you emotional. It's supposed to distract you from the important things in life. And it's working all too well.

Coolest Aunts Ever

2011-12-17T21:18:00.001-08:00

Janet and Judith, sisters of my mother, got together and put an assortment of items to help me with my run this morning. You'll notice a "55" theme in there. That's because I turn 55 tomorrow.

Hmmm, maybe the foot cream will reduce that collection of skin cells at the foot of my bed. Ew, gross, right? Yeah, that's why I threw that in there. The butt paste is hilarious. The weekly pill dispenser begs the question, "I have to take viagra every day?"

A huge thanks to my aunts for having a great sense of humor and thinking of me. (And for not telling stories about how they used to change my diaper.)

Pullman 50k

2011-12-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

The sun slowly ascended and finally peeked over the horizon when I arrived in Pullman this morning. I had signed up to run the Pullman 50k hosted by Scott McMurtry and Sadie the ultra dog. The cold wind had me shaking as I signed in. I quickly put on my running pants, jacket, hat and gloves to help stay warm as we waited for the start. The run follows a 7.75-mile loop which passed by the parking lot we started at so our vehicles could be our food/drink stops. Eric, a friend and longtime cycling commuter, was also there. He and I ran together for the first lap. While the pace felt comfortable enough, I suspected I was going faster than I intended. Since there were no mile markers we had no idea what our pace was until we finished the lap. 67 minutes. I was planning on 80 so I needed to back off a bit.

The route followed a bike path that was frosted for almost the entire way. The frost kept pace with the shade, receding to the edge of the asphalt path as the warming sun rose. I shed my running pants, hat and gloves after the first lap and traded my jacket for another shirt. I wore the second shirt during the parts of the course where the headwind was the worst. When I didn't need it I tucked it through my belt.

I let Eric go on ahead during the second lap and yet I still finished it in 73 minutes. For a change of pace and scenery, I ran the course in the opposite direction for the third lap. I got to say hi to all the 25k runners who started at 10:00 as well as see how all the other 50k runners were doing. A little over half way I developed a cramp in my left arch so I slowed down and tried to relax. It eased off after a couple of miles but then I started having sharp pains in my lower abdomen. It was strange because although it was in the area where I had a hernia repaired a year ago, I don't have a hernia. I finished the third lap in 80 minutes which was right on the pace I wanted.

Then I headed out for lap number four. I wasn't feeling well so I took it real easy and slow, waiting to see if the pain would go away. It didn't so after a mile I decided I would not enjoy another six-plus miles of that and turned back around. My total for the day was a little over 25 miles, well shy of the planned 31 but I'm happy with the decision I made.

I signed out and wrote down my time for three laps and headed over to the Palouse Falls Brewing Company for pizza and beer with the other runners. While there I got to meet Scott and several others, some of whom are with the running club sponsored by the brewery--the Beer Chasers. A very friendly and welcoming group. And the beer was great which made me feel even better about my decision to stop. I might do this one again. It's worth it alone for the beer and company.

50k runners just before their hours of suffering begin.

Taking The Pledge

2011-12-13T20:01:00.001-08:00

Newt Gingrich, apparently in an attempt to be the most poisonous Republican party presidential candidate, wrote a letter to The Family Leader expressing his support for the group's marriage vow. Read the marriage vow first. It covers a helluva lot more than just marriage.

Here's my favorite part:

Fierce defense of the First Amendment‟s rights of Religious Liberty and Freedom of Speech, especially against the intolerance of any who would undermine law-abiding American citizens and institutions of faith and conscience for their adherence to, and defense of, faithful heterosexual monogamy.

Yeah, this country is being ripped apart by those allegedly intolerant people who complain about extremely intolerant folks like this imposing their will on everyone else. But I digress.

Newt pledges to remain faithful to his third wife, Callista. Callista happens to be the woman he had an affair with while he was still married to his second wife. He was having an affair with her while he was investigating Bill Clinton for obstruction of justice and perjury during the Monica Lewinski scandal. But after two failed attempts, he has decided to stick with the beautiful blonde wife who is twenty years his junior. Nice.

TASER Guidelines

2011-12-11T12:03:00.000-08:00

I was reading the online copy of the Spokane Police Policy Manual (PDF) and the part covering the use of the TASER caught my attention.

Here's the stated purpose.

When properly applied in accordance with this policy, the TASER™ device (ECDElectronic Control Device) is considered a nondeadly control device that is intended to temporarily control a violent or potentially violent individual, while minimizing the risk of serious injury. It is anticipated that the appropriate use of such a device will result in fewer serious injuries to officers and suspects.

Although not absolutely prohibited, officers should give additional consideration to the unique circumstances involved prior to applying the TASER™ to any of the following individuals:

Here is one of the individuals where use of the TASER is not absolutely prohibited.

Passively resisting subjects.

Remember, the intended purpose of the TASER is "to temporarily control a violent or potentially violent individual, while minimizing the risk of serious injury."

Later on the policy states this:

The TASER™ shall not be used to torture, psychologically torment, elicit statements, or inflict undue pain on any individual.

That contradiction bothers me. Worse, after a careful read of the language in the entire policy on TASER usage, in my mind the police here can use the TASER just about any time they wish. Anybody could be described as potentially violent.

Information Just Wants To Be Free

2011-12-10T08:57:00.000-08:00

Last month the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held hearings on proposed legislation creatively entitled The Mobile Informational Call Act of 2011.

Essentially, a lot has changed since the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) was passed back in 1991. Many people have switched from land line telephones to mobile phones and the Act placed restrictions on calling mobile phones.

Rep Greg Walden, the subcommittee chairman, has this to say:

The thrust of the TCPA was to help protect consumers from unwanted telemarketing calls. The question now, however, is whether the TCPA is inadvertently preventing consumers from the convenience of getting other information they do want while they’re on the go with their mobile phones.

From the background memo:

The aim of the Mobile Informational Call Act of 2011 is to permit informational calls to mobile devices.

I still have a land line and I can tell you that I have yet to receive an informational phone call that I have wanted let alone found useful. Such useless calls would just waste minutes on my cell phone. And with every election season my answering machine fills up with information calls from non-profit political organizations who have been given free rein to pester me with such information whether it's misleading or not.

Anyone see the incongruity in this statement from the background memo?

Congress passed the Telephone Consumer Protection Act to protect telephone customers from intrusive telephone marketing while balancing those protections against the needs of businesses and non-profits to communicate and inform consumers. At the time, most states had rules restricting telemarketing practices, but Congress found that telemarketers used the interstate telephone system to evade those state-by-state restrictions.

Normally Republicans complain about the size and power of the federal government and claim they want to reduce it and give the states the power to decide for themselves. Years ago Congress found that telemarketers could evade state-by-state restrictions. But with health care the Republicans would like to allow health insurance companies to do that very same practice.

More from Weldon:

But it’s been twenty years since Congress passed the TCPA, and the world of telecommunications has changed. Back then, the only person with a cell phone was Gordon Gecko. Today, many American households have given up the landline and rely exclusively on wireless service. Back then, wireless customers paid higher per-minute rates to receive calls; now, most consumers have buckets of minutes so that receiving an additional call costs them nothing. Given these changes to the market, now seems like a good time to revisit some of the rules the TCPA put in place.

