this and that

James and Johnny are back from their transrockies adventure. Sounds like they had a blast. Check out their latest report. One of these days, we'll have to pull together a team or two.

Asked the guys who live across the street if any of them was Don. They said no. But they want us to let them know about the next alleycat anyway.

Obligatory Floyd reference of the day. A 2005 article on Floyd concluded with this quote: "The way I was raised there's no value in having something if you didn't get it honestly and through hard work. There's no reason to be proud of something you have if you didn't earn it." Read the full story here.

All of this has the philosophy professor in me thinking that this would make a fascinating case study in what is known as virtue ethics--according to which character is somehow taken to be morally basic. Might an appeal to character trump the so-called facts of the matter, or whatever it is that the tests can be said to reveal? I have to say I think it can, though of course it's important to bear in mind that media sound-bytes do not constitite a sufficiently rich account of anyone's character. At any rate, it complicates the question of what counts as admissable evidence in these discussions.

To follow up a meandering conversation that took place at VJ's around 1:30 am last night: average house prices in Portland are around $330,000. Evidently, good city planning comes at a price.