a bloke's blog

Wanker of the week award

2010-09-16T14:31:00.009-04:00

Apart from me, obviously for not blogging, the list includes:

Pastor Terry Jones:

Disturbing Wanker

The Pope: For employing child molesters and protecting them from prosecution.

Hypocritical Wanker

Cardinal Walter Kasper:

Smug Wanker - Why don't you put your own fucking house in order? You don't like Britain because everyone isn't willing to subvert their existence to your liking?

Christine O'Donnell:

Stupid Wanker - Can't handle her own money, so wants to ruin everybody else's. She also believes that the world was created in six days...

Not at the Holiday Inn..

2010-08-11T12:00:00.002-04:00

Since March 17th, actually.

Our new home...still

2010-03-10T20:16:00.003-05:00

Holiday Inn, Rosslyn, VA

Yes, i've been absent from the blogosphere, but to be fair, all my shit is in storage and we've been living out of either a basement apt or a hotel since the end of July, 2009.

Hopefully moving on March 17.

the best sporting event this weekend

2010-02-06T12:02:00.002-05:00

NOT the fuckin' commercialised to death, look-at-me prima donna Superbowl (tv ads every 6 mins)

Six Nations Rugby: England vs Wales at Twickenham.

Brilliant! and on BBC America.

universal health care dies

2010-01-21T17:51:00.002-05:00

well done america.

you deserve everything you have voted for. i.e. how good tomorrow is going to look for "ME!, ME!, ME!..."

proof that the filibuster works and americans are, quite simply, stupid.

the only way out of this is for everyone to vote republican at every election, give them 100% control of both the house and senate, and then just sit back and wait.

jesus sure loves haiti...

2010-01-14T16:28:00.008-05:00

1st ride of 2010

2010-01-08T08:03:00.002-05:00

2009 miles on ducati monster 1100S: 4,680.

only a short ride out to battley cycles and back, but i'm definitely less grumpy.

blogger still alive...

2010-01-06T17:30:00.002-05:00

due to the fact that i'm extra grumpy (haven't ridden for close to two weeks...), it's bloody cold in this cramped basement, my desktop, along with my external hard drive, my printer has gone on the blink and it's my busiest time of the year.

apart from that, congrats to 'contador' for a dominating performance!

life with a six year-old laptop...

hundreds gather to protest global warming

2009-12-21T18:15:00.002-05:00

climate change in copenhagen

2009-12-17T18:47:00.003-05:00

what idiot in brussels decided that copenhagen was the best place to get anything done?

if they all had gone to east africa, they would all have to forgo their comfortable hotels and running water like everyone else...they might have actually been uncomfortable.

i guess a lot depends on what you see when you get up in the morning.

nutty is alive.

2009-12-11T21:10:00.003-05:00

it's me.

been absent from the blogosphere. moo_cho apologetti.

anyway. word of the day is:

Astonishing.

as in american commentators being completely incapable of pronouncing foreign winter sports destinations. or anywhere else for that matter.

T-Mobile

2009-12-02T08:06:00.004-05:00

just wanted to say a big thanks to T-Mobile.

we switched our plan online to take advantage of online services while travelling in england last month, duly paying the $24.99 fee to avoid extra international charges.

imagine how happy we were when we reviewed our statement to find out that we had been charged the $24.99 fee plus over $500 for using our 'phones abroad.

the reason? the online changes applied only to 'domestic web' according to the T-Mobile customer service representative and two t-mobile managers. they explained that the option for selecting 'international web' use is buried another 3 pages from the main account page. not on the same page as domestic...

getting nowhere, we asked if we could elect to pay the balance on a payment plan. our response was "3 weeks"!

t-mobile. you'll get your money, but not in 3 weeks.

couple desperate to set record straight after gatecrashing whitehouse state dinner

2009-12-01T15:49:00.003-05:00

not his best drive...

2009-11-27T18:08:00.003-05:00

tiger woods drives into a fire hydrant and then smashes into a tree.

our new home is no longer a patch of dirt

2009-11-19T21:53:00.004-05:00

our new house has a roof, and walls (sort of).

this is leather-clad me, the home builder on the left and our realtor on the right.

this is me and daisy.

convenient history (man-made, of course)

2009-11-10T19:01:00.005-05:00

there is abundant evidence of major catastrophes throughout human history, both natural and man-made.

since we have no credible evidence of intelligent life anywhere other than our home, planet earth, you might think we would value human life a great deal higher than we apparently show to our fellow homo sapiens and other inhabitants of our home.

"Allāhu Akbar" or "god is great"

does anybody else think it absurd that the fort hood shooting began with a declaration of god and ended in prayer and more praying?

the NRA's assertion that more guns would prevent massacres is roundly disproved by this tragedy. since an army base is full of highly trained weapon specialists how come so many died and scores were injured?

and what of our so-called heroes? pacifists don't shoot people, as neither do atheists (any news articles that anyone can send that offer countering evidence i will gladly post).

was not this army doctor a hero in the eyes of america before he committed this act?

war is not heroic.

killing others is not heroic.

wearing a uniform by itself does not make you a hero.

one has to perform an act of heroism. and that includes everyone, including those that have committed crimes, liars, thieves. absolutely anyone can be a hero.

shouldn't we also award a few medals for not dying or killing?

