Excellent

Ronde van Vlaanderen 2010
Dear cyclist,

We have received your registration for the Tour of Flanders for cycle tourists and mountain bikers on 3 April 2010.

Participants from Belgium and Holland will receive their package by post, one week before the event.

All other participants, from outside Belgium and Holland, can pick up their number on the spot at the preregistration booth. One week before the event they will get their number by email. With this number they can pick up their tag at the preregistration booth.

We wish you all the best with your preparations!

See you on Saturday 3 April in Meerbeke at the finish!

Glad It's Not Just Me

I'm seeing blind adherence to nonsensical rules. I'm seeing a draconian obsession with the exactness of container volumes and the precise dimensions of harmless objects.

How Do I Add This To My Amazon Wishlist?

Oh Right, I'm Supposed To Update This Thing

So here we are with less than two weeks remaining in 2009, and still no Health Care Bill. I'm afraid I'm done with Obama. If it weren't for the fact that he's following the worst President in the history of our Nation, he'd look a lot worse than he does. He's escalating the ridiculous war in Afghanistan, he's caving on Health Care, and he's remarkably quiet on other areas that featured prominently in his campaign.

Being better than an idiot is not good enough, not when so many people worked their asses off to give Democrats the majority they needed to get shit done. Maybe I should keep hoping until I see what happens in Copenhagen, but I'm already pretty sure I'll be disappointed.

Did you realize we've been in Afghanistan longer than WWI and WWII combined?

We have now been fighting in Afghanistan longer than we did in World War I and World War II combined, yet Pentagon officials say the difficulties they face are as great as ever.

Did you know that there are more Independant Contractors (ie Blackwater) in Iraq and Afghanistan than there are US Troops?

In Afghanistan, it's more pronounced, though, Terry, because you have about 68,000 U.S. troops operating alongside a whopping 104,000 contractors. And with the recently announced surge in troops, that number's expect to grow at a one-to-one ratio with U.S. troops. So it's quite stunning, the number of contractors that are currently deployed on the U.S. government payroll.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aside from all that, I've got just over two weeks until the first Early Bird Crit. There are a couple cross races left on the schedule, but we'll see whether I choose cross or crits.
It will be fun to do a crit with the power meter, should be very enlightening.

Feeling The Love

FEMINISM CAUSES GLOBAL WARMING, SAY EXPERTS

WOMEN who know their place emit less carbon dioxide than uppity madames with so-called careers, it was confirmed last night.

I was playing this great game, but now when I try to play I get this:

Dear non-danish visitor,
Due to an extremely high amount of traffic "Hit the Bitch" has been limited to only allow users from Denmark.

Which, taken out of context sounds a lot worse than it is.

Power Time

I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with this. Data from my new Powertap, and a big thanks to Richard for doing such a great job building it.

Seriously

Most of the time I'm willing to be dismissive of the lunatic fringe. I'm pretty sure I'm related to some of them, and outside of talking a bunch of nonsense, they are pretty harmless. But when I read stuff like this:

There’s a new slogan making its way onto car bumpers and across the Internet. It reads simply: "Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8"
A nice sentiment?
Maybe not.
The psalm reads, "Let his days be few; and let another take his office."

and this:

The Republican base is with him though. PPP's newest national survey finds that a 52% majority of GOP voters nationally think that ACORN stole the Presidential election for Barack Obama last year, with only 27% granting that he won it legitimately.

I can't help but despair a little bit for the future of the World. I realize that not everyone can be smart, but the choice to be willfully ignorant in the face of reason is something I hope to never be able to understand. Maybe there needs to be a new kind of intervention. This kind of crap is worse than the folks who wear tinfoil helmets to make sure the aliens can't read their minds. It's worse because the alien fearers are generally harmless, while the god fearers are anything but.

More Stuff About Bikes and Music

Yesterday was the first race in the CXSR series. Cross is turning out to be harder than I expected, and I expected it to be hard. I kind of thought it would be a matter of maximizing my strengths and minimizing my weaknesses, but that really hasn't been the case. For starters, when it comes to cross, I don't have any strengths. The parts that I should be able to go fast on, I end up using as recovery so I don't puke in the middle of the race. I feel like I'm improving in some areas, but so far that isn't translating into better results. Granted, results are about the last thing I should be focusing on, but I'm just competitive that way (which isn't as good as being competitive in the traditional way of trying to win). I am having a lot of fun though, and when I stop worrying about how bad I'm doing, I do realize that I have a good time going to the races and meeting people and just hanging out and having some laughs. I can also tell that I'm getting more comfortable on the bike. Especially when I get back on the road bike. I find I'm riding a lot more with no hands, and descending without braking. So at least there is some progress...


Last weekend I saw Lucero at The Mezzanine. Quite simply, Lucero kicks ass! They are always a good show, and this was one of the better ones. So good in fact, that I didn't mind that it was at The Mezzanine. Monday night, on the other hand, was not good. Airborne Toxic Event was not good, not even good enough to stay for the whole show. I'm sure there are a lot of people that would argue that, since many people seemed to be having a good time, but I thought it sucked. Friday night was Dinosaur Jr., someone I've wanted to see for a long time. They were possibly the most awkward band I've ever seen. When they weren't playing, it was like looking at goldfish flopping around on the floor. Luckily the show consisted of a lot of playing, and it was good. They got a little to "jam-bandy" at the end, but it was still a good show.
Tonight will be Jason Isbell at the Great American Music Hall. One of my favorite performers at my favorite venue, I'm looking forward to it.

Bye Bye October

The horrid time of year known as "Summer" has left the Bay Area. Now we can finally get some enjoyable weather in the City. Fortunately I got to get some good weather in Chicago, and some really nice weather in Texas (too bad it was in Texas). And now I can enjoy the best weather of the year in my hometown, too bad it now gets dark at 5:30, but one victory at a time.

Music has been good. Truckers and Booker T were awesome at the Bluegrass Fest. Last night, Lucero put on a performance to remember at the Mezzanine. Tonight is Airborne Toxic Event, later in the week are Dinosaur Jr and Jason Isbell. Lots to look forward to...

