Comment Spammers are Dumb...

I'm sure you don't want to buy Viagra, Levitra, Extenz, or any other male enhancement drugs from this blog. That's why I've turned on comment moderation. You have been warned.

Watering Down the Watered-Down

The Democrats are at it again. In order to further appease the minority Republicans and Blue Dogs, as well as their paymasters in the insurance industry, Dems have further watered-down the already watered-down public option...by privatizing it. So we've gone from dreams of single payer, compromising out to a public option, compromising further to a public option that allows states with Republican governors to "opt out", and finally to a plan that just forces poor people back into the private insurance market.

Thanks, Democrats. You're really turning this country around.

First We Need the Democracy Part...

"In strong and vibrant democracies, a generous social-welfare state is not a road to serfdom but rather to fairness, economic equality and international competitiveness."

- Jeffrey D. Sachs, Economist, Columbia University

It's Your Money

Every time I get my PG&E bill, they include some notice of a petition to the California PUC requesting a rate increase to cover things like "regulatory costs" and other items. These requests are for increasing the core electricity & gas rates...but take a closer look at your bill. You'll notice that our privatized utility monopoly is already recovering various regulatory fees:


Think about it...we're paying the cost of their compliance with regulations...we're footing the bill for cleaning up their nuclear mess...and yet they want to keep raising rates so they can keep bribing politicians, making more money, and paying out executive bonuses.

Ft. Hood Shootings Likely Stress-Related...

Interesting:

This year alone, the base is averaging over 10 suicides each month - at least 75 have been recorded through July of this year alone.

That's an absurdly high number. Something smells....

Guv'mint-Run Healthcare Administered to Protestors of Guv'Mint-Run Healthcare

I have a weak spot for delicious irony. And this story reads like it's straight out of The Onion...When US Rep (and noted victim of The Crazy) Michelle Bachmann organized her "press conference" and encouraged teabaggers, birthers, and other friends of Orly Taitz to attend, the last thing she probably expected was a Spinal Tap moment:

But, as with a similar rally by Democrats a week before, unpredictable things tend to happen in the wide-open spaces of the Capitol's West Front. Minutes into the rally, a breeze toppled the American flag from the stage.

More ominously, a man standing just beyond the TV cameras apparently suffered a heart attack 20 minutes after event began. Medical personnel from the Capitol physician's office -- an entity that could, quite accurately, be labeled government-run health care -- rushed over, attaching electrodes to his chest and giving him oxygen and an IV drip.

...

By the time it was over, medics had administered government-run health care to at least five people in the crowd who were stricken as they denounced government-run health care. But Bachmann overlooked this irony as she said farewell to her recruits.

"You," she said, "are the most beautiful sight any of us freedom fighters have seen for a long time."

Stonehenge anyone? The stupidity continues:

The lawmakers set the tone early, when Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) asked for the Pledge of Allegiance because "it drives the liberals crazy" to hear the "under God" part (his bravado was premature, for he left out the word "indivisible").

My goodness people...if you're going to pull pseudo-patriotic martyrdom bullshit, at least get it right. But this part really bugged me:

The actor Jon Voight, standing with the lawmakers, said of Obama: "Could it be he has had 20 years of subconscious programming by Reverend Wright to damn America?"

Yes, Jon. And Reverend Wright made you abuse and abandon your super-hot daughter too. Oh, and I think he was probably behind those two hillbillies who almost raped you and made your buddy ned squeal like a pig too. You know them boys was on guv'mint-run healthcare, dontcha? Sometimes I think Ronny Cox got the rawest deal in that movie...he was the best of 'em, you know.

National Cookie Day

Today is National Cookie Day. Here's my favorite way to celebrate:

Cue the Dead Kennedys...

Finally...our errant empty suit press release mayor has dropped out of the governor's race. Newsom claims he's dropping out of the race to focus on being mayor and on being a daddy. I think he's dropping out because he was getting his ass kicked by a guy who hasn't even declared yet...

Meg Whitman won't win this race (thank goodness). That leaves us with one inevitable possibility:

Reagan. Wilson. Davis. Schwarzenneger. Feinstein. Brown (both of 'em). Whitman. Why is it that California is saddled with bad choices?

Red State Socialism...Continued

Federal spending received per dollar of taxes paid by state, 2005

It'll be interesting to watch this change from 2009 onward. But I suspect it won't change much.

Leiberman Sells Us Out on the Public Option

No surprises here. Joe Lieberman, who's in the pocket of the insurance industry, will not vote with Democrats to cut off debate on health care reform if it includes even a watered-down public option. I always figured it'd be dirty Joe who shot down any chance at real reform.

Almost At A Loss For Words...

My Next Bumper Sticker

Why Casey Stoner Rules...

US Fundamentalists Out to Destroy Ugandan Gays...

This story has been a bit of a sleeper in the US press, but it's scandalous enough to merit some attention. A powerful and connected group of anti-gay fundamentalist bigots, called The Family (or The Fellowship), converted Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and has been advising him as he tries to implement even more official repression of gays and lesbians:

Uganda already punished gay intimacy with life in prison. But, apparently that was not harsh enough, with this bill penalizing anyone who “attempts to commit the offence” with up to seven years in jail. Additionally, a person charged will be forced to undergo an invasive medical examination to determine their HIV status. If the detainees are found to be HIV+, they may be executed.