Health Care Spending = 16% GDP

Military Spending = 4% GDP

of course, all the lunatics that moan about govt. spending and not it not capable of running anything conveniently forget that the US military is a government-run program...

since every single person living in the united states will require health care during their lifetime, and that there is no universal coverage for every citizen, this is a staggering statistic (see below)

a fair fight?

2009-10-29T20:42:00.002-04:00

fed up with being drowned in jesus?

where are the signs "i love satan"?

no cheesy bumper stickers telling you how much the owner of that vehicle believes in the 'other side'

no houses of devil worship to be found in travel guides? how come? since we're all supposed to be sinning, you would think there might be a few alternatives.

so i did a quick google search on internet explorer. here are the results:

Results 1 - 10 of about 467,000,000 for god

Results 1 - 10 of about 197,000,000 for jesus

Results 1 - 10 of about 276,000,000 for religion

Results 1 - 10 of about 50,600,000 for the devil

Results 1 - 10 of about 28,300,000 for satan

Results 1 - 10 of about 589,000,000 for sin

Results 1 - 10 of about 13,300,000 for evangelical

Results 1 - 10 of about 10,700,000 for atheist

so in conclusion, not only does god threaten us with eternal damnation if we choose not to worship him, but he is so insecure that he won't even allow a fair battle.

how very fucking big of him.

of course, you can't deny it's a brilliant move getting his name on every dollar bill...you'd think it would be the other way round.

rossi wins 9th world title and i get chickenpox.

2009-10-29T08:12:00.003-04:00

some brilliant motorcycle racing in sepang, especially in the 250cc race.

stoner was untouchable to take the victory, but all rossi needed was to keep lorenzo (future world champion) in his sights.

me getting chickenpox wasn't so great...

Shogun Robbed!

2009-10-25T11:24:00.004-04:00

UFC 104 was marred last night by the most attrocious or perhaps corrupt officiating the sport has seen since the Hamil vs. Bisping decision. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua not only scored more blows, but also landed the harder more damaging shots while being the aggressor, dictating the pace of the fight, and displaying superior ring generalship. Despite a sound strategy and superb execution that led to Shogun winning every aspect of the judging criteria, the judges rendered a unanimous decision to Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida. Coincidentally, judge Cecil Peoples who previously favored Bisping over Hamil showed his risible incompetence yet again by scoring in favor of Machida.

Boos reigned throughout the stadium and even Machida had a look of shock on his face when the announcement was made. This result is truly terrible for the sport as it ruins it's credibility. UFC front man, Dana White, also believed it was a poor decision and has pledged to make changes to improve the calibre of judging. However, this will be difficult because judging is run by the state athletic commission and not the UFC.

Many fans left boxing after too many dreadful high profile decisions that reeked of "fixed" corruption. Let's hope the same does not happen to mixed martial arts.

Flat Eric and a day at the final round of British Superbikes

2009-10-20T07:35:00.010-04:00

monster art

2009-09-29T22:32:00.001-04:00

a sunday ride

2009-09-25T20:43:00.007-04:00

out to annapolis.

met a couple of other riders and decided to go for a group ride to north beach.

after, we left to ride to solomon's island.

brilliant!

got dust? australia does...

2009-09-23T18:11:00.003-04:00

wow!

'Big Government' spending - continued...

2009-09-18T17:25:00.007-04:00

this photograph, famous throughout the world would not have been possible were it not for government spending.

it's not just that government (federal, state & local) is responsible for the military, schools, hospitals, roads, trains, buses, bridges, infrastructure, zoos, police, firefighters, nurses and doctors. it provides a safety net for the unemployed, a functioning marketplace, and health care for the poor.

it is responsible for picking up your garbage and dealing with your sewage. it is responsible for giving you air to breath that isn't a toxic soup and providing clean drinking water.

it also is the reason why we have national parks that haven't been developed on...

sometimes it is responsible for making the impossible happen, like putting a man on the moon (and more importantly, bringing him home).

it also provides us with an incredible view of our world, and beyond:

government is far from perfect, but does anyone really want to return to the wild west (apart from the NRA).

who doesn't want health care for all?

2009-09-16T11:46:00.003-04:00

Patients get free choice of health care providers and hospitals.
When you go to your own personal physician for visits, there are NO premiums, NO co-payments, NO deductibles, NO one excluded. You pay nothing.
When you get your prescription filled by your pharmacist, there are NO premiums, NO co-payments, NO deductibles, NO one excluded. You pay nothing.
If you need hospitalization, there are NO premiums, NO co-payments, NO deductibles, NO one excluded. You pay nothing.

of course, you will pay into a system, and have free choice to purchase your own private health insurance.

this is what citizens of the world's richest nation are so up in arms about.

the biggest gathering of assholes D.C. has ever seen

2009-09-14T20:55:00.004-04:00

plenty seemed quite o.k. taking the metro, though...provided by tax dollars.

these flag-waving assholes will help prevent a public option.

sorry, i meant offensive, flag-waving, hypocritical, stupid, fat & ignorant assholes that have obviously never even left the united states. yep, without a doubt, bush was SO much better....

i sincerely hope all these worryingly ideological right-wing fed, walmart shopping, 'patriotic' idiots, lose their jobs, their health care, and their homes. because then they wil truly get what they all want: no government help.

what's missing from american newspapers on 9/11?

2009-09-11T18:16:00.005-04:00

this:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ex-us-soldier-jailed-for-iraqi-rape-and-murders-1785694.html

speaking of which, have you seen Inglorious Basterds yet?

brilliant, campy, tarantino offering -

Wizard of Oz meets Reservoir Dogs, with lipstick.