He's right that the issue should be revisited and I hope Congress is smart about this. (Wishful thinking on my part, eh?) It will be difficult to allow for the many type of cell phone plans. Not everyone has "buckets of minutes". Government agencies often have restrictions on how their cell phones may be used. People with prepaid phones would probably take exception having their minutes used up by information calls.

Weldon is not done yet.

Does the TCPA prevent consumers from receiving informational calls from their banks like fraud or low-balance alerts? Do the strictures of the TCPA and the FCC’s implementation of it make it too difficult for businesses to engage their customers and provide them valuable services? What is the proper role for states in protecting the privacy of telephone subscribers?

You'll notice he doesn't talk about non-profit political organizations being the primary source of informational calls. Like I indicated above, that's been my experience.

You know what else is missing? He doesn't mention job creators.

I'm Rick Perry...

2011-12-08T05:43:00.000-08:00

...and I will say anything to revive my failing campaign.

The Dangers Of Driving

2011-12-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

Not that it's official that allowing women to drive results in increased premarital sex maybe Kathy and I should have that "talk" with Stephanie.

You mean a seat belt and air bags aren't enough protection?

Ebenezer Newt

2011-12-04T06:05:00.000-08:00

Are there no prisons? And the union workhouses - are they still in operation? I help to support the establishments I have named; those who are badly off must go there.

Last month, Newt Gingrich had this to say about replacing unionized janitors at school with children who attend the school. He claims that children in the poorest neighborhoods are trapped in child laws that prevent them from earning money.

Most of these schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. The kids would actually do work, they would have cash, they’d have pride in the schools, they’d begin the process of rising. Get any job that teaches you to show up on Monday. Get any job that teaches you to stay all day, even if you’re having a fight with your girlfriend.

Apparently he only wants to lift up poor children who are lesbian or hetero male? Rather than a plan to help poor children, this sounds more like a bizarre attack on unionized school janitors. Regardless, the ridiculous nature of his proposal is yet another disconcerting highlight of the embarrassments known as the candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination. And we're talking serious candidates who will say anything--absolutely anything--in order to increase their appeal.

A couple days ago, Gingrich clarified those remarks by saying:

Really poor children, in really poor neighborhoods have no habits of working and have nobody around them who works so they have no habit of showing up on Monday. They have no habit of staying all day, they have no habit of "I do this and you give me cash" unless it is illegal.

So now he's creating a link between really poor children and crime. The FBI statistics show that crime has consistently been decreasing. I'm not sure what standard he uses to define really poor, let alone poor, but let's see what we get when we use the poverty level. Here's a chart from the Census Bureau (PDF) brief on child poverty in 2009 and 2010 in the richest country in the world. We have less crime but more poor children.

The number of children living in poverty has increased these last couple of years making one out of every five children a possible janitor in Newt's world. That's quite a work force he could mobilize and use to erase the powerful school janitor unions that disgust him so much.

Imagine how clean our schools would be if he put all those kids to work--as long as they weren't fighting with their girlfriends. Or cheating on their wives. Or getting married for the third time. Or admitting to violating House rules and paying $300,000 in sanctions in response to eighty-four ethics charges. It's important that these young people have good role models in their lives and develop that habit of "I do this and you give me cash" unless it is illegal.

I'm All For Killing Powerpoint

2011-11-30T20:19:00.000-08:00

The story behind A Modest Proposal For Preventing the Artists of the United States of America From Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and For Making Them Beneficial to The Public can be found here.

Looking Out For Our Troops

2011-11-30T06:01:00.000-08:00

The House overwhelmingly passed HR 1801 (PDF) which allows for expedited screening of our military personnel and their families traveling with them when they are traveling in uniform and on orders. This would apply when the military member is flying to their new assignment as long as they were in uniform during travel. It would not apply when they were at their base of assignment and decided to fly home to visit their parents since they would not be traveling on orders even if they were in uniform. This feel-good legislation doesn't do much for our military, but it makes our legislators feel good.

A more pressing problem than military members having to go through airport security is the number of military members committing suicide. And if a measure added to the National Defense Authorization Act by Senator Inhofe (R-OK) remains in place. Commanders will not be permitted to ask troops who live off the base and in the civilian community if they own a firearm. The NRA, crazier than ever in an over zealous pursuit of gun rights, is still a potent lobbying force. Heaven forbid a soldier in counseling should be asked to secure their firearms on base and away from home.

Military caskets flying home aren't unnecessarily delayed by security procedures so I guess it's a wash.

Language Matters

2011-11-29T20:22:00.000-08:00

There is some concern about Section 1031 and 1032 (PDF) of Senate bill 1867, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012. The concern is that Americans suspected of terrorism could be detained indefinitely. Here are the key parts from Section 1032.

(1) IN GENERAL- Except as provided in paragraph (4), the Armed Forces of the United States shall hold a person described in paragraph (2) who is captured in the course of hostilities authorized by the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40) in military custody pending disposition under the law of war.

(2) COVERED PERSONS- The requirement in paragraph (1) shall apply to any person whose detention is authorized under section 1031 who is determined--

    (A) to be a member of, or part of, al-Qaeda or an associated force that acts in coordination with or pursuant to the direction of al-Qaeda; and

    (B) to have participated in the course of planning or carrying out an attack or attempted attack against the United States or its coalition partners.

...

(1) UNITED STATES CITIZENS- The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States.

(2) LAWFUL RESIDENT ALIENS- The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to a lawful resident alien of the United States on the basis of conduct taking place within the United States, except to the extent permitted by the Constitution of the United States.

Sounds pretty straightforward that this will require the military to detain any person except for US citizens and possibly resident aliens. However, it seems possible that they could be detained by civil authorities instead.

Here's an interesting part in Section 1031.

(a) In General- Congress affirms that the authority of the President to use all necessary and appropriate force pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40) includes the authority for the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons (as defined in subsection (b)) pending disposition under the law of war.

(b) Covered Persons- A covered person under this section is any person as follows:

    (1) A person who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored those responsible for those attacks.

    (2) A person who was a part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces.

This language doesn't mention any exceptions and could possibly include US citizens. Regardless, indefinite detention is an abomination. It's something that would red line our anger meter if another country decided to do the same for our citizens.

I can't wait to see how the never ending war turns out.

Practice Makes Perfect

2011-11-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

What better way for Steph to learn how to change a flat than have her rotate the tires, eh? I helped here with the left side and she did the right side all by herself.

I don't think that's what they meant when they called for 80 ft-lbs of torque.

Gingerbread Houses

2011-11-26T23:24:00.000-08:00

The Saturday after Thanksgiving has been the gingerbread house making party at our house for ten or twelve years now. When the kids were young they loved it because they could eat so much candy while they were decorating their houses. Now that they're older they love it because they can eat so much candy while they're decorating their houses. The creativity our family and friends displayed is really something. I wish I could show all of the houses.

