Category: Nature

Troublemaker Tactics: Hoopla Hurdles Edition

As the holiday long weekend comes to a close, one can be assured that not all celebrations went off as planned. Family get-togethers can be precarious. The long histories, the past grievances, the careless gestures or phrases can all contribute to a combustible mix. Sometimes tensions bubble up simply because people’s lives are busy, or a shift in circumstance generates unexpected demands. And then sometimes there is a troublemaker in the crowd.

Unhappy people want to drag every one around them into the muck. And a common strategy is to fabricate irrelevant procedures, standards, or hoops to impose on others, then criticize them for not meeting those arbitrary demands. This tactic shifts focus from substantive issues to compliance with a contrived process. It’s like building up a whole hoopla by setting up hurdles.

Some of these tactics are well known and used through many facets of life. Take moving the goal posts. As soon as someone deserves congratulations, some new expectation is placed upon them diminishing their accomplishment. There’s gatekeeping. A self appointed czar controls access to a group, idea or status. Bureaucratic tyranny causes delays and the classic red herring gets everyone off the topic and into some other pernicious yet irrelevant topic.

To sum it all up in a definition:

Hoopla Hurdles (n): The tactic of fabricating irrelevant procedures, rules, or requirements to avoid addressing real issues, maintain control, and generate conflict. Named for the endless, pointless hoops troublemakers make others jump through.

If you are curious as to whether the obstacles at hand are legit or Hoopla Hurdles, consider these diagnostic questions:

1. Was this rule just invented?

2. Does it solve the actual problem?

3. Would a reasonable person demand this?

4. Does it create more conflict than it resolves?

If 3+ yes → Hoopla Hurdles detected!

What you can do to placate the beast in the damaged person who would prefer to fight rather than befriend.

How to Counter Hoopla Hurdles

1. Reframe

Response: Return to the original issue

“Let’s focus on whether the policy works, not the paperwork.”

2. Expose Absurdity

Response: Highlight the irrationality

“Why does a 2-sentence petition require a PhD?”

3. Set Boundaries

Response: Refuse to play

“I’ll discuss the idea, not your 17 rules.”

4. Mirror

Response: Apply their logic back

“If I make you read 50 articles first, will you?”

5. Humor

Response: Deflate with ridicule

“Should I also sacrifice a goat under a full moon?”

Pro Tip: Combine tactics for maximum effect! 🏆

Is purchasing a medical proceedure the same as buying a car?

I would argue no, for several key reasons.

First, a medical procedure’s success depends heavily on patient participation. The outcome hinges on whether patients follow their physician’s instructions, avoid harmful foods or activities, commit to their rehabilitation, and make necessary sacrifices for optimal recovery. A car, by contrast, operates on a predictable maintenance schedule—oil changes every 7,000 miles, new tires at 50,000 miles—and doesn’t require active participation each time you get behind the wheel to function properly.

Second, evaluating medical outcomes is inherently subjective, shaped by individual expectations and varying standards of success. A tangible good like a car, however, has objective, measurable qualities that remain consistent regardless of who’s assessing it or observing it.

Finally, medical procedures carry inherent risk. Unlike most purchases, where you start at a baseline and gain utility, healthcare interventions don’t guarantee positive outcomes. A procedure can result in complications requiring additional interventions, meaning you could begin at zero and end up worse off. There’s always the possibility of a negative outcome, which fundamentally distinguishes healthcare from consumer goods.

For these reasons, healthcare tends to be heavily influenced by social groups. Peer pressure encourages people to take care of themselves. Role models who demonstrate how to go the extra mile can influence and encourage patients to do the same. The extent of care may be directed in part by group expectations. But, the most significant risk with this over a car or other tangible goods, is that lack of care or poor care can cause the patient to go backwards and incur even more costs both to the body and the pocketbook.

Night Sky

It’s dark out! So I gave my iPhone a try at constellation photography. Not outrageous, but still satisfactory.

Big Dipper on the bottom edge of the frame

According to NPR, here’s the reason for the bright lights.

There are “blood,” “super” and “blue” moons, and then there’s the “black” moon.

