okay--those freaks in california have gone TOO FAR

[from cyclingnews.com]

MTB league bans caffeine for High School athletes
The NorCal High School Mountain Bike League, which recently released a new rule book for its 2008 racing season, is banning the consumption of caffeine at their competitions. The stance is motivated by concerns for high school athletes' health, as well as in response to a tremendous surge of new caffeinated energy products and related marketing seen thus far in the 2000's.
Over the past few years, the League has seen an increase in caffeine usage amongst its athletes; some even strategising with timed consumption of caffeinated products on the final lap of a race. This is a "performance-enhancement-based mentality" the League would like to nip in the bud.
There are also health-related concerns associated with teenagers' caffeine consumption. Dr. Richard Stein, director of preventative cardiology at New York's Beth Israel Medical Center and a representative for the American Heart Association said, "What five years ago was considered outrageous doses of caffeine is now well within the range of expected doses. We will soon find out the effects of prolonged usage in high doses starting at an early age. In the past, that's always been a formula for poor health and mental outcomes." The bottom line is that research has yet to demonstrate that a high amount of caffeine intake is safe for young people.
For Matt Fritzinger, League founder and director, "the conversation began when I was approached for the second time by 'Brand X'. ‘Brand X' said themselves that youth, originally, were not in their marketing plan – but that 'Brand Y' (a leading coffee shop franchise) changed their minds. The marketing representative made it clear, they wanted 'product in hand.' I realized this is a lot like the cigarette industry was; they get the free samples out there, and then they can count on a percentage of life-long addicts. Though less harmful than cigarettes, the strategy is the same."
Fritzinger' concerns were fuelled by a changing attitude within the racing scene. "Over the next couple years I spoke with many high school athletes and coaches," he continued. "Some athletes admitted they were already 'addicted' to certain energy drinks, and I found that coaches were supportive of the ban."
Although there cannot be a test for caffeine consumption in races, Fritzinger trusts the proper guidance of the athletes will ultimately bear fruit. "There have been questions about enforcement. It's true that we do not have a test, but nor can we afford a test for steroids or EPO. However, we have a 3-to-1 ratio of dedicated adults working with the athletes, and with good coaching and education kids usually make the right decisions. On the other hand, those who try to get a boost, might get penalized if we find the wrong products during our random pocket-checks."

[can they DO that?--the rev]
Guarana Root, Taurine and Creatine have also been banned. The text of the entire rule book is available at www.norcalmtb.org/race/rules.htm

don't miss this---i almost did!

habits learned well...
are habits never lost. don't miss this opportunity!

march 10. mark it in red ink.

buddy miles

jesus christ

do you suppose at some point this will become

an issue in the campaign?

allman brothers band tribute coming

[click on poster for full-sized version]

such a cool poster for what's going to be a very cool show at the house of bricks, saturday, march 8, 930 pm. more info here. listen to a preview this sunday night online at kfmg991.com.

iowa connections to the aerotrike at TofC

please note the custom clothing: [1] one-off aero time trial helmet by orphan d bax; and [2] the jersey and shorts sized and borrowed from dave lippold.

we're so proud here at the orphanage.

still hungry for laughs? click here and then click here.

a wrinkle in the force--did you feel it?

did you take advantage of it?

much has been made of starbuck's three-hour training session last night, but rest assured, it's still starbucks. read the article; you'll notice that they started their training session by tasting shots of espresso. a daunting task, believe me, even if you are a lover of espresso. my advice to travelers wishing to find a good coffee shop has long been this: go in, order a doppio [a double-strength shot of espresso at single-shot volume], and if they know what it is, and can make one, try it. it it's good, then get an espresso-based beverage. if not, get a cup of brewed coffee and leave. it remains very sound advice. but the new york times article quotes the starbucks boss as defending their totally automated espresso machines as saying baristas can manually "change the grind and aerate the milk."

jesus: once the grind is adjusted properly, you NEVER mess with it. certainly not every time you pull a shot. yuck.

more time should be spent learning the proper preparation of the milk: the milk is not an afterthought.

but again, the heart and soul of a shot of espresso, or a latte or cappuccino, is the coffee itself.

so i revert to my initial advice: learn to identify visually, and by smell and taste, the difference between a great shot and a shitty shot of espresso. it begins with fresh beans, properly and VERY recently roasted and ground.

visit your local roasting coffee shop; in des moines, go to zanzibar's coffee adventure, 2723 ingersoll.

consider it ground zero. then go up the street, sample caribou, sample java joe's, sample starbuck's, sample ritual cafe.

give them the doppio test.

you'll see. and you'll be a happier coffee lover.

i've gotta go make some coffee now.

the bike kollective is asking for stuff

if you've been following this space, or on bikeiowa.org, and soon on bikeiowa.com, you know we've put the pitch out for help cleaning out our new space.

looking ahead, as i always do, we're gonna need tools and equipment, and as a shoestring operation, i'm looking for free good stuff, before we have to actually pay cash for it.

