Cass Sunstein, a top adviser to President Obama who functions as a gatekeeper on federal regulations, is leaving the White House to return to Harvard Law School.

Obama heralded Sunstein, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, "for his friendship and for his years of exceptional service." [...]

A specialist in administrative law and regulatory policy, Sunstein worked as a "regulatory czar" in the White House, looking to streamline government policies.

Sunstein drew a fair amount of controversy from both the left and the right. His departure will bring a sigh of relief to some environmental and public health advocates, who alleged Sunstein was too willing to bend an ear to oil companies and other industries seeking to weaken regulations. And other liberals objected to his libertarian-leaning behavioral economics theories.

The Center for Progressive Reform:

Cass Sunstein brought impressive credentials and a personal relationship with the President to his job as Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. But in the final analysis, Sunstein has continued the Bush Administration's tradition of using the office to block needed health and safety protections disliked by big business and political contributors. Worse, the narrative that Sunstein helped craft about the impact of regulations on American life -- that regulatory safeguards are fundamentally suspect -- was discordant with the rest of the President's agenda and the arguments he makes for his reelection.

Sunstein's departure is an opportunity for the Administration to reset its regulatory policy and embrace public health and safety protections that have long been stalled in the White House.

As bad as Sunstein has been, he's also always been considered to be a possible Obama SC nominee - which doesn't make me feel better.  At all.  

Chimney Rock's 4,700 acres contain the ruins of about 200 ancestral Puebloan structures, some of which are 1,000 years old. They include a great house that archaeologists believe could be the most remote outpost of the powerful Chacoan culture of New Mexico.

Link

S. Africa's Oscar Pistorius is competing in the Olympic 400m and 4x400m relay who's a double amputee below the knees, so he has two prosthetics and has been nick-name "The Blade Runner."

I have all the respect for him in the world, and he is very inspiring, but while my heart says let him compete, my head says I really don't think he should be competing against athletes who do not/cannot use machines to enhance their physical abilities during the race.

Regardless of the his disabilities, he's using technology during the actual competition to run faster than he would otherwise that no one else can use.

For example, would we be OK with a guy on the mound as ML pitcher who was missing his left hand, but who had some sort of sling or catapult type prosthetic? Make it long so he gets more leverage, like a lacrosse stick does, and he could throw a 120mph fastball. With the right soft rubber on the prosthetic, think of the curve balls he could throw.

Pistorius's carbon-fiber blades don't get tired, don't get injured and are (much) lighter than flesh and bone.

If he can wear blades why can't everyone else? Say 6" blades strapped to the bottom of your shoes? The increase in stride length would absolutely give you a huge advantage over your performance w/o them. If Oscar was smart he'd tinker with the length of his blades until he found the "sweet spot" for him.

Think of the advantage in the high jump or hurdles if you had such tall and bouncy blades strapped onto your shoes. There's a reason their are rules regarding how thick the soles of your shoes can be in HJ and LJ...

Oscar participated in some tests and the results of which were used to make the point to the IOC that the blades were no advantage. What isn't usually mentioned is that the tests were done by a scientist who invented and sells high-performance blades and who is a double below the knee amputee himself.

Um, I understand that this whole issue is a sticky wicket for the powers that be in international sport, but, really? These are the tests you rely on?

We are all getting excited or not excited about these monthly reports about stats that don't really matter.