Cycling is NOT the most drugged-up sport!

I took the following statistics from a Chicago Tribune article titled:
The real doping crisis: billiards

Apparently baseball players use drugs at about the same rate as cyclists...

Billiards: - 9.96% - 28 positives out of 281 tests
Golf: - 5.21% - 20/384
Bandy: - 3.94% - 8/203
Cycling: - 3.78% - 482/12,751
Baseball: - 3.69% - - 390/10,580
Motorcycle Racing: 3.23% - 12/372
Underwater sports: 3.22% - 12/373
Boxing: - 3.14% - 83/2433
Triathlon: - 3.14% - - 74/2,170
Archery: - 2.94% - 25/850
Ice Hockey: - 2.87% - 79/2,751
Rugby: - 2.46% - 113/4,601
Orienteering: - 2.09% - 10/479
Volleyball: - 2.06% - 54/2161
Weightlifting: - 2.50% - 146/5842
Athletics: - 1.67% - 342/20,464
Football (Soccer): 1.46% - 343/23,478
55.2% of all Adverse Analytical Findings were Anabolic agents
(43.4%) or stimulants.
60.7% of AAF for Anabolic agents the identified substance was
Testosterone.

Thanksgiving Hybrid Drive

Over Thanksgiving, I drove the Camry Hybrid to MN from Chicago and back. It was a really confortable drive and we averaged about 37.5 mpg. Compared to our Oldsmobile Aurora, this represents an advantage of 12.5 mpg. Our typical driving accounts for approximately 1,000 miles over a MN weekend saving a total of 13.3 gallons of gasoline. At $2.25/gallon, we saved $30 on this one trip. That certainly doesn't make a huge dent in the $400+ payement for the car, but it represents about a 7% advantage vs. driving a similarly priced vehicle for the same money. For instance, a similarly equipped Chrysler Sebring sedan costs about $1,000 less than the Camry.

Extrapolating an estimated $30/month savings if the vechicle were driven 1,000 miles/month at $2.25/gallon at optimum efficiency. So, that means that one can easily justify a $1,500 hybrid "premium" based on a monthly vehicle budget that includes fuel and vehicle payment. Tack on the Hybrid tax credit ($2,600 when I purchased), and it is a no-brainer. This also assumes a balance of city and highway driving.

The other element to consider is that I drove a Chevy Cobalt for several days after our Aurora was destroyed and I averaged 19.5 mpg in that small car because of the amount of city driving that I do regularly. I am now routinely averaging 37.5 mpg regardless of highway or city driving.

The factors that are often overlooked when considering a hybrid is that the hybrid "premium" is financed over several years so you need to capture your monthly outlay, not how many gallons of gas equate to the assumed "premium". Toyota leads the industry in resale, and due to the overwhelming demand for hybrids, their depreciation is lowest in the automotive industry. There is actually less wear and tear on the breaks and engine, resulting in a lower overall cost of maintenance....fewer air filters, brake jobs, fuel filters, etc. The added maintenance component is the electrical hybrid systems, which has proven reliable over the past 6 years in the Prius, and the only battery problems that have occured is from people that have modified their systems, and the manual systems employed by Honda.

Anywho, I like Hybrids!

Racism

While my wife and I were walking the dog this morning, a neighbor dog, Jo-Jo really wanted to play with my dog Cosmo. Jo-Jo was busy taking care of his morning business, and we walked by. Jo-Jo about a minute later came tearing down the alley to visit Cosmo, but we had turned a corner and Jo-Jo lost sight of Cosmo. Jo-Jo proceeded to visit a woman at the end of the alley who happened to be African-american. This woman gave me a look of death and began to scold me about my loose dog. A moment later Jo-Jo's mom, who happens to be African-american, came running after Jo-Jo. The woman that Jo-Jo ran after stopped her rant said "Oh, that's your dog (directed to Jo-Jo's mom), not your dog (directed to me)" and then proceded calmly to work. Strange that me and my wife would get a more hostile reaction than Jo-Jo's mom...Could it be racism?

