The Boston Globe errs today in an article about who will start tomorrow night's Red Sox game against Toronto. Kyle Lohse, recently sent down from Minnesota to Rochester, is identified as playing in Rochester, Minnesota. As all you RedWings fans know, the Minnesota AAA club is in Rochester, New York. No respect whatsoever. Also, Lohse is not a legitimate option for Wednesday night: he pitched nine innings on Monday.
A Globe story worth reading, however, is Bob Ryan's feel-good piece about the resurgence of the Pawtucket Red Sox, who are one of the hottest minor league tickets in the country, and are best known for hosting the RedWings in professional baseball's longest game ever.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Monday, May 29, 2006
Cowboys Against AIDS
Sebastian Mallaby of WaPo takes a three-years-later look at President Bush's promise to unilaterally massively increase funding for AIDS relief. At the time, it promised to be the first program to spend significant resources on treatment as well as prevention. His findings:
Of course, this is $4 billion more of deficit spending. But with all the worthless pork and dubious military, education and Medicare increases, this program is low on the list to be axed. Perhaps a better approach (or an additional approach) would be to make future increases contingent on willing contributions. Have the federal government give matching funding for taxpayer contributions. That would help citizens get involved in this most important kind of foreign aid, and it would enhance the public diplomacy aspect of the program.
The administration's budget for 2007 requests $4 billion from Congress, more than quadruple the level in 2001. So the Bush team is on target to exceed the $15 billion promise...
the Bush administration began by refusing to buy pharmaceuticals that lacked approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, effectively closing the door to non-branded AIDS therapies. Starting in 2004, the administration fixed this problem... Given how often foreign aid is tied to exports from donor countries, it's remarkable that the Bush team stiffed Big Pharma in favor of cost-effective help for AIDS patients...
There's much more to be done -- 5 million more people get infected every year. But if you want to denounce rich countries for their negligence, the United States is the wrong target.
Of course, this is $4 billion more of deficit spending. But with all the worthless pork and dubious military, education and Medicare increases, this program is low on the list to be axed. Perhaps a better approach (or an additional approach) would be to make future increases contingent on willing contributions. Have the federal government give matching funding for taxpayer contributions. That would help citizens get involved in this most important kind of foreign aid, and it would enhance the public diplomacy aspect of the program.
Biking to Boston Albany
I got up on Friday morning at ten minutes past five. I was in shape, my bike had some known problems, but had ridden well on the long training rides. My baggage was pared down as light as I could make it. The weather was supposed to have scattered showers and overnight rain. I could deal with that.
I left at 5:50. By 7:00, the showers had found me. They stuck with me all the way to Syracuse. That's an hour and a half by car; five by bike. Then the wind picked up. But instead of the prevailing westerlies I expected, it was an unpleasant headwind. I stopped at an auto body shop to re-oil my bike as the now-sweltering sun had dried it up (after the rain had washed out all my oil earlier). I limped into Oneida and refueled with a quart of ice cream and my third banana of the day.
Then I made for Utica, which I struck before sunset. Going east from Utica, I was peddling to the chant of "Herkimer, Fort Plain, Canajoharie, Fultonville; Herkimer, Fort Plain, Canajoharie, Fultonville...", which were the main towns I had to cross to reach my destination: a hot meal and shower and a warm bed. I was equipped to bivouac outside, but the drizzle returned, and that option was very unattractive.
At this point I was riding quite well. There were plenty of hills getting to Fort Plain, but more than that was the miles. There were a lot of them. Whereas I had pre-calculated the lenght of the day's ride at 175 miles, in fact it was 205. I think the rain was a big part of my ability to ride all that way. As unpleasant as it is to have dirty water dripping into your eyes and mouth and to spend an entire day in soggy sneakers, it conserves sweat, and doesn't exhaust you the way the hot sun does. My toughest hours were the midday, when it was clear and humid.
Not that the night riding was easy. Dense fog rolled in as the last sunshine disappeared, so my last two hours were in pitch darkness, with only the occasional house or headlight to show me the road more than a few yards ahead of me. I got to the point where I welcomed even being blinded by an oncoming headlights, just for the company.
I reached my hosts in Fultonville at 11:00pm. I had ridden 205 miles in 14 hours and 3 minutes, plus three hours of breaks (which isn't as much as it sounds like). That means that I was riding at about 15 mph, which is my standard of excellence, the entire day.
I had lasagna, a long shower, and fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.
The next day was tough. I couldn't get up and leave early, because I'd gotten to bed at midnight. But I limited myself to eight hours' sleep, and tried to make what I could of the morning. But the first days' rain meant a lot of work in the morning: lubing the bike, reassembling my drying things, etc. I got off before 10:00, but it was already warm.
I rode well for the first two hours, considering how sore I was, getting down into Schenectady. But then through a combination of poorly laid-out bike routes, heat, and bike troubles, I slowed way down, stopping constantly. My bike started making funny noises, and I had to mess with it and finally stopped the racket by hand-tightening the axle. That's not something you're supposed to have to adjust.
