Blog Roots III

Periodically, I like to return to my blog roots and give a general update, so here goes: (Previous Blog Roots I, II)

T$ Update:

School and research are proceeding quite nicely. The first semesters of my time in Kansas were mostly slow, my research and other involvement did not keep me extremely busy. But then data collection for my thesis, supervising the rat lab, coordinating a student’s convention and other things kept me very busy. The same pattern is beginning to emerge here in Texas.

I’m working on several projects in the Aging and Cognition Lab related to metacognition, social aspects of age differences in memory, and student’s use of study strategies. I’m also very excited about a new project in the Environmental Psychophysiology Laboratory. I’ve written about the ERN here before; the new study is also related to the ERN. The study has the potential to make real progress disentangling several issues that have plagued interpretation of the waveform. The principle investigator (PI) has high hopes for its publication in a high-impact journal.

As is necessary to receive my stipend, I also teach a lab section of PSYC203: Statistics for Psychology, today we talked about independent samples t-tests. So far, it has been a fine experience, but mostly a back-burner activity, if I were the teacher of record I would feel more responsibility for the course.

Other News:

Was in Houston and Rice University over the weekend for the ARMADILLO cognition conference. Friday and Saturday there were talks all day and a poster session Friday afternoon (I presented some of my work on stereotypes and aging). Unlike other conferences I’ve been to, there was only one event at a time, whether it was a talk or a poster session. Meagan and I also enjoyed the Rice Village district, we had tapas Friday evening and visited the Chocolate Bar Saturday afternoon.

One interesting thing about Rice University, a private university with what must be an enormous endowment, is that its often referred to as the Harvard of the south. To students and faculty at Rice though, Harvard is the Rice of the north. UPDATE: I checked, Rice’s endowment is 4.7 billion dollars as of 2007. (wiki)

Meagan and I are hosting a Halloween party this Saturday. We’re hoping we can have as good a party as we did our last year in Kansas, which will not be an easy task. I think our costumes are a secret but I’ll definitely post pictures after the party.

TX Update:

Who knew it would rain so damn much in Texas. In September we had 7.4 inches of rain, over three inches above average, and this month we’re already at 8 inches, 4 inches above average!

Suspect Statistics and Political Double-Speak

Just listened to an Interview with Peter Galbraith on Democracy Now about Afghanistan elections. He was introduced on the radio program as the U.N. Ambassador who was fired from his position by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. When Galbraith was allowed to speak he corrected  the radio host saying he was recalled not fired. I wonder what the difference is, seems to be an instance of double-speak, or a euphemism for political discourse.  Then again, Galbraith says he was fired in his article yesterday for the Washington Post.

According to Galbraith, he was fired due to a policy disagreement with his boss, Kai Eide, about how to handle election fraud. Galbraith attempted to eliminate “ghost” polling stations prior to the election and eliminate possible fraud. When his boss told him to stop, he did.

Now, the U.N. and the people of Afghanistan are dealing with a fraudulent election. Afghanistan’s Electoral Complaints Commission has now started an audit of 10% of the 3,000 ballot boxes from suspect polling stations. If the 10% sample is considered fraudulent then all 3,000 boxes will be thrown out, which may initiate a run-off.

I wonder if examining 300 of 3,000 ballot boxes is enough. According to Galbraith, each polling station was given 600 ballots. So, is 180,000 ballots representative of 1,800,000? It’s hard to say, but it’s better than nothing.

Now only if it weren’t countries like the U.S.A. having to pick up the tab for the election, audit, and a possible run-off election.

Obama’s remarks to Congress on Health Care

I watch PBS’ coverage of political events for three reasons — David Brooks, Jim Lehrer, & Mark Shields. I just love their commentary. As Obama and his cabinet members walked in to the chamber all three commentators made hilarious remarks. At one point Brooks commented colorfully that the room was filled with “500 back slapping politicians” and Obama’s progress would be slow to get to the front, later he said it was a “mushroom of bon amie.”  A minute later he said “vote republican” if you want speeches to start on time. I was in stitches.

The Speech (9/09/09)
Obama mentioned several problems with the current system. For instance, Wall Street’s relentless expectations for profit. He also said “Our Healthcare problem IS our deficit problem, nothing else even comes close,” and that healthcare represents 1/6 of our economy.

He also referenced those who have supported Health Care Reform, like John McCain’s idea about catastrophic care for those who have been denied coverage, and John Dingell Sr. (D) Michigan who has made the case for health insurance reform at the beginning of each session for some time. While Dingell recieved a standing ovation, he lipped “thank you mister president.”