Congratulations England for Early World Cup Qualification!

2009-09-10T14:58:00.002-04:00

England 5-1 Croatia! What a remarkable result in stark contrast to how England crashed out of the Euro Cup to the very same team under the risible leadership of Steve Mclaren. The team is undefeated in World cup qualifying, winning almost every match emphatically. Coach Capello has done an amazing job in restoring the confidence in the lads that they've had at club level but always lacked on the national stage. He has also figured out how to get England's midfield firing on all cylinders by figuring out the Gerrad/Lampard conundrum. Even the attacking options look promising with Rooney and Defoe hitting form in the premiership and on the national team. Surprisingly, Capello's success has occurred without many key England starters such as Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand, and Owen Hargreaves, all soon to return from injury. Any England fan might get their hopes up with trepidation given the history of painful losses and collective mental breakdowns at the most inopportune moments, but I believe the World Cup is looking bright for England with our favorite Italian at the helm.

labor day weekend

2009-09-09T08:22:00.002-04:00

645 miles.

Hotels.Com

2009-09-08T18:20:00.003-04:00

how about booking a labor day weekend away, getting an e-mail booking confirmation, only to find out upon arrival at the hotel that no reservation had been made.

after the hotel itself helped us out, we 'phoned the next hotel booked. they also had no record of a booking with Hotels.com.

she's back.

2009-08-31T17:28:00.003-04:00

Whole Foods

2009-08-28T06:35:00.004-04:00

why i will not be shopping at Whole Foods.

thanks, mr. mackey (CEO of Whole Foods) for sharing your views on

President Obama's health care reform with the Wall Street Journal:

“The last thing our country needs is a massive new health care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits and move us much closer to a government takeover of our health care system,” Mr. Mackey wrote.

i completely disagree.

"the last thing our country needs" - medical debt is the single biggest cause of bankruptcy in the world's richest nation. what exactly is so great about that, mr. mackey?

i will be shopping at Trader Joe's.

see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States

Ted Kennedy dies and microsoft manages this:

2009-08-26T18:28:00.009-04:00

a champion of civil rights, advocate for the poor, race relations, and a fierce believer that health care is a right for all americans, including children...

perhaps congress shpould consider the wider issue and not their own interests, and those of the insurance companies.

no wonder the republicans hate liberals.

astonishingly, on the same day, microsoft manages to get in the news with this gem of a photoshop job and issues an apology:

Empower your people

unless they're black...

my 1,270th post is the 400th anniversary of the birth of modern science.

2009-08-25T20:56:00.006-04:00

on august 25th, 1609, observational science, not religion, ushered in a new way of understanding the world around us.

what reward did this individual receive for such towering achievements?

house arrest by the catholic church. his crime? by stating that the sun is the center of the solar system, not the earth was "false and contrary to scripture".

and contrary to popular belief, galileo DID NOT invent the telescope.

excellent wiki page can be seen here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei

amazing that 400 years later, i am writing and posting this blog using a computer that operates under the absurd 'reality' of quantum mechanics.

400 years ago there were no lighbulbs, no electricity, no tv's, no cars, no cell phones, no computers, and not even a fucking pen that you didn't dip in ink. and no internet! imagine the horror if we were disconnected from the internet for even a week...

no fast food, no fast-food chains, no burgers or hot dogs, no supermarkets, no gasolene, no united states of america, and no motorcycles. no plastic, no human-induced climate change, and 50,000 people didn't die each year because of guns.

it's quite impossible to imagine living in such a world, although i would happily like to see a night sky free of light pollution. i would also like to live in a world without guns, but that is a daydream. luckily, i can ride my ducati, and i have no thoughts of killing anyone because they differ from me.

there was plenty of culture 400 years ago though, and italy was dripping with it.

i spent the morning in rockville, today, and it has none whatsoever.

such is 'progress'.

the biggest problem with moral authority

2009-08-24T22:04:00.005-04:00

is when you don't possess any...

and americans are outraged over the release of the lockerbie bomber. who has cancer.

exactly what moral authority is it that the united states demonstrates to the rest of the world?

actions always speak louder than words.

strange that a nation with such strong 'christian' beliefs so quickly refuses to show any mercy to a man that was convicted so conveniently readily.

i actually drove past the crash site not long after that terrible event.

definition of an idiot

2009-08-17T11:33:00.008-04:00

Certainly not Stephen Hawking...

... but someone who writes the editorial page at Investor's Business Daily:

“People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn’t have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless,”

UPDATE: Investors Business Daily has corrected its editorial, removing all mention of Stephen Hawking. And Hawking himself has responded, telling the UK’s Guardian:

Stephen Hawking:

"I wouldn't be here today if it were not for the NHS," he told us. "I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived."

Perhaps the Investor’s Business Daily has the same sort of prophetic insight on health care reform as they showed leading up to the financial collapse…

Where did they think he lived, Cambridge Massachussetts?

and the best bit is that anyone living in britain suffering the same disease, who was not stephen hawking would receive exactly the same medical treatment.

our next new home...

2009-08-17T10:52:00.002-04:00

is currently some uneven dirt...

and what you won't be seeing tonight if you look up...

