Please, count me in!

video does not play. crashes quicktime after about 10 seconds.

i'm in
mark@valpaknorcal.com

oh no, broken video!!

oh, the suspense.

Treadmill vid is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!

Either I've drank too much beer already, or I have been useing the Treadmill the wrong way this whole time.

Here's too getting out and enjoying nature.. when you can.

Yes that treadmill vid was some great cheesy goodness!

I think the .mov video is fubar. ("Fubar" means something in German, doesn't it?)

And the other video proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that treadmills do in fact serve a contructive role in society.

The link to "Running Fast and Injury Free" is not coming up - says 'Sorry, this GeoCities site is currently unavailable' or 'website has exceeded its transmitting limits', so I looked up same title on yahoo and found a cached version of it here...

http://216.109.125.130/search/
cache?p=%22Running+Fast+and+Injury+Free%22&fr=FP-tab-web-t400&toggle=1&ei=UTF-8&u=www.geocities.com/kevn57/
running_fast_and_injury_free.htm&w=%22running+fast+and+injury+free%22&d=YVcyoGP9NKki&icp=1&.intl=us

the treadmill video should be the next big thing on the internet, very entertaining. The other video didn't load. Also article on running didn't load. 1 out 3 only good in baseball

Looking good San Diego!

Love the Pull up/Wall Ball station.
J

Only able to skim until Chapter 13 of the "Economics in One Lesson" - but it makes elemental sense, especially when considering the wastrel ways of current politicians who are more than willing to borrow and spend money to bring in industry that will either work the system for more money (such as Walmart and Disney, who have a great number of their employees relying on public aid in one form or another) or corporations who will leave when the time comes for them to "pony-up" (such as all those corporate plants moving out of the U.S. when their subsidies run out and they are asked (surprise!) to pay taxes on their land).

And lets not even start talking about the Department of Defense and the Department of Agriculture and their profligate spending.

Whatever happened to fiscal conservatism?

Can you trust such "free market" institutions as the Cato Institute when they only seem to attack regulation and not corporate subsidies (their last, very brief, report was in 2002)?

I just got home from doing a CrossFit workout at LA Fitness - there must have been 50 treadmills there, and NO ONE was having as much fun, nor being nearly as creative on the treadmills at LA Fitness as the guys in the 'treadmill' video. Awesome video!

great economics lesson! I've had the fortune of studying at the Foundation for Economic Education, which Hazlitt helped found.

Perhaps all the complaining about last rest day's political article resulted in coach posting a much more intelligent and through-provoking (though very fiscally conservative) one this time? One can only hope :)

Be sure to notice that the book "Economics in One Lesson" was first published in 1946 and was most recently updated in 1978.

It is very outdated and hardly worth much effort.

Where can i found video, where two guys training abbs with medicine ball? Guy flings ball to other guy who catch the ball with hand and foots and throw it back. I saw it here once, but i can`t find it anymore! I hope this explanation is enought! And sorry my bad english

DOC & Kris,

Looks like it was an ass-kicker of a workout... Sorry I missed it. Oh, and I still owe you that Guinness Krista.

That is definitely the most productive way to make use of a treadmill! Awesome! :D

Yikes! Looks like I've been drafted. I'll get a blog up and running later today or tomorrow and post the link for those interested in the study project.

Charlie, #16, (who poses behind a fake URL) What makes you think that the principles of economics can become outdated? Same logic perhaps that makes Shakespeare passe?

The Gordon Pirie site has been overloaded by being linked here, but I have read his book previously, and until it's back up I'll do my best to summarize.

Pirie was one of Britain's greatest middle distance runners. Silver medal at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. Coached many of Britain's later Olympians. Consulted with Adi Dassler in the design of the orginal Addidas shoes, but after Dassler died, Pirie's advice was no longer welcome at the company. Pirie, well before the Pose method of running, advocated a forefoot strike rather than a heel strike. The heel strike occurs with a straight leg and transmits the ground impact forces (several multiples of body weight) up through the bones of the knee to the hip and back, all while exerting a jolting force to slow you down with each stride. The forefoot strike allows the foot and leg to act as shock absorbers. His book strongly criticizes current running shoe design with its heavily padded heels. The padding is designed for and facilitates running with a heel strike. He recommends that runners use "flats", that is shoes with no padding in the heels. In the store or online you would ask for "racing flats" He also recommends barefoot running on appropriate surfaces.

That treadmill video is really funny.

I'll read that book. Given the time it was written, it was presumably a reaction to the "New Deal". It was Keynes, was it not, who said "in the long run we'll be dead"? I read "The Worldly Philosophers" a while back, and seem to remember that line.

In the New Deal, governmental expenditures were increased relative to the tax load, in order to pump money into the economy, as I understand it, as well as, of course, to offer relief to people in immediate need. Immediate need, consequences be damned.

Now, I think most people view the New Deal as a success story, but interestingly Paul Johnson and likely others have argued that it actually PROLONGED the Great Depression by lengthening the trough phase of the sorts of business cycles which have existed forever, by allowing sick businesses to continue. If I'm not mistaken, he used the metaphor of forest fires, which actually promote the health of the forest over the long term, in most cases.

I will say, though, that George Bush is not a Calvin Coolidge style conservative, or even a Ronald Reagan style conservative. For me, personally, I think the less active the Government is, in general, the better, and I really have difficulty differentiating between a Government which raises its' expenditures relative to income, and one which decreases its' income relative to expenditures. In both cases you are spending money you don't have.

Now, I am willing to accept that the rich are more likely to invest their money and think long term, especially given our appalling savings rate, and seeming inability of most people to grasp that Capitalism is based on Capital, and that one traditional means of getting capital is SAVING it. Everything today is "leveraged": our houses, cars, weddings, wedding rings, educations, TV's, vacations, etc. etc.

At the same time, I can't agree with spending money we don't have. It's like buying stock on the margin. Yes, you may be making an investment that comes back to you. You may also just be putting yourself deeper in dept.

The reason we accept our national indebtedness is that we ourselves, by and large, also carry debt. Things are working right now, by and large, but it's difficult to see the long term effects of what we are doing now, and I can't really tell that people are trying.

Madison Avenue sure doesn't help, either.

The facts remain:
- People spend too much and don't appreciate what they have
- Our whole economy is based on continued spending, upgrading personal possessions and profits of large corporations
- The market will crash again someday (who knows when or why)

So, mine as well keep fit and be in better shape for whatever hard times may come.

