Watching Lance win the last two stages of the Tour de France
was pretty. It was like watching a Michael Jordan dunk. He
even tried to give the stage win to his teammate, who essentially
carried him to victory, twice. The guy's got class, power,
and persistence. With 14 stage wins, he has more than any
other active cyclist. The records keep falling. The broadcasters
struggle between creating dramatic hype (like "can he win
it?") and self-serving chatter (like "of course, as if anyone
had a doubt that he'd be the leader at this point..."). Still,
I don't turn the sound off. The chatter is entertaining, and
sometimes I actually hear some of the noise from the crowds.
It reminds me of watching the NYC Marathon. It must be such
a rush to be surrounded by that kind of throng. No wonder
Lennon said "We're bigger than Jesus."
Lance didn't win the stage today. He didn't need to. He's
still ahead by two minutes. And he and his boys needed to
save themselves for tomorrow, when they climb to the finish
on Mount Ventoux... Should be interesting.
:::
Really interesting article in the Times about corn
" Under the 10-year program, taxpayers will pay farmers
$4 billion a year to grow ever more corn, this despite the
fact that we struggle to get rid of the surplus the plant
already produces. ...
"At first blush this subsidy might look like a handout
for farmers, but really it's a form of welfare for the plant
itself ?and for all those economic interests that profit
from its overproduction: the processors, factory farms,
and the soft drink and snack makers that rely on cheap corn.
...the Archer Daniels Midlands, Tysons and Coca-Colas of
the world. ...
"...It's probably no coincidence that the wholesale switch
to corn sweeteners in the 1980's marks the beginning of
the epidemic of obesity and Type 2 diabetes in this country.
Sweetness became so cheap that soft drink makers, rather
than lower their prices, super-sized their serving portions
and marketing budgets. ...
"...America's corn crop might look like a sustainable,
solar-powered system for producing food, but it is actually
a huge, inefficient, polluting machine that guzzles fossil
fuel ?a half a gallon of it for every bushel. ...
The author, Michael Pollan (sounds
like "pollen" doesn't it?), is a botanist who's written
the book The
Botany of Desire: A plant's-eye view of the world.
Read
more [lame NYT link--requires registration]
:::
A summer cold is a dif-frent a-ni-mal, an ugly a-ni-mal
ooh! Well it gets you in the sum-mer when you've got lots
to do... That was the song for a cold remedy that ran
for several summers back in the mid seventies by my guess.
I believe the product was Contac, but I'm not completely sure.
Since I've had a nasty cold for about a week now, that song
has been looping in my head pretty consistently for the last
several days. The odd thing is that when I talked to my friend
Jo on Wednesday and told her I was under the weather, she
replied by singing that very song! Funnier, still, she thought
it was from a much more recent time. Talk about a memorable
message! I bet the advertising folk would kill for something
that works so well these days.
Of Empires, Umpires and EuroWhiners
"With the collapse of the Soviet Union more than
a decade ago, no single countervailing power is left to balance
American might and influence in the world. This leaves some
observers to ask: are these the actions of an empire, or umpire?"
- From Going it Alone:
Bush
foreign decisions leave allies puzzled
:::
Apparently, my neighbor is into breeding big dogs. They've
had two very large ones in the back yard for some time, but
now they have a pupy that howls for a prolonged period each
day. Sometimes the big dogs are out and start barking for
no apparent reason, or they decide to play soccer with a metal
food dish. I know it's cruel, but sometimes I fantasize about
having a BB gun.
Recently, those same neighbors added a bug zapper. Evenings
were never so quiet here, but now the other noises are punctuated
with the semi-random ZOT! of another bug biting the
dust.
:::
"RAdi8 is
an online exhibit space and forum dedicated to the convergence
of art and science"
Hmmmm.... I wonder how many times art and science have converged.
Da Vinci was as much a scientist as an artist, and many "conventional"
art forms have benefitted from scientific advances such as
new pigments, better oven technologies, or more sophisticated
welding tools. But there appears to be something distinct
about how pervasive the science is within web and interactive
art. The technology has spawned a new artform. (Or is that
a family of artforms?)
Lush Life
"America must get rid of the hangover that we now
have as a result of the binge, the economic binge we just
went through. We were in a land of endless profit. There was
no tomorrow when it came to the stock markets and corporate
profits. And now we're suffering a hangover for that binge."
-PRESIDENT BUSH
I'm sure the man knows whereof he speaks.
An article in the Times today entitled "Steps to Wealth:"
George W. Bush's business dealings foreshadow many
characteristics of his administration, such as its obsession
with secrecy and its intermingling of public policy with private
interest.
Read
more [Requires registration]
:::
A couple of weekends ago, hanging over at C's place, we got
into a "where are they now" conversation about Peter Frampton.
Well, here
he is... Seems he's been busy.
We've been sniffing around the Williamsburg
art scene recently. It's pretty vibrant over there, although
the author points out that some of the galleries are teetering.
Hmmm... wonder if they've been going thorugh an artistic binge?
