Is it bad to admit I can relate to this?

Putting it all in Perspective

From FoxTrot.Com.

Biking Update - February 27, 2010

Another work-filled week where I put in 12 hour days on most days. So... no biking still. But soon!

Its Funny Because its True

Happy Birthday BowHunter

Happy Birthday BowHunter. One of the most faithful readers of Mod-Blog.

A Humble Proposal

The People are speaking loud and clear. Less than 10% of voters believe Congress is doing a good job. President Obama's positives appear to be in free-fall, but Republicans get as poor ratings as Democrats. Politicians grumble that American is "ungovernable", but the truth is that it it the governing who can't see past their own agendas.

Let me humbly propose a change in course. Stop the mammoth do-it-all bills, where pork is the norm rather than the exception, and take a page from the Republican Revolution of 2004. Put down the ideas you want to pass in single-issue bills, debate them and have an up-and-down vote. For instance, on Health Care, give us mini-bills for:

• A ban on denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.
• A ban on dropping insurance for individuals undergoing treatment for an illness, unless they have hit their stated policy maximums.
• Opening up sales of insurance across state lines (but without removing the power of state laws and regulations).
• A public option - whether medicare-for-all or a state-sponsored private plan, let's have the debate on this specifically.
• Extension of COBRA - it is due to expire soon for those laid off at the start of the Great Recession without any bridge to the new system.
• Ability of individuals or states to challenge egregious premium increases before an arbitrator.
• A cap on malpractice settlement payouts to limit the potential costs of honest mistakes.

Let any Republican try to stand against the more obvious cases here. Let any Democrat try to defend a public option without all of the other "hard cases" around it. Let's have a real debate, pass some real bills, and show the American people that Congress is about more than grandstanding and stalling for time.

Yes, Virginia, Democrats could pass Health care if they wanted

While it is hardly good-natured, this article points out something which Conservatives and moderates may need to hear. The reality is, Barack Obama does not need to tack to the center to pass Health Care Reform. He could pass it today with the existing Democratic majority.

Some of us realized all along that there was no rational reason that the Massachusetts election had to kill health care reform. Fundamentally, the main barrier -- getting sixty votes in the Senate -- had already been crossed. The remaining obstacles are puny. All the Democrats needed to do was have the House pass the Senate bill. If they insisted on changes, most of those could easily be made through reconciliation, which only requires a majority vote in the Senate

I am hopeful that Democratic congresspeople who want to keep their jobs after the election will realize that this is a bad idea. But it is certainly possible. We need to be ready for anything.

President Obama doubles-down on Health Care Reform

Congress put forth two unpopular Health Care Reform plans - one by the House and one from the Senate. Both were pushed with considerable urgency by the White House. And these plans and the sense of reckless pace of passage was extremely unpopular with voters, and lead to the lowest ratings in recorded history of Congress. And, of course, the election of Republican Scott Brown to the Senate seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy. So, what do you do if you are President Obama? Apparently, more of the same stuff that ruined Democratic chances for 2010.

President Barack Obama is putting forward a nearly $1 trillion, 10-year health care plan that would allow the government to deny or roll back egregious insurance premium increases that infuriated consumers....
It conspicuously omits a government insurance plan sought by liberals.

They say "insanity" is defined as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.". I realize the president is trying to pass something before his Democratic majority is either reduced, or eliminated altogether in the 2010 elections. But one has to wonder if this would be easier to sell if the various measures were passed separately and the overall scope reduced.

New Credit Card Rules

Welcome to the "new world of credit cards"! What's so new? New rules set by the CARD Act which attempts to make the experience of being a credit card user less onerous.

Here's a look at some of the changes that take effect Monday:
- Interest rates can't be raised on existing balances
- Due dates must be the same every month.
- Firms can't charge overlimit fees without your permission.
- No more two-cycle billing.
- Minimum payment disclosures.
- No marketing to college kids.

Here's hoping that these new rules really do improve things for consumers, and are not overwhelmed by unintended consequences.