Josh is giving me the don't-be-stealing-my-ideas look.
Serious business at the grown up table.
Lots of focus at the mostly kids table.
Geoff conveys the Christmas spirit with an angry house eating a gingerbread man. "Oh, nooooooo!"
Another gingerbread man casualty--possibly a muggle--from Steph.
Patty and Mike's more traditional house.
Can you believe that in all these years, this is the first house that Kathy has decorated? It looks like the work of an experienced pro.
This was Emma's first time as well.
Jenny and Lee's cabin at the lake complete with a covered deck and a hot tub. Danged overachievers.

Police Oversight

2011-11-25T07:51:00.000-08:00

A number of events have had me pondering our police forces and their respective use of force policies in contrast to their use of force actions. One aspect of that contrast that strikes me is the number of officers who quickly escalate to the use of pepper spray, the club, or the TASER instead of using what has long been taught as the minimum force necessary.

I understand the hazard of writing this post in that it could be construed as generalizing all police officers' actions or second guessing their actions in situations that required quick decisions. Neither is true. My point is that I think we as a society don't consider the ramifications of the use of what is classified as nonlethal force in situations where it need not be used since it is considered nonlethal. I don't think we examine whether the amount of force used was appropriate for the situation.

If you've ever watched the TV show Cops, you may have laughed at the stupidity and ignorance or felt gratified when the bad guy was caught. But every once in a while you'll see a situation where a suspect is under control and it wouldn't take much more effort to cuff them and yet one officer employs a TASER. I noticed this and wondered if the officer was ever chastised or disciplined for using what I considered unnecessary or excessive force. A good example of what I'm referring to is Andrew Meyer, a University of Florida student made famous for the line "Don't tase me, bro." With something like six officers holding him down he was clearly under control and it wouldn't have take much more effort to cuff him and lead him away. Instead an officer applied an electrical shock. There was no need to.

Of course, in our infamous case here in Spokane, the entire Otto Zehm tragedy could have been avoided had Officer Thompson simply taken his time and questioned Otto instead of immediately clubbing him into submission.

More recently, an officer in North Carolina used his TASER on Roger Anthony, an elderly man riding his bicycle home. Roger ended up brain dead. Granted, not all the facts are in, but I really struggle to come up with a situation where a TASER would be necessary to use on an old man riding a bicycle.

I'd like to point out that the only reason we know about this is probably because the man died. But how many cases do we not hear about where unnecessary or excessive force is applied? And how often do we look at those and make a determination that the level of force was justified or not?

If ever there was an argument for a separate oversight or investigatory body of a police force it would be the use of force implemented by the police. The claim that policing is a dangerous job or that snap decisions must be made is not enough to excuse excessive force in situations where it's clearly unwarranted. It does not erase the fact that police officers can be wrong or that they may need more training.

If you read Karl Thompson's statement you may have noticed his description of Otto's jacket as a type of body armor, the possibility that cans and jars on the shelves could be weapons, and the unknown demeanor of the other people in the store. He said he was prepared to defend himself and his intent was to "control this person and physically detain them in handcuffs so we could continue our investigation as to whether there was evidence of a crime and if he was armed." He went on to say there were other situations where he had confronted suspects by himself and they had not always been non confrontational. It's as if Officer Thompson was thinking and expecting the worse to happen.

Is it appropriate or reasonable for police officers to think like that all the time? If so, then you or I could be the next Otto Zehm or Roger Anthony simply because a police officer thinks the worst could happen. And for Karl Thompson the worst did happen, but not in the respect he was considering at the time.

Imagine If All Politicians Were Thin-Skinned

2011-11-24T13:23:00.000-08:00

A young lady on a high school field trip in Kansas got to hear Governor Sam Brownback speak. She didn't care for what he said and tweeted this:
Someone from the governor's staff saw the tweet and notified the girl's school principal. The principal wants her to write a letter of apology to the sensitive governor of the great State of Kansas.

She should send a letter. The envelope should include a tissue and a short note that says, "My gift for someone who cries over nothing."

A Fun Cause

2011-11-24T10:25:00.001-08:00

Geoff, Josh and I headed down for the Turkey Trot at Manito Park. My sister, Barb, went too. Hosted by the Bloomsday Road Runners Club in support of Second Harvest, the event collects a lot of donations for the food bank. It was a great morning for a run. The sun even shone for a little bit.

This is where you are if you're in the bathroom during the start.
Josh, Barb, me, and Geoff.
Geoff made an interesting observation. He noticed that this event seemed to be an annual reunion for distance running classmates. Sure enough, Josh (Mead '10) was hanging around his former teammates and Geoff (Mead '03) got to catch up with a couple of his.

Doomed To Fail Super Committee Is Failing

2011-11-21T07:51:00.000-08:00

Today we learn that the Joint Deficit Reduction Committee is not going to meet the deadline to come up with a plan to meet its goal as outlined in the Budget Control Act of 2011.

GOAL — The goal of the joint committee shall be to reduce the deficit by at least $1,500,000,000,000 over the period of fiscal years 2012 to 2021.

Who could have seen that coming? It was as predictable as the sun rising in the east.

The finger pointing has already been going on for a while. No doubt there will be more, especially once the deadline officially passes. Look for minority reports from each side. Grover Norquist should be proud that the Republican members of the committee stuck to their...values?

Snow, Ice, Slush And Wipeouts

2011-11-20T17:32:00.000-08:00

The last race of the series was brutal for me. There were parts of the course where the snow was packed by the earlier races, but much of that was breaking up as the day wore on. The temperature slowly climbed nearer to 32 and the packed snow started breaking up. Much of the twist 'n' turn part was a mixture of loose snow and dirt with just a touch of slightly liquid mud.

I think I fell six or seven times. And for each time I fell I think I made two saves. It was amazing how often my front tire would suddenly dart off to one side or the other threatening me with impending disaster. Slowing down was a challenge since the brakes were iced up most of the time. I understand you're not supposed to use your brakes anyway so I got to try that out. It worked out well--except for those occasions when I couldn't make the turn and headed through the tape marking the course boundary.

Racing on the Coeur d'Alene tundra.
The run up was pretty cool.
Followed by a ride down.
I lost control and crashed here on my practice ride.
I had to use my car's ice scraper to remove these chunks. I cranked up the heat on the ride home to melt off the rest.
And so ends this year's cyclocross season. It was a blast. Next year I'll be back but on a bike better suited for the task. Glen is building one for me. It'll be awesome.

Them Danged Furriners

2011-11-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

Alabama, home to the most restrictive immigration laws in the US, scared off quite a few illegal immigrants as well a legal immigrants and citizens who would suffer as well because they look or sound foreign. Mercedes-Benz has a manufacturing plant about 20 miles east of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Mercedes-Benz is a German-owned company. A visiting manager from Germany was arrested for violating the immigration law.

Kudos to the Tuscaloosa cop for bustin' a white man for not having ID even if he's not Amurkin.

That's My Boy

2011-11-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

Rackspace, the company Geoff works at now, made the San Francisco paper. He's front and center in the photo. We are treated to a perfect view of the back of his head.

I love this one comment posted on the article:

"The office is filled with games and toys, such as a giant cardboard Lego set and speed chess boards, along with the classic startup fare: pingpong and foosball tables."

