While Watching W

We were watching the film “W”. But I made the mistake of watching the film with two women; there have been three phone delays.

So here are some posts:

In Florida:

I’d take it a bit further: in some ways, at times, it can make it easier to be a bad person.

(hat tip to Friendly Atheist)

Politics This must drive the conservatives nuts. Yes, President Obama’s approval ratings are over 50 percent in many “red” states too.

Bad Statistics: Nate Silver provides an interesting example concerning the elections in Iran.

Roughly speaking, some regressions purport to show that the Iranian election is rigged. Don’t misunderstand: he isn’t claiming that the election is fair but rather the circulating statistical analysis doesn’t prove anything.

The title of this blog post is priceless

Our education departments strike again: let’s bring Twitter and Facebook into the classroom!

Rate Your Students Responds Appropriately

Just read the title.

PSST: part of the educational experience is to change the way that the students think. Trust me: these pre-flakes won’t be able to either read nor digest a book or any substantive written material.

Health Care Column

Nicholas Kristof via the New York Times:

Diane Tucker, 59, is an American lawyer who moved to Vancouver, Canada, in 2006. Like everyone else there, she now pays the equivalent of just $49 a month for health care.

Then one day two years ago, Ms. Tucker was working on her office computer when she noticed that she was having trouble typing with her right hand.

“I realized my hand was numb, so I tried to stand up to shake it out,” she remembered. “But I had trouble standing.”

A colleague called 911, and an ambulance rushed her to the nearest hospital.

“An emergency room doctor met me at the door, and they took me straight upstairs to the CT scan,” she recalled. A neurologist explained that she had suffered a stroke.

Ms. Tucker spent a week at the hospital. “The doctors were great, although there were also a couple of jerks,” she said. “The nursing staff was wonderful.”

Still, there were two patients to a room, and conditions weren’t as opulent as at some American hospitals. “The food was horrible,” she said.

Then again, the price was right. “They never spoke to me about money,” she said. “Not when I checked in, and not when I left.” [...]

Then, last year, Ms. Tucker fainted while on a visit to San Francisco, and an ambulance rushed her to the nearest hospital. But this was in the United States, so the person meeting her at the emergency room door wasn’t a doctor.

“The first person I saw was a lady with a computer,” she said, “asking me how I intended to pay the bill.” Ms. Tucker did, in fact, have insurance, but she was told she would have to pay herself and seek reimbursement.

Nothing was seriously wrong, and the hospital discharged her after five hours. The bill came to $8,789.29.

So what do Republicans think?

13 June 09

Workout notes slept in; got to the Travis High School track at 8:10, warmed up with 1 walking mile (drills); 14′ish, then 8 x (400 technique, 200 off) + 200 on to get 36:37 for 5000 meters. Then I walked one easy mile (14′ish).

I focused on the push off phase of the walking gait. Then I did some yoga and push-ups; I got the feeling that I did a training session. The total time for the walking session was 5 miles in 1:06.

One key note: NOTHING hurt; no piriformis pain, no hip pain, no behind the knee pain. If I want to walk pain free, I had better keep up the drills.

Going to Travis to workout brought back memories: 33 years ago! During high school, I’d go there every morning to train for football season; I’d run, run hills, run sprints, and then lift weights. Come football season: I still sucked.

But I built up endurance which still helps me to this day.

Ultras: Ulli Kamm’s advice page for ultra walkers (100 milers).

Posts:

NBA: Evidently, Science Avenger is exasperated on the Magic’s finishing strategy. I am disgusted at their free throw shooting, though the big guys (Chamberlain, O’Neil) sometimes have trouble with this. He recommends that they hire a mathematician (sort of tongue in cheek, I think)

Politics

Right Wing Wackos (no, mainstream Republicans, I am NOT talking about you). These morons are deadly.

TUCSON, AZ – Three people have been arrested in connection with last months deadly double homicide in Arivaca that left a nine-year-old and her father dead. One of the people arrested for the homicide is the National Executive Director of the Minuteman American Defense group (M.A.D.), a group known for patrolling the border, and is dedicated to “Defending America’s Borders” according to their website – http://minutemenamericandefense.org/

Jason Eugene Bush, 38, Shawna Forde, 42 and Albert Robert Gaxiola, 43, were all taken into custody and charged in connection with the murders of 29-year-old Raul Flores and 8-year-old Brisenia Flores. Both were killed during an alleged home invasion.

