The Yin Blog

Ex-felons as a protected class?

I guess I can kind of see the thinking behind San Francisco's proposal to make ex-felons a protected class -- such a conviction carries such a stigma that even when the person has finished serving his or her prison sentence, it's difficult if not impossible to re-integrate fully into society. And it doesn't sound as if it would be an unlimited form of protection:

[SF City Human Rights Commissioner Teresa] Sparks says rental property owners could turn away sex offenders and people who've committed some violent crimes, like murder. Employers could also reject job applicants if their crimes are "significantly related" to the position they are seeking, but they could only inquire about the applicants' criminal past at the end of the interview process.

Hmm. I'd think that violent crimes would likely be "significantly related" to most job positions, and probably for rental purposes as well. Yet:

"Without housing, it's hard to keep a steady job, and many times because of that, people recommit," Sparks said. She argues a criminal history shouldn't be the only reason someone is denied housing or work.

There seems to be some serious tension between Sparks' two observations. The very people that we most want not to recommit crimes are probably the violent felons, so arguably we most want to help them get housing and steady employment. Yet, people may rightfully think that violent felons are the last ones that you want to take a chance on.

 

 

Why political sex scandals (sometimes) do matter

The former managing editor of the Oregonian has a really good essay about why political sex scandals deserve to be investigated by the press. It's not really possible to excerpt any single part of it, as it's sort of an explanation of the author's evolution from thinking that such stories were the equivalent of having reporters "peer[ing] in people's bedrooms" to thinking that they do matter. It's in the context of the David Wu mess, but touches upon other Oregonian political sex scandals of note.

To be sure, the incidents he discusses are all examples of unwanted sexual conduct -- in some cases, outright sexual assault. Consensual sexual affairs (even if adulterous) between adults may well be a different matter, assuming that no laws are broken (cf. Elliot Spitzer) or the politician is not lying under oath (cf. Bill Clinton).

What kind of FBI agent would I be?

If you go by the FBI's physical fitness entrance exam, it seems like I'd be the kind of agent who could run away from all kinds of threats. . . .

To be minimally qualified on a physical level for the FBI, you have to pass four fitness tests with at least one point in each test, and a total of 12 or more points. The four tests are number of sit-ups in one minute, number of push-ups (untimed), sprint time for a 300 meter run, and time for a 1.5 mile run.

I've tested myself and I can get 1 point on the sit-ups (it's the one minute limit that keeps me from doing better), 1-3 points on the push-ups, 4-6 on the 300 meter sprint, and 6 on the 1.5 mile run. So I'm barely adequate on the push-ups and sit-ups, but I would rack up most of my qualifying points on the running scale.

Well, Special Agent Fox Mulder had to do a lot of running in "The X-Files," so I wouldn't be totally useless to the Bureau.

20 habits that make you fat?

Per Yahoo Health:

1. Eating "low-fat"

2. Not seeking nutrition advice

3. Sleeping fewer than 6 hours or more than 8 hours a night

4. Eating "free" restaurant foods

5. Drinking soda -- even diet

6. Skipping meals

7. Eating too quickly

8. Watching too much TV

9. Ordering the combo meal

10. Facing the buffet

11. Eating off larger plates

12. Putting serving dishes on the table

13. Choosing white bread

14. Taking big bites

15. Not drinking enough water

16. Having overweight friends

17. Eating too late

18. Not using a scale

19. Drinking fruity beverages

20. Eating when emotional

Hmm . . . . I do pretty well on items 1 (sort of), 2 (I read a lot about nutrition and exercise these days), 3, 6 (I didn't used to eat breakfast much, but I always do now), 10 (don't really think about this), 13 (almost always whole wheat), 14 (sort of), 15 (I drink lots of cold water), 16 (no comment?), 17 (with little kids, we eat dinner early), 18 (I'm probably semi-compulsive the other way), 19 (not an issue), and 20 (ditto).

On the other hand, I do especially poorly on items 5 (I've been cutting down a bit but still probably about 1.5 per day), 7 (another thing I'm trying to correct), and 8 (you'll pry my TiVo remote from my lifeless fingers. . . .).

