U.S. v. Comprehensive Drug Testing and The List of 97

Last week, I had a column on SI.com on United States v. Comprehensive Drug Testing, where the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the federal government's seizure of computer files which implicated 104 major league players as steroids users violated those players' Forth Amendment rights (Howard discussed this case as well). The names of 97 of those...

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Spontaneous Decarbonization in China's Proposed Emissions Targets

The figure above from Reuters shows a proposed set of emissions paths for China from a recent report released by a government think tank in China (previously mentioned here). The Chinese report was heralded by some as marking a significant change of tone from the Chinese, perhaps even making a meaningful international agreement more likely.In this post I present the assumptions...

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The Definition of Happiness

The bulk of my thinking on happiness comes from Aristotle. I won't say that my thinking is identical with his since I have the advantage of 2000 years of history to draw upon since his day. But I can say that his thinking stands the test of time especially his thinking on the subject of happiness.Happiness is a life of rational activity. That's it. This is a very simple and easy definition, but the application of this definition is what makes it so complicated. What is rational activity? That is person relative and demands reason and judgment....

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This man is a Genius

This man is a Genius and it doesn't take a Genius to figure that out. It does though take a good spell checker to spell Genius right.So what makes someone take the leap from being intelligent to becoming a Genius??Well the official explanation is apparently a Genius's work cannot only be original, creative or bright but it has to alter the expectation of its audience. You...

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No Deterrence? NCAA Rules and the Men's Basketball and Football Players who Don't Follow them

San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Tim Sullivan has a piece on star NCAA athletes who accept gifts from would-be agents (e.g., Reggie Bush; O.J. Mayo) or who otherwise break other NCAA rules (e.g., Derrick Rose/SAT exam) and how, practically, little can be done to stop that from happening. He interviews me for the column, which is excerpted below..* * * [Derrick] Rose has...

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The Provincetown School of Vehicular Cycling

We often take daytrips to the Cape in the summer, but avoid Provincetown, because it is both too far and much too crowded. However, last week we stopped by. For those unfamiliar with the area, Provincetown is a lively and quirky town at the very tip of Cape Cod, long associated with the arts and with freedom of sexual expression. The main street is lined with galleries, coffee...

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VILLAINS-Bill Gates

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They're back and they're Spectacular

What a treat for TV fans, not only is the Office having a reunion, but the greatest show of the 90's and the second greatest show ever behind M*A*S*H is set for a comeback.The main cast of Seinfeld will appear on six episodes of Larry David's Curb your Enthusiasm.Seinfeld, George, Elaine and Kramer back together again after 11 year long years.What can one say? Reruns of Seinfeld...

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The Definition of Rich

Lou Pai was the CEO of Enron Energy Services when he cashed out everything and resigned from Enron in 2001 before the company imploded into the biggest corporate scandal of the decade. His resignation was abrupt, and he is called a "lucky guy" and a "mysterious figure." The reality is that he liked strip clubs and had a stripper girlfriend who he later married. His wife was not pleased with this. Pai left Enron with approximately $300 million.Did Pai know what was coming? I don't think so. He was never charged with criminal wrongdoing, and the...

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The Great Climate Change Hijack

A BBC News program with the above title will be available from this site for a few more days. Here is the precis:The BBC's environment correspondent Richard Black investigates if climate change is diverting attention away from other environmental problems such as air pollution, acid oceans and species extinction. Talk about climate change is everywhere, from the classroom to the UN. It is undoubtedly an important issue, but has our enthusiasm for tackling climate change led us to neglect other pressing and arguably more immediate environmental...

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Scientific Arguments as Tribal Politics

Michael Tobis, a climate scientist who can always be relied on to say what he really thinks, provides another remarkable glimpse inside modern climate science as he explains how he evaluated the arguments in Klotzbach et al., our recent paper that he continues to dismiss as "nonsense":No scientist really knows everything he or she claims to know from direct experience. Most of what we know as individuals comes from two factors: 1) a network of trust and 2) the test of coherence. . .Consider how I got mixed up with the Klotzbach paper. Prominent...

