HarleyCam

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(A Motorcycle Picture Diary from the Philippines and United States)

John McCain's Georgian Utopia

Updating this post and this post, more strange news about McCainland.

Red List of Threatened Species

We need a de-population program.

German Pop/Rock

I can't embed the video, but you can go see Silbermond (Web site) sing "Durch die Nacht."

Pedal Steel: Hinges on the Door

Really nice footage of pedal steel player David Hartley.

Riots in Iceland

Riots in Iceland?

Palin Campaigning For Chambliss

A match made in nightmares.

Saturday Sonata XVIII: Mongolia

My 18th Saturday Sonata is up at The Peace Tree. I found some really nice videos of music from Mongolia. And one very strange video promoting tourism in Mongolia.

Rogue & Poet

New Web site centered around the arts in the Rogue Valley. Good luck to them.

Too Optimistic

I manage to not be that worried about the economic situation by being almost completely confused about the world of big money.

But I love a good, scary story.

Obama Address, 11/22/08

Report at CNN, and from the Obama site, Change.gov:

President-elect Barack Obama has directed the Transition's economic team to develop the details of a bold plan to save or create 2.5 million American jobs by 2011.

Watch the President-elect's Weekly Address -- then use the form at the right to share your thoughts, questions, or ideas.

Here's a thought: I think it's pretty freaking awesome that we will soon have a president that we may actually want to listen to. He may actually have something intelligent and thoughtful to say. Something that makes people think - not cringe. Pretty nice, if you ask me.

Take it away, B. Hussein O.:

$150 Million Paid to Pirates

Thems some rich pirates.

• And their good for the economy.

• And their bringing Gulgudud and Mudug reinforcements in. Really. And they still have that ship full of tanks.

• And look out: the Indians are ready to kick some pirate ass.

Sarah Palin and Joe the Turkey Killer

Oh dear god. Just watch it. Or don't, as David Shuster says in the video, if you're squeamish.

Karolina Kurkova Has No Navel

This BBC story actually includes a closeup photo captioned "Karolina Kurkova's belly indentation."

"They're Coming to Your Town"

Gay bashing in broad daylight.

Residents of the small Arkansas town of Eureka Springs noticed the homosexual community was growing. But they felt no threat. They went about their business as usual. Then, one day, they woke up to discover that their beloved Eureka Springs, a community which was known far and wide as a center for Christian entertainment--had changed. The City Council had been taken over by a small group of homosexual activists.

The Eureka Springs they knew is gone. It is now a national hub for homosexuals. Eureka Springs is becoming the San Francisco of Arkansas. The story of how this happened is told in the new AFA DVD “They’re Coming To Your Town.”

My first reaction to this: If every single adult involved in the making of that DVD were dropped off a very tall building I would cheer like a Bills fan as I watched them fall and hit the pavement, and I would then compose and sing songs about the glorious event that was their deaths.

My next reaction is much more loving and humane, I'm very happy to say, but I just wanted my initial rection on the record.

Cat Stevens - Katmandu

Stevens so often did this simple, elegant, and odd thing with guitar melodies and timings. This song is a great example of that.

Kathleen Parker Goes After the God Squad

Republican Parker writes this in the WaPo:

And shifting demographics suggest that the Republican Party -- and conservatism with it -- eventually will die out unless religion is returned to the privacy of one's heart where it belongs.

She gets it. Amazing.

Humaroo: Kangaroo Genome Similar to Human

DNA evidence, these researchers say, shows that human and kangaroo DNA is far more alike than expected, and that we went our separate ways on our evolutionary paths perhaps about 150 million years ago.

It is endlessly fascinating to think that we humans share common ancestors with every living thing on Earth. With the kangaroos: a kangan, or, better - a humaroo.

Karate Explosions on Joe Lieberman

Karate Explosions...on the Dems.

The World is Not Going to End in 2012

How many of you intelligent, rational people out there actually wonder now and then - maybe even with some fear - about the Mayan calendar business?

More than will admit, I think.

Saturday Sonata XVII: Redbone

My 17th Saturday Sonata is up at The Peace Tree, this week a reposting and expansion of a post I did here a year ago or so, featuring the 1970s band, Redbone.

Breaking the Back of the Klan

The Southern Poverty Law Center and Morris Dees continue their good work.

The story, unfortunately, has some bizarre writing:

A jury awarded $2.5 million in damages on Friday to a Kentucky teenager who was severely beaten by members of a Ku Klux Klan group because they mistakenly thought he was an illegal Latino immigrant, the Southern Poverty Law Center said.

