"This is a remarkable move by the federal government -- I think unprecedented in the history of this country," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). "What does this signal send to other corporations and financial institutions about whether the federal government will fire them as well?"
Yes, McCain is in a tizzy about the removal of GM CEO Rick Wagoner as a condition of GM getting even more American tax dollars in corporate welfare. As usual, McCain's memory has failed him. Not only is this move NOT unprecedented in the history of this country, but it happened as recently as September 2008. Senator McCain, you of all people should remember this very well. This was so important to you that you pretended to suspend your campaign and flew to Washington to get in the way...er...solve the financial crisis.
McCain probably doesn't remember because he was too busy staring at Palin's ass, but the CEO's of AIG, Fannie Mae, and Freddy Mac were all removed from their positions last September prior to those companies receiving their corporate welfare checks. But let's not let facts (which always seem to have a strong liberal bias) get in the way of a good spin.
And come to think of it, wasn't McCain one of the posers standing up there grandstanding a few months ago about how all of the auto maker CEO's who flew into D.C. on their private corporate jets to ask for welfare money should be fired? If there's one thing we've learned about McCain, he's in favor of which ever way the wind blows.
As for Mr. Wagoner, let's not cry too hard for him. His golden parachute is reportedly worth over $30 million. He won't be standing in line at the food pantry any time soon.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Boston Training, Week 15
This was the final week before taper. I ended up on the treadmill more than I would have liked but if that's all I can find to complain about then I'll take it.
Tuesday - 9.3 miles at 8:28 pace. This was a tough run. My legs were still weak from the 22 miler plus I was fighting some stomach issues for half of the run. I was surprised when I got home and saw my pace because I felt like I was really plodding along.
Wednesday - 5 miles at 9:02 recovery pace on treadmill. It was raining and I wasn't sure how strong my legs would feel so I went with the easiest possible scenario. Legs ended up feeling fine.
Thursday - 8 miles at 8:06 average pace on treadmill. Another rainy day so I made the most of it. I decided to do a combination speed/hill progression run. Basically a 1/2 mile uphill starting at 7.2 then a 1/2 mile flat but at .2 faster, then the hill at the faster speed, then flat at .2 faster until I got to 8.0. Then finished with 2 miles at 7.2. Turned out to be a pretty good workout.
Saturday - 20 miles at 8:29 pace. This was the last 20 miler of the training cycle so I was hoping for a strong run. I went out at around 8:20 pace and quickly realized that it was hotter and more humid than I had anticipated. I decided to stick with the pace anyway since this was likely to be similar to the race day conditions in Boston. I felt OK and eventually found my zone. All went well through 14 and then I started to crash. By mile 16 I was hurting pretty good and I really had to push and fight to make it through the next 4 miles. I was pretty wiped out when I finally stopped running but it was a good test and good practice for fighting through fatigue.
Sunday - 3.2 miles at 9:22 recovery pace on treadmill. Some nasty weather so I just took it easy with a nice, slow 30 minute easy run on the treadmill.
So this is it. Time to taper and get ready to race. Looking back at my training log for fall '07 when I ran my Boston Qualifier race, my last 20 miler was a walk in the park. My notes say that the first 12 miles seemed "effortless" and I cruised through 20 miles at 7:58 pace. And I remember having to hold myself back from running it faster. Although, back then I was healthy and able to run 7 mile tempo runs and solid, consistent vo2 max workouts. Obviously, I'm no where close to that level of fitness right now but I'm damn happy just to be healthy enough to go out and run a respectable race.
The goal for this training cycle was to train hard while not aggravating my piriformis injury or doing anything else too stupid. So I managed to make it through reasonably healthy. I wasn't able to do any long tempo runs or any vo2 max workouts but I did run a couple of solid half marathons as training runs, and I have three 20 milers and a 22 miler under my belt. All in all, I think I'm OK. The marathon goal heading into the training cycle was to finish Boston in under 3:30. Unless there are some extreme weather conditions to contend with, that remains the goal and I think it will be tough, but attainable.