You've got to be kidding. When is naptime?

Too funny.

Eat Your Pizza Vegetables

2011-11-18T05:30:00.000-08:00

Remember the Reagan years when the Secretary of Agriculture wanted to classify ketchup and pickle relish as servings of vegetables? Remember the uproar and backtracking that followed? Thirty years later and it's déjà vu all over again.

At some point in the past the food industry managed to get a quarter-cup of tomato paste on pizza to be considered a serving of a vegetable. The US Department of Agriculture wants to change that and a number of other rules in order to promote more nutritional meals in schools and reduce childhood obesity.

The food industry agrees that eating more fruits and vegetables and reducing salt is a good thing. It says it has developed healthier foods over time to make school lunches more nutritious. But they say the government’s proposals go too far too quickly.

One third of America's children are overweight. There's your problem right there--we're not looking at the bright side. Two-thirds of our kids aren't.

See, it's okay. Industry will fix it all on their own. No need to change anything--unless Congress has the cojones to. And you know how difficult that would be with so many lobbyists squeezing them so tightly.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

2011-11-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't heard of the Stop Online Piracy Act and how it would work, here's a pretty good explanation of how this legislation could change the Internet for us all.

PROTECT IP Act Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future.

Perhaps we think we're competing with China.

A Half To Work Where I Have To Work

2011-11-15T18:56:00.000-08:00

I'm getting ready for a longer run next month so I mapped out a 13.5 mile route to work and ran it this morning. Part of it follows the Children of the Sun Trail which turned out to be closed between Farwell and Fairview. I wasn't about to let a Road Closed sign stop me so I plodded on. It looks like it's closed because they're driving construction vehicles on it. The run went smoothly. I even got to say howdy to Don Kardong running in the opposite direction on the Centennial Trail.

View 13.5-mile route to work in a larger map

Cyclocross Racing At Walter's Fruit Ranch

2011-11-13T15:36:00.001-08:00

I finally got what I wished for. Yesterday's snow helped create a soggy bottom course for us up on Greenbluff. I scouted out the course. The run up was pretty devious, an off-camber climb up a hill with a steep sharp left turn followed by more uphill climbing. Several long stretches with muddy 180-degree turns. Lots of slippery track and then there was this one corner that was particularly treacherous.

I got off to a good start. Well as good as it gets sprinting uphill in mud, but I thought I was doing better than I did in other races. After the run up I tried to jump back on the bike while everyone else kept running. I missed and several riders passed me by while I floundered. Several long stretches with the 180 turns followed the hill and I picked one rider off at each turn. Proud of myself for gaining some ground I came into the treacherous turn from the right side intending to cut across in the turn and go up the left side. It worked too well. I was going too fast and my back tire lost traction, spinning me completely around and tossing me into the mud. All those guys I just picked off, and maybe a couple more, rode on by. That was the only time I crashed.

After the field stretched out I ended up battling with a couple other guys for three laps. They would pass me and then I'd get by them when they'd wipe out at corners. Keeping my cool and a steady hand, I worked the corners well. The bike and I got very dirty. I think my bike had just as much fun as I did.

Surprise Visitor

2011-11-12T23:16:00.001-08:00

Look who stopped by to wish Steph a happy birthday.

I Could Be Rich

2011-11-12T10:15:00.001-08:00

I received this email from an unknown friend who claims to be sending me $5,000 a day. I hate to turn down the possibility of getting $1.5 million just because it sounds too good to be true, but that's how I roll. Besides, making 300 out-of-my-way trips to Western Union is just too much hassle. No thanks.

Another Boorish American

2011-11-11T09:06:00.000-08:00

In his latest column in the Inlander, George Nethercutt expresses how great America is and how the rest of the world is either ignorant or unappreciative of that greatness.

Having returned recently from delivering a lecture series to students and faculty at a university in Great Britain, I found a disturbing culture of ignorance abroad about longstanding principles underlying America’s place in a dangerous world and a regrettable tendency to forget times when the United States has been a reliable source of support for people everywhere.

He goes on to talk about America's contributions in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War and implies that the world owes us. As for the post-9/11 era, he says foreign students are wrong to think America was unjustified in invading Iraq and deposing Saddam Hussein.

Their views threaten the likelihood that American standards for global freedom in this new century will be long upheld and embraced as good for humanity. Seeing America for the help it provides to other freedom-seeking people is de-emphasized in today’s university culture. To do so mistakenly overlooks the world’s need for a strong nation like the United States to act as a bulwark against nations whose motivations are to suppress freedom.

While it’s encouraging that foreign students show interest in the U.S. model, some American Studies students held a generally bitter attitude about American foreign policy that bordered on a deep cynicism uncharacteristic for their age and stage in life. Their negativity about America warns us about how the American story is presented to the greater world; that story should engender gratitude, not enmity.

Thanks to Mr Nethercutt's eyes we now see clearly. They should be thankful for US military bases all over the world, drone attacks, bombings, invading a country that posed no threat, and an expensive and extensive military response to a non-state threat as a reliable source of support for freedom-seeking people in this dangerous world.

Despite the left-wing nature of university thought, history proves that the U.S. emphasizing freedom abroad — not just foreign aid — is a source of salvation for all who seek liberty.

I'm guessing that "left-wing nature of university thought" means that thought which disagrees with George Nethercutt.

The United States, particularly President Obama, should more often unashamedly remind the world of America’s many virtues, so that future generations will embrace American ideals.

In this respect, Mr Nethercutt is consistent. I heard him speak three years ago at Whitworth University where he extolled American exceptionalism and how we should "export that" to the rest of the world.

The worst moments, for me, of living in other countries were when American tourists, carrying that American exceptionalism chip on their shoulder, expecting everyone to speak English, and thinking the rules don't apply to them made their boorish presence known for all to see.

I couldn't help but think, "What an asshole."

Birthday Girl

2011-11-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

Sixteen years ago, Stephanie came into this world and she's been my favorite daughter ever since. It's easy to see why.

Goofing around.
More goofing around.
Learning to ride.
A second grade big smile.
Posing in Rome.
The day she earned her black belt in Taekwondo.
First day of fourth grade.

But It's Cold Out

2011-11-09T07:34:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, two other runners in Riverfront Park thought it was funny that I was wearing gloves while running barefoot. I have to admit I didn't really need the gloves once I warmed up after the first mile or so but I had no place to put them so I kept them on.

I've been working on the exercise and technique Christopher McDougall wrote about in the New York Times last week. It's anecdotal evidence on my part so far but I've certainly noticed an improved level of comfort while running, especially on the soles of my feet. Time will tell if it helps me with speed. I'll put it to the test on Bloomsday and see if or how much I improve my finish time.

The Story Of Broke

2011-11-09T05:17:00.000-08:00

Ft Steilacoom Cyclocross

2011-11-06T19:01:00.001-08:00

We drove over to see Josh at UW on Saturday and were treated to the sight of a squirrel scurrying by with a donut in its mouth. (Didn't have my camera with me to catch that.) Later on we headed down to Lakewood at stay at my brother John's house. He and I entered the first two races put on by Seattle Cyclocross at Ft Steilacoom this morning. We entered the men's Cat 4 and the men's masters 45+ (John in black and white jersey below) and masters 55+ (me in yellow jersey).

