Andy's words » Causes

Vulpine Video

andy — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 21:22:36 +0000

Disco Lies from Moby on Vimeo.

Fain riding instead of driving

andy — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:03:45 +0000

From Yehuda Moon:

It’s easy to fall back into old habits.

Thwart the Other Side; Vote

andy — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:05:53 +0000

Here is why you should vote xxxxxx (insert Republican, Democrat, Pirate, Lizard…):

“It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see….”
“You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?”
“No,” said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, “nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people.”
“Odd,” said Arthur, “I thought you said it was a democracy.”
“I did,” said Ford. “It is.”
“So,” said Arthur, hoping he wasn’t sounding ridiculously obtuse, “why don’t the people get rid of the lizards?”
“It honestly doesn’t occur to them,” said Ford. “They’ve all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they’ve voted in more or less approximates to the government they want.”
“You mean they actually vote for the lizards?”
“Oh yes,” said Ford with a shrug, “of course.”
“But,” said Arthur, going for the big one again, “why?”
“Because if they didn’t vote for a lizard,” said Ford, “the wrong lizard might get in.”

Douglas Adams, in So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish (1984) Ch. 36

Rigmarole to Watch a Movie

andy — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 21:00:38 +0000

(From: http://mnmal.org/post/1416521946)

Penumbra of Climbing

andy — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:16:06 +0000

On Saturday I did Terrible Two and with that completed California Triple Crown Stage Race.

Here is a recap:

Mulholland Double ~ 208 miles, 16,470+ feet of climbing
Devil Mountain Double ~ 206 miles, 18,600+ feet of climbing
Terrible Two ~ 200 miles, 16,480+ feet of climbing

It was totally awesome; I recommend to everybody.

As for the individual doubles I did so far, here are my comments:

Solvang Double ~ great first double. It is relatively mild and the scenery is great.
Davis Double ~ looking at the profile it would seem easy, but it is really hard because of 100+F all day. Make sure to start early, get those flat miles in as quickly as possible and have insulated water bottles.
Mt. Tam Double ~ lots of climbing, but you do it early in the ride. I recommend this one to everybody.
Knoxville Double ~ shares a lot of roads with Davis Double. When I did it it was not nearly as hot and it was still hardly bearable.
Mulholland Double ~ absolutely mind blowing scenery. It is a lot of climbing with one of the longest climb towards the end.
Devil Mountain Double ~ unlike Mulholland, which has relatively mild climbs, this one is in your face climbing. Just when you recover from one climb, there comes the next one. The toughest climb is Sierra road at 160 miles. And to hit you again, there is another climb at 200 miles.
Terrible Two ~ pretty nice scenery of Napa and Sonoma. That said, Sonoma county has in my opinion the worse roads in the area. Be prepared for some serious potholes, gravel, non-paved roads, etc.

From organization stand point, anything organized by cycling clubs is best. Knoxville Double and Devil Mountain Double trump everything else. Their organizers go above and beyond. Mt Tam, Terrible Two, and Davis come close behind. Lots of quality doubles, for example Mt Tam and Terrible Two, will have valet bike service at the rest stop. This way you can go grab some food, while they take care of your water bottles and your bike. Solvang and Mulholland on the other hand are organized by Planet Ultra, which for some reason has some serious organizational problems. They do rides on awesome roads, but they do beginner mistakes, such as forgetting water, running out of food, no sunscreen, etc.

But hey, go out and ride!

Abate the Animal Suffering

andy — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:00:28 +0000

Happy World Vegan Day 2009!

Turbid Freedom

andy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:54:02 +0000

Pet Shop Boys
We’re All Criminals Now

Hey, hey
Don’t ask me how
We’ve changed
We’re all criminals now
Hey, hey
Don’t ask me how
We’re blamed
We’re all criminals now

Just a routine procedure
(We’re watching you)
A sample of your DNA
(The things you do)
Queuing to be finger-printed
(You could be dangerous)
Going to the USA
Another routine procedure
(We’re on your case)
Driving in your car
(We’ve seen your face)
Stopped and searched and questioned
(Some place before)
Can you prove who you are?
Hey, hey
Don’t ask me how
We’ve changed
We’re all criminals now
Hey, hey
Don’t ask me how
We’ve been framed
We’re all criminals now

