Velonews Foaming Rant does a 'road trip' through Arizona and NM.

Key quote:

One night a family of javelina comes calling. These midget swine take no more interest in me than their burlier cousins in our nation's capital, but are more fun to watch as they snuffle around the campsite. Plus they don't steal, or suddenly start oinking about Jesus when they get caught with a trotter in the till.

Nice photo essay here. This groups arguement? They are indigenous and thus have the only claim to the SW US. One could go further and say that the entire continent belongs to indiginous indian tribes. Most of them got wiped out, but some assimulated into European cultures. It's kinda like the Isreal/Palastine situation, except that regligion is not really involved. And these people have pratically no support mechanism, whereas the Palastinians have all of the mideast routing for them (and giving them money). Yes they have a claim, no they can't have their land back. The Spanish govt took it, if they have a problem they should protest in Spain, not in the U.S.

Got an email from a friend, he said this.

i haven't seen or heard anything from the anti-war movement on the current war in Uganda:


it is ongoing and is estimated to have claimed three times as many lives as the Iraq war.

the main difference is that there is no USA involvement, so no way to spin it against the USA.

the 'anti-war' movement hates the fact that the soviet empire fell apart, and hates to see democracy, freedom and capitalism spread in the world. otherwise they would also be crying about Africans killing each other, rather than putting all of their partisan and/or racist and/or USA-hating focus on Iraq. the anti-war movement consists of communist, socialist and 'fellow-traveller' sympathizer organizations. to paraphrase orwell, pacifism helps the other side, which is in this case those who seek to
crush freedom.

to those i've blind copied, please spread the word about the anti-war movement hypocrisy and agenda.

And you haven't heard them complain much about the Darfur conflict, in which possibly hundreds of thousands have died. One thing is for sure, Africa is as much of as a mess as any other time.

America is definately war weary. If we were not so involved in Iraq and Afghanistan maybe we would hear more and there would be more of a call to do something. But I think America is tired of being the world's policeman. Sorry to say this, but the conflict should benefit us in some way I think to step into it. The Iraq war is all about oil, who are we kidding to suggest otherwise? We want more and stable access to oil, and we are tired of being at the whims of tin-pot dictators would dictate our foreign policy because they have us over an oil barrel. The spread of democracy in Iraq will hopefully prove the seed for a more stable mid-east, and that would decrease oil prices in the long run (but definately not in the short run).

Pretty good points there. Itunes and Ipods should not be so intertwined (you have to use Itunes if you have an Ipod, and the music format is specific to Apple). Also the whole movie piracy thing...when they charge $20-$30 to download a movie, piracy is a strong choice. When they charge $2-5 to download the same movie, then piracy is less of a choice for people like me (not like i download movies too much). It's all about money vs convenience. We can get this stuff on Ebay for $5, so why can't we download it for the same amount? Some day the MPAA will wake up and realize it's all about copyright and not the medium. Download should equal the going price of a movie, if you can download all the features. If you can't, then it should be a smaller percentage. I've heard once that the cost of making a music CD boils down to %5 for the music artist, the rest goes to the record company for cover art, etc. But if you download the album, there is no cover art. So those people don't deserve that slice of pie. Accordingly, most download services allow you to download an album for $10. Never mind that the same album on CD sells on Ebay for $2.

That's the story a recent survey paints. I know crime has increased in the city significantly. But I do know people who were evacuees and could find decent jobs. So, i dunno. But esp. w/ this administration, it's going to take a long time for NOLA to come back, if it ever does.

From a CNN story.

Christmas
Front: "Spread some holiday cheer." Inside: "Or drink alone. Who am I to judge?"

Mother's Day
Front: "When I think of you, Mom, I swell with pride." Inside: "At least I hope it's pride. Otherwise, I'm pregnant again."

Wedding
Front: "Did I hear wedding bells?" Inside: "Or was that the natural disaster siren? Sometimes I get them confused. Whatever it was, it was loud. Congratulations ... or take cover!"

Or snagged, whatever. Reminds me of the state record smallmouth i caught in Hawaii; ah, good times!

Another cyclist was killed last week at a popular area for biking. Again, the vehicle was at fault. Again, the vehicle driver was young, black, female, and driving an SUV. This can't be a coincidence. Accidents occur because either the cyclist or vehicle is not paying attention and following the rules of the road.

Here is what I sent to the Chronicle.

I was saddened to hear another Houston cyclist (Roman Aranda, March 20th) was killed near Chappell Hill; this makes two cyclists killed near Houston in the last few weeks. Spring is prime biking seasons as many of us train for charity rides, the largest being the MS150. It is essential that bikes and cars share the road, this is a joint effort. Here are some thoughts that would go a long way to cut down on bike/car accidents.

Bicyclists:
1) Ride on the shoulder if it's available, otherwise occupy the right-most third of the right lane.
2) Signal all turns, and look ahead and behind for car traffic.
3) If turning left, move gradually over to the left-most lane going your direction and turn. Do not suddenly turn left from the right shoulder
4) Be predictable; the best way to avoid collisions is to act like a car, and signal intentions.