we have labor and supplies already volunteered for this saturday's clean-up [and you know you all are welcome to join in], and we have a local construction company [and i'll name them as soon as it's cool to do so] who is going to do the big stuff for us.

so now, i'm asking YOU, the local bikies who have lots of stuff laying around your house and shop that you've been thinking about upgrading.

right now, i'm thinking about bike workstands, like the one pictured above, or bench-mounted, or whatever. if you have one that is still good, but you want a newer, shinier one, give us your old one and we'll get you a receipt for your charitable behavior.

or if you're a bike shop, or you're just really nice and generous, give us a new one!

i guarantee that you'll have a sticker on the thing indicating that

'this stand was donated by your name here" or "in honor or in the memory of whomever."

seriously.

if we can get three or four workable stands given to us, we can then get going on building the work benches and such [labor and materials have already been assured].

this place, and the generosity it is inspiring, is making me feel really good about the biking community here in des moines. we saw evidence of it last fall under tragic circumstances, and it's really heart-warming to see y'all stepping up again.

we're working with a number of local groups for kids and others, and more information about the des moines bike kollective will be here as it becomes releasable.

so go downstairs, or out in the garage, and take a look at that trusty old workstand, and ask yourself, "would i like to get a new one, and justify it by saying that i'm gonna help young kids learn to wrench on bikes AND help put folks on good, inexpensive recycled bikes who might not otherwise be able to?" wouldn't you like to really feel like you're helping put more bikes out on the streets of des moines?

thanks! --the mostly reverend

just because i like silly things

please call home

click here, and turn it up, as you read the rest of this post

the big house, as seen from vineville avenue
the front entry
gregg's bedroom
duane's bedroom
the fireplace [and my stuff] in duane's room

Posted on Mon, Feb. 25, 2008
Third Macon Film Festival finale draws sellout crowd
By Amy Leigh Womack
The Macon Film Festival was sold out Sunday, the final day of the third annual screening of independent films in downtown Macon.
"We can't take any more in there," said Terrell Sandefur, one of the festival's organizers. "The attendance has been good, and that's been really without any publicity."
The festival began and ended with films embodying rich ties to Macon.
"Dreams to Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding" was amongst the first films shown Thursday and Sunday the festival closed with "Please Call Home: The Big House Documentary," which focused on the Allman Brothers Band's time in Macon and the Big House Museum.
Sandefur said the film festival was the first public screening for both films.
Susan Kell and Durrett Childs said the film featuring the Allman Brothers Band drew them to the Cox Capitol Theatre on Sunday night.
Kell said she'd never attended the film festival, but plans to return in future years.
"I loved every minute of it," said Kell, who drove to town for the festival from her home near Lake Sinclair.
Kell said she lived in Macon during the 1970s and remembers the Allman Brothers' rise to fame.
"It's definitely been a trip down memory lane," she said.
Childs, who resides in Gray, said she remembers going to Central City Park as a 5-year-old to hear the Allman Brothers perform.
"I grew up just in the middle of it," she said.
As "Please Call Home: The Big House Documentary" ended, photographs of the band and friends were displayed on the screen. Loud applause accompanied a photograph of "Mama" Louise Hudson, who along with the recently deceased "Mama" Inez Hill cooked for the Allman Brothers in the early 1970s.
When the lights came on, Macon Mayor Robert Reichert presented Mama Louise with a key to the city for her contribution to Macon's musical heritage and kindness to the Allman Brothers and their families.
"I loved the Allman Brothers and there will always be a place for them in my heart, forever," she said, accepting the key.
Former Allman Brothers roadie Joseph "Red Dog" Campbell shared a hug with Mama Louise and posed for a few pictures.
"I love Mama Louise," he said. "She's taken care of me since 1969.
"I was blessed."
Sandefur said Zelma Redding also was presented a key to the city Thursday following the conclusion of "Dreams to Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding" It was accepted by her daughter Karla-Redding Andrews from Mayor Reichert.
He said the Macon Film Festival is coming into its own as evidenced by longer submissions this year, many lasting longer than 45 minutes. In the past, he said many lasted only a few minutes.
Festival organizers already are making contacts for next year's screenings, Sandefur said.
"We're going to continue to ride the wave and keep networking," he said.

below are photos of the music room, where the allman brothers rehearsed, and which, years later, witnessed the birth of gov't mule.

bike kollective work day

hey, folks!
things are coming together nicely at the new bike kollective space [downtown, on grand avenue between 6th and 7th avenues, next to boesen's]--so nicely, in fact, that we are able to announce our very first work day. what a great time to get into that volunteer spirit and all.
saturday, march 1st. i'll be there beginning at 900 am, and we'll be there until 400 pm, unless we finish sooner.
here's the agenda, so you can plan your attire and tool belt accessories accordingly:
1--remove carpet and whatever crap is beneath it;
2--haul out all the stuff that we don't want in the place;
3--remove stuff from floors and walls that shouldn't be there [nails, staples, screws, whatever];
4--clean the remaining floors, walls, windows and other surfaces; and
5--anything else that needs to be done, or is crying to be done.