Hey, hey, hey
We’re all criminals now
Hey, hey, hey
We’re all criminals now

Got the bus to the station
Music playing in my head
Ran to get on the tube train
Police shot someone dead

Don’t ask me how We’re all criminals now

Hey, hey
Don’t ask me how
We’re blamed
We’re all criminals now
Hey, hey
Don’t ask me how
We’ve been framed
We’re all criminals now

Daedal Rider Friend

andy — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:42:26 +0000

After a great weekend in Yosemite, I checked my e-mail and found this e-mail from my friend Gracie:

Hello friends and family,

For those of you who don’t already know, this week I am embarking on a journey riding my unicycle from Canada to Mexico off-road. At 2,705 miles, this is the longest off-road cycling route in the world. My friend Matt Burney and I will both be on unicycles and leave for Canada this afternoon in an attempt to become the first people ever to complete this route on unicycles. We are excited to ride to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

To follow us on this journey, extensive route info, the blog, and donation info, please see the main trip website: http://divideby1.com.

…

Here’s to another summer of crotch soreness!

Rock n roll,
Gracie

I am a huge fan of charity activity, such as biking, running, and, in Gracie’s case, unicycling. So, check her website for the ride information and make sure to send her an encouraging note, as well as donate some money.

Not a salutary system

andy — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:44:40 +0000

Why is anybody taking these people seriously. That is my question when it comes to radical political organization consisting of a minority of a group, but speaking in the name of the whole group.

Today I listened to my favorite podcast Democracy Now! and I heard this story:

So, curious I am, I started reading about the American Medical Association. Of course they are just an example of a systematic problem, where priorities are totally screwed up. Why would organization that is focusing on a salary of its members be at all concerned about the quality of the service the members provide. As long as they have a guaranteed business, everything is ok. And they do. People will keep on getting sick. The AMA and its members make sure that is the case by fixing symptoms instead of showing and helping people how to live a healthy life. Actually, the problem is that if you live a healthy life, that is one less client for the AMA members. So, no wonder they don’t want the system to change. Who cares about the 50 million uninsured in USA, where there are 250 or more million that happily pay their dues. Of course, the politicians have no problem participating in this scheme, since they get money from the drug and insurance companies. Also, how can AMA talk in the name of doctors, while it only represents about a sixth of the actual doctors.

As Ralph Nader points out, if USA would replace the current health care system with a single payer one, the same amount of money per person would pay about double of what other countries pay for about the same level of service. Just think about it. Is it really so much more expensive to be a doctor in USA than in France, Japan, or UK? If it is, well, US doctors should fix that. Other industries are trying to minimize the costs, why would healthcare be different.

Now, here are some typical complains people have against a single payer systems:

You have to wait to see the doctor

Well, I clearly remember so far every single time I wanted / needed to see the doctor, I had to wait. For example, when I got a nasty wasp sting, I had to go to the urgent care center, where I waited about two hours fainting in the waiting room. The nurse came out to check on me every once in a while, but that was it. Also, to get a checkup to a dermatologist, I had to wait 6 months and to get a physical, I had to wait 4 months. 4 months for a physical? Why? Because schools have physical exams, so all the doctors are booked for like 4 months.

Government bureaucrat makes decisions on your health

How is that different from the current system, except that the bureaucrat works for a health insurance, whose aim is to minimize the amount of money they pay. My insurance for example does not pay for STD tests unless you are symptomatic. Imagine that you contract AIDS and you are not symptomatic. Wouldn’t you want to know that ASAP? And this is just one example.

Single payer system would waste a lot of money

As opposed to the $350 billion that is wasted now?

There would be no innovation

Yes, if you slash NIH budget. But, are you saying there is no innovation in space exploration, aviation, weapons, etc?

Quality of health care would go down

If the quality of health care is so great, then why is the life expectancy in USA lower than the life expectancy in most industrialized single payer countries. It is actually lower than in Israel and people in Israel are being attacked by terrorists.

