To Be Honest

With the increase in the price of gasoline, I have observed some changes in commuter behavior and trends. FYI, I commute in the suburbs of a very crowed metro area.

The positive changes include:

1. Smaller cars on the road make for a better driving experience. I don’t drive an SUV so when one is in front of me I usually have to increase my following distance due to the decreased visibility. I suspect that when more people drive the same type of vehicles there is better traffic flow. Anybody know of such studies?
2. Increased use of public transportation. I read about record ridership daily and can see the difference in traffic patterns as people leave the roads to park and board the trains. This helps the environment and puts more pressure on politicians to support public transportation
3. Increased pedestrian and bike traffic. I see so many people using human powered modes of transportation now. Much more than I ever have. This benefits the environment, makes the demand for walkable cities much higher (which I think is very good) and increases the health of the citizens.

Negative changes:

1. Public transportation infrustructure breakdowns. This includes the capacity of the transportation systems (trains, buses, rail lines) and also the access facilities (parking, platforms, etc.) If rider’s experiences become too negative they may revert to their previous commuting behavior which would be a lost opportunity.
2. Gas Taxes. The revenue from Gas Taxes pays for a lot of public transportation and other budget items. If it is a set amount, then the revenue may decline as less gas is purchased. Of course there may be some less road maintenance costs if less people drive, but I am not sure which is the biggest factor. If anyone can lend some real world numbers to this please comment below.

©2008 David C. Patton

Note: I realize this is a basic post, but I am amazed at how oblivious people are to the impact of their own behavior. I expect most of my readers are not oblivious, so I am not speaking about you.

The other day I was driving after a major thunderstorm had passed through the area. As is fairly common in the section of the city I was in, electricity had been taken out by the storm. Thus the traffic lights were not functioning and were completely dark. I had to negotiate my way through some major intersections. It was a stressful and life threatening ordeal. There was no need for it to be such. Drivers were just aggressively blowing through the intersections in their multi-ton death mobiles. Guess what, when you T-Bone another vehicle, you don’t get a chance to try again and make a better decision. Instead you get to live with the consequences for the rest of your life and the person you hit might not even get to live at all.

Anyway, in my city the law states that the intersection should be treat as a 4-way stop. It is crucial that everybody treat it the same way. Drive safely and I sincerely hope everyone you encounter is doing the same.

Kaskade is one of my favorite artists in the dance genre. And based on the constant play he gets on BPM and elsewhere, I’d say he is on fire right now. He is based out of San Francisco and has a show in DC on August 30th at Glow. You can check out his music on iLike here.

Here is a list of some of my favorite tracks:

• Steppin Out
• Everything (Kaskade’s Big Room Mix)
• Be Still
• 4 AM(Adam K & Soha Mix)
• It’s You, It’s Me
• Stars Align
• Sorry (Dirty South Mix)
• SupaStar (Kaskade Remix)
• Move For Me

Darren Tate has put out an incredible 2 CD release called Perfect World by DT8 Project. This is without a doubt as near to perfection as I have ever heard. It has the combination of great song-writing, stunning vocals, world-class production and remixes that ooze euphoria. It contains Winter (with Andrea Britton doing the vocals). This song has been my favorite dance track for about 4 years. Another favorite of mine on here is Destination.

It is available on ITunes or at the link below where you can hear the full tracks. Normally I never recommend buying every track on a release, but this is the exception. I recommend every track on both CDs.

Listen Here

If you don’t know what waterboarding is, then check out the video from Amnesty International. I wonder how US citizens would feel if this technique was applied to captured US soldiers or citizens. I suspect there would be a huge outrage and declarations of prisoner torture violations. I have repeatedly read about the issues with the validity of intelligence gathered via torture. Why would waterboarding be any more effective than other means of torture. Won’t prisoners admit or say anything under torture that makes them believe they are close to death, thus causing intelligence gathered by such means to be even more suspect? I only hope that anyone who captures our soldiers or citizens will not see any value in torturing them.

Using such techniques, smells of desperation to me. I think flying the flag of patriotism is convenient for covering up for the fact that whoever is making these decisions doesn’t view the prisoners in the same manner that we would like our enemies to view our soldiers or citizens in captivity.

UPDATE Interesting article from Christopher Hitchens, a one time proponent of waterboarding, Believe Me, It’s Torture.

