dinner with gloria gaynor

yummy...

things to ponder as you digest turkey

how do YOU measure up?

you folks who get your financial advice from FOX NEWS

...are getting what you deserve. watch this entire compilation; it's 10 minutes of the past two years of the best fox has to offer. peter schiff is the ONLY one to nail it. listen to him describe the subprime bubble, toxic stocks, over-valued and falsely inflated predictions--and get laughed right off the screen.

my dog's brother

doin' what comes nat'rally.

with the demise of "don't ask, don't tell" looming...

i thought it was high time to make a clean breast of things:

“We think http://theorphanageandyou.blogspot.com/ is written by a woman (87%).”

so says the Genderanalyzer.

and before YOU get all giggly smiley, check YOURS out.

examples:

1--We guess http://www.louwaugaman.blogspot.com/ is written by a man (52%), however it's quite gender neutral.

2--We guess http://www.bassoblog.blogspot.com/ is written by a woman (58%), however it's quite gender neutral.

3--We think http://cyclinglyfestyle.blogspot.com/ is written by a man (67%).

4--We guess http://bikeiowa.wordpress.com/ is written by a woman (58%), however it's quite gender neutral.

5--We think http://www.stickofsin.blogspot.com/ is written by a woman (82%).

6--We guess http://drunkcyclist.com is written by a man (56%), however it's quite gender neutral.

7--We guess http://www.theswineking.blogspot.com/ is written by a man (51%), however it's quite gender neutral.

8--We think http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/ is written by a woman (63%).

9--We have strong indicators that http://www.nytimes.com/ is written by a man (92%).

10--We have strong indicators that http://www.foxnews.com/politics/ is written by a man (99%).

11--We have strong indicators that http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html is written by a woman (99%).

12--We think http://ladiescycling.net/ is written by a man (82%).

13--An error occurred: Could not download http://www.punkrockcycling.com/: Could not parse url '/?972cc670'. Host name appears to be missing.

i'm just saying...

holiday techniques, part 1

stuffing your turkey

from our canadian bureau

Cyclist loses leg in alleged road rage attack
By Rosee Woodland, BikeRadar.com
A cyclist in Toronto has had to have his leg amputated after a row with a cab driver allegedly turned nasty. Police yesterday said the cyclist lost his leg after a cab reversed and pinned him to a utility pole.
It's understood people heard arguing before the sound of a loud collision and then someone screaming for help as a vehicle sped off. Police who rushed to the scene at 2:30am found the man lying in a pool of blood, with his right leg barely attached. His $5,000 cycle was lying nearby in pieces.
The 36-year-old later had to have the leg amputated at a city hospital.
Toronto police Detective Constable Paul Strangways told local paper The Star the cyclist had "a very long road to recovery." Strangways said. "He's still getting treatment for a fractured pelvis and eventually will have to learn to deal with a prosthetic."
The original call to police was followed three hours later by a call from a cab driver who said a cyclist had attempted to rob him at the scene.
However, after questioning the man for more than three hours, officers have since told local reporters that no robbery took place. They linked a Beck taxi with damage to its rear trunk, bumper and tail light to the crash.
Police said in a news release that Sultan Ahmed, 38, of Maple has been charged with:
Criminal negligence causing bodily harm; Dangerous operation causing bodily harm; Fail to stop at scene of accident bodily harm; Obstruct peace officer; Aggravated assault; Assault with weapon
It is understood the alleged weapon described in the charge sheet is Ahmed's taxi.
Sergeant Tim Burrows told the Ottawa Citizen that Toronto police have charged motorists with using a vehicle as a weapon on previous occasions. "Common? Yes and no," he said. "We had a very similar case in 1995. It's not unheard of."
The incident happened on November 14, but because the cyclist had to undergo three operations and was heavily sedated, it was some time before police could get a clear picture of what happened.
Ahmed was due to appear in court today.

from cyclingnews.com

create a caption

leave your captions in the comment section, please; a swell prize will be given.

fryguy shoots cyclists!!

see all about it here.

