Saturday, April 27, 2013

Ours Is Not To Reason Why...

In the wake of the Boston bombings and the arrest in Canada of two individuals suspected of plotting to blow up a Via Rail trail (really?  a Via Rail train??), Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau was musing about the reasons for these attacks and alleged conspiracies.

In his haste to denigrate anything remotely thoughtful, Stephen Harper commented that now was not the time to "commit sociology".

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/String+terror+incidents+reason+commit+sociology/8294646/story.html

Well of course not.  Why ever would ordinary folk want to know the reasons why for anything?  Consider the causes of global warming, the root causes of violence and poverty, why stuff works, why the earth goes around the sun....  What business would we have for wondering about the underlying causes of things like these?  You tell 'em Mr Harper.  Quit wondering about the reasons for anything.  Knowledge just gets in the way of our ability to accept whatever we're told to believe.

Saturday, April 06, 2013

Coasting in Oregon


Probably the quintessential view down the Oregon coast.  We spent a week or so wandering through some of western Washington state and along the coast as far south as Newport.  Reasonable weather and miles of beach to ride our bikes on.  We did find the area somewhat more busy that we remembered it.  Possibly school break time down there could have been the reason.  Our route back home through the Columbia River Gorge enjoyed some almost-summer weather.