On a brighter note....I am organizing a dance team to try the WOD treadmil routine at the local gym...the goal will be see how long we can do it before we get thrown out. Classic.

Very funning and entertaining.
Thanks.

Ken

Where have you been that you would think I'd be swayed by a bunch of lefties' sputtering infantile rage?

Can you comprehend the fact that I am not running a popularity contest, or particularly keen on being seen as fashionable or politically correct?

Can I be swayed by whining while engaged in liberal-baiting? Doesn't make sense, does it?

How could you have missed the fact that we saw more intelligent and provocative thought from the last rest day than perhaps any other?

Why is it that sentiments like yours are never accompanied by any intelligent discourse, argument, or inputs?

You offer, "one can only hope". No, Ken you can think and engage. Try it.

Finally, give me an example of a thought provoking and intelligent article that you would like to have seen posted and I'll give you an example of a response to it that isn't a dim witted dismissal complete with smiley face.

looks like the folks at CrossFit SoCal are in the midst of a "Fight Gone Bad"... pretty cool to be able to do it outdoors!

i'm going to try that treadmill workout next time i'm at the gym. i don't know that i'm coordinated enough.

that ok go treadmill video is great. they have another music video with funny choreography like that, although not with an ingenious use of treadmills.

I'm not much for blasting others, but really #27, way to man up and put a real name and email in. I could care less what side of the fence people are on but have more respect for those that are man enough to stand by their comments (whether right or wrong).

Please, count me in.
menapedro@hotmail.com

#22 Barry,

People have never been good at saving - ever. Through-out history saving & borrowing have always been major society concerns. Look at some examples from religion. The ten commandments have Thous shall not covet.. Why attack covet? Covet is a want. Want leads to spending. If you do not have the money, you borrow.

Islam considers charging & paying of interest a sin. Why? Without interest, lending becomes a far less profitable business. It becomes far more difficult to borrow money if no lenders exist.

The fable about the ant & grasshopper also discusses the virtues of saving.

Ancient civilization noticed that highly indebted societies created problems so they tried to pressure people into saving by using their social institutions - especially religion.

How do I download Journal #30, its free but the link will not work?

I think charlie #16 must be trying his/her hand at irony. The fact that the section "The Lesson after Thirty Years" gives examples that reinforce the theories just makes it more timeless, not outdated.

Huh -- I seem to have hit a nerve. Sorry you are so defensive about your liberal-baiting, coach.

Oh, and coach, as for your assertion that my comments lack "intelligent discourse, argument, or inputs," or that I don't "think and engage," I did post a thoughtful response to last rest day. I also feel sorry that you are so quick to insult others.

Another classic good book on wealth, "Richest Man in Babylon". Teaches the simple proverb "Pay yourself first." That and no debt.

I printed both documents to read later this weekend.

Thank you.

LOL,

I think that treadmill use should be included in the "top ways to get kicked out of a gym"!

Hilarious video...wonder how long it took them to "perfect" that routine.

I look forward to reading Economics in One Lesson and Running Fast and Injury Free.

Please count me in for the discussion group: jack.q.cantwell@gmail.com.

#8 Missle: "fubar" is not German, but an acronymn dating from WWII meaning "f***ed up beyond all reason." #20 Dan McD; Thanks for the helpful summary of Pirie's article. I think barefoot running on a flat grassy surface is the way God intended us to move; however, once you get into longer distances, the forefoot strike and the quadrcepts almost requires more of a heel strike. Keep in mind that all these shoe companies came into existence selling running shoes to boomers in the Jim Fixx running boom of the 1970's which stressed the marathon as the ne plus ultra of physical fitness. Thanks to Greg Glassman and others, we now know better.

I think the guy in the pink shirt is Coach Rutman wearing a fake beard and a little fake belly.

Come on Rut. We all know you have mad dance skillz. Fess up.

Ken,

I guess we're as good as our last post.

This is almost too perfect. Today I had planned on submitting my testimonial to the message board and exiting Crossfit completely, and what do I see on my way out but Glassman's latest round of insults and arrogance. The reasons for my departure are explained in my testimonial, but one reason I'll mention here is the exact behavior displayed by "Coach" here today. His rude behavior is simply incomprehensible for someone running a business. [For those of you naive enough to think that he's giving something away for "FREE", I hate to break this to you, but Crossfit is a business.] He's willing to insult and provoke at least 1/2 of the people visiting this site. Imagine running a business like that.

Like I said, I'm posting my testimonial on the message boards to those of you that might be interested. Based on the level of censorship I've seen here in the past, I doubt very seriously that Glassman will keep it on the message boards. In fact I don't have much faith that many of you will see this post.

And finally, for the life of me, I can't understand why some of you insist on calling Glassman "Coach". Does he act like one? Posting a workout on a website doesn't make you a coach. Sheesh!

Coach,

You've done it again! The running article is just another example of CrossFit's opensource model at work. The collective sourcing and sharing of information and ideas gives CrossFit a depth that any one person could not match.

Not to mention the other rest day topics offered. Interesting and provocative, as always!

Bring it on...

Bill P

I would like to participate in the discussion of the Economics Lesson. jamiewiseman@yahoo.com

Thanks again Coach and Team.

Donald E., get "coached" by Greg or any member of his team at a seminar, and you'd feel comfortable calling him Coach. Coaches teach, and teach others to teach. The thing to think about is how much thought has gone into the daily WOD post and the construction of the program as a whole. If you'd prefer, you could call him teacher, sensei, or buddha or whatever you want. The point is the same: Greg has sat down and done the hard work of coming up with something beneficial which he has chosen to share. I think that earns him the right to be called Coach. Just my opinion on the subject.

Also, if you played HS football, how do you think a Coach would react to being called by his first name? It's simply a form of respect.

Haven't had a chance to read the articles yet but I will certainly get to them. Always something to learn from the articles themselves, but more so from the posts that follow.

This is a really fun post for me, though. I have received immense benefits and pleasure from CF, but mostly in the areas that would be expected (general strength, aerobic fitness and stamina, all-around health and well-being). I was concerned about how CF would affect my golf game and so avoided the WOD for the last couple of days before ystd's round so that I wouldn't be sore, but I was still wondering if my swing would be affected. I'm 5'8 1/2", 155, and have played for 40 years or so, low to mid-single digit handicapper.

Well, CF certainly had an effect! For a smaller guy I've always hit a long ball, but nothing like yesterday. I continually nuked my irons, unexpectedly flying the ball 10-15 yards further than planned, and just crushed my driver, again 15 yards longer than usual. Who'd-a-thunk it?! Hadn't touched a club since Memorial Day, shot 78 with 3 double bogies, and had a ball with the additional distance.