There were also phone calls to make and receive. My mother was going to come and drop off my dad towards the end of the day. He would finish the day with me, and then we'd ride home across Massachusetts on Sunday. I hoped to be at the peak of the Berkshires by the time he was supposed to meet me, at about 6:30pm. This whole arrangement sapped my mental energy: if Mom was meeting us and driving home, why not just get in the car??
When a spoke snapped on the arduous climb out of the Hudson valley at Troy, I gave up. I couldn't ride much further without visiting a bike shop, and the tough push uphill was bringing out more uncomfortable-sounding noises from my rear axle and bottom bracket. So I gave up, called the AP's, and meandered down the river to Albany, where they picked me up a few hours later.
The moral of the story is: long bike trips are only fun at a leisurely pace. You see more by driving on I-90 than by biking NYS Bike Route 5. The only worthwhile sights were Cohoes Falls and the old industrial buildings of Cohoes, which had a 19th-century charm. Everything else was single-wide trailers and pickup trucks, with the occasional burned-down barn. I've had fantastic bike trips before: across Vermont to Montreal, across New Hampshire's White Mountains, through the Netherlands. But none of these involved racing against time for seventeen hours in a drizzle. So if I attempt the trip again, it'll be with company, and we'll budget four or five days instead of three.
I left at 5:50. By 7:00, the showers had found me. They stuck with me all the way to Syracuse. That's an hour and a half by car; five by bike. Then the wind picked up. But instead of the prevailing westerlies I expected, it was an unpleasant headwind. I stopped at an auto body shop to re-oil my bike as the now-sweltering sun had dried it up (after the rain had washed out all my oil earlier). I limped into Oneida and refueled with a quart of ice cream and my third banana of the day.
Then I made for Utica, which I struck before sunset. Going east from Utica, I was peddling to the chant of "Herkimer, Fort Plain, Canajoharie, Fultonville; Herkimer, Fort Plain, Canajoharie, Fultonville...", which were the main towns I had to cross to reach my destination: a hot meal and shower and a warm bed. I was equipped to bivouac outside, but the drizzle returned, and that option was very unattractive.
At this point I was riding quite well. There were plenty of hills getting to Fort Plain, but more than that was the miles. There were a lot of them. Whereas I had pre-calculated the lenght of the day's ride at 175 miles, in fact it was 205. I think the rain was a big part of my ability to ride all that way. As unpleasant as it is to have dirty water dripping into your eyes and mouth and to spend an entire day in soggy sneakers, it conserves sweat, and doesn't exhaust you the way the hot sun does. My toughest hours were the midday, when it was clear and humid.
Not that the night riding was easy. Dense fog rolled in as the last sunshine disappeared, so my last two hours were in pitch darkness, with only the occasional house or headlight to show me the road more than a few yards ahead of me. I got to the point where I welcomed even being blinded by an oncoming headlights, just for the company.
I reached my hosts in Fultonville at 11:00pm. I had ridden 205 miles in 14 hours and 3 minutes, plus three hours of breaks (which isn't as much as it sounds like). That means that I was riding at about 15 mph, which is my standard of excellence, the entire day.
I had lasagna, a long shower, and fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.
The next day was tough. I couldn't get up and leave early, because I'd gotten to bed at midnight. But I limited myself to eight hours' sleep, and tried to make what I could of the morning. But the first days' rain meant a lot of work in the morning: lubing the bike, reassembling my drying things, etc. I got off before 10:00, but it was already warm.
I rode well for the first two hours, considering how sore I was, getting down into Schenectady. But then through a combination of poorly laid-out bike routes, heat, and bike troubles, I slowed way down, stopping constantly. My bike started making funny noises, and I had to mess with it and finally stopped the racket by hand-tightening the axle. That's not something you're supposed to have to adjust.
There were also phone calls to make and receive. My mother was going to come and drop off my dad towards the end of the day. He would finish the day with me, and then we'd ride home across Massachusetts on Sunday. I hoped to be at the peak of the Berkshires by the time he was supposed to meet me, at about 6:30pm. This whole arrangement sapped my mental energy: if Mom was meeting us and driving home, why not just get in the car??
When a spoke snapped on the arduous climb out of the Hudson valley at Troy, I gave up. I couldn't ride much further without visiting a bike shop, and the tough push uphill was bringing out more uncomfortable-sounding noises from my rear axle and bottom bracket. So I gave up, called the AP's, and meandered down the river to Albany, where they picked me up a few hours later.