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Google Trends

Jaycee Lee Dugardhttp://www.examiner.com/x-14795-Page-One-Examiner~y2009m8d29-Jaycee-Lee-Dugard-todayGirl kidnapped at 11, imprisoned, and raped for 18 years. This is some messed up shit.LotteryLot of lottery entries. People must really want to win that jackpot.DJ AMAnother druggie bites the dust. Man survives a plane crash to eat it like this. What a waste of life. BTW, he used to be a fat ass until he got gastric bypass surgery. I'm sure his pallbearers will be thankful.Vauban Germanyhttp://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/story?id=8440108This city...

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PRODUCT-SIGG Water Bottles

The only time I buy bottled water is if my SIGG is in my dish strainer at home. I won't get involved in the debate over whether BPA water bottles are safe or not. The answer is the good old canteen, and SIGG has simply updated the concept for the 21st century.I love my SIGG, and it is taking some abuse. I have dinged it up, but it takes a beating. It is hardy gear and fits...

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Ladies and Diamond Frames

Lots of ladies ride diamond frame bicycles, even in a skirt. The lovely Charlotte of Chic Cyclist and the good women of Bike Skirt are just some examples. Recently, I tried riding diamond frames for the first time in my life.Here is the Co-Habitant's vintage Raleigh. I had to wear platform shoes, because I can't otherwise clear the top tube of his 24" bike.And here is an Origin8...

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Can Chicago Win Vote to Host 2016 Olympics?

Answer: It depends.It all comes down to the 106 voting members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who will decide on October 2, 2009, in Copenhagen.Ultimately, victory hinges on securing roughly 49 votes, for the following reasons:1. Invariably, owing to illness or schedule conflict, a few members will not be in attendance.2. As is his custom, IOC President Jacques...

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Random Thoughts on Various Subjects

1. TEDDY KENNEDYThose who remember Teddy fondly are the ones who used to drink and party it up with the guy. I am sure he was a blast, but you didn't want him behind the wheel because you might wind up dead at the bottom of a river along with Kennedy's presidential aspirations. As the Liberal Lion of the US Senate, Kennedy was largely a piece of shit in my humble opinion. Aside from championing some deregulation, Kennedy was the epitome of a limousine liberal, a person who was born wealthy but feels guilt they must assuage by spending the stolen...

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The Office Reunion 2000-2010

On August 30th on BBC2 in England, The Office Reunion will take place, and I'm sure it will be a across the Internet within hours.David Brent, Tim, Dawn and Gareth along with Stephen Merchant will be there.How did this slip under the rader?One of the greatest pieces of art in television history is going to be back on TV for one night only.The show will of course feature...

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There is no life without ja...

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Lobstah Gettah?

This spectacular bicycle was parked next to a beach entrance at the National Seashore on Cape Cod. The frame is ancient, but clearly the bicycle is very much functional. The red Raleigh grips look like a comparatively recent addition, but all else seems original - including tires and saddle!Rear wheel. Note the chainring and guard on the other side. The bolt-on on the stay...

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Commonwealth of Kentucky v. David Jason Stinson: Should Coaches be held Criminally Liable for Athletes' Deaths?

I have a column on SI.com concerning the first case in which a high school coach has been criminally charged with a player's death. The trial will begin on Monday. Here's an excerpt of the column:* * *Former Pleasure Ridge High School (Louisville, Ky.) football coach Jason Stinson faces charges for reckless homicide and wanton endangerment, felonies which each carry maximum...

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An Open Letter to John Dybvig

Hi John, in regards to your appearance on TVNZ, when you downplayed the Tall Blacks Victory over Australia, don't you feel that TVNZ used you for that purpose?They have a history of downplaying Basketball victories, and downplaying Basketball as a sport, and probably wanted a Basketball Journalist, not a mainstream journalist to give the story more credibility.You see, the...