Just one more benefit to add to the list, Coach. Thanks as always.

Darrell

32 y.o./168#
Just got around to yesterday's deads.
Worked up to 335, which is another PR-third in a row for this WOD.
Thanks, Coach! I for one think you've earned the title.

As far as I'm concerned, he can call himself Pope Greg. It's his website and he's giving us all of this information for free, so I personally look at calling him Coach more as a thanks.

As for the personal attacks, while I agree with most of the political philosophies posted on this site, I don't think that manner is a very appropriate way of spreading those ideas.

Cheers.

Please add me to the Hazlitt discussion list.

Oops, I thought email address would post with comment. It's thrutchemail@yahoo.com

Yes!

I'd love to dicuss the article. I'm in.

brincadeiro@gmail.com

You gotta just love Crossfit! Elite fitness, libertarian ideology, and witty repartee everyday! It's a one stop shop!

Thanks a million, Coach.

Just for the record, I don't worship Coach, think he hung the moon, or consider him necessarily trustworthy to spay my dog, edge my lawn properly, or perform brain surgery. He's a dude with a really good workout program, website, and opinions.

If you say: "you shouldn't have said what you just said", isn't that also an opinion? Aren't you really just implying, without any supporting thought, that your opinion is better than his, because you hold it?

For me, personally, you can call me a #%@$%#$@%#, @#%@#$%$#@%, @#%#@%@#%#%, and I don't care. What pisses me off, personally, is when people SKIP THE STEP OF THINKING. If your goal is just to fling dirt, it annoys me. If you make a good case, THEN tell me what a moron I am, I'm good. Hell, I AM a moron sometimes. I admit it.

As long as these links have been being posted, very few people NOT from a conservative perspective have come forward with anything even approaching intellectual coherence.

What I see, over and over, and over, is sputtering rage that the topics are even being discussed. People say these are not fit topics for a fitness website. Why? How about it if we reframe the audience as a fitness community? How about a community of friends with a passion for fitness? How about a group of individuals with a shared interest in self improvement?

I enjoy a good intellectual scrap once in a while. Let's call this activity MPA, for Mixed Political Arts. We've been doing too much ground fighting. Let's try standing for a while.

Donald E.

I have kids that have participated in different sports over the years and when they are training under a "coach", I insist they follow all of the training instructions and routines completely. When the competition day is over then the merits of the coaches methods are judged by progress and performance of the athlete. If they were to follow only part of the instructions, part of the time how can the coach and his/her methods be blamed for poor results. You must understand this as a coach yourself.
I read through your "farewell letter" and have just a few observations. Your results are confusing, on the other hand maybe not. Better performance, injury and reduced flexilbility. If you only follow the WOD, this is a likely result. The CrossFit site/program is "free" but it takes digging in to do your homework, learn the movements correctly and follow the program implicitly. The devil is in the details. This is very difficult to do without getting training from a trainer at an affiliate or attending certification.

I could not have arrived where I'm at in my CrossFit journey without using all three strategies. I can say unequivocally , my fitness and sport specific performance has improved. My opinion, but injuries in CrossFit seem to primarily result from one or a combination of preexisting injury, exercising poor form in over-eagerness to progress and/or limited ROM movements. Reduced flexibilty is probably related to the latter.

I don't need to defend Coach Glassman and CrossFit, and I don't need to persuade you to continue with the program, all stand on their integrity and merit.

Bill

Bastiat himself applied the idea of hidden costs and the parable of the broken window in a more subtle and refined way than Hazlitt by alluding that people actually do promote activities that are morally equivalent to the glazier hiring the hoodlum to break windows by proxy.

9/11 Live: The NORAD Tapes - "THIS IS NOT AN EXERCISE"

How did the U.S. Air Force respond on 9/11? Could it have shot down United 93, as conspiracy theorists claim? Obtaining 30 hours of never-before-released tapes from the control room of NORAD's Northeast headquarters, the author reconstructs the chaotic military history of that day—and the Pentagon's apparent attempt to cover it up.

http://www.vanityfair.com/features/general/060801fege01

Donald E,

"Based on the level of censorship I've seen here in the past, I doubt very seriously that Glassman will keep it on the message boards. In fact I don't have much faith that many of you will see this post."

Now, Donald E, on top of the other insults, I get to call you a liar.

We've removed posts where Nazis have ID'd cops they'd done battle with. (Gun battles that is) We've removed N-word posts devoid of content, and death to all Jews posts also devoid of content. Posts laced with expletives and absolutely content free have been removed. Mass attacks on the comments recruited from other sites have been removed, and posts claiming false authorship have been removed, i.e., impersonating me, Matt Furey, etc., and finally, we've removed bot spam. But never has anyone like you or your silly little gripes been removed. In other words you are lying, Donald E.

I don't even look at the message board. I don't control the message board. I have never, ever, removed a post from the message board.

As for calling me "Coach", you think that was self-anointed? I understand; you also thought that a post critical of low intensity, high volume, aerobic workouts was an attack on CrossFit that I needed to respond to but dodged.

As for my behavior being incomprehensible for someone running a business, does this meet better with the decorum you've come to expect from the businesses you've dealt with: "Would you like fries with that?"

Donald E, when you depart, the quality of thought expressed here and on the message board will raise appreciably.

"Buh-bye"

ran a 10K today to kick off my Marathon training for the January RnR in Phoenix. Any sugestions/successful crossfit recommendations for staying as closely as possible to the CF daily workouts, but still putting in the miles?

Thanks!

WOD from 060802

3 rounds of:
Run 400 meters
30 Thrusters - 65lbs
30 Pull-ups - assisted with green Woody Band
Time of: 28:36

BW - 185

...that's funny... I just weighed in at 185, my lowest weight since May, but I feel particularly fat today. Considering an intermittent fast tonight.

Zach Davis

so that's what you do with a treadmill - I always wondered - pure briliance!

After reading the previous posts, I feel like I've just experienced a verbal "fight gone bad!"
Keep it up. It'll make us stronger.

10 rounds for time:
10 pull-ups
10 ring dips
TOTAL TIME=21:19
(1:27/1:34/2:01/2:26/2:13/2:32/2:23/2:18/2:18/2:06)

Charlie (#16):

I don't understand your assertion that the age of Mr. Hazlitt's publication (and it's most recent update) somehow invalidates the information it contains.

