Wow...

Circulating on blogs today is this travesty:Urination will go to committee
A local decision that schoolboys must sit on toilet seats when urinating has provoked political debate.

The head of The Democrats Party, a splinter group of former Progress Party hardliners, Vidar Kleppe, is outraged that boys at Dvergsnes School in Kristiansand have to sit and pee.

Kleppe accuses the school of fiddling with God's work, and wants the matter discussed at the executive committee level of the local council, newspaper Dagbladet reports.

"When boys are not allowed to pee in the natural way, the way boys have done for generations, it is meddling with God's work," Kleppe told the newspaper.

"It is a human right not to have to sit down like a girl," Kleppe said.

Principal Anne Lise Gjul at Dvergsnes School would not comment on Kleppe's plans to make political waves and regretted if anyone was offended by the ban on standing and passing water.

Gjul told NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting) that the young boys are simply not good enough at aiming, and the point was to have a pleasant toilet that could be used by both boys and girls.

Um...how about no.

What weekend?

Sorry about the lack of posting, but I've been busy. Between class and work, much of my time has been taken up. In the world of my workouts, I've been doing well. I have my pull-up bar mounted conviently in the doorway to our bedroom, making frequent pull-up sessions easy. Throw in some hour-long workout sessions after work, and I'm pretty worn out by the time I get home to do homework.

My clinicals start soon. I'll be working in the ER of the local hospital for 2 12-hour shifts followed by 2 12-hour ambulance rides. Should be interesting.

Restart

My little recovery period from my half-marathon has ended, so tommorrow, I restart my training program....but now my focus is speed. I have some ideas (many from Runner's World) and the need for new shoes. We shall see the results.

Myspace success.

I finally got it to work. I'll be prettifying it and adjusting it shortly...but it is servicable for the time being: My myspace site.

Lewis and Clark Half-Marathon

Sarah and I completed our half-marathon this morning. Wow. Our training only involved going 11 miles. I was surprised at the difference the next 2.1 miles made. It was almost painful...but I made it and get to make a new entry in my running resume. The results can be seen here.

My results: 860 overall(2925 competitors), 85 age group M 25-29 (153 in group), chip time 2:02:52, gun time 2:05:02, pace 9:23/M.

I'm pretty happy with my time. I was aiming for 2 hours, but I have to say I 3 minutes over is not far off target. Sarah was very pleased with herself, as she made her goal time...and I'm sure her post will be coming shortly.

At this point, I'm still sore, but I'll survive.

Weirdness

I was at work today when I recieved a phone call...from Boise, ID. I can only think of one individual I know who lived in Boise, but I don't think they have my cell phone number. They failed to leave a message...the end result is me being mystified by it.

Crazy nurse story get crazier.

I noted this story earlier where a nurse strangled an intruder in her home. Well, apparently, things are getting interesting: Intruder killed by nurse was hit man, police say

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) -- When Susan Kuhnhausen returned home from work one day earlier this month, she encountered an intruder wielding a claw hammer. After a struggle, the 51-year-old nurse fended off her attacker by strangling him with her bare hands.

Neighbors praised the woman for her bravery, and investigators said they believed the dead man -- Edward Dalton Haffey -- was burglarizing Kuhnhausen's home.

But after an investigation, police now say the intruder Kuhnhausen strangled was apparently a hit man hired by her estranged husband -- Michael James Kuhnhausen Sr. -- to kill her.

Apparently, she didn't have the hammer as reported in the original story. In fact, more details are out now about the incident:

n emergency room nurse who lives in a southeast Portland neighborhood, Susan Kuhnhausen arrived home on the evening of September 6 to find Haffey coming at her with a claw hammer.

She was struck in the head and wrested the weapon away, but the struggle continued and Haffey bit the nurse, according to police. A large woman, she was eventually able to get the slight Haffey into a chokehold and police later found him dead in a hallway. An autopsy revealed the cause of death as strangulation.

Police say she acted in self-defense.

There was no sign of forced entry into the home, but according to the affidavit, Susan Kuhnhausen offered an explanation for the lack of evidence of a break-in: Her estranged husband had the security codes for the home's alarm system, and would have been able to disarm it.

Now, I know Nate felt that this should be treated as a homicide. I have an explaination that may demonstrate why it may have not been homicide. It is completely possible to collapse the trachea in a strangle hold. If she collapsed his trachea in the fight and he lost concisousness, she may have run away to the phone/neighbors/whatever. With the lack of air he would simply asphyxiate while she removed herself from the scene. Now, this is purely conjecture and the story will continue to fill out.