2009-08-12T17:21:00.002-04:00

...you won't be seeing the annual perseid meteor shower - because it's fucking cloudy.

the definition of economic prosperity

2009-08-11T18:16:00.007-04:00

human beings (the better off ones) consuming resources, destroying their habitat and that of others for self improvement, and leaving the consequences of their collective actions to the poorest and future generations.

i wonder what the world in 2050 will look like.

congratulations to albert & nancy

2009-08-07T06:15:00.002-04:00

cheers!

Ah...

2009-07-31T15:29:00.001-04:00

most hated word of the day..

2009-07-30T14:06:00.005-04:00

Bipartisan. Socialism. take your pick.

what a load of bollocks.

go to europe and see for yourselves, you fucking ignorant right-wing untraveled morons that somehow think that a trillion dollars is o.k to spend on a war in iraq, but it's the worst thing that could ever happen if this country actually spent the same sum looking after people's health.

fuck the republicans. it's the free market that has the insurance companies running health care.
the mess you have is the result of government not running health care.

of course, if america had not voted quite so many republicans into the senate during the last election, this country would actually be on the right course to providing a way out of the current, crippling system.

democrats - what a bunh of a weak-willed wankers. unable to get an erection (unless they see a viagra commercial). what exactly is the point of a successful society when there is no universal health care for all. amazing that the right wing is suddenly so vocal on expenditure now the really scary, liberal obama's in office.

americans. all they really care about is their tax bill. or so it would seem.

and please don't tell me that america has the best health care. it doesn't. europe and canada have the best. there is no perfect system.

it's easy to know which is the right course on health care reform - just pick the one that you don't want, and have the other option.

and where the fuck is the church in all this debate? silent.

moving out of 501

2009-07-27T08:42:00.001-04:00

sucks.

le sommet du mont ventoux

2009-07-25T07:03:00.003-04:00

gale-force winds on the top...

a monumental (literally) stage 20 promises to be an annihilator.

i can't see contador letting lance win this one. i'm betting it's the schlecks vs contador vs lance.

incredible!

2009-07-23T08:36:00.003-04:00

a gruelling, epic, grinding stage 17 saw the schleck brothers throw everything at the biggest day in the alps on this year's tour.

only contador could stay with them.

i was exhausted just watching it.

note to tour crashers...

2009-07-22T09:07:00.004-04:00

car drivers never have to think about this, because you steer a car by turning the wheel.

every skilled motorcyclist knows that when you go into a bend too 'hot' you have to look where you want to go, not straight ahead (known as target fixation) and also that you never conduct a steering input on a white line in the wet (denis menchov).

hitting the front brake hard means you will nearly always wash the front wheel out once into the turn.

the weird thing is that your 'survival reactions' are the thing that you have to override.
this is completely unnatural, counter intuitive and extremely difficult, and is something that you just have to regularly work on and practice.

thor hushovd showed incredible bike handling skills on that corner. the only reason that he didn't crash on that corner was because he knew what to do and didn't panic.

the best cyclists that are great going downhill fast take lines in the road and use their body and steering inputs exactly the same as a motorcyclist.

game on - 4 category 1 climbs...

2009-07-22T06:27:00.005-04:00

5 hard climbs...

today will be epic.

it's 6:30am, and i'm making a cup of tea to watch what will be the most important stage of the tour.

horrific crash for poor jens voigt.

great win for astarloza.

Power of the Guv'nor!

2009-07-21T12:59:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to bring up a little nostalgia and get my first official post on the Blog! Only took about 3 years. I love this photo of Nutty in action!

contador magic followed by rossi wizardry

2009-07-21T06:53:00.003-04:00

simply outstanding.

NRA outrage at tour de france 'gunman'

2009-07-18T08:44:00.004-04:00

"this is a gun you shoot people with, you european mother fucker!

"fucking european, socialist
liberals!"

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

outstanding ride by heinrich haussler to go it alone from so far out to win what was a horrible, wet, demanding stage.

Tour de France 2009: police hunt gunman as Oscar Freire and Julian Dean are shot at

French police have lodged official complaints from Tour de France riders Oscar Freire and Julian Dean after the pair were hit by pellets fired from an airgun on the race's 13th stage Friday.

40 years ago...

2009-07-16T18:41:00.004-04:00

we set off for the moon.

incredible. i'm so old, i actually remember watching the moon landing on tv.

on a tv that my dad bought just so we could see it. like a lot of people did that july in england. most people didn't have a tv before the moon landing. imagine that.

also incredible, is that only now is the united states contemplating universal health care.

unlike in britain when the rocket was launched. i like it when the republicans complain about the european systems. nobody in europe has gone bankrupt because of a health issue.

guess a public health option wouldn't be on the table if pres. mc'ain was in office down the road from where i type. no. they would issue tax credits (which of course, everyone would automatically spend on health care...)

republicans in congress should be ashamed of themselves.
because they never have to be the second-class citizen that the free market, insurance-driven existing system has served so handily to so many.

40 years on, america must choose universal health coverage, for it will never have a better chance.

july 13th, 1985 - LIVE AID

2009-07-13T17:58:00.004-04:00

it was such a big success that people are no longer starving in africa, and the event hasn't been mentioned on any of today's newspaper front pages.

but did you know that michael jackson recently died?

please, please, please, anyone but this team to win the team time trial.