steve's got some wonderful photos from saturday's food-raiser. kid's gonna amount to something, sooner or later, if he's not careful. don't say i didn't warn you, fryguy.

from the obituary pages

the world is running out of flossies

friends of my mother would know that i would be remiss if i didn't note the following, from wednesday's des moines register:

flossie smith, leon--

services for flossie smith, 91, were 10 am, thursday november 20, at slade-o'donnell funeral home. visitation was all day wednesday.

flossie ragan, johnston--

flossie ragan, 85, died november 16, 2009, at iowa lutheran hospital in des moines. graveside services will be held 1 pm, saturday, november 22, 2008, at praire city cemetary in baldwin, kansas.

flossie was born january 15, 1923, in lanes prairie, mo, to calvin and sarah stewart. she enjoyed spending time with her family.

flossie is survived by two sones, a sister, 21 grandchildrenm and many great- and great-great-grandchildren. she was preceded in death by her husband, three sones, and her parents.

a celebration of life dinner will be held at 430 pm sunday, november 23, at the eagle's lodge in des moines.

.....

mom was known--in full humor and self-effacingly--to many of her friends as "flossie thorson west bader," and always had a hearty laugh whenever either of us came across another flossie in whatever circumstance. i'm sure she would have laughed as much as i did when i read obituaries of two flossies on the same page of the register on the same day. i mourn the loss of two additional examples of iowa residents bearing vestiges of settler-era nomenclature.

new york city study on bicyclist behavior

read it. any comments?

i just LOVE the republicans

seriously. so much so that, well, i WAS going to post a photo from a google image search for "bunch of idiots" but i just didn't feel right about it, so i searched for "young republicans" instead. and i learned something i hadn't previously known about the 2008 republican national convention. you know, the one where sarah palin introduced her dad to the world? well, all the liberal elitist media was talking about how there were only three minorities in attendance. guess what? i found a picture of all of them. what are the odds?

it IS a grand old party.

in memory of a good, decent man

oh. he's NOT dead? just lost the vote? fuck. tell me when he dies, will ya?

let's ALL help the republicans! you know they'd do the same to--er, FOR--us!!

just makes you want to cry, doesn't it? so go here, and tell them how much you really think they need to put all their eggs behind the "born-again, fundamentalist, anti-abortion, build a better fence and a whiter party of REAL americans" faction. THAT'S what's gonna help them retake the white house in 2012.

right?

today's sermonette topic:

work out petty disagreements in an adult manner

my radio job has lots of perks

one of them is that i've gotten to know many folks "in the industry" -- here, the cycling industry. as a result, i learn about many things BEFORE they become widely known to the masses.

well, it just so happens that i have a friend inside one of the largest cycling clothing design and manufacture companies in the world, and she has tipped me to just a few of the new kits that will be gracing the race venues in the upcoming 2009 season, beginning with cyclocross nationals in december.

go here to see more. a word to the clever: the names attached to the photos are NOT the actual team names; they are trade names, to help keep the team image more of a surprise for the unveiling later this year.

enjoy. [can you guess which kit is headed for sioux city?]

i just don't know what i can add here

Posted on Mon, Nov. 17, 2008
Tickets, not criminal charges, recommended after officer killed on bicycle
A Eudora man who killed a Douglas County sheriff’s officer in a traffic accident should get tickets for the incident, the Douglas County district attorney said.
Kyle Van Meter was driving west on a county road when he rear-ended Lt. David Dillon’s bicycle on June 28, said District Attorney Charles Branson, who also said Van Meter told authorities he was distracted by the radio and did not see the officer until the impact.
The Kansas Highway Patrol investigated the accident and reported the outcome to Branson. He said he has sent the case back to them suggesting that tickets be issued for unsafe overtaking/passing, following too closely and failure to wear a seatbelt, he said in a press release.
The death does not warrant state criminal charges, Branson said, but “it is a difficult time for the family, the sheriff’s Department and all those involved.”
He also noted that studies have shown that 80 percent of crashes are caused by distracted drivers.
“If any good can come from the tragedy we can only hope people will slow down and pay attention to their driving,” he said.
Joe Lambe, jlambe@kcstar.com

tour de georgia to skip 2009, will return 2010

Atlanta, GA) Following the conclusion of a very successful 2008 Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T, the Board of Directors of the Tour de Georgia Foundation, Inc., announced today their plans for the future of the Tour.

