I'm officially signed up for the 2008 Tour of the Scioto River Valley - America's largest bike touring weekend!
It's going to be two days of back to back century bike rides in flat Ohio between Columbus and Portsmouth. Me and my Pops are setting out in the second weekend in May for some serious bike 'n bonding. That's perfect, because the ride started out as a father and son event in the 60s, evolving to appeal to feminist and not so feminist female riders.
Training started for me on March 1, but will amp up when the weather gets warmer. For now, I'm keeping my butt in shape by pedaling on my bike-stand in the basement a few times a week. Thank the lawd for portable music players!
9.3.08
2.3.08
Profile of Ronald McDonald, The Psychopath
My latest reading list epiphany is from Drutman and Cray's "The People's Business." Some related thoughts:
Corporations are being awarded more and more rights and privileges traditionally reserved for individual citizens. These privileges were originally established to protect you and I from the powerful. Everyone knows of someone whose house has been taken for "justifiable use" whether they wanted to sell it or not, but how inappropriate current corporate law is might be better highlighted by comparison to the psyche of one very scary type of individual: the psychopath.
According to Dr. Robert Hare, a renown expert on psychopathy, a corporation fits the following checklist for an individual who is psychopathic:
1. Irresponsible: In an attempt to satisfy the corporate goal, everybody else is put at risk.
2. Manipulative: They try to manipulate everything, including public opinion.
3. Grandiose: Every company insists they are the best, number one, above their competitors.
4. Lack of Empathy and
5. Asocial Tendencies: Corporations' behavior indicates they don't identify with or care about their victims.
6. Refusal to accept responsibility for their actions: If caught breaking the law, they pay big fines and continue doing just what they did before.
7. Unable to feel remorse: Rarely does behavior change after settling a lawsuit due to wrongs perpetrated on innocents.
8. Superficial: The corporations' goal is to have an appealing public image but that often does not represent what the corporation and its operations are really like.
So what do we do with psychopaths in society, danger that they are? Apparently, we have decided to let them control everything, from our schoolyards to our politics to our homes.
But what should we do with psychopathic corporations? Get them into reform school, at the very least. And that does mean shutting down sales during the rehabilitation period - which most corporations refuse to do even while in court. The thought process behind that: Why lose profits during long-winded litigation, even if a company's means be ruled responsible for harming the public?
Corporations are being awarded more and more rights and privileges traditionally reserved for individual citizens. These privileges were originally established to protect you and I from the powerful. Everyone knows of someone whose house has been taken for "justifiable use" whether they wanted to sell it or not, but how inappropriate current corporate law is might be better highlighted by comparison to the psyche of one very scary type of individual: the psychopath.
According to Dr. Robert Hare, a renown expert on psychopathy, a corporation fits the following checklist for an individual who is psychopathic:
1. Irresponsible: In an attempt to satisfy the corporate goal, everybody else is put at risk.
2. Manipulative: They try to manipulate everything, including public opinion.
3. Grandiose: Every company insists they are the best, number one, above their competitors.
4. Lack of Empathy and
5. Asocial Tendencies: Corporations' behavior indicates they don't identify with or care about their victims.
6. Refusal to accept responsibility for their actions: If caught breaking the law, they pay big fines and continue doing just what they did before.
7. Unable to feel remorse: Rarely does behavior change after settling a lawsuit due to wrongs perpetrated on innocents.
8. Superficial: The corporations' goal is to have an appealing public image but that often does not represent what the corporation and its operations are really like.
So what do we do with psychopaths in society, danger that they are? Apparently, we have decided to let them control everything, from our schoolyards to our politics to our homes.
But what should we do with psychopathic corporations? Get them into reform school, at the very least. And that does mean shutting down sales during the rehabilitation period - which most corporations refuse to do even while in court. The thought process behind that: Why lose profits during long-winded litigation, even if a company's means be ruled responsible for harming the public?
Vegan tummy yummies: molasses raisin cookie
It's a humbling experience to try to bake using an ingredient set you've never been stuck with before - evinced by a series of catastrophic failures! Sugar cookies that were too crumbly to cut into shapes, brownies that resembled a molten tar pit.. but I finally had a success.
Here's the recipe!
Molasses Raisin Cookies
(from Ener-G)
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Preheat oven to 325 deg F.
Ingredients:
2C + 2T Whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose)
1 t Ground ginger
1 t Cinnamon
1/4 t salt
2 t Baking Soda
1 t Ener-G egg replacer
1/2C Soft shortening, eg. Crisco
1/2C Granulated sugar, eg. Evaporated cane sugar or Turbinado
1/2C Molasses
1/4C + 2T Water
1/2C Packed raisins
Directions:
- Sift or mix flour, spices, salt, and baking soda together.
- In a mixer or with your [beastly] hand-power, cream together the shortening, sugar, molasses, and egg replacer.
- Stir flour mixture into shortening mixture, a little flour at a time. No flour clouds!
- Stir in the water and raisins until absorbed and well-distributed.
- Grease cookie sheets and drop Tablespoons of batter 2" apart or more. Aim for 12 or less per sheet.
- Optional: flatten cookie balls with a spatula and put some festive sprinkles on [green for St. Paddy's Day!].
- Bake 13-15 mins.
- Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks [heat transfer via air] for 5-10 mins.
- Enjoy!
Here's the recipe!
Molasses Raisin Cookies
(from Ener-G)
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Preheat oven to 325 deg F.
Ingredients:
2C + 2T Whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose)
1 t Ground ginger
1 t Cinnamon
1/4 t salt
2 t Baking Soda
1 t Ener-G egg replacer
1/2C Soft shortening, eg. Crisco
1/2C Granulated sugar, eg. Evaporated cane sugar or Turbinado
1/2C Molasses
1/4C + 2T Water
1/2C Packed raisins
Directions:
- Sift or mix flour, spices, salt, and baking soda together.
- In a mixer or with your [beastly] hand-power, cream together the shortening, sugar, molasses, and egg replacer.
- Stir flour mixture into shortening mixture, a little flour at a time. No flour clouds!
- Stir in the water and raisins until absorbed and well-distributed.
- Grease cookie sheets and drop Tablespoons of batter 2" apart or more. Aim for 12 or less per sheet.
- Optional: flatten cookie balls with a spatula and put some festive sprinkles on [green for St. Paddy's Day!].
- Bake 13-15 mins.
- Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks [heat transfer via air] for 5-10 mins.
- Enjoy!
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