Rocky Hillside

[Via today's sermonette]

Image by jon jordan. Some rights reserved.

We at Columbia Records are happy to announce the October 13 release of Bob Dylan's brand new album of holiday songs, Christmas In The Heart.

. . . Songs performed by Dylan on this new album include, "Here Comes Santa Claus," "Winter Wonderland," "Little Drummer Boy" and "Must Be Santa."

Image by Noah Coffey. Some rights reserved.

A bonanza for the bad guys is not what I had in mind when someone mentioned "reform." From the LATimes:

The half-dozen leading overhaul proposals circulating in Congress would require all citizens to have health insurance, which would guarantee insurers tens of millions of new customers -- many of whom would get government subsidies to help pay the companies' premiums.

"It's a bonanza," said Robert Laszewski, a health insurance executive for 20 years who now tracks reform legislation as president of the consulting firm Health Policy and Strategy Associates Inc.

. . .

[C]ompanies would probably see a benefit by providing less insurance "per premium dollar," Hunter said.

"It would be quite a windfall," said Wendell Potter, a former executive at Cigna insurance company who has become an industry whistle-blower.

Consumer and labor advocates acknowledged the industry's lobbying success.

. . .

"They have beaten us six ways to Sunday," said Gerald Shea of the AFL-CIO. "Any time we want to make a small change to provide cost relief, they find a way to make it more profitable."

Image by Chad Riley. Some rights reserved.

Multiple Choice:

Which Denver police complaint drew the most serious penalty?

A. The subject deputy was convicted of misdemeanor animal abuse after directing pepper spray at a wild rabbit while on duty.

B. The subject officer [a lieutenant] was convicted for Driving While Ability Impaired & Possession of a Firearm While Intoxicated, off duty.

C. The subject officer accidentially discharged his weapon while off duty and under the influence of alcohol.

Answer below . . .

=> Read more!

It has been asked before but . . . why are police so often assholes?

From MSNBC:

How does a law-abiding mom driving home with two kids end up being Tasered, handcuffed and arrested — while her children are left alone for 40 minutes in the car, waiting for someone to come get them?

Reasoning with cops is like trying to reason with grizzly bears. All you do is aggravate them, and you are liable to get badly hurt.

I was asked by a DA on voir dire the other day something like "do you respect police officers?" I eventually indicated in the mildest way possible that I didn't particularly respect the credibility of police officers. I didn't add that most people I know who work in the criminal justice system - DAs, defense lawyers, judges - think cops lie on the stand and that a significant number of them are cowboys - anxious to show their power.

The trouble is that anyone who answers as I did is going to be removed from the jury. This leaves defendants to be tried by naive dunderheads. Doesn't seem quite right.

Missing bike.

• Julie and David of recyclingtheworld.us were robbed in Quito, Ecuador. They are fine but unhappy.
• Thieves purloined Da' Square Wheelman's bike. Hard to see how it can be replaced.

World-traveling Erin & Sam Barkley have resorted to holding the pieces of their Ortlieb panniers together with dental floss.

Anticipating a long tour next summer, I recently mortgaged the house, sold Milly into slavery, begged the salesperson for a discount, and bought a pair of Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus panniers. I love them.

In particular I love the attachment system. Among our panniers - old Arkel, new Arkel, and Lone Peak - they are the easiest to get on and off the bike. No fiddling. No need to pay any attention to whether this top hook is closed or that bottom hook is in the right place down at the bottom of our racks. For commuting they are great.

The Ortliebs also fit on the rack more tightly than the Arkels. The Ortliebs come with a packet of little "grippers" of different sizes to match various rack sizes. (A "gripper" is the little crescent shaped piece that the Barkleys have tied into the hook in the photo above.) Not that I am afraid the Arkels will pop off, but when the right "gripper" is installed the Ortliebs don't rattle as much as the Arkels.

Left-top Lone Peak's calf gouger/attachment hook. Right-bottom Arkel's ice pick/attachment hook.

