Lesson Number One: Don't show off until you've won the fight

Need I say more?

Right to the very end

Taking a quick glance at today's Washington Post I saw the article below about how the Bush Administration is considering late-term appointments of a dubious nature. In this case, F. Chase Hutto III, a champion for big polluters and enemy of all living creatures great and small, could be placed at the helm of the Energy Department.

This is of course with the goal of doing as much pillaging and plundering for the oil, gas, and coal industries as possible before Bush and his criminal counterparts leave office for good.

Wow...Hutto at the helm of the Energy Department. It's sort of like Joseph Hazelwood at the helm of the Exxon Valdez in 1989, except with Hutto the disaster is all part of the plan.

Anti-Regulation Aide to Cheney Is Up for Energy Post

By Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post Staff Writer, Tuesday, August 19, 2008; A02

A senior aide to Vice President Cheney is the leading contender to become a top official at the Energy Department, according to several current and former administration officials, a promotion that would put one of the administration's most ardent opponents of environmental regulation in charge of forming department policies on climate change.

F. Chase Hutto III has played a prominent behind-the-scenes role in shaping the administration's environmental policies for several years, the officials said, helping to rewrite rules affecting the air that Americans breathe and the waters that oil tankers traverse. In every instance, according to both his allies and opponents, he has challenged proposals that would place additional regulations on industry.

The move to elevate the domestic policy adviser to the post of assistant secretary for policy and international affairs signals the administration's determination to resist new environmental protections, environmentalists said.

The assistant secretary is the "primary advisor to the Secretary and the Department on energy and technology policy development," conducts overseas negotiations on energy issues such as climate change, performs environmental analyses, and "leads the Department's international energy initiatives," according to the agency's Web site.

Hutto did not respond to several requests for an interview. Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride would not comment on the matter, saying the office does not discuss pending nominations, but she confirmed that Hutto has helped shape administration policies on an array of issues, including proposed protections for endangered right whales and whether to regulate carbon dioxide emissions under the Clean Air Act.

"There is an interagency review process," McBride said in an interview. White House aides are "expected to offer opinions and participate in policy debates. That's the way the process works."
Jason K. Burnett, an administration critic who served as the Environmental Protection Agency's deputy associate administrator until June, said of Hutto: "He always struck me as being naturally and philosophically opposed to regulation at the outset, and it took an enormous amount of discussion and analysis to convince him otherwise." He added: "I can't think of a case where Chase advocated more environmental or health protections."

Hutto, 39, a Michigan native and a veteran of several successful GOP campaigns, has spent almost his entire career working for Republicans in Washington. He started out as an opposition researcher working on Spencer Abraham's 1994 upset Senate victory and conducted similar research for two other Senate bids before serving on the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign as a vote-recount team leader in Duval County, Fla.

After receiving a bachelor's degree in business administration and a law degree, both from the University of Michigan, Hutto worked briefly in the private sector at the firm Venable, Baetjer, Howard and Civiletti before joining Abraham's staff on the Judiciary subcommittee on immigration in October 1997. As a Senate staffer, Hutto focused on issues such as electronic commerce and privacy; he shifted his focus when Abraham took over the Energy Department in January 2001 and Hutto became a senior policy adviser there.

Burnett said Hutto, a vocal proponent of the free market, argued during interagency climate policy meetings that Americans are attached to their cars and would be loath to sacrifice them to achieve greenhouse gas reductions.

At the White House, Hutto has been one of the oil and gas industry's key points of contact for energy and environmental issues.

His policy portfolio has expanded over time, giving him significant influence over energy and environmental matters. He was detailed to the National Security Council as an energy adviser in October 2004 and moved to Cheney's office a year later as deputy assistant to the vice president for domestic policy.

"He's got an incredible amount of authority and a portfolio seemingly without end," said a source familiar with policy discussions involving Hutto. "He's got his fingers in everything."

Appointment as assistant secretary would be a promotion, however, and could enhance Hutto's stature if he wanted to return to the private sector after President Bush leaves office.

Juleanna R. Glover, a former Cheney aide who worked with Hutto on Abraham's first Senate bid, said that he had earned his considerable power through his energy expertise and his "deeply principled conservatism."

"He's one of the foremost energy experts in Washington," she said, adding that he was "one of the original foot soldiers in the '94 recapture of Congress" by Republicans.

In recent months, Hutto has helped scale back a rule proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to protect North Atlantic right whales -- one of the most endangered animals on the planet -- from lethal ship strikes. The rule NOAA submitted 1 1/2 years ago originally would have required ships within 30 nautical miles of several East Coast ports to slow to 10 knots or less during parts of the year when the whales are migrating.

Acting on Cheney's behalf, Hutto questioned whether there was sufficient scientific evidence to justify the economic costs that the rule would impose on shippers. The White House plans to issue a revised ship strike rule next month that will reduce the perimeter around the ports from 30 to 20 nautical miles and will "sunset" the rule after five years. New England Aquarium research scientist Amy Knowlton said those changes would "undermine the scientific integrity of the rule," since right whales have been spotted within 30 miles of the ports.

On other occasions, Hutto has questioned whether NOAA was responding too slowly to energy industry petitions. Shell Oil petitioned the agency last year for an "incidental harassment authorization" that would have allowed it to injure or kill a small number of marine mammals in connection with oil and gas drilling off Alaska in 2008; Hutto inquired about getting a quicker decision on Shell's request in light of the Arctic's limited drilling season.

Shell later withdrew its request.

An administration official, discussing internal deliberations on the condition of anonymity, said Hutto did not pressure NOAA to approve Shell's request. "Chase and others wanted a yes-or-no decision, understanding that the decision to deny or grant the permit is within an agency's discretion," the official said.