In the end, I suspect that I would generally give the benefit of the doubt to the side of the homeowner in most self-defense cases.

A small victory for Free Marketeers!

Hallelujah!

CHICAGO (AP) — Mayor Richard Daley vetoed an ordinance Monday that would have required mega-retailers to pay their workers more than other employers after some of the nation's largest stores including Wal-Mart Stores (WMTI) warned that the measure would keep them from opening their doors within the city's limits.

Supporters said the measure would guarantee employees a "living wage," but in a letter to City Council members released Monday, Daley said the ordinance would drive businesses from Chicago.

"I understand and share a desire to ensure that everyone who works in the city of Chicago earns a decent wage," Daley wrote. "But I do not believe that this ordinance, well intentioned as it may be, would achieve that end."

The veto was Daley's first in 17 years in office, and will likely set up a showdown during Wednesday's council meeting.

The ordinance was approved by the council in late July and requires so-called "big box" stores to pay workers at least $10 an hour plus $3 in fringe benefits by mid-2010. The rules would only apply to companies with more than $1 billion in annual sales and stores of at least 90,000 square feet.

The minimum wage in Illinois is $6.50 an hour and the federal minimum is $5.15.

Chicago has been at the epicenter of a debate about the wages at large retailers ever since the city rejected a proposal by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to open a store on the South Side, prompting the company to open a store just outside the city limits.

Fans of keynesian economics follow the idea that upping minimum wage increases inflation (and on of the factors that contributed the lengthing of the great depression). I very much dislike regulation like this...so this is a good thing in my little world.

There are, of course, those who disagree:

"The experience of other cities that have done living wage ordinances, is that they help create more jobs and lead to more business development, not less," he said.

No, what you get are smaller stores that don't have the buying power of the larger ones. This raises prices on normal goods...not just a little. The difference here in rural Missouri from Walmart goods to small store is dramatic...like 30% or so. The end result is that those who are hardest hit are those who can't afford to be.

"No American, other than Mayor Daley and the folks at Wal-Mart, believe it's right for corporations to make billions while their workers get paid poverty-level wages and live without affordable health care," said Chris Kofinis, a spokesman for union-affiliated advocacy group WakeUpWalMart.com.

Let us take a quick survey of the average bottom-rung Walmart employee. There's a turnover rate of approxamaitely 2 months. The vast majority of cashiers I see are high schoolers. High schoolers usually work on the side(as in disposable income). Those who I do know that have made careers at Walmart make far more than "poverty-level wages" and have healthcare.

My view is simple...follow the free market. If you don't like Walmart...don't shop there. It's *THAT* easy. Same with fast food places, or any other business. If I want to take advantage of Walmart's low prices, let me.

Now, if they'd just build a Target out here, I'd probably go there (the quality of some Walmart products leaves some to be desired).

They don't like me...

Myspace that is. I keep getting kicked off the site and my "membership" revoked. I can't figure out what I did. Guess they don't like me at all.

Myspace?

My wife has had some success at finding people though myspace, bane of the internet. So, I thought I would try it out myself. It's simple and workable. I think it will be easy to crosslink it with my blog. We shall see.

September 11th...

Today is the 5th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. With such a massive event that changed so much, it's hard to find words. I'll just say, "let us never forget."

Just a note...

Be careful how many "You Tube" posts you add at one time. It can cause some bottlenecking on site load times.

The Columbus Zoo

My wife posted up some pictures from our trip to the Columbus Zoo (made famous by Jack Hannah and his many appearances on the Tonight Show with Jonny Carson and "Monkeys on the Interstate"). It's definately worth a look...especially for the video of the two turtles humping with a third obviously wanting to cut in (and, if you listen carefully, you can hear Sarah giggle as two mothers were attempting desperately to point out the non-humping turtles). See it all here.

Theme music

Thought I'd play around with some html. Let me know if it's cool or annoying.

Coaster Review - Mean Streak

Mean Streak is a pretty standard "new generation" wooden coaster. Very fast and tall. Lots of fun. It sits right new to the shore of Lake Erie, making for some very nice scenery. Indeed very rough (as a wooden one should be), it's a fun ride worth the wait.

Cedar Point announces new ride...