Speaking on behalf of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, long time member Tom Saddlemire announced that the Tour de Georgia will not be held in 2009 but will return in 2010. Mr. Saddlemire, newly retired CFO of GE Energy, explained that “with the help of the Lt. Governor, the Tour had its most successful year yet, raising close to $3.2 million in operating expenses and commitments for more than $500,000 in support of cancer research through the Aflac Cancer Center at Children’s Healthcare and the Georgia Cancer Coalition. We believe that this unique and exciting event will endure. We have decided to use 2009 as a time to plan ahead and properly position the Tour de Georgia to make the best use of the new partnerships we forged during the 2008 Tour de Georgia Presented by AT&T, such as our relationships with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Road Atlanta. The planning process for the Tour de Georgia requires a tremendous amount of time and effort and we wanted to give all of our partners enough time to plan and allocate their resources to take full advantage of the event. Therefore, we will skip 2009 and the Board will petition USAC and the UCI for the Tour de Georgia's return to the world calendar in 2010.”

Craig Lesser, former Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development said that “The Tour de Georgia was initiated by the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism (now Georgia Department of Economic Development) in 2003 with a focus on creating a world-class cycling event which fostered significant economic development, tourism and world-wide exposure. We achieved that goal. The Tour de Georgia quickly developed stature, gaining international ranking (by UCI and USA Cycling, Inc.) as a spring tradition in the professional sport of cycling. The Tour de Georgia attracted the best teams in the world and previous champions included such stars as Lance Armstrong, Tom Danielson and Chris Horner. Over the course of six years, the Tour de Georgia has attracted 3.2 million spectators, many of whom traveled to Georgia from out of state, and generated a direct economic impact totaling over $186 million. The 2008 Tour de Georgia, our most successful Tour yet, yielded over $38.6 million in direct economic impact for the State. We have come a long way since 2003.”

Chairman of the Board, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle added, “The support we received from our Georgia sponsor corporations, our host cities and the citizens of Georgia was amazing in 2008. Since April, we have had an enormous response from our partners on ways we can strengthen the Tour for the future, and we have been listening. Our host cities want to have time to prepare tourism packages and our health providers are enthusiastic about developing plans to use the Health and Wellness expos to spread their message across the state. Our cycling friends from across the state want to partner with us to create participant activities which are inclusive of the whole family. We have listened to their advice and have decided to skip one year so that the Tour de Georgia can once and for all be ahead of the game in the planning process. This is a decision I feel is wise and one that will strengthen the Tour de Georgia for years to come. I commend our Board for its thoughtfulness in arriving at this decision. We look forward to using 2009 to plan the 2010 Tour and I am committed to playing an active role in that process.”

Steve Johnson, CEO of USA Cycling, said that he “was obviously disappointed to learn that the 2009 Tour de Georgia has been cancelled for 2009. However, I am very pleased that the race will return in 2010. Since its inception in 2003, the Tour de Georgia has been an important international stage race featuring some of the top riders in the world. Equally important, it provided the impetus for major stage races in California and Missouri. We look forward to the Tour de Georgia returning in 2010.”

The Tour de Georgia Presented by AT&T is North America ’s premier professional cycling race. First held in 2003, the Tour de Georgia Presented by AT&T is an international professional sporting event that brings thousands of spectators and cycling enthusiasts to the State of Georgia each Spring . The 2008 Tour de Georgia Presented by AT&T was a six stage race, covering more than 600 miles across the State of Georgia , from the shores of Tybee Island to the mountains of North Georgia, with an exciting circuit finish in the state capitol, Atlanta. Traditionally, professional teams use the Tour de Georgia to prepare their riders for the most challenging tours held in Europe , including the Tour de France. Several teams which rode in the 2008 Tour de Georgia Presented by AT&T also participated in the 2008 Tour de France. Riders such as Christian van de Velde and George Hincapie, who were fierce competitors in the 2008 Tour de Georgia Presented by AT&T, also rode extremely well in the 2008 Tour de France. The climb up Brasstown Bald in the mountains of North Georgia, a favorite of cycling fans and a legendary stage in the professional racing circuit, is considered by professional cyclists to be the most challenging and grueling stage of any race held in North America.

