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St. John Street Cycles
A terrific resource for a huge variety of difficult to find bike parts and good quality, inexpensive steel road and touring frames.
Bill Moyers: "The Administration turned its hit men loose on us"
An insightful interview with Bill Moyers on the Republican attack on PBS and his show Now.
Pat Morita dead at 73
Best known as Mr. Miyagi from the movie The Karate Kid, Morita died on Nov. 24th.
A couple of bike links for the holidays
A selection of old stamped steel chainwheels with creative patterns and designs. The online BMX Museum, featuring vintage BMX bikes and their history.
ACLU sues over Bush's so-called "townhall meetings"
It has been common knowledge that audiences for taxpayer funded Bush administation "townhall meetings" are comprised entirely of pre-screened, loyalty-oath-signed members. That doesn't seem right in a democracy, does it? Well, the ACLU is finally doing something about exposing the dirty dealings behind our "open society".
No way out
It's not surprising that Bush attempted to evade reporters questions by trying to exit through locked doors. But in return for being subjected to his incompetence, we're rewarded with a timeless photo.
Gary Hart: God and Caesar in America
I recently heard an interesting interview with Gary Hart discussing his new essay which examines the developing theocracy in America and the religious right's chokehold on the Republican party. Buy Hart's essay here.
Fitzgerald to further CIA leak investigation with new grand jury
This means that the story is not over and may be widening. Karl Rove, Dick Cheney and even Bob Woodward are not out of the woods yet.
Photos from Iraq
A great Flickr photo stream taken by a soldier in Iraq.
Carter searches for our nation's lost values
A Nobel Peace Prize winner and perhaps the most honest president of the past century, Jimmy Carter has examined where the U.S. has lost its way in a new book. "Disturbed and angry" about the manipulation of our core concepts at the hands of the Bush administration, he notes a frightening and increasing joining of church and state. Although Carter is deeply religious, he also believes strongly in keeping religion and government apart.
John Edwards does what other politicians have not done: admits he was wrong
In a thoughtful and well written op-ed piece, John Edwards acknowleges that his support of the war in Iraq was a mistake. Furthermore, he accepts his share of responsibility and urges the Bush administration to do the same.
NIN visits New Orleans
First hand view of some amazing destruction of the lower ninth ward of the devastated city.
Fox pulls Arrested Development
It's too bad that one of the best, most creative and intelligent shows on television got the boot because of low ratings. Fox will now have more room to broadcast the tripe at the core of its offerings, such as the seizure-inducing Trading Spouses. Hopefully Arrested Development will find a home at another network.
Muhammad Ali gives Bush the crazy sign
You gotta love that a man who in his prime was famous for the ease and skill with which he brandished words dismisses the pathologically incommunicative Bush in a manner familiar to children on playgrounds around the world.
Compressed air powered car
It may be apparent that alternative fuels have been of interest to me recently, so here's the most radical alternative fueled vehicle there is: an air powered car.
Handcrank powered iPod
A nifty way to get your iPod off the grid. High do it yourself factor, but if that doesn't scare you away, give it a try.
New Stella pictures
This time it's Halloween and an introduction to rice cereal.
Why aren't clean diesel cars available in the U.S.?
Most car companies are large multi-national corporations who sell the same models the world over. Actually, they sell cars with the same name, not necessarily the same features. Why is it that highly fuel efficient versions of familiar models are not sold in the United States? It is difficult to believe that the U.S. government's lax efficiency standards are more stringent than those of Europe or Japan, so keeping more fuel efficient cars out of the country seems illogical. Is it the companies themselves who decide which models will be sold in which the U.S.? Is it lobbying dollars from Detroit manufacturers and their addiction to the SUV that keep efficient cars out?
The Kia Rio in the U.S. is a decently efficient small car, but why is it not possible to buy a diesel powered 50-60 mpg Kia Rio that is available in other countries? Europeans have embraced clean burning diesel-engined small cars, many of which have related but gasoline-only models in the U.S. If as a country we were able to reduce even modestly the percentage of gasoline-powered cars on the road and replace them with diesel versions capable of burning biodiesel or even vegetable oil, our dependence on foreign petroleum would be greatly reduced. American farmers could grow our fuel. This is not a pipe dream like hydrogen powered fuel-cell cars. There is a vast existing distribution network for diesel fuel already, but with the exception of limited numbers of diesel-powered Volkswagens, no car makers are taking advantage of it.