Cyclocross is ridiculously hard. Right on the verge of being too hard to even bother with. I'm not the kind of person that has to always win, but losing sucks ass. Especially as bad as I've been doing. The upside is that it is fun, and it's making a pretty huge difference in my bike handling, so there's hope that I can get better. I'll get a chance to improve this weekend in Santa Rosa.

Track, on the other hand, is the frikkin' bomb! I've known I wanted to get on the track for a while, but the hour to drive to San Jose combined with the tracks' schedule have always been prohibitive. Last week I finally made it down to a "Beginners' Night" and had a lot of fun. There were some thrown together scratch races that I did well in, out of 15 people I was never worse than fourth. Granted these folks weren't all there just to race and all categories were combined... But at this point, my ego will take whatever it can get.

I just saw the verdict came down in the case of the SoCal Doctor who tried to kill some cyclists. Hot Damn, that's some good news.

And lastly let's praise the Onion..


Victim In Fatal Car Accident Tragically Not Glenn Beck

You Must Be Proud Ohio

You were born a Christian, not born gay. Religion is not a choice.

Or so the spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) would have you believe. Questioned about why the House's top Republican opposes a hate crimes bill penalizing violence against gays, his spokesman said he "supports existing federal protections (based on race, religion, gender, etc) based on immutable characteristics," just not protections for things like being gay -- which conservatives occasionally claim is a choice.

"They Are Goat F#ckers!"

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
CNN Leaves It There
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

Thought For The Weekend

In Pursuit of Justice

I got both these links from MB.

Trial by Fire

and

Gov. Perry replaces head of agency investigating Texas arson findings

Not the first time Gov Perry has been mentioned here, in case you forgot here he is again.

Flaming Asshat that one.

Public Option

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Good To Be Home

So lets celebrate by watching some TV clown getting pummeled.





Banksy is awesome:

What the Hell

Might as well do an actual blog post.

DBT have a new album out, I guess it's a new album of old songs, most of which I've heard before, but only live. Having them on the ipod is nice. For me the Tom Petty cover of "Rebels" is a standout, "When The Well Runs Dry" has always been a song I've liked, and "Play It All Night Long" just kills live. I'd say it's a must have for any Truckers fan, but if you're a Truckers fan, I'm sure you already have it.

Other new music I'm liking. Still Life Still has a new album called "Girls Come Too". I heard a track on the radio in Chicago and it sounded good so I got the album. It's good, and it keeps growing on me.

We Were Promised Jetpacks is also really good, very similar to "The Twilight Sad" who I also really like. They are both playing on tour with "Frightened Rabbit", I'd see it if I could. The SF show at the Independent is sold out on 9/18, but I'm in Texas anyway.

Speaking of Texas, I experienced my first Aggie football game yesterday. Pics of the spectacle here. Texas fashion at its finest.

I'm kind of avoiding politics lately, too much useless info, too much credence given to nut jobs followed by illiterate assholes. It wears me out.

Good post here though. It's all well and good to try and get all the animals on the ark, but you damn well better make sure you've got control of the helm first.

Trying to pay attention to the Vuelta, but having a hard time caring. All the riders I would root for are just using it as a tune up for Worlds. The Tour of Missouri starts tomorrow, that should be fun to watch. Both Thor and Heinrich will be there, putting in their own preparation for Worlds.

Lookin' Good Israel

Draw Your Own Conclusions

Support Eric McDavid

Adieu Chicago

Another trip nears completion. Capped off by waiting at O'Hare until United can find a plane to put me on. I've got no idea what's going on in the world. I think the Vuelta starts soon, and the USPRO Championships. I'm sure I've missed many stupid things said by Republicans. I guess I'll have to start catching up soon.

Until then:

Barney Frank, Well Done!

This Has To Go Here

Because sometimes Twitter just isn't enough


There's also a Star Wars one.

That's been the closest thing to sane my day has seen, maybe even my week. Still kinda bummed about Bahati. I was saying yesterday, "I don't know why I'm so bummed about it, it's not like he's my favorite rider." To which E responded "There's something about the way he rides, it would be really hard not to root for him." (Sorry for messing up your quote E) which pretty much sums it up. You can say he lost because he came in to the last turn too hot, or you can say dude laid everything on the line and it didn't work out. I say he deserved to win, and it's a damn shame he didn't.

Downers Grove

Big race today in the 'burbs of Chicago. US Pro Crit Championships at stake, and the right to wear the stars 'n stripes jersey for a year. There are lots of great places to get pics and the race report, so I'll avoid that part. In the womens race, Tibco was dominant, launching attack after attack, but somehow they managed to do everything except seal the deal. Brooke Miller got 2nd to a deserving Tina Pic, which is not what she came to do. While in the mens race, Rahsaan Bahati, left with no teammates due to crash after crash in the closing laps, was able to bridge a big gap to the lead group and get a jump on them coming out of the final turn, only to have his bike come out from under him with victory in sight.

The irony being that after dropping off E at the airport, I go to a BBQ with the Rock Racing guys (without Bahati) and E is on the same flight to SF as Brooke Miller.

I think I had more fun, since I got to drink beer and not wait at an airport for a delayed flight. But I bet E will have something to say about her fun as well.

Know Your Enemy

It doesn’t take Stephen Hawking to figure this one out.

Hawking is, you might say, living, breathing proof that these people are first-class fools.

Oh No!

He really is a commie bastard, Look!

You Don't Say

Not exactly surprising, and sadly devoid of sources. But still...

Honest. This isn’t a joke. The president of the United States, in a top-secret phone call to a major European ally, asked for French troops to join American soldiers in attacking Iraq as a mission from God.

Read the rest here.

The Whirlwind

One of the side effects of my job is that weeks, even months, can fly by without me noticing. Working 80 hour weeks, away from home, can do that. Hopefully tomorrow I can spend some time catching up with what is happening in the world.

My thoughts go out to Fatty and his family. Elden, you and yours have been a tremendous inspiration. I wear your jersey with pride.

Remember When The Skies Were Friendly?

Neither do I, but they weren't always this God-Awful.

The day starts with me having some coffee and waiting for the Super Shuttle. The Shuttle driver calls me to tell me he's 3 minutes away, and I get my stuff and get to the sidewalk. Once there I chat with the neighbor, on break from his daily leaf-blowing session, and after a couple minutes the Shuttle arrives. So far everything is according to script...

