Grok This

MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Tradition Plateau Loop on 10/20/2009

2009-10-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

today was day one of my quest to run 110 miles in 30 days. it was my first run after a week off after completing my last 30 day challenge. i thought after a week off i'd be well rested and fully recovered and would kick some ass. instead i felt really out of it. not sure if it's lingering effects of the cold i had last week or something else.

MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Tradition Plateau Loop on 10/20/2009

MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Anti Aircraft 10 miler on 10/11/2009

2009-10-11T19:56:00.001-07:00

felt totally unmotivated today. finally dragged myself out to the trail head and wound up crushing my previous best time for this route by 7 minutes. go figure. almost makes me wonder if my stopwatch malfunctioned. today also marks the successful com...pletion of my goal of running 100 miles in 30 days. up next - a week of active recovery, then 110 miles in 30 days.

MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Anti Aircraft 10 miler on 10/11/2009

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x-fit

2009-10-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

6 rounds of:

2 minutes max pull ups
2 minutes max one legged push ups
2 minutes max bicycle crunches
2 minutes max jumping lunges

MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Tradition Plateau on 10/09/2009

2009-10-09T16:23:00.001-07:00

felt good today. this is my best time yet for this route.

MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Tradition Plateau on 10/09/2009

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MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Anti Aircraft 10 miler on 10/07/2009

2009-10-07T19:23:00.001-07:00

slowly but surely getting faster and only 15 miles to go to reach my goal of running 100 miles in 30 days.

MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Anti Aircraft 10 miler on 10/07/2009

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MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Tradition Plateau Loop on 10/02/2009

2009-10-02T15:11:00.001-07:00

MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Tradition Plateau Loop on 10/02/2009

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MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Anti Aircraft 10 miler on 10/01/2009

2009-10-01T20:48:00.001-07:00

I felt way better than the last time I ran this route and actually managed to run all but about 100' of the steepest hill.

MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Anti Aircraft 10 miler on 10/01/2009

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WOD 30SEP09

2009-09-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

three rounds of:

2 minutes max burpees
2 minutes max bicycle crunches
2 minutes max air squats
2 minutes max mountain climbers

WOD 29SEP09

2009-09-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

three rounds of:

2 minutes max push ups
2 minutes max pull ups
2 minutes max sit ups

i was too busy gasping for air to count my reps.

MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Tradition Plateau Loop on 09/29/2009

2009-09-29T20:38:00.001-07:00

I felt good today - light on my feet, relaxed and breathing well.

MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Tradition Plateau Loop on 09/29/2009

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MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: DeLeo Wall 6 miler on 09/28/2009

2009-09-28T17:42:00.001-07:00

I felt good today but was disappointed by my time. Still looking to finish this run in under 1:06.

MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: DeLeo Wall 6 miler on 09/28/2009

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MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Tradition Plateau Loop on 09/25/2009

2009-09-25T16:20:00.001-07:00

I felt good today, way more relaxed and fluid than the past couple of days.

MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Tradition Plateau Loop on 09/25/2009

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MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Tradition Plateau Loop on 09/24/2009

2009-09-25T09:10:00.001-07:00

It was good to do a shorter run with relatively little climbing.

MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Tradition Plateau Loop on 09/24/2009

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MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Anti Aircraft 10 miler on 09/23/2009

2009-09-24T11:09:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure why, but it was definitely an off day. I felt like stopping as soon as I started and it felt like I was running uphill, in a pool of molasses, while dragging a ball and chain from each ankle. :(

MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Anti Aircraft 10 miler on 09/23/2009

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MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Tiger Mt. #1-3 10 miler on 09/19/2009

2009-09-21T16:55:00.001-07:00

I was dreading this run all morning but once I got started I actually felt all right.

MapMyRun.com - Trail Run: Tiger Mt. #1-3 10 miler on 09/19/2009

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An inconvenient truth for the GOP: Canada's system is better - The Globe and Mail

2009-09-18T21:25:00.001-07:00

lower infant mortality rates, higher life expectancy, and a lower percentage of GDP spent on healthcare. sounds pretty good to me.