The conservative positions taken by Hutto and the vice president's office have held wide sway in internal policy debates, but occasionally he was stymied, participants said. Burnett said that this year Hutto opposed tightening federal rules for smog-forming ozone -- which is linked to thousands of premature deaths each year-- and in 2005 he questioned why the EPA needed to limit mercury emissions from power plants, because the agency had just issued a rule that would have the incidental effect of somewhat reducing the toxic pollutant. In both instances, the EPA strengthened the protections over these objections.

Sources both inside and outside the administration said it is unclear whether Bush will formally nominate Hutto for the Energy Department post or place him there in an acting capacity. Kathy Fredriksen, an acting assistant secretary, currently holds the job.

Francesca Grifo -- who directs the Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, an advocacy group -- said that if Hutto takes the helm of the Energy Department's climate policy office, the impact could last well beyond Bush's term in office.

"It's not surprising that the Bush administration is considering a candidate who has a track record of putting politics ahead of science. Over and over again, appointments like this one have damaged the government's ability to protect the environment and public health," Grifo said, adding that in the coming months, Hutto could make policy decisions that the next administration would find difficult to reverse quickly.

Staff researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.

Surfer for President

Barack Obama at Sandy Beach, Oahu, Hawaii. August 11, 2008. AP Photo

When I saw this photo of Barack Obama surfing I was impressed. And not only because a presidential candidate in this day and age would go to the beach, throw off his shirt, swim out into the lineup and catch a wave. I am even more impressed that he is bodysurfing as opposed to board surfing. Bodysurfing is the original and most pure form of surfing.

And Obama looks like he's a pretty damn good bodysurfer. From personal experience I can tell you that it is not all that easy to skillfully slide a wave without any type of board to assist you.

I wonder if McCain surfs. Oh, wait...that wouldn't fly with the Republican Party. Surfing is far too liberal, too hippy cool, too natural.

Aloha Barack!

The big trip

A long time ago my brother Michael and I made a pact that we would do a cross-country bicycle trip. At the time he was 20 years old and I was 30. We decided that a good target would be ten years from that date.

Well, we're coming up on a decade. Of course many things have changed since then. We're both married, both have children, and real jobs. Getting a month or six off to go ride your bike just doesn't happen as easily as it often did way back when!

The ride was supposed to have happened in 2009 and we were hoping to go from San Fran to NYC. Considering our circumstances and commitments, we've put it off for one more year and revised the route to go from somewhere around NYC to home. Target date as of now is Spring of 2010, but that may change as well. We're just starting to talk about how to make it work, gear, routes etc. Updates on that to follow, but if you read the posts below, you will see that I have the bike I'll be doing the trip on.

Here's the possible route, which will take us from our cousins' house in North Salem, NY to West Palm Beach via my dad's house in PA, a dear friend in NC, more friends in Athens GA and Gainesville and Palm Coast, FL; and my mother in law's house in Vero Beach.

We will likely take the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive from Roanake VA down into western NC, making the total distance of the trip just over 1600 miles. Since we plan to do this totally unsupported with only a handful of nights with family or friends, we'll be packing all our supplies and shelter with us.

I'm sure things will change between now and then, but this is a rough draft of the route I made on Google Maps. You can zoom in for a better look, view terrain, move the map around, and turn details on or off.


View Larger Map

LHT

Lucky you...another wonderful two-post day! I just hate leaving W's face at the top of my blog (see below for more on that).

If you've been reading this blog you know that my trusty old steed, the Serotta MTB that had been in and out of my life for quite a while, was stolen. I cried bitter tears over the loss and held out hope that she would find her way back to me, but alas, no sign of her. This, despite the great article by Frank Cerebino in the newspaper the next day.

Needing to replace the vehicle I used most wasn't something I had planned on nor was it something I was fincially prepared to do. Considering the lifestyle my family and I live, a bicycle is the vehicle of choice for most trips. Being without a good commuter machine wasn't an option.

It's amazing what a little motivation can do for you. After spending about 30 minutes digging around in my garage I was able to scrounge up a bunch of old bike parts - many in nearly new condition - for a huge eBay blast. This was to be the fundraiser for my new city bike.

I'd hoped to make enough to cover the bike and some needed parts, like a rear rack and fenders. Surprise, surprise, surprise! My eBay success exceeded my wildest dreams and I netted nearly twice what the bike cost me.

The frame is made by Surly and is called the Long Haul Trucker, or LHT for short. Surly is a very cool company that has tapped into the growing bike market with simple, solid designs created to meet the needs of the urban commuter, bike messenger, and other extremist types out there (see Surly's Pugley and Big Dummy models).


I was able to fully outfit the thing with top-end racks for front and rear (actually called "nice racks" and also made by Surly), ultra cool parts and goodies, a sweet Brooks B-17 Special saddle in Honey Brown, and even a Japanese brass bell.

Anyway, the bike is mucho solid and is rigged for anything I can throw at it. Add the flatbed cargo trailer I made and viola! a human-powered SUV is born. In fact, this is the bike I plan to ride across the US of A two years from now. More on that later.

So the happy end to the stolen bike story is that I wound up with the perfect bike for my daily needs that will also do much more. Hey, I'll miss that Serotta, but this isn't a bad replacement ;)

Here's a pic if the bike, with my favorite cargo.

What's "W"rong with this picture?

Yes folks, that's right...our President was holding the flag backwards in front of the entire world at the Olympics two nights ago. Luckily Mrs. Bush corrected him.

They say behind every man is a good woman. Laura Bush must be a saint.

What's your walkscore?

In this age of high and getting higher fuel prices, small and getting smaller wallets, and hot and getting hotter weather reports, being able get around under your own power is becoming valuable.

A cool new web-based tool can rank the "walkability" of your address or neighborhood. It's www.walkscore.com - check it out for your location.

Here's what our address in Grandview Heights got us - 83 out of 100 or "very walkable". This is on par with neighborhoods in San Fran, Seattle, and NYC! Ours is slightly off since one or two of the businesses listed are gone, but other factors are higher than what is being measured with current census info.