I was the 6th passenger on said shuttle, and the driver said we had one more stop. Cue the whining. Dude behind me starts demanding to know what the official Super Shuttle policy on stops allowed is. Seriously dude, wtf? Who Cares? There are 2 seats left on the shuttle and we're on schedule, what's the problem?

So we make the stop and pick up the passenger, then the driver goes in a way which no GPS would pick as a route to the airport. Whiney dude is muttering and guffawing the whole time, like he's expecting something more for a $20 ride to the airport. Throughout this, I was being Zen. I knew it was far too early in the day to let something like this get to me.

It turns out there was another stop (aha, this explains everything). So now the shuttle is full and we can go to the airport. The driver follows the GPS directions diligently but Whiney Dude doesn't like the way that we were going, he starts telling the driver he's going the wrong way. For a second, it seemed like we were slowing down, I really hoped the driver wasn't going to listen to WD, because then I would have had to berate WD in front of everyone including a person I took to be his daughter.

Alas, the driver played the "No English"? card (He was Chinese) and we kept going...

With all this, I was at the airport within the window acceptable window of time. Which was good, because the check-in line was a couple hundred strong. It was snaking it's way through and out the barriers down the terminal. This is bad, my morning had gone from pleasant, to frustrating, to annoying. But the line was moving.

Tangent alert: I'm sure there have been focus groups and surveys and all kinds of shit that tell the airlines that it doesn't matter how bad they treat people, as long they keep flights cheap. If that's true, why are you going Fucking Bankrupt??

The reason for the line was that the counter was severely understaffed, no surprise. But the line moved and check in was without incident. Of course check-in is only the first, and the least painful of the lines. On to security...

Again a big line, again because they only had 2 of the six stations open. I make my way through and my bag gets pulled. I follow the genius over to his little test area and he asks me "is there anything fragile or dangerous in your bag?" Uh well there's an Ipod and a camera, if you drop them, they'll break. If you try to eat the batteries, you'll probably get sick... "So I'll take that as a 'No'"? Sure, why not.

Now, I was still ok timewise, but spending 20 minutes to check in and 20 minutes to get through security was cutting into that (To be somewhat fair, I haven't waited at SFO this long in probably 3 years). Now having one of TSA's finest examine my stuff like he knows what he's looking at is starting to get annoying. I'm sitting there watching, wondering what's in the bag that made them check... Finally, at the bottom of my bag he pulls out my 10mm Combination Wrench and holds it up to a ruler. No really, he did. Then he puts everything into a plastic bin and says everything looks fine, well except that my wrench is too long so I can't take it on the plane. He then asks if I would like it disposed of, handed to someone I know, or mailed. I told him to add it to his kit and I hoped it completed the set. He says "Am I to understand you are choosing option 1?"

He the reruns all my stuff with the wrench, and it checks out, and I come to Chicago.
Thank Jeebus that the other passengers didn't have to endure me having a wrench in my bag...

Friday Motivational Poster

Show of Hands

How many people think that the term "Birther" is used as a substitute for "Nigger"



Story here

To summarize my day

Science

"We don't have a bowling alley at Fermilab"

Blah

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but July in SF sucks. Glad I'm going to Chicago next week. I've signed up for the Soldier Field Crit on 8/12 and hopefully I can pick up some more racing while I'm there.

Krugman makes a good point on health care.

One of the truly amazing and depressing things about the health reform debate is the persistence of fear-mongering over “socialized medicine” even though we already have a system in which the government pays substantially more medical bills (47% of the total) than the private insurance industry (35%).

Keep the Menlo GP Alive

Where'd The Week Go?

Lot's of work this week, not much time for anything else.

E has been racking up the Flyer Miles and seeing lots of cool stuff.

The Tour is coming to a close, great stage today. Parts of the tour (Green Jersey competition, Thor's Stage 17 breakaway, Columbia owning the flat stages, Lance's return) have been a lot of fun to watch. Other parts (Contador looking "too good", no real competition for the overall) have been a little disappointing. Thor Hushovd has been the highlight of the race for me. He has built a big lead in the points competition by riding aggressively and intelligently, to the point where Cavendish was penalized for Columbia trying to box him on Stage 14.

The problem I have with the tour is that it's become more of a measure of the best climber than the best bike rider. Alberto Contador has been dominant this year, winning in the mountains and in yesterday's time trial. I'm admittedly not a fan of his, but I really hope he's racing clean. It's sad that the state of cycling has me questioning every result. But when the 5'9" 140lb Contador is beating Cancellara in time trials, even with some questionable motorpacing, it's enough to raise some eyebrows.

Coming on the heels of DiLuca's positive in the Giro, it would be catastrophic to have to tour winner caught doping. I don't like even raising the suspicion of it, but Contador's performance certainly demands attention. If this were baseball or football no one would care, even open cheaters get away with trivial punishments. But Cycling cares about doping, and since Cycling catches and punishes its riders it is viewed as being a bigger problem.

If he's clean, you would think that yesterday's effort will leave him vulnerable for tomorrow's stage up Ventoux. We'll see, hopefully it will be an entertaining stage.

Kim Jung Il still needs a hug. Seriously this dudes need for attention is off the charts. You never know whether stories like this are true, but the keep the little dictator in the headlines.

Colbert's Health Care Hell-Scare - Die-agnosis: Mur-DR

Remember Iran? You know the millions of people that were in upheaval over a fraudulent election. Well, even the death of Michael Jackson didn't stop them (it just caused the media to stop caring). They're still fighting.

The World according to Pravda. Funny stuff.

I'll leave you with this bit of awesomeness:

July in SF

Is just stupid cold, and dark and rather bleak. I think every July I wish I was living somewhere (anywhere) else, but every year I make it through, and August is better, and September is better still.

I was planning on racing Sunday, but ended up riding 80 miles on Saturday so I didn't feel too motivated on Sunday.

The Tour has been fun. Most of the drama has been background stuff. I can't imagine anyone is surprised that Contador flew up Verbier yesterday. Columbia had a nightmarish today on Saturday, with Hancapie missing yellow by five seconds and Cavendish being penalized for an irregular sprint.

