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January 26, 2005

Fair Trade?

We have, over the years, tried to become more considerate consumers. Realizing that materialism and consumer have overcome our society, we wanted to try to go against that grain best we could. But last night, while at the local supermarket obsessing over what coffee to get (since I couldn't stop at La Prima in the morning), I realized something. We are bobos to some degree. While we don't dress the part as hippies (or yippies), and we don't often speak the bobo language, we still are only marginal participants in the ecological movement.

Sure, we succeed in many aspects. We only own one car. I ride my bike to work everyday. We bought an old house in an old neighborhood. We don't spend much money outside of necessities. But we're certainly not green. One reason is simple: money. I'd love to buy all my clothes from American Apparel and Patagonia, but realistically, that's just not an option. $78 for a pair of pants or $15 for a plain white t-shirt also seems a little extravagant to me. So what to do? Is there a middle road to beoming a better consumer? There I was last night, looking at Fair Trade coffee while in a massive supermarket. Did my purchase of 12oz of coffee beans amount to anything more than a drop in the bucket? Was I doing anything more than making myself feel better for buying that coffee, rather than saving myself a few dollars and buying a mass-marketed coffee? It's not like I was crossing the line of protestors to go to school -- this wasn't some symbol-laden act. We needed coffee.

It's really a question of finding balance. Unless we become subsistence farmers with no electricity or gas heat, making our own clothes, tools, and pther necessities, we will have to compromise. I ride my bike to work. Great. I save on gas consumption, I don't put as much pollution into the air. But the process of manufacturing the metals used on my bike is very resource-instensive. We are, of course, told by God to find balance -- in Genesis, Adam and Eve were made stewards of creation. They were not told to leave it as is -- they could develop it and care for it. So, that's what we're left with -- finding a way to develop and care for creation in the face of sin. Do we simply pick our battles (drive our car to work, but only buy organic from a co-op)? Do we seek to make as few compromises as possible? Where is the middle?

January 25, 2005

The Little Things

The white, fluffy snow that softened everything this weekend has been transformed into piles of wet, dirty slush. The city hasn't gotten around the completely clearing most roads, so the ride to work is mix of wet asphalt and a thin coating of slush -- less than pleasant riding conditions. The road conditions seemed to worsen as the day progressed yesterday, and when I left my office, nearly every street was covered in slush. I was ready to wave the white flag and take the bus until the roads dried up a bit. I was a beaten man. Old Man Winter had won. As I was riding through the Strip, however, I saw another messenger coming from the opposite direction on Smallman Street. I lifted my head a bit, and as we passed he yelled "Yeah trackbike!" and I returned a "Yo!" Suddenly I didn't care so much about the slush and cold, and I remember why I was doing this -- I love to be on the bike.

January 24, 2005

The New Global Left

Gideon Strauss has started about the new Left he envisions as a future for Christians in politics. Crooked Timber posted a link to this book review by Tony Judt examing the political divide between Europe and America, with coffee as a central metaphor. A couple of interesting bits:

To a growing number of Europeans, however, it is America that is in trouble and the "American way of life" that cannot be sustained. The American pursuit of wealth, size, and abundance —as material surrogates for happiness —is aesthetically unpleasing and ecologically catastrophic. The American economy is built on sand (or, more precisely, other people's money). For many Americans the promise of a better future is a fading hope. Contemporary mass culture in the US is squalid and meretricious. No wonder so many Americans turn to the church for solace.

Yet despite such widely bemoaned bureaucratic and fiscal impediments to output, Europeans appear somehow to manage rather well.[5] And of course the welfare state is not just a value in itself. In the words of the London School of Economics economist Nicholas Barr, it "is an efficiency device against market failure"[6] : a prudential impediment to the social and political risks of excessive inequality. It was Winston Churchill who declared in March 1943 that "there is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies." To his self-anointed disciples in contemporary America, however, this reeks of "welfare." In the US today the richest 1 percent holds 38 percent of the wealth and they are redistributing it ever more to their advantage. Meanwhile one American adult in five is in poverty—compared with one in fifteen in Italy.[7] The benefits don't even trickle down anymore. To many foreigners today this is a distinctly unappetizing vision: the "American way of life" is at a steep discount. As an economic model the US is not replicable.[8] As a social model it offers few redeeming qualities.

Before you think I'm some sort of socialist (maybe I am, maybe I'm not), Judt doesn't have all the answers, and neither does Europe. But his criticisms ring true, and they need to be addressed, especially by Christians.

