lipless lovers

A mother runs away with her 13 year-old son after a court orders that he continue his chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma. Arrest warrant issued.

Mixed feelings on this one.

The state certainly has an interest in protecting children (and, methinks, obligation to do so) from negligent parents. However, does refusing chemotherapy and radiation constitute negligence? Dismissing the religious question for the moment (though the religious question must certainly be considered in the whole of the ethical/legal analysis), that seems a question on which reasonable people might easily disagree...so much so that the judge's decision to issue an arrest warrant seems both unreasonable and extreme.

The real danger here is the sickening hegemony the mainstream medical establishment bears over society--to the extent now, apparently, that disobeying a physician's prescription is a crime.

Damn technocrats... A technician who's not a philosopher is about as useless as a lover without lips.

guts

All respect and admiration for people with the guts to do stuff like this...because I so don't have it.

The creativity I have. The balls, no.

sadness...

With cautious optimism, blooming from the soil of sorrow, as it were, I just sent the following email:

Dear Calfee Design,

From the information on your website (and the recent mention on VeloNews.com), it appears that you’ll have no trouble fixing my frame. However, I was hoping you could give me a ballpark estimate on cost and time before I send it in.

My ’08 Specialized Tarmac SL2 has two cracks/damage points. Both are consequences of a ~30mph collision with a downed rider’s back which resulted in me and my bike tumbling airborne into the bushes.

The first damaged area is about midway down the down tube on the underside. The damaged area is sort of like a crack (though it looks more caved in or wrinkled than cracked) about 1.5 – 2 inches long.

The second damaged area is about midway down a seat stay. The damage here looks more like a crack, and it spirals about 3/4 the way around the tube.

As the damage resulted from a head-on collision, I would also like my fork inspected, though my preliminary inspection (I haven’t yet looked at the steerer tube) revealed no damage.

Again, I’d like to know if (1) you can fix it, (2) how much you expect it to cost (I realize this will be a non-binding estimate), and (3) how long you expect it will be before I have my frame back in my basement and ready to ride.

Thank you very much,

ng

I really love that bike.

...

In the meantime, I've drowned my sorrow in the prospect of this:

Frame only. Silver.

I've needed a solid backup racer / rain bike. This will do. Swimmingly.

When the Tarmac gets back, it may see Red.

anthony tan

I love this guy's sports writing. Refreshingly non-formulaic.

Take this, for instance.

I don't understand who gets what assignments and whatever, but I love it when the Giro roles around and Tan gets on his laptop.

grading papers...

I teach an undergraduate course in organizational behavior, a very applied survey of concepts in psychology, social-psychology, and sociology as they relate to modern organizational work life.

The first line of a student term paper I'm grading just now:

"At first glance the subject of Organizational Behavior may seem distant or unimportant to the activities of everyday life, but in fact Organizational Behavior topics can help us better understand and evaluate every day problems."

Imagine that. It turns out I am teaching something worthwhile.