Tuesday - 9.3 miles at 8:28 pace. This was a tough run. My legs were still weak from the 22 miler plus I was fighting some stomach issues for half of the run. I was surprised when I got home and saw my pace because I felt like I was really plodding along.
Wednesday - 5 miles at 9:02 recovery pace on treadmill. It was raining and I wasn't sure how strong my legs would feel so I went with the easiest possible scenario. Legs ended up feeling fine.
Thursday - 8 miles at 8:06 average pace on treadmill. Another rainy day so I made the most of it. I decided to do a combination speed/hill progression run. Basically a 1/2 mile uphill starting at 7.2 then a 1/2 mile flat but at .2 faster, then the hill at the faster speed, then flat at .2 faster until I got to 8.0. Then finished with 2 miles at 7.2. Turned out to be a pretty good workout.
Saturday - 20 miles at 8:29 pace. This was the last 20 miler of the training cycle so I was hoping for a strong run. I went out at around 8:20 pace and quickly realized that it was hotter and more humid than I had anticipated. I decided to stick with the pace anyway since this was likely to be similar to the race day conditions in Boston. I felt OK and eventually found my zone. All went well through 14 and then I started to crash. By mile 16 I was hurting pretty good and I really had to push and fight to make it through the next 4 miles. I was pretty wiped out when I finally stopped running but it was a good test and good practice for fighting through fatigue.
Sunday - 3.2 miles at 9:22 recovery pace on treadmill. Some nasty weather so I just took it easy with a nice, slow 30 minute easy run on the treadmill.
So this is it. Time to taper and get ready to race. Looking back at my training log for fall '07 when I ran my Boston Qualifier race, my last 20 miler was a walk in the park. My notes say that the first 12 miles seemed "effortless" and I cruised through 20 miles at 7:58 pace. And I remember having to hold myself back from running it faster. Although, back then I was healthy and able to run 7 mile tempo runs and solid, consistent vo2 max workouts. Obviously, I'm no where close to that level of fitness right now but I'm damn happy just to be healthy enough to go out and run a respectable race.
The goal for this training cycle was to train hard while not aggravating my piriformis injury or doing anything else too stupid. So I managed to make it through reasonably healthy. I wasn't able to do any long tempo runs or any vo2 max workouts but I did run a couple of solid half marathons as training runs, and I have three 20 milers and a 22 miler under my belt. All in all, I think I'm OK. The marathon goal heading into the training cycle was to finish Boston in under 3:30. Unless there are some extreme weather conditions to contend with, that remains the goal and I think it will be tough, but attainable.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
O'Reilly the Stalker, Part 3
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
O'Reilly the Stalker, Part 2
Wow, an update to this story already. Here is the link.
Also, it appears that Jon Stewart has already had a little fun with O'Reilly regarding these very issues in the past. Enjoy the clip.
Also, it appears that Jon Stewart has already had a little fun with O'Reilly regarding these very issues in the past. Enjoy the clip.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M - Th 11p / 10c | |||
| Bill O'Reilly's Right to Privacy | ||||
| ||||
O'Reilly the Stalker
O'Reilly has a history of this kind of shit but this is beyond creepy. Click and read, people. It's one thing to send one of your goons after Bill Moyers and watch the goon crawl away with his tail between his legs. But when you send people out to stalk and ambush women just because they exposed you as the creep that you are (blaming the rape victims, sexually harassing your employees, etc.) then you need professional help. I hope this story blows up. Big, tough Billy O'Reilly, sending goons out to stalk and intimidate women. What a piece of shit.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Boston Training, Week 14
A pretty solid week with a nice scare thrown in for good measure. The weather was great all week and it made the running that much more enjoyable.
Tuesday - 11.2 miles at 8:14 pace. Felt good to pick up the pace just a bit.
Wednesday - 4.2 miles at 9:19 recovery pace. Pretty sore today. Took it easy.