For questions or further information, please contact, Phil Jacobs at 404-825-9536

today's sermonette topic:

family values

it's the age-old conflict:

POP versus

[abba divas doing what they do]

ROCK

the moody blues, the self-described greatest rock band in the WORLD!
what else could POSSIBLY happen?

mitch mitchell and friends

man...three amazing musicians. rest well, guys.

behind the scenes at the kim west radio cycling show

sunday night, live from kenny's garage

listen to the episode here; download the podcast here. enjoy the show wherever you wish. pay attention to the love i give to the vande cross race in moline. consider doing the races DICE is holding november 22d and 23d.

tonight's sermonette topic?

garbage. LOTS of garbage.

what's THIS about? go here.

names, numbers, dates*

G.W. Bush: 76% - Nov. 2008
Clinton: 54% - Sept. 1994
G.H.W. Bush: 60% - July 1992
Reagan: 56% - Jan. 1983
Carter: 59% - June 1979
Ford: 46% - April, Nov., Dec. 1975
Nixon: 66% - Aug. 1974
Johnson: 52% - March, Aug. 1968
Kennedy: 30% - Nov. 1963
Eisenhower: 36% - March 1958
Truman: 67% - Jan. 1952

* DISapproval ratings upon leaving office--kind of like golf, as i understand it, where the lower the number, the better you are

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure." George W. Bush
"The future will be better tomorrow." George W. Bush

video of the year

runner-up

and the winner is:
"good, steady, decent men"

KC cross nats course preview

watch the course, ingnore the music:

the good news is, the course is GREAT !

the bad news is, the music is annoying.

from a cross nats press release:

Mother Nature is setting the tone for another great National Championships this December. Today it's raining and 32 degrees! Do we want bad weather? Maybe a little! As we get closer to the event we will be sending various e-mails to you to keep you in the loop. We also encourage each of you to visit www.kccrossnationals.com to check for News and Updates on the home page. We will be announcing more hotel information, expo vendors, sponsor updates, team parking details and course updates.

Speaking of the course! A local race was held on the National Championship course two weeks ago and a Masters rider used a helmet cam to document one lap of the course. We will be tweaking the top end of the course after the barriers, so keep in mind the course will change a little. The course is very challenging under dry conditions so try to visualize it with rain, sleet, ice and snow! You know, the usual December weather in the Midwest.

Below is the link to a four question survey. Please take a moment to participate as the data is important to the success of future events. See you when it's cold!!

Future Cyclocross Nationals Location Survey

if mccain's aides had been this thorough BEFORE the convention

[mccain aides dig deep to find embarrassing details about palin]

they'd have had a better shot at getting elected.

ah, THIS is better...

remember the "palin as president" site, & its daily updates?

go HERE for the updated site.

go HERE for the original site.

the new face of the GOP??

watch this from fox news [the back-biting has begun]

they call that a "thorough vetting," remember?

might i suggest a new mantra

or do without!!

on 9-12, ol' dubya said the cure to our ills was simply to go shopping.

today, i'd like to suggest americans adopt the old world war two attitude as a method to combat the approaching recession:

use it up,

wear it out;

make it do,

or do without.

it won't kill you, it will save you money, it will harm the world's dwindling resources less, it will teach your kids and friends a valuable lesson, and it will allow you to appreciate what you have, while letting you contemplate why you think you need what you don't have.

they want me out east...

i must have made quite an impression on joe the vice president:
i don't know whether it's because he'll seem less talkative, or that it will make his hair look better. i'll let you know if i decide to move the orphanage.

grant park celebration

i'm excited to watch as nyla has role models in sasha and malia in the white house
we are ready for and welocme a president for ALL americans.

do you remember what the chicago police were doing 40 years ago?

i hope that this photo will help change the image that too many people seem to have of young, black men in this country.

there are 118 photos here that tell a wonderful story. if you don't tear up at least a bit, call your cardiologist.

read the full text of obama's brilliant speech last night here.

what an amazingly eloquent, intelligent future lies ahead for all of us.

as michelle obama said a few months ago [and for which she was mercilessly and wrongly excoriated], for the first time in my life, i really DO feel proud of my country, and i am so very happy that it might just be possible to leave the world a better place than we found it.