In the end, our president paid tribute to Ted Kennedy saying that Kennedy’s dream of health care as a basic right was not based on rigid ideology but on experience. He also read from a letter Kennedy had delivered after his death. Kennedy referred Health Care the “unfinished business of our past.”

The president referenced those who have opposed health care reform too, at times sounding paternalistic. He also attempted to clear up misconceptions about the bill. Regarding the supposed death panels, he said they “would be laughable if they weren’t so cynical.”

The New Bill

Obama also outlined features of the new bill. Some of the features include it being against the law to deny converage based on a pre-existing condition. Insurance companies won’t be able to “drop coverage, or water it down when you need it the most.” Insurance providers would also not be allowed to put caps on spending limits. Hopefully the bill will reform malpractice litigation too.

As for long-term aspects of the bill, he said they would decrease spending if the revenue they expect doesn’t materialize, and that they would form an independent commission to identify wasteful spending in the years ahead. The price-tag of the bill would be 900 billion dollars over 10 years, “less that we’ve spent on the Iraq war.”

As for the public option, Obama commented it was a means to end and that he would be open to other ideas.

My Analysis

I liked his speech, but I can be critical on at least one point. That point is that he spoke too much of “opponents.” By doing so he created artificial boundaries, which is very detrimental. At one point he even said to his opponents “We will call you out!” Perhaps the person he made the biggest opponent out of was George W. Bush, saying part of the reason there was a trillion dollar deficit was because many of the Bush policies weren’t paid for (e.g. tax cuts for the wealthy).

Not only did he reference some members of congress as opponents he also made an opponent out of the media, saying they were part of the problem. This is not a good idea, what if the media retaliates? (to be anthropomorphic…)

If Obama is serious about health care reform and bi-partisanship, which I think he is, he must drop the “opponent” rhetoric.

Who Cares about the Poor and the Sick?

This is so irritating. If you follow the link you’ll see an advertisement (that I just saw on TV) from an organization called Responsible Health Care Reform. The claim is that congress is attempting to make a fast and reckless pitch for health care reform and that they should slow down. Are you kidding?! This is not the first time people have tried to reform the health care system. Attempts to reform our busted system have been around at least 15 years.

Those opposed to reform are insane; health-care in America is good, but the cost is way too damn much and policies that deny coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions are odious.

The public option, or the part of the reform that would provide guaranteed and government-backed health insurance was set up to encourage competition and lower prices. Some have said private insurance providers could not compete with the government. Obama and others are now considering a trigger option, where reform could be passed without the public option but would include a trigger date. If private insurance companies did not meet various metrics, including lower prices, by that date a public option would be enacted. I can see how this would be a tenable solution but am concerned insurance companies would find the loopholes we all know sympathetic legislators would build into the bill.

NBC Nightly News’ Brian Williams billed Obama’s speech tonight as the most important speech of his career. I’m not sure I agree, but I’ll definitely be watching.

More Good News: Levi Leipheimer Signs with Team Radio Shack

I am very happy to see a nice ensemble of riders forming for Team Radio Shack. Armstrong of course announced during the TdF that the new team was forming. Soon after, team director Johan Bruyneel announced his move, and now Levi Leipheimer has made a similar announcement.

All three individuals were part of Contador’s TdF 2009 victory and all three will now be against him. Furthermore, with any luck, Vinokourov will be able to help dismantle Contador’s run for the title in 2010.

Notably, Leipheimer crashed and broke his wrist in the TdF 2009 but was back on his bike in no time.

Elsewhere in the cycling world, Big George Hincapie has signed with BMC. I think most of us hoped he would go to Radio Shack too. Although after the incident earlier this year maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise.

R. I. P. Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy could deliver a wonderful speech.

Though most of his work was done long before I was aware of politics I’ll always remember the tribute and his speech at the Democratic National Convention (2008).

R.I.P. Ted Kennedy

The 2nd Amendment is an Antique

Enjoying a nice discussion over at TDAXP about the 2nd Amendment and the man who was seen carrying an assault rifle at a recent U.S. Presedential event in Arizona.

Culture Wars (or Us versus Them)

I enjoy the Google Chrome web browser because it keeps track of my nine most visited sites. Among my favorites is The Daily Beast. It is definitely a left-wing media outlet but there are plenty of articles from the other side (e.g. Mark McKinnon, Reihan Salam) and I enjoy reading their stories.