The course was heavily frosted and stayed that way in the shaded areas so there were a number of slick spots. During the first race I had to go around crashes twice in a grassy twist-and-turn section. On the third lap of the first race I picked up some road rash on a downhill that ended on a muddy trail and then made a very hard right turn onto a bark covered trail. My right shifter was acting funny after that. When the race was over I removed a chunk of bark from inside and I was set for the second race. On the last lap of the second race one of the Cat 1 women passed me just before this downhill. I figured that since she probably knew what she was doing I would just follow her track. I guess I was off just a bit because my front wheel caught something and next thing I know I trimming branches off a tree. Removing them from my bike cost me a bunch of time. The run up on this course was especially entertaining and challenging. It was about 100 feet long and led off with three obstacles spaced 25-30 feet apart.

The races were fun and it was great to hang out with Josh, John, Susan, Jasmine, and Bekah.

All photos by my sister-in-law, Susan.

So Many Questions

2011-11-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

Officer Karl Thompson was found guilty of both charges pressed by federal authorities and now we have a new twist.

In today's Spokesman Review we have a report that Thompson's attorney, Carl Oreskovich, claims he witnessed jurors watching TV reports of the trial while it was under way and now wants a new trial because of the juror misconduct.

Thompson, defense attorneys and even [Judge] Van Sickle all stayed in the Oxford Suites hotel in Yakima, along with five of the 12 jurors selected from the south-central portion of the state. At certain times, members of all those groups mingled for morning breakfast in a common area that had at least two televisions showing various news updates on Northwest Cable News.

“We believe, based on our own observations, that jurors were exposed to inflammatory information” from television coverage of the trial, Oreskovich said. Trial coverage was “frequently piped in, including information from the trial of Officer Thompson and the beating death of a mentally-ill janitor.”

I find it troubling that an attorney who saw jurors watching news reports of the trial they were on would fail to report until after the verdict was rendered. I wonder if this could affect that attorney's professional standing.

The American Bar Association Rule 8.4 concerning attorney misconduct and maintaining the integrity of the profession states:

It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to:

...

(d) engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice;

Is not reporting observed juror misbehavior at the time it took place prejudicial to the administration of justice? If such misconduct violated the judge's instructions or could possibly taint the jury, shouldn't it have been reported immediately so the judge could make a determination during the trial? One of the reasons for having alternate jurors is to allow the trial to continue in case jurors have an emergency or are dismissed. There were three alternate jurors at this trial. Is reporting the misconduct after an adverse verdict is delivered prejudicial to the administration of justice?

Guinea Pig

2011-11-03T19:58:00.001-07:00

Some students at Gonzaga are doing a study to determine what lower leg muscles are activating while running in Vibrams. Of course, when I got wind of that I had to volunteer to be a test subject. They shaved spots on my right lower leg, attached leads and electrodes, and then I ran on a treadmill with Vibrams, barefoot, and shoes. They showed me the results and it turned out I was consistently using the same muscles in all three cases. They were surprised by that but I found it encouraging. For me it meant that all this effort to relearn how to run has worked. They showed me the results of a couple of other subjects who landed on their heels in shoes and on their forefoot in Vibrams. The patterns were strikingly different.

Wired up and ready to run--blech!--in shoes.
I always look best from a distance. Or going away.
Funny moment of the day. They made me clean my feet before I could get on the treadmill barefoot.

The Police State Will Protect Us

2011-11-02T05:58:00.000-07:00

An excellent read about airport scanners over at ProPublica:

On Sept. 23, 1998, a panel of radiation safety experts gathered at a Hilton hotel in Maryland to evaluate a new device that could detect hidden weapons and contraband. The machine, known as the Secure 1000, beamed X-rays at people to see underneath their clothing.

One after another, the experts convened by the Food and Drug Administration raised questions about the machine because it violated a longstanding principle in radiation safety — that humans shouldn’t be X-rayed unless there is a medical benefit.

“I think this is really a slippery slope,” said Jill Lipoti, who was the director of New Jersey’s radiation protection program. The device was already deployed in prisons; what was next, she and others asked — courthouses, schools, airports? “I am concerned … with expanding this type of product for the traveling public,” said another panelist, Stanley Savic, the vice president for safety at a large electronics company. “I think that would take this thing to an entirely different level of public health risk.”

The machine’s inventor, Steven W. Smith, assured the panelists that it was highly unlikely that the device would see widespread use in the near future. At the time, only 20 machines were in operation in the entire country.

Wow, look at how far we've come since 1998. My mother-in-law won't fly to Spokane any more because she doesn't want to get scanned or touched. Well into her 70's she's hardly the security threat, but you know we just can't take any chances these days. She said she would rather take the bus or train instead. We've counseled against that because it's at least three days travel time and she wouldn't be comfortable at all. Maybe a sleeper car would do but it would still be a long trip for her.

But if you think taking the train or bus will keep you from being scanned or searched, you've got another think coming. A Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response team could be coming to a train station, bus station, or even along an interstate near you.

The apparent logic here is that terrorists are everywhere simply because that's where we're looking.

Yeah, That Makes Sense

2011-10-30T09:30:00.001-07:00

About a month ago I posted about the White House site where citizens can petition their government and the top petition at the time was Legalize and Regulate Marijauana in a Manner Similar to Alcohol. Well the White House has responded via Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

According to scientists at the National Institutes of Health- the world's largest source of drug abuse research - marijuana use is associated with addiction, respiratory disease, and cognitive impairment.

Let's see, alcohol consumption is associated with addiction, cardiovascular disease, malabsorption, chronic pancreatitis, alcoholic liver disease, and cancer.

We know from an array of treatment admission information and Federal data that marijuana use is a significant source for voluntary drug treatment admissions and visits to emergency rooms.

Both links they point to list alcohol use as a much greater reason for voluntary treatment and emergency room visits.

Studies also reveal that marijuana potency has almost tripled over the past 20 years, raising serious concerns about what this means for public health – especially among young people who use the drug because research shows their brains continue to develop well into their 20's.

Everclear, Ouzo, and Spirytus Vodka. Enough said.

Like many, we are interested in the potential marijuana may have in providing relief to individuals diagnosed with certain serious illnesses. That is why we ardently support ongoing research into determining what components of the marijuana plant can be used as medicine. To date, however, neither the FDA nor the Institute of Medicine have found smoked marijuana to meet the modern standard for safe or effective medicine for any condition.

Where are the studies, completed or in progress, to back up those statements? Congress won't let that happen. In the meantime, alcohol is not a safe or effective medicine but it is a legal substance that causes greater harm than marijuana and is available to adults who are encouraged to drink responsibly.

As a former police chief, I recognize we are not going to arrest our way out of the problem.

But we're not going to let that stop us.

We also recognize that legalizing marijuana would not provide the answer to any of the health, social, youth education, criminal justice, and community quality of life challenges associated with drug use.

Like legalized alcohol does?