The moral of the story is: long bike trips are only fun at a leisurely pace. You see more by driving on I-90 than by biking NYS Bike Route 5. The only worthwhile sights were Cohoes Falls and the old industrial buildings of Cohoes, which had a 19th-century charm. Everything else was single-wide trailers and pickup trucks, with the occasional burned-down barn. I've had fantastic bike trips before: across Vermont to Montreal, across New Hampshire's White Mountains, through the Netherlands. But none of these involved racing against time for seventeen hours in a drizzle. So if I attempt the trip again, it'll be with company, and we'll budget four or five days instead of three.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Just Like Old Times
This takes me back (to circa 2001)... Pedro owned the Yankees for 7 innings (8 K, no runs), and then had the bullpen caugh up his lead in the 9th and lose the game in the 11th. Must have made him feel all warm and nostalgic inside.
Billy Wagner should probably call in sick tomorrow, actually.
Billy Wagner should probably call in sick tomorrow, actually.
No Such Evil
The Post story and resulting consternation yesterday were of naught. The Iranian dress bill is not as draconian as described, and makes no mention of minorities. Phew.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Solidarity!
If the story below is true and the measure is signed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Global Review is proud to be the first voice to call for solidarity: Christians and Jews around the world should take up the prescribed badges, both red and yellow, in solidarity with those whose safety and citizenship is placed in jeopardy by this measure.
To loosed up the tension... James Taranto notes that this incident (if true) shows that history indeed repeats itself first as tragedy, then as Farsi.
To loosed up the tension... James Taranto notes that this incident (if true) shows that history indeed repeats itself first as tragedy, then as Farsi.
Axis of Evil
Note: the veracity of this story is in question. Stay tuned.
Update (11:28 am) UPI believes the story enough to quote it.
Update (12:33 pm) Jerusalem Post and Y-Net News both cite the story. The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Israel (as well as its LA counterpart) takes the story at face value. Also, Y-Net news reported on Monday that Iran had passed a "National Uniform Law" mandating strict Islamic dress for men and women.
Update (12:40) a Canadian commenter at HistoryMike points out that the National Post is a disreputable tabloid. Also, a commenter links to the IRNA press release on Monday's passage.
Update (1:02) Canadian PM Stephen Harper commented on the story a few minutes ago, saying it may be true and he considers Iran "very capable" of doing this.
Update (3:48) American Jewish organizations issued a joint statement, published in JPost. They write: We have been seeking to clarify these reports but do not yet have confirmation. There are clear indications that various Iranian government agencies...are working on new uniforms to be introduced in the fall.
********** original post below **********
President Ahmadinejad of Iran is doing his best to live up to his "Axis of Evil" billing. Not satisfied with calling for Israel's destruction and fanning the flames of anti-semitism, Ahmadinejad is triggering Godwin's Law on a global scale:
Historical note: the use of the badges or bands for Jews and Christians goes back to the Caliphate in Iran (source) and to Pope Innocent III, 1215 AD, in Europe (source).
Update (11:28 am) UPI believes the story enough to quote it.
Update (12:33 pm) Jerusalem Post and Y-Net News both cite the story. The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Israel (as well as its LA counterpart) takes the story at face value. Also, Y-Net news reported on Monday that Iran had passed a "National Uniform Law" mandating strict Islamic dress for men and women.
Update (12:40) a Canadian commenter at HistoryMike points out that the National Post is a disreputable tabloid. Also, a commenter links to the IRNA press release on Monday's passage.
Update (1:02) Canadian PM Stephen Harper commented on the story a few minutes ago, saying it may be true and he considers Iran "very capable" of doing this.
Update (3:48) American Jewish organizations issued a joint statement, published in JPost. They write: We have been seeking to clarify these reports but do not yet have confirmation. There are clear indications that various Iranian government agencies...are working on new uniforms to be introduced in the fall.
********** original post below **********
President Ahmadinejad of Iran is doing his best to live up to his "Axis of Evil" billing. Not satisfied with calling for Israel's destruction and fanning the flames of anti-semitism, Ahmadinejad is triggering Godwin's Law on a global scale:
Iranian expatriates living in Canada yesterday confirmed reports that the Iranian parliament, called the Islamic Majlis, passed a law this week setting a dress code for all Iranians, requiring them to wear almost identical "standard Islamic garments."This is beyond insane, but in a way it's good: if passed, it removes any pretense of normalcy or responsible leadership from the Iranian regime, and should unite world opinion against them. It also has great potential to turn most non-militant Muslim Iranians against their government; note that they as well as minorities are being regulated by this law. Whereas the nuclear crisis appeals to Iranian nationalism, this measure divides by creed a society with a rich history or tolerance.
The law, which must still be approved by Iran's "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenehi [sic] before being put into effect, also establishes special insignia to be worn by non-Muslims.
Iran's roughly 25,000 Jews would have to sew a yellow strip of cloth on the front of their clothes, while Christians would wear red badges and Zoroastrians would be forced to wear blue cloth. (from national post via drudge)
Historical note: the use of the badges or bands for Jews and Christians goes back to the Caliphate in Iran (source) and to Pope Innocent III, 1215 AD, in Europe (source).
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