I have given up on American car manufacturers. It is easy to determine their desires from the nearly non-stop television commercials on evening programming. Their mantra is more horsepower, bigger is better, the past is the future. They push either massive steel or unnecessary opulence, or frequently both. Although Ford, GM and Daimler Chrysler all have clean diesel small cars that are sold in most of the resto of the world, in this country they ignore anyone who doesn't want a beastly gas guzzler that is too expensive or needlessly over-ornamented for standard use.
Recently while reading a Saturday Evening Post magazine from 1961, I came across an ad boasting of the terrific gas mileage of a 1961 Ford Falcon, a smallish (for the era) sedan, reportedly averaging 30 mpg. Compare that with the 2006 Ford Fusion, with an estimated fuel economy of 23 city and 32 highway (according to the Ford website). In the past nearly half a century have there been no technological advancements in fuel efficiency?
Democrats win big in off-year election
Democratic candidates won both governor races across the nation, in New Jersey and Virginia. Democrat Timothy M. Kaine came out on top in Virginia. This despite Bush putting in a last minute appearance for Jerry Kilgore the Republican gubernatorial candidate. John Corzine (D) currently a U.S. Senator won in New Jersey, defeating Republican Doug Forrester after a nasty campaign. In California, the "Gubernator" Arnold Schwarzenegger lost on all four of the ballot measures that he spent a lot of time and money promoting in the special election that he called. He said that the measures were essential for his idea of reform for the state. Apparently voters do not approve of "reform" in the shape of labeling workers as "special interests", redistricting to suit the Republican party or a swaggering style of governing that demands total compliance and threats to "kick the butts" of "girly men" who dare to oppose him. In Pennsylvania, voters ejected all of the religious wingnuts on the school board who sought to advance "intelligent design" under the guise of it being "science". However the religious right in Kansas reinforced their dispute with evolution, seeking to teach it as only one of apparently many theories on the origin of life. The good news is that anyone who has children who at some point will be trying to get into a good university won't have to worry about any competition from Kansas.
100 greatest internet moments
Someone has put together an amusing assembly of some of the best, cheesiest and/or funniest things since the advent of the "information superhighway".
How to use your Mac from anywhere
Cool VNC resources for accessing and controlling your Mac from other computers.
Top 100 DJs
For those who are into this sort of thing, this is a listing of the top 100 DJs as determined by the readers of DJ Magazine.
Sprawl
A disturbing panoramic photo of a hideous housing development consuming rolling green hills near San Ramon, CA.
Do those jeans make you look fat?
Gap, the clothing store, has an unusual promotional website on which you can define the parameters of an avatar of yourself and then watch your online surrogate model clothes, presumably so that you will want to buy them.
France enacts curfew to quell riots
After 12 days of rioting that began in suburbs of Paris and has spread across the nation, the French government is finally getting serious about trying to stop it.
Zogby poll: 53% would favor impeachment of Bush if he lied to take us to war with Iraq
It must be the day of the polls. In any case, not much is looking good for Bush. Especially since according to a non-partisan Zogby poll, a majority of the country supports impeachment if Bush has lied in order to justify the Iraq invasion. According to the 2004 Bush campaign, 53% would qualify as a "strong mandate".
Thousands protest Bush in Argentina
After "one of the worst weeks of his presidency" Bush received a less than warm welcome in attending a conference of Western Hemisphere leaders. However, Bush must have felt right at home, doing as he would in the White House or any place else for that matter by evading questions about the investigation focused on his closest advisor Karl Rove.
AP/Ipsos poll has Bush at 37% approval
This is the lowest mark so far for Bush in this poll, down from 39% in the previous results. Other categories of this poll are equally low. Along with the 35% approval rating from a recent CBS poll, this is "lower than any two-term president in the last 48 years except Richard Nixon."