I hope we can

You've no doubt heard the Obama campaign slogan "YES WE CAN!". The closer we get to November, the more I find myself saying "I hope we can"...meaning I hope we can elect Barack Obama to the office of President of the United States of America.

We are in a difficult situation at home as well as internationally. We are struggling economically and politically and have lost some of the unwavering support from our allies we have enjoyed since the end of WWII.

I sat down tonight to read some of the headlines Obama's visit to the Middle East and Europe has generated. I wanted to read what the rest of the world was saying. The first place I looked was BBC World News. On their front page was a link to the full length video of Barack Obama's speech today in Berlin Germany, where 200,000(!) people stood to hear an American Senator speak.

This made me very proud and very hopeful that things can and will change for this world and that the United States can again lead the way. For eight years our President has been booed and shunned by much of the world. Our reputation has been damaged and our status as a world power for good has slipped.

It now seems that we might regain our footing. In my opinion, Barack Obama is the person who is most capable of earning the trust and respect that our current president has squandered.

We need to do this. The world needs us to do this. I hope we can.

Here's the link to the video - which is very much worth watching:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7524481.stm

Do you need to smile? Then watch this video!

Shared with us by our dear friend ET, this is just awesome. I'm still smiling!


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

What are these humans doing? Dancing. Many humans on Earth exhibit periods of happiness, and one method of displaying happiness is dancing. Happiness and dancing transcend political boundaries and occur in practically every human society. Above, Matt Harding traveled through many nations on Earth, started dancing, and filmed the result. The video is perhaps a dramatic example that humans from all over planet Earth feel a common bond as part of a single species. Happiness is frequently contagious -- few people are able to watch the above video without smiling.

Forget Obama! McCain who? We've got Lois!

Pedal-Power

Kaia's tricycle made it's debut, along with her pink tu-tu and Converse hightops, on Newark Street yesterday. It was an occasion to be remembered and Lois had the camera in hand.

Man...I am so amazed by and proud of her!

Stay positive

A rare two post day!

I couldn't let the sour note of my last post linger too long. The beautiful message below was sent to me by a friend. Being that I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to share it with whomever it is that reads this blog. ET, I know you're out there...keep smiling!

"As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin."

W doesn't love you

Have you read the news today? The New York Times leads with a House committee's conclusion that Bush administration officials knew about Hunt Oil's plan to sign an oil deal with the Kurdish regional government in Iraq and didn't object.

Apparently our policy is to warn companies not to sign separate deals until Iraq passes a national oil law. In fact, the State Department had publicly said it was concerned the deal would undermine the Iraqi central government. But e-mail messages and other documents reveal that State and Commerce department officials not only knew about the impending deal and didn't object, but in some instances even seemed to welcome it.

It turns out that the chief executive of Hunt Oil is a major backer of President Bush and a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.

Wow, that's a real surprise - another big-dollar Bush supporter getting a sweet deal as a result of W's pet war.

What can we deduce from this news? That we have been hijacked by a gang of hoodlums and they are lying, robbing, and deceiving in an effort to wring every last penny out before they slink back into the hole the crawled out of.

Up in PA visiting the Folks

So we had our big trip up to PA to visit my dad and step-mom. Had an awesome time, went to Hershey Park, Kaia rode a roller coaster and walked around in amazement for 4 hours, and we even got to see our friends the Spezia's for half an hour.

Not to mention all the fun just being together. That of course was the best part of it all. More photos to come but the this one is a must post. And it's not often that you'll see a motorize bike on this page, but this one quailfies. And only because my dad is sitting on it.

Thanks Frank!

Okay, this will be the last post related to stolen bicycles until a: my bike comes back to me; or b: I replace it with a new one.

The day after the Serotta was stolen, Frank Cerabino, author, columnist, comedian, and local celebrity, wrote the story below. It ran on the front page of the local section of our newspaper.

I'm a fortunate guy to have people like Frank Cerabino on my side!

Stolen bike's value exceeds sum of parts
By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 05, 2008

It'd be like stealing Eric Clapton's Fender guitar, Hanley Ramirez's Louisville Slugger or Hillary Clinton's blue pantsuit.

Somebody stole Raphael Clemente's favorite bicycle this week from the back yard of his West Palm Beach home.

"I would have been happier getting my car stolen," Clemente said Thursday. "That bike's my SUV."

Clemente, 39, has been the voice of bicycle riders in Palm Beach County for years. He was the county's bicycle and pedestrian coordinator before taking his current job as an urban planner for West Palm's Downtown Development Authority.

He's a former professional bike racer with international experience and two tryouts for the U.S. Olympic team. He has spent years cycling hundreds of miles a week on the county's roads and being an advocate for bicycles as a healthy, economic and environmentally friendly means of transportation.

On Wednesday morning, he woke up at his Grandview Heights home with a troubling thought.

Lapse proves costly

He had pedaled home from work the previous evening and leaned his 1991 Serotta mountain bike on the side of his garage while his young daughter and new puppy greeted him. He left the bike, temporarily, he thought, outside. But he forgot to go back and lock it inside the garage.

Sure enough, the bicycle was gone the next morning.

"I have a few other bikes," he said, "but that's the one. If it was any of my other bikes, I would have said, 'Oh well.'"

It's not that the stolen bicycle was expensive. The well-worn old mountain bike is worth only a fraction of the cost of Clemente's tricked-out carbon fiber Trek road bike.

But the clunky Serotta was his everyday bike, the bike he rode as many as 8,000 miles a year.

"I ride it to work. I shop with it. I pull my kid with it," he said. "I have a cargo trailer for it."

The bike, he said, gets far more use than his Volkswagen Jetta.

"Some weeks, I just go out to start my car, just to start it so it will run," he said.