2009-07-07T09:08:00.002-04:00

i'm already sick of the absurd coverage of the lance armstrong show, and team astana that was specially built just to win this tour.

i'm rooting for spartacus!

go cancellara.

mark cavendish powers to stage win

2009-07-06T10:19:00.001-04:00

fastest man on two wheels (not motorised)

valentino rossi wins 100th GP

2009-07-01T17:41:00.002-04:00

amazing. glad he did it at assen.

a true motorcycle racing mecca.

record of the week

2009-06-29T23:52:00.003-04:00

Firstly, I would like to apologize to my mate Nutty for taking so bloody long to make a contribution to a bloke's blog. I plan on reviewing what I deem to be the best, most banging tune of each week. Genres of music that will be represented include drum & bass, dubstep, breakbeat, electro (not the eyeliner bollocks but the proper dark stuff), techno, and anything with a thumping b-line. Styles that will certainly not be featured include french pop, handbag house, celine dion, michael jackson, and anything that is best enjoyed with a glass of chardonnay.

Up first, is promiscuous dutch producer Nymfo's wicked "Surface Scan." Out on Total Science's DeepKut label, this 12" represents the best in the new minimal style d&b. Along with producers Commix, Data, Spectrasoul, and Electrosoul System, this is the most exciting sound in the scene right now. Deep, dark, spacious, inorganic, cold, yet funky as fuck. Clever drum edits and proper breaks keep the percussion rolling (am I alone in tiring of looped 2 step beats?) and a morphing, twisted bassline ups the pressure. The otherworldly fx and intermittent techy stabs add to the hypnotic effects of this track. Let this one take you to the surface of a distant planet to search for inhospitable space creatures! Completely ace.

and the week's biggest news...

2009-06-29T08:11:00.007-04:00

was NOT michael jackson, despite constantly "BREAKING NEWS", BBC "World News" that did nothing in its entire broadcast to deliver real world news, millions of people urgently texting, twittering, and endlessly playing songs they've already heard a thousand times before. as if this was the most important thing that had ever happened. EVER....

no. it was this:

from today's paul krugman - New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/opinion/29krugman.html?_r=1
So the House passed the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill. In political terms, it was a remarkable achievement.

But 212 representatives voted no. A handful of these no votes came from representatives who considered the bill too weak, but most rejected the bill because they rejected the whole notion that we have to do something about greenhouse gases.

And as I watched the deniers make their arguments, I couldn’t help thinking that I was watching a form of treason — treason against the planet.

To fully appreciate the irresponsibility and immorality of climate-change denial, you need to know about the grim turn taken by the latest climate research.

The fact is that the planet is changing faster than even pessimists expected: ice caps are shrinking, arid zones spreading, at a terrifying rate. And according to a number of recent studies, catastrophe — a rise in temperature so large as to be almost unthinkable — can no longer be considered a mere possibility. It is, instead, the most likely outcome if we continue along our present course.

Thus researchers at M.I.T., who were previously predicting a temperature rise of a little more than 4 degrees by the end of this century, are now predicting a rise of more than 9 degrees. Why? Global greenhouse gas emissions are rising faster than expected; some mitigating factors, like absorption of carbon dioxide by the oceans, are turning out to be weaker than hoped; and there’s growing evidence that climate change is self-reinforcing — that, for example, rising temperatures will cause some arctic tundra to defrost, releasing even more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Temperature increases on the scale predicted by the M.I.T. researchers and others would create huge disruptions in our lives and our economy. As a recent authoritative U.S. government report points out, by the end of this century New Hampshire may well have the climate of North Carolina today, Illinois may have the climate of East Texas, and across the country extreme, deadly heat waves — the kind that traditionally occur only once in a generation — may become annual or biannual events.

In other words, we’re facing a clear and present danger to our way of life, perhaps even to civilization itself. How can anyone justify failing to act?

Well, sometimes even the most authoritative analyses get things wrong. And if dissenting opinion-makers and politicians based their dissent on hard work and hard thinking — if they had carefully studied the issue, consulted with experts and concluded that the overwhelming scientific consensus was misguided — they could at least claim to be acting responsibly.

But if you watched the debate on Friday, you didn’t see people who’ve thought hard about a crucial issue, and are trying to do the right thing. What you saw, instead, were people who show no sign of being interested in the truth. They don’t like the political and policy implications of climate change, so they’ve decided not to believe in it — and they’ll grab any argument, no matter how disreputable, that feeds their denial.

Indeed, if there was a defining moment in Friday’s debate, it was the declaration by Representative Paul Broun of Georgia that climate change is nothing but a “hoax” that has been “perpetrated out of the scientific community.” I’d call this a crazy conspiracy theory, but doing so would actually be unfair to crazy conspiracy theorists. After all, to believe that global warming is a hoax you have to believe in a vast cabal consisting of thousands of scientists — a cabal so powerful that it has managed to create false records on everything from global temperatures to Arctic sea ice.

Yet Mr. Broun’s declaration was met with applause.

Given this contempt for hard science, I’m almost reluctant to mention the deniers’ dishonesty on matters economic. But in addition to rejecting climate science, the opponents of the climate bill made a point of misrepresenting the results of studies of the bill’s economic impact, which all suggest that the cost will be relatively low.

Still, is it fair to call climate denial a form of treason? Isn’t it politics as usual?

Yes, it is — and that’s why it’s unforgivable.

Do you remember the days when Bush administration officials claimed that terrorism posed an “existential threat” to America, a threat in whose face normal rules no longer applied? That was hyperbole — but the existential threat from climate change is all too real.

Yet the deniers are choosing, willfully, to ignore that threat, placing future generations of Americans in grave danger, simply because it’s in their political interest to pretend that there’s nothing to worry about. If that’s not betrayal, I don’t know what is.