NOTE: if you have favorite hammers, carpet-removing tools or implements, and other appropriate tools, bring 'em. this is--and will likely remain in the future--a pretty low-budget affair, so if you have some consumable cleaning supplies such as spic and span, mr. clean, simple green, windex, rags, newspaper for windows, or whatever; it would be totally cool to bring that stuff along. for the good of the order and all that.

it's probably a good idea to wear shoes with significant soles, bring gloves that you don't mind trashing, long sleeves and long pants, and maybe a particle mask, if you are the sensitive type.
we have a swell actual construction company which has volunteered actual professional workers to do the construction and installations [walls, electrical, and plumbing] so those skills won't be needed now. after the walls, wires and waste improvements are made, we will have another work day to build and install workbenches and other things.
the response to this thing so far has just blown me away. the des moines bike kollective has the potential to be a really very cool place.
as an added incentive, i will make every effort to have genuine great coffee from zanzibars for your caffeine needs and pleasures [until we run out]. i'm going to be there from 900 am to around noon or 100 pm, and carl vos will pull the afternoon shift. i don't know how long it will take to do what needs to be done, nor do i have any idea how many folks will show up.
play it by ear, be loose, be cool, oh, and somebody might want to bring music that doesn't suck.
see ya saturday morning!

.....
by the way, just because we're located beneath a parking ramp [on grand avenue, between 6th and 7th street] doesn't mean you have to DRIVE your car there.

.....
do the right thing: RIDE YOUR BIKE to this and all work days.

.....

throw your tools and cleaning supplies in a bag, sling it over your shoulder, and pedal on down. let the neighbors, and the city, shake their heads, and think "there goes the neighborhood!"
let's start USING the city's bike racks, okay?

hell, it's iowa, it's winter, we ride bikes. how simple is that?

--the mostly reverend

i suddenly feel much less crazy

ralph nader...
he didn't know shit about cars,
and he sure as hell doesn't know what the public wants!

well, i want him to go away...NOW!!!

where are they now: the romney boys

turns out mitt is a rather strident CEO, and that even politics is a bottom-line endeavor. so when the stockholders of mittco demanded that its board of directors pull the plug on its failing hostile takeover bid on republico, you knew heads were going to roll. the only real question remaining was "whose heads?" perhaps the most surprising footnote to the entire failed campaign to "win" the presidency is the revelation that mitt romney actually despises four of his five "sons," and that only tagg ["the one with the best name," the former next president of the united states was fond of saying], the youngest of the five, still remains at mittco.

the other four [shown above are sons josh, matt and ben] were booted from the mittco board of directors, their collective golden parachute consisting of one slightly-used winnebago. not the 2007-2008 version, however, but the ragbrai-worthy one used by the "five sons" press corps--

the famous romney flip-flop bus.
shown below, eldest romney son zeppo romney pulls his shift panhandling for pocket change on the brigham young university campus.

mac daddy is BACK!!

we need more roman polanski humor these days!

[thanks, crankenstein]

happy birthday, dmitri!!

[dmitri, four months old, outside carry-boo, june 28, 2007]

i am SUCH a slouch. i've had my third dog, dmitri, since june 28th. one of the first folks around here to seem him was lou; we had a coffee and chat session at carry-boo coffee that evening, and lou didn't even realize he was there until we got up to leave. laid-back dog, even at the tender age of four months.

well, not much has changed in the intervening eight months.

humble beginnings

speaking of street racing, check out these numbers:

35.3km; 1:31:55; 23.1k/h; 40.9k/h [max];

no data on power output.

not bragging, just tcb, boys.

this just in!!!

go here to learn about something soon to hit

the streets and alleys of the capitol city.

signs your amish teen might be headed for trouble

just when things seem to be going well, he starts wearing this t-shirt.

don't relax; it will only get worse.

friday night cruising, for my latest happy newlyweds

y'all be careful now, hear?

[photos to follow...]

a billion leadville training tips

don't drink the water.

hello, world

in the past few hours: melbourne, australia; araucania, chile; algeria; maracay, venezuela; zabrze, poland; stockholm, sweden; london, u.k.; and a reader near the hudson bay in canada...and a couple hundred more in the u.s.

to all of you, i say "hello" and "thanks for visiting and coming back."

dubya dances; we've seen him.

and now, it's limbo time: how low will he go?

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too much change will put a hole in your pocket

thanks, the one.

sniff..sniff..i smell a republican sex scandal!!

oooo, johnny!! you ARE an american hero.
gotta love this shit. and it's not even march.

won't happen if huckabee is the nominee.

i wonder if this is the ill-fated dog that was strangled by junior?

it's undeniable

the voters of wisconsin have spoken.
the voters of hawaii have spoken.
the voters of thirty-seven states have spoken.
even the council of elders in the clinton warroom admit:

she's fucked.