. . . . .

go ride your bike,

breathe deep the fresh air;

let go your worries, replenish your soul,

for your future you must prepare.

. . . . .

whew...jebus. i really was quite afraid it wouldn't happen. let the reunification begin, okay, my right-wing friends? let's ride bikes.

gravel rides tuesday nights, the bridge in water works park at 530 pm?

renegade cyclocross saturday, 900 am at witmer park.

probably won't drink afterwards.

we all won!

congratulations, america.

we did it.

want to see and hear obama's speech again?

i do. watch it here.

. . . . .

i spent the day working the phone bank, getting out the vote.

it was the most fun i've ever had doing political calling, and my political history goes back 40 years.

i then got a tattoo [thanks and happy birthday, dan] and went to ames to watch and laugh and cry and share with my daughter, son-in-law, and two little grandkids.

it was historic, and i told nyla how important the day was, and that i looked forward to talking with her about just how important it was as she gets older.

my quiet hero

"Look, she has gone home," Obama said, his voice hoarse. "And she died peacefully in her sleep with my sister at her side, and so there's great joy as well as tears."
Obama's voice cracked, and tears rolled down his cheeks. It's "hard for me to talk about," he said. "I want everybody to know, though, a little bit about her," he went on. "Her name was Madelyn Dunham, and she was born in Kansas, a small town, in 1922, which means that she lived through the Great Depression. She lived through two world wars. She watched her husband go off to war, while she looked after a baby and worked on a bomber assembly line."
Obama called his maternal grandmother humble and plain-spoken, then wove her story into the speech he usually gives with little variation. "She was one of those quiet heroes that we have all across America, who -- they're not famous, their names aren't in the newspapers, but each and every day they work hard," he said. "They look after their families. They sacrifice for their children and their grandchildren. They aren't seeking the limelight. All they try to do is just do the right thing."
"North Carolina," he said, his voice blasting from loudspeakers across the University of North Carolina field, "in just one more day we have the opportunity to honor all those quiet heroes all across America. . . . We can bring change to America to make sure their work and their sacrifice is honored."

. . . . .

my mom is my quiet hero. she raised me, she was the cornerstone of my life, and instilled in me--and my daughter, i am proud to say--the values, beliefs, and hopes that make me the person to whom i strive to be and think that i am.

although she died in 1988, when she was just 59, and my daughter was 15, she was able to leave such an indelible mark in the two of us that not a day goes by that we don't think of her and feel her influence in what we do, and know that something that has happened would make her happy or pleased. i see and feel her in what my daughter does, and now in what my grandchildren do. like me, mom was a single parent [and even though she remarried when i was six, i still considered her a single parent for reasons i won't go into in this post]; her unwaivering strength got us through incredibly difficult times, and make my thoughts and reflections quite positive even though an objective view might indicate otherwise. this was the late 50s, when the single parent ["unwed mother" was the term of derogation of the day] was like the leper of earlier times, and yet she instilled in me a quiet pride in family and accomplishment, and in that order. nothing makes me happier nor more proud than to see that my family has done this or values that. we encourage among ourselves that same sacrifice for our kids and grandkids that madelyn dunham lived and instilled in barack obama and his sister. i know that mom would be very happy for us, and for the obama family, for all the hard work for the good fight for the right reasons during the past several months and for the months and years to come.