----

what is most remarkable is that humans care more about a freak child molestor (o.k. a very successful frank child molester, who had no qualms about dangling a a baby off a balcony, and that apparently one autopsy isn't sufficient, and that it was everybody else's fault that whacko was pumping prescription meds (because of his pain....)

pity these same prescription pain meds aren't so readily available in the united states to those who actually need them. like those (without resources) who constantly have to live in chronic pain, for instance.

and rush limbaugh.

if you think it's bad now...

2009-06-24T17:42:00.004-04:00

obama has done well not reacting immediately to the situation in iran.

the people obviously want their voices heard, but it's not for the united states to make decisions in iran (unlike previously)

just think, back in january, republicans would have these two in charge of relations in the middle east...

Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran

you really can't blame the iranians for hating america. they do have a very good case.

we can't conveniently ignore the past when the 'greatest nation on earth' facilitated the overthrow of iran's democratically elected government and installed a brutal dictator who oppressed the iranian people for over 20 years.

phenomenal ride to win the tour of switzerland

2009-06-24T11:21:00.003-04:00

anyone else managed to see this on versus? (chanell 7 on comcast)

a brilliant ride.

fabian cancellara put on a clinic in the final time trial to win at home.

lance armstrong was not competing...the greatest ever is still eddy merckx, because unlike lance, he used to race in the season's top tours before taking on and winning the tour de france.

jonathan rea wins first world superbike race

2009-06-22T05:59:00.004-04:00

forget the boredom of formula 1 where puppets navigate circuits via team radio, telemetry & 65 mechanics watching tv and holding lollipops, World Superbikes & MotoGP are the only motorsports worth watching on tv (in america).

after that, i'm hooked on watching cycling.

what a tedious race for the fans who showed up in force for possibly the last ever F1 race at silverstone.

jonathan rea won a fantastic fight in race 2 to clinch his first world superbike race at misano.

brilliant!

epic battle - rossi does the impossible, again.

2009-06-15T17:26:00.002-04:00

for anyone who saw yesterday's

MotoGP Catalunya Grand Prix in Barcelona:

unbelievable.

i'll be glad when this recession is over...

2009-06-05T15:57:00.011-04:00

because we won't have to keep listening to all the fucking dreary, 'soothing', 'sympathetic', 'we understand', music that banks and everyone else selling financial services uses for their tv ads, where the sun is shining, individuals 'consider' thoughtfully, males gaze lovingly at photos of their 4 year- old - preferably female (never an unruly goth-loving male teenager with acne).

no, in this world the banks (that played a pivotal role in this recession) are so fucking caring & responsible, they are almost ready to send someone (good looking, of course) round to your front door with a check, just for you being so nice in 'these difficult times' (because we are all great americans). we're all in it 'together', not consumers laden in debt, that are now being forced to deleverage (the real truth)

except they are borrowing at 0%, and lending out at 5+%, all while being incredibly busy slashing everyone's credit card limits and charging them double the previous interest rate.
and you had better not have sizable savings locked up with them.

don't you just want to hug them?

still, nothing beats erectile dysfunction ads...
they don't mention the word "value" at all...strange, if you think about it.

going, going...

2009-06-05T09:21:00.003-04:00

see BBC live:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8084571.stm

On 20th anniversary of Tiananmen crackdown, China rounds up dissidents, shuts down Twitter

2009-06-03T14:17:00.003-04:00

20 years later, the new china looks like the old.

the film for this photograph was smuggled out of the building after it was shot.

film? we can't even imagine film, nowadays.

i would imagine that the next 20 years will be much harder for the ruling party to control.

constantly evolving technology is unstoppable (and inevitable).

haven't been blogging...

2009-06-03T09:44:00.003-04:00

more boxing, painting, getting the apartment ready to put on the market.

there's also been a lot of "i can't find anything"

today, i'm boxing the decks up :(

on this day, 60 years ago.

2009-05-29T18:32:00.002-04:00

no less than confirmation of einstein's theory of general relativity.

see:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8061449.stm

many thanks

2009-05-27T20:17:00.002-04:00

to tanc, tiernan and mark for an excellent memorial day bash at jimmy's.

for those who attended, you know how good the music was.

cheers!

the last hurrah at #501

2009-05-21T18:49:00.002-04:00

we're putting the apartment up for sale after memorial day.

we will celebrate our last party with our friends.

cheers.

it doesn't look like jesus...

2009-05-20T17:53:00.001-04:00

from the new york times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/16/science/16fossil.html?hpw

not your everday view of the world...

2009-05-15T23:06:00.002-04:00

click on image for full screen

sign of the day award goes to:

2009-05-15T00:00:00.002-04:00

hubble's last mission

2009-05-11T11:27:00.005-04:00

what your tax dollars can get you when not spent on fighting a war, or propping up banks.

today is the launch of the last ever mission to service the hubble space telescope. since 1990, it has cost taxpayers some $10 billion. that amount seems high, but considering the thousands of people over the past 2 decades that have worked/are working on this project, that figure seems miniscule compared to the $2 billion per week that the war in iraq is costing...or the AIG bailout.

republicans always refer to government spending as 'wasteful', yet strangely they remain silent when it comes to the towering sums the united states spends on its military.

the hubble space telescope and the US Government (via the tax payer) has given the world the most successful scientific experiment in history.

science channel is covering the launch live, beginning at 1:30pm eastern.