Clemente often parked his distinctive bike on Clematis Street, locked up outside the Starbucks. It has clunky black fenders, mustache handlebars and a sticker that reads: "One Less Car."

Owner, police on lookout

Although Clemente has owned the bike for only five years, he has known it since it was brand-new.

Many years ago, he put it together for a customer when he worked at the now-defunct Different Spokes bicycle shop in West Palm Beach. The next time he saw the bike, it was for sale on consignment in FatCat Bicycles in downtown Lake Worth. He bought it for $150.

"It was just as I remembered it," he said.

Since it was stolen, Clemente has gone out looking for his bicycle.

"It's out there somewhere," he said. "I'm keeping my hopes up that maybe it will find its way back to me."

He has talked to his friend in the city police department, Lt. Randy Maale, who heads the downtown entertainment district.

"His bicycle photo is all around the police department right now," Maale said.

Clemente has offered a $100 reward for the return of the bicycle, even though that's about all it's worth, monetarily.

"The parts are pretty beat," he said. "But it's not about the parts."

It takes a thief to catch one

Since my bicycle was stolen I have been thinking about how to prevent it from happening again. Granted, the bike was left in my back yard, unlocked and leaning against the garage, but none the less it was behind a closed gate on private property.

This is only the third time this has ever happend to me and the previous two I got my bikes back. I've not surrendered hope that the Serotta will come back to me. I've also started looking at new bikes and making cash calls to those who owe me money for bike parts and other items I parted with on the promise of future compensation.

Here's an interesting video by the Neistat Bros, in NYC on stealing bikes. Four methods are employed here: bolt cutters, hacksaw, angle grinder, and good old hammer and spike.

Fascinating...

"Get out of my way you IDIOT!"

As you read this keep in mind that good people would never, EVER, ride a bicycle anywhere except along a path in a park. Bicycles are used for transportation only by dregs, fools, social outkasts, DUI convicts.

That is why this morning, as I rode my bicycle to work in my shirt and tie, with my suit jacket casually slung over my shoulder, this woman -





driving this vehicle -



nearly killed me in a furious attempt to get to the Downtown Starbucks in time to meet with her friends for a $15 coffee drink. She tried to pass me into oncoming traffic on a narrow downtown street, and when that failed, she tailed me with the horn blaring. As she passed she screamed at me in the loudest most piercing shriek she could bring forth from her pretty little head "GET OUT OF MY WAY YOU IDIOT!"

She blazed past me and then immediately stopped at a red light. A couple of minutes later, after I had parked and locked my bike and was standing in line at Starbucks, she came slinking in and lined up right behind me. I calmly stepped aside and offered her my space in line.

"Excuse me, but since you were so incredibly rude to me on the road, I want to show you that I am in fact a human being who walks upright, speaks clearly, and is worthy of the same respect that you would give to someone who drives a fifty thousand dollar status symbol. Go ahead, you can get in front of me, I forgive you and I know you're really in a big hurry to get to your spa appointment."

She turned around and walked out.

Moral of the story: anger management works!

The girl who silenced the world at the UN

From the 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio. Awesome.

Gone missing

Stolen!

$100 REWARD for the safe return of this beloved bicycle

1991 steel Serotta mountain bike, black fenders, rear rack, moustache handlebars, Avocet saddle, Continental tires, polished aluminum trailer hitch on non-drive side of rear axle.

Contact me at 561-352-4993

6:32 AM, May 20th, 2008

The way to start the day.

Being Kaia

This is how we do it

In other news...

The tree-hugger in me...wait let me restate that.

The thinking, caring, concerned citizen, parent, human being in me forced me to post this:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press contact: Elizabeth Heyd, NRDC, 202/289-2424 or 202/725-0648 (cell)
If you are not a member of the press, please write to us at nrdcinfo@nrdc.org or see our contact page

EPA Hides the Ball in Analysis of Global Warming Bill
Garbage In – Garbage Out: Politically Driven Assumptions Lead to Misleading Results


WASHINGTON (March 14, 2008) -- EPA’s just-released analysis of Senate Bill S. 2191 (“Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008”) hides the key conclusions of its own experts, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

The only case EPA analyzed that makes reasonable assumptions reflecting current economic conditions and technological realities shows that achieving the goals of the Climate Security Act is readily achievable and affordable, but this conclusion is buried beneath multiple other cases in the report, according to Dan Lashof, PhD, the science director of NRDC’s Climate Center.

“Once again, political forces in the Bush administration are distorting the work of EPA’s own economic and scientific staff,” Lashof said.

Now I know that is negative and scary and likely pisses you off, but that's the reality of our present administration and to a large degree, our culture. Seriously important issues are easily brushed off or pushed aside because it might hurt someone's wallet. Of course that "someone" has given plenty of cash and support to the right people in Washington, D.C. Us regular folk are forced to grovel and hope that a few brave souls will speak up for us.

Thankfully we do have a few true, blue warriors on our side. Here is one of my heores, Robert Kennedy, Jr., giving the striaght dope on the environment, Bush, and his supporters.

Did you catch that?

A brilliant example of what it means to be a bicycle commuter.

Don't forget your place in the food chain!

I'm sure by now, if you've been reading this blog, that you have realized I am quite smitten with the marine environment and all of it's inhabitants. Well, today I stumbled across this:





Aside from being one nasty looking fish with a helluva set of chops, I don't know a thing about it. I am hoping it lives somewhere far away in a lake high in the mountains where I will not go anytime soon. If I do, I will be on the shore...for sure.


See, stuff like this is what gets me so excited! Who'd have thunk that there is a scaled-down (no pun intended) version of a prehistoric monster swimming around in a quiet lake somewhere in Africa? Africa is just a guess, but from the looks of the dudes holding that thing probably a good one.