According to authorities, Bush, Forde, and Gaxiola broke into the home of the Flores family just after midnight on May 30th. At the time, the mother, father and daughter were home. The invaders reportedly shot the three members of the Flores family, killing the father, Raul, and the daughter, Brisenia. The invaders then left the scene.

The mother survived the shooting, called police, and found a gun. Sheriff Dupnik says the three returned moments later to make sure everyone was dead. At that point, the mother shot and injured Bush, and the three fled the scene.

The trio has been charged with two counts of First Degree Murder, one count of First Degree Burglary, and one count of Aggravated Assault.

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik says, “Jason Bush was in fact the shooter of all three of these people under orders from Ms. Forde.”

Dupnik says, “The husband who was murdered has a history in being involved in narcotics and there was an anticipation that there would be a considerable amount of cash at this location, as well as the possiblity of drugs.”[...]

Commentary: From the Good Kentuckian:

Clearly, this woman was acting like an idiot; sometimes people think that they somehow have a pass to do whatever they like (because others are watching, because they are female, old, etc.)

But how much force this officer should have used is really tough to judge; clearly he can’t let her go but one wonders if he could have overpowered her in an easier manner? I don’t know; officers do have to worry about a suspect getting to their weapon, etc.

Note: I used to live in this area (1990-1991).

12 June 09 Link Dump

Ahh, I love to blog.

Two more notes about my trip:

1. This morning, I tried to watch cable news instead of reading newspapers or reading internet news. It sucks unless you care about Madonna’s attempts to adopt.

2. I finished One God, Three Faiths and started to listen to Evolution and its Discontents once again. I can recommend either.

Blog Roll

I’ve started to follow the blog Liberalland (Alan Colmes); I have to admit that there was a time when I didn’t take Mr. Colmes seriously. But then I read his book Red, White and Liberal and really liked it.

Here is one of his recent posts:

Right Wing Site is selling a “liberal hunting sticker”.

He has also embedded a couple of videos:

President George W. Bush was “God’s instrument” (this was intended to be a compliment).

He also shows a video of a right wing nut job (and a candidate for Governor of Georgia) singing about the recent murder.

Speaking of the far right: a Fox News journalist notes that the incoming e-mail about President Obama has gone scary.

(hat tip: The Invisible Pink Unicorn)

Health Care

Robert Reich shows what to watch for in the upcoming health care debate. Remember that the public option is mostly valuable because it allows for a large group to negotiate good prices; anything that breaks up the large group hurts the negotiating power.

Now Dr. Reich notes that the war is on; can President Obama measure up to President Johnson in this area?

Science and Religion:
Here is a collection (blow by blow) of the relevant posts on accommodationism and science.

Here is a nice youtube video which takes apart a creationist.

Humor Click on this image to see a funny chart on the “browser wars”; this is an internet humor sort of thing.

(from Evolved Rational)

In Austin, 12 June 09

Workout notes I ran 4 miles yesterday morning and did some yoga; this morning I did 20 more minutes. This weekend: probably a swim and a run, also a walk. I might go to the track and do some technique work.

Driving Notes

Missouri new Route 66 Rest Stop (off of I-44): like it! See the full spread here.

Texas Rest Stop (Highway 69/75, Near the Oklahoma border, near Dennison)

Very nice.

Confederate Memorial Museum and Rest Area, Atoka, Oklahoma (Highway 69). Its a rest area and has some exhibits as well.

I-35E, I-35 from south of Dallas to north Austin: sucks. Yes, the road itself is partly under construction and much of it is in good physical shape, but it is basically bumper to bumper for almost 200 miles. For my Illinois friends: think I-55 from I-80 into Chicago. You have that kind of traffic for almost 200 miles. I can’t wait until I never have to do this drive again; there was a time when some of it was actually pleasant.

Please get those bullet trains going!

11 June 2009: Prior to the Road…

Workout notes 1 mile walk on my own, 4 miles with the group. I tested the technique ideas; it does feel different. This morning: 4.2 miles in 42 minutes (easy jog), yoga on my own with push ups put in.

