The challenge begins at 7:00 am sharp, just as the sun is rising. Temperatures were slightly cool, but we all knew we'd be baking in the heat in just a few hours. Over 14,000 riders waited at the starting line, and it was impossible to even mount your bike for the first 1/8th of a mile.
Brent readies himself for the start. We still hadn't decided how far to ride. I'd committed to 50 miles, but was willing to try for 100K (63 miles) if I was feeling good. Brent completed 100 miles last year at the HHH, but was willing to hang back with me for 100K.
The HHH is legendary for well-staffed rest areas spaced frequently along the course. In this shot, little cups of pickle juice (yes, pickle juice) are set out for sampling.
At the first rest station outside of the city, bikers line up to use the Port-A-Potty.
When you decide to pull over at a rest stop, you must find a place to "park" your bike. Invariably, the only place for your bike is laid flat on a field. These shots look a mess, and they are, but you're actually looking at very expensive, state-of-the-art lightweight bikes strewn around randomly. No one worries about theft, even if it's a $10,000 bike you've left in the grass.
I managed to prop up my borrowed (thanks, Mike Agan) vintage Schwinn Paramount against a barbed wire fence during one of my rest stops. Several riders took note of this bike. One older guy told me it was exactly like the very first road bike he ever raced, and marveled at its fantastic condition. I heard other riders murmur things like "Cool bike, dude" as I passed them. The biking community is notorious for burning money on expensive gear, and events like the HHH are full of ostentatious displays of wealth. When a rider sees a vintage bike like this, they don't think, "That guy must be poor," they think "That guy must be making a statement."
A group of riders smile as they cross the finish line. The HHH certainly makes you feel like a superstar athlete, even if you're just a weekend warrior like myself.
After crossing the finish line, many riders make a beeline for the hoses spraying cool water all over the street.
It would really be nice if you could memorize the Seoul, South Korea Metro System map by this Monday. It's fairly straightforward, and shouldn't pose a problem.
Landing in the capital city of Honduras is a hair-raising affair. A single, short runway with mountains all around (and frequently stormy weather) make arriving in Tegucigalpa pretty dramatic. It's considered one of the world's most dangerous runways.
Despite all this, the word "Tegucigalpa" is very cool, and just saying it makes you feel cosmopolitan.
Dull. Duller. Boring. Lame. Pedestrian. Yawn. Snooze. Safe. Pathetic. Sigh... Homogeny. Where's the remote? Kill me now. When the chips are down, isn't it reassuring to know that you've got a team of fresh-faced local newsreaders "On Your Side?"
Local TV News is about as predictable as a visit to Taco Bell. There are several general patterns: • Male anchorman is permitted to be older than female anchor. He must wear dark suits, power ties, and should appear to be virile and heterosexual. Ideally, he should resemble a corporate CEO. White hair is a plus. • Female anchor must be slim, young, and wholesomely sexy. Her hair should be longish and styled just like every other anchor woman in the country. Glasses are not permitted. She must be seated on the right side of the screen. She shall not be larger than a size 8, and must always wear jewelry and solid-print clothing. Fake tits are a plus. • Weatherman is permitted to be wacky and outrageous, and is encouraged to speak with the region's local accent. He is permitted to be gay, as long as his sexual preference is never mentioned on-air. He must entertain us, because weather is incredibly dull. Loud ties are a plus. • Sports Director is usually an out of shape ex-athlete, and is always a man. He must be a man's man, with a hearty laugh. He is only permitted to talk about football, baseball and basketball. Cleft chins are a plus.
Naturally, when reporting stories, If It Bleeds, It Leads. Next to bloody double-murder suicides, local news usually trumpets stories aimed at Keeping Your Family Safe. Just before the first commercial break, the anchors will tease you to stay tuned for a story that might prevent your children from dying a horrible death.
