Politics, open government, and safe streets. And the constant incursion of cycling.

Month: October 2009 Page 2 of 4

Weekend Music: Soul Food

Courtesy of – of all places – NPR:

Goodie Mob’s Dirty South-

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSfjyGPMejc[/youtube]

TLC’s No Scrubs:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqtRrMKBdho[/youtube]

Outkast’s ATLiens

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxL13M9fWIY[/youtube]

[Updated]

Sometimes . . .

you just don’t know what to say:

“They were nice people and I got along with them very well which is why I was able to retrieve the information I did,” Gaubatz says. “But just because somebody is outwardly friendly doesn’t mean they can’t be doing something wrong or even harming National Security.”

More about Chris Gaubatz and his douchebag father here.  I hope they both go to prison.

I’m Sorry, But God Made Me Hate You

The Onion, as it often does, nails it in this not-exactly-fake op-ed:

I don’t question God. The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall put none above Him. Which is why I know that if it were part of God’s plan for me to stop viciously condemning others based solely on their sexual preference, He would have seen fit—in His infinite wisdom and all—to have given me the tiniest bit of human empathy necessary to do so.

It’s a simple matter of logic, really. God made me who I am, and who I am is a cold, anti-gay zealot. Thus, I abhor gay people because God made me that way. Why is that so hard to understand?

It would be funnier, I guess, if I hadn’t heard that from so many people.  It goes on:

Compassion, tolerance, understanding, basic decency, the ability to put myself in another person’s position: God could have endowed me with any of those traits and yet—here is the crucial part—He didn’t. Why? Because the Creator of the Universe wants me to demonize homosexuals in an effort to strip them of their fundamental human rights.

More.

Nicely Done

If you’re not a pro cycling fan, click on.  Otherwise, from yesterday’s TdF route presentation:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30bsHmVUdVg[/youtube]

Rock On, Balloon Boy!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBWJXXgaYBo[/youtube]

I’d normally shy away from that, but you, my young friend, are fantastic.  I will buy you a beer when you get legal.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4LgAM_J3Rk[/youtube]

Louisiana Goddamn

Ah, good ol’ fashioned values at work:

A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have. Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.

[ . . .]

“I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house,” Bardwell said. “My main concern is for the children.”

Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

“I don’t do interracial marriages because I don’t want to put children in a situation they didn’t bring on themselves,” Bardwell said. “In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer.”

But he’s not a racist.

Bike DC Photo Contest

From the folks at BikeDC:

On Saturday, October 17th, thousands of area bicyclists will take over the streets of downtown Washington, DC, and Arlington, VA, as part of Bike DC, a celebration of both bicycling and our community. Bike DC, the Washington and Arlington Community Bike Ride, is a noncompetitive ride offering miles of car-free biking past some of the nation’s most famous landmarks.

Bike DC is celebrating the beauty of our city with a photo contest sponsored by Penn Camera. Whether you’re riding with your friends and family, or enjoying car-free site-lines at DC’s most scenic monuments, we encourage you to capture the two-wheeled spirit of our cycling community with your camera.

There are many great photo opportunities on the Bike DC routes this year, including the Key Bridge, the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial, the Capitol Building, the White House, the Air Force Memorial, and countless others! After the event, upload your photos to the “Bike DC Community Ride” group on the free photo-hosting site Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/groups/1232071@N20/).

Winners will be selected by the Bike DC event organizers on Monday, November 9th, giving you plenty of time to upload your photos after the ride. 3 photos will be selected to receive: 2 Finalist Prizes of complimentary registrations to the 2010 Bike DC ride; and 1 Grand Prize of a $50 gift card plus $50 in photofinishing services from Penn Camera.

Penn Camera has been serving the photographic needs of our nation’s capital for over 50 years. From its origins as a single storefront along historic Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown DC to its current chain of nine stores throughout the Washington, DC- Baltimore metropolitan corridor, Penn Camera has steadily grown to become the premier supplier of photographic goods in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Follow Bike DC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/bikedc <http://www.facebook.com/bikedc> ) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/bikedc <http://www.twitter.com/bikedc> ) for more photo contest announcements. Check our official web site (www.BikeDC.net <http://www.BikeDC.net> ) for route information or to register for Bike DC.

More Clowning From the Arlington Sun Gazette

Remember the Arlington Sun Gazette?  The same brilliant mind(s)* that endorsed George Allen over Jim Webb, told citizens to suck it up over the Marshall-Newman amendment, and helped distribute this hateful bullshit?  Yeah, well, they’re still at it.  This time, it’s Bob McDonnell for governor.   Shocker.

*Still can’t figure out whether it’s just Scott McCaffrey all by his lonesome, or not.

The Helmet Thing

WashCycle takes it on in a most sensible way.

Bike DC this Saturday, October 17th

Bike DC, after a successful test-run last year, is back for sure.  On Saturday, October 17th, thousands of bicyclists will participate in Bike DC.  This year, it expands across the Potomac to be the “Washington and Arlington Community Bike Ride.”   For those who are unfamiliar with it, this is a noncompetitive ride offering miles of car-free biking through the heart of DC and Arlington.  It also gives participants the opportunity to enjoy cycling on the George Washington Parkway, which is normally closed to bikes (this is the part I’m particularly looking forward to, as will anyone who’s ever driven the parkway).  I hope you’ll consider coming out and enjoying the day.  Details are:

Time & Start:

There are two route options.  The 25-mile Capital Ride begins at 8 a.m.  The 12-mile Family Ride begins at 9 a.m. Both rides begin on Constitution Street NW in front of the National Archives Building and end across the Potomac River in Crystal City, Virginia.

Cost:

To make the event especially family-friendly, Bike DC is free of charge for children 15-years old and younger. Registration and helmets are required.  The adult registration fee is $35 for the Capital Ride and $25 for the Family Ride.  Registration fees are $10 higher on the day of the event.  Details and registration are available online at www.BikeDC.net until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 16th.

Route Differences:

Both the Capital and Family rides pass by the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court, the White House, the Washington Monument, the Pentagon, and the Marine Corps and Air Force memorials. The longer Capital Ride also features a climb up Embassy Row to the U. S. Naval Observatory and the Twin Oaks estate in NW Washington, plus a rare opportunity to bike the tree-lined George Washington Parkway in Arlington and the Whitehurst Freeway in Washington.

While I’m definitely going to get a lap or two in on the GW section, I’ll be spending most of the ride as a volunteer near at the Iwo Jima rest stop.  Say hi.

Update: this is a map of the longer route:

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