Next few days should be interesting. It will be fun to see who gets stronger and who fades.

Every time I see Contador do his stupid gun shot thing at the finish I think of this:




Elsewhere: Livestrong MCA!

Lock up your dogs, Vick's on the loose.

Another shocker, the former first ho's were a pain in the ass.

And the stupidest Republican of the day is in Virginia.

Quizes are fun

So take this one

San Rafael Twilights

I decided to not race in this one, but E and I went to see the pros. The women's race was really good, lots of breaks, lots of hard work. ProMan and Tibco fought it out for dominance and in the end, ProMan prevailed. Coming out of the last turn it looked wide open, then a bolt of lighting named Coryn Rivera struck, leaving me to mutter "Holy Shit" and the rest of the girls to watch in awe.


Ms Rivera sitting a comfortable second wheel.


Alison Starnes driving hard

The mens race was equally good, one of the best fields I've seen. USA Crit Champion Rashann Bahati, Ben Jaques-Mayne, Dan Hollaway, Freddie Rodriguez, Chad Gerlach, and the day's winner Ken Hanson, put on a great show. The final sprint was awesome, with Hanson just holding off Bahati for the win.

Unfortunately no pics for the men.

This weekend should be a good one for racing, Saturday in Novato and Sunday in Berkeley.

Weeds + Snakes

Just finished watching Season Two of Weeds. This is pure genious. Sorry- Embed is disabled.

Who Says the Brits are Repressed?

An Orgasm A Day?

Mr Slack believes that if teenagers are fully informed about sex and are making their decisions of their own will in a loving relationship, they have an equal right as an adult to an enjoyable sex life.

Maybe then they won't be resorting to using Mountain Dew as Birth Control?

Good People, Good Times

Really, it's hard to beat a DBT show. Whether it's the whole band, parts of the band, or former members of the band, you're going to see a good great show. Case in point, Patterson Hood & The Screwtopians last night at The Independent. It's so clear that Patterson loves being on stage playing music. I've seen so many bands put on a good show, only to follow it up with a disappointing performance. I've seen DBT, Patterson Hood, and Jason Isbell over a dozen times, and every show has been great. Patterson only played two DBT songs last night, which was a little surprising. One being Feb 14, which happens to be the song that introduced me to the Truckers (yep, I was quite late to the party). I loved last nights version, which was, in keeping with the show, very chill. The show had the same feel as listening to his new album does. I could have sat there all night listening, and been quite happy.



Will Johnson, front man of Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel when not a Screwtopian got to play his own song (and I cannot for the life of me, think of the name of it) which just confirmed all the more that I need to see a CM/SSG show. He and Patterson were great together.

The Truckers will be back with Booker T in October for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, but I might not be able to wait that long.

JPW, we're going on that bike ride!

TdF Stage 6- Thor Brings the Thunder

Really, You Can't Make This Shit Up.

Arizona State Senator thinks the Earth is 6000 years old.

I'm sure there's a reason why it's 6000 years old, and not 5000 or 7000, but I really don't care. Stupid people annoy me.

Show of Hands

Who is surprised by this?

In a videotape obtained by CNN, a covert GAO inspector places a bag containing bomb components on an X-ray machine conveyor belt and then walks through a magnetometer at an unidentified federal building. Unlike some covert tests that use simulated explosives, the GAO used actual bomb components in the test and publicly available information "to identify a type of device that a terrorist could use" to damage a building.

Russia Does it Again

World’s strongest vagina breaks own record lifting 14 kilos

A Russian woman has set a new world record, lifting a 14-kg. glass ball with her vagina muscles.

I can't possibly add anything to this, except... why?

Tour Time

I typically prefer the one day races to the Grand Tours. But the French version just has so much pageantry that it's hard to not appreciate. So far, the race has been a blast and so many pieces are in place for this to go down as one of the best Tour's in History. Fabian Cancellara absolutely crushed the TT on Saturday, he's so fun to watch. It must be really demoralizing to everyone else when he's on good form. When he is, he's unbeatable. Speaking of unbeatable- Mark frikkin Cavendish- holy crap. The fastest guy in the race, no question about it. If he makes to Paris, it's difficuly to imagine him not winning the Green Jersey. Thor is hanging tough, but he's going to need to get/make some luck.



Ironic maybe that when the peloton split today, Lance was in position to jump with it, and Contador was not. I doubt it means much it the overall race, but I'm sure it's feeding the fires inside Astana. It just shows that the mental aspects of cycling are just as important as the physical ones.

On the course, seeing the conditions, everyone should have known that a split was possible. Still when Columbia made the move to break it apart only a handful of guys- notably Lance, Thor, Cancellara- were where they needed to be. Those that got left behind were screwed. For most of the GC guys, the gap wasn't fatal, but to the other Green Jersey contenders- especially those who were caught out by yesterday's crash- they have their work cut out for them.

Expect big changes in the standings tomorrow from the Team Time Trial.

Go Away Already

Despite her disastrous performance in the 2008 election, Sarah Palin is still the sexiest brand in Republican politics

Palin is unlike any other national figure in modern American life—neither Anna Nicole Smith nor Margaret Chase Smith but a phenomenon all her own. The clouds of tabloid conflict and controversy that swirl around her and her extended clan—the surprise pregnancies, the two-bit blood feuds, the tawdry in-laws and common-law kin caught selling drugs or poaching game—give her family a singular status in the rogues’ gallery of political relatives. By comparison, Billy Carter, Donald Nixon, and Roger Clinton seem like avatars of circumspection. Palin’s life has sometimes played out like an unholy amalgam of Desperate Housewives and Northern Exposure.

Music Update

I haven't talked about music in while and what better time than now? Lot's of good new stuff out, and some great shows coming up. I missed Deer Tick last night at the Independant (thanks United). Their new album sounds really good. Next Wednesday is Patterson Hood supporting his excellent new album, this will be the second time I've seen him solo, the first was in Atlanta and it may have been the best show I've ever seen. Also next week is Chuck Ragan, who is always a good show. Then Friday is Cracker, and yes, they have a new album out too. I like this album more than most of their older stuff, probably because P Hood was involved.