The beat reporters are all under age 30, all with identical haircuts, suits and speaking voices. They don't appear to be artistic, bohemian, or interesting; they all look like college Republicans. They usually disappear from your TV screen after a year or two, with nary a word of explanation. It's understood that their jobs are so horrible that only the most desperate journalism grad will sign on for the 80 hour weeks at low pay. Attractive female beat reporters will typically retire to marry a local doctor or attorney; male reporters will often move into auto sales or corporate human resources positions. Local websites will debate how "hot" these young beat reporters are, and speculate on why they're no longer on air, until the next crop of young reporters arrive to fill their positions. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Here are a few songs I'm listening to nearly constantly. With one exception (Everlast), all are either British, or part of a British collaboration. What gives? Well, I'll tell you. The Italians gave us opera, the Russians, ballet. The Germans make great cars, and the British? They make the best pop/rock music in the world, full stop. Rue Britannia!
Why is this? Well, from my experience, the British are the coolest, funniest people in the world. They've always been a class-driven society, but with the advent of rock and roll, common Britons could suddenly find themselves richer than The Royal Family. Detached from racial politics, the Brits were quicker to embrace black American music, and they've always represented the leading edge of studio experimentation. This combination has captivated the world, and firmly thrust the Brits to the pop fore, going on 50 years now.
"The Golden Path" - The Chemical Brothers featuring The Flaming Lips What a great marriage of styles! The Chemical Brothers, with their post-psychedelic electronica, and the Flaming Lips, with their ramshackle organic psychedelica are a perfect fit on this track. The song bubbles and percolates like a video game soundtrack, which is appropriate, considering the existential "life is a game" lyrics. Interesting stuff, even after multiple listens. Not bad for a bunch of forty-somethings trying navigating the world of modern rock.
"LDN" - Lily Allen I resisted Lily Allen for years (she was way overexposed in the British press) but a chance encounter with Wookies remix of "LDN" completely floored me. Here's "LDN" performed with only an acoustic guitar. She's a compelling performer, with Susanna Hoffs eyes, and a demure facade that she seems all too willing to dismantle. She's the face of young British pop, and she's the real deal.
"Up the Hill Backwards" - David Bowie From the 1979 Scary Monsters LP, this song sounds as if it was released yesterday. It's creative and clever, with an unexpected arrangement of acoustic and electric guitars churning underneath multi-tracked Bowie vocals. Great stuff, from a classic album.
"Black Cherry" - Goldfrapp I played this song once while DJ'ing at the OKC Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School. During a break a young art chick walked over to my booth and asked, "Who did that song you played about "Black Cherry?" I wasn't surprised. Artisticly-minded young folk can't resist this song's slow, seductive groove, and Alison Goldfrapp's vocals beautifully communicate the pain of a lost love.
"Ends" - Everlast White-boy soft rap with a low-key groove and a self-assured delivery. This could sound laughable in someone else's hands, but Everlast pulls it off.
"Rain" - The Beatles While this song isn't as well-known as Beatles hits, it's got a great proto-psychedelic arrangement and energetic rhythm playing. Paul McCartney's bass lines are intuitive and creative, and are prominent in the mix. Meanwhile, Ringo Starr's drums add an element of surprise to the song, sung by John Lennon at his world-weary best. The outro, beginning at 2:27, is a fantastic piece of bass and drum interaction. The Beatles managed to make the avant-garde accessible, and the accessible avant-garde. Why does anyone else even bother to form a band? The Beatles did it all 45 years ago, better than anyone can ever hope to equal. All in all, this is one of The Beatles most under-appreciated classics, and I never tire of it.
"Valerie" - Mark Ronson, featuring Amy Winehouse Producer du jour Ronson, brother of Samantha (Lindsay Lohan's ex-girlfriend) and stepson of Foreigner's Mick Jones, has perfected a Phil Spector-redux sound. His work with Amy Winehouse is self-assured and memorable, and "Valerie" is no exception. Winehouse is a once-in-a-generation talent, a fragile creature born to make music. Her performance here is extraordinary. Listening note: check out the out-of-key horns, a Ronson trademark. It shatters the computerized perfection of modern music, reminding us that human beings make music, not machines. It's pure New Orleans jazz funeral, targeted at kids who've never heard of New Orleans jazz.
I spend a fair amount of time thinking about life in the North Korean capital city of Pyongyang. You know how some cities make you think of romance and adventure? Pyongyang makes me think of toil and strife. And isolation.
But what is it really like? Since I've never met someone who's visited, I try to read about it and look at photographs of the city. Here's an interesting collections of photos from Kernbeisser, who toured the least visited country on Earth.