The “black moon,” a rare phenomenon that occurs during a new moon phase of the lunar cycle, will occur this weekend. But don’t get your hopes up too much, scientists say, because it will be technically invisible.

Big Dipper with telescope feature

It’s unclear when it was coined, but “black moon” is an unofficial astronomical term. A new moon is considered by some to be a black moon one of two ways. It can happen when a new moon appears twice in one month (new moons usually happen once per month) or when there are four new moons in one season. When there are four new moons in one season, the third new moon is called a “black moon.”

E-Bike Review

I recently purchased this Aventon electric assist bike. It’s great! There was a time when I’d snarl at the e-bikers as they hummed by barely pedaling. But times have changed, and I’ve decided, out of necessity, that assistance isn’t a bad thing after all. If the difference is to get out and bike at all or bike with assistance, take the latter and get outside!

The bikes are a bit heavy at 70 pounds. You don’t notice when you’re riding, but when you are managing the vehicle at a standstill, there’s a little more to pay attention to. It won’t ride on my old bike rack, I’d mount on the trunk of my car. That’s OK.

The pros are, amongst others, a far greater riding range. The battery life covers up to 60 miles. And so far, that’s checked out against my shorter rides of ten miles or so. It also charges quickly on a convenient charger the size of a loaf of bread. If you want to take longer rides, you can always bring the charger along. I have yet to get a saddlebag for the back. It will sit nicely on the rack over the back fender.

There are five levels of assistance. The rider juggles these along with standard gear changing. The mechanisms are smooth and responsive. And if you are exhausted at the bottom of a hill, just hit the throttle with your left thumb and you’ll climb up the slope without a worry. It’s really a fun bike to ride!

Johann Gottfried von Herder & populism?

Herder is the originator, the author, not of nationalism as is sometimes said, although no doubt some of his ideas entered nationalism, but of something – I do not quite know what name to give it – much more like populism. That is to say (to instance its more comical forms), he is the originator of all those antiquarians who want natives to remain as native as possible, who like arts and crafts, who detest standardisation – everyone who likes the quaint, people who wish to preserve the most exquisite forms of old provincialism without the impingement on it of some hideous metropolitan uniformity. Herder is the father, the ancestor, of all those travellers, all those amateurs, who go round the world ferreting out all kinds of forgotten forms of life, delighting in everything that is peculiar, everything that is odd, everything that is native, everything that is untouched. In that sense he did feed the streams of human sentimentality to a very high degree. At any rate, that is Herder’s temperament and that is why, since he wants everything to be what it can be as much as possible, that is to say, develop itself to its richest and fullest extent, the notion that there can be one single ideal for all men, everywhere, becomes unintelligible.

From Isaiah Berlin’s excellent book The Root of Romanticism.

Bike Ride

It was a beautiful and warm day in the Twin Cities today, which had me thinking about bike rides. Here’s a post from last September- Now I just need to get set up with my own to venture out this year!

Few things are more enjoyable than meandering on a bike trail or cruising through a state park on a beautiful sunny day. Fortunately, communities share this ethos and support the continued development of public trails.

Today’s ride followed some of the new Heart of the Lakes Trail. It doesn’t show up on all the maps yet, so it’s essential to do some research to map out the route. There are excellent services along the way, like mile markers, benches, and trailheads for parking. With a plan in hand we set out for Lakes E-Bikes to pick up our rentals.

The operation runs out of a family-owned RV dealership. A third-generation member pitched the idea of selling e-bikes with an expectation of making twenty sales or so a year. His brother informed us while helping to load the cycles into the back of the pickup, and this year, he watched 250 go out the door. Hitting the market right can make all the difference.

If you haven’t tried an e-bike yet, I highly recommend it. It’s not really biking; it’s more of a scooter. But it takes you to the most wonderful places, and that’s what matters.

Thank goodness for all those who devoted countless hours in county board meetings to make it all happen.

A new Administration, Less Regulation?

