Camping & Motorcycles

Motorcycles, it’s been said, are not made for camping. I’m aiming to prove this wrong. So far, it’s not going all that well.

Admittedly, I’m sort of pushing it by insisting on not carrying a backpack (cameras will be enough on my body itself) but still…these saddlebags have surprisingly less room than I’d like. I’ve had to ditch the very nice two burner Coleman Xpedition stove in favour of the single burner one, and as a result my good cookware. This means perhaps a bit more eating out, but we’ll see.

Admittedly, I’m packing more clothes than I might need but with a brief stop in San Francisco, I’m trying to be a bit civilized here.

So off we go. The odometer on the Virago reads 58,332.1 kilometres.

Yosemite. There are few more magical places in this world.

Today I Recommend (Starbucks, Granville Island)

The Oil we Eat

America’s biggest crop, grain corn, is completely unpalatable. It is raw material for an industry that maufactures food substitutes. Likewise, you can’t eat unprocessed wheat. You certainly can’t eat hay. You can eat unprocessed soybeans, but mostly we don’t. Agriculture in this country is not about food; it’s about commodities that require the outlay of still more energy to become food.

The Oil We Eat Following the Food Chain back to Iraq, Richard Manning
Harpers Magazine, February 2004, pp. 43

I, for one….

I, for one, welcome our new plantary overlords.

Pluto Wins Reprieve but Number of Planets May Rise

By REUTERS
Published: August 16, 2006
Filed at 2:29 p.m. ET

PRAGUE (Reuters) — Learning the planets of our solar system is about to become more difficult for school children around the world.

The International Astronomers Union (IAU) put forward a definition of a planet on Wednesday that will expand the number from nine to 12, and create different categories of planets in a nod to technological advances that allow astronomers to look deeper into space.

Torn Down Today

Torn down today, this house was a great piece of Shaughnessy history. I rode past it every day along the Cypress bike path. This morning it was there — on the south west corner of 18th & Cypress — this afternoon it was reduced to a pile of rubble.

This picture was taken about a month and a half ago, just before the development permit went up.

(Double exposure is quite coincidental, and was provided by the quirks of a Lomo.)

200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s

Without a doubt the best online music magazine — Pitchfork Media — is unveiling its list of the top 200 songs of the 1960s.

These are songs from a time when rock & roll was young and truly revolutionary, and a time when the lines of friction between generations were enormous.

It’s a great list of songs that should be in everbody’s collection.

Death of the Penguins

I am grieving.

4 penguins perish in freak Texas truck accident
Octopus unhurt, exotic fish not as lucky en route to temporary home

Aug. 9: Four penguins and dozens of exotic fish were killed when their transport truck overturned.

Updated: 12:26 a.m. PT Aug 9, 2006
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Twenty-one penguins were rescued on a hot east Texas highway on Tuesday after a truck carrying the wildlife to a temporary home south of Houston overturned, said a state trooper.

Four penguins and some exotic fish were killed in the accident, including three penguins that were hit by passing motorists, said Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Richard Buchanan. “The rest of the penguins kind of stayed together in the ditch.”

Miami Vice

Like most teenage boys in the 80s, I went through a Miami Vice phase. Unlike most teenage boys, I came by this rather late — it wasn’t until the clothes turned a bit darker and the white Ferrari Testarossa came into the series that I really gained interest.

I was particularly interested when I learned that a friend was working on the crew for the just released film, directed by Michael Mann

Tonight, I finally went to see it.

Continue reading "Miami Vice"

Honour.

It’s finding out information like this from the New York Times that always frustrates me about the middle east, and how the American government cozys up to these governments when it’s convenient.

How to Avoid Honor Killing in Turkey? Honor Suicide

BATMAN, Turkey — For Derya, a waiflike girl of 17, the order to kill herself came from an uncle and was delivered in a text message to her cellphone. “You have blackened our name,” it read. “Kill yourself and clean our shame or we will kill you first.”

Derya said her crime was to fall for a boy she had met at school last spring. She knew the risks: her aunt had been killed by her grandfather for seeing a boy.

Reading past this paragraph is unnecessary to understand the problem.

Clothing the problem in religious differences does nothing to make it more acceptable on a human level.

This is not honour — this is shame.

Rainbow Connection

Rainbows are an amazing scientific phenomenon. I was pleasantly surprised to be pointed at this rainbow gallery

Countertop Swami, Moderne Burger

Israel vs. Lebanon

Although it may not be easy, it’s worth taking a moment away from considering the political impact of the most recent wave of conflict between Israel & Lebanon to consider the true cost in that which is most valuable on our planet — human lives.

It’s easy to see this as an illustration of the power of visual design as well, and this is how it was brought to my attention.

Don’t forget the point of the message while focusing on the visual.

Records of Dubious Distinction

Ontario set a record today, although not one to be proud of.

Blackouts possible, operator warns. Overnight heat record broken
Aug. 1, 2006. 03:29 PM
TYLER HAMILTON AND AMANDA-MARIE QUINTINO
STAFF REPORTERS

As of noon Ontario hit a daily power record, despite pleas from energy authorities to conserve.
By 3 p.m., consumption hit 27,000 megawatts, well past the previous peak of 26,160 megawatts set last July. With a few hours left before peak time at 5 p.m., demand is expected to climb further.

The Independent Electricity System Operator predicts that before the day is over Ontario’s electricity system will peak at 27,225 megawatts, more than 1,000 megawatts above the previous record.

The emphasis in that article is mine.

Continue reading "Records of Dubious Distinction"

Welcome to the World

Two new babies born into the world today.

Elizabeth weighing 5 pounds 11 oz. and Benjamin weighing 4 pounds 14 oz. were born July 31 at 11:45 P.M. Marie & babies all doing well

Tag Cloud