So today was the Scratch-n-Dent sale at the REI. Started at 9am, but the flyer says "Come early & form a line". Unfortunately, I couldn't find a photo of the Albuquerque REI that fully shows the layout. I got there at 8:55, and there was a line all the way around the building and down the sidewalk outside. They opened the sale at 9, and it probably took 10 minutes for my spot in line to wind into the sale. When I got in, I descended into a pit of anger, sweat, and mistrust. I was in the sale for half an hour wandering around, and bought four things: a folding table that was missing a pretty integral part, some gaiters from Outdoor Research that are missing a metal hook, a pair of socks that are too small, and a pair of pretty well-used trekking poles from REI that had a strap broken; that one I fixed. Ended up costing me $40.
It was a really strange experience. There must have been a couple hundred people in there, in a real small area. They had bins of stuff that you couldn't even get to because there were so many people crowded around. And there were a lot of people who seemed to be buying several of something; four thermarests, five pairs of shoes, etc. Pretty sure those'll be up on E-bay soon.
There's more sale tomorrow, but I've got the big wedding to go to tomorrow, which should be really exciting. I'll give a report.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Article 5, more
A new article is out by the wife. Go here to check it out. I just noticed that (at least online) they've got her in the classified section. Go read the article, and you will see why this is a terrible place to put this article. Who is more likely to troll the classifieds? ATVers, or environmentalists? I say the former.
Also, I found at least part of a good quote from Vladimir Putin. I don't like Putin, I believe that he has had critics killed, and that he's actively pursuing a renewal of cold war conditions. But he said the following (translated of course): "Anyway we didn’t drop nuclear weapons on a civil population and didn’t drop chemicals over thousands of square kilometres as happened in Vietnam." I agree that it's hypocritical for Bush to pull some kind of "holier than thou" stance toward Russia. The international community should put the pressure on; I wish that the UN were stronger so it could pressure us and them into shutting the hell up.
Also, I found at least part of a good quote from Vladimir Putin. I don't like Putin, I believe that he has had critics killed, and that he's actively pursuing a renewal of cold war conditions. But he said the following (translated of course): "Anyway we didn’t drop nuclear weapons on a civil population and didn’t drop chemicals over thousands of square kilometres as happened in Vietnam." I agree that it's hypocritical for Bush to pull some kind of "holier than thou" stance toward Russia. The international community should put the pressure on; I wish that the UN were stronger so it could pressure us and them into shutting the hell up.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
You, sir, are a racist.
If you're like most Americans, you don't really care what goes on in DC. So you may not know that the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, limited school districts' ability to use race as a factor in school admission. Why should you care? I mean, you're (probably) white so this (probably) actually makes things easier for you. I'm white, so this would make things easier for me if I ever actually needed to apply to a school ever again (which I don't) (although there are woefully few american-born minorities in hydrology anyway). You should care because we it is unjust, and I believe it is at heart a racist view.
Just consider this view, from one Roger Clegg, who appeared on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer this evening. Go here to check out the transcript of the conversation. But I want to point you toward a particular passage from the interview:
JUDY WOODRUFF: Just quickly, are you trying to pretend that racism doesn't exist?
ROGER CLEGG: Absolutely not. Racism does exist. We've made enormous progress, and I think that anybody who thinks that we haven't is delusional, but racism still exists.
Define "enormous." A member of the Ku Klux Klan made a run for president in 1988 and 1992, and held several offices in Louisiana. One of the most popular radio hosts in America believes that black people shouldn't get to swim. In one poll, 49% of black people said that racism is "a serious problem." But I guess it's a hell of a lot easier to say that we've made great strides if you're a successful, middle-aged white man.
But the best way to fight discrimination is not by piling more discrimination on top of it, not by creating new victims of racial discrimination.
Black people have had a terrible time for the past couple centuries, and, as white people, it is our fault. The Native Americans are having an even worse time, and, yes, that is also our fault. We did terrible, unconscionable things. Human rights violations on scales rarely seen. I don't understand why we don't consider it our duty to make things right for these people. Instead, we complain about bullshit like reverse racism, ignoring the fact that, if another group had done these terrible things to us, we would probably be pretty angry at them, and wary as to their intentions toward us. We once officially (and then unofficially) considered black people "less than." Now we expect them, despite extreme issues of poverty, incarceration rates, job discrimination, and political underrepresentation, to get themselves up to our economic, economic, and social level without help. I watched the All-American Presidential Forum on PBS tonight, and Dennis Kucinich said something that gave me a laugh: "They tell you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, then they steal your boots." You hold a person's head underwater until they're too tired to get back out, then you expect them to save themselves. What have we done for them to give them the skills to get out of their situation? Nothing. The best way to fight discrimination is to give people the tools to improve their situation, and that includes giving them priority for schools admissions, as well as giving the poor free health care, improving job placement and prison rehabilityation, and reforming our drug policies. My favorite thing that Clegg says in that last line is that giving minorities entrance priority is equivalent to "piling [on] more discrimination" because we all know that the only people being descriminated against are white people. He actually believes that white people are in danger of becoming less dominant because WE ARE BEING DESCRIMINATED AGAINST.