If you, faithful readers, know what this overgrown shiner is or where I can find more info on it please share. I want to make sure it lives far away and that all I have to deal with in the local South Florida waters is bull sharks, hammerheads (by the way, a 1000 lb female was caught not too far offshore last week - using a 4 foot black tip shark as bait), sea lice, man-o-war, 8 year olds on jet skis, and drunk boaters. They are all know commodities. The shiner - now that thing is really scary!

Sea and sky

This morning I went out on the ocean in my outrigger canoe for a nice easy paddle. It was a spectacular morning with a low, steel-gray sky and glassy smooth water reflecting the clouds. As the sun came up colors pushed the gray away until everything was orange and rose hued. There was not a breath of wind to break the mirror surface of the water.

Cruising along about a mile out I looked back toward shore and was reminded of what a truly amazing place I live in. Great neighborhood just minutes away from such an incredible playgound of warm, blue, clear water.

As I was heading back toward the beach to look at the near-shore reefs before going in, I noticed a pod of dolphins diving and surfacing over the reef. They were only 100 yards off the beach. Three of them - two adults and a juvinile. Once or twice one of the adults and the smaller one jumped out of the water in unison. Miami Seaquarium without the walls. I was in awe.

It was so calm, so quiet, that as I got closer I could hear their exhalations when the surfaced. They allowed me to get closer than any other pod has...maybe 25 yards. Slowly they worked their way south and east toward deeper water. I followed for a while but left them to their business of chasing breakfast without worring about what the 21 foot long dagger-like object that was shadowing them was.

If you love the ocean, it's inhabitants, and would like a private viewing I suggest that you get up before sunrise and head down to the ocean. If you have some sort of small, human powered watercraft that would be great. Even a surfboard will do. Paddle out over the first line of reef and just watch for a while. It's amazing what you will see.

Speaking of the outrigger canoe, I am long overdue to post a photo of the thing. The Polynesians were right on the money when they started building these things several thousand years ago. Talk about an efficient and seaworthy vessel! Add modern technology and materials, computer design, and some healthy competition and viola! you have a 28 pound, carbon/kevlar missile capable covering much distance with little energy output.

If you want to see what these things are really capable of, check out this video.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1083482561197698956&hl=en

Meet Lucinda Mae Clemente

She's the one in the smooth black coat. We couldn't resist a good Southern name for a cutie like Luci - as we call her. Adorable, as I'm sure you can tell, Luci is a crowd favorite where ever she goes.

We got Luci a couple of weeks ago from the Animal Care and Control out on Belvedere Road. She came in with 4 or 5 of her litter mates who were all equally (well, almost) as cute as she is.

There is the occasional shocked and concerned expression when someone asks "what is she", and we reply "a Pit Bull mix". But hey, the same thing occasionally happens when people ask what I am and I reply "a Puerto Rican mix".

Mutts have to stick together!

Be famous

Once or twice I have posted poetry here. Well, on a trip last year to NYC, we all went to Central Park Zoo - perhaps the World's most underrated zoo.

While the animals were of course interesting and the quality of the experience pleasantly unexpected, what impressed me most was this really cool poetry project that they have going there. All over the zoo grounds, in places you would not expect, there are poems. They are etched into stone steps, scrolled along curved walls, and carved into surfaces above your head.

The common theme is conservation and man, they really drive the point home. A couple made me really stop and think. This one in particular stayed with me and has inspired me since.

Famous By Naomi Shihab Nye

The river is famous to the fish.

The loud voice is famous to silence,
which knew it would inherit the earth
before anybody said so.

The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds
watching him from the birdhouse.

The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.

The idea you carry close to your bosom
is famous to your bosom.

The boot is famous to the earth,
more famous than the dress shoe,
which is famous only to floors.

The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it
and not at all famous to the one who is pictured.

I want to be famous to shuffling men
who smile while crossing streets,
sticky children in grocery lines,
famous as the one who smiled back.

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it could do.

What is the intended meaning? I don't know. But to me it is about doing what you can to make this world a better place.

Montezuma...

...is a really cool little town on Costa Rica, at the very southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. Lois, Kaia and I went there for 10 days or so in early January with a group of friends for a yoga and surfing "retreat". For us it was more a surfing and yoga "retreat", but none the less it was marvelous!

Retreating from what you ask. Retreating from work, house cleaning, phone calls, emails, news, noise, television, and the like. All things worthy of retreating from.

The place we stayed, Hotel Los Mangos, was perfect and allowed everyone to be close together but still have their own space in perfect little bungalows. Beautiful, comfortable, and lush are words that come to mind when I think of the place.

We came away from the trip with some fabulous memories, some new friends, and a desire to go back again soon.

Highlights? There were many. Spending great time with my wife and child in a new and exciting place was the best. Watching friends learn to surf was up there too. I also had my first kundalini experience in Emily's yoga class - it's sort of like a yoga orgasm. I just burst out laughing joyously and uncontrollably in the middle of an otherwise quiet and serene moment. I guess I've lost my yoga virginity. Who knew yoga could be so naughty?

Click on the photo to be transported to an online album of shots by various people who were on the trip. By the way, this one is courtesy of Frank Spiezia, shot with his cool as hell Diana plastic camera straight outta 1966.

363

363 days...is that a record for longest period between postings on a blog?

Don't ask, because I have no answer. Besides, good friends can not talk for long periods of time and when they finally see each other again it's just like they'd been in contact the whole time.

Well lots has happened in 363 days! I can't get it all out now, at 5:3o AM, but I will start compiling material to post right away. In the meantime, here's a few photos so that you (if there is a "you" still out there waiting after 363 days!) have something new to look at.

In Memoriam - Part II

On Sunday, February 11th, my brother and I put the finishing touch on Mike's bike racks by placing a cast bronze plaque on the ground at the foot of the racks. One of our good friends, Jim Brown, had the plaque made.

This gave the whole thing a sort of permanency and finalty. Looking at this everyday as I lock my bike up makes me proud for being part of this memorial. In fact, one of the most meaningful and significant things I have ever done was to be one of the many who stood by Mike in the last days of his life and let him know just how much he meant to all of us.