The jury found that the Imperial Klans of America and its founder wrongfully targeted 16-year-old Jordan Gruver, an American citizen of Panamanian and Native-American descent.

The jury didn't find that the Klan members "wrongfully targeted" the boy, they found that they targeted him and beat him, period. Is the writer implying that if the boy actually were Latino that the jury would have found differently? That's some sloppy writing.

Here's the story at the SPLC site.

Neil Young On Saving the Auto Industry

Interesting:

The big three must reduce models to basics: a truck, an SUV, a large family sedan, an economy sedan, and a sports car. Use existing tooling.

Keep building these models to keep the workforce employed but build them without engines and transmissions. These new vehicles, called Transition Rollers, are ready for a re-power. No new tooling is required at this stage. The adapters are part of the kits described next.

At the same time as the new Transition Rollers are being built, keeping the work force working, utilize existing technology now, create re-power kits to retrofit the Transition Rollers to SCEVs (self charging electric vehicles) for long range capability up to and over 100mpg. If you don't think this technology is realistic or available, check out the Progressive Insurance Automotive X prize. Alternatively, check out Lincvolt.com or other examples.

That actually sounds like a great idea.

And I had no idea that Neil Young had signed up for the Automotive X Prize with his Linc Volt. How cool. I hope he wins it.

Blogging From the War

We live in a very strange world.

Colby Buzzell's blog: MY WAR.

Wiki.

Rachel Yamagata

I have never heard of this person. Amazing. Haunting.

Behold the Seven Aphorisms of Summum!

Put them in the park!

You will know Summum!

You will know their aphorisms!

And if you're not convinced yet: Honesty says: God Is a Masturbator.

That is all.

(Except for this.)

Gay Marriage OK'd in Connecticut

Take that, California.

Vonnegut on Veterans Day

“I will come to a time in my backwards trip when November eleventh, accidentally my birthday, was a sacred day called Armistice Day. When I was a boy, all the people of all the nations which had fought in the First World War were silent during the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of Armistice Day, which was the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

“It was during that minute in nineteen hundred and eighteen, that millions upon millions of human beings stopped butchering one and another. I have talked to old men who were on battlefields during that minute. They have told me in one way or another that the sudden silence was the voice of God. So we still have among us some men who can remember when God spoke clearly to mankind.

“Armistice Day has become Veterans’ Day. Armistice Day was sacred. Veterans’ day is not.

“So I will throw Veterans’ Day over my shoulder. Armistice Day I will keep. I don’t want to throw away any sacred things.

“What else is sacred? Oh, Romeo and Juliet, for instance.

“And all music is.”

Breakfast of Champions, 1973.

And a song, from Eric Bogle.

AIG Execs On Another Junket

We have nothing like a good and fair system of government. We are a joke. A laughingstock.

Miriam Makeba Has Died

Right after performing.

More here.

"Mama Africa" singing "When I've passed On":

Google "Glenn Beck Creepy" - I Rule

I am so freaking proud right now. So FREAKING proud.

Thanks you, world, thank you.

Today, We Are All Georgian Protestors

There's something wrong in John McCain's Utopia:

Thousands of opposition activists have demonstrated in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi - their first major protest since the conflict with Russia.

Critics have accused President Mikhail Saakashvili of starting a war with Russia that Georgia could not win.

Whuuuuh? Starting a war with Russia? But John McCain told me that Russia started the war!

I'm so confused.

Tony Perkins To Lead GOP Out of Hole He Lives In

Too much. The White Supremacist for Jesus wants to save the Republican Party.

I guess most people are aware that people like Perkins made the Republican Party the horrible deformed beast it is today. But it's worth repeating, isn't it?

FOX is Still Saying "Homicide Bomber"?

Remember when FOX News decided it was pro-terrorist - or something - to call people who blow themselves up to kill other people "suicide bombers," and decided to start calling them..."homicide bombers"? The logic was, well, snicker-enducing, akin to calling people who stab people to death "homicide stabbers."

I thought they'd noticed how stupid they looked and stopped.

Nope.

Ruger Firearms Introduces "Inaugural Special"

Unbelievable.

Via this loon, firearm maker Ruger has announced an "Inaugural Special" on rifle magazines in advance of Barack Obama's inauguration:

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR) announces an "Inaugural Special" for Mini-14® 20-round magazines that runs from Election Day to Inauguration Day.