January 23, 2005

Rallye Monte Carlo Recap

In the end, it was easy, again. Sebastien Loeb has won his third consecutive Rallye Monte Carlo. Loeb went into Sunday with a two minute lead over Marcus Gronholm, but any chance of challenge from Gronholm disappeared during the Col du Turini stage. Both Gronholm and Petter Solberg crashed during the stage thanks to snow piled on the road by spectators (a common occurence on the Col during dry road conditions. Both cars lost a wheel during their offs, but only Gronholm managed to limp back to service with three wheels on his 307. Between time lost thanks to the crash and an additional five minute penalty for arriving at the service park late, Gronholm lost his spot on the podium, but still managed to finish in the points. Solberg was not as fortunate and saw his best finish at the Monte slip away.

Thanks to that mishap, Ford's Toni Gardemeister took second place (his best result ever) and Mitsubishi's Gilles Panizzi took third. Thanks to Harri Rovanpera clawing back into the points (remember, the Finn was Peugeot's gravel expert for three years and had not rallied on tarmac in two), Mitsubishi saw their best points haul since Tommi Makinen led the team in 2001. Markko Martin slipped into fourth place in his first event for Peugeot, despite finishing over five minutes behind Loeb. Manfred Stohl was the only privateer to slip into the points, and Ford's Roman Kresta rounded out the points for a decent start to the Blue Oval campaign.

The only team that walked away from Monte Carlo empty handed was Subaru. Both Solberg and Stephane Sarrazin retired, and Solberg's off came at a time when he was challenging Gardemeister for second place and setting scratch times in the process. Skoda has a less than satisfying rally as well, with Armin Schwarz retiring and Alex Bengue finishing just outside the points.

January 22, 2005

Rallye Monte Carlo Update

As expected, Sebastien Loeb has a comfortable two minute over his nearest challenger, Marcus Gronholm. Loeb was feeling the heat earlier in the day from teammate Francois Duval until Duval had an off on SS6, taking out a utility pole and halting the stage. Duval was ok, but damage forced him to retire from event. Skoda's Armin Schwarz was also a victim of a shunt, crashing his Fabia on SS7 (and forcing an early end the stage). Ford's Toni Gardemeister is a having a fine first rally for the team, holding a slight edge on Subaru's Petter Solberg. Mitsubishi had a fine day with Gilles Panizzi taking one stage win and posting several other top 5 times. The team has to be happy with the speed of the retooled Lancer, especially on tarmac. And should Harri Rovanpera hold seventh tomorrow, the team will walk away from the rally with a nice points haul (the only other to have two cars in the points is Peugeot). Solberg is only nine seconds adrift of Gardemeister, so the Norwegian may push the pace a bit tomorrow to score a podium spot.

Theology, Star Wars Style

Macht has posted the interesting theological/philosophical discussion that C-3PO and R2-D2 had during Star Wars Episode 4.

January 21, 2005

"Bobo Sanctimony"

Mark Dery has a scathing critique of the "Not One More Damn Dime" (NMODD) boycott.

This and That

I'm having trouble finishing things these days. Some of you may be saying *tsk tsk* since the Rallye Monte Carlo started today, and I've gotten one team preview out. I've got two half-completed previews, and a rally preview. In case anyone cares, Sebastien Loeb is leading the rally, with Francois Duval and Marcus Gronholm close behind.

So, instead of being profound, I'll just link to some other profound people. First, Slate has several interesting reactions to George Bush's inargural address:

His Latest Mission from God: Democracy

Freedom on a Budget

Fred Kaplan points out a problem with Bush's view of America's purpose and ideals:

In his speech today, President Bush constructed a syllogism: (A) Spreading liberty reduces resentment, hatred, and violence in the world. (B) Resentment, hatred, and violence threaten our vital interests. Therefore, (C), as he puts it, "America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one." But this is a clever evasion. If it wasn't, then Bush would have cut off relations with a dozen or so governments, including all three of those mentioned above (China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan). He's not doing that because he and the people around him know that the gesture would harm U.S. interests much more than it helped those countries' dissidents, if in fact it helped them at all. At least since 1945, American statesmen have grappled with the dilemma between our interests and our ideals. To pretend that we've vanquished the dilemma—that our ideals and interests are monolithic and identical—is at best a delusion and at worst a hindrance to devising smart policies.