GOP hack Kenneth Tomlinson out at CPB
This can only be good news for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, NPR, PBS and the millions of viewers who depend on public broadcasting for the most reputable news available in this country. A GOP crony, Tomlinson spent his time as chairman of CPB stacking the system with Republican operatives and constructing a framework dedicated to echoing the White House propaganda, and otherwise attempting to destroy public broadcasting from the inside. Tomlinson resigned, pending a soon-to-be-released report from the Inspector General, brought about by allegations that Tomlinson was politicizing the CPB. Tomlinson is now free to continue distorting the programming of Voice of America and other government broadcasts originating from another department of which he is also the head. Have the Republicans no shame when it comes to crushing dissent and supressing the truth? Obviously not.
ABC News/Washington Post Poll: 58% question Bush's integrity
Low marks across the board for Bush, regarding his honesty, job performance, handling of terrorism among other categories. Sixty percent disapprove of his performance in office. A whopping 68% believe that the country is seriously off course. Doin' a heck of a job!
Cheney's approval rating at 19%
You read it correctly, NINETEEN PERCENT. Cheney is hated. That means that more than 8 in 10 citizens of this country disapprove of Cheney or are at least uncomfortable in endorsing his conduct on their behalf. It's difficult to imagine that it could get much lower than that, but there's a good chance it will before the CIA leak scandal has come to a conclusion. Scroll down the page to see the results of the CBS News poll. Maybe those among the 19% also believe that he had nothing to do with Libby leaking a CIA agent's identity to the press.
Surly Pugsley
An extremely innovative bike, the Surly Pugsley can be ridden on ice, snow, sand and other surfaces that would be impossible on a standard bike. It utilizes much wider than average tires and other specially adapted parts. Certainly designed with the IditaBike in mind.
Bush approval now at just 35%
A CBS News poll shows that Bush is at a new record low approval rating of just 35%. That is down from the previous number of 39%. Not counting the religious extremists, the gun nuts and the war profiteers, that doesn't leave much room for mainstream America in the ranks of those who approve. Note to BushCo: this doesn't translate to a "mandate". Moreover, the CIA leak investigation was seen as being "of great importance" to the nation by 51% of those polled. Compare that number to polls taken for the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal of 41% (poll conducted 1/98) which led to an impeachment, and 53% for Watergate (poll taken 5/73) which led to Nixon's resignation. That means the public, so far without the benefit of a responsible investigative media, already view the CIA leak as something very serious. With coverage likely to increase as Libby faces trial and pressures mount on Karl Rove and Dick Cheney, the public at large could finally be exposed to the manipulation and deceit at the core of this administration.
Flight Patterns
Visual representations of flight patterns over the United States.
Buckminster Fuller: Everything I Know
Transcripts from a 42 hour session with Bucky, including thoughts on his Dymaxion house, tensegrity, geodesic shapes and other items from the full range of his genius.
Sen. Reid blasts the lack of Senate oversight of the Bush administration
Reid made a great speech in front of the Senate earlier and then forced the Senate into a closed session to discuss what should be done in regard to the CIA leak and the breach of national security. Majority Leader Bill Frist called Reid's speech a "slap in the face". Rightly so. He needed it. Finally, someone in the Democratic party is standing up to those who would brush yet another treasonous scandal under the carpet. Give 'em hell, Harry.
Informative blog by a Macromedia employee
Vera Fleischer is a Flash software developer for Macromedia.
Bush returns to the familiar manipulation of the radical right
With all the problems that Bush, Inc. had last week, it's not surprising that they've opted to change the subject as quickly as possible. Apparently the careful deliberation that they talked about after the withdrawal of Harriet Miers required only a weekend. After choking on a crony who was not psychotic enough for their liking, the radical right resumes its love affair with Bush for nominating an activist uber-conservative judge. The wingnuts are back on their favorite mantra of demanding an "up-or-down vote", which was notably absent concerning Miers.
Crab through a crack
Odd footage of a crab being sucked into a 3mm wide slit in a pipe with the aid of 2700 psi of force. It happened in the deep ocean near a pipe that was being repaired. Requires QuickTime to view.
WFMU in the NYT
An interesting article about the greatest radio station in the history of the world, freeform WFMU.
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