The best way to fight discrimination is by enforcing the laws that we have on the books against discrimination and by helping impoverished people, who come in all colors, but regardless of their skin color.
No, the best way to fight discrimination is to make all the racist people non-racist, but that ain't never going to happen because people are people. If blacks are at a greater disadvantage due to "unofficial" discrimination, should we not try to counteract that to make life fair and just?
If there are poor kids or kids who are not getting a good education, help them improve their schools, but it should be done for all of them, regardless of their skin color, whether they're white or black or brown or yellow.
Yes I agree. But you are deluding yourself if you actually believe that wealth and race do not go hand-in-hand. I bet that middle class and rich people would also be upset if you started changing your admissions requirements to give poor people preference. Justice is facing the consequences of your past actions; in our case, it is holding people down because of their race, and justice (and ethics, and morals) dictates that we do what we can to help them out.
Just consider this view, from one Roger Clegg, who appeared on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer this evening. Go here to check out the transcript of the conversation. But I want to point you toward a particular passage from the interview:
JUDY WOODRUFF: Just quickly, are you trying to pretend that racism doesn't exist?
ROGER CLEGG: Absolutely not. Racism does exist. We've made enormous progress, and I think that anybody who thinks that we haven't is delusional, but racism still exists.
Define "enormous." A member of the Ku Klux Klan made a run for president in 1988 and 1992, and held several offices in Louisiana. One of the most popular radio hosts in America believes that black people shouldn't get to swim. In one poll, 49% of black people said that racism is "a serious problem." But I guess it's a hell of a lot easier to say that we've made great strides if you're a successful, middle-aged white man.
But the best way to fight discrimination is not by piling more discrimination on top of it, not by creating new victims of racial discrimination.
Black people have had a terrible time for the past couple centuries, and, as white people, it is our fault. The Native Americans are having an even worse time, and, yes, that is also our fault. We did terrible, unconscionable things. Human rights violations on scales rarely seen. I don't understand why we don't consider it our duty to make things right for these people. Instead, we complain about bullshit like reverse racism, ignoring the fact that, if another group had done these terrible things to us, we would probably be pretty angry at them, and wary as to their intentions toward us. We once officially (and then unofficially) considered black people "less than." Now we expect them, despite extreme issues of poverty, incarceration rates, job discrimination, and political underrepresentation, to get themselves up to our economic, economic, and social level without help. I watched the All-American Presidential Forum on PBS tonight, and Dennis Kucinich said something that gave me a laugh: "They tell you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, then they steal your boots." You hold a person's head underwater until they're too tired to get back out, then you expect them to save themselves. What have we done for them to give them the skills to get out of their situation? Nothing. The best way to fight discrimination is to give people the tools to improve their situation, and that includes giving them priority for schools admissions, as well as giving the poor free health care, improving job placement and prison rehabilityation, and reforming our drug policies. My favorite thing that Clegg says in that last line is that giving minorities entrance priority is equivalent to "piling [on] more discrimination" because we all know that the only people being descriminated against are white people. He actually believes that white people are in danger of becoming less dominant because WE ARE BEING DESCRIMINATED AGAINST.
The best way to fight discrimination is by enforcing the laws that we have on the books against discrimination and by helping impoverished people, who come in all colors, but regardless of their skin color.
No, the best way to fight discrimination is to make all the racist people non-racist, but that ain't never going to happen because people are people. If blacks are at a greater disadvantage due to "unofficial" discrimination, should we not try to counteract that to make life fair and just?
If there are poor kids or kids who are not getting a good education, help them improve their schools, but it should be done for all of them, regardless of their skin color, whether they're white or black or brown or yellow.
Yes I agree. But you are deluding yourself if you actually believe that wealth and race do not go hand-in-hand. I bet that middle class and rich people would also be upset if you started changing your admissions requirements to give poor people preference. Justice is facing the consequences of your past actions; in our case, it is holding people down because of their race, and justice (and ethics, and morals) dictates that we do what we can to help them out.
Alison sticks it to the Man
New article up today about Army plans to expand a proving grounds in southwest Arizona by annexing adjacent BLM land; to read, go here. I will monitor the link to make sure it doesn't break.
Also, I finished my collection of Philip K. Dick short stories last night, and have started on Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Yeah that's right, I never read it before. 11 books left in the stack.
