18 January 2010 (noonish)

Workout notes weights (which felt easier), followed by 1.5 miles on the treadmill at 9:50: incline went 0 for 2 minutes, 1 for 3, then 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (two minutes each). Then 1.5 on the AMT, then 3 on the stairmaster.

I did enough to get sweaty.

Note: the run was absolutely painless.

No, that doesn’t mean I get to run 10 miles tomorrow; another 1.5 on Wednesday is more like it.

Academia: The ‘flakes are back on campus and classes start Wednesday. Right now I am fighting the temptation to get my proofed paper out today; instead I’ll be disciplined and read it ONE MORE TIME and get it out a week from tomorrow. Actually, make that two papers; one I revised, proofed, etc.

Politics Yes, things look great for the Republicans in the Massachusetts special election for the seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy. But the election isn’t until tomorrow and the Republicans are already celebrating! I have to disagree with Mr. Morris though: unless the House can just swallow the Senate bill whole (which I doubt), this election probably means the end of HCR this time around. Basically, the liberals don’t like all of the concessions and the conservatives don’t want any bill at all.

Of course, an election win doesn’t mean “immediate seating”.

And, of course, the Democrat might still win (though it is unlikely)

Other stuff

At least some like minded people (atheists who lean liberal on political matters) are getting fed up with all of this extra “security” which really doesn’t do much that is useful.

Mano Singham:

On my return to the US, I discovered that the usual hysteria over the underwear bomber had indeed occurred, with people demanding even more security measures such as full body scanners, profiling, and the like.

I wonder when people are going to say that they have had enough. I myself have long ago reconciled myself to the fact that there will always be people crazy enough to try and find ways to kill others and that there is no way to be 100% secure even if we give up all our rights and liberties and freedoms and privacy. Systems and people are fallible and there will always be some cracks in the security system that can be exploited. So I am willing to take the risk of loss of life in a terrorist attack in return for living a life that is free from highly intrusive government security. This is why I think I was so unperturbed by the fight on the earlier flight. After all, the risk from dying in a terrorist attack is surely less than the risk of dying from other causes that I face every day such as car crashes or common criminals or building collapses. I don’t obsess over those risks so why should I obsess over dying in a plane crash?

Marco Randazza:

I’ve been saying so for years. But, it seems that finally the Wall Street Journal thinks so too.

It’s a remarkable fact that a nation founded, fought for, built by, and transformed through the extraordinary courage of figures such as George Washington, Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King Jr. now often seems reduced to a pitiful whimpering giant by a handful of mostly incompetent criminals, whose main weapons consist of scary-sounding Web sites and shoe- and underwear-concealed bombs that fail to detonate.

Look, I am for reasonable precautions: after all, I look both ways when I cross the street, ok? But frankly, I am more at risk from getting run over by a snowflake who is texting while driving than I am to die by the result of a terrorism related plane crash. (Nate Silver has a nice post on the odds)

Am I That Bad? (18 January 2010)

My stepson sent me this photo:

Am I that bad?