There are subjects which contain certain timeless tenets. These are as applicable today as they were when they were first penned.

The US Constitution, for example, was drafted in 1787. It was last updated (27th Amendment) in 1992. Would you say its age invalidates the Constitution as obsolete, Charlie?

I would argue that the Constitution is as applicable today as it was when it was first written. In fact, I believe we would all benefit by repealing many of the amendments and returning to an older "edition" of the document.

While you may think it isn't worth your time, I would recommend you make the effort anyway.

Problema,

checked out your website -- that's very cool. Makes me wish I lived in Portland again, so I could take some of your capoeira classes. I've seen some capoeira performed for an audience and I was blown away. Maybe I'll drop by the next time I'm in PDX visiting my parents.

With respect to your post, which amendments would you repeal?

Well, I have to admit I haven't gotten through the whole book yet. I did find myself laughing at the part about how bombing infrastructure doesn't actually help you were planning on hiring somebody to demolish it right before it got bombed. I do think the rationalizations people make can be amusing (more so for the guy who throws a rock through a window to "create jobs" than for people who defend the war in Iraq because it "creates jobs"--both rationalizations, the first for deplorable behavior and the second for honorable heroic behavior.)

Sun Tzu said in the Art of War, "If the army is exposed to a prolonged campaign, the nation's resources will not suffice." That is all fine and good, except that if you don't have a nation it doesn't really matter how many resources you have, does it? I for one don't care how much the military spends for I would rather be alive and free, debt or no debt. When is it too costly to protect freedom? What is more important for "long-term benefit"?

It's interesting, though... I've actually been looking into Libertarian economic theory because I'm trying to reassess where I stand economically (my exboyfriend accused me of always siding with the worker, and I accused him of spending too much time in the Ivory Tower to understand reality... He told me to get a management position and then we could talk, and I told him to get a minimum wage job... neither of us has completed these assignments yet.)

I'm digressing. I can understand how people might take issue with the government through taxes spending their money on things they don't agree with, but I wonder how one could regulate spending otherwise or if there are any other successful models. It's funny because I heard this exact same argument from a (liberal) friend of mine who is against the war in Iraq. "They're spending my tax dollars to kill people, and I don't like it." I'm sure she would also argue about the (perceived) long-term drawbacks of the war, much in the same way that others (including Hazlitt) would argue about the (potential) long-term drawbacks of public housing.

I bet somebody's going to bring up that even pacifists are protected by the military (see
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Robinson_Ian/2006/04/01/1515910.html for instance), and that welfare only helps some and hurts others, but I really do think that a modicum of temporary public assistance is a great thing for a society. I myself was on food stamps for a whole three months. Could I have survived without them? Perhaps, I lived quite well on next to nothing for about six months, foraging on wild edibles, trading labor for food, finding places to volunteer that just so happened to have food around... But I'd argue that the minimal, temporary government assistance I received enabled me to get out of the situation I was stuck in. I'd also argue that this enabled me to give back since then (both time and money) ten times over. And while some folks on welfare take advantage of the system (and I've seen plenty of them, having volunteered in my fair share of shelters and soup kitchens), there are also a few that are doing everything they can to get out of the cycle they've gotten into.

And if you can't find any sympathy in your heart for people who can't find jobs because they don't have addresses, perhaps you can muster a little bit of compassion for their children. Should children starve and be homeless on account of their parents? I, for one, am glad that I pay taxes so that children can get fed (not to mention the children whose parents are on crack or are abusing them can get taken away from those homes and get put in better--not ideal, but adequate housing.)

The book spoke about only looking at the immediate consequences of an act or proposal, or only looking at the immediate consequences for one group. Is not looking at the consequences for just people who don't ever need public assistance looking out only for a particular group to the neglect of other groups?

I am NOT a socialist, but one of my favorite authors is Dostoevsky. I agree with his idea that "Each is responsible for all."

"For everyone strives to keep his individuality as apart as possible, wishes to secure the greatest possible fullness of life for himself; but meantime all his efforts result not in attaining fullness of life but self-destruction, for instead of self-realisation he ends by arriving at complete solitude. All mankind in our age have split up into units, they all keep apart, each in his own groove; each one holds aloof, hides himself and hides what he has, from the rest, and he ends by being repelled by others and repelling them. He heaps up riches by himself and thinks, 'How strong I am now and how secure,' and in his madness he does not understand that the more he heaps up, the more he sinks into self-destructive impotence. For he is accustomed to rely upon himself alone and to cut himself off from the whole; he has trained himself not to believe in the help of others, in men and in humanity, and only trembles for fear he should lose his money and the privileges that he has won for himself. Everywhere in these days men have, in their mockery, ceased to understand that the true security is to be found in social solidarity rather than in isolated individual effort. But this terrible individualism must inevitably have an end, and all will suddenly understand how unnaturally they are separated from one another. It will be the spirit of the time, and people will marvel that they have sat so long in darkness without seeing the light. And then the sign of the Son of Man will be seen in the heavens.... But, until then, we must keep the banner flying. Sometimes even if he has to do it alone, and his conduct seems to be crazy, a man must set an example, and so draw men's souls out of their solitude, and spur them to some act of brotherly love, that the great idea may not die." -Dostoevsky

In any case, I like to consider myself open-minded and I'd love to hear how people would address such statistics as found on http://www.worldhungeryear.org/info_center/just_facts.asp
What is your solution? Let them starve?

I'm in for the discussion. yael@dirttime.org

P.S. The treadmill video was awful.

Here's a better one: this is what almost happened to me when I was staring at the really hot SF guy on the treadmill next to me: http://pics.livejournal.com/crickie/pic/0002s979

Great vid. Greetings from Kauai.

-D.

Susan and I were driving through South Central L.A. the other day (she was driving, and made a wrong turn), and I thought to myself: what's going to happen to these people? If we cut them off from public assistance (an unknown number, maybe less than people suppose), do they then become full participants in our economic life? Given the high rate of crime there, do we build a physical wall around the area? Do we just keep marching the minority-free suburbs out farther and farther, so there are subsuburbs to the suburbs?

If globalization removes the low level service jobs these people do, won't we have a permanent and crime-ridden pocket of poverty in the midst of plenty? Is this smart? Aren't there levels of government intervention between doing nothing and tucking bibs into the shirts of grown men and women?

Would something like wider-spread government paid free education for some families make sense? Interpersonal skills training? Free suits for interviews?