Thursday - 9 mile hill workout at 8:23 pace. This was my first hill workout since the Mill Creek race so I was eager to see how my legs would feel. Everything went great for the first 5 miles and then my piriformis started to bother me. I tried to shake it off and call myself a wimp, etc., but it just kept getting worse. Scared the hell out of me. It was like, "here we go again". So I iced and used The Stick and hoped for the best. The nice thing about the piriformis is that recently, it has healed much faster than it used to. By Friday it was feeling a lot better but I continued treating it anyway. Better safe than sorry.
Saturday - 22 miles at 8:30 pace. This was a good test. The piriformis held up much better than expected and I was able to run pretty strong for the first 16 miles. The last 6 were kind of tough (as they are supposed to be) and I had to keep mentally pushing myself along. My breathing was fine and I kept reminding myself that there was nothing wrong except for general fatigue. So I kept pushing and held the pace until the .5 mile hill during mile 21. Overall, a really good run and a good chance to work on the mental aspects of running late in a race. The pace was comfortable.
Sunday - 3.6 miles at 9:39 recovery pace. Wasn't sure if I was going to go out today and waited until 3pm to finally do so. Legs were very tired so I just took it slow. One more hard week and then the taper begins. It won't be long now.
Oh, they assigned bib numbers this week so that was exciting. I'm # 8440, which means there are well over 8000 runners with faster qualifying times than me. That's what makes it Boston. Exciting and humbling at the same time.
Tuesday - 11.2 miles at 8:14 pace. Felt good to pick up the pace just a bit.
Wednesday - 4.2 miles at 9:19 recovery pace. Pretty sore today. Took it easy.
Thursday - 9 mile hill workout at 8:23 pace. This was my first hill workout since the Mill Creek race so I was eager to see how my legs would feel. Everything went great for the first 5 miles and then my piriformis started to bother me. I tried to shake it off and call myself a wimp, etc., but it just kept getting worse. Scared the hell out of me. It was like, "here we go again". So I iced and used The Stick and hoped for the best. The nice thing about the piriformis is that recently, it has healed much faster than it used to. By Friday it was feeling a lot better but I continued treating it anyway. Better safe than sorry.
Saturday - 22 miles at 8:30 pace. This was a good test. The piriformis held up much better than expected and I was able to run pretty strong for the first 16 miles. The last 6 were kind of tough (as they are supposed to be) and I had to keep mentally pushing myself along. My breathing was fine and I kept reminding myself that there was nothing wrong except for general fatigue. So I kept pushing and held the pace until the .5 mile hill during mile 21. Overall, a really good run and a good chance to work on the mental aspects of running late in a race. The pace was comfortable.
Sunday - 3.6 miles at 9:39 recovery pace. Wasn't sure if I was going to go out today and waited until 3pm to finally do so. Legs were very tired so I just took it slow. One more hard week and then the taper begins. It won't be long now.
Oh, they assigned bib numbers this week so that was exciting. I'm # 8440, which means there are well over 8000 runners with faster qualifying times than me. That's what makes it Boston. Exciting and humbling at the same time.
Still Losing
This was written by Jed Lewison of the JedReport and Daily Kos. I thought it was worth reprinting in it's entirety.
Apparently, the GOP thinks they finally have a winning issue:
The Republican National Committee (RNC) today launched a new Web video, titled "Mystery Solved." The video highlights the mystery of the Democrats' slipping in the language to the stimulus bill that allowed AIG to deliver bonuses to its executives with hard-earned tax payer dollars.
John Boehner leveled the same attack on Thursday:
Had President Obama not signed the bill, AIG executives wouldn't be getting $165 million in bonuses funded by American taxpayers.
But that just wasn't true, as David Waldman explained at Congress Matters:
Had President Obama not signed the bill, not only would AIG executives in fact be getting $165 million in bonuses funded by American taxpayers, but there would also be no restrictions on any bonuses paid by TARP recipients going forward.