Biking Update - February 20, 2010

Sigh. Work, work, work, work. When is there time to get onto a bike?!

The Cure is just as bad as the Disease?

From Townhall.Com

Spell Check

Sidestepping Statues of Limitation via DNA

There is an aspect of American law which is not often covered in Law-and-Order type shows - the statute of limitations. Most crimes have a length of time in which they must be prosecuted. If the State is unable to try a suspect by that time limit, it is out of luck.

Defense attorneys argue that statues of limitations exist for a reason -- if a person is charged with a crime after too long a period, it may be difficult to defend against the charges. "People’s memories fade" and "witnesses move and can’t be found," Bauer reports at the KC Star.

This is an important protection in our system where any suspect is "presumed innocent until proven guilty". (Please note, capital crimes like murder have no statute of limitations.) But a new disturbing trend is beginning to emerge. Prosecutors looking to get around the law by charging the DNA found in crimes in absence of an actual person. This allows the search for an actual person to go on indefinitely, and effectively removes a critical protection in our legal system.

Student sues to slam teacher on Facebook

High school is a strange time of life. You're old enough to recognize the limitations authorities place upon you, but not old enough to challenge them in the legal arena. For example, the courts have ruled that student's lockers can be searched without student consent or a warrant. But what about comments made off school grounds, on Facebook? Do teens have a right to privacy and to free speech? Or can they be punished for inappropriate comments online? The courts are about to rule, thanks to a lawsuit brought by one high school honor's student.

A South Florida teenager who sued her former principal after she was suspended for creating a Facebook page criticizing a teacher can proceed with her lawsuit, a federal judge has ruled.

The student, Katherine Evans, is seeking to have her suspension expunged from her disciplinary record. School officials suspended her for three days, saying she had been “cyberbullying” the teacher, Sarah Phelps. Ms. Evans is also seeking a “nominal fee” for what she argues was a violation of her First Amendment rights, her lawyers said, and payment of her legal fees.

What do Mod-Bloggers think? Where does the line belong in this instance?

Verizon "Sucks" the Fun Out of AT&T

Fun new Verizon ad parodying the Twilight movie/book series. Of course it is really making fun of AT&T.

Utah flirts with abolishing Senior Year

We all knew a few of "that type" of student. The ones who worked hard all thru high school and as soon as they were accepted to college, they stopped trying at all. Of course, most of "that type" learned too late that colleges (1) keep an eye on early admissions, and (2) are able to rescind an acceptance if they see grades slacking off. Still, at least one legislator in Utah is exploring the option of eliminating the Senior Year of high school altogether or at least making it optional. But it is not with the good of the students in mind - it is an attempt to close a serious budget gap.

The sudden buzz over the relative value of senior year stems from a recent proposal by state Sen. Chris Buttars that Utah make a dent in its budget gap by eliminating the 12th grade.

The notion quickly gained some traction among supporters who agreed with the Republican's assessment that many seniors frittered away their final year of high school, but faced vehement opposition from other quarters, including in his hometown of West Jordan..."You're looking at these budget gaps where lawmakers have to use everything and anything to try to resolve them," said Todd Haggerty, a policy associate with the National Conference of State Legislatures. "It's left lawmakers with very unpopular decisions."

Playing Hardball with Teachers

I never doubt the good intentions of teachers - they have dedicated their lives to serving children and preparing the next generation. But in my experience, teachers are the last group willing to give concessions at the bargaining table. A school superintendent in Rhode Island has decided on a way to deal with a recalcitrant teacher's union. She fired every teacher and administrator at the school in question. Apparently, this is a politician who does not do things halfway. Especially when dealing with the worst school in the state.

Senator Evan Bayh bails out

After judging his seat to be secure against any challengers, Senator Evan Bayh has elected NOT to run for re-election, anyway. There is considerable speculation about why Bayh - who was on the short list to serve as Barack Obama's Vice President - has decided to bow out. It is unlikely to be related to the anticipated Congressional housecleaning in 2010. But it could well have to do with a presidential run against Obama in the Democratic primaries in 2012.