Recently, The Daily Beast (TBD) featured a video of a TBD contributor, presumably from New York named Tracy Quan. In the video, Quan discusses the “pull-out-method.” She is critical of recent research, and a recent NYT article that argues the “pull-out-method” is better than nothing as a form of contraception. Her argument aside, she says all researchers do is cover their asses when they write. She goes on to say, needlessly, that New Yorkers are basically the brightest people in the world while the rest of us are country bumpkins. I took offense to both comments. You can see the video here.

Meanwhile, Patricia Heaton of Everyone Loves Raymond and other shows made an appearance on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and made disparaging remarks about individuals who live on the coasts, or rather, she said people who live in the middle U.S. are nicer. Then she barely answers an easy question. You can see her video here. The question is below:

If a Euro is worth $1.50, five Euros is worth what?

a. 30 quarters         b. 50 dimes

c. 70 nickels         d. 90 pennies

How long has this culture war gone on? and where does the middle stop and the coast begin?

I’m not sure who is “nicest” or the “brightest,” I’ve met people all over that defy these stereotypes. And I certainly don’t want either Quan representing me as an academic or Heaton representing me as being from middle America.

All I know is that if it came down to it, we could take ‘em, and If I know anything about TX, they’ll be the first ones on the ground.

Armstrong wins Leadville 100 in Record Time

So Lance Armstrong won the Leadville 100. The annual mountain bike race (yes, mountain bike) is held in Leadville, CO. I think it is pretty cool the guy can be a competitor in both the biggest road races of the year and turn around and win a race using a completely different kind of bike on a completely different kind of route (i.e. dirt tracks).

See Singletrack’s photo here: http://img190.yfrog.com/i/qb7e.jpg/

Stump Removal Ideas?

Meagan and I moved into our new apartment in late May. We were mostly gone for the month of June, but when we returned to Texas we decided we would do a few home improvements, we will be living in the same apartment for 3 years. We have a small fenced in backyard that has a small cement pad outside the patio door, definitely not enough room to set up chairs and have a grill. Therefore, we decided we would lay down a few cement pavers and make a new and improved outdoor living space. I started digging out a 10′ x 5′ area in mid-July and have been working on it in spurts.

The digging itself is a pain. I have to dig down around 3 inches so I can pour in sand to level the area and then put the 1″ pavers on top of the sand. The dirt, if you want to call it that, is hard as rocks in Texas. It didn’t help that we had been without rain for weeks on end. We got a few days of rain and I tried to dig the following day with some success. The digging is 90% complete.

On the other hand, there is a stump that is about 8″ in diameter that has become the bigger issue. The stump would have to be extricated. First, the shovel was handy so I just started hacking at the stump, this didn’t last long.

Shovel vs. Stump –> Stump hands-down winner

Then our neighbors suggested we just burn it or use M-80s to blow it up. I’m clean out of M-80s but I thought the fire idea was brilliant, the path of least resistance, and fires are awesome. So I dosed it with gasoline and lit it on fire, the flames lasted approximately a half hour but did little damage to the stump.

Fire vs. Stump –> Stump is without a doubt the winner

For the month of July we housesitted for a family, they had an bow saw hanging in their garage so I thought I would use that. But first, I used my drill and the largest bit I have to bore several holes into the stump. I sawed and sawed and sawed, but to little visible success.

Bow-Saw + Drill vs. Stump  –> Stump Wins (albeit looking a little worse for wear, charred and full of holes)

Today, while I was waiting for an oil-change at a local big-box store I looked around for an axe. The store had every other tool, spades, hoes, post-hole diggers, rakes, but no axes. I explained this to the man behind the automotive counter and he suggested going to Tractor Supply Center for my axe need. I went to TSC and purchased a 2 1/2 lb. single bit, hickory handled Michigan axe, a beautiful specimen. Surely, the stump could not withstand this onslaught, I thought.

Before going home I went past a local equipment rental store, I decided to pop-in and see about a chain-saw too. I had a chain-saw rented ($40.00/4 hrs), until the salesperson realized my purpose. “Why not use a stump grinder?” he asked. He added, “You would ruin the chainsaw if you used it to get a stump out.”

I had no idea a tool existed specifically for stump removal, I’m beginning to think I’m in over my head with this project. Those of you who don’t know, stump grinders are beasts of machines, all for one purpose. I didn’t get the rental rate because I don’t have anything to transport the machine, I am sure it would have been expensive. The axe would have to work.

After chopping for 30 min, the axe has been the most effective. The stump’s status now is: charred, full of holes, saw-marked, chopped, but most importantly, 20% extricated.

Axe vs. Stump –> It will be marathon battle, but the axe WILL be the victor.

If you have a better idea for my stump problem, please share.

p.s. I’ve looked online and found a few organic removal options, such as the application of nitrogen, but this is too slow.