Increased Militarization Of The Police

2011-10-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

According to KRPC in Houston, The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office in Conroe, Texas used $300,000 in federal homeland security grant money to become the first law enforcement agency to purchase a ShadowHawk unmanned helicopter made by Vanguard Defense Industries. (Note to other news agencies: See how KRPC included links to references so people can read these things for themselves? Hint, hint.)

Montgomery County did not get the weaponized version of the remote controlled helicopter.

Michael Buscher, chief executive officer of manufacturer Vanguard Defense Industries, said this is the first local law enforcement agency to buy one of his units.

He said they are designed to carry weapons for local law enforcement.

"The aircraft has the capability to have a number of different systems on board. Mostly, for law enforcement, we focus on what we call less lethal systems," he said, including Tazers that can send a jolt to a criminal on the ground or a gun that fires bean bags known as a "stun baton."

"You have a stun baton where you can actually engage somebody at altitude with the aircraft. A stun baton would essentially disable a suspect," he said.

According to the Vanguard site:

U.S. Military and Law Enforcement consumers have less-lethal/lethal options including single or mulitple (sic) shot 37 mm/40mm grenade launcher, 12g shotgun.

I imagine a "less lethal system" consisting of a 37mm or 40mm grenade launcher engaging somebody "at altitude" probably would disable a suspect.

Somewhat akin to the Scooter Chair commercial, Vanguard Defense Industries lets law enforcement agencies know that they may qualify for a free Shadowhawk.

By nature of the Shadowhawk’s unique capabilities, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies can obtain 100% funding to purchase and maintain a UAS of their own. For further information on applicable grant funding please click the link below or contact us directly for further information.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office may want to rethink getting the weaponized version of the Shadowhawk. It's the closest thing to a combination AK 57 oozie radar laser triple-barrel double-scoped heat-seekin shotgun needed to bring down Da Turdy Point Buck.

Flying Irish Northside Run

2011-10-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

This morning the Flying Irish held a one-time-only run at the northside O'Doherty's. (If you're interested in heading up a northside branch of FI runs, Brendan will do what he can to help you with that.)

Brendan (green shirt just right of center) gives everyone the "what we're doin' today" briefing. As to having a beer after the run, he wisely notes, "You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning." Hmmm, he's got a point.

Stephanie, Kathy and my sister Barb participated in the extra credit run. The high school sophomore is way too cool to wave at the camera.

My Brain Hurts

2011-10-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

Well, if I choose any answer at random and there are only four to choose from, then I must have a 25% chance of being correct. Yet two of the four answers are 25% so I must have a 50% chance of selecting the correct answer.

But wait. The 60% answer can never be correct because that would mean I had to choose more than one answer. So that's at least 25% that I would be incorrect. And since I have a 25% chance of selecting a single correct answer and a 50% chance of selecting two of four correct answers, I really have a 75% chance of being correct. But 75% is not one of the answers so that is incorrect.

But wait. If I pick 50%, I'm incorrect because there's only a 25% chance of choosing 50%. And I'm incorrect if I pick 25% because there is a 50% chance I could choose 25%. And 60% is incorrect because I'd have to pick more than one answer which is not allowed. So the real answer is 0%, which is wrong because it's not one of the answers.

But wait. Since there's one answer with 50%, I have a 25% chance of randomly selecting the correct answer of 50% which would be incorrect because I have a 25% chance of picking 50% which, in turn, is incorrect because I have a 50% chance of picking 25%. And that would be incorrect because there's only a 25% chance of picking 50% which would again be incorrect....

Thank goodness no Sicilians or iocane powder are involved.

Oh, Look At The Bubbles

2011-10-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers and several other women Republican House members joined together in a GOP Women's Special Order promoting policies to protect seniors. I can't find anything in the House Rules (PDF) that defines what a GOP Women's Special Order is, but it looks like they all take turns recording themselves speaking to a mostly empty chamber about how they are working towards a goal that their actions show they have no intention of accomplishing, posting it on YouTube--OMG, heaven forbid the congresswoman's dad would have to come live with her--and encouraging their constituents to listen to their disingenuous claims.

Touting The Path To Prosperity as the plan to improve and reform Medicare, our fair congresswoman claims that Republicans are trying to save Medicare notwithstanding the fact that The Path to Prosperity changes Medicare to a voucher system that doesn't keep up with rising medical costs and forces cash-strapped seniors on a fixed income to pay more because that's the only way we can afford it since Republicans are adamant about not raising taxes. (Sorry for the two-breath sentence.)

McMorris Rodgers is a signatory (PDF) to Grover Norquist's Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Republicans have been steadfast in their opposition to increasing taxes. Norquist famously said, "I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."

If there's an image that could define the Republican Party today, it would be a group of Republican House members holding a struggling old man under water all the while congratulating each other on the great job they are doing saving the poor guy.

Free Bieber

2011-10-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

I'm note sure the all hype is justified here. Last May, Sen Klobuchar (MN) introduced S. 978 in the Senate. There's been some complaining that this bill could send you to federal prison for singing a copyrighted song and putting it on the web. Following that tact, detractors of the bill say that Justin Bieber, who started out covering other songs and posting them on YouTube, would have gone to prison instead had this law been in place back then. They created a Free Beiber site to garner support for fighting this bill. Of course that can't pass without a touch of irony. They, in turn, have received a cease and desist letter from Bieber's lawyers who claim the site violates Bieber's intellectual property rights. For the record, Beiber doesn't agree with his lawyers.

Setting that aside for a moment, let's have a look at the text of the proposed bill. It amends the paragraphs following subsection (b) in Section 2319 of Title 18. That's all well and good but here's what it does not amend--subsection (b) which states:

(b) Any person who commits an offense under section 506 (a)(1)(A) of title 17—

Regardless of the offenses and penalties added to Section 2319, there's another section that controls. That is Section 506, paragraph (a)(1)(A) which states:

(a) Criminal Infringement.—
(1) In general.— Any person who willfully infringes a copyright shall be punished as provided under section 2319 of title 18, if the infringement was committed—
(A) for purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain; (bolding mine)

It would appear that singing or using a copyrighted work and posting it on the web would not be a criminal offense as long as it doesn't create a commercial advantage or financial gain for you just like the other copyright violations.

Still Paralyzed And Dysfunctional

2011-10-27T05:25:00.000-07:00

From CNN we learn that the Joint Deficit Reduction Committee is deadlocked.

Why? Because one side wants to raise taxes and the other doesn't. Now who could possibly have seen that coming?

Forewarned Is Forearmed

2011-10-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

The FCC is doing the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System on November 9th. That is the same day Stephanie turns sixteen years old. Coincidence or fate? The answer in two weeks.

More To Consider

2011-10-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

Establishing Operational Control

2011-10-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

It finally made the papers that two and one-half weeks ago the Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee approved the National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act which does nothing to look out for natural resources or protect federal lands.

The Secretary of Homeland Security shall have immediate access to any public land managed by the Federal Government (including land managed by the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture) for purposes of conducting activities that assist in securing the border (including access to maintain and construct roads, construct a fence, use vehicles to patrol, and set up monitoring equipment).