Aside from the fact that Boehner is misinformed or lying (or both), there's three very important things to remember from this:
1. John Boehner and a substantial portion of the GOP caucus supported the original TARP legislation, and that legislation permitted AIG to make these bonus payments. In other words, Boehner and many of his cronies voted for the law that made it possible to pay these bonuses.
2. The stimulus bill included new executive pay restrictions that were not in the original TARP. John Boehner and virtually every Republican voted against the stimulus bill -- and therefore against the new executive pay restrictions.
3. It is true that the stimulus bill failed to impose new restrictions that would have blocked the AIG bonuses. But the stimulus bill did not create a new loophole allowing the AIG bonuses -- the bonuses were already legal.
The stimulus bill should have gone further. But it didn't, and it's not like the GOP was complaining about that aspect of the stimulus bill. Even moderate Republicans like Olympia Snowe kept quiet.
So when Republicans act like they've now found the issue that's going to propel them back to power keep in mind that this "issue" is mostly a fiction, driven by the GOP's willful distortion and misrepresentation of the facts and a compliant media eager to ride the wave of legitimate anger at the AIG bonuses and how they were handled.
Mistakes were made all around -- by the Obama Administration, including Tim Geithner; by Democrats in Congress who allowed TARP to pass with insufficient restrictions on compensation; and most of all by the Republican Party, who fought those restrictions every step of the way.
And let's not forget where the original AIG bailout came from: George W. Bush's Treasury Department. And who led Bush's Treasury Department? None other than Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs -- the second largest beneficiary of funds from the AIG bailout.
So if Republicans want to make AIG the issue of the day, fine. Let's have at it. See how they lose.
Meanwhile, President Obama and the Democratic Party need to focus on what people ultimately care about: making sure these bonuses are repaid, that the problem never happens again, and most importantly, that we get this economy back on track.
There's plenty of blame to go around, but pointing fingers isn't going to get the job done.
So the GOP might think they finally have a winner on their hands, but this fact still remains: as long as they are the party of no, their one and only hope for victory is if the nation fails.
Maybe that's why they all love Rush Limbaugh so much.
Apparently, the GOP thinks they finally have a winning issue:
The Republican National Committee (RNC) today launched a new Web video, titled "Mystery Solved." The video highlights the mystery of the Democrats' slipping in the language to the stimulus bill that allowed AIG to deliver bonuses to its executives with hard-earned tax payer dollars.
John Boehner leveled the same attack on Thursday:
Had President Obama not signed the bill, AIG executives wouldn't be getting $165 million in bonuses funded by American taxpayers.
But that just wasn't true, as David Waldman explained at Congress Matters:
Had President Obama not signed the bill, not only would AIG executives in fact be getting $165 million in bonuses funded by American taxpayers, but there would also be no restrictions on any bonuses paid by TARP recipients going forward.
Aside from the fact that Boehner is misinformed or lying (or both), there's three very important things to remember from this:
1. John Boehner and a substantial portion of the GOP caucus supported the original TARP legislation, and that legislation permitted AIG to make these bonus payments. In other words, Boehner and many of his cronies voted for the law that made it possible to pay these bonuses.
2. The stimulus bill included new executive pay restrictions that were not in the original TARP. John Boehner and virtually every Republican voted against the stimulus bill -- and therefore against the new executive pay restrictions.
3. It is true that the stimulus bill failed to impose new restrictions that would have blocked the AIG bonuses. But the stimulus bill did not create a new loophole allowing the AIG bonuses -- the bonuses were already legal.
The stimulus bill should have gone further. But it didn't, and it's not like the GOP was complaining about that aspect of the stimulus bill. Even moderate Republicans like Olympia Snowe kept quiet.
So when Republicans act like they've now found the issue that's going to propel them back to power keep in mind that this "issue" is mostly a fiction, driven by the GOP's willful distortion and misrepresentation of the facts and a compliant media eager to ride the wave of legitimate anger at the AIG bonuses and how they were handled.