Car drivers:
1) Treat bicyclists like cars. They deserve to use the road just as much as you.
2) Do not pass cyclists until safe to do so; it is a good idea when approaching cyclists from behind to match their speed for a few seconds, 25' behind the cyclists, to ensure no oncoming traffic is coming.
3) Realize that certain areas of the region will have a higher concentration of cyclists on Saturday and Sunday mornings; this includes Chappell Hill, Alvin, and Fulshear, and plan appropriately.
4) Realize that certain areas will have large organized rides with thousands of cyclists. Check the MS150 web page for a series of organized rides; these rides usually have maps available ahead of time.

Public officials:
1) The lack of punishment for persons driving vehicles which cause fatal accidents is morally reprehensible. Several statues apply, including manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon, and criminal negligance. Not punishing drivers at all sends a signal that persons can use their vehicle as a deadly weapon without fear of consequences.
2) Bicylists desparately need roads with shoulders or lanes large enough to accomidate both car and bike. There are few in the counties surrounding Houston, and practically none within the city itself. Houston was named as one of the worst cycling cities in America because of this, as anyone who road the Tour de Houston can appreciate.

It is helpful to remind the public that cyclists training for large rides such as the MS150 are not just riding for personal fitness but are working to improve the public health of local Texans, and supporting the civic organizations (ie the Lions club) which make our community strong. Without local cyclists local charities would lose a major source of revenue to support their efforts to help Texans.

From mom. Seems like good advice. I bought Enron at a nickle a share, but now it's stopped being traded even on the small board. So i lost my investment (some $20). I feel bad for those who invested so heavily in the high flyer stocks. I know a friend of mine who bought Excite @ Home, many thousands of dollars worth, now its worth pennies. Best advice is do not buy a stock directly unless you can live with throwing the money away. Yes, the stock may be great (Microsoft, AMazon, Google), but it also might tank. Mutual funds are a safe bet; the safest of all is the S&P 500, a mix of 500 'best' companies.

FOR YOUR RETIREMENT:
----------

If you had purchased $1000.00 of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth

$49.00.
-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O


With Enron,

you would have had

$16.50

left of the original $1,000.00.

-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O



With WorldCom,

you would have had less than

$5.00 left.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-


But, if you had purchased $1,000.00



worth of Beer one year ago,


drank all the beer,

then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling REFUND,
you would have had

$214.00.

Based on the above,



current investment advice is to





drink heavily and
recycle.



It's called the 401 Keg Plan

Calvin Woodward has tips about such an odessey, which would last at least 3 months he said. For me, it takes a week of recovery from biking 100 mi on a weekend, yet many can pull those distances every day. Astonishing, really. Perhaps if my bike fit me better. As fitness levels increase, biking 60 miles is not a big deal. Currently my problem is 80+ miles, and few people will push beyond 80 miles in one day. I remember one lady from a local bike club who did a double century (200 mi) in one day, which took her pretty much the whole day. Absolutely amazing stamina.

From Dr. Ed, for the MS150. Pretty good short guide, in line with the many sources I've read. Seems like he knows what he's talking about, but some concepts are vague, like how much to eat during a ride.

Interestingly, the deaths during the Iraq/Afghan wars is lower than casulties that occur ever year as a result of training accidents and small scale operations. Redstate has more. What they don't mention is that huge number of soldiers who are wounded in the line of duty, which would be presumedly much higher during the wars than during peacetime.

Color me shocked, but this is what the commander in charge of Iraqi operations (Gen. George Casey) said. Read the full interview here.

WALLACE: General, let me ask you about former Prime Minister Allawi, who said today that Iraq is in a civil war, with an average of 50 to 60 people being killed every day in sectarian violence. If that isn't a civil war, what would be?

CASEY: I don't necessarily agree with the former prime minister, and it's been a while since I've talked to him about the security situation, because he's been out of the country.

But I will tell you the violence in Iraq is not necessarily widespread. There is sectarian tension and there is sectarian violence, but it's primarily focused in the center of the country around Baghdad.

In 15 of the 18 provinces, there are six or less incidents of violence a day. That's not just sectarian. That's all kinds of violence. In 12 of the provinces, it's two or less incidents of violence a day. So the country is not awash in sectarian violence.

Truth slowly emerges. IBD has more. Where is the old media in this new data? I'm not a bushie (i don't plan to vote republican in '08), but these are more evidence for the justification for war. Shrug, it's still not a smoking gun (hint, the smoking gun is in Syria).

Did the blogsphere lead to this document disclosure? Roger Simon has more.

One of the 'smoking guns' about the al-qaeda/iraq connection here (from Iraq the Model)

Biking: So far so good. I did the bluebonnet express as I mentioned previously last week. So far I'm averaging 80-100 miles per week. This week I went into the gym on Wed and rode for 10 mi on Thur. Maybe another short bike ride today, a long one tomorrow, and who knows bout Sun. Sunday is the Great Escape, and I promised to help with that. Dunno if they'll let me ride it or not. It's being put on by our club; last night we stuffed packets, basically on 'charity rides' like this you get a packet with a ton of little fliers from the sponsors and different organizations that want your money (including charity bike rides). So we ended up stuffing one thousand packets. I think only about 500 people will actually show, b/c the weather will be rainy (i hope i'm wrong). ANyway, it'll be interesting.