And so on. Why are we even talking about this? The current system has been proven to be bad. Its cost increases three times the rate of inflation, the quality is at the lower end of the industrialized world, the emphasis is on fixing symptoms instead of curing disease, and finally there are 50 million people in this system that don’t have access to it. So, why does a minority of people with an obvious conflict of interest deciding this?

Exigency Ride

andy — Thu, 21 May 2009 01:28:13 +0000

The Ride of Silence…

Tonight we number many but ride as one
In honor of those not with us, friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, sons
With helmets on tight and heads down low,
We ride in silence, cautious and slow
The wheels start spinning in the lead pack
But tonight we ride and no one attacks
The dark sunglasses cover our tears
Remembering those we held so dear
Tonight’s ride is to make others aware
The road is there for all to share
To those not with us or by our side,
May God be your partner on your final ride

- Mike Murgas

Bombinate the Message

andy — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:34:55 +0000

Sorry about all the videos lately, but looks like some really good stuff out there.

Munificent Pandemic

andy — Sun, 10 May 2009 23:11:08 +0000

Tyro Running The Relay

andy — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:14:57 +0000

This weekend I joined team Solar City to run 199 mile (in reality it was probably more than 200 miles, since there was at least one detour) relay called “The Relay” from Calistoga to Santa Cruz. Our team had 11 people in two vans. Each van did six legs then we rotated the vans and we did this so that each van did three sets. Here is our team:

The weather was rainy, but since you get pretty hot when running, the rain actually felt really good.

Each member of the team was supposed to run 3 legs, but since we were one runner short, we had to run some extra legs. Below are the four legs I ran. To see the pages, please signup to and add me as a friend.

Leg 7

Distance: 6.9 miles, Pace: 7:09 minute/mile

Leg 13

This is the extra leg I ran.
Distance: 6 miles, Pace: 7:15 minute/mile

Leg 19

This leg started at 1:30 in the morning, so I was running with lights and reflective vest.

Distance: 7.1 miles, Pace: 8:05 minute/mile

Leg 31

Distance: 6.2 miles, Pace: 6:05 minute/mile

Finally, we all got medals.

Risible Video or Should it Make You Cry

andy — Fri, 01 May 2009 21:51:43 +0000

Ephemeral Dish

andy — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:19:17 +0000

This one is a vegan interpretation of a fairly popular dish people eat in Slovenia. It is originally probably from somewhere else, but who cares. In my family we call this dish “svinčniki” (pencils in Slovene). This is really play on word: “svinja” (pig), “svinčnik” (pencil), “svinčniki” (plural of pencil). In any case, it is a deep fried breaded pork, but some people use different meat. It is also called “Wiener Schnitzel” (Vienna Steak), but I think that one is supposed to have veal. Since both veal and pig suffer super brutal and horrifying life and death for this dish, I think it is time to have a vegan alternative.

Before I start with the recipe, you will ask me, if I am vegan, why would I make a “meat” dish. I generally don’t like fake meats. They seem to send the wrong message. Exception to this are vegan drum sticks and “svinčnik”. Why? Because they are convenient to eat.

The body

Cup of vital wheat gluten flower
1/4 cup of wheat germ
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
Table spoon of onion powder
Table spoon of garlic powder
Table spoon of paprika
Other spices for flavor
2 Table spoons of Soy sauce (use tamari instead of the cheap stuff)
2 Table spoons of Olive oil
Water

Take most of the dry ingredients, except paprika, and mix them together. I usually don’t mix too much to keep some variety of flavor. Add oil and some water and knead until all the dry stuff is moist. It should not be wet or runny. It should have consistency of a stretchy playdough. You will know that it is done when it stops sticking to anything. At this point add paprika and soy sauce and knead but don’t over-knead, so there will be some variety of color. Finally, form into the patties. This last step will be hard, since the dough will be super stretchy.

The suit

Fine wholewheat flower (or garbanzo beans flower, or white flower)
Soy/Almond/Hemp/Coconut milk (or any other vegan milk)
Finely ground flax seeds (use whole seeds in the coffee grinder and not the flax meal)
Some salt
Vegan breadcrumbs (make sure they are vegan… most breadcrumbs in the store may have whey, eggs, cheese, cyanide, or other strange things inside)

Take patties and dip them in flower. At this point you should be able to form them even better, since they will have more things to hold them in place. Prepare a low bowl with breadcrumbs. Mix soy milk, flax seeds, and flax. Let it rest enough that flax release their oils. Put in a low bowl for easy dipping. Take flowered patties, fully submerge them in the soy milk mixture, flip them over if necessary and dip them in the breadcrumbs. At this point they should have an even coating. If you like more coating, repeat dipping into the milk and breadcrumbs.