Key to Cancer Spread Discovered

Cancer in one part of the body is horrible enough. But one of the disease's most terrifying characteristics is its ability to spread to other parts of the body, making it difficult or impossible to treat effectively. But now, doctors believe they have discovered the gene responsible for this sinister trick. This could lead to treatments far more effective in prolonging and savings lives of cancer victims.

The process called epithelial-mesenchymal transdifferientiation (EMT) has been known to play a role in releasing cells (epithelial cells) on the surface of the solid tumor and transforming them into transient mesenchymal cell: cells with the ability to start to grow a new tumor.
This is often the fatal process in breast, ovarian, pancreatic and colon-rectal cancers..."This is the major piece in cancer research that has been missing," Jin said.

This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime discoveries that could transform treatments and save lives.

The Valentines Day cry of the Single Man

Snowed In

From Townhall.Com.

Citizenship revoked after 29 years as an American

We are often quick to point out the holes in keeping out illegal immigrants in the current system. But the fact is that the U.S. Immigration system is just as broken in dealing fairly with LEGAL immigrants. Consider the case of Angela Boneva, who was granted citizenship in 1981 only to be told now that she "was never a citizen". And all of her attempts to get clarification have come to naught as she faces an implacable, uncaring bureaucracy.

After she sought to renew her U.S. passport in 2003, the State Department informed her that a consular employee's decision to give her citizenship in 1981 broke a rule dictating that her father had to have lived in the U.S. for 10 years before she was born. His time in the U.S. before moving to Bulgaria totaled only six years.

But the letter pointed out, that same residency requirement was reduced in 1986 to five years, so someone in her position would be eligible for citizenship today — though not her.

Boneva received a form letter in 2003 saying "it does not appear" that she qualifies as a citizen anymore. She has made repeated but vain attempts to get a definitive answer from U.S. authorities. But just last month, she was sent the very same form letter again — this time with another woman's photograph stapled above her name. That letter recommended Boneva contact another U.S. agency, which had already turned her away.

Immigration turned out to be a "third rail" issue for President George W. Bush. But we need to bite the bullet and come to grips with a system that is short on justice and long on outrage

Iran bans GMail

It appears that the Iranian regime has not learned the lesson of the election debacle - that the internet can not be easily controlled. In an attempt to suppress protests around the Anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, they are banning GMail from the country in favor of a "national e-mail service". The ban is supposedly permanent.

Of course, this may simply drive users to other free (both as in no-cost, and as in freedom) e-mail services like Hotmail, Yahoo, AIM Mail, GMX Mail, Inbox.Com, Fastmail, Lavabit, MySpace, and more. This is clearly an attempt to stop an avalanche with a stop sign.

Great Video Documentary about a Legal visit to North Korea

You can go here and see the entire documentary. It has 14 parts. The above video is the 1st part.

Why It's Still Good To Live In The USA

Delia Lloyd, an American writer living in London, wrote an interesting article on why it's still good to be the USA. It's an interesting read and a pick me up to all of the gloom out there.

Risking jail by taking his daughter to church

One point of pride for Americans is our Freedom of Religion. No one can be prosecuted for attending any religious ceremony, or professing any faith. But it seems that at least one judge believes he has the power to prevent a father from taking his daughter to church. After baptizing his daughter without her mother's consent, Joseph Reyes was ordered to only expose her to Judaism. He is ignoring the order.

I have been ordered by a judge not to expose my daughter to anything non-Judaism,” Reyes said. “But I am taking her to hear the teachings of perhaps the most prominent Jewish Rabbi in the history of this great planet of ours. I can’t think of anything more Jewish than that.”

...Reyes and his wife are divorcing and are involved in a bitter custody fight. She says he always agreed to raise their child as Jewish. He says that’s not true.

“My daughter should be exposed to the religions of both my wife and myself … When she gets to the appropriate age, she’s going to make her own decisions on how she wants her relationship with God to ultimately be,” said Reyes.

It is horrible that these parents are using their religion to fight over their daughter. But that does not justify this action by an overreaching judge. Freedom of Religion is fundamental to our freedoms.