As you can see from the text, it gives Homeland Security carte blanche to do whatever they want on public lands in order to achieve operational control. So what is "operational control"? You have to look at the Secure Fence Act of 2006.

Operational Control Defined - In this section, the term `operational control' means the prevention of all unlawful entries into the United States, including entries by terrorists, other unlawful aliens, instruments of terrorism, narcotics, and other contraband.

The news about this bill says that it applies to a 100-mile zone along the borders with Canada and Mexico. I don't think that's the case. Carefully read Section 2(c)(1) of the proposed bill. It's convoluted as all get out but it looks to me like the law would apply to within 100 miles of all international land and maritime borders of the United States. Wouldn't that be nice?

The really curious part about this is the support for this legislation from the Motorcycle Industry Council. Who knew so many motorcycle riders have been endangered by terrorists infiltrating our borders?

Cyclocross Racing - Liberty Lake

2011-10-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

What a fun day! I raced in the Men's Cat 4 again. After getting by as many as I could on the straightaways after the start, I ended up with two guys ahead of me. I put targets on their backs. I actually caught them the second time we did the run up, otherwise known as the trudge up for many of us. I passed them both at the bottom and one of them hurried up at the last moment and tried to get by me at the top. I frantically jumped on my bike off balance and at the same time my front wheel dropped in a hole. I went down and ended up in this awkward position where one leg was trapped between the front wheel and frame while my body helped pin it down by being on top of the frame. Both guys got past and managed to put some distance between us before I was moving again. I was reeling one of them in on the last lap and then the race was over.

I managed the battery time on the cameras better and got video of four of the races this time. Crank up the sound.

*** Update
After going over this post again it appears the reader may be misled into thinking there were *only* two guys ahead of me in the race. That is most certainly not the case. There were many ahead of me, but I could see only two.

JV Cross Country Championship

2011-10-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

The Greater Spokane League schools met at Mead High School this rainy morning. Steph was buried somewhere in this mass of girls taking off when the cannon fired the start.

Despite the soaking wet conditions, she did awesome today and set a new PR - 25:10 for the 5k.

Thought Provoking

2011-10-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

It's Funny How Time Sneaks Up On You

2011-10-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched American Masters on public television. It was an excellent film about Pearl Jam made after they were together for twenty years.

"Twenty years," I thought. "When did that happen?" I remember hearing Pearl Jam when they first came out but it seems so disturbing to realize it was twenty years ago. On the bright side, I'm still here.

You Can Fool Some Of The People...

2011-10-21T06:02:00.000-07:00

This email claims to be from Facebook but take a closer look. The From address is "notification" followed by a bizarre string of characters that could pass as a Microsoft validation code. The domain is facebookspot.com, not facebook.com. You can't tell from the screen capture but each link in the email: the facebook.com/profile.php, the inbox is full, the Frequently Asked Questions, and the unsubscribe all point to a web page nefariously placed on a legitimate web site. I downloaded that web page without executing it and found it contains code that redirects you to another site that is registered in St Petersburg, Russia. And that site claims to be selling drugs at cut rate prices.

Click to make the image large enough to see.
So...yeah...I got this really good deal on vicodin.

Today's Double Entendre

2011-10-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

We don't allow TVs in the can at our house.

On The Road Towards Irrelevance?

2011-10-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

It's a puzzle. You'd think that a church so intent on protecting us from same-sex marriage would be just as energetic and forceful about protecting children from predators.

Granted, other churches besides the Catholic Church are involved in fighting same-sex marriage and other churches have had pastors and religious leaders prey upon children so this isn't something unique to one church. But what's going on with the Catholic Church?

At Mass last weekend, the priest giving the homily complained about the IRS investigating churches and threatening their tax-free status when religious leaders told people how they should vote. Never mind that it's the law and the IRS is charged with enforcing it, he expressed it in a manner that made it seem like the IRS was taking unilateral action in an arbitrary and capricious manner.

I have to wonder what they're thinking, especially when they're on the wane.

If Hands Could Speak

2011-10-19T06:36:00.000-07:00

What? What are you--? Don't make me do that again. Hold my breath--hold my breath--hold my breath--hold my breath. Pshhhhhhhhhhhh, I hate that.

Hey. Hey! Don't you walk past--HEYYYYYY! You're supposed to wash me. No, go back! Wash me! You're supposed to wash me!

The Rhetoric Doesn't Match

2011-10-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers announced that she and several other Republican congressmen have introduced the Keeping America Competitive through Harmonization Act.

“While America has led the medical device industry for decades, our leadership is being threatened by the FDA’s unpredictable, inconsistent and inefficient regulation of medical devices,” said Rep. McMorris Rodgers. “According to job creators I’ve met, harmonizing FDA requirements with those of foreign regulators would help improve FDA regulation, expedite approval of life-saving and life-improving treatments, and improve the environment for job creation. Our bill will charge the FDA with undertaking the common-sense reforms that are needed to keep America the world capital of medical innovation.”

I thought I'd check out this landmark proposed legislation. It amends Section 803(c) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 383(c)). The entire bill is almost as long as the title so I'm including the full text.

    (a) In General- Paragraph (4) of section 803(c) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 383(c)) is amended to read as follows:

    (4) With respect to devices, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, enter into agreements with those countries identified in clauses (i) and (ii) of section 802(b)(1)(A) regarding methods and approaches to harmonizing regulatory requirements for premarket review, inspections, and common international labeling symbols.'.

    (b) Report - Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, a report listing the agreements entered into under section 803(c)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (as amended by subsection (a)) and itemizing the methods and approaches that have been harmonized pursuant to such section.

If you're into that kind of stuff you can read Section 802 and Section 803. They're pretty short so go ahead and take a look.

Note that "harmonizing regulatory requirements" doesn't necessarily mean shorten or lengthen the time it takes to approve a medical device. And "the maximum extent practicable" is hardly a mandate.

Here's what I'm not clear on and I'll explain it with a hypothetical situation. Let's say the FDA is evaluating Device A and it will take five years to complete the evaluation. The EU is evaluating a similar device and it will take eight years to complete. South Africa has evaluated Device A for the past year and expects to complete it in one year. We conclude an agreement with South Africa that harmonizes the regulatory requirements for medical devices. (I'm not sure if that's possible because there are medical devices and then there are medical devices.)

Let's say the agreement includes Device A and now the evaluation period is two years. Does the FDA start afresh with the newly agreed upon regulation or wait for South Africa to complete the process and use that as the basis for approval? Now let's say the agreement was made with the EU instead and the new requirement is a eight year process. Will the medical manufacturers scream WTF?

Soccermom Susie Strikes Again

2011-10-18T06:25:00.001-07:00

The End Is Near--Again

2011-10-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

Only three more days until the end of the world. There was a last minute scheduling problem back in May so the date was pushed back ~~six months~~. Still, it's guaranteed.

I consulted a different reference and found the domain names judgementday2012.com, judgmentday2012.com, judgmentday2013.com, and judgmentday2013.com are taken. But judgementday2014.com and judgmentday2014.com are still available.

