A Biting Pain

I am training for a half-marathon.
No- really. I haven't decided which one, but I finally found a tool in Google Earth that allows the user to measure a path on the map- so I've been mapping my runs and lo and behold- I've been running half-marathon distances on the weekend anyways- so now I'm just trying to get faster!

I was all eager and gun ho until last week when I developed a sprain! But luckily- I am not worried about losing any training due to it because I have sprained... my tooth.

I just got back from the dentist because my tooth was bugging me lately, and she poked and prodded and couldn't understand why I was having pain until she asked the million dollar question: "Did you bite down on anything hard lately?" I had in fact chomped down on a popcorn kernel that was unpopped last week and apparently- it can sprain your tooth.

Her advice- ibuprofen and rest it- but no slings or tensor bandages :P

If you do want to track my progress training for the half marathon- check out my runner blog care of the cool technology at coolrunning.com.

Alterative Economies

http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/
A young man barters a red paper clip for a fish pen, bartered for a smiley doorknob, bartered for a Coleman gas stove, bartered for a generator, bartered for a keg and neon sign, bartered for a Skid00, bartered for a trip to Yahk, bartered for a truck, bartered for studio time, bartered for a rent-free year in an apartment in Phoenix.

This is a terrific example of barter economy, and arguments both for and against it. In the case of for, it shows that capital influx is possible in barter based economies, showing that it is sustainable- or does it? While there is no universal (monetary) value for the item; the impetus to trade would be a perceived value added prospect that the item being traded has an additional value. Can value- even if it is perceived value and not universal really sustain? The term for increased monetary value is deflation, and it's quite rare.

A yearly event takes place in Black Rock Desert, Nevada on the Playa (Spanish for beach). This event called the Burning Man festival is an example of gifting economies. While black market barter does take place- it's forbidden by the organizers. This gift economy is interesting, but how sustainable is it, really? Won't bartering naturally evolve from it very quickly as merchants get taken advantage of? Can our sense of fulfilling our economic duty really outweigh our innate greed? Is greed really innate or is it simply nurtured by our capitalist economy? What's the next evolution of economics?

Do you understand him?

In Shanghai I got myself a little treat.

I picked up DVD disks at dirt cheap prices. I got 24 season 1-4 and The West Wing Season 1-6. I like watching television while I eat dinner dinner, so I pop in a DVD and watch an episode before getting back to work.

It's interesting how each show illustrates effective management techniques.

With Jack Bauer- he personifies effective delegation techniques. He tells people exactly what he needs, and tells them why when possible. When it's not possible- he always apologizes and tells them why he can't go into details. He then verifies his instructions are clear by asking "Do you understand me?" which has become a catch phrase of his. He always remembers to say please and thank you- and no matter how hairy things get or how little time he has, he only takes it out on his staff if he's undergoing heroin withdrawal.

In the West Wing; Leo (the President's Chief of Staff) always has his office door open to his staff. He has the staff's trust as well as their respect and friendship because he's earned it. He gives others the benefit of the doubt, forgives honest mistakes quickly and challenges people to push the envelope of their own performance by sometimes playing 'bad cop'.

So- I guess it could be argued that the time away from books is productive... maybe I should be watching more TV- It might make me a more effective manager.

Danger in Dublin

Last month there was a spate of riots in Downtown Dublin after a Unionist demonstration marching down the street was blocked by a counter-demonstration by Irish Republicans (Not be confused with U.S. Republicans who incense the world by voting for George W.).

This month- a Sinn-Fein official was tortured and murdered, and it is believed it is politically motivated. Now- Despite being in Ireland and trying my best to keep up- and even getting case studies for class about the subject- I frankly find myself lost confused and totally uninformed of Irish Politics (including Northern Irish, and Anglo-Irish).

All I know is that if riots start getting more frequent and bombs start going off, I'm going to have to move to some place safer... like Basra, Scarborough or Mogadishu.

After my sister inspired me by going all the way to a neighboring town to attend Erev Shabbat services, I decided to finally go find a Dublin shul. I found one, and finally figured out the travel methods using public transport. Even though my sister's shul is much farther from her house, She has a quicker travel time, lower end cost and fewer connections.

I am still very doubtful I can keep Pessach-dikkah this year, but I have kept Sephardic rules for Pessach in the past couple of years (yes grains, no yeast; Yes rice and beans, no pasta or bread)- and as far as a seder goes- I'll just attend two of them next year, like I did last year!

Danger in Dublin

Last month there was a spate of riots in Downtown Dublin after a Unionist demonstration marching down the street was blocked by a counter-demonstration by Irish Republicans (Not be confused with U.S. Republicans who incense the world by voting for George W.).

This month- a Sinn-Fein official was tortured and murdered, and it is believed it is politically motivated. Now- Despite being in Ireland and trying my best to keep up- and even getting case studies for class about the subject- I frankly find myself lost confused and totally uninformed of Irish Politics (including Northern Irish, and Anglo-Irish).

All I know is that if riots start getting more frequent and bombs start going off, I'm going to have to move to some place safer... like Basra, Scarborough or Mogadishu.

After my sister inspired me by going all the way to a neighboring town to attend Erev Shabbat services, I decided to finally go find a Dublin shul. I found one, and finally figured out the travel methods using public transport. Even though my sister's shul is much farther from her house, She has a quicker travel time, lower end cost and fewer connections.

I am still very doubtful I can keep Pessach-dikkah this year, but I have kept Sephardic rules for Pessach in the past couple of years (yes grains, no yeast; Yes rice and beans, no pasta or bread)- and as far as a seder goes- I'll just attend two of them next year, like I did last year!

Germany- The Good, The Bad, and the Tasty.

Germany was great! It was definitely a great atmosphere in some ways, and ultra-creepy in other ways.

The good: the culture is extremely friendly, sincere, , polite and even playful. The food was incredible- plentiful and cheap. :P mmmmmm! Wurst, sushi and ice cream! Delish!

The bad: My sister and I stumbled on a neo-nazi rally. There's something about someone screaming in German into a megaphone that's... well... freakish. We also went and toured a concentration camp Buchenwald... less of a concentration camp and more of a death camp, actually. A camp for POW's in WWII, and Jewish children and youths. The camp was complete with on-site crematorium for their body disposal needs. That was heavy. Even thinking of it now- I get this thing in the pit of my stomach that feels a little like it's been socked.

Thinking of the neo-nazi rally- I can't really think of anything else to say other than simply creepy. I mean- there was a huge group of anarchists protesting the nazis, and trying to drown them out with whistles and shouts, but the simple fact that it's back... It's alarming and disconcerting. It honestly scares me not that they can be allowed to congregate; it scares me that they exist at all! It scares me that people think that way. It is arguably human nature; xenophobia and jingoism are constants through out history (in sinusoidal degrees of visibility or impact)- but I still cannot accept, condone or excuse it.

Oh yeah- and I stopped in Frankfurt on the way back from Weimar to the Airport. I should have listened to everyone. There is nothing to see in Frankfurt.