This experience has changed me and the way I value my relationships with freinds. There is no time to waste. Love your people now and with all your heart.

It's good to be one...

...year old that is.

Social engagements, running in a charity event, sight-seeing, skateboarding, lounging by the pool, relaxing on an antique Chinese Wedding Bed, dining out with your significant other - all individual components of a wonderful weekend. The paparazzi were there to capture it all!

All of this at 1 year of age. How does she do it?

Click photo for video














Click photo for video

Need we say more?

Happy New Year!

12/18/68

That's right folks...I'm 38 years old today. Primo wife, beautiful child, nice little house, well-behaved dog, a career that I dig, family and friends around me, and some great tales to tell.

Life is very good and I'd even say bordering on great. Considering the big plans I am yet to execute, it looks like I'll need at least double what I've already had before I'm done. Figuring that I spent the first 20 or so years just getting my head on striaght, I'm doing okay for only 18 years of being on the right track.

As the great Dr. Seuss said - "You're in pretty good shape, for the shape you're in!"

One year

Despite our disbelief, a full year has passed since Kaia was born. On December 11th, Kaia Jeanne Clemente turned one year old. Time has never seemed to pass more quickly!

Kaia's birthday party was a blast, and she appropriately stole the show. From the moment people arrived she was on a high, running around the living room, dancing, jumping up and down, and just having a wild time. We were all in amazement, never having seen her is such a frenzy!


Trying to be in the moment as these milestones go whizzing by is a challenge. There's so much meaning, emotion, and significance to what Lois and I are sharing as new parents, it's almost overwhelming - but in a wonderful way. Like being genlty swept downstream in a warm, flowing river. You really have no choice, but at the same time you don't mind at all.

Being the daddy and husband, I have the great fortune of witnessing something that has transformed my view of the world. The bond between my wife and our child is the most sacred, cherished, and strikingly beautiful thing I have ever seen. Continual amazement is the best way I can describe my reaction to watching them together.

This has only magnified my love for Lois. She is truly remarkable in every way and I can't imagine taking this journey with anyone else.

And being a father...WOW! I never really understood it until now. Saying you love your child just doesn't capture the feeling. It's sort of like saying "I like to breathe" - it's a bit of an understatement.

What an amazing gift a child is!

A Rock, A River, A Tree

I am reading Barak Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope. Combined with the recent election, it has started me thinking about how such events shape our lives. In particular, it has reminded me of how hopeful we, as a nation, are for positive change each time we have new leadership.

For me, one of the most memorable moments of political history is Maya Angelou reading a beautiful poem at Bill Clinton's first inaguration. Not because it was Bill Clinton's inauguration, but because it was so appropriate, so on target for the significance of that moment.

It has become my favorite piece of poetry and seems more relevant now than ever.

Inaugural Poem
Maya Angelou
20, January, 1993

A Rock, A River, A Tree
Hosts to species long since departed,
Marked the mastodon.

The dinosaur, who left dry tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their hastening doom
Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.
But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,
Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow.
I will give you no more hiding place down here.
You, created only a little lower than
The angels, have crouched too long in
The bruising darkness,
Have lain too long
Face down in ignorance.

Your mouths spilling words
Armed for slaughter.

The Rock cries out today, you may stand on me,
But do not hide your face.
Across the wall of the world,
A River sings a beautiful song,
Come rest here by my side.

Each of you a bordered country,
Delicate and strangely made proud,
Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.

Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon
My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.

Yet, today I call you to my riverside,
If you will study war no more. Come,

Clad in peace and I will sing the songs
The Creator gave to me when I and the
Tree and the stone were one.

Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your
Brow and when you yet knew you still
Knew nothing.

The River sings and sings on.

There is a true yearning to respond to
The singing River and the wise Rock.

So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew
The African and Native American, the Sioux,
The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek, The Irish,

The Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh,
The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher,
The privileged, the homeless, the Teacher.
They hear. They all hear
The speaking of the Tree.

Today, the first and last of every Tree
Speaks to humankind.

Come to me, here beside the River.
Plant yourself beside me, here beside the River.

Each of you, descendant of some passed
On traveller, has been paid for.

You, who gave me my first name, you
Pawnee, Apache and Seneca, you
Cherokee Nation, who rested with me, then
Forced on bloody feet, left me to the employment of
Other seekers - desperate for gain,
Starving for gold.

You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot...

You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought
Sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare
Praying for a dream.

Here, root yourselves beside me.

I am the Tree planted by the River,
Which will not be moved.

I, the Rock, I the River, I the Tree
I am yours - your Passages have been paid.

Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need
For this bright morning dawning for you.

History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, and if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.

Lift up your eyes upon
The day breaking for you.

Give birth again
To the dream.

Women, children, men,
Take it into the palms of your hands.
Mold it into the shape of your most
Private need. Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self.
Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances
For new beginnings.

Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness.

The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space to place new steps of change.
Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out upon me, the
Rock, the River, the Tree, your country.

No less to Midas than the mendicant.

No less to you now than the mastodon then.

Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister's eyes, into
Your brother's face, your country

And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning.

Maya Angelou

In Memoriam

A while back there was a post about our dear friend Mike T. - a guy we all adored and miss every day. Not long after his death a few of us put our heads together and came up with a creative and fitting way to make a memorial to him.

Rather than give a long explanation, lets just say that he loved bicycles, drank plenty of coffee, and was a fixture at the Downtown West Palm Starbucks. We had these racks custom made and gave them as a gift to the City to be placed on the corner of Olive Avenue and Clematis Street, right near where Mike would lean his bicycle and sip a cup or three while writing music and talking with friends.

On November 11th, Mike's birthday, many gathered for a short and sweet dedication ceremony. Appropriately, it concluded with very nice toast, delivered by Mike's sister Eileen Tague, and everyone in attendance hoisted a steaming cup of java for Mike!