I have to get going soon. Yes, it is raining.

Articles Science Avenger rebuts the argument that it is the liberals who are anti-science. Of course, some liberals do embrace nonsense such as homeopathy, alternative medicine, etc., sometimes with deadly results:.

With much of her lower body consumed by cancer, Leslee Flasch finally faced the truth: The herbal supplements and special diet were not working.

“I want this thing cut out from me. I want it out,” she told her family.

But it was too late. Her rectal cancer — potentially curable earlier on — had invaded bones, tissue, muscle, skin. The 53-year-old Florida woman could barely sit, and constantly bled and soiled herself.

“It was terrible,” one doctor said. “The pain must have been excruciating.”

Flasch had sought a natural cure. Instead, a deadly disease ran its natural course. And the herb peddlers who sold her hope in a bottle?

“Whatever money she had left in life, they got most of it,” said a sister, Sharon Flasch. “They prey on the sick public with the belief that this stuff can help them, whether they can or can’t.”

Here is another take:

Alternative medicine has become mainstream. It is finding wider acceptance by doctors, insurers and hospitals like the shock trauma center at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Consumer spending on it in some cases rivals that of traditional health care.

People turn to unconventional therapies and herbal remedies for everything from hot flashes and trouble sleeping to cancer and heart disease. They crave more “care” in their health care. They distrust drug companies and the government. They want natural, safer remedies.

But often, that is not what they get. Government actions and powerful interest groups have left consumers vulnerable to flawed products and misleading marketing.

Dietary supplements do not have to be proved safe or effective before they can be sold. Some contain natural things you might not want, such as lead and arsenic. Some interfere with other things you may be taking, such as birth control pills.

“Herbals are medicines,” with good and bad effects, said Bruce Silverglade of the consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Contrary to their little-guy image, many of these products are made by big businesses. Ingredients and their countries of origin are a mystery to consumers. They are marketed in ways that manipulate emotions, just like ads for hot cars and cool clothes. Some make claims that average people can’t parse as proof of effectiveness or blather, like “restores cell-to-cell communication.”

Even therapies that may help certain conditions, such as acupuncture, are being touted for uses beyond their evidence.

An Associated Press review of dozens of studies and interviews with more than 100 sources found an underground medical system operating in plain sight, with a different standard than the rest of medical care, and millions of people using it on blind faith.

Of course, some of my liberal friends are just as stubborn as the creationists; experts can’t tell them anything.

Speaking of quack stuff, a scientist spoke out about chiropractic “medicine” in Great Britain. He got hit with a lawsuit, but evidently some of the chiropractors are actually starting to clean up their acts just a bit.

Back to medicine: Health care has gotten so expensive for some that some people are actually flying overseas to get procedures done and saving tons of money in the process. That is, the treatment, the trip and the lodging costs are sometimes 25 percent of the costs of getting it done in the good old USA.

Bob Light’s prosthetic hip was eight years overdue for a replacement last summer. He couldn’t work, was in constant pain and needed a cane to walk.

So the 55-year-old Cottonwood resident decided he could wait no longer.

He called hospitals in Arizona, Texas and California. The hip replacement, he was told, would cost between $80,000 and $140,000, depending on the amount of bone deterioration surgeons found.

Eventually, Light hit on a better deal – in New Zealand.

He paid $20,000, including travel and lodging, for the surgery at a private Auckland-area hospital. The replacement was done Dec. 5, and he was home by Christmas.

You know, the medical administration and the insurance companies may well turn on each other; the insurance companies may well start paying for these sorts of trips instead of paying for US treatment. That is a potential crack in the anti-health care alliance.

Right Wing Terrorism, Conservative Concerns, Sleezebag Collectors, etc.

I am taking a break from packing up for my Austin trip.

Right Wing Terrorism

more about "SPLC: Holocaust Museum shooter had ex…", posted with vodpod

Ok, in this country, they haven’t killed nearly as many as, say, a Middle East Terrorist. But we’ve had some isolated incidents of right wing wackos lashing out.

I’d have to do the statistics to see if this is elevated.

So, what are our conservative friends concerned about these days?