And isn't Social Security keeping a lot of old folks from eating dog food even now? Is that a bad thing? Didn't they pay in something, even if they are taking out more? Isn't most of the problem with Social Security an increase in average age from 60 to the mid-70's, which wasn't foreseen?

Doesn't everything think I was great in the Shawshank Redemption? Seriously. Who knew that hole was there? Be honest.

Yesterday's WOD today.

WU: 500 single-under + 100 double-under; CFWU x 1

Deadlift:
185 x 1
215 x 1
235 x 1
255 x 1
265 x 1
275 x 1
285 x 1 (ran out of weights)

"cooldown": 100 pushups, 150 situps

I did Cindy today (rounds of 5 pullups, 10 pressups, 15 squats in 20 mins) while I'm rehabing a calf injury and starved of my beloved football training.
A funny thing happened though. I reached 13 rounds, which is a record for me (not very impressive, I know). But my chin-ups started to improve in the later rounds.
From Round 7 to 10, they were badly broken (2, 2 and 1) but from 11 to 13, I was able to do them nearly complete again just missing the last one narrowly on all three.
Anyone got any ideas why that might be. It was a bit of surprise. I should say that my forearms were already killing me when I started from doing the 3 rounds of 30 pull-ups on Wednesday.

Not sure why my prior comment #53 referencing the newsworthy Vanity Fair NORAD Tape article
was removed on a rest day, since the majority of the above posts aren't even close concerning
Hazlitt.

Which is totally fine, if the moderators would rather have us peruse schoolyard-level accusations
and the highly relevant treadmill dance, but for those interested, just google for "NORAD Tapes"
to find the article that intersperses the actual audio footage with the transcripts.

Enjoy your day of rest.

Treelizard (#61):

My understanding is that the answer to your last question, "What is your solution? Let them starve?" would be:

1) For those truly unable to work, and in greatest need, there would be a community-level safety net, if you will. This safety net would be privately funded, through religious organizations and other philanthropic groups.

2) For those who can work, an economy unleashed by taxation would make jobs available to them, should they wish to take them.

Thus, in this scenario, no one need starve. Of course, it assumes a couple of things that may or may not be true, depending on the community in question:

A) That there is sufficient "community feeling" for those who have to give willingly to those who do not.

B) That traditional values that support strong community ties have not been eroded and will continue to encourage those with enough (or more) to help those with very little.

Naturally, the difficulty is that both A and B are eroded to one degree or another by unleashed capitalism in particular (as it stresses competition above all things), and by a large, cosmopolitan society in general. Indeed, large urban areas have always tended to break down in this respect, regardless of what economic system they were under. It's pretty clear to me that without strong sub-cultures, neighborhoods, religious affiliations, etc., large urban areas will always dramatically increase feelings of isolation and withdrawal amongst their populations.

The question then (at least in my mind) is: is national income redistribution via taxation and welfare the answer? What ills does it foster, while alleviating others? Is there a point at which a "happy medium" can be struck between diminishing economic output combined with increased dependency, on one hand, and destruction of the middle class and the impoverishment of large sections of society on the other?

I especially have a great deal of sympathy for those who were dealt a crappy hand when they were born, whether it be genetically, economically or in some other way. It seems to me that the best way that we can provide for everyone in society, from the least to the most able, is to

1) provide a cushion to prevent complete disaster and starvation -- and, as you mention, to allow those who need a chance to start over a place from which to begin again, and;

2) increase equality of opportunity to as great a degree as possible, so that each person born is as little burdened by the choices of their parents as possible.

Of course, how the second goal can be achieved, I have no idea. Perhaps Plato was right when he implied in The Reppublic that in order to create a truly just state, you must utterly annihilate human nature itself.

oops...I meant to say "unleashed _from_ taxation", not "by taxation".

madman,

You asked some very intriguing questions of me last rest day. I've not had the chance to answer, but fully intend to later - hopefully this evening or in the morning.

I wanted to take a second to thank you for the interaction and let you know that I'll post them here later.

Your participation here is thoughtful, sincere, intelligent, and reveals an abiding concern for your fellow man. You've earned my respect.

Thanks very much, Coach. I look forward to hearing your answers!

Madman (#60):

By all means stop by when you're in town. First class is always free.

To answer your question regarding which amendments to the US Constitution I'd repeal:

Wow. There are so many to choose from. Fundamentally, I am opposed to any form of legislation that unnecessarily increases the power and/or the scope of the government. While there are many amendments that increase the size of government, none do it to the degree, or with such insidiousness as the 16th amendment.

I believe that Americans have a very basic right to keep what they earn. The government was established by the people and granted the power to prevent others from forcibly taking what others have earned. The 16th amendment is antithetical to those ideas. The 16th amendment grants the government to power to tax Americans' income - whatever the source. The Supreme Court (Commissioner vs. Glenshaw, 1955) defines what can be considered income as any increase in wealth—whether through wages, benefits, bonuses, sale of stock or other property at a profit, bets won, lucky finds, awards of punitive damages in a lawsuit, qui tam actions—are all within the definition of income, unless Congress makes a specific exemption (as it has for things like gifts, bequests, and certain scholarships).

So, basically, everything.

The 16th allows the government to take, by force or threat of force, a portion of what all of us make and use it without apportioning it. How does this jive with protecting our natural right to keep what we make? This amendment has since been used to apply draconian progressive tax systems that penalize one group of people because they are more productive than another group; taxes on estates and inheritances even though taxes have already been paid on the property that comprises them; and taxes on interest and real property even though taxes have already been paid on the funds used to acquire those to begin with.

This is why Americans as a whole had to work form January 1st, 2006 until April 26th, 2006 just to pay their tax bill this year (National Tax Freedom Day). That represents 31.6% of the nations income - almost a full third. In 1900 it was just 5.9%. I think we can all agree this is excessive and unnecessary at best; and unconstitutional and immoral at worst.

To those who will no doubt ask me where I propose the government go to get the funds it needs for all the programs if it cannot rely on the income tax, we could do the following:
1) Reduce the number of programs the government funds. Most of these are unconstitutional any way.
2) Levy a value added tax or consumption tax instead of an income tax. Call it the National Sales Tax if you want. That way everyone pays the same regardless of income. The people who buy and consume more will pay more. The people who buy and consume less (ie the poor) will pay less. I have no problem with anyone under the poverty line being exempt from this tax system as a form of aid to the poor. This would have the added benefits of abolishing the IRS (a huge, wasteful bureaucracy) because the merchants and vendors would tally all the taxes and submit them; as well as encouraging Americans to save more instead of spending more to drive down their tax burden (reducing our budget and trade deficits).