From November 4, 2008 to January 20, 2009, fans of the Ruger® Mini-14 Target Rifles and Mini-14 Ranch Rifles, both chambered for .223 Remington, can purchase Ruger manufactured 20-round magazines (regularly priced at $39.95) for only $29.95. This special offer is only available through the Ruger On-line Store. Please note that these magazines are not available where state or local regulations limit magazine capacity to less than 20 rounds.

I've saved the window, as I doubt this will last very long. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Update: Well I was completely wrong about how long the ad would stay up. It's become an industry, apparently, to sell as many guns as possible with "Obama's gonna take all your guns!" scares. Whatever. Selling magazines for target rifles as "Inaugural Specials" seems more than a bit incendiary - but I guess that's just me.

Joe the Plumber Benefitted From Welfare

This just gets weirder and funnier. Joe the Plumber admits that his family received welfare as a child (as did mine), and that they eventually got off it and did alright for themselves (mine, too!). This doesn't quite square with the anti-government talking points he's been making since he willingly thrust his head before the oncoming train of the media during a presidential election, and he can't quite understand what's happening when the train makes contact:



1) Joe slams the idea of "taking money from people and giving it to someone else"

2) Alan Colmes asks him about his own family receiving welfare

3) Joe the Plumber looks as if he accidently filled his canteen with Drano for a couple seconds, then says "Paid into welfare ... it's something to be used, not abused, like it often is, Alan..."

4) The sound of a toilet flushing can be heard from inside Joe the Plumber's head as he realizes that he's just made a complete fool of himself. Once again.

I'm going to call him "Joe the Palin" from now on.

Congratulations, Jeff Merkley!

Wow! Jeff Merkley beats Gordon "Bush West" Smith.

Wyden/Merkely for Oregon. How freaking cool is that?

Joan Baez Has a New Album Out

Produced by Steve Earle. The link also has a short interview. I hate to give out last lines - so here's the last line:

So what's the big f****** deal?

And a song, from Stockholm, 1966.It's particularly fitting after our election, and Joan's voice is just knee-weakening.

"Blacks Have Nothing To Complain About. Ever Again!"

That title is an actual comment at Michelle Malkin's site.

Damaged, desperate, and terribly frightened adult humans. It thankfully invokes pity to see them.

Update: Jesus, the Wall Street Journal actually published this ugliness:

One promise of his victory is that perhaps we can put to rest the myth of racism as a barrier to achievement in this splendid country. Mr. Obama has a special obligation to help do so.

The "myth of racism as a barrier to achievement in this splendid country."

Can they be that unaware of the realities of racism in this country? I don't think so. Can they be that unaware of their own racism in saying that? I also don't think so. They may as well have said:

Well, one good thing about this election is that maybe the ni**ers will quit complaining about "racism."

Again: damaged, desperate, and hopelessly frightened people. A truly pathetic sight.

Aussies for Obama

While watching election day coverage yesterday with my gorgeous, hilarious, and courageous wife, Tin - who is also Australian - she got a call from her sis in Sydney. All the way Down there, they were so nervous and excited about the race. In honor of the Aussies for Obama, some news from this morning:

Sydney Morning Herald: Australia embrace Obama for president

Canberra Times: Australians favour Democrat for poll

The Age: King's dream realised in the election of Obama, says PM

First Post-Debacle Republican Talking Point: "Center-Right"

The United States of America, where the "Most Liberal Liberal in the Senate" was just elected president, is a "center-right country".

Not a good first effort, Karl.

Update: It's been going on for a while, apparently.

Congratulations, President-Elect Obama

And Vice President-Elect Biden. It's been a long, tough slog, but you did it, and you did it with style and grace. Congratulations.

And: McCain's concession speech was absolutely stunning. It's like he's been wanting for months to get out of the horrible shitty campaign he's been running and clean himself off, and all of that desire came out last night.

Obama's Grandmother Passes

One day away. One freaking day.

Rest in peace, Madelyn. Rest in peace.

Undecided Glue Sniffers on CNN

The first choice of brain-dead people everywhere:

Less than 24 hours before the presidential election, Kevin Sheen has yet to decide who will get his vote.

iReporter Kevin Sheen of Nebraska says he has yet to decide on who to vote for.

"I'm actually still wrestling with moral issues," says the 29-year-old registered Democrat, who voted for George W. Bush in 2004.

A registered Democrat who voted for Bush in 2004. I'm sorry - I was wrong to callhim a glue sniffer. His brain is actually made entirely of glue.

Coal Miners Back Obama

The McCain/Palin campaign will literally lie about anything.