so here's to the triumph of science, and the positive side of paying taxes.

e-mail to speed tv

2009-05-09T23:36:00.004-04:00

http://www.speedtv.com/feedback/

dear sirs,

i have just had the grave misfortune to witness the AMA superbike and Sportbike race this past saturday.

it's hard to know where to start, so i'll try to be succinct.

without doubt, you are simply incapable of covering motorcycle racing on a national level.
apart from occasional annoying racing which interrupts the inane tv ads...you actually stopped the broadcast to interview jamie hacking. if he was jesus, sent down from above to save the world from my sins i wouldn't have wanted to watch this shit. also, do you really think it is a good idea to stop watching the racing so we can listen instead to some podgy, shirt-tucking cunt in a studio wearing a brown shirt? i guess at least the colour was right...

and who is the guy that sounds like he was recently caught running moonshine in the commentary box...such a plus.

but who am i to complain, since whoever paid for the producer's lobotomy obviously got his wish.

in a sentance: you have reduced 2-wheel racing to nascar.

one word sums up your AMA motorcycle racing coverage: CRAP.

in europe, they actually commentate on racing (without adverts).

please inform your presenters that ducati is not pronounced 'DooCahrdee'...

i understand that one doesn't always have to murder both the programme and the language at the same time...

oil cooler for the monster

2009-05-06T17:17:00.008-04:00

not looking forward to riding in d.c. on an air-cooled motor, so hope this helps a bit.

(as in the engine temperature soaring in stop & go traffic, and my legs being cooked)

astronomy picture of the day

2009-05-06T08:57:00.005-04:00

click on photo for full screen size.

alas, i did not capture this image...

go to:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090503.html

getting away for daisy's birthday

2009-05-01T20:25:00.003-04:00

skyland resort, shenandoah.

click on this photo for the view from our accommodation.

Pontiac - RIP

2009-04-29T11:44:00.001-04:00

It’s Official, G.M. Kills Pontiac Brand

brilliant race 1 of world superbikes from Assen, Holland.

2009-04-26T15:46:00.006-04:00

fucking incredible ride from ben spies.

not your average weekend ride...

racing does not get any better. wow!

great race from britain's leon haslam.

i know i'm getting old, because i remember going to watch his dad race at donington park...

race 2, next.

happy birthday

2009-04-25T15:03:00.002-04:00

to my mum

:)

the economy is so bad that even the sun has dimmed.

2009-04-22T08:23:00.004-04:00

The Sun is the dimmest it has been for nearly a century.

from the bbc:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8008473.stm

twat of tax-day award goes to:

2009-04-15T21:42:00.003-04:00

this guy.

...who's never been abroad, and doesn't have any black friends.

on a miserable, damp, cold, workday tuesday -

2009-04-14T17:53:00.002-04:00

you really can't beat bangin' out some underworld....

it had to happen sometime...

2009-04-14T15:12:00.002-04:00

GM to team up with Segway...

2009-04-08T22:29:00.003-04:00

this is not a joke

GM and Segway have announced a new joint project dubbed P.U.M.A., which stands for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility that aims to create two-wheeled car replacements for cities.

it looks like an electric dustbin.
a $5,000.00 electric dustbin!

this may come as a shock to detroit, but i believe a two-wheel vehicle already exists for cities:

it's called a bicycle.

Enzo Custodi-Morsli has arrived :)

2009-04-08T06:55:00.004-04:00

congratulations to mum & dad.

cheers!

a new season of formula farce..

2009-04-04T22:35:00.004-04:00

whatever last week's race was, it certainly didn't look like anything i remember of formula 1.

the cars look stupid & FUCKING UGLY!

starting the race as the sun went down, just to try & placate bernie ecclestone who wanted a night race? whatever happened to driver safety being paramount?

ending the race on a safety car...how thrilling.

just give me a genuine racing spectacle, instead of a marketing machine masquerading as motor sport.

...i shall still get up at 4:30am to watch the malaysian grand prix on sunday morning, though.

at least the europeans take to the streets to protest

2009-04-01T19:14:00.002-04:00

americans are too busy twittering about social change...

ah, the good old days...before bush.

2009-03-31T06:58:00.009-04:00

in 1969, america managed to put a man on the moon (and much more incredibly, bring him back, along with the rest of the crew).

george w bush is just 23 years old.

dr. evil plans to hold the world ransom for $100 billion - an amount of money that didn't exist then.

and the only things toxic were oil spills.

40 years later, the insurer, AIG is bailed out 9along with every major bank), dwarfing dr. evil's absurd demands.

an american insurance company (the world's biggest) that is in the business managing risk...

george bush's 'weapons of mass destruction' have turned out to be homegrown banks on wall st, and the financiers that run them.

47 million americans without health insurance and the worst financial crises since the great depression. how's that less taxes, free market ideology working out - privatizing the profits and socializing the losses? no thanks!

and we have a president in obama that actually seems willing to DO something constructive, even if it is politically suicidal and unpopular. if you think it's bad now, just imagine "drill, drill, drill", mcpain et al, running the show from 1600 pennsylvania ave.

i'm not quite sure why all the pundits assume it's worse in europe. europe has a social framework of caring for its people.

in terms of human suffering, it's much worse over here.

without doubt, the opening decade of the 21st century is not going according to plan.

1999 seems so long ago, now.

cheers, george. it's not all your fault, but you stood by and did nothing for the average american, except to leave them with a true, lasting legacy of your stewardship. debt & higher taxes.

how very republican.