...a freaking day after we were there. We saw the construction of this thing, but we weren't sure about the track plan. Now we know:

Coaster Review - Mantis

Cedar Point has lots of roller coasters...currently 16 (with number 17 coming May '07), so they need unique rides. Mantis does this by having riders stand throughout the ride. The seats are similar to bicycle seats on a moving shoulder harness system that adjusts to the rider's height.

Now, I've been on a standing coaster before...Shockwave at Six Flags Great Adventure (may have been decommisioned by now). Mantis differs by actually being a memorable ride:



Definately a lot of fun. There was downside both Sarah and I noticed (as did a few others on the ride). When moving through some of the particularly high-G portions of the ride, the blood pools in the right leg...and more so because you are standing. The end result can be somewhat painful. Flexing the lower extremity muscles helps tremendously, but can distract from the experience. All-in-all, it's lots of fun.

Coaster Review - Millenium Force

As of this post, this is the number 2 greatest ride I have ever ridden. This monstrosity is huge: 310 feet tall. It's also the first ride in a looooong time to catch me off-guard. The lift hill takes about 20 seconds to travel up...the result is a very fast run up, and a sudden realization that you are going over the top. It's an amazing ride with extreme forces...yet, the whole thing is very smooth. Watch the front-row seat:



Wow...

Self-Defence brought to a whole new level

This will be an interesting addition to the discussion Nate and I have been having over self-defense and conceal and carry. A nurse in Oregon came home to find an intruder and the two grappled violently. The end result...she strangled him to death.

A 51-year-old woman strangled an intruder in her southeast Portland home Wednesday evening, police said.

Susan Kuhnhausen returned home from work and found an intruder inside her house, said officer Catherine Kent with the Portland Police Bureau.

"A violent struggle ensued, resulting in the death of the intruder and non life-threatening injuries to Kuhnhausen," Kent said.

The homeowner was transported by ambulance to a local hospital.

Officers arrived at the house in the 7900 block of Southeast Alder Street. about 6:50 p.m. and discovered the body of 59-year-old Edward Dalton Haffey inside, Kent said.

On Thursday the Multnomah County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy, which determined the cause of death to be strangulation. The Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide.

Initial reports indicated someone had made a 9-1-1 call to report the intruder.

According to neighbors, the woman is a full-time nurse. They said she struck the intruder with a hammer.

While trying to find news articles about this incident, I accidently found more. Ironically, she was listed in this article about heathcare worker safety:

Being a nurse is a dangerous job -- just ask 30-year veteran Susan Kuhnhausen.

The registered nurse has been punched in the face and bitten by patients, and once watched an enraged motorist drive his car though the wall of the hospital into the her emergency department after his girlfriend opted not to leave the hospital with him.

In other words, the intruder walked into the wrong house and messed with the wrong nurse.

As to Nate and I's continuing debate, here we have a situation that was resolved in a manner that I am not opposed to (she hit him with a hammer and strangled him to death). Here my arguement into self-defense has the same basic principles as a situation with CCWs: the criminal threatened the life of the individual in question. The victim fought back. The only difference is instead of 2 shots center-mass, she moved into outright hand-to-hand combat. In both situations, you must stop the assailent...now.

King's Island and the Columbus Zoo

Well yesterday we hit King's Island and today we hit the Columbus Zoo (made so famous by Jack Hannah). King's Island caused an upset in my little world when The Beast (a legand in the roller coaster world) became the number one roller coaster for myself...and Sarah. It is truely an awesome and unforgettable ride...every time. I know of no other ride that can make you think you are doomed every time you ride it...the massive banked turns convice riders they are going to fly off the ricketty wooden monstrosity. It was wonderful. Anyway, we have lots of pictures and 5 more days of vacation to blog it up. More to come.

Cedar Point is awesome...

I've now been spoiled. We rode 10 rides (one repeat due to ride closures)...so 9 rollercoasters yesterday. Today, we're heading to King's Island for more action. More to be posted soon.

Vacation Blogging - Columbus, Ohio

Well, Sarah and I made it to Columbus for our rollercoaster extravaganza. Tommorrow we start with Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. Weather looks awesome...maybe a bit cool (high of 68) and partly cloudy. For those who aren't familiar with the park, it's built on an island on the Great Lakes. In addition, it has attained "rollar coaster capital of the world" status due to it's 16 roller coasters (4 of which are in the top 15). The end result is massive coasters with beautiful lake views.

Well, my wife is telling me I need to goto bed...anyway, I'll report back tommorrow.