Pretty Much

"All of this playing at politics is completely unnecessary. Democracy is for those capable of self-governance. Americans are not interested in governing themselves, but in watching television, and the political spectacle does not make for particularly compelling television viewing."

From ClubOrlov, a blog I've been checking on now and again. 

I can't decide if I'm a cynic or a cynic.

FWIW: An Open Letter to Gov. Mark Dayton

Dear Governor Dayton:

I admired your tenacity in facing the Republican legislature during the Minnesota state government shutdown. Although I was disappointed that you had to make so many concessions to end the stalemate, I respected your reasons for doing so: to protect and serve the greater good for Minnesota.

There is another fight in Minnesota looming in which the greater good is at stake: stadium financing. I urge you to change your stance on public financing of a Vikings stadium. You must oppose it, I beg.

Study after study after study (c.f., Robert Baade, Phil Porter, Frank Rashid, etc.) have consistently demonstrated that investing in professional sports does nothing to promote jobs or economic growth in the at-large community. In these difficult times, we here in Minnesota simply cannot afford to waste public money on such dubious investments. We need to make sound investments in jobs, education, infrastructure, and affordable, accessible healthcare.

There is a moral issue here, bigger than state pride in a professional sports team, and far more important than anyone's re-election prospects. The stadium must not be financed by public money. We must end the cycle of corporate blackmail, and spend limited resources in ways that reflect our values as Minnesotans.

Take a stand against publicly-funded stadiums, for the good of Minnesota.

Please consider my request.

Thank you.

Respectfully,

(me)

10,000 Burpees: Day 100

Well, I did it: 10,000 burpees in 100 days. I even achieved a personal record for time today as well: 11 minutes 55 seconds. Nowhere near the 8 minutes I had hoped to attain, but I can't complain. For one thing, I didn't sleep very well last night and I felt a little ill today, and it was hot as Hades. But more to the point, only the most elite members of the gym come in at eight minutes (or less), and I suppose it was a little too much to expect that a mere 100 days would put me in that category. Still, the results are solid: I'm stronger and leaner than I was when I started.

There were a few days that I didn't complete all 100, and there was one day that I didn't do any (!), but I always made them all up the next day; there were no two days in which I didn't keep pace of the goal of 100/day. Toward the end of the time frame it got to be a chore; I'm looking forward to taking a few days off. But then I will have to add to the regimen if I am to meet the goals I set forth.

Open Letter To Wedge Community Coop

Dear Wedge: someone posted a link to your newsletter today entitled "My Vegan Challenge to Oprah." My curiosity was piqued and I clicked the link. I was disappointed to see, however, that you had already removed the "offending" article, presumably caving to pressure from vegans. How sad that you chose to censor yourself rather than to invite a vigorous debate.

It would have been far better to leave the article and invite another scientist to dispute Ms. Turner's claims. Closing down the discussion before it had even begun is a triumph of orthodoxy over knowledge.

update: luckily, the article can now be found elsewhere.

update 2: I just got a response from the Wedge. It was a kindly note, but it sounds like their vegan customers are quite outraged by the article. Ahh, the intractability of beliefs. That will actually be my next blog topic, by way of a book review.

Two Minutes Short Of Being Smart

I think it probable that most folks experience it from time to time, but dammat if it doesn't happen to me weekly, or even daily: the perfect reply, comment, witticism, retort, rebuttal, observation, or wisecrack always occurs to me two minutes after it would have been useful.

What's to be done about such a thing?

10,000 Burpees: Day 54

Five thousand four hundred burpees! More than halfway to the end of the challenge. In order to push myself harder, I now publish some of my personal fitness goals...

1. 100 burpees in 8 minutes.
2. 5k in 21 minutes.
3. 20 pull-ups in a row.
4. Dunk a basketball.
5. 10 double-unders in a row.

Dare to dream! By the end of my 10,000 burpee challenge, I hope to have accomplished #1. I should take some benchmarks on the other goals soon, so I can determine how far I need to go to achieve those numbers. Number 5 will take some doing - I've only ever done one double under ever. But this burpee challenge is the most interesting thing I have going on right now, and my self-expectations are climbing.

Osama bin Laden Is Dead

So he is dead. Good riddance. Personally, I would rather have seen him arrested, tried, convicted, and imprisoned. But given how much we have compromised our own justice system upon the altar of security, it may not have been a very meaningful trial.

It remains to be seen whether this so-called 'significant achievement' in the war on terror will alter U.S. foreign policy or military operations. I have my doubts.

In the meantime, let us recall that Osama bin Laden did not consider himself a wicked or evil man. He was utterly convinced of his own righteousness. In that light, one can see that unquestioned beliefs and absolutism are poisonous to humanity. Eschew belief and shun certainty; rather, seek knowledge and embrace uncertainty.

May the victims of this terror war rest in peace, and may their survivors find the strength and hope and healing to carry on.

Update: this essay captures much of my ambivalence about the occasion of OBL's death.

Update 2021: on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, these two essays continue the theme.