Wed. WOD posted there.

28:34

Yael

So...what lessons can be learned from "your" video of you stumbling about on a treadmill:

a) Don't state at hot SF men on the treadmill next to you

b) invent a portable, removeable mirror you can put on the treadmill that will allow a "heads up" display, after a fashion, allowing you to longingly gaze at anything that strikes your fancy, while maintaining a forward-looking, upright posture.

:)

Completely unrelated, but I was hoping I could get awy with it anyway:

Eric Richards (a good friend and avid crossfitter - he posts here under DrEric) was hit in the eye with a hockey puck this past Thursday AM. Looks like he will keep his eye, but the prognosis for him regaining sight was "fair to poor" at the time of his surgery. Anyway, prayers and well wishes from a community of people he certainly respects and feels a part of may go a long way.

Thanks for reading....

Oh, and for the Econ in 1 easy lesson, I am in.

practicaltactical@gmail.com

BW201
44yr
Ran last weeks 10K I missed.
49:40

A beautiful 70 degrees here in Salem Oregon.

Doc Richards,

From all of us, sincere wishes for a speedy recovery. I'm sure the entire ordeal was terrifying.

Thanks for passing on the message, Jared.

gav,

Everyday dozens of posts are caught by the Moveable Type spam filter. The process is automatic and at a later time the entries are examined and the legit ones are tossed into the fray.

This morning Dan MacDougald's post was picked up by the filter because it contained the word "shoes". Interestingly, Danny didn't presume anything deliberate and leveled no insult at the moderators. He's that kind of guy.

It seems to me, were the deletion deliberate the moderators wouldn't have let your second attempt stand.

I don't know about a conspiracy to hide the truth regarding flight 93, but I can assure you that whether there's substance to the theory or not, we are not part of it, and you are not a target. Rest easy.

treadmill vid was very curious and amusing.

Sorry to hear about your eye Dr. Richards. take care.

On another hockey note...I got caught too deep in the offensive zone yesterday night and it immediately led to a 2 on 1 in which I was the defenseman needing to get back. I was 15' behind the guy wth the puck when I started chase. After my first stride, something in my head clicked into crossfit mode and I ended up catching the guy and easily stripping the puck just after he crossed into our zone. All I remember is the jump and powerful acceleration I had off of each stride. I've always been fast and strong on my skates, but the explosiveness I felt last night was truly surreal and ultimately a testament to your exceptional training methodologies.

Thanks Coach.

Brett in nyc

Problema #74:

I certainly suspected that you meant #16 in particular, since I think that even though most people take income tax for granted, that amendment also seems like the one that most people hate the most.

I'd like to debate you or support you philosophically on the legitimacy of the income tax, but I have to admit to ignorance on that score. I do have a political philosophy background, but it never really reached that level of specificity -- at least not on that topic.

As for your proposed solution, I've thought of that myself, as it seems very fair to me. In addition, it appeals to a certain acetic turn that I think I share with a lot of people in the CF community. That is, it encourages savings and reduced consumption. I actually proposed this in a discussion with my brother I had about taxes last weekend -- my thought was that we repeal corporate income taxes in particular, which I figured would drastically improve job creation and possibly enable higher pay for a wide variety of jobs. Besides, it makes some intuitive sense to me to tax the people who spend money, and not corporations that generate wealth. Then we would institute a consumption tax, much like the one you proposed in your post.

My brother brought up what I thought was a good point, though: wouldn't a consumption tax suppress consumption? This suppression would have some good consequences, I think, like reduced resource use, increased savings, and (this is a stretch) perhaps a decrease in materialistic behavior in society as a whole. But on the downside, it could possibly result in much lower economic output, which would be the reverse of "a rising tide lifts all boats". So much for job creation...

Anyway, you make an interesting point about that amendment, and I share your desire to reduce programs. I feel that there are scores of good government programs that are perhaps underfunded...and hundreds that should have no funding at all. Ah, the budgetary process, with its earmarks, pork and corruption. We reward our own congress members for bringing home the bacon and heap scorn on all others for wasting precious treasury.

Next time I'm in PDX and am not running about like the proverbial chicken, I'll drop by. I bet capoeira is enormous fun and a hell of a workout.

Coach, you kill me...I almost fell out of my chair reading your reply on post#55. Keep up the good work. Semper Fi...

Gav,

I took a look at the Vanity Fair article, and I'm not convinced. The cell phone calls and cockpit recordings and air traffic controller recordings inexorably point to a passenger attack on the pilot's cabin.

And I have to ask, "So what if Flight 93 was shot down?" I would be concerned about a cover up, but not shooting the plane down. Is shooting down a hijacked plane not the proper response when the evidence clearly shows that the plane is hijacked, and three previous hijacked planes have crashed into their targets that morning?

Or is the Vanity Fair article just more fodder for nutballs on the left to contend that the 9/11 attacks were staged by Bush/Chimp/Hitler & Karl Rove in order to gain dictatorial powers and rule the world?

Treelizard (#63),

Most of the world's hunger is not caused by the lack of money to buy food. Rather politcal & ideological conflicts are preventing access to food. Starvation is a great way to suppress your enemies.

+++++++++++
Btw, count me in on the discussion.

Dan:
One of my earliest exposures to libertarian thought and the free market was Hazlitt's book. I'd absolutely love the opportunity to sit in the right bar with a combination of good coffee and good beer and participate in such a discussion with a group of intelligent folks. What format did you have in mind? torshammar@aol.com in case I miss your response here.

Coffee AND beer? At the same time? Doesn't anybody here know to keep their stimulants and relaxants separate?? Sheesh.

Then again, I do yoga after my WODs so I guess I'm not one to talk. ;)

This discussion should be interesting. As long as we don't have to figure out who John Galt is.

Doc Richards--sending prayers.

Madman--Good answers, which opened up many new cans of worms. I'd be very curious to see if most religious organizations and non-profits would exist without government handouts (er, tax breaks) by the way. And while I definitely see problems with public education, the idea of privatizing all education makes me rather nervous.

Incidentally, have you ever read Your Money Or Your Life? It's the best book on decreasing consumption that I've come across.

treelizard (#87):

yes, I have read Your Money Or Your Life, and I love it. I've never fully gone through the initial phase of cataloguing everything my wife and I own, writing down their monetary value, and then really assessing what we need -- it just seems too overwhelming. But she and I regularly (like once a quarter) go through our stuff that's not in regular use and get rid of things (usually to Goodwill or a place here on Bainbridge called Helpline House). I think part of that in each of us is driven by trying to not be like our parents (well, my mother, but both of her parents), who hoard crap forever. As a result, we've managed to pare down our lifestyle and save a lot of money. It's extremely gratifying.