Other good albums I've been listening to:

Kristeen Young, Damien Jurado, Blind Pilot, and Dinosaur Jr. Oops almost forgot one of my faves, Silversun Pickups

This is Encouraging

It's a step forward at least.

Three new genetic studies are providing some tantalizing hints about what causes schizophrenia.

Burlingame Crit

I sucked, but lots of other people didn't.

Alison Starnes had a great solo victory in the womens race. Team Tibco was about as dominant as could be.



She went solo with 12-13 laps to go and never looked back. Shelley Olds put forth a great effort to try and chase her down ...



It looked like, with one lap left, Shelley had a chance, but she couldn't close the gap and Alison had time to celebrate her well earned victory



Tibco took 3 of the top five spots. Brooke Miller looked like she could have won the race, but with a teammate solo of the front an another on Shelley Olds wheel she had to wait to let it go, which got her 4th (trust me, that's her behind the Blackberry)



In the mens race it was a break of four that got away about half way through the race and stayed out.



That's Chad Gerlach in black. What an amazing story he is, and it's great to see him back racing.



Chad ended up taking second to Scott Zwizanski. Garmin U23 rider Daniel Hollaway was impressive, taking the field sprint for 5th.

All in all, it was some really great racing. I had a lot of fun watching, which was good since I wasn't in the best of moods after my stellar DNP.

Another Example of Stereotypes Saving Time

Russians like to drink? Yes they do.

Russians currently consume almost twice the global average, the equivalent of 6.2 liters of pure ethanol alcohol per year, the global report found.

A new study by an international team of public health researchers documents the devastating impact of alcohol abuse on Russia - showing that drinking caused more than half of the deaths among Russians aged 15 to 54 in the turbulent era following the Soviet collapse.
The 52 percent figure is compared with estimates that less than 4 percent of deaths worldwide are caused by alcohol abuse, according to the study by Russian, British and French researchers published in Friday's edition of the British medical journal The Lancet.

The King (of Pop) Is Dead

I wouldn't wish his life on anyone.

This was one of my favorites of his

Still More Neda

It seems every time Glen Greenwald posts something, I end up linking to it.

The White House Press corps loves to laugh condescendingly at Helen Thomas because, tenaciously insisting that our sermons to others be applied to our own Government, she acts like a real reporter (exactly as -- according to Politico's Josh Gerstein -- White House reporters "could be seen rolling their eyes and shifting in their seats" when Obama called on The Huffington Post's Nico Pitney, who has done some of the most tireless work on Iran, gave voice to actual Iranians, and posed one of the toughest questions at the Press Conference). The premise of Thomas' question was compelling and (contrary to Obama's dismissal) directly relevant to Obama's answers: how is it possible for Obama to pay dramatic tribute to the "heartbreaking" impact of that Neda video in bringing to light the injustices of the Iranian Government's conduct while simultaneously suppressing images that do the same with regard to our own Government's conduct?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wait, do I hear a Democrat speaking up and making sense?

These arguments will come from the very people who denied that the economic recovery plan created any jobs. We have a very odd economic philosophy in Washington: It’s called weaponized Keynesianism. It is the view that the government does not create jobs when it funds the building of bridges or important research or retrains workers, but when it builds airplanes that are never going to be used in combat, that is of course economic salvation.

You Get What You Pay For.

More on Neda

And I can't help noticing that, even for people who report that they were moved to tears, shakes and nightmares by the video, Neda's murder has already become abstracted. Says Ulrike Putz, writing in Der Spiegel (and republished on Salon), "she has... become an icon, a martyr for the opposition in Iran. Neda has given the regime's brutality a bloody face and a name. Overnight 'I am Neda,' has become the slogan of the protest movement." An icon, a martyr, a symbol, a slogan. Not so much a person anymore.

via Salon

"His Name Is Robert Paulsen"

Her name was Neda...

Read This

Since this doesn't involve Palin, it will probably never be reported by the main stream media.

Read and Learn

Please take the time you'd spend being frustrated or feeling compassion for Fayiz, and invest it in a phone call or e-mail to your local paper and/or Congressperson. Make a difference. Please.

Wednesday Links

Random stuff on the Nets:



A thought excercise, if nothing else-What's the Matter with San Francisco?
Are "rich liberals" who vote for Democrats and higher taxes for themselves displaying the same irrational behavior as working-class men and women who vote for Republicans and lower taxes... for the rich?

Iran on the brink?
In 15 years of writing about the Middle East, I have never encountered a situation that changed so fast that one could write an article that becomes outdated in the time it takes to write it.

Salty microbe may be world's oldest
Deep in the mine, within a pocket of salt water trapped in a 250 million-year-old salt crystal, two biologists and a geologist discovered the 2-9-3 virgibacillus bacteria. This would be unremarkable save for the fact that this bacteria was 100 million years older than the dinosaurs... and it was still alive.

Tweeting the Revolution
By yesterday, half of the Twitterverse had green icons, in solidarity with the Iranian people. Efforts to block twitter and silence the Iranian twitterers were being countered by internet saavy geeks and hackers all over the world. Demonstrations were increasing. Tension was mounting. CNN was scrambling and the beat went on.

and...

Why There's No Twitter Revolution in Iran
"Social media is not at all a prime mover of what is happening on the ground," says Ethan Zuckerman, a senior researcher at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society...

Not just any A-Hole, but a Fox A-Hole
Even before he was accused of dragging a cyclist through Central Park, former colleagues tell us they were afraid to be around him.

Quarter of men in South Africa admit rape, survey finds
One in four men in South Africa have admitted to rape and many confess to attacking more than one victim, according to a study that exposes the country's endemic culture of sexual violence.

Obama, Obama, Obama...
Everyone loves a parade, but we don't like being betrayed. And while gay and lesbian Americans were initially willing to cut our new president some slack, the president's now-clear reticence to follow through on even one of his many campaign promises to the gay community has put the Democratic Party on the precipice of an ugly and very public divorce with this once-solid constituency.

Woman cancels wedding after finding fiance was porn star
"The sex side is purely for the camera, but Haylie did not understand I was only acting...I am sorry and did not want to hurt her. I still love Haylie and would have stopped doing porn if she had asked me to."

