Democracy & Distrust

My friend Nicholas Johnson observes how rapidly what used to be fringe paranoia is moving into the mainstream:

Ballooning scandals at the IRS, government snooping, and the run on ammunition are the main topics of conversation at the range these days. It’s illuminating to hear people outside the chattering class talk about checks and balances, ammo shortages as a barometer of discontent, and looming tyranny. Tyranny especially used to be the cry of black helicopter conspiracy theorists.  It signals something when regular folk will say the word and talk unselfconsciously about how to define it and what to do about it. 

Newberry Volcanic National Monument

Everyone knows about Crater Lake National Monument -- but I confess that I had never heard of Newberry National Volcanic Monument, which is in between Bend, Oregon, and Crater Lake.  It includes what is apparently the largest (in area) volcano in Oregon, a composite volcano (lava and pyroclastic layers intermingled) that has more than 200 cinder cones and vents as part of the complex.

One of the features is a lava cast forest -- what happens when lava flows into a forest of substantial trees.  The lava hardens and cools when it hits a tree, and I suspect that the result is pretty darn amazing to watch as it burns to charcoal.  But it leaves casts of the trees in the lava, like these:

Here is a picture of the lakes that formed in the multi-part caldera (formed from several collapses over a long period of time):

There are several massive obsidian flows in the caldera -- like 150 feet thick and miles long.  Here's the face of one of them:

My wife has an obsidian obsession, and here she is mugging for the camera, expressing her desires, restrained only by federal law and gravity:

Love this piece:

 

Rental Car

We rented an Hyundai Accent for this trip.  This is a tiny car, and on highway, especially if there isn't a lot of climbing, it gets quite astonishing mileage: 38 to 43 mpg on some legs of the trip, probably because of the six-speed automatic transmission.  Around town, not quite so impressive: typically 25-28 mpg.  If that sounds impressive -- it's not dramatically better than the Corvette.

It is a bit noisy because of the tires, but it has adequate acceleration, handles decently, has good brakes, and is reasonably comfortable.  The only real gripe that I have is no cruise control.

Really Troubling Article About What Is Killing Premies

From the May 22, 2013 Washingtonian is a really troubling article about how shortages of critical medications are causing premature and newborn infants to die.  The medications are low profit, because they are nutrients and thus not patentable, and thus manufacturers lack incentives to increase production capacity to deal with unexpected shortfalls. 

But it isn't just greedy manufacturers; recent FDA policy changes that sound well-intentioned seem like they may be forcing existing production facilities to close for various problems.  As with many "we're from the government, and we're here to help you" situations, what might have been a serious problem is perhaps being made worse by FDA meddling.

Finally, although barely touched on in the article, it appears that collective purchasing by hospitals of these nutrients may be driving down prices and profits to levels that are destructive to healthy incentives.  It sounds like it might be the consumer side equivalent to how anticompetitive collusion between manufacturers injures consumers.

How To Remove Haze With GIMP?

I am sure some experts in the use of GIMP can tell me how to remove haze and generally make a picture like this look better.  Contrast alone isn't enough; use of the Curves filter doesn't seem to do it.

"This Showerhead Doesn't Flow; It Rampages"

I mentioned that the motel last night had a very environmentally incorrect showerhead -- one could actually get clean in it in no time at all.  The motel this evening in Crescent, Oregon, is the Woodman Country Lodge, and is a somewhat upscale version of the Holiday Motel -- built in the era when America still believed that it had something important to contribute to the world.  This showerhead is even more impressive -- my wife described it as the title shows. 

It is awesome!  Not just does it get you clean -- but it is like a low quality massage on your skin and scalp! 

The motel is either an expression of the traditional American culture of hunting, or a sign of the barbarous nature of American life that must be re-educated out of existence!  I'm not big on clear toilet seats, but...

Yes, ammunition embedded in the plastic!

The shower curtain and other room decor:

Never Judge A Book By Its Cover, Or a Motel By Its Sign

I was looking for a place to stay in Bend, Oregon, that wasn't too expensive, and one place with startling positive reviews was the Holiday Motel on 3rd Street.  It is a classic 1950s motel, but nicely redecorated on the inside. 

I don't know how much of the bathroom is original, but the showerhead sure acts like a 1950s showerhead -- plenty of water!  This is the high season for Bend, so it wasn't cheap -- but it was reasonably priced compared to others, and I was astonished at how well I slept.