These troglodytes are the very same people pushing theocracy at home, but getting tripped up by their own worldly desires:

The Family, of course, recently made headlines because one of its key members, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) had sex with his best friends wife, while they were working together. Another member, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), used one of the Family’s Washington properties to try to broker a deal to buy off the furious husband, who has since gone public with the Ensign scandal.

This is the face of biblically-inspired government, people. And it should make you think twice before ever voting for a fundamentalist again.

High Court to Hear Skilling Case

We're continuing to reap what we sowed by letting the Bush Administration run rampant for 8 years. The Supreme Court today agreed to hear an appeal of Jeffrey Skilling's conviction on fraud charges relating to his role in the collapse of Enron. If they overturn Skilling's conviction, the two main actors in the Enron ponzi scheme will have gotten away with their crimes. With two Bush appointees on the court, I won't be surprised if it happens.

Sheriff Joe Stripped of Xenophobic Powers

JoeP will love this one. The federal government has ended an agreement with Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio that gave him and the agency power to enforce federal immigration laws. The two year agreement, created under the previous administration, authorized Arpaio's deputies to arrest people suspected of being undocumented, check their immigration status, and turn them over to the feds for deportation. But Arpaio took things a step further, setting up his own concentration camps:

Arpaio's aggressive tactics include the jailing of illegal immigrants in tent cities surrounded by barbed wire in the middle of Arizona's searingly hot summers, the reduction of meal costs to 20 cents per day, the use of pink jail clothing for men, and chain gangs for women inmates.

Arpaio also came in for criticism when he appeared on the Fox reality show Smile: You're Under Arrest.

This publicity-seeking assclown humiliates people, treats them like livestock, then has the nerve to go on "reality" television? Let's hope the feds under Obama continue to have to good sense to sever all ties with this buffoon.

I Can Haz Nobel?

The newshole is awash with stories of President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. He's in rare company, as only the third sitting US President (after Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt) to win the award. Predictably, Republicans are up in arms over the announcement, scoffing at the idea of giving the award to a man who's been in office nine months. Of course, these are the same Republicans who scoff at the very idea of a Peace Prize itself...they don't exactly have a great track record in the peace arena.

At the end of the day, I think this is probably a bit premature, and will be an unneeded distraction for an administration with an ambitious agenda and tons of corporate money working against that agenda. In the end, I think Obama got the award precisely because he's not George W Bush. After 8 disastrous years of war, pestilence, cowboy diplomacy, and ugly nationalism I can see how some would think a small change back towards "normal" warrants this much attention. But where I come from you don't get a reward just for doing the right thing...you need to go above and beyond. Stop the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Increase US foreign aid (the peaceful kind, not the military kind) to more than 1% of the federal budget. End poverty here at home...then we'll talk.

No Wonder They Hate Science

Is it any wonder the Catholic Church hates science? Damn scientists keep using logic and reason to undermine their dogma. First it's evolution. Now it's the Shroud of Turin. This must be stopped.

Toll Pass Scams

I recently made a whirlwind trip to New York for Anne's parents' 50th wedding anniversary. I rented a car out of JFK, since that was more cost-effective than a taxi to Westchester county. While driving, I noticed that there was a resin box mounted to the windshield containing an EZPass toll transponder. I was driving, and couldn't exactly read the microscopic terms of service on the box, so I just went through the EZPass lane on the way out. I figured Hertz would add the EZPass toll to my rental bill. Wrong.

I just looked up my credit card charges, and found one for $15.50 from WWWPLATEPASSCOM. I was curious what that was, and after some googling I found this. Platepass is apparently a company that specializes in parting you with your money in exchange for not providing a valuable service. The toll on the Whitestone bridge is $4.57 for EZPass users and $5.50 for cash users. I used the EZPass one way, and paid cash on the way back the next day. So Platepass not only charged me the full cash toll, they tacked on a $10 "service" charge...all without giving me a real opportunity to read any of the fine print. And if they did happen to charge me on the way back, when I used the cash lane and paid cash, then there's something wrong with their resin box...it doesn't block the transponder signal. Yet another opt-out scam.

There have been many stories of people ending up being charged for driving on toll roads when they didn't even drive on one. My advice: if you get a rental car with a toll transponder in it, pull up to the booth on the rental car lot, take the transponder out, and tell them you don't want it. If they give you trouble, return the car immediately and go to another car rental agency that doesn't carry this.

Oh, and please report Platepass to the Better Business Bureau in your area.

The Blue Cockroach

How the hell did I get myself into this? I swerved hard left to avoid the idiot in the Camry who jumped into my lane (without signaling, of course), and the whine of the motor sounded…strange. Like there were two extra cylinders. And I was on a freeway…going to work. Even more strange. I guess I haven't reconciled with the idea that I, champion of walking whenever I can, would end up…commuting to work. On a Japanese bike. With four cylinders. Was this a nightmare?