Mistakes were made all around -- by the Obama Administration, including Tim Geithner; by Democrats in Congress who allowed TARP to pass with insufficient restrictions on compensation; and most of all by the Republican Party, who fought those restrictions every step of the way.
And let's not forget where the original AIG bailout came from: George W. Bush's Treasury Department. And who led Bush's Treasury Department? None other than Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs -- the second largest beneficiary of funds from the AIG bailout.
So if Republicans want to make AIG the issue of the day, fine. Let's have at it. See how they lose.
Meanwhile, President Obama and the Democratic Party need to focus on what people ultimately care about: making sure these bonuses are repaid, that the problem never happens again, and most importantly, that we get this economy back on track.
There's plenty of blame to go around, but pointing fingers isn't going to get the job done.
So the GOP might think they finally have a winner on their hands, but this fact still remains: as long as they are the party of no, their one and only hope for victory is if the nation fails.
Maybe that's why they all love Rush Limbaugh so much.
Limbots
I don't know much about Mike Malloy but I thought his blog post about the Limbaugh lemmings, which he calls "Limbots" was right on the money. Click to read his post.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Truth About Tucker, Part 2
Here is a link to a good article by Media Matters detailing the history of Tucker Carlson's apparent vendetta against Jon Stewart. Enjoy.
LOTR vs Ayn Rand
I just thought this was funny.
-- There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
Courtesy of the KFMonkey blog.
-- There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
Courtesy of the KFMonkey blog.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Look! A Diversion!
LIMBAUGH: I have been asked to explain, ladies and gentlemen, to you why Democrats are treating AIG employees worse than the detainees at Club Gitmo, and of course I could explain this, but it's to miss the point. The whole point here is to create a distraction, a diversion to get you hating capitalism and capitalists. It is designed to -- all this is manufactured. It's a totally manufactured sense of outrage and crisis.
He's right. There is a totally manufactured sense of outrage and crisis. But it's not designed to get you to hate capitalism. That's just the rantings of an angry, bitter, drugged out radio talk show host.
The real diversion is in getting Joe Sixpack all fired up and blaming the Government. Painting the Government as the bad guys for trying to fix this mess. If the Average Joe's are angry at the Government, they won't listen when the Government decides to reimpose regulations to prevent these issues from happening again and again.
Yes, the Oxy-moron is rallying his fringe cult and duping them into fighting against their own best interests, again. So when you hear him crying "socialism", that is the diversion code for "would help average people". And when you hear him crying about people "hating capitalism" that is the diversion code for "would prevent rich old white guys from stealing your life savings".
And the number one code that you need to remember is this. When he talks about the "American people", that is code for "rich old white guys". Plug in these simple codes and it will all start to make a little more sense.
He's right. There is a totally manufactured sense of outrage and crisis. But it's not designed to get you to hate capitalism. That's just the rantings of an angry, bitter, drugged out radio talk show host.
The real diversion is in getting Joe Sixpack all fired up and blaming the Government. Painting the Government as the bad guys for trying to fix this mess. If the Average Joe's are angry at the Government, they won't listen when the Government decides to reimpose regulations to prevent these issues from happening again and again.
Yes, the Oxy-moron is rallying his fringe cult and duping them into fighting against their own best interests, again. So when you hear him crying "socialism", that is the diversion code for "would help average people". And when you hear him crying about people "hating capitalism" that is the diversion code for "would prevent rich old white guys from stealing your life savings".
And the number one code that you need to remember is this. When he talks about the "American people", that is code for "rich old white guys". Plug in these simple codes and it will all start to make a little more sense.
Grand Old Hypocrites
This would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic. But this is what you get when your Party has no ideas and your entire strategy is to try to discredit the people who are actually trying to lead us out of this mess. Do these people believe in anything? Or do they just stand up and start spouting b.s., hoping that a sound bite hits home for a few quick political points?