Work: I started last week (officially) so far so good. I now don't have a computer, the common use PC at lab died two days ago (with my lab presentation on it). I'm progressing alot with my experimental techniques and am no longer being hampered by that issue. That's usually the case w/ me; the experiment is done well, but the result is negative. So anyway i got yet another negative result, looking for the mythical SETA/Alix interaction. I desparately need to get this to work for my research project; and previous people in this lab have gotten it to work. So I am hopeful. I think the reason why I haven't gotten it to work is biological; basically I've been using Alix fragments which may have altered conformation. Anyway i'll test that hypothesis starting today.

SO things are pretty good, we (J&I) may or may not adopt another ferret; the ferret shelter is at max capacity currently.

This is a cool idea. You know, when I did my research on Mars two decades ago, we had to get the USGS to send us maps made in the 70s from the Voyager II satellite. Now we have google. And it makes me wonder about these sorts of technologies, where at a large expense a huge corporation will make something publicly available 'just because'. So corporations like Google can't be all bad. Of course, if Microsoft would step up to the plate, that'd be great. I have a hard time recalling when MS has released anything for free (with the exception of the ubiquitious Internet Explorer and Windows Media player, which are both excellent programs). Well, MS is probably more interested in making money than young corps like google.

Yesterday I rode the bluebonnet express, a large, organized ride which is probably the second biggest in terms of number of people (besides the MS150). About 2000 people showed up, and the ride was mostly fine. Mostly. The wind certainly didn't help, I think the average speed was 15 mph (these windy conditions have created great fire-spreading conditions). The number of novice riders didn't help matters; many riders were great, but there was one pack that rode in the middle of road and basically ignored every rule of cycling in groups there was. Also there was a near accident involving a truck and horse trailer, the truck was attempting to pass a group of cyclists on a two lane divided road but the cyclists were out way too far, and the truck was going way too fast. The truck ended up half on the road and half off. Stupidity kills, especially in this sport.

Anyway I got into a great paceline of northwest cycling club people, and we did 20 mph for 20 miles. It certainly saved me, I can't recall feeling quite so beat at or near the end of any ride recently. By comparison last week I did 60 miles in Pearland and felt pretty good afterwords. Anyway I am trying to do 100 miles per week until the MS150, most of those miles coming on the weekend.

Some bit of quackery going on here. Orac explains.

That tireless defender of colonic health.

If he thinks childless adults are leeches on the back of society. No evidence, no data, just alot of vitrol. Let's see, my wife and i paid about 1k in taxes this year. My friend Brandon (similiar net income) got back 2k. He's got 3 kids, he needs it. But some people are just out of touch; I am sure there are those who won't have kids because it would affect their livestyle, but this is the type of person i wouldn't want having kids, if they think children are nothing but 'rugrats'.

Randy "Duke" Cunningham gets 8+ years for corruption. Story here. As I mentioned previously, I met him when i was a kid, when he was trying to hit on my mom. But i don't have any opinion of him, really. Guess my opinion is, well, too bad; you were a war hero but now you are a corrupt politician.

Cute picture/story here. Just click.

I've talked about this before. Glenn Reynolds wrote a mostly correct piece about the whole thing here.He worries, rightly so, about a society that pays its lawyers much better than its scientists and engineers. I worry too, but we have too many people in this country with biomedical science PhDs. And hardly any of them are American. I think *that* is the most worrying aspect; that we don't have any American scientists; we import a large majority of our scientists, particularly in useful fields like biomed. Oh well, so far there isn't much we can do about it, but the fact of the matter is pumping out more PhDs isn't going to do squat about our problems. Those of us with doctorates can barely land a decent job.

From the Onion.

Key quote: "We can lose this, it will just take a little backbone"

Heh, this article (on obesity) is funny too.

So is this one on physics.

You remember her, the woman from Houston who drowned her 5 children in a bathtub, and pleaded innoscent by reason of insanity. The state has completely rejected those grounds, and offered a plea-bargain of 35 years in jail, which she refused. Hardly a good deal. Now her second trial is about to commence. I think she is innocent by reason of insanity, but in Texas, the insanity defense is apparently for really really crazy people. I dunno, if you drown your children in your bathtub because God told you to do it, aren't you crazy? I hope she isn't forced into prison for the rest of her life, she needs mental care.

Pretty funny! From the Blogfather.

AN EXTRAORDINARY ACT OF CIVIL OBEDIENCE: Some Atlanta students drive the speed limit and videotape the resulting mayhem. As one of them says, "I'm just glad nobody got hurt. It had the potential to be dangerous, which was really, again, the point. We were dangerous because we were obeying the law."