I guess that means you can indulge in a few of these habits and still do all right, or maybe I've picked the least "bad" ones. Or going to the gym regularly and running a lot can overcome some bad habits.

The death of Borders

Sadly but inevitably, Borders is going the way of the woolly mammoth.

I've long had a preference for Borders over Barnes & Noble (except for a period around 1999 to 2001 when B&N kept sending me "get $10 off a $25 purchase" coupons for use at BN.com). Back when I was living in west Los Angeles during my first judicial clerkship, there was a B&N slightly closer to me than the Borders, but I usually drove the extra distance because Borders had its own parking, it was bigger, and it had more comfortable seating.

When I later moved to Iowa City, I was disappointed that the nearest Borders was 60 miles away in Davenport. The big mall in Coralville did have a B&N, and of course Iowa City touted its own Prarie Lights. Mostly, though, I ordered from Amazon.

Then, when I moved to Portland, I was delighted that there were multiple Borders nearby. Even when the financial distress mounted, resulting in the closing of the downtown branch, the big Borders in Bridgeport Village (just southwest of Portland) survived. I can't say that I helped its financial prospects, as I tended to buy things with the weekly "30% (or 40%) off one item" coupon that I would get emailed, but I did buy semi-regularly.

This isn't a tirade against Amazon, which I think is a pretty amazing company. It's just that Amazon still hasn't been able, despite innovative attempts, to replicate the sensation of just looking over physical books on shelves . . . or to book browse after a nice dinner out.

I think I'm going to have to make more of an effort to shop at Powell's even if it's slightly more expensive than Amazon. One of my former Iowa colleagues explained that he would pay up to 10% more to support a local business. I'm not sure that's enough, as I've noticed at times that Powell's sells used copies of books for more than Amazon charges for a new copy, but I suppose that matters less when I'm using store credit from book trade-ins. Anyway, I would be really sad if Powell's were to go under. . . .

"X-Men: First Class"

I finally got around to seeing "X-Men: First Class" in the theater and was pleasantly surprised, given the only mildly positive reviews that I'd read. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were really good as Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr (i.e., Professor X and Magneto), given that those characters were played by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen in the earlier "X-Men" film trilogy.

That said, I noticed a few continuity issues between "First Class" and its predecessors (SPOILERS ABOUND):

(1)  Professor X and Mystique are childhood friends and even brother/foster sister? There's absolutely no sense of that prior relationship in the scenes between Patrick Stewart and Rebecca Romjin. You'd think something that major would have been mentioned at least. This is a clear retcon to emphasize the X/Magneto split on how best to deal with humans.

(2) At one point during the "recruitment" process, Xavier and Lensherr approach Logan (aka Wolverine, in an uncredited cameo by Hugh Jackman), who tells them to "f*** off." Very much in character, except that Professor X introduces himself, seemingly for the first time, to Wolverine during the first "X-Men" movie. Even if almost 40 years have passed by, it seems odd that the name wouldn't have triggered some memory. Now, I started to think that maybe this wasn't a retcon because at the end of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Logan gets shot in the head and loses his memory. But since Patrick Stewart makes an appearance in that movie and isn't paralyzed, the memory loss must have happened before "First Class."

(3) The U.S. and the Soviet Union learn about how devastatingly powerful mutants can be back in 1962, but it takes almost 40 years before some congressperson introduces mutant registration laws? That seems a little hard to believe.

Besides continuity, I had a few other questions:

(1) Why didn't Xavier release Sebastian Shaw when it became clear that Lensherr was going to kill Shaw? I suppose maybe because Shaw, once released, could again unleash his destructive power and start World War III. But wouldn't it have been worth it to bluff Lensherr with something along the lines of, "Erik, don't do this, I'm going to be forced to release Shaw"?

(2) Speaking of killing Shaw, would driving a coin straight through the middle of a person's brain kill him? I mean, I wouldn't want it done to me, and I'm sure it would mess things up, but it's essentially a low speed slice, so no hydrostatic shock or anything like that. It looked like it would sever the right and left halves of the brain, which I think people have survived. If you were going to kill the guy with a coin, shouldn't you send it facewise rather than sideways?