Thursday, March 19, 2009
His Lips Were Moving
Video 1 is a Rachel Maddow interview that goes into pretty solid detail about the torture that went on at CIA secret sights.
Video 2 is Duh on Larry King saying, "we don't torture". As usual, you can tell that Duh is lying because his lips are moving.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Truth About Tucker
You've probably seen Tucker Carlson come out of retirement this week to attack Jon Stewart for attacking Jim Cramer and CNBC. Carlson, along with other right wing blowhards, are trying to spread the lie that Stewart is an Obama hack who only went after CNBC after Santelli went after Obama regarding the mortgage issue.
Interestingly, it appears that Tucker is the one who has an axe to grind. In the above video, you'll see Stewart totally destroy Carlson on the Crossfire TV show back in the day. Perhaps this interview played a role in Carlson's subsequent inability to find work on television. And perhaps Carlson is looking for a little pay back. Once a partisan hack, always a partisan hack.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Boston Training, Week 13
Not much of a running week. I took a few extra days off to rest my aching legs after the hilly race I ran last weekend. But at this point, it is better to err on the side of caution. I spent the entire week icing my legs like a madman.
Tuesday - off
Wednesday - off
Thursday - 7.1 miles at 9:21 pace. I just wanted to go out at recovery pace and get a few miles in and make sure everything felt OK. The only unexpected news was that my left knee was sore. I remembered that it was sore as soon as I finished the race last Sunday, but the pain went away and I forgot about it.
Friday - 4.1 miles at 9:17 pace. Another easy pace recovery run. The left knee was sore again so I didn't push it.
Sunday - 17 miles at 8:50 pace. I had very low expectations for this run. My legs were trashed all week and I was worried about my knee as well as my legs overall. The training schedule called for 17 miles but I really expected to only run 10 and maybe 14 at the very most. I went out nice and slow and decided that I would just run at a comfortable pace for as long as I could handle 9:00 pace. After 4 miles or so, my legs loosened up and the pace improved to around 8:45. Around mile 9, I had to decide whether to keep pushing North or head up the hill toward home. I decided to keep running, figuring I would do the 14. Something happened and suddenly I was running comfortably at 8:30 pace for about 4 or 5 miles. Before I knew it I was at 14 miles and still about a mile from home. I decided to just run 15 and call it a day. When I got to around 14.75 my neighbor came running up the road in the other direction. I turned around and ran with him for a mile then turned around and headed home with 17 miles logged for the day.
So I totally surprised myself today. I think the key was going out slow and just letting my body warm up and dictate the pace. Two weeks until taper so hopefully my legs will be fresh and I can pound out a couple of 50 mile weeks before it's time to cut back. Won't be long now.
Tuesday - off
Wednesday - off
Thursday - 7.1 miles at 9:21 pace. I just wanted to go out at recovery pace and get a few miles in and make sure everything felt OK. The only unexpected news was that my left knee was sore. I remembered that it was sore as soon as I finished the race last Sunday, but the pain went away and I forgot about it.
Friday - 4.1 miles at 9:17 pace. Another easy pace recovery run. The left knee was sore again so I didn't push it.
Sunday - 17 miles at 8:50 pace. I had very low expectations for this run. My legs were trashed all week and I was worried about my knee as well as my legs overall. The training schedule called for 17 miles but I really expected to only run 10 and maybe 14 at the very most. I went out nice and slow and decided that I would just run at a comfortable pace for as long as I could handle 9:00 pace. After 4 miles or so, my legs loosened up and the pace improved to around 8:45. Around mile 9, I had to decide whether to keep pushing North or head up the hill toward home. I decided to keep running, figuring I would do the 14. Something happened and suddenly I was running comfortably at 8:30 pace for about 4 or 5 miles. Before I knew it I was at 14 miles and still about a mile from home. I decided to just run 15 and call it a day. When I got to around 14.75 my neighbor came running up the road in the other direction. I turned around and ran with him for a mile then turned around and headed home with 17 miles logged for the day.