Also, I finished my collection of Philip K. Dick short stories last night, and have started on Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Yeah that's right, I never read it before. 11 books left in the stack.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
The Valles Caldera
Gather 'round, children, and I will rap at you about my field area (provided my research ever gets off the ground). Most of you have never been there, but it is like hella beautiful. I'll stick a bunch of pictures at the end for your ocular pleasure. The Valles Caldera National Preserve was formerly a ranch held by the ubiquitous (in New Mexico anyway) Baca family. In 2000 the gummint bought it, and it is now semi-open public land.
The Valles is a caldera that formed 1.5-1.1 million years ago as the result of massive eruptions (600 cubic kilometers) from the magma chamber beneath. See below for an aerial photograph (hard to decipher, I know) of the caldera. The roundish feature is the rim of the caldera, and all the flat-looking areas within are meadows. The mountains in the middle of the caldera are the resurgent dome, which the link above talks about.
I've now been here a number of times, and I just can't get over how beautiful it is, especially with a little snow blanket on it. Enjoy some pictures below; hopefully, I'll soon have some more current ones from the upcoming months!
Oh, I have more at home from non-winter. Maybe I'll put some up later.
The Valles is a caldera that formed 1.5-1.1 million years ago as the result of massive eruptions (600 cubic kilometers) from the magma chamber beneath. See below for an aerial photograph (hard to decipher, I know) of the caldera. The roundish feature is the rim of the caldera, and all the flat-looking areas within are meadows. The mountains in the middle of the caldera are the resurgent dome, which the link above talks about.
I've now been here a number of times, and I just can't get over how beautiful it is, especially with a little snow blanket on it. Enjoy some pictures below; hopefully, I'll soon have some more current ones from the upcoming months!
Oh, I have more at home from non-winter. Maybe I'll put some up later.
Article 3, more
Alison's third article is out at the times. Go here to check it out. I have determined that the Times is schizophrenic about when it will let you look at a particular article without being registered, so I will post a link to another website when somebody else reprints it.
I just noticed that the only thing I blog about anymore is Alison's journalistic endeavor. That's because I've done nothing latewwwly with my life, other than work. My current schedule has me waking up at 5:45 am (alarm starts at 5:30, although since I am always freaked out about missing the alarm, I tend to wake up several times to check to see what time it is...this morning, at 1am and 4am at least), eating breakfast and fixing lunch, leaving at 6:15-6:20, biking 15 minutes to the van stop, waiting for the van to get there at 6:45, then riding to Socorro, where we arrive around 7:55 (although the driver today was a speed demon and we were here by 7:45). I then get hungry by 9am, snack at 10, and graze for the rest of the day. Back on the van at 5:05 or 5:10, and get back to the van stop around 6:20 to 6:30. Hope that my bike is still there. So far it has. Bike home, get there around 6:45-ish. This schedule makes me tired; mornings are my natural enemy. Also, I think my plants resent being in the house by themselves all day with no cooling; thank goodness for adobe, at least. Bike lanes are short to nonexistant here; at least I miss rush hour as it stands. Downtown is strangely deserted both when I bike to the van, and when I bike back. I've never been in a city that was like that.
In other news, I will be out in LA visiting Alison the weekend of July 8th. This will entail getting to the Greyhound station on the afternoon-evening of July 5 (Thursday), bussing overnight to arrive noonish in LA, then leaving LA on the evening of July 9 to arrive back in Abq on July 10. This will be my first >1 hour experience on a Greyhound, and should be a thrilling adventure. I'll be sure to post all details.
I just noticed that the only thing I blog about anymore is Alison's journalistic endeavor. That's because I've done nothing latewwwly with my life, other than work. My current schedule has me waking up at 5:45 am (alarm starts at 5:30, although since I am always freaked out about missing the alarm, I tend to wake up several times to check to see what time it is...this morning, at 1am and 4am at least), eating breakfast and fixing lunch, leaving at 6:15-6:20, biking 15 minutes to the van stop, waiting for the van to get there at 6:45, then riding to Socorro, where we arrive around 7:55 (although the driver today was a speed demon and we were here by 7:45). I then get hungry by 9am, snack at 10, and graze for the rest of the day. Back on the van at 5:05 or 5:10, and get back to the van stop around 6:20 to 6:30. Hope that my bike is still there. So far it has. Bike home, get there around 6:45-ish. This schedule makes me tired; mornings are my natural enemy. Also, I think my plants resent being in the house by themselves all day with no cooling; thank goodness for adobe, at least. Bike lanes are short to nonexistant here; at least I miss rush hour as it stands. Downtown is strangely deserted both when I bike to the van, and when I bike back. I've never been in a city that was like that.
In other news, I will be out in LA visiting Alison the weekend of July 8th. This will entail getting to the Greyhound station on the afternoon-evening of July 5 (Thursday), bussing overnight to arrive noonish in LA, then leaving LA on the evening of July 9 to arrive back in Abq on July 10. This will be my first >1 hour experience on a Greyhound, and should be a thrilling adventure. I'll be sure to post all details.
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