Bang bang

Last week I had the opportunity to see the Felice Brothers, twice. Which brings my total to five and a half. The half being when they opened for the Truckers and I got there late. They are definately a great show, one of a handful of favorites. James Felice is about as nice a guy as you'll ever meet at a rock show.



Funny though, I listed to their albums and I'm just not moved. They just have so much energy on stage that can't be matched on a recording. I'll keep seeing them every chance I get, and buying James a shot at every opportunity.

Also saw Au Revoir Simone on Saturday. Generally not a show I would have seen, but I was already in North Beach, half drunk, and entertaining some Norwegians that wanted to see the show, so off to Bimbo's we went. It was my first time in Bimbo's and I really don't feel that I've missed out on much. The opening band was The Antlers, and they were surprisingly good. They had a nice Sigur Ros vibe that made them easy to listen to. Then Au Revoir Simone came out, three girls with synthesizers. They were cute and put on a good show. So all was fun, well putting aside that the Norwegians kept feeding me Vodka-Red Bulls. Nasty drink, that.
I think it was their way of getting even with me for making rotten fish jokes.

The Efficacy of People

In 2000, when the US election was stolen, people pouted. They wrote blog entries, they wrote books, they made documentaries, they watched The Daily Show. They complained, nothing happened. And the US was stuck with the worst administration in our history.

In 2009, the Iranian election was stolen, and the people are making shit happen. President Ahmadinejad has left the country out of fears for his safety.



Time will tell whether the Iranian people are more effective than their American counterparts, but they can't be less effective.

And yet, these people that are taking to the streets- living Democracy without living in Democracy- are our enemies because "they hate our freedoms" -George W. Bush, March 18, 2002.

Glenn Greenwald makes a great point about it.

Much of the same faction now claiming such concern for the welfare of The Iranian People are the same people who have long been advocating a military attack on Iran and the dropping of large numbers of bombs on their country -- actions which would result in the slaughter of many of those very same Iranian People.

Time will tell what happens, I'll be watching.

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This is awesome.

Hmmm, I see the thought process here -I got a tatoo, but no one likes it, so I'll sue the tatoo artist. Hard to believe it didn't happen in America.

A teenage girl is suing a tattoo artist for £8,500 after she allegedly asked him for three stars on her face - but ended up with 56.

Eighteen-year-old Kimberley Vlaminck paid £55 for 'the graffiti that has ruined my life' in her Belgian home town of Courtrai.

She claims she fell asleep while he was doing his work... and awoke to 'this nightmare'.

Rouslan Toumaniantz, who runs the tattoo parlour called The Tattoo Box in Courtrai, denies her claim.

He said she knew 'exactly what she wanted'.

He added: 'She was awake and looked into the mirror several times as the procedure was taking place.

'The trouble all started when she went home and her father and boyfriend threw a fit.

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O'Bama takes two steps back for every one step forward.

If you take a good hard look at the direction Obama has taken on gay rights, I’m not sure how you can come to any conclusion other than he thinks they aren’t equal. Maybe that’s OK with you, in which case, fuck you and fuck him


Pelosi just plain sucks.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the White House will try to muscle through a $106 billion war funding bill today, hoping to quell a rebellion among liberal Democrats against further support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The healthcare war has started.

The last president to successfully take on the giant health care lobbies was LBJ. He got Medicare and Medicaid enacted because he weighed into the details, twisted congressional arms, threatened and cajoled, drew lines in the sand, and went to war against the AMA and the other giant lobbyists standing in the way. The question now is how much LBJ is in Barack Obama.

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Alberto Contador needs a hug.

"I will have to deal with [Denis] Menchov, [Cadel] Evans, the Schleck brothers, [Carlos] Sastre and my teammates Armstrong and Leipheimer,"

As usual BKW spells it out quite nicely.

Hinault understood an important lesson about rivals that Armstrong learned well and Contador doesn’t remotely understand. Make your rivals doubt. Make them doubt themselves. Make them doubt each other. Make them doubt your words.

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Beer in a pouch? I'm intrigued. But the packaging is so much better with bottles.
Maybe I should run to the ATM so I can go buy some.

Lazy Candy

Well done India, just because times change, why should you?

Colleges in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh said Wednesday that female students would be banned from wearing jeans and other Western clothes to halt sexual harassment by male classmates.

Maybe you want to address the problem that your young men are so sexually repressed that they can't control themselves when they see a babe in jeans? Just sayin'.

Fortunately, the girls are not all relying on the powers that be to protect them.

Prostitutes in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu have begun taking karate lessons to protect themselves from violent customers and pimps.

"A thug once stripped me of my clothes and told me to run naked. From now on, I think nobody can do that to me. I will kick him."

Men prefer "average sized women"

Researchers found that men preferred the shape of ordinary women, equivalent to dress size 14, than so-called super-attractive models, according to a study that compared the body shapes of ordinary women, Playboy centrefolds, models from the 1920s and 1990s and glamour girls.

Note to researchers- having girlfriends stand over the guys shoulders while taking the survey is likely to skew the results.

Oh, nevermind, it was a study of Austalian men.

Professor Rob Brooks at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and colleagues, asked 100 male students to judge the attractiveness of 201 line drawings of female torsos ...

The Anne Frank House is one of the most powerful places I've ever been, and it's about to get even moreso.

The Anne Frank House museum says it will put the teenage Holocaust victim's diaries and other writings on permanent display to commemorate what would have been her 80th birthday on Friday.

I wish someone could dish out the straight story on health care. I know two things: 1) Everyone should have access to health care and 2) The same people that brought you the DMV are not capable of providing Health insurance.

Adding more layers of BS between patients and doctors is not helpful and will only serve to make everything more expensive and restrict patient choices.

You go Oregon!

Because the Oregon Supreme Court has prohibited regulating any speech on the basis of content, strip clubs are allowed to operate in any commercial zone regardless of local opposition.

And finally, we end with this.

Instead, a teacher she confided in about the torrid relationship asked her out, while another stopped into the Centerfolds club where she works for a lap dance.

Nice work. Teachers everywhere should be proud.

We're Below Ohio

I just created Kentucky's new state motto.