The Burkean Canuck also has a few things to say.

January 18, 2005

Various Things

First, I survived the commute yesterday. The right combination of clothes makes everything better.

Slate's Chris Suellentrop outlines what the Social Security debate should be about.

Today's Post-Gazette has an interesting piece on Pittsburgh's third places.

January 17, 2005

Impending Doom

There are mornings when I just don't look forward to riding to work. This morning is one of them. I don't even want to check the weather, because there's no good news there. I suspect the temperature is hovering just about zero, minus the wind chill. At least the city made the rounds on the streets last night and there will be a minimal amount of snow on the road. On mornings like this I have to find a bit of motivation before I hit the road.

January 15, 2005

The Hand That Feeds You

Slashdot has a good discussion going on about this article about former virus writer Marek Strihavka. Strihavka apparently ran with a gang of Russian programmers (known collectively as 29A), but has reformed himself and now works for an internet security firm. He claims he did not distribute the virii he wrote and his work was merely research oriented -- he wrote the virii to see what could be done about them. First problem -- someone had to distribute the code. If it wasn't Strihavka, it had to be one of his cohorts. If he was working as some sort of guardian angel, trying to make the internet a better place, why wasn't he at a university or AV company from the start?

January 14, 2005

WRC 2005 Preview - Peugeot

On paper, there isn't a better roster: Two-time world champion Marcus Gronholm and up and coming star Markko Martin (who finished third in the championship last season). Peugeot has been here before with great results -- in 2002 the team lured world champion Richard Burns from Subaru and Gronholm won the title and Peugeot won the maker's championship. The honeymoon was over quickly however, as the introduction of the 307 WRC brought the team nothing but bad luck. The 2004 season was only slightly better, with Gronholm bringing the team its first win with 307.

There are three variables in the team's success this year:

1. The car. The 307 showed promise during the latter part of the 2004 season. Can the team squeeze more performance from the car? Have they worked out the gremlins that haunted it in 2003 and 2004?

2. The team. PSA (Peugeot's parent company) has announced that it would pull both Peugeot and Citroen from the WRC after 2005. The management will not be interested in making long-term commitments to the 307.

3. Markko Martin. Richard Burns never felt at in the 206, and his results reflected that. Martin has toed the party line after his first round of testing, but only competition time will tell if Martin can come to grips with the car.

Even if Peugeot can't find the speed to win rallies, they shouldn't have much trouble winning the manufacturer's title. Citroen lost Carlos Sainz to retirement, and as fast as Francois Duval can be, he's also inconsistent enough to hurt Citroen's chances for a repeat. As long as the 307 holds up reasonably well, Gronholm or Martin should be in the top 5 in nearly every event. If the team has worked the gremlins out of the car, well, Martin or Gronholm should be in the hunt for a win on nearly every rally.

January 13, 2005

Sad News for the Hell of the North

Paris-Roubaix says goodbye to the cobbles of Arenberg for '05

Teaser

The season-opening Rallye Monte Carlo is a little over a week away. I'll be putting together my annual team by team reviews shortly. I'm sure all five of you can't wait.

January 12, 2005

About the Weather

Mother nature is currently throwing the kitchen sink at me, trying to get me to relent and take the bus. The local paper noted that during the first eleven days of the new year, we had eight days of rain. This week has been generally rainy, with terrible conditions yesterday (constant rain and temperatures in the 30s). Today, the jet stream brought us temperatures in the 60s (!) and even a few glimpses of the fiery red orb in the sky I've seen in books. We won't get off that easily, however, as meteorologists predict warm weather, with loads of rain and my personal favorite, high winds. This storm front will then bring us some colder, albeit calmer, weather for the weekend. I'll take temperatures in the low 20s if it means the sun will come out.

January 11, 2005

The Dialogical Coffee House

is open for business.