(3) Along those lines, why does the coin kill Shaw when bullets don't? What happened to Shaw's energy-absorbing power? Maybe it's active, not passive, so that he couldn't use it when paralyzed.

All in all, though, I really enjoyed "First Class" and look forward to the inevitable sequel.

The 6:30 barrier

Today I finally broke through the 6 minute, 30 second barrier for running one mile. I normally try to beat my best short distance (1 or 2 miles) on days that I lift weights, reserving the long running days for 3 or 4 mile times. So, I warmed up with walking on the treadmill, then used a bunch of the weight lifting machines, and then I had planned on trying to top my previous best 2 mile time.

However, so much of running is mental, and for whatever reason, I didn't have it in me to come up with a good 2 mile run today. In fact, I aborted the effort after a 1/2 mile. No problem, I figured I would switch over to running intervals (sprint a short distance, walk a distance to recover, sprint, walk, etc.). But I wasn't really up for that either.

Then, with time running short because I had a work-related phone appointment coming up, I decided to go for the 1 mile run.

I ran the first lap at a 6:40 pace, then 6:35 for the second lap, and kept speeding up from there. The last 1/2 lap started at a 6:00 pace and ended up at a 5:35 pace. All of it good for a time of 6:29!

I doubt my all-time personal best of 5:27 (set when I was 16) is within reach, but you never know.

With Ohio State's vacating of its 2010 wins, who got cheated the most?

Ohio State has vacated all of its 2010 season wins, including its Sugar Bowl victory over Arkansas, in the hopes of avoiding any more punishment from the NCAA. (Good luck with that, Buckeyes.)

Who got cheated the most because of Ohio State's cheating (use of ineligible players)? One might jump immediately to Arkansas, which doesn't even get to claim a BCS victory, since Ohio State vacated its win; it did not forfeit.

But my vote goes to Michigan State. Remember that Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State all finished 7-1 in conference play. Ohio State beat Michigan State but lost to Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Ohio State but lost to Michigan State. Michigan State beat Wisconsin but lost to Ohio State. All three deserved to go to a BCS bowl game, but only two were able to, and Michigan State drew the short stick.

Arkansas got to play in a BCS bowl. Michigan State didn't get to, because Ohio State cheated.

Along the same lines, if Oregon's problems with Will Lyles metastasizes into something really bad, I'm going to feel horrible for Stanford. If Oregon ends up having to vacate its 2010 wins, that would mean that Stanford should have been undefeated . . . and gotten a shot at Auburn in the BCS Championship.

And I say that as a Cal fan!

Obesity and calorie disclosure laws

Uh oh, two news stories that combine to paint a bleak picture:

New obesity rates going up but show some leveling out; Oregon 35th most obese (Oregonian)

Calorie counts don’t change most people’s dining-out habits, experts say (Wash. Post)

The underlying report that's the focus of the first story is particularly sobering. Today, Colorado has the lowest obesity rate at 19%. Yet, fifteen years ago, that same rate would have been the highest rate of any of the states. This is pretty telling:

Fifteen years ago, Oregon had an obesity rate of 13.6 percent and was ranked 35th most obese state in the nation. The obesity rate in Oregon increased more than 80 percent over the last 15 years.

So our ranking hasn't changed, only the percentage of obese adults, going from 13.6% to 25.4%. Fifteen years is not a long time! That's around the time that Alanis Morrisette became a big pop/rock star.

What happened to summer?

Okay, I know that the local weather is not the same as global climate, but what happened to summer? The past few days were gorgeous -- high 70s/low 80s, mild breeze, blue skies; reminiscent of Maui, actually.

Today? I'm wearing long pants and a sweatshirt!

(Yes, I know I've reverted to being a weather wimp; all of the cold weather endurance that I built up in Iowa has completely disappeared.)

This entire year has been freakishly cool in Portland. We broke our record for the most consecutive days with measurable rainfall, we had the latest first day of 70+ degree weather (by almost two months!), we had the latest first day of 80+ degree weather, and so on . . . . This isn't the sort of extremes that global warming predicts, with higher highs and lower lows; it's the equivalent of localized cooling or something. . . .