"so, what's your name?"

2009-03-24T22:55:00.005-04:00

so i'm watching the ski jumping last night, when this fellow appears.

his name, Andreas Wank...

see his official homepage:
http://www.andreaswank.de/

did you know...

2009-03-24T18:48:00.003-04:00

that the nation's capital, washington, d.c., suffers an AIDS epidemic to rival that of 3rd world countries?

see:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7947443.stm

...perhaps the pope should have visited anacostia and gone on a walk-a-bout disguised as a poor, black male while he was here, instead of having streets closed and secret service swarming everywhere for him.

you really can't beat...

2009-03-21T09:06:00.001-04:00

starting the weekend off with a bacon buttie (with tomato sauce).

bashing General Motors.

2009-03-17T15:49:00.005-04:00

GM launched the new Camaro yesterday.

now, i've long been a basher of GM. , but i have to give it to them with their new camaro.

despite GM having a truly terrible website - see below:
http://www.gm.com/vehicles/?seo=goo_|_2008_GMBP_Retention_|_IMG_GMBP_GM_General_|_GM_General_DKI_1_|_gm

while it's not my cup of tea, at least it looks like it was designed by someone who hadn't recently had a lobotomy, or was an exercise in how to immediately bore male car buyers and small boys alike.

america's car industry could use a positive icon, and to all the tree-hugging naysayers, this car was not designed to sell in huge numbers, so who cares if the gas mileage is rubbish compared to a prius.

america could use a little sex appeal right now.

Maewyn Succat's day.

2009-03-17T09:19:00.003-04:00

not quite so easy on the tongue as St. Patrick - only named Patrick when he became a bishop.

and he was a Scotsman.

and gave the irish christianity.

which would ultimately lead to scores of americans, wearing ridiculous green clothing, drinking heavily, and not having a clue who St. Patrick was, his life or what he did some 1,500 years later.

cheers.

...and i wonder just how many, 'celebrating' will reflect upon the recent shootings in northern ireland.

the ignorance of land of guns.

the GOAT turns 30

2009-03-15T16:57:00.004-04:00

imagine being so good at what you do that you are referred to as the 'GOAT

Greatest Of All Time

and you've just turned 30.

amazing.

anyone that doesn't think he is the greatest didn't watch his performance at laguna seca last year.

one of the greatest battles on two wheels i've ever seen.

skyline drive.

2009-03-14T13:19:00.002-04:00

105 miles of no d.c. traffic.

hardly any traffic.

magic.

the recession bites deeper...

2009-03-11T22:46:00.003-04:00

let's face it, it must be an absolute nightmare not making it in forbes' magazine top 20 richest people list...

bernie madoff. proof that you never want all your eggs in one basket. and also that if you're perceived as rich, somehow you must be trusted.

of course, if you're an ex-banker/financier that has already reaped huge bonuses while helping to drive the world's economies into a ditch and subsequently 'retired' now that taxpayers are stuck with footing the losses, then i guess you've won.

too big to fail simply means an incentive for so-called 'moral hazard'. in the good years, bonuses flow, and when on the rare occasion everything goes so horribly bad (like now) that the institution that showered financial rewards during all those successful years (when they were busy making bad bets) can no longer meet its capital obligations once those bets prove to be a disaster.

heads the banks win and tails the taxpayer loses.

the best show on tv.

2009-03-09T22:06:00.000-04:00

brilliant.

the absurd notion that somehow we can fix everything...

2009-03-09T19:06:00.004-04:00

is it only me, or does anybody else find it disturbing that the economic reality we are facing today has been met (bush: the economy is strong...), or presently: 'we can rebuild, and america will once again lead the world..' is fundamentally flawed?

why do we collectively think that we (western ideology) can make everything better?

while we have been happily sailing towards the cliff edge, nobody cared, and yet as soon as the house of cards starts crumbling around us, we expect miracles (and immediate ones, at that).

greed, credit, and leverage, and a policy of deregulation created the problem, and it's not going to be fixed until we address the root cause - however unpalatable the consequences may seem, both for 'main street', which is media-financial speak for you and me, and the the investors of this world and those that work in the industry.

so here's my take:we're all in a big ditch. and we are just going to 'be' in this ditch until someone gets us out. but i can't tell you exactly when the tow truck will arrive...

...nor how deep the ditch actually is.

as for the so-called 'best & brightest' on wall st. they ALL got it wrong.

perhaps it's time to revisit whether the profit motive of the individual actually benefits the long term of the whole.

and by that, i mean the poorest of the world as well as the richest.

and there is an awful lot of the very poor that didn't benefit from all the past's wealth creation in the industrialised nations of this planet ...

or to put it another way:

why does the business cycle exist?

daytona 200

2009-03-07T07:28:00.006-05:00

watched the daytona 200 race last night on speed channel.

if this is north america's most prestigious motorcycle road race i must be missing something.

a rolling start, safety car, cautions...the last few laps were a farce.

boring!

nascar on two wheels.

this chap won the first ever race there in 1937.
i imagine it was a lot more interesting.

better than watching the news...

2009-03-05T23:01:00.003-05:00

been watching the long way down - a motorcycle trip from john o'groats in scotland to cape town, south africa.

liked this one more than the earlier 'long way round', perhaps because i'd seen it, and africa is such a vast, mixed continent.

adventure.

brilliant.