It's sort of like an ancient, forbidden city, frozen in the past.
I picture it as lonely place, with few people walking on the streets.
Department store windows are a far cry from Fifth Avenue. The signage still seems to be made by hand, not computer.
Here's a lovely entree of dog meat.
One of the tallest buildings in the world, Ryugyong Hotel, has never been completed.
"America's mistrust of government is refreshing in some areas, but not when it comes to health care. Health coverage for the average citizen in the US against illness and its consequences is worse than in Germany, and they have to pay significantly more for it."
"Freedom as the Americans see it also includes the freedom to pay too much for health care that is inferior by comparison with other systems." - from Der Tagesspiegel.
"The entire reform debate suffers from the problematic conviction that has never been questioned, namely that health is an asset from which it's OK to make money." - from Die Tageszeitung.
Americans have heard a lot about shortcomings in the healthcare systems of both Canada and the U.K. Right-wing media outlets like The Drudge Report feature daily stories about British women delivering babies on the sidewalk, or Canadian fears that healthcare is bankrupting their country.
But why should we compare the U.S. to Canada and Britain? Yes, both are wealthy nations, but their economies are no where near the scale of the United States. Wouldn't it be more honest to analyze healthcare in the world's second-largest economy (Japan) and Germany, the third-largest economy?
As it turns out, both nations provide their citizens with excellent universal health coverage, no matter what ability you have to pay, and regardless of pre-existing conditions.
In Germany and Japan, the idea that the poor should be left to fend for themselves is considered morally unconscionable.
How ironic: Japan isn't a "Christian" nation, in fact, they're famously non-religious. Yet the Japanese believe all citizens should be covered, anywhere, anytime, for any reason. It stems from a basic belief in human dignity, and frankly, it should shame those American Christians angrily shouting during town hall meetings.Yes, please, no government in my healthcare. When it's time for my first Medicare check, I'd rather not have it. You keep it. It's much preferable to fend for yourself when you're in your late sixties."
Free healthcare will take away your freedom. It will take away your freedom to worry about losing your job because you'll also lose your health insurance. It will take away your freedom to avoid routine medical tests because you can't afford them. It will take away your fear of being turned down by your insurance company because of a "pre-existing" condition. It will take away your freedom to live out your golden years with this worry: "Can I afford to keep living? Does anyone even care?"
Conservative whites demonstrate against something that will actually benefit them, without a sniff of irony.
The challenge begins at 7:00 am sharp, just as the sun is rising. Temperatures were slightly cool, but we all knew we'd be baking in the heat in just a few hours. Over 14,000 riders waited at the starting line, and it was impossible to even mount your bike for the first 1/8th of a mile. 
Brent readies himself for the start. We still hadn't decided how far to ride. I'd committed to 50 miles, but was willing to try for 100K (63 miles) if I was feeling good. Brent completed 100 miles last year at the HHH, but was willing to hang back with me for 100K. 
The HHH is legendary for well-staffed rest areas spaced frequently along the course. In this shot, little cups of pickle juice (yes, pickle juice) are set out for sampling.
At the first rest station outside of the city, bikers line up to use the Port-A-Potty. 
When you decide to pull over at a rest stop, you must find a place to "park" your bike. Invariably, the only place for your bike is laid flat on a field. These shots look a mess, and they are, but you're actually looking at very expensive, state-of-the-art lightweight bikes strewn around randomly. No one worries about theft, even if it's a $10,000 bike you've left in the grass.
I managed to prop up my borrowed (thanks, Mike Agan) vintage Schwinn Paramount against a barbed wire fence during one of my rest stops. Several riders took note of this bike. One older guy told me it was exactly like the very first road bike he ever raced, and marveled at its fantastic condition. I heard other riders murmur things like "Cool bike, dude" as I passed them. The biking community is notorious for burning money on expensive gear, and events like the HHH are full of ostentatious displays of wealth. When a rider sees a vintage bike like this, they don't think, "That guy must be poor," they think "That guy must be making a statement."
A group of riders smile as they cross the finish line. The HHH certainly makes you feel like a superstar athlete, even if you're just a weekend warrior like myself. 
After crossing the finish line, many riders make a beeline for the hoses spraying cool water all over the street.