mom lived through the great depression; she suffered rheumatic fever and scarlet fever as a child, and during her 13 months of bed care [they hit her in succession], she benefitted from the loving sacrifice of both her parents. both her mother and father died shortly before i was born, and yet she regularly reminded me of what they did, and of their values and strengths and beliefs. i proudly grew up a "new deal democrat" and i STILL consider myself that. fdr's core values--as i perceive them--still course threw my body. i am a strong proponent of a good government doing good things for ALL people, but especially those who find themselves getting the short end of the stick--for whatever reason.

i strongly continue to believe that our government remains capable of doing that, despite the rampant greed and cynicism that pervades and corrupts many among us. the core values and beliefs i hold true and near and dear still exist in many many millions today, and they will be voting for barack obama and joe biden today.

and my quiet hero, my mom, would be happy and proud.

jimmy carl black

the indian of the group

i'd love to eavesdrop on the political discussions

in this house in martinsville, indiana [thanks, lee!]

john dean, on tomorrow's election

john dean served as white house counsel to richard nixon from july, 1970 until april, 1973. as white house counsel, he was deeply involved in the events leading up to the watergate burglaries and the subsequent watergate scandal and cover-up. the fbi called him the "master manipulator of the cover up." he was convicted of multiple felonies, and went on to testify [seen here] before congress and later in criminal trials. i recall him as the first of the real weasels from the nixon era: commit and squeal. as with current republican weasel john mccain, john dean was never seen without his trophy wife, maureen, seen here in her characteristic red dress attire, with hair pulled back in a bun. i despised them both.
john has mellowed over the years, and for the past eight years, he's written a column for the common dreams.org "newscenter." here is his entry for today:
The Evidence Establishes, Without Question, That Republican Rule Is Dangerous
Why It Is High Time to Fix This Situation, for the Good of the Nation
by John W. Dean
Occasionally, during the past eight years of writing this column, I have addressed the remarkably dangerous manner in which Republican Party officials rule the nation when they control one or more of the three branches of the federal government. Over the same period, I've also made this argument, even more directly and loudly, in three books on the subject.
In this column, I will be more pointed on this subject than I have ever been, while also repeating a few key facts that I have raised earlier -- because Election Day 2008 now provides the only clear remedy for the ills of Republican rule.
The Republican Approach to Government: Authoritarian Rule
Republicans rule, rather than govern, when they are in power by imposing their authoritarian conservative philosophy on everyone, as their answer for everything. This works for them because their interest is in power, and in what it can do for those who think as they do. Ruling, of course, must be distinguished from governing, which is a more nuanced process that entails give-and-take and the kind of compromises that are often necessary to find a consensus and solutions that will best serve the interests of all Americans.
Republicans' authoritarian rule can also be characterized by its striking incivility and intolerance toward those who do not view the world as Republicans do. Their insufferable attitude is not dangerous in itself, but it is employed to accomplish what they want, which it to take care of themselves and those who work to keep them in power. read it all here.

who needs SNL?

when you've got these??

spend some time--LOTS of time--clicking and re-clicking objects in the oval office [results may be more real than they appear];

then listen to the real thing...

AND THEN VOTE OBAMA!!!!!!

why we just ADORE mcshame supporters

if only this was just a joke...
back to you, pete.

josephine the plumber, or "my granddaughter, the pundit"

... or...
my granddaughter, nyla kim irene hinson, shown here at last year's state fair with the biggest boar, knows a thing or two about politics. for example, since birth, her hippie grandpa has taught her to appreciate trees, and she is now an adrent tree hugger [literally]. she has been following the 2008 presidential campaign, and has formed her own opinions of the major players. listening to cnn on the radio in the car the other day, the audio clip was of sarah palin addressing a crowd of drooling fools. she asked her mother, "is that john mccain's wife? i don't like her. she's not nice to people."
coincidentally, she has quite a knack for memorizing things she sees and hears: movie lines, song lyrics, dance steps and gestures. yesterday, she replayed the latest john mccain "joe the plumber" commercial, closing with the following tagline: "i'm nasty john mccain, and i approved this message."
as this photo shows, she not only knows quite a bit about big boars/boors/bores, she knows a thing or two about big nuts. clearly, she's found two at the head of the republican ticket.
is there a future in politics for her?

latest mccain-palin joint campaign appearance

and while we're at it...