January 09, 2005

On Parenthood

Jen and I don't frequent Mimi Smartypant's weblog much anymore (for various reasons), but I happened to look at her site the other day and came upon this astute observation:


Things are kind of hard right now. I feel a dreadful split (oh great, now I am the one being all Lord Byron/heavy metal dramatic. Dude. Get over myself.) between two goals: Keep Life Humming Along and Big Picture. Sometimes they intersect; obviously all this working and health-insurance-having and fiscal responsibility is kind of Big Picture-ish. But more often they don't, quite, exactly, such as when you work all day and then come home to a tired toddler and a frazzled husband, and everyone has to eat and small girl has to bathe and be played with and put to bed, and somewhere in there we are supposed to be teaching her values and demonstrating our love and affection and developing her rapidly growing brain and oh, also having fun. It is not really the work/home divide that I am bitching about: LT and I have each stayed home with Nora all day, many days, and the same difficulty exists vis-ŕ-vis the split between keeping her alive, fed, changed, healthy and teaching her everything she needs to know. I know (believe me, I know) that children are learning all the time---that they learn love, relationships, emotions, and attitudes about work and leisure and discipline and frustration just by observing their parents actually perform all that mundane stuff. BUT ****, THAT IS EVEN SCARIER. Because you can't just take time out from mundane frustration to teach your toddler about life; she will learn that just by watching you cope with the mundane frustration. Which means that you have to work on being a better person. All the time. IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO JUST GET DINNER ON THE TABLE ANYMORE, YO. Am I making too much of this? Probably.

I actually don't think she's making too much of this. In fact, she's probably not making enough of it. We can be wonderful parents, spending lots of time with our kids, reading to them, and playing with them, but if we can't lead by example the entire time, we're still failing our kids to some degree. Of course, we aren't perfect, so we will screw up some of time, allowing the frustrations of life to override our good sense of parents. We set a bad example. But all that's left to do after that is pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and do a better job next time. Our kids learn from that too.

January 07, 2005

The Dialogical Coffee House

The group blog project is on the move, and it should be up and running sometime next week. The initial email message I sent about the project started a huge, engaging discussion about what the focus and goals of the blog should be. The biggest point of discussion was whether the project should be explicitly (and strictly) neocalvinist in its philosophy and theology. I wanted the project to focus on the aspects of cultural renewal through a world-formative theology/philosophy, but I didn't want to necessarily limit that reformational foundation to neocalvinism. There are too many bright people who aren't neocals that I didn't want leave off the ticket. A suggestion was made to define the project in philosophical, cultural, or aesthetic terms, but given the group I had assembled, herding cats would have been easier than finding common political or aesthetic ground.

So I decided we should just call a spade a spade and label the project neocalvinist in its foundation and goals. This doesn't, however, limit us to strictly neocalvinist voices. And this is important. Several people involved in the discussion pointed out where neocalvinism has failed in its goals, or at least not met its goals. Neocals do a good job explaining the lordship of Christ in all spheres of life, but they often fall short in the search for practical ways of renewing those spheres. So, very quickly, a goal of the project was defined -- a forum to discuss the practical applications of neocalvinist philosophy. Perhaps this project will a place where the rubber can meet the road. But I think this needs to be an organic thing. I was hestitant to define anything else about the goals or purpose of the blog, because given the diverse group involved at the moment, I believe we'll find the locus soon enough.

But I don't want to give away too much (and not have anything to write when the site launches).....

January 06, 2005

Throwing In the Towel

After yet another flat tyre this morning on the ride to work, I've given up and asked Jen to pick up a pair of Specialized Armadillos. They aren't cheap ($30/each), but they are supposedly THE best anti-flat tyres out there. I probably spend $60 on tubes every six months (that what cheap tyres get you), so this should end up being a good deal. I'll post a review in a week or so.

Rain

It's been raining in Pittsburgh, a sort of early spring rain -- constant drizzle, temperatures in the 40s. Riding has been less of a challenge that I thought it would be. The new fenders are working well. A full touring set would be nice, but a track frame isn't equipped with braze-ons, so I'll survive with the SKS clip-ons I got for Christmas. Monday I felt like I was the riding the Hell of the North -- when I reached the office my face was covered with mud and grit. I've hit the clothing mark pretty well too, getting much use out of my wool knickers and shoe covers. Besides some water spray on the back of my legs, I've stayed pleasantly dry. I am, however, getting tired of cleaning my bike every night. If the rain tapers off today, I can look forward to cleaning my chain and repacking the hubs tonight.

January 04, 2005

Group Blog

I've been mulling the idea of some sort of neocalvinist (for lack of a better word) group blog, something in the vain of Crooked Timber, where like-minded, culturally-aware Christians could exchange ideas in a single location. Today, after Gideon Strauss' discussion of the concept of the blog as the dialogical coffee house, I decided to approach a few folks with the idea, and their responses have been enthusiastic. The project, still without a name (though I like the "Dialogical Coffee House," that would be an unwieldy domain name), is officially alive and kicking.