If you ever see a really big yellow ten speed with mismatched wheels leaned up against those bike racks you'll know Mike has stopped by for a visit.

Liquid salvation is close at hand

Photo Jeff Divine

“…surfing can be seen as a sport of fugitive grace and improbable physics and among the only athletic pursuits undertaken in a medium that itself is always in motion…” ~ Guy Trebay

So its that time of year again when cold fronts push low pressure systems off the Carolinas and send sweet ocean energy toward South Florida. Hawaii we are not, but surfing, no matter who does it or how well, is all about fun.

This morning as I stood at Lake Worth Beach watching a small but perfect little wave roll over the sandbar I was filled with excitement for the coming winter, the sunrise surf sessions, and the pure connection with the pulse of the earth's energy.

Most of all it made me think back to my first wave - ridden at Lake Worth Beach in the summer of 1978. Buttons Kaluhiokalani, pictured above (in a photo of a two-page spread from surfing book of that same era) was my hero. He he was an absolutely amazing surfer, had a 'fro, and was multi-racial. For a kid like me who stood out like a sore thumb in a line-up full guys with bleached blonde hair and blue eyes, Buttons was a gift from God. I was like him, minus the amazing surfer part, of course.

Looking forward and dreaming of the day that I share the joy of surfing with my child is a thrilling prospect. It will be even more fun than my own first wave and much more fulfilling!

Yo cuz'!

Joseph and Kaia, hanging out and having fun. Need we say more? Oh yeah...click on the photo to see some video of these two hams!

Pumpkins, cavepeople, and freaks on bikes

Ah...indeed it was a terrifying sight! 185 weirdos on bicycles descended upon unsuspecting Downtown West Palm Beach for the 13th Freakbike Militia Ride. Since Halloween is right around the corner this one was appropriately name the Costume Cruise, and nearly all in attendance were dressed as their alter-egos. For the Clementes that meant we traveled back in time to 7,000 B.C., remembering our roots as cave dwellers.

A little faux fur, a uni-brow of mascara, some dirt and twigs from the yard, and abracadabra! you have a cave family. We dressed Kaia's chariot as a pumpkin (well, we really got lazy and just strapped a giant pumpkin on top of it), hooked it up to the bike and off we went to join the rest of the Freakbike Militia.

Aunt Kelly...uh, I mean Paris Hilton joined us, as well as a very strange clown (Auggie), and a french maid and her escaped convict boyfriend (Meghan and Joe) tagged along as well. Once we got the rendezvous point it was total mayhem - giant glowing skulls, the Orange County Crapper, zombies, pirates, and other things we just couldn't identify.

The ride to the fountain at Clematis was nuts, and once we were there the real fun began. I'm not sure what the rest of the downtown crowd thought, but Kenny P (ride master) had a contest to see who could bob for the most candy bars out of the toilet mounted on the back of his chopper bike - the Orange County Crapper.

Since I can't really explain this too well, please see the photos below. Hopefully they'll help you understand why this sort of madness is so appealing.

We're the happiest cave family on the plantet

Cave babies are cool!
Outrageous doesn't come close to describing this crew

Kaia's tricked out Daddy-powered pumpkin-mobile

Even the Red Baron was on hand

Some of the sweetest vintage choppers come out for this ride

Ridemaster Kenny P aka Kenny Clean, on his Orange County Crapper

Way out west

It's been a little while since the last update...so much for the weekly postings, eh?

We took a trip out to Portland, Oregon, for a conference and did some exploring while we were there. What a great city! We had a blast in and out of town.

We even got to see our old friend Jen, her husband (whom we'd never met before) Stan, and their new daughter Audrey, who is 5 months old. Jen is the person who sorta introduced us to each other. It was great to see her and catch up on what's happened in the years that have flown by since we were all thick as thieves. We'll post some photos of them as soon as we get them out of our old school 35mm camera.

Portland is one of those places that just welcomes you. While we were there we marched in an anti-war protest, went to the Columbia River Gorge, and drove down to the coast. Perhaps the coolest part of the place is that everyone rides bicycles, everywhere. People in suits, kids, old ladies, messengers, pizza delivery guys, cops. I think I saw more bicycles in Portland than I have anywhere else in the US!


As for cool and different places we saw and went on our trip...here are a few:
Voodoo Doughnut - the magic is in the hole...or so they say.
McMenamins - wanna stay the night in a 100 year-old old schoolhouse with theater and a microbrewery that serves beer milkshakes?
Wahclella Falls - like Hawaii, only colder.


Photographic evidence of our travels ~

Wahclella Falls, Columbia River Gorge

Lois and Kaia, going wild at the zoo

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, OR

C'mon honey, lets take the couch out for a spin

I dream of going to visit the Bicycle Forest in Canada. The guys at Bicycle Forest build the most outrageous machines and take human-powered transportation to a new (and fun!) level. My all-time favorite project is the Couch Bike - a totally hilarious jab at our typically sedentary life-style. Click on the photo to see a video of the Couch Bike in action.

A big day at the fountain

Click photo for video!

Today at lunchtime, Kaia and I went to the Centennial Fountain at the east end of Clematis Street. This is a very popular gathering place and a hit with kids of all ages. Rather than take her right in, I let Kaia do her thing at her pace - which was pretty quick! Once she saw the other kids splashing around and having fun she strolled right in. The photo was snapped right before the fountain went on full-blast, nearly knocking her off her feet. She was a bit startled but soon realized that she was okay.

I'm not bragging, but for a 9 1/2 month old child, Kaia is quite confident. It's wonderful to see her venturing out to explore but still glancing over her shoulder to see that Lois or I are still there. She'll often walk away to check something or someone out, get half-way there and turn around as if to say "hey...aren't you coming with me?"

Many great adventures lie ahead!

