Say What?

ICE/fascist thugs continue to terrorize immigrant communities, committing random acts of murder along the way.  For many conservatives, the reply to such a killing is to shrug their shoulders and claim the brown person shouldn't have been in the country illegally, as if murder is an acceptable punishment for a misdemeanor offense.  On Monday, ICE killed a young man in Maine ; they shot him numerous times, with his wife and his 3-year-old daughter in the car with him. They dragged his limp, lifeless body out of the car, carelessly allowing his head to strike the pavement, handcuffed him, and left his body in the sun for hours. This is all so sickening and maddening. And like with the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti here in Minneapolis, the government was quick to say that the ICE officers acted in self-defense, while at the same time choosing not to conduct a serious investigation of the officers' actions. I worry that many have become desensitized to these crimes. ...

Ever since my osteoporosis diagnosis more than four years ago, I've been a reluctant rider on the roads out of fear that a crash on pavement will lead to broken bones. Gravel roads are somewhat more forgiving, at least that's what I tell myself. I've recently dusted off my road bike and have been enjoying riding it again . In addition to enjoying road riding again, I'm also excited to see the improvements in my surgical knee. I'm watching my power meter numbers improve, all while experiencing none of the constant knee pain that used to accompany my rides and hold me back. My goal is to achieve 3 w/kg (watts per kilogram) over a few-hour ride. I'm making nice progress toward that goal. We had a railing added to our front porch a couple of weeks ago. It will be especially useful in winter, when conditions are slippery, and, if I'm honest, it's kinda handy when returning from get-togethers at neighbors' places when we're maybe a little tipsy. Plus...