So I totally surprised myself today. I think the key was going out slow and just letting my body warm up and dictate the pace. Two weeks until taper so hopefully my legs will be fresh and I can pound out a couple of 50 mile weeks before it's time to cut back. Won't be long now.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Facts Have A Strong Liberal Bias
Fox "news" and Lou Dobbs have been making shit up again. This time they are claiming that Obama broke a campaign promise to eliminate earmarks. Yeah, the only problem is that it was McCain who promised to eliminate earmarks, not Obama. But Fox isn't one to let facts get in the way of their propaganda.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Employee Free Choice Act
Broken down so simple that even a die hard Fox "news" viewer can understand it. And lest you think I'm picking on Fox viewers, here is the link to the propaganda that those fine viewers are being exposed to, most liberally (so to speak). Looking at this example of how much misinformation these viewers are exposed to, I think the case can truly be made that watching Fox "news" really does make you dumber. Or at the very least, grossly misinformed.
Maybe We Need To Redefine Who The "Losers" Are, Part, er...Round 4
Ironic that the comedian comes across as more intelligent than the "expert".
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Maybe We Need To Redefine Who The "Losers" Are, Part 2
A follow up to the Stewart clip I posted yesterday.
Boston Training, Week 12
This week started off pretty rough but all in all, another good week.
Tuesday - 10 mile hill workout at 8:41 pace. I thought I was getting my legs back last week but I had no energy again today. I just pushed through it.
Wednesday - 3.4 miles on treadmill at 9:00 pace. Legs were tired all day. Took it easy and did the bare minimum.
Thursday - 8 miles at 8:20 pace. Nice running weather, stayed mostly on the flat bike path and enjoyed the pace. Legs felt a bit better today.
Saturday - 4.8 miles at 9:13 recovery pace. Mostly just a warm up run for Sunday's race. Did a few light strides and made sure I didn't push too hard. Legs felt good.
Sunday - 13.1 miles at 7:58 pace. This was the Mill Creek Distance Classic. A very hilly, challenging half marathon. My goals were to run this between 7:55-8:00 pace and be able to finish strong. Both goals were met. This was a very good Boston prep course. Not bad running weather other than the fact that we ran almost the entire race in the pouring rain.
I'm writing this on Tuesday, two days after the race and my legs feel like I ran a marathon. So I'm taking today and tomorrow off and I'll pick it up again on Thursday and go from there. Only three weeks until taper so I don't want to screw up now. The most important goal for this week is to get my legs back to full strength as quickly as possible and be able to hit the next two weeks hard and strong. If I can do that, I think my chances of running a respectable race in Boston will be good.
Tuesday - 10 mile hill workout at 8:41 pace. I thought I was getting my legs back last week but I had no energy again today. I just pushed through it.
Wednesday - 3.4 miles on treadmill at 9:00 pace. Legs were tired all day. Took it easy and did the bare minimum.
Thursday - 8 miles at 8:20 pace. Nice running weather, stayed mostly on the flat bike path and enjoyed the pace. Legs felt a bit better today.
Saturday - 4.8 miles at 9:13 recovery pace. Mostly just a warm up run for Sunday's race. Did a few light strides and made sure I didn't push too hard. Legs felt good.
Sunday - 13.1 miles at 7:58 pace. This was the Mill Creek Distance Classic. A very hilly, challenging half marathon. My goals were to run this between 7:55-8:00 pace and be able to finish strong. Both goals were met. This was a very good Boston prep course. Not bad running weather other than the fact that we ran almost the entire race in the pouring rain.
I'm writing this on Tuesday, two days after the race and my legs feel like I ran a marathon. So I'm taking today and tomorrow off and I'll pick it up again on Thursday and go from there. Only three weeks until taper so I don't want to screw up now. The most important goal for this week is to get my legs back to full strength as quickly as possible and be able to hit the next two weeks hard and strong. If I can do that, I think my chances of running a respectable race in Boston will be good.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Health Scare
According to an analysis of federal elections data by Consumer Watchdog, health insurers and their employees contributed $2.2 million to the top 10 recipients in the House and Senate since 2005 while drug makers and their employees gave more than $3.3 million to top lawmakers in the same period.