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The First 300 Days: An Assessment of Obama's Energy and Climate Policy

This event at CU next week is mandatory for my students. If you are local, you should come too!The First 300 Days: An Assessment of Obama's Energy and Climate PolicyThursday, Sept. 3, 7:00pmWolf Law BuildingWittemyer CourtroomFree and open to the publicDirections: www.colorado.edu/law/about/visitus.htmThe Obama Administration has identified energy as one of its top policy concerns, with a focus on promoting clean, renewable energy and addressing climate change. During the first months of the new Administration we have seen a departure from the...

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UK Institution of Mechanical Engineers on Air Capture

The Times reports today:Giant fly-swat shaped "synthetic trees" line the road into the office, where blooms of algae grow in tubes up the walls and the roof reflects heat back into the sky - all reducing the effects of global warming.All this could be a familiar sight within the next two decades, under proposals devised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers to alter...

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Say Goodbye to the Big Guy

Robert is Gone.Maybe the fun of Hell's Kitchen is gone too!Last night, Chef Ramsay told Robert to take off his jacket and leave, in one of his more nicer sackingsI don't think Robert ever stood a chance in Hell's Kitchen.After last season, where he left for health problems, Robert got a second chance in this series, in which he managed to get through the first few rounds unscathed....

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Gratz on Danny

A cross-post from the ICAT Damage Estimator, by Joel Gratz:With the current (Wednesday PM) track models showing Danny skirting the North Carolina shoreline and heading toward southeastern New England, I put together a list of similar storms from the ICAT Damage Estimator database.Alma, 1962Barbara, 1953Bob, 1991Carol, 1954Edna, 1954Esther, 1961Gloria, 1985Storm #7, 1944The...

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Ninth Circuit strikes down seizure of BALCO names

The en banc Ninth Circuit today held that government investigators violated the Fourth Amendment when, during a raid on BALCO, they seized the names of 104 MLB players who tested positive for steroids, while acting on a warrant targeted at only ten players. (H/T: Jon Pessah).The opinion is 63 pages long (I have not had a chance to read it yet); the majority is by Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, one of the sharpest judicial minds on the federal bench and someone on the libertarian/conservative side. There are two partial concurrences/dissents and one...

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Mixte Lovers, Rejoice: VO Prepares a Little Something

Some of you know that I have been considering a custom bike for next spring. It has been a somewhat tortured search, because of my pickiness when it comes to things like lugs and stylistic detail. Basically, I want the mixte to have the classic twin lateral stays (as opposed to a single top tube), and I want it to be fully lugged (which is nearly impossible to achieve nowadays,...

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Dead Computer

My main machine died yesterday and is in the shop. I am writing this on a friend's netbook. This really sucks because I wanted to hit CareerBuilder. I will see if I can my laptop back from my girlfriend.In other news, I think Mark Sanford should go ahead and call it quits. They must have the votes for impeachment now if Bauer is having public press conferences. Sanford is done in politics, and I am looking forward to Nikki Haley's campai...

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Ted Kennedy was immoral slime. He was a do-gooder with other peoples mon...

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The IPCC's Advocate in Chief

Rajendra Pachauri, head of the IPCC, tries to have things both ways:"As chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) I cannot take a position because we do not make recommendations," said Rajendra Pachauri when asked if he supported calls to keep atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations below 350 parts per million (ppm)."But as a human being I am fully...

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The Latest Really Bad Idea

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce wants to have a "global warming trial":The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, trying to ward off potentially sweeping federal emissions regulations, is pushing the Environmental Protection Agency to hold a rare public hearing on the scientific evidence for man-made climate change.Chamber officials say it would be "the Scopes monkey trial of the 21st century" -- complete with witnesses, cross-examinations and a judge who would rule, essentially, on whether humans are warming the planet to dangerous effect."It would be evolution...

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