So I'd say we have at least a couple more years, but I can't guarantee it.

Cyclocross Racing At Riverside State Park

2011-10-16T22:31:00.000-07:00

It was a gorgeous day for racing. A shining sun barely made headway against the cool weather that frosted us up overnight. And although it was such a pleasant day I have to say I really miss the slop. Without any rain the courses have been dry and dusty. What's the use of acting younger than your age if you don't have mud and water to play in, right?

I only did one race today, the men's category 4. Instead of back-to-back races where I'm dying and out of gas in the second race, I decided to go all out for just one. It was fun and I thought I did well. I started in the back of the pack but managed to get by a couple guys before we headed into the trees. I passed a couple more during the race and a couple passed me as well. I didn't crash nor did I knock the chain off the chain ring. I took it easy on the dismounts but I could still feel a twinge in the ACL in my right knee. Even so, I had no knee pain after the race or for the rest of the day so I'm both relieved and pleased.

The course was very different than two weeks ago. With all the twisty turns in the trees marked with red tape it was worth your while to go through it a couple of times to get the layout down. Even so, if you allowed your mind to wander for even a moment (guilty) you'd find yourself putting the binders on and frantically looking for the direction you're supposed to go. I think it's a given that you are supposed to focus, right? Even with my moment of day dreaming the course was just as fun as it was challenging.

I shot video of the first three races and here's the compilation of that. The picture quality is disappointing. If I ever win the lottery I'll get a camera that shoots HD.

I took stills of the last race, men category 1-3 and men collegiate.

Occupy Spokane March

2011-10-15T15:49:00.001-07:00

Knowing Spokane, I figured there wouldn't be that many people showing up for the march today. I was surprised. My guess is that at least a thousand showed up. The group was a mix of all ages and all walks of life. Click the photos to embiggen them.

A sense of humor is always appreciated.
And the march would not be complete without the obligatory DFH to satisfy some people's stereotypes.

Now That's Customer Service

2011-10-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

I was looking for businesses who convert VHS and film to digital format and found a site I could not navigate. Down at the bottom of the page I found this notice.

Created with Microsoft Publisher 2007 and Vista and optimized for the IE9 browser, with which it works perfectly.

If some pages look strange with other browsers we are sorry but we have no clue how to fix it.

We have been told that none of our links work when you are using some versions of Firefox, and we have no clue how to fix that either.

For Firefox users: Phone (number removed by me) or email (email address removed by me) and we will try to answer your questions until you can download an improved browser that is compatible with the new industry standard IE9.
I'm using Firefox on a Mac. No specific browser is considered the industry standard. Whether the arrogance is intentional or not, right back atcha Mr More Clueless Than You Know.

No Phone Left Behind

2011-10-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

I got on the elevator at work with two other gentlemen. As the doors closed we heard a phone ringing and it sounded like it was coming from the top of the elevator. We looked around in puzzlement. The car made its first stop and one guy got off. The phone stopped ringing and now we could hear a muffled voice speaking in the ceiling.

More puzzlement.

The second guy got off on his floor and the car went to mine. I could still hear the muffled voice. Even though it sounded like it was coming from the top of the elevator, I thought I'd open the small door labeled "Phone". I did so just in time to hear, "...for more information go to www dot...".

What the heck? The elevator phone got robo-called by a telemarketer.

Giant 1, GM 0

2011-10-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

Betty White...

2011-10-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

...is still smokin' hot.

She Makes It Look So Easy

2011-10-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Steph finished 5k in 26:41.

Occupy Spokane - Getting It Together

2011-10-12T17:16:00.001-07:00

Standing on the triangle-shaped island at Monroe and Riverside, Dennis Smith waves at traffic and greets everyone who walks by. "Good day, ladies," he says to a pair of women wearing sweats passing by on a power walk. Dennis started participating in Occupy Spokane eight days ago. He is there because he's tired of Wall Street's influence on the government. He's tired of the Koch brothers buying political influence. And he says Cathy McMorris Rodgers only does what John Boehner tells her to and follows the party line and does not represent the people in her district.

Dennis Smith holds a "People Before Profits" sign as he waves to passing traffic.
There has been a change of personnel at Occupy Spokane. The people who started it two weeks ago have moved on. Today I spoke with three of those who have joined after seeing it on the news. They all articulated a common complaint of monied interests swaying legislators and the disproportional benefit they reap from that influence and at the expense of the vast majority of people.

A march is planned for this Saturday.

Tim Walsh, holding the Financial Fraud sign, joined the protest last Thursday. He says the repeal of the protections offer by the Glass-Steagall Act helped set up the financial crash in 2007.

At the corner of Spokane Falls Blvd and Monroe, there's a poem by Sherman Alexie engraved in a spiral laid in granite. "The Places Where Ghosts of Salmon Jump" now serves as the volunteer center for Occupy Spokane. A young woman named Pippie--she asked to leave her last name out--joined Occupy Spokane twelve days ago and helped arranged this with the Spokane Library under the condition that it not be used as a shelter. Pippy says she's been homeless most of her life and thought she'd bring her cooking talents to the group. She works with the Hippy Family Ministries doing a free food kitchen. She said both the city health and fire departments had stopped by to inspect them and they're complying with the city requirements. As of today they are not allowed to heat water for tea or coffee since they don't have insurance should there be an accident with a propane tank. Pippie says a couple of volunteers who live nearby have agreed to provide hot water. She also said that when the group is unable to use donated food, they in turn pass those on to other charitable organizations so it won't go to waste.

So what do people think about the Occupy movement? While I was talking to Dennis an unmarked police car with two uniformed officers drove by. The officer in the passenger seat gave a discreet wave. Passing traffic sounds a horn now and then. Since nothing "newsworthy" has happened, notwithstanding the protester who got hit by a car last night, there's been very little about the protest in the local news. I'm aware of two Facebook groups. There's Occupy Spokane Uncensored, a group of 700+ that you have to ask to join, and there's Occupy Spokane with 3600+ likes. So there appears to be what could be considered sizable support in Spokane.

Surprisingly, even though the Fox News coverage of Occupy Wall Street has been derogatory, a Fox News poll shows that most people have a favorable view of it.

Dennis Smith also had this to say. "We need more 'mom and pop' people down here."

I think he hits the nail square on the head. Everybody has been affected by the recession in some form or fashion. You don't have to be unemployed to be angry and you don't have to default on your mortgage to see the unfairness. City Councilman Jon Snyder stopped by last week and chatted with one of the protesters. In his post he said he told her he would love to see the list of concerns once they have it together. I've known Jon for a while and he is a good person. But what he--and you and I for that matter--need to realize is that "they" includes him...and me...and you. What Dennis calls "mom and pop" people are the good-hearted, hard working folks who know that life is unfair, but also chafe at an unlevel playing field forced upon them. Feeling alienated and powerless, they have withdrawn.

A few in Spokane have found their voice. They stand on the side of the road holding a sign for two hours. Or twelve. They donate food. They help clean up. They pay for printing notices. They do what they can. This leaderless movement in Spokane already has it together. It's just patiently waiting for everyone else to join them.

So what are you doing on Saturday at noon?