The lotion

Enough grape seed oil to cover the “svinčnik” (you can use any other high heat oil)

The final step is to deep fry the patties. Heat oil and once hot, put it on medium. Drop the patties in the oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. Take them out and place on a paper towel or a strainer to get rid of some excess oil.

Traditionally “svinčniki” are served with french fries or some other potato dish. That said, you can serve them with pretty much anything. I especially like them next day cold.

Make sure to have some nice wine with them. Preferably a wine from Slovenia.

Let’s Gainsay the Food Establishment

andy — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:07:34 +0000

I would prefer people would go vegan, but this is a great first step. Go Meatless on Mondays:

If we all just commit to one day a week without eating meat, the effect will be great over the course of the year:

Our greenhouse gas emission reductions equal US switching from a car with average fuel efficiency (that’s about 22 mpg for the entire fleet) to a high efficiency car such as the Toyota Prius (50 mpg).

We will save about 1 ton of water, enough to fill up the bathtub 22 times per week

If everyone in the US did this, we’d collectively save about 12 billion gallons of gasoline

(from TreeHugger)

While you are checking out the Meatless Monday website, make sure to check their recipes, such as Zesty Carribean Banana Muffins.

Pulchritude Nature

andy — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:14:09 +0000

Looks like Mother Earth even in the time of great danger still knows how to show us that she cares about us. Let’s return the favor. Let’s…

Bike to work ~ reduce air, noise, and visual pollution.
Live in 20 minute neighborhoods ~ Save time, money, and your life
Make electricity out of sun, wind, and tide ~ It is cheaper and almost maintenance free
Go vegan ~ Much healthier and better for the environment

Happy Earth Day 2009!!

Thaumaturgily Easy Dish

andy — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:49:27 +0000

Just wanted to share this great little vegan dish with you. It is super easy to make and is one of the set it and forget it dishes. You pretty much just dump everything in the pot and cook for however much you want.

So, here it goes:

1 cup of red lentils
1 cup of brown basmati rice
1 table spoon of garlic chilly sauce (or less if you don’t want spicy)
1 table spoon of peanut butter (real one, not that sugar junk)
2 table spoons of Island Soyaki
5 cardamom seeds
Some oregano
Some salt or soy sauce for flavor
1 green onion
Some garlic
Table spoon of olive oil
Enough water to cover everything (about three to four cups)

So, dump everything to the pot, mix well, cook until everything soft and eat. Make sure to not eat the cardamom pods. They are there just for flavor.

Couple of things you can add:

Cinnamon sticks
Other vegetables
Tor dal, black eyed peas, or any other quick cooking legumes instead or in addition to the red lentils
Almond butter

And you can eat this by itself or serve as a side dish to some nice grilled mushrooms, garlic and paprika flavored seitan, or a broiled tofu.

Froward Towards Driving

andy — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:49:43 +0000

TreeHugger has a great article comparing cars, buses, and bikes. They compare the real estate sacrificed by each mode of transportation.

This image pretty much summarizes everything.

(Image: Press-Office City of Müenster, Germany via TreeHugger)

Hidebound Politicians

andy — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:17:45 +0000

There are several politicians in the world that are just so boxed in their private universe that whatever they do is somehow justified. A typical examples are US politicians that support the coal industry. As a consumer of electricity in US, I am part of the problem. However, short of not using electricity and protest, there is not much I can do. These politicians, on the other hand, do have power to make the change. But they seem to refuse to do that. Cynic in me would consider this to be caused by the politicians being payed by the evil-doers, but I sure hope that the reason is that the politicians are just not informed. How could anybody sacrifice the parks, the rivers, the drinking water, the air, and so on and be complacent in destroying the world for their children and their children’s children.

To make my point even stronger, watch this video and consider these politicians.