You *CAN* be "bored to death"

"Bored to death" is a common expression, especially for anyone who has spent time at the DMV. But a new study indicates it may not be just an expression. It may be scientific fact.

Those who reported feeling a great deal of boredom were 37 per cent more likely to have died by the end of the study, the researchers found.

Scientists said that this could be a result of those unhappy with their lives turning to such unhealthy habits as smoking or drinking, which would cut their life expectancy.

"The findings on heart disease show there was sufficient evidence to say there is a link with boredom," the Courier Mail quoted researcher Martin Shipley, who co-wrote the report, as saying.

I can't help thinking about the many anecdotal stories of in excellent health dying suddenly after retirement. Without a feeling of purpose, humans seem to quickly lose a reason to live.

Are dental drills a thing of the past?

There is no sound more full of memories than the dentist's drill. The noise is unique and linked in our memories to at least discomfort, and in many cases actual pain. But new technology may finally make that noise a thing of the past, replacing it with "cold plasma".

The benefits are huge. The drill is not only loud, but it’s extremely invasive and damaging, and can actually cause more problems then it solves. Researchers have discovered a way to make something called “cold plasma” which will actually sterilize a tooth instead of grinding out the damaged tissue. To be honest, researchers aren’t entirely sure exactly how the plasma works to destroy the bacteria, but they are able to determine that a burst of about 12-18 seconds will completely eliminate the problem.

Explosion in Middletown, CT

It is not very often that there is big news in my home state of Connecticut. But today, there was a natural gas explosion at a local plant. Early reports are that the plant's stack went up while they were cleaning it. Fatalities have been confirmed, but not yet enumerated.

Are layoffs killing, rather than saving, our companies?

When the Great Recession hit, layoffs were the go-to strategy for most companies. They cut works left and right in an effort to increase efficiency, and dump long-term liabilities Newsweek is running an interesting article summarizing a series of studies on the effects of layoffs on companies, and the results are interesting. For the most part, layoffs lead to less productivity and less profitability for companies.

Layoffs don't even reliably cut costs. That's because when a layoff is announced, several things happen. First, people head for the door—and it is often the best people (who haven't been laid off) who are the most capable of finding alternative work. Second, companies often lose people they didn't want to lose. I had a friend who worked in senior management for a large insurance company. When the company decided to downsize in the face of growing competition in financial services, he took the package—only to be told by the CEO that the company really didn't want to lose him. So, he was "rehired" even as he retained his severance. A few years later, the same thing happened again. One survey by the American Management Association (AMA) revealed that about one third of the companies that had laid people off subsequently rehired some of them as contractors because they still needed their skills.

Another interesting correlation often forgotten by management is that your employees are also your customers. Every employee laid off is an employee no longer able to afford your services. This can lead to a downward spiral as every lost employee cuts demand, which leads to calls for more cuts.

Clearly, we need to rethink the knee-jerk turn to layoffs when the economy goes south. I am hoping no one calls for a legislative solution here. Better it come from the managers themselves. But it may be inevitable.

Biking Update - February 6, 2010

This was an eventful week for weight loss, even though I wound up only slightly down from last week. Why so eventful? On Sunday, I caught either food poisoning or an EXTREME stomach flu. It did a fairly effective job of emptying me out ENTIRELY, and left me unable to eat for a few days. Hence, the sudden and extreme drop on the graph. Since then, I have slowly returned to my normal diet, and my weight has jumped back up. But still to a point less than I started. I'll take that as progress. Still have not gotten back on the bike, as my body could not take the extra stress. Hopefully, this week will be the one.

Happy Birthday Muse

Happy Birthday Muse. May this be a year of great joy for you.

Everyone is Santa Claus after a winter bike ride

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

Happy Birthday Sean

Happy birthday to Sean, the Coolest Web Designer in the Pacific Northwest.