An inconvenient truth for the GOP: Canada's system is better - The Globe and Mail

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MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: DeLeo Wall 6 miler on 09/17/2009

2009-09-17T16:30:00.001-07:00

i think this is a minute faster than i ran it last time, but i'm still frustrated that my pace is over 11 min/mile. i want to get down to 10 min/mile which means taking a little over 2 minutes off my time.

MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: DeLeo Wall 6 miler on 09/17/2009

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More Danny Macaskill

2009-09-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill April 2009

2009-09-16T10:40:00.001-07:00

this guys bike skills are freakin' amazing!

YouTube - Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill April 2009

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MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Shy Bear Pass 6 miler on 09/15/2009

2009-09-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Shy Bear Pass 6 miler on 09/15/2009

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MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Chirico Trail on 09/14/2009

2009-09-14T21:36:00.001-07:00

34 minutes to Poo Poo Point - a new PR.

MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Chirico Trail on 09/14/2009

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MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Tiger Mt. #1-3 10 miler on 09/11/2009

2009-09-11T15:23:00.001-07:00

very. big. hill. my GPS showed 3400' gained and the DEM data for the route showed 3500' gained but for some reason MMF shows it as only 2395'.

MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Tiger Mt. #1-3 10 miler on 09/11/2009

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MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Shy Bear Pass 6 miler on 09/10/2009

2009-09-11T08:00:00.001-07:00

MapMyFitness.com - Trail Run: Shy Bear Pass 6 miler on 09/10/2009

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Quote of the Day

2008-09-13T10:59:00.001-07:00

Freedom fighter | Salon News

"My God, our country's been completely whored out to the highest bidders." We no longer live in a democracy, she says. "We have a partnership between a powerful state and powerful corporate interests. By any other name that's fascism. It certainly isn't a democracy. Mussolini must have a grin as wide as the Yukon River, looking at what the United States has become."

The woman's a bit of a wacko, but she's got a point.

This is why I'll be voting for Barak Obama

2008-07-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

This brilliant speach, given in Berlin on 24JUL08, is a perfect example of why I'll be voting for Barak Obama in November.

Humility

2007-04-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

I was getting all worked up and bent out of shape because my laptop was being difficult. Something was eating up all my RAM and bogging down my machine. I was having a freakin' fit!

And then i got it sorted out, got online and saw this.

Sometimes I forget how god damned spoiled we are.

Church and State

2007-04-08T22:20:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking quite a bit lately about the erosion of the separation between church and state. When i found out about a blogswarm targeting the issue I decided it was time to do some research and hit the keyboard.

I decided to start by taking a look at the constitution. The original constitution makes only two references to religion. In Article 6 it reads:

No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

This insures that an individual can not be placed in nor barred from a public office based on faith. Essentially faith is prohibited from being a criteria for selection.

The Constitutions second reference to religion pertains to the oath of office which is codified as follows:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

The option to "affirm" rather than swearing appears to be a deliberate effort to accommodate non-religious persons and religious persons for whom swearing is prohibited by their faith. The fact that our founding fathers took such care to render the oath impartial with regard to religion is indicative of the great import they placed upon religious freedom.

While these references to religion are significant in their own way, it is the 1st Amendment to the Constitution that forms the legal basis for religious freedom in America. It states that:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

Clearly this prohibits the establishment of a state religion and secures the right of the individual to freely practice their chosen beliefs. However, there is no language explicitly addressing separation of church and state. Where does this phrase originate and is it mandated by the Constitution?

One place where the concept of separation of church and state is clearly addressed is in a 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association written by Thomas Jefferson. He writes:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his god, [the people, in the 1st Amendment,] declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state.

The implication is that the separation of church and state is implicit in the prohibition against establishment of religion and prohibition against the free exercise thereof. This interpretation has generally been upheld by the courts.