Word

Until a public option is passed, I don't want to hear about the latest hate and idiocy spewing from Limbaugh, or Tancredo, or Palin, or Gingrich, or whoever. And to tell you the truth, I don't want to attack them for it, either. Because, right now, Republicans are not the obstacle to progressive governance. Instead, Democrats who refuse to support a public option are the obstacle.

More

I mentioned this before, and know the Guardian has a piece, appropriately titled "Is fascism on the march again?"


I feel a little silly for my reaction to North Korea's treatment of American Journalists. While it can't be condoned, it's hard to deny that North Korea had a good teacher.

Lakhdar Boumediene is an Algerian (and Bosnian citizen) who, while living in Bosnia and working for the International Red Crescent, was arrested by the Bosnian government (at the behest of the Bush administration) shortly after 9/11 on charges of plotting to blow up a U.S. and British embassy, but was then quickly cleared by Bosnian courts of any wrongdoing and ordered released. But as he was about to be released — in January, 2002 — he was abducted by the U.S. military inside Bosnia and shipped to Guantanamo, where he remained without charges for the next almost 8 years, and was clearly tortured.


“This is wonderful news, and long overdue. The US administration has never had any reason for holding Mr. Al Haj, and has, instead, spent six years shamelessly attempting to turn him against his employers at al Jazeera. We at Reprieve send him our best wishes as he is reunited with his wife and his seven-year-old son Mohammed, whom he has not seen since Mohammed was a baby.”

That's going to be the legacy of Bush. People all over the world doing unspeakable shit and holding us up as an example.

I think my Grandma used to tell me this, or maybe it was somebody elses Grandma, or even someone who may or may not have been a Grandma, but played one on the TeeVee...

"You reap what you sow."

Oh right, it was Jeebus.

GALATIANS 6: 7-9 (KJV)
7: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8: For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
9: And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Damn

It's another Monday. I spent the weekend recovering from some virus. It's a boring but seemingly unavoidable consequence to being alive. Oh well, it's not like the weather we've been having is anything worth venturing out into.

Been listening to some new music of late. The Silversun Pickups new album is growing on me. Panic Switch is the only real grabber, but some other ones are starting to grow on me. Blind Pilot has also found its way into heavy rotation. There a some new tracks from The National floating around. If they are any indication, then the next album should be really good.

While waiting for my Chicken-Cheese Steak today, I was watching what passes for TV news. As expected, I was horrified; the story about the SF Journalists sentenced to 12 years hard labor in North Korea had finished and the Bimbette was reading reviews. Apparently, this bastion of Journalistic Standards allows viewers to txt/email/Voice Msg their feedback about the story... hilarity ensues- not.

First person claims that the risk is part of the job, "Cause they can win, like, awards 'n stuff."

Second person says it really awful, but that's what they get for sneaking around.

Third person says that if you're going to leave the US, then you're taking your life into your own hands.

Fourth person says military action is the only option.

Thankfully that's when my sandwich got messed up so my attention got diverted.

Seriously, that's what you should expect if you leave the US? Ten bucks says this person can't name the Capital of Nebraska (they may actually have been from Nebraska, but the bet still stands).

So two women, US Citizens, who were working on a project to attract attention to the horrible plight suffered by some women and children in North Korea, stuff like this.

For this they "deserve what they get."

And the "News Person", who must've started with the doorman and blown every dude in her path to even be allowed to step into the studio, says nothing.

Humanity, I weep for thee.

If you want a good read, go here. It's a little long, and there are a lot of stats that could use a source, but's it's a good read still.

So, to make up for messing up my sandwich, they gave me free fries, and the messed up sandwich to bring make to the shop.

IB's is awesome, just don't be in a hurry, or come in with an attitude.

Ya Know

I try to be culturaly sensitive. Especially growing up in the US, where all our culture is stolen borrowed from everywhere else. But seriously China, WTF? Who comes up with this crap?

BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese health authorities are putting a stop to restaurants serving chickens which have been bitten to death by poisonous snakes and cooked up for a supposedly detoxing meal.

followed by:

One dish, prized among some in Guangdong, is monkey brains scooped from a live animal, which has regularly upset animal rights campaigners in the West.


I think I'll just stick with beer.

Researchers at Granada University in Spain have come across a discovery that will undoubtedly please athletes and sports enthusiasts - a pint of beer post-workout or match is better at rehydrating the human body than water.

June Is Here

Time for summer, right?



Sure looks like it.


The Giro is over and Menchov won. It was a good race and I was glad that Menchov won it. I would liked to have seen a little more from Team Faded, esp Levi, but that's not the way it turned out. Though they did win the team competition, I expected Levi to at least podium, and thought Lance would be Top 10.

I had a nice ride with the team yesterday. Though I missed meeting the team until the end, it was still fun to ride from the bridge to 21st Ammendment. They're a great sponsor and they were awesome yesterday. The Watermelon beer is really good.

We celebrated E's completion of being sick by going to a really nice dinner at Foreign Cinema. Everything was good, but the Pork Chop was maybe the best one I've ever had, and the Late Harvest Viognier was the culinary discovery of the year.

And just because the World is a wacky place, have some links:

Probably should have checked with the wife first.


To hell with candlelight vigils

And Fox is right in the middle of it

Obama is shocked.

Not a day for happy news:
GM files for bankruptcy

Air France Jet Missing

North Korea Testing More Missles

But, as long as there are visionaries around to keep designing things like Bikini Jeans, the world be continue to be alright.

Someone Please Tell Me This Is Fake

More sadness here

Pray that God Forgives Mixed Metaphors

Cheap Laptops

Laptop Hunters: Jennie - watch more funny videos

Memorial Day = Summer

So of course the weather sucks.




But I still managed to get a good ride in. I went to the East Bay (where it promised to be warmer) and rode Diablo a couple times.

Cervelo blew it today in the Giro. They gave up an almost sure stage win, reportedly because Sastre wanted help to bring back and irrelevant break by Basso. This has the feel of something that is more than it seems. Maybe something will happen tomorrow to explain it better. Menchov is looking very strong, but the next two stages are going to be very telling. I'm guessing the standings on Thursday will look a bit different than they do today.

Colin Powell is trying to make sense. Fortunately he's already allowed his reputation to be damaged enough to be much of an influence. And he's black, so most of the people he's talking to, i.e. Repub's, won't listen to him anyway.