I agree that there are whole new cans of worms opened up by what I wrote -- the juncture between public and private is such a blurry one to me. I'm curious to know how things would change with a smaller government footprint and a more rational taxation system. I know I'm unhappy with the current state of things, but I don't have any sure answers, that much is certain.

You bring up education, which I think is a perfect example of a real public good, and truly in the public interest...and being horribly, horribly managed. I could go on for days on this topic (that's where my specific research was targeted), but it suffices to say I would really like to establish a school that focuses primarily on paying the teachers well, thereby bringing some real talent to the table -- including many (most?) who have never taught in a school before. It would be great to see what could be accomplished with just one school of, say 1000 kids, with a mix of incomes and races, with a good administrative staff and great teachers...and no freakin' teacher's union.

If it could be shown to run at a reasonable level of expense, too, it could possibly become a model.... I guess I dare to dream.

Also, best wishes for a speedy and full recovery to DrEric.

oh, and as for John Galt, my favorite part of Atlas Shrugged was at the end, when one of the heroes of the tale talks about having gold-backed currency, thus having currency based on "real" value. I thought that was funny, since gold is only valuable because we make it so...just like that little piece of paper. What use is a piece of gold to me anyway, except for what I can get in exchange for it?

I think she spins a hell of a tale -- I especially enjoy reading The Fountainhead -- and I think she makes some interesting points and imagines some inspiring ideals...but it never really comes together for me at the end.

7.5 mile bike ride, 18 miles an hour
100 burpees
200 push-ups
300 air squats
100 sit-ups
7.5 mile bike ride, 18 miles an hour

good day!

Gav (#54,#69): I removed your NORAD post because it looked like off topic conspiracy theory spam. Another moderator reinstated it.

treelizard #63

sorry for going a bit off topic here (I actually agree with what you write about the problem of poverty and the necessity of a socially-provided safety net), but in response to this:

"That is all fine and good, except that if you don't have a nation it doesn't really matter how many resources you have, does it? I for one don't care how much the military spends for I would rather be alive and free, debt or no debt. When is it too costly to protect freedom? What is more important for "long-term benefit"?"

... While it makes sense in principle, I've never really understood this as a justification for the Iraq War specifically. Iraq certainly didn't have the means to threaten the freedom of united states citizens. Even if it had had operable WMDs, it was under so much scrutiny since Gulf War #1 that any attempt to use them would have been stopped pretty quickly. In fact, since Gulf War #1, it would be hard to argue that Iraq was even a threat to its neighbors anymore. And unlike Afghanistan, it was not providing support and a base of operations for terrorism.

So, while protecting the freedoms of Iraqis might have been a justifiable reason behind the war, I really can't buy that it protected "our" freedoms and existance enough to justify the huge cost in resources and human life.

Mea Culpa -- I should have known it was the auto-filter. Foot-In-Mouth Disease apparently.

Also, I have not necessarily donned my shiny tin-foil hat; only trying to provide an informative read. Maybe a tin-foil hat would help my handstand push-ups?

Gotcha, thanks Brian.

Went on a very long bike ride. I couldn't help it, it was so nice out! Tomorrow's WOD will be scaled back, esp. cos my knees are just starting to function properly again.

Madman,
I didn't do the requisite inventory either (I'm not too good at doing what I'm told, heh heh) but I did like the part where you figure out the actual amount of money you make per hour by factoring in all the money you spend on your job and time you spend getting ready, afterhours, etc. Made me think about my time and money in a whole different way. Also I went to a local voluntary simplicity circle, which was interesting...

I used to be a Randroid (I think I was like 13 or something) but was turned off by the whole "selfishness is a virtue" thing. And of course that pesky treehugging of mine got in the way.

Would be interested in hearing more of your thoughts on public education. I'm in the process of completing coursework to get my teaching certification. I'm VERY impressed with some of my classmates and very UNimpressed with others. I just think it's so very important to have people who actually care about the students instead of padding their resume... the kids can certainly tell the difference.

Harry Browne had a very interesting take on economics from a Libertarian point of view,anybody read any of his stuff?

Here is an excerpt and a link

Seeing through Economic Fallacies

How do you distinguish an economic bugaboo from a matter of serious concern?

Technique #1 for recognizing a fallacy is to ask "Why?". Why does a given condition prevail and not the condition the writer apparently would prefer? (Why, for example, has America become a service economy? Because we're lazy? Because Ronald Reagan made us do it?) If you ask why, you often discover that the supposed terrible disaster isn't really a disaster at all. In fact, it may be precisely the opposite.

Does the economic condition arise because people chose to do what they're doing? If yes, then the condition is nothing to worry about. People are getting what they want, and no economic writer has proven himself wise enough to be believed when he claims that people want the wrong things.

Economic conditions arising from the voluntary actions of individuals can't devastate a nation, because economic limits will prevent the condition from going too far if it's truly harmful. It doesn't matter whether the condition is a trade deficit, a wave of corporate takeovers, greater personal or corporate debt, or a trend away from manufacturing.

But if the government is responsible for the situation, it can go on seemingly indefinitely — until it causes harm that might take years to repair. That's because the government can force people to continue doing something even after the consequences are obvious. Because force is the motive power, any program is bound to be artificial and a diversion from what people would prefer — even if it's a plan for safer products, greater savings, a stimulus to some ailing industry, or more medical school graduates.

Contrary to the sloganized versions of history, Rome didn't fall because the people cherished bread and circuses. Or because they forgot their values or lost their sense of direction. It died because the government squandered the wealth the people had accumulated when they had been relatively free and productive.

The 1980s' savings & loan scandal didn't occur because S&L managers suddenly became greedy and dishonest — or because the industry was "deregulated." If deregulation leads to fraud, why aren't there scandals in the computer industry or the supermarket business — which are far more "deregulated" than S&Ls? The S&Ls turned bad only because the market was disabled by the government — which allowed managers to make all-or-nothing bets with taxpayer money.

If the much-maligned trade deficit arose because the American people developed a taste for foreign products, they will eventually run out of the international credit necessary to pay for them — unless foreigners are buying a lot of American products as well.

Ask for the Solution

Technique #2 for seeing through an economic cliché is to ask what alternative the writer has in mind.