In Reynolds v U.S. (98 US 145 [1878]) the Supreme Court makes a distinction between religious belief and action and affords different levels of protection to each. Reynolds was charged with bigamy. He argued that it was a matter of religious faith that was protected under the 1st Amendment. The Supreme Court denied his argument and upheld the lower courts conviction stating:

'that to suffer the civil magistrate to intrude his powers into the field of opinion, and to restrain the profession or propagation of principles on supposition of their ill tendency, is a dangerous fallacy which at once destroys all religious liberty,' it is declared 'that it is time enough for the rightful purposes of civil government for its officers to interfere when principles break out into overt acts against peace and good order. In these two sentences is found the true distinction between what properly belongs to the church and what to the State.

The Court goes on to say:

Congress was deprived of all legislative power over mere opinion, but was left free to reach actions which were in violation of social duties or subversive of good order.

Unfortunately there is no objective way to determine what is or is not a "violation of social duties or subversive of good order". Bigamy was determined to fall into that category and so was not afforded protection under the first amendment.

In Everson v Board (330 US 1 [1947]) the Supreme Court put forth it's most succinct summation of religious freedoms under the first amendment:

The 'establishment of religion' clause of the First Amendment means at least this: Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion. No person can be punished for entertaining or professing religious beliefs or disbeliefs, for church attendance or non-attendance. No tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions, whatever they may be called, or whatever from they may adopt to teach or practice religion. Neither a state nor the Federal Government can, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa. In the words of Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect 'a wall of separation between Church and State.'

In an attempt to add objectivity to the determination of a laws constitutionality under the 1st Amendment the Supreme Court in Lemon v Kurtzman(403 US 602 [1971]) established what became known as "The Lemon Test".The Court wrote:

In the absence of precisely stated constitutional prohibitions, we must draw lines with reference to the three main evils against which the Establishment Clause was intended to afford protection: "sponsorship, financial support, and active involvement of the sovereign in religious activity. "Every analysis in this area must begin with consideration of the cumulative criteria developed by the Court over many years. Three such tests may be gleaned from our cases. First, the statute must have a secular legislative purpose; second, its principal or primary effect must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion; finally, the statute must not foster "an excessive government entanglement with religion."

The third test is perhaps the most interesting. I can't help wondering why the Faith Based Initiative hasn't been challenged in the courts. If and when it is I fail to see how it could possibly pass the third test of avoiding "excessive government entanglement with religion."

I'm too tired to continue tonight but at some future date I'll attempt to address the following issues:

faith based initiative

school vouchers

intelligent design in schools

school prayer

abortion

stem cell research

birth control

same sex marriage

the real deal

2007-04-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

everywhere you look online today you find people commenting on the war. mostly you hear from politicians, reporters, and many, many ordinary americans with very strong opinions. and that's fine. free speech and all. but i'm particularly drawn to the first person accounts of the people who are there, living it first hand, both the military personnel on the ground and the locals caught up in the madness. it's their stories that i find most enlightening and refreshingly free of any and all "spin".

if you would like to read some of these accounts for yourself check out the following links.

The Sandbox features "comments, anecdotes, and observations from service members currently deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan".

hometown baghdad is " A documentary web series following the lives of a few Iraqi 20-somethings trying to survive in Baghdad". it's a little window into a day in the life of a few young Iraqis. everybody should see this one.

Iraqi Konfused Kid offers "news and articles about the absurdity of living by an Iraqi former heavy-metal guitarist"

greetings earthlings

2007-04-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

well. i guess it's about time i posted something. my intention is to use this blog to to spew my opinions regarding politics, science, religion, technology, etc, etc, upon the big unsuspecting world. will anybody actually read what i have to say? who knows? who cares? this isn't about you babe.

for now i would simply like to leave you with this link to one of my favorite documents: the US Constitution

and ill throw in this link, to the Declaration of Independence for free.

enjoy!