Benjamin Button is a very sad movie. It stops just short of the "Eternal Sunshine" problem- being too sad to be enjoyable. It does come close though. David Fincher is awesome... I need to watch Fight Club again.

The TT is done

After waiting for six months, the Stage 12 TT has come and gone. I guess, as is the case with most things you wait six months for, it wasn't all I hoped. Menchov and Levi both rode well, Lance rode well, there were surprises both good (Garzelli) and bad (Rogers), but all in all it held form and the guys that were supposed to rise to the top did.
I would have really liked to see what Fabian could have done on this course, but since he abandoned yesterday, it was not to be. I think there must be a story there, I hope it comes out. Why would the worlds best time trialist abandon the Giro on the day before the epic TT stage?

------------------------------------

Meanwhile, back in the real world...
It's fun to talk about the mental challenges involved in a three week bike race, but seriously you want mental toughness? Go here. It will give you an entirely different perspective on life, health, and the fucked up system that is Health Care in America.

What goes around

comes around

Limbaugh hasn't had a natural erection since the Nixon Administration; think he's compensating for something? Now, I wouldn't pick on him for any of this stuff, not his blubbiness, not his man-boobs, not his inability to have a natural erection -- none of that stuff -- to me, off limits until! until! -- Mr. Limbaugh, you turn that sort of gun on somebody else -- once you start doing that, you're fair game, fat boy. Absolutely, you jiggly pile of mess. You're just fair game, and you're going to get it, too. [Laughs] You'd better watch what you say, Limbaugh, because it can come back the other way.

This, I was not expecting.

Cancellara abandons

“It has been our plan all along for me, that I would be taking it day by day in the Giro. I'm very happy with the part of it that I have raced and the atmosphere here at the Giro is always really special. I'm very fond of this race and I've always felt extremely welcome here. I'd like to come back in one of the next seasons and if it fits in my program I would love to make a result here. I wish the rest of the team the best of luck for the rest of this great race”, says Fabian Cancellara who now looks forward to next goal up ahead.

This, on the other hand, I was expecting.

A perfect sprinters' stage, a perfect sprinter's lead-out, a perfect sprint - at least for one man and his team.

Damn. Just- Damn.

I've been looking forward to tommorows stage for months. Precisely to watch Fabian destroy it and leave others floundering in his wake. Now I'll have to try and find another reason to get excited about it. Maybe Lance will step up? After Levi's crash today, I'm not sure how well he'll do- and this really wasn't a course for him anyway.

Disappointed.

Time for an Update

It's been almost a week, I better post something.

The Giro has been great to watch. Lot's of people upset by yesterday's protest. Lance posted his thoughts here. I thought this take was pretty much how I feel about it. I've read more than a few people who want to call the riders pussies for not riding because it was too dangerous. Whatever, sometimes it take more balls to stand up for what you think is right instead of just doing what you're told.

I haven't seen anything to make me change my pick of Levi winning it. Thursday's TT will be the key. Some of the TT monsters (Cancellara, Zabriskie) haven't done anything yet, so maybe they'll show up fresh and put on a show.

Lucero rocked Slim's on Saturday night. Probably as good a show as can be seen there. Maybe next time they can book the Independent.

I did the Modesto RR yesterday. I had to drag my ass out of bed at 5am to drive to Modesto. Glad I did to, it was a fun race. I gave it what I had, and I felt really good, which caused me to spend too much time on the front and do too much work for the shape I'm in. So I faded in the end, but it was still a good time. I found out today that they missed me crossing the line, so I officially got a DNP, but really I was the "Unidentified Rider" in 34th. I've sent an email to see if I can get it changed, we'll see.

First race in the new kit, it's mighty fine looking if you ask me.

I never saw any of the Eurovision 2009 Song Contest. I'm sure if I did, I would have voted for Ukraine.

Resistance is Futile.

Restistance is Futile.

Resistance is Futile

And something good to end with.

Mother of The Year

A Maryland woman involved with a group described as a religious cult pleaded guilty in the starvation death of her son, but insisted that the charges be dropped when he is resurrected.

There's so much funny stuff out there about the whole Miss California thing. I was going to link to some funny videos about it, but it's just not that important to me. Buy if you want to laugh, Olberman and Jon Stewart are the ones to look at.

The Giro is playing out according to script so far. Lance lost 3 minutes today, Levi and Horner still look good. I don't expect much to happen til the big TT next Thursday.

Too Funny not to share

Enjoy

Go Time!

The Giro starts tomorrow.
I'm pretty sure I've never been this excited about the Giro before, but this edition has a lot going for it. It's the Centennial addition, which makes it kind of special. There is no clear favorite, though my money is on Levi. It seems, from what people are saying anyway, that a lot of the favorites are racing to win instead of using it as a tune-up for France.
I'm also pretty excited to see Lance return. I have no idea what to expect from him, but nothing would surprise me.

It's going to be shown live on the web, and delayed on tv. Thank You Universal Sports!

The Team Time Trial tomorrow should be telling. I think there will be teams (Liquigas) that find themselves in a bit of a hole.

Other big stages are Stage 12 and Stage 17. I think those two stages will decide the race.

Following up on the last post, the Project Rwanda site has lots of opportunities to do some good.

Nice Liz Hatch video. Always nice to see locals doing well.

Alexander Vinokourov is trying to get back in the game. I have mixed feelings on this. He was one of my favorite riders, and there isn't anyone else like him in the peloton. But he cheated, more than that, he cheated at a time when cycling really needed a clean race and, to me, he did more damage than any of the other idiots that got caught.

Outside of Cycling Universe....

Really Texas? Really?

This morning I woke up not knowing this existed, and now my life is better for knowing it's out there.



Brings a tear to my eye and makes me proud to be an American.

At least more than this does.

The Obama administration will retain a Bush-era rule for polar bears, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Friday, in a move that angered activists who noted the rule limits what can be done to protect the species from global warming.

Just another reason in a very long list of why Dem's aren't really any better than Republicans

It's just so much easier to blame people for doing bad, than it is to do good.

Newly released CIA documents revealed that the Speaker of the House of Representatives was aware of the methods' deployment and not just their existence, as she had earlier claimed.