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26 septiembre Newer and More Improved Things continue to change in the world, and things continue to change for me. As noted quite some time back, I have moved beyond, though not completely abandoned this site. In the evolution of the man known as "Pol," we started with Running Pol, right here. A faithful and exciting blog, it became merely a stepping stone in the journey. Soon, Iron Pol was born, and the journey from marathoner to triathlete began. Many followed me, most did not.
But the Iron Pol blog contained one small discrepancy. Though I had started a "career" in triathlon, the term 'Iron' was somewhat inaccurate. Referring to the Ironman triathlon, it is a title that really should be earned. And that requires the completion of a 140.6 mile race consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run. Most familiar is the Ironman World Championships held in Kona, Hawaii each November. That also is something that must be earned.
After the 2006 season, during which I complete three shorter triathlons, I attempted to sign up for Ironman Wisconsin and was unable to complete the registration process before the race was sold out. Devestated at being unable to register for a race I never actually intended on running, I began to constantly monitor triathlon sites for other options.
Soon enough, a new race was announced. In 2007, the inaugural Ironman Louisville would be held. This time, I would not be denied. On the day registration opened, I was at a friend's house with three computers and a high speed Internet connection. Shortly after sign-ups opened, I had my registration confirmation. That began a 10-month journey from novice triathlete to the start line of my first Ironman.
My Iron Pol site details the events of the day as I earned the title I had so innocently assumed nearly 18 months earlier.
And then, the "blogspot" portion of the address became bothersome. As did the constraints of the system. So, it was time to move on.
That began with registering the domain www.ironpol.com and establishing a new presence on the Internet. And, as with the change from Running Pol to Iron Pol, the journey remains documented on the original sites. So, if you wander through here, know that I am still alive and kicking. In fact, I'm growing, evolving, and improving. Stop by and let me know how you found me. And perhaps you'll find something to peak your interest and encourage you to continue on this journey. 13 julio Finally!Well, for those of you who thought I might have died, it is nothing that serious. The long absence from posting came from two factors. First, an inability to log in to Spaces, whether at home or at work. Second is a schedule that is absolutely maxed out with work, triathlon training, and kids.
There has been so much going on, both in the training world and the political world, that needs to be covered. Time, however, remains somewhat constrained. At least being able to get here while in the office will help. A great deal of my blogging occurs before starting the work day, or after finishing.
In addition, a second blog has been started. The link is at left, and Iron Pol is where most of my training entries have been going. For those more interested in political discourse, that site will bore you. It has lots about training, and little about political issues.
So, if Spaces and work computers continue to play nicely, I'll be able to get more done, here. If not, stop by Iron Pol and see what's happening. 01 mayo Bored and Retarded.This morning was going to be all about the immigration debate. Other things have demanded attention, though. It's amazing the impact that morally retarded people with computers and an excess of time can accomplish.
Some brain dead moron has accomplished the rather difficult task of becoming the only slack loser to be mentioned (though nameless) in a blog entry. This is normally reserved to those who accomplish notable achievements worth emulating.
I spent the last 30 minutes or so deleting blank, anonymous comments to various blog entries. While this site welcomes anonymous entries by those concerned about negative responses to controversial posts, blank entries are the sign of a singularly pointless existence. My best hope is that these were somehow SPAM related and MSN weeded the trash out from the desirable comments. It is equally likely that this was simply someone without the mental aptitude to respond intelligently, and therefore resorts to wasting the time of serious bloggers.
For those who find some twisted pleasure in the posting of countless blank comments, my only suggestion would be to turn off the computer, leave the house, and attempt to interact with the real world. At least then, if there is an odd desire to continue to be a retarded moron, someone can point out the errors of your ways. 13 febrero VP Shoot-outIt seems this week-end was full of shots being fired by Vice Presidents of the United States.
Vice President Cheney shot a hunting partner. Former Vice President Gore shot off his mouth. Neither serves to enhance the image of the United States.
In Vice President Cheney's defense, the facts seem to support an outright accident with a large part of the responsibility on the injured party. That man, lawyer Harry Whittington, apparently attempted to join a hunting line without informing the other members of the party. This put him in the shooting arc of the VP Cheney. One question many hunters would ask is, "How clean a shot did the VP have?" Some news accounts mention the sun being at Whittington's back. If that put the sun in Vice President's line of sight, he might have done well to hold the shot.
Former Vice President Al Gore opted to shoot off his mouth, instead of a firearm. His target was the United States. And his shots have the potential to be far more damaging than the birdshot used by Vice President Cheney.
Gore was speaking at an economic forum in Saudi Arabia. His speech told the mainly Arab audience that the United States government committed terrible abuses against Saudis as a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center and took thousands of innocent lives.
During his speech, Gore stated that Arabs were "indiscriminately rounded up, often on minor charges of overstaying a visa or not having a green card in proper order, and held in conditions that were just unforgivable." He continued by stating, "I do want you to know that it does not represent the desires or wishes or feelings of the majority of the citizens of my country."
Gore makes two serious mistakes in his comments. Statements of this nature may help to explain why he lost to President George Bush. First, he makes the claim that overstaying a visa and having improper documentation is a minor issue. Second, he claims to speak for the majority of Americans, which is plainly not the case.
The former vice president would do well to remember that a majority of those involved in the attacks against the United States were Saudi born. And most were in the United States on visas that had expired. He broaches the subject of college, which is fitting, as educational visas are a commonly used tool to gain access to the United States. They also frequently expire while the holder remains. It is not a minor issue when visas are used to gain access to the United States and allowed to expire making the holder essentially invisible to the government. And when holders of those visas then murder thousands of Americans, the program must be thoroughly examined and those in violation questioned and/or deported.
And as the "also ran" of the 2000 election, it is unreasonable for Al Gore to claim he speaks for the majority of Americans. In fact, a bit of research will likely indicate that he doesn't speak for many of us. While Americans are concerned about protecting the rights of everyone, both citizen and foreigner, a far greater degree of concern is shown with our overall security.
That we are debating the care and rights provided to terrorists fighting under no flag shows the extent to which we go to preserve human and civil rights. In the midst of that debate, most Americans have few qualms about following leads that could prevent future attacks similar to those of September 11, 2001. Most believe there is a balancing act to protecting both national security and individual freedoms. And most place US security ahead of the rights of foreigners, particularly if they are in the United States illegally and under questionable circumstance.
Both Cheney and Gore fired shots with the potential for significant damage. The person injured by Vice President Cheney's shot is in the hospital, recovering, and has a good prognosis. The injury caused by former Vice President Gore's shots may be far more damaging and far more difficult to heal. 17 julio Internet Explorer FlawsGrrrrrrrr!I realize that we are on the Microsoft Network, but I just have to comment on the annoying habit of Internet Explorer to randomly "Encounter Flaws" that require it to shut down. Interestingly, it was only serious enough to shut down one instance of MSIE, leaving the other open. Must be a really serious flaw. It wouldn't generally be that big of an issue. Normally, I'm reading news or doing something equally minor. This time, I happened to be a great deal of the way through a blog entry. It seems to have vanished, and I get to start all over, again. Perhaps someday we will have programs that work when they are released, or at least reasonably soon after that. I keep doing these update things, and they have done little to eliminate this habit of IE to just crash. It's a great deal of fun.
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