Even prior to the election outcome, there was bipartisan interest in reducing regulations which hinder housing. Yet in 2024, efforts around housing ended up being a power struggle between different levels of government and zoning control. Traditionally, land use is determined at the local level. The political efforts were geared at removing local control through state mandates. Come to find out, residents like to control the land in their direct periphery.

With the new administration, one would anticipate this spirit of deregulation to find its way to most industries. Is there a good place start? Where would less government result in a net positive? Where are the low hanging fruit?

The market solves for social concerns. Tesla is a prominent example. If there is a mass of consumers with a shared concern, than they will demand it of the market. Looking for the majorities with shared common interest might be a start. For example a ballot measure passed in Minnesota to divert funds from the lottery to the environmental trust fund. It passed with 77.5% of the vote.

When people voluntarily allocate resources for a casue there is a better chance that mediating their interests through the market will result in a more efficient outcome. Without the surcharge of bureaucracy and the unintended outcomes of intervention, markets often are more fruitful. When it comes to the environment, the majority of Minnesotans indicate that they will spend the money to preserve and protect.

Bald Eagles

A majestic bird that is easily identified by its size and how the light causes a flash of white on its head or tail feathers.

Wind from the Sea

by Andrew Wyeth, 1947

I find this painting captivating. How can one see what cannot be seen other than through the influences it creates on surrounding elements? The frail, sheer curtain tells us the strength of the breeze. Two tire treads show us the path it blows in from the sea. If you were able to reach into the frame and touch the white hot paint on the sill, it would be warm to the touch. Shadows and darkness show us a sun high in the sky, slightly to the front of the building, the voile catching glints of light well into the dingy room.

Pruning advice

My tea rose bushes bloomed spectacularly this spring. A neighbor texted to say her husband needs advice as his plant looked meager in comparison. There are general weather conditions which contribute to the performance of garden plants. Blooms, however, are often the product of a little grooming. Rose bushs like to be trimmed back once the petals are falling into the landscape rock below.

Lilac bushes also enjoy a good haircut once their blooms have faded. Be agressive and cut the stems of the plant down by a foot. A few short weeks later you will notice multiple new off-shoots at every cut.

In eleven months each of these sprigs will be bending from the lilac blooms. A heavy scent will remind you of an elderly aunt with pressed powder make-up.

Heaven on Earth

For those who love adventure and real-world challenges, body and mind. Nature is a heaven on Earth. Here, Pastor, we surely agree. The Creation, whether you believe it was placed on this planet by a single act of God or accept the scientific evidence that it evolved autonomously during billions of years, is the greatest heritage, other than the reasoning mind itself, ever provided to humanity.

The Creation, E.O. Wilson

MN is #1- Helium Edition

A recently discovered helium reservoir in Minnesota boasts “mind-bogglingly” high concentrations of the gas that are even greater than initially thought, potentially paving the way for commercial extraction.

Resource exploration company Pulsar Helium, Inc. announced the discovery of helium stores in late February, after a drill just outside of Babbitt, in northern Minnesota, located gas deposits at depths of 2,200 feet (670 meters). Initial measurements showed helium concentrations of 12.4% — which “is just a dream,” Thomas Abraham-James, the president and CEO of Pulsar Helium, told CBS News at the time. But new laboratory readings have surpassed those results.

Live Science

The find is special.

Normally, helium is obtained as a byproduct of natural gas production, as it accumulates underground in pockets of methane and other hydrocarbons. Minnesota is one of just a handful of locations globally where helium is known to exist without hydrocarbons — the others being in Greenland and southern and eastern Africa. These sites all feature a crust of granite rock rich in uranium and thorium, as well as a rift system that fractures the rock to expose the helium produced through radioactive decay. A dose of volcanism then releases helium atoms from the rock.

Northern Minnesota has a love/hate relationship with the extraction of natural resources from the ground. The article doesn’t address how mining methods affect, if at all, the environment.

Coolest AI Binoculars ever

These handy loooking-glasses will identify the subject upon which you gaze. No more running back to your birdbook, thumbing through the pages while trying to remember the details of the beak, wing markings and approximate size. Presto. AI will give you an answer amongst the 9000 entries in its data.

Now if I can only justify the nearly $5K price tag.