In my rush to middle age, I've realized that I'm a V-twin kind of guy. Wait a second…make that an L-twin kind of guy. This blue & gold Cal Bear actually bleeds red. Not the wimpy cardinal red sported at that social club university in Palo Alto, but Bologna red…the kind that evokes the passion and love of the open road we've all come to know…the passion that comes from owning a Ducati. Or multiple Ducatis. So when I got this new job and found out that I had to be in San Mateo several days each week my first thought was how fun it would be to rock the Supersport down there every day. But that had some downsides. Another valve job every year? Having to extract the bike from the garage every morning? Rolling the bike down the street to start it without pissing off my neighbors? Going through 2 more sets of Pilot 2CTs every year? All of this led me to start looking for a commuter. A Japanese commuter, with bonus points for something I could take on extended trips, maybe 2-up. That led me to start looking at the FZ1.

Yamaha started making this beast in 2001, mating its carbureted 5-valve R1 motor to a standard with conventional front forks with straight bars. Over the years they've developed a reputation as a rock-solid, reliable bike that's great for long trips yet still shines in the curves. Yamaha revised the FZ1 in 2006, giving the mount a new chassis and updated motor. A few weeks of searching Craigslist led to my purchase of a well-cared-for 2004 model yesterday. I was tempted to fly to LA and look for a Generation II model, but Joe at Motojava swears by his carbureted model (he commutes in from Vallejo on it) so I took the plunge. This beast has 14k on the clock, and has been immaculately cared-for. Walking around the Yammy, I was struck by how the blacked-out engine and frame set off the blue paint scheme. I've been going for that kind of look on my Monster, and it was part of what attracted me to this particular Fazer. But the overall styling reminded me of an insect. This thing has evil-eye headlights, and a beak-like front fairing. Combine that with the stinger-looking tail and this thing looks like it could survive a nuclear winter or two. I've started calling it the cockroach. And several tasty aftermarket bits rounded out the picture: Sato rearsets, aftermarket bars, a fender eliminator, and the best part: a Throttlemeister. Someone really cared about this bike.

The test ride started off mellow enough. Seating position is slightly less hunched over than my Monster, and is generally comfortable. Reach to the aftermarket bars was a bit long, due largely to the aftermarket bars. I'll have to futz around with that and get it working well. A few curves in a residential neighborhood revealed that the bike is nimble for a standard, and you could tell the power was definitely lurking, waiting to hit the open road. The 998cc DOHC motor spins up to freeway speed quickly…and can get to those speeds in first gear. Welcome to the world of inline 4's…now hold on! I had to remind myself to shift UP instead of DOWN…I ride GP Shift, and the brain works overtime when I switch back for a test ride. The transmission is butter smooth, and downshifts require almost no blipping of the throttle. 70mph came quickly, and it came time to pass some cages. This is where the bike shines. No shifting gears, just twist the damn thing and wait for it to wake up…warp factor 10 comes quickly. 10 minutes into the freeway ride I knew this bike would be perfect as a traffic mule. It splits nicely, wind protection from the fairing is good, and the only real noise at speed is the air rushing over your head. I brought the bike back, ponied up my cash, did the paperwork and I was on my way, stock bits and free saddlebags in tow.

Ergonomics is one of the main reasons I settled on the FZ1. Sitting upright on the excellent seat will make this bike comfortable over the long haul…I see a trip or two to Southern California in this bike's future. Suspension is a bit soft on this machine…not surprising, given my weight. I'll probably have to respring the front someday. But for commuting it's pure butter. Soft, warm, melty butter. The 45 minute ride home was the perfect getting-to-know-you session, dodging cars, splitting lanes, and hitting the bay bridge in post-rush-hour traffic. The conventional steam gauges are quite easy to read, even in the dark. But after a few minutes my attention was drawn to a strange-looking gadget on the right side of the dash. Yes, friends, that's a gas gauge. A real, honest-to-goodness gas gauge. Like, Empty to Full. No more in-the-head calculations on when I'll need gas. No more lights-on, lights-off panicked runs to the nearest service station. This thing's bringing me into the big time…maybe this time next year the bike will have a second airbag. For the immediate future, I've got a Coocase S48 Topcase on order. That'll keep the rain off of my laptop bag, and the laptop bag off my back. And I can probably remodel the inside to put an extra bathroom in.

But back to the aforementioned Camry. After the swerve, I popped my foot down to downshift and found…nothing. No gearshift lever. At 65mph. On 101 South. Calmly…very calmly…I let off the throttle and looked down. The shift linkage had come off the eye bolt, and was hanging there from the now-spinning shift lever. Signaling, I quickly made my way to the right lane and took the first exit. Luckily, there was no stop sign and there was a nice curb I could pull up to. In case you haven't noticed, 1000cc inline fours don't like to be lugged around city streets in 4th gear. Looking at the linkage, I saw that I had forgotten to tighten the friction nut on the eyelet…and that's why this thing vibrated loose and left me without a shifter on the freeway. And this is where the FZ1 began to shine. Under the seat, inside the ample storage space, is an excellent toolkit. I found the right 10mm wrench to reattach the linkage. 5 minutes later I was back on the road. This bike kind of makes sense…almost.