They are upset at how someone in the media talked about President Obama:

They didn’t like it that he had his feet on his desk when he talked to the Israeli Prime Minister on the phone (as if the PM could have seen him?)

They claim that he doesn’t have a birth certificate:

They are boycotting GM.

They are demanding the right to burn library books.

They are celebrating murders.

What an interesting world they live in.

Bill Collectors
I don’t owe anyone money (home equity loan on which we are current; that’s it). But I did get a strange request on facebook to be a friend.

Maybe this would be why?

With millions of Americans struggling in the current economic crisis, it should come as no surprise that a growing number of people are falling behind paying their bills. This is no cause for celebration — unless of course, you happen to make your living as a debt collector, a debt-settlement company or other notoriously sleazy outfits engineered to profit off people’s financial misery.

It’s bad enough that while newspapers and car companies die off, the debt business is booming. But recent months have brought a number of reports and lawsuits that exposed some of the latest — and slimiest — ways the “financial services” industry is using to cash in on already-struggling Americans.

Is Your Newest Facebook Friend a Debt Collector? [...]

Ok, now I am going to take President Obama to task.

President Obama wants us to live healthier; he exercises and eats well.

So, what about your smoking, Mr. President?

Back to packing…

Keep Talking Mr. Gingrich.

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Athletics: time to make up my mind

When it comes to my personal athletics, every 6 months or so I am at a crossroads of sorts.

Here, I have to make up my mind as to what I want to do over the next 6 months.

What is “almost set in stone”: I want to swim the Big Shoulders 5K on 12 September and so I’ll have to do some swimming in training (duh); my goal will be to get in 5 swims a week starting next week; hopefully I’ll be doing some open water this weekend. But what are my other goals after that? Here are my options, as I see them:

1. Don’t focus on anything (the plan I used this spring).
a. What’s good:
i. I stay healthy
ii. I enjoy a variety of activities (have some fun).
b. What’s bad: I don’t come near my best at anything.

2. Focus on running distances (5K to 10K)
a. What’s good:
i. Lots of opportunities, little need to travel.
ii. Good for social reasons, and less training time is required.

b. What’s bad:
i. this is my “highest injury risk” plan; I need to be careful with my supplementary injury prevention.
ii. I’ll miss the long distances.

3. Focus on long distance walks for the fall.
a. What’s good: simple and I enjoy them.
b. What’s bad: I won’t be doing what I need to do to excel at these.

4. Focus on judged racewalking.
a. What’s good: it will make me focus on my technique; right now it has really gotten bad.
b. What’s bad: little to no chance for feed back; all judged races are far away.

5. Focus on walking technique in the fall.
a. What’s good: if I want to become a Centurion, I need to do this.
b. What’s bad:
i. 6-8 weeks of not much distance, very limited (if any) running; most of my conditioning will have to come from swimming.
ii. I hate getting out of shape.
iii. I miss the long walks.
iv. I need to keep my body weight low; discipline on my diet is essential with this option.

If I do option 5, my phases will look like: July-August, technique. September-December, still lots of technique, some bringing in speed and endurance (say, a speed session and one 20-30 mile each week). January-May: train for the FANS 24 as a goal race, “no excuses”.

I’ll add weights and keep swimming as my cross training, with perhaps a trail run here and there IF the technique is looking good.

One note: a racewalking coach suggested that I can do one run a week of the following variety: run 100 meters, walk 100 meters recovery. Eventually build up (over time) to 800s, taking care to concentrate on running form so as to not confuse the body.

So how do I grade my 2009 spring:

McNaughton 100 (muddy 47 hour completion): “B-”. I finished; that’s about it. But I didn’t think I’d see a 100 mile finish this year, and others who took the early start option dropped out, and a 100 mile finish (even a dreadfully slow one) is always at least a “B-” for me.
Rockford Marathon 5:14: “B”; I walked right at 12 minutes per mile and didn’t get sick. That was my best effort in a long time.
FANS 24 Hour 66.5 miles, “C-”; what one gets if one isn’t fully prepared. I get the “C-” because I did finish 100 km, even if I made some bone headed moves.

5K run Best time: 24:00! (I wanted sub 24). Grade: “C+” But that was on 3 runs per week.

I don’t get a swimming grade; that has to come later.