Once the Ortliebs are off the bike and being carried, I appreciate the absence of skin-piercing, flesh-gouging, pant-tearing steel hooks sported by the new Arkels (the old hooks were clumsy but didn't inflict scars) and our Lone Peaks. Carrying the new Arkels is rather like clambering over a barb wire fence -- you've got to pay attention or you'll end up bleeding. The hooks on the Lone Peaks aren't much better. Gerty and I just don't heal as fast as we used to.

So, I like the Ortliebs for commuting. Most reviewers also like the Ortliebs for touring, which is why I bought them.

But one reviewer, one very experienced reviewer hates the Ortliebs, and what she says rings true.

Erin Barkley (of A Honeymoon to Remember) has posted a very negative review of their Ortlieb panniers (and a positive one of their Lone Peaks.) Must reading if you are contemplating a buying panniers for a heavy duty tour. (Must "seeing," too, since Erin includes loads of pictures.)

Erin is an expert and, even as wimpy little commuter, I have had at least one of the problems that she describes: the little rack "gripper" inserts are continually falling out. I think I have lost two sets in 6 months. Erin and Sam tie theirs in with dental floss.
One commenter, Chris Wee, suggests super-gluing the little beggars in place. This apparently works but makes it tough to use the panniers on racks with larger tubes.

The Ortlieb "tongue."

Chris also mentions another problem with the Ortliebs that I have experienced:

I haven't broken the lower plastic tongue.....yet [Erin and Sam have], but they do disengage quite easily on rough roads or after a hard bump, followed by the sound of flapping plastic on metal.

Yep. Sometimes a chuckhole or a big wave in the pavement is enough to pop the bottom tongue off and leave one pannier flopping around. Since these babies are big and can be heavy when filled, it's an issue. Doesn't happen all the time, just often enough to be a jarring surprise when it does.

Neil Gunton has modified his (old-style) Ortliebs to make them more secure. I imagine I could another tongue to my (new-style) Ortliebs, but that would eliminate the easy on and easy off attribute that I like so much for commuting.

Erin concludes:

[W]e wouldn't use the Ortliebs again on a trip like this - the diligence, attention and time it takes to keep them in working order isn't worth it when other products out there offer greater durability for less cost.

Erin says she has contacted Ortlieb. I look forward to hearing what they say.

It's worth noting that Erin also reviewed their Lone Peak panniers. She loves them, particularly when compared with the Ortliebs:

These Lone Peaks are nearly 10 years old and have been on several tours before this one. . . .

We prefer the Lone Peaks to the Ortliebs in virtually every way, save the convenience of the waterproof Ortlieb material and the voluminous Ortlieb bag.

Somehow being forced to become a customer of a private insurance company isn't what I had in mind when promises of universal health care were being thrown around.

It's like solving hunger by requiring that everyone buy food. Or providing public transportation by compelling everyone to buy a car. (And then throwing in a bunch of paperwork.)

Hope it doesn't work out that way.

Image by Amit Kanekal. Some rights reserved.

Huh? Have I just fallen down a rabbit hole?

Guénaël Mettraux argues in the NYTimes for a "A Nuremberg for Guantánamo."

Unfortunately, he means Nuremberg trials, not for the people who created Guantánamo, tortured its inmates, or held them in defiance of international standards. He means Nuremberg trials for the inmates - those who were summarily imprisoned, tortured, and held without normal human rights.

I understand his point -- he's not trying to let the Bushies off the hook -- but aren't the WWII international war crimes trials a better precedent for trying Cheney, Bush, Yoo, and company? These are the folks who violated international, human standards. Their trial and conviction would set or reinforce international standards.

The detainees are accused of crimes, assuming they have been accused of something at all, that U.S. courts are perfectly capable of dealing with.

My Hope-bama-meter:

Are you happy with the Obama Administrations actions with regard to:

Torture ban? - No
Guantanamo? - No
Prosecution of war criminals? - No
Prosecution of Bush admin lawbreakers? - No
Renditions? - No
Military killings of civilians? - No
Universal health care? - No
Changed political dialog? - No
Environmental protection? - No
Transportation policy? - No
Global warming? - No
Supreme Court appointments? - No
The economy? - No
The wars? - No
Foreign policy - Mostly, if you don't count the wars
Michelle's vegetable garden? - Yes