RNCC Bag O' Tricks

I found this after hearing from a coworker who lives in Illinois 6th Congressional district that she was recieving a barrage of phone calls from the Democratic candidate Tammy Duckworth. Apparently, the NRCC has, in several states, paid for automated calls to people that identify that they are calling with information about a democratic candidate, then go into a "smear" of that candidate, followed by the identification of the NRCC. These calls are intended to be annoying and occur at deliberate incovenient times for the recipient. In the case of my coworker, she is a registered Democrat, and is recieving annoying calls from someone she is going to vote for anyway. Seems crazy, huh? I am not a campaigner, but I would certainly not focus on bringing out the vote of someone registered with the party, I would focus on those that could be convinced to vote for the candidate I was supporting.

Whe she has recieved the calls, she has answered the call, discovered it is political in the introduction, and has hung up believing the call is from the Duckworth campaign. She was taken aback when I pointed this issue out to her.

Perhaps the US needs to adopt Canada's approach to limit any campaigning in the 72hrs preceding the election. Then, perhaps these underhanded schemes would give people breathing room before the vote to focus on the issues versus the emotion.

Commentary on Energy and Environment

What I expect/hope to see if the mid-term elections result in a re-balance of power (i.e., more dems elected) with respect to energy and environment:

We will begin to pursue real initiatives for alternative energy. Hopefully Prop 87 will pass in California, resulting in additional cost for Crude Oil. This proposition, if passed, will be a catalyst for other states to do the same. The tax on crude ranges from 1.5% to 6% based on the cost of crude. The lower tax range is during times of low crude price and the higher range for high crude cost. This tax pool is to fund alternative energies. From a broader economic perspective, the US has thrived on innovation and highly educated, highly compensated jobs. A fundamental problem with "exporting" low-skill jobs overseas is not that we are exporting jobs. The problem lies in the fact that we are not replacing those low-skilled jobs with things that we do best, innovation and education.

Imagine that we fund high technology ventures and education. Perhaps we will have the opportunity to let others do what they do best (low skill, for a low wage) while we focus on what we do best, (high skill for a high wage). The clearly evident avenues for this to occur is with respect to environmental resources such and water, agriculture, and energy. These are critical because of the ever expanding global population that will inevitably put significant stress on these resources. (An academic exercise from college place the global carrying capacity of the earth at 9 billion people, a number I expect to see in my lifetime). Water purification technology and infrastructure, more efficient and sustainable energy use, and more efficient and sustainable agricultural practices present opportunities for the US to be a world leader.

Like I have stated before: Being green should no longer have a "tree-hugger" connotation. Being green is becoming the backbone of financial decisions.

The rate of adoption to "being green" should be encouraged from a broader governmental push with incentives and regulation. With that said, I believe the US should mandate ISO 14000 on imported goods. This would address two problems: the export of manufactuing (because the environmental conditions to do business would be similar to a US corporation), and serve to limit pollution globally. The US is the biggest world consumer of goods, why then do we import manufactured goods that are subject to less stringent environmental regulation than if they were manufactured domestically, while we decry domestic polluters? Is this NIMBYism or lack or care for the environment?

Disowning the Vikings, and adopting the Bears

I have been a lifelong fan of the Vikings. Now, after living in the Chicago area for four years, I think this will be the year that I root for the Bears. Why now? Well, when a team is winning it makes it easier to get to know the players and want to wish them well. I have been able to watch more Vikings games this year than any other of my 4 years in Chicago. I have always wanted to watch every Vikings games and have only seen a few, while the Bears are on every week. I feel as though I am Cubs fan when I sit watching the Vikes (they lose by self destruction -make stupid plays, and get penalized left and right). In years past, my favorite teams have been the Vikings and anyone playing the Packers. This year, I will be torn when I watch the Bears play the Vikes. Right now, I think I am going to root for the Bears this year and years to come.

Sorry it has had to come to this Vikes...

P.S. For baseball I still love the Twins and have never wanted to become a Cubs or Sox fan, and I think that the departure of the North Stars ruined me as a pro hockey fan.