With President Obama preparing to make health care a priority, I thought it would be interesting to keep an eye on the top recipients of these bribes (er...contributions) and see what these companies get for their money. I'm willing to bet that the these Senators and Congressmen will lead the charge against Obama and try to scare Americans every chance they get with talk about Socialism and horror stories about health care in Canada and other nations who take care of the health needs of their citizens.
Let's follow the money:
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz $546,000
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky $425,000
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont $413,000
And in the House:
Rep. John Boehner, R-Oh $257,000
Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va $249,000
Wouldn't it be great if the media would start including the amount of money received by each elected official in every story they write about what is going on in government? Suddenly, everything would make so much more sense.
With President Obama preparing to make health care a priority, I thought it would be interesting to keep an eye on the top recipients of these bribes (er...contributions) and see what these companies get for their money. I'm willing to bet that the these Senators and Congressmen will lead the charge against Obama and try to scare Americans every chance they get with talk about Socialism and horror stories about health care in Canada and other nations who take care of the health needs of their citizens.
Let's follow the money:
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz $546,000
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky $425,000
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont $413,000
And in the House:
Rep. John Boehner, R-Oh $257,000
Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va $249,000
Wouldn't it be great if the media would start including the amount of money received by each elected official in every story they write about what is going on in government? Suddenly, everything would make so much more sense.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Boston Training, Week 11
Overall, not a bad week.
Tuesday - 10 miles at 8:29 pace. This was a tougher run than it should have been. I still didn't have my legs back. Average heart rate was 155, which is about 5 bpm more than it should have been, which confirmed that I wasn't back to 100% yet. But at least I got the miles in. I remember thinking during the run that I felt fat, slow and weak.
Wednesday - 5 miles at 9:15 recovery pace. Weather in the 50's, felt great to be out there in running weather. Had to really restrain myself and stick to the recovery pace.
Thursday - 11 mile hill workout at 8:37 pace. Ran this one in the dark and rain so the pace was a little slow but the important thing was my strength was back.
Saturday - 20 miles at 8:43 pace. Legs were still a little tired from running hills on Thursday night. Probably should have waited until Sunday for this run. Another really windy day (and cold). The wind was really sapping my strength. I didn't worry too much about a strong pace. I just wanted to get in the miles.
Sunday - 4 miles at 9:45 recovery pace. Another cold and very windy morning. Took it very easy.
Seven weeks left. I'm getting there. I'm reasonably healthy. The miles are starting to add up. Just need to be smart while making the most out of each run. Looking forward to some warmer weather.
Tuesday - 10 miles at 8:29 pace. This was a tougher run than it should have been. I still didn't have my legs back. Average heart rate was 155, which is about 5 bpm more than it should have been, which confirmed that I wasn't back to 100% yet. But at least I got the miles in. I remember thinking during the run that I felt fat, slow and weak.
Wednesday - 5 miles at 9:15 recovery pace. Weather in the 50's, felt great to be out there in running weather. Had to really restrain myself and stick to the recovery pace.
Thursday - 11 mile hill workout at 8:37 pace. Ran this one in the dark and rain so the pace was a little slow but the important thing was my strength was back.
Saturday - 20 miles at 8:43 pace. Legs were still a little tired from running hills on Thursday night. Probably should have waited until Sunday for this run. Another really windy day (and cold). The wind was really sapping my strength. I didn't worry too much about a strong pace. I just wanted to get in the miles.
Sunday - 4 miles at 9:45 recovery pace. Another cold and very windy morning. Took it very easy.
Seven weeks left. I'm getting there. I'm reasonably healthy. The miles are starting to add up. Just need to be smart while making the most out of each run. Looking forward to some warmer weather.
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