Conservative Not a Four Letter Word

This is an interesting article by Gallup on percentage of people in a given state that identify themselves as Liberal or Conservative. The most interesting part of the polling is that there are no states that have more people that call themselves liberal than conservative. This isn't the way that the media portrays things. Republicans should take a look at these numbers and factor them in when making decisions of the elections in 2010 and 2012.

How scared is Amazon of the Apple iPad?

Amazon has been twitchy lately. They suddenly offered new deals to their suppliers for eBooks. Then they offer risk-free Kindles to some high-value customers. Then they de-list Macmillan's books over a contract dispute. All of that tightly around the Apple iPad and their new iBookstore. Clearly, Amazon is terrified of this threat to their business model.

The newest evidence of Amazon's paranoia? They have bought a multi-touch display company called Touchco. This is likely for future Kindles, which would imply that they are abandoning e-Ink technology central to current Kindles in favor of a more Apple-like technology.

The Internet banned from Courtrooms?

The last time my brother was called for Jury Duty, he was surprised to learn that his iPhone would be confiscated at the courtroom door (though returned when he was done for the day). CT judges had banned all cellular devices with cameras from even jury duty waiting rooms. Now, it appears all states may take the same step for any device capable of browsing the internet. While absolutely logical, and in line with the long history of controlling the information juries can see/hear to ensure justice, this is sure to be a shock to the internet-addicted public.

Specifically, those instruction spell out that jurors should not you should not consult dictionaries or reference materials, search the internet, websites, blogs, or use any other electronic tools to obtain information either before the trial, during deliberations or after until the judge instructs otherwise.

The instructions state jurors must not use cell phones, e-mail, Blackberry, iPhone, text messaging, or on Twitter, or communicate through any blog or website, through any internet chat room, or by way of any other social networking websites, including Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

It will be interesting seee how enforceable such a ban will be in the long term as our lives become more and more online. Will there be a new niche for "court-ready" devices which allow one to send and receive e-mail from spouses/children, but which edits out inappropriate details? Will there be a new "Courtroom Mode" on devices similar to the Airplane mode available today? Or will the salvation of the paper book be the fact that electronic books won't be permitted in courthouses?

It makes my back hurt just to look at it...

...but it may be the most intereresting new bike design to come down the pike in a LONG time.

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

Do we really understand North Korea?

The last decade has seen a parade of American presidents attempting to make friends with North Korea in hopes of defusing their nuclear threat and saving their people from an increasingly abusive government. We've tried the carrot, we've tried the stick. Nothing seems to work. One reporter who has been there asks "Do we really understand who we're dealing with?" Our experience with other countries calling themselves "Communist" may be blinding us to some bitter realities.

Consider: Even in the days of communism, there were reports from Eastern Bloc and Cuban diplomats about the paranoid character of the system (which had no concept of deterrence and told its own people that it had signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty in bad faith) and also about its intense hatred of foreigners. A black Cuban diplomat was almost lynched when he tried to show his family the sights of Pyongyang. North Korean women who return pregnant from China—the regime's main ally and protector—are forced to submit to abortions. Wall posters and banners depicting all Japanese as barbarians are only equaled by the ways in which Americans are caricatured as hook-nosed monsters. (The illustrations in this book are an education in themselves.) The United States and its partners make up in aid for the huge shortfall in North Korea's food production, but there is not a hint of acknowledgment of this by the authorities, who tell their captive subjects that the bags of grain stenciled with the Stars and Stripes are tribute paid by a frightened America to the Dear Leader.

Perhaps a new approach is needed, before our attempts to neutralize North Korea take a sinister turn.

President Obama Bows Again

President Obama was recently seen bowing to the Mayor of Tampa, Florida. This brings back the memory of him bowing to the Emperor of Japan and to Saudi Princes. I can't help but wonder though if this is just a lingering habit from the time he spent in Indonesia as a child. That sure would explain why he has seemed to do it so often.

Plane Lands on New Jersey Turnpike

A small plane landed on the New Jersey Turnpike this morning. It was a plane that was monitoring traffic for a local TV station. The plan landed just north of Cherry Hill which is where Nomad and I go for vacation each year. (Along with Wildwood)