I’ve recently discovered Robeks in my MSA and have been so happy to find a place with Organic Wheat Grass shots and Acai smoothies. So far I am very impressed with the selection and quality of the offerings. The emphasis is on healthy items and I find it very beneficial. Check out www.robeks.com for locations and menu information. My personal favorite is the one at 10940 C-Fairfax Blvd in Fairfax,VA.

Does anyone else have an opinion on the quality of their offerings? Are their nutritional boosts legitimate?

In Britain, they often use the idiom “just about” when speaking about the state of something. The same idiom is used in the USA. However, as far as I can tell, they do not mean the same thing. In American english it means “almost” as in “I am just about finished”. It doesn’t mean a state of conclusion. In British english it means something is completed, but not without bother. The American equivalent might be “barely” done or something similar. It can be particularly unnerving when watching sports, as the English commentator will say things like “He’s just about scored a goal”. Americans listening are asking why there is another point on the board at that time. For the English, if an American commentator says, “He’s just about scored a goal”, they must be thinking the fools can’t see that the ball didn’t go in!

So basically they are exact opposites. In the UK, it is “done by the smallest of margins”, in the US, it is “not done by the smallest of margins”.

I tried to look for some comparison of this online, but came up empty. Now you just need to figure out the meaning of my title to this post.

I’ve really been enjoying this genre of dance music lately. Turn it up and listen:

• Deadmau5

• Adam K. and Soha

• Delta Goodrem -

Technorati Profile

Today I ran in the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run. Although it was cold, rainy, and a bit crowded, the race itself was quite enjoyable. It is a very popular venue and is restricted to 15,000 entries. The course is flat and traverses the National Mall along the Potomac river in DC. As the name implies, runners are amongst the cherry trees which are in full bloom now. If you are into organized races then I highly recommend it.

One thing that caught my attention was the number of supporters cheering along the route. A lot of them had made signs for their friends and family that were running, but they were cheering everyone. I always love the feeling and am so thankful for their encouragement. It really makes a huge difference. Thanks to each of the volunteers and fans. It was especially great that they braved the elements.

Another thing that struck me during the run, was the large number of women in the race. I really enjoyed seeing so many women participating in such a healthy activity. I believe our culture has neglected the participation of women in these types of activities and I hope things have really started to change for the better. These were women of all different shapes, different ages, and probably different socioeconomic backgrounds.

I believe men should encourage women to participate. Examples include not negating their efforts (cat calls, directly competing, critical observations of their training outfits, etc.), directly encouraging them if you know them, making them feel secure by providing safe places to run, and running with them.

If you were one of the women out there running today, congratulations to you all.

I love dogs. I love them so much that I want them to be able to take advantage of their pack instincts and lead happy, healthy lives. Dogs want to engage in the pack power struggle, hunt with the pack, devour the kill, then come home and regurgitate it for the pups (ponder it the next time they eagerly “kiss” you when you come home).

I am a runner. I love to go out on a nice day, get a good pace going and maintain it for a healthy cardiovascular workout. It is also a time to think and plan for me. I sometimes run with friends, but most of the time it is just some good quality me time.

For the most part I have no problem with the owners of dogs that I encounter on the trails and sidewalks. But a couple of things continuously occur.

1. I can’t help but think about the dogs who have been couped up all day (either in a house, apartment or even a cage) while their pack was out (working, school, etc.) only to get a short walk with the pack in the morning and evening. For a few minutes the dogs are extremely excited, but I can only feel for them as their instinctive behavior is so restricted. Then again if they are rescued dogs, I can see that it is better than the alternative and there are of course weekends. And I acknowledge that smaller breeds can roam quite a lot within a smaller space.
2. I hate coming across owners who do not have control of their dogs. As a runner it is either a safety issue or a courtesy issue. If the dog is leading the owner it can be a problem of aggression by the dog or of the leash/dog cutting across the path of the runner. There is also the issue of sharing the path. This is particularly tricky when approaching people from their back. Even when you make sounds to try to warn them they often show no common sense. Thus, you may have to come to a stop or risk injury by going off the path to pass.

So, why is the second issue such a nuisance to runners. Other than the obvious safety issue, it can cause an adrenaline rush and affect the pace. This can throw off the whole run and definitely takes some of the joy out of running.

In summary, I applaud all dog owners who take responsibility for their dog’s health and happiness. I also urge them to share the trail with runners (and walkers for that matter).