Would the writer who worries that all the members of his athletic club produce services (just as he does, incidentally) feel more comfortable if they were farmers, guild carpenters, or cigarette manufacturers?

So what solution does he have in mind? Is he suggesting that the government outlaw salesmen and stockbrokers — and force those people to take jobs in automobile factories? And, if so, who's going to arrange the sales of the autos produced, and who will take care of the people who want to provide capital to the auto companies?

Does the writer who says that "a nation does not get rich selling services to itself" believe that a nation gets rich selling itself Chryslers, corn, or soap? Does he want the government to prohibit the sales of services — and permit Americans to sell only hard goods to other Americans?

A nation's standard of living rises when its people are free to produce what's in demand, and to buy whatever they want from whomever they want — anywhere in the world. If they can afford services that make their lives more comfortable, why should they stop using them? If they can't afford them, they won't buy them. And they can't borrow the money to buy them unless someone's willing to lend it to them.

In communist Vietnam and Cambodia, people were supposed to become better citizens by being forced to leave their homes and their jobs as teachers, factory workers, shopkeepers, or students — and spend a couple of years working knee-deep in water in rice paddies. Would Americans be stronger and better people if the government forced us to stop working in service industries and shipped us to Detroit to toil on assembly lines?

By trying to determine what solution the writer has in mind, you often come to the conclusion that the cure would be worse than the alleged disease.

http://www.harrybrowne.org/articles/ServicesAndManufacturing.htm

Tree Lizard

Check out http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/ a great site on Education,I think his analysis is on point!

Here is a piece from the John Gatto site

`The real makers of modern schooling were leaders of the new American industrialist class, men like:

Andrew Carnegie, the steel baron...
John D. Rockefeller, the duke of oil...
Henry Ford, master of the assembly line which compounded steel and oil into a vehicular dynasty... and J.P. Morgan, the king of capitalist finance...

Men like these, and the brilliant efficiency expert Frederick W. Taylor, who inspired the entire "social efficiency" movement of the early twentieth century, along with providing the new Soviet Union its operating philosophy and doing the same job for Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany; men who dreamed bigger dreams than any had dreamed since Napoleon or Charlemagne, these were the makers of modern schooling.

If modern schooling has a “Fourth Purpose,” there must be an earlier three.
Traditional forms of instruction in America, even before the Revolution, had three specific purposes:

To make good people
To make good citizens
And to make each student find some particular talents to develop to the maximum.

The new mass schooling which came about slowly but continuously after 1890, had a different purpose, a "fourth" purpose.

THE
FOURTH
PURPOSE

The fourth purpose steadily squeezed the traditional three to the margins of schooling; in the fourth purpose, school in America became like school in Germany, a servant of corporate and political management.

We should reveal the mechanism of mind control training, habits, and attitudes.

Children were literally trained in bad habits and bad attitudes!

Teachers and principals, “scientifically”certified in teachers college practices, were made unaware of the invisible curriculum they really taught.

The secret of commerce, that kids drive purchases, meant that schools had to become psychological laboratories where training in consumerism was the central pursuit.

Since bored people are the best consumers, school had to be a boring place, and since childish people are the easiest customers to convince, the manufacture of childishness, extended into adulthood, had to be the first priority of factory schools. Naturally, teachers and administrators weren't let in on this plan; they didn't need to be. If they didn't conform to instructions passed down from increasingly centralized school offices, they didn't last long.

In the new system, schools were gradually re-formed to meet the pressing need of big businesses to have standardized customers and employees, standardized because such people are predictable in certain crucial ways by mathematical formulae. Business (and government) can only be efficient if human beings are redesigned to meet simplified specifications. As the century wore on, school spaces themselves were opened bit by bit to commercialization.

These processes didn't advance evenly. Some localities resisted more than others, some decades were more propitious for the plan than others. Especially during and just after national emergencies like WWI, the Depression, WWII, and the Sputnik crisis, the scheme rocketed forward; in quieter moments it was becalmed or even forced to give up some ground.

But even in moments of greatest resistance, the institutions controlling the fourth purpose—great corporations, great universities, government bureaus with vast powers to reward or punish, and corporate journalism—increasingly centralized in fewer and fewer hands throughout the twentieth century, kept a steady hand on the tiller. They had ample resources to wear down and outwait the competition.

The prize was of inestimable value--control of the minds of the young.`

http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/historytour/history5.htm

Interesting. I went to a Great Books school and have read tons of literature on alternative education and on unschooling... and I still think there is hope and the class can be what the teacher (and students) make it. You just need that one cool teacher... Perhaps this is just my naive idealism... I'll get back to you in five years. :)

One more quote from Mr. Gatto

`Don't be fooled into thinking that good curricula or good equipment or good teachers are the critical determinants of your son and daughter's schooltime. All the pathologies we've considered come about in large measure because the lessons of school prevent children from keeping important appointments with themselves and their families, to learn lessons in self-motivation, perseverance, self-reliance, courage, dignity and love -- and, of course, lessons in service to others, which are among the key lessons of home life.

Thirty years ago these things could still be learned in the time left after school. But television has eaten most of that time, and a combination of television and the stresses peculiar to two-income or single-parent families have swallowed up most of what used to be family time. Our kids have no time left to grow up fully human, and only thin-soil wastelands to do it in.

A future is rushing down upon our culture which will insist that all of us learn the wisdom of non-material experience; this future will demand, as the price of survival, that we follow a pace of natural life economical in material cost. These lessons cannot be learned in schools as they are. School is like starting life with a 12-year jail sentence in which bad habits are the only curriculum truly learned. I teach school and win awards doing it. I should know.`

"Dumbing Us Down" is available from New Society Publishers (POB 189, Gabriola Island, BC, V0R 1X0 CANADA), or via Gatto's own online bookstore,

A more comprehensive book, newly available on-line as well as in print is "The Underground History of American Education", and may be found at John Taylor Gatto's own web site, johntaylorgatto.com. (Note: I have no financial relationship with him or the publisher.)

CFWUx2
MJ-CF#9
40 burpees, 50 45lb thrusters, 30 pullups
22:27
that was much more evil than it looked! I blame it on the burpees.

Erica--Oh, I get it. So we're all doomed. I'm not buying it. I will look for the book, though.

When will that t/m workout be incorporated into a WOD? Priceless. :o)

Treelizard #103

I do not think that that was the point,just that there is a system in place that is designed to dumb us down, but let me know what you think about it,it is not all doom and gloom!