It almost hurts to smile sometimes

I ran across this photo today when I went home for lunch - Lois and Mike T., both shining like the sun.

There was a pile of CDs I was going through when I spotted one with photos from my brother's and sister-in-law's rehersal dinner in November of 2004. It caught me by surprise when it appeared on the screen and put a huge smile on my face. One second later my heart sank with the sudden realization that our dear friend Mike Tague was no longer with us. This is the second time in as many weeks that I have had this experience.

Mike was such a true friend, such an amazingly strong and fearless person that we all took it as fact that he would always be there on his bike, strumming his guitar, cracking a joke, or giving his unexpected and amazingly perceptive take on whatever issue was at hand. Saying goodbye to him was a terrible disasater for so many people I know.

I often go back to some of the long conversations we'd have about stuff that was going on in our lives and find little morsels of clarity that help me make better decisions today. And when I fail I can hear that laugh of his! Mike was the kind of guy that would be laughing at you as he walked over to help you up after a crash and you wouldn't even mind.

Damn, I miss him.

God must be a surfer

So I've been thinking about a few things lately. Watching a child develop, grow, learn, and explore the world leads one to ponder things that were not on the radar previously. Like the clichéd "what is life all about?"

I'm sure one day Kaia will ask me this question - among others. The thought of this has me already searching for answers. Being a parent is amazing as it forces you to develop, grow, learn, and explore the world in ways you never did before!

Below is something I've read a number of times over the past several years and always come back to when I am looking for answers. It was written by P.D. Ouspensky in his book entitled A New Model of the Universe: Principles of the Psychological Method in its Application to Problems of Science, Religion and Art.

___________________________________________________________________

As we should know from the study of undulatory vibrations in the world of physical phenomena, every wave comprises in itself a complete circle, that is the matter of the wave moves in a completed curve in the same place and for as long as the force acts which creates the wave. We should know also that every wave consists of smaller waves and is in its turn a component part of a bigger wave. If we take, simply for the sake of argument, days as the smaller waves which form the bigger waves of years, then the waves of years will form one great wave of life. And so long as this wave of life rolls on, the waves of days and the waves of years must rotate at their appointed places, repeating and repeating themselves.

Thus the line of the fourth dimension, the line of life or time, consists of wheels of ever-repeating days, of smaller circles of the fifth dimension, just as a ray of light consists of quanta of light, each rotating in its place so long as the primary shock which sends forth the particular ray persists. But in itself a ray may be a curve, a component part of some other bigger wave. The same applies to the line of life.

If we take it as one great wave consisting of the waves of days and years, we shall have to admit that the line of life moves in a curve and makes a complete revolution, coming back to the point of its departure. And if a day or a year is a wave in the undulatory movement of our life, then our whole life is a wave in some undulatory movement of which we know nothing. As I have already pointed out, in our

ordinary conception life appears as a straight line drawn between the moments of birth and death. But if we imagine that life is a wave, we shall get this figure: The point of death coincides with the point of birth.

A hero has stepped forward!

I'm sure we won't be posting too many news articles here, but this is so impressive I couldn't resist. Richard Branson has pledged $3 billion (with a "B") dollars to combat global warming!

Despite the fact that the Bush Administration continues to censor it's own scientists, spread mis-information about the realities of climate change and has refused to sign the Kyoto Treaty, most Americans consider climate change a threat to their future well-being and quality of life.

The world is leaving the United States behind with the development of alternative energy sources, cleaner vehicles, and more socially and environmentally conscious policies. Thank goodness that Richard Branson, an individual with a global vision, social conscience, and tremendous resources has stepped forward to set the standard for committment to the environment. A real hero!

From the Associated Press -

Branson Plans $3B Against Global WarmingSep 21 11:03 AM US/Eastern

British business mogul Richard Branson said Thursday he would invest about $3 billion to combat global warming over the next decade.

Branson, the billionaire behind the multi-platform Virgin brand, said the money would come from 100 percent of the profits generated by his transportation and airline sectors. It will then be invested in efforts to find renewable, sustainable energy sources in an effort to wean the world off of oil and coal.

He made the announcement in Manhattan on the second day of the Clinton Global Initiative, an annual conference of business, political and nonprofit leaders hosted by former President Clinton.

"Our generation has inherited an incredibly beautiful world from our parents and they from their parents," said Branson at a press conference with Clinton at his side. "We must not be the generation responsible for irreversibly damaging the environment."
Clinton praised Branson, calling him one of the most "creative" and "committed" people had ever known.
___
Associated Press Writer Deepti Hajela contributed to this report.

Video of Kaia's first solid food

Yes folks...here it is! The video you've all been waiting for - Kaia vs Sweet Potatoes! This was her first go-round with solid food when she was about 5 months old. Of course she's much better at it now. Click on the photo to view the video.

Moving pictures

We've created a page on Youtube.com to share some videos we have. Some of them are our own, some are from friends. You can see them at Crazy Bike People

Off and running

So Kaia Jeanne is now solidly on two feet and fully mobile. Over the past two weeks she went from just a few steps to complete two-legged mobility. Despite the fact that her legs are only about 9 inches long she's quite fast and covers more ground than you'd think she could.

When we say "off and running" we mean that we are running after her!

We've posted some video proof...please click here to see it.

This is too much fun

Bring on the night!

There is nothing better than rediscovering everything through your child's eyes




















Warning: The Surgeon General has determined that messing with this woman can be hazardous to your health.



















Pure juice!

A few of our favorite images

Kaia at 8 months old




















Ever seen a pregnant lady who looked that good?



















Kaia's first day - resting in her mother's arms.













An trip to the beach at 4 months



















Exploring our world













Picnic at the Great Mother Tree













The Great Mother Tree in all her glory

Opening salvo...

Well, here we are in the information age! Our first blog posting for the Family Clemente. Since we're new at this we'll use lots of pictures as they are worth a thousand words...