A Chinese Internet cafe worker received an eight-year jail sentence for posting pro-democracy articles online. No surprise that China remains cozy with Assad’s Syrian regime, where tens of thousands have died for daring to seek freedom.
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Long interview with Iain Banks (aka Iain M. Banks) over at the Irish Times. Probably a bunch of those out there since he just published a new novel – his 26th.
Caution: clicking on this link at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will start a loud advertisement, so be warned.
That said, Bill Steigerwald’s expose of John Steinbeck’s deception (and that of his editors, biographers and publishers) regarding his book, Travels with Charley, makes for very interesting reading. For decades we’ve all been led to believe what Steinbeck wrote actually happened, that he lived in his camper car and everything he saw and heard was real. The truth is that Steinbeck’s words are heavily fictionalized, and likely politically biased. Though I like Steinbeck’s fiction, and one time visited the Steinbeck center in Salinas, one can only hope every work of non-fiction gets the same sharp investigation. Wikipedia, by the way, has yet to update its pages regarding the book.
A great post on when to start considering moving up to the 140.6 mile Ironman distance. I’m looking at 2014 as my goal, but I might even push that back a year. I first want to finish three half-Ironman events and progress from wide-eyed noob to someone who can handle the distance. I currently have four Sprint and one Olympic distance triathlons under my belt, and a tremendous amount of learning ahead, especially handling the running part after the bike, since I’ve always approached it from the “I’m already a runner” perspective, and that doesn’t really seem to work. I’ve swum, biked and run the half distances, but never together. I know I’m not ready for the full distance yet, and will need at least a full year to train.
Not sure where I stand on the Singularity. The idea has been mocked (Rapture of the Nerds), embraced (Ray Kurtzweil) and treated with great debate. The 7th Annual Singularity Summit recently took place in San Francisco. Featuring people like Temple Grandin, Peter Thiel, and others, I can see why libertarians are drawn to the futuristic aspects of the Singularity, which seems to promise greater liberty, along with immortality and opportunities for peace and prosperity.
Financial analyst and libertarian Doug Casey with his five reasons for non-voting, from ethics to practicality.
I’m probably in the minority, but unlike Christine Brennan in USA Today and elsewhere, I don’t think New York should cancel the New York Marathon in the aftermath of hurricane Sandy. I am not registered for that marathon, nor do I live in the New York area, but I think putting on the marathon is vital for the area’s mental recovery, however, “non-essential” people may deem the act of running 26.2 miles through the five boroughs. There are certain economic benefits, but if there are goals like getting runners on Staten Island for the start, and clearing downed trees, then maybe the marathon will push those goals to fruition. Then again, I could be totally wrong and Sunday may end up being a logistical nightmare for all involved. But consider this, what would happen if the event was cancelled? Calls for refunds would flood web sites and the NYRR offices, next year would be full before registration began, and the cancellation this year would ripple through the marathon for several years.
Looks like prices will head upward for new wine soon, with a projected shortage in wine production this year, especially in Argentina.
Interesting article at the Wall Street Journal about older runners completing marathons. I finished my first marathon at age 44, though I’d been running all my life. I just never ran with purpose until much later, and it took a couple of years of serious training before I attempted a marathon. I’ve dealt with one persistent foot injury, despite careful training. Just goes to show you can’t control everything.
The building, that is, not the services, even though I’m sure its share of bribes have appeared there, over the years.
