warrior ant press

supreme commander

2011-05-02T08:17:00.003-04:00

"Biggie 'O", 2011, m.o.i., found objects, duct tape, and vinyl.

Some of these materials were collected shortly after 9-11. Only recently, for an upcoming show, did I figure out how to put them together. Typically, I like to produce multiples; there are 3 of these. This morning, I put the finishing touches on the final one, popped open nytimes. com and was stunned to the see the headlines.

charlie christ kisses david byrne's ass

2011-04-13T07:40:00.002-04:00

sheryl crow: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2010-11-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

sheryl crow, kennett opera house, kennett,mo. 27 november 2010, attendance ~250

Photo credit: Joe Craig Photography

lydia loveless: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2010-11-21T21:55:00.002-05:00

lydia loveless: davey's uptown, kansas city, mo. attendance ~25

roast pink: the breast cancer awareness soup

2010-10-10T08:56:00.003-04:00

I've been thinking lately of how the Think Pink campaign of the Susan G. Komen Foundation has to be one of the most successful marketing campaigns ever conceived. It's also interesting to see how long it takes for brands to emerge, years typically. Think Pink has grown somewhat organically over the past 5 years and this year it just seems to have exploded into every available market. Pink is everywhere these days.

So when I was making one of my standard fall soups recently (roasted cauliflower) and went to finish it I remembered those roasted red peppers that were in the fridge. So into the blender went the roasted cauliflower, apples, onion, and red peppers which resulted in this dish. Garnished with ground roasted cashews seasoned with just a small amount of bacon bits.

los lobos: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2010-10-10T01:51:00.000-04:00

los lobos: folly theater, kansas city, mo. 8 October 2010. attendance ~1500.

the walkmen: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2010-10-10T00:30:00.005-04:00

the walkmen: standard style fashion show, country club plaza, 30 september, kansas city, mo. attendance ~2,000.

chaka kahn: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2010-10-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

chaka kahn, kc live stage, kansas city, mo; 26 september 2010. attendance ~1,000

snuff jazz with annie ellicott: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2010-09-26T12:24:00.003-04:00

snuff jazz with annie ellicott, 25 September 2010; jardine's, kansas city, mo. attendance ~150

the avett brothers: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2010-09-26T12:17:00.005-04:00

the avett brothers,25 september 2010; crossroads kc @ grinders, kansas city, mo. sold out

sharon jones and the dap kings: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2010-09-22T08:08:00.007-04:00

sharon jones and the dap kings, midland theater, kansas city. sept. 20, 2010; attendance ~1,200.

david prince balloon launch

2010-09-18T19:31:00.017-04:00

David Prince, an artist who floats on the periphery of object making in a cloud of humor and particle physics, was in Kansas City this past week making work and leading workshops on the making and use of bio-degradable plastics. The plastic was then fashioned into aerial objects which were then released into the atmosphere at one of the highest points in the city, Penn Valley Park.

girl talk: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2010-09-11T17:22:00.003-04:00

girl talk: 10 sept 2010. crossroads sculpture park, kansas city, mo. attendance ~2000.

Mr340 Independent Spirit Awards

2010-09-06T08:00:00.022-04:00

Labor Day seems like a good time to announce the first winners of the MR340 Spirit Awards. Open to racers, ground crews, and volunteers of the Missouri River 340 Canoe-Kayak Race, the MR340 Spirit Awards are bestowed upon individuals who demonstrate qualities that further aspects of the river or the event. Like most of life, winners of the Independent Spirit Awards receive no cash prizes (or corporate gift cards). Instead, Warrior Ant Press makes a small contribution in the honorees name to Missouri River Relief, which, among other river-related activities, provides safety boats for the MR340.

MR340 Independent Spirit Award Winners Awards are given for each of the first 5 years of the race. Hats off and paddles down for these honorees.

2006: toughness/kindness
Jim Low, Jefferson City, MO. A long-time outdoorsman and reporter, Jim sensed the true adventure of the race and wrote the first news articles about it when only 15 boats were involved. Over the last 5 years, several of Jim's articles have appeared in the Missouri Conservationist which, because of the widespread readership of the magazine (both in-state and out), has convinced many new to ultarmarathon racing to venture out on the Big Muddy.

Dawn Keller, Outer Banks, North Carolina. A survival trainer, at er being thrown from her boat during the first night of the inaugural race, Dawn went on to shepherd two boats to the finish line with her relentless spirit and simple mantra of "if you aren't paddling, then you aren't moving".

2007:sacrifice
Mark Handley, Holt, Missouri. When long-time friend Richard Lovell was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he and Mark decided to race the river they loved. They were the last boats to arrive in 2007; a landing which moved anyone lucky enough to have witnessed it.

Barbara Edington, Groves, Texas. Since year 2, Barbara has worked 24-7 during the race, talking to checkpoint volunteers to provide near-real-time race results so that friends, family, reporters, and the general public, can follow the race as it unfolds.

2008:friendshipBlack Coffee, Smithville, MO and Uncle A Dog, Lee's Summit, MO. In a test of wills that will likely never be exceeded, Coffee and Dog, built home-made trailers and stuffed them inside their home-made kayaks. Lashed to the top were their bicycles. Shortly after landing in St. Charles, the dynamic duo reassembled everything and pedaled back to the start along the Katy Trail. Not tough enough for you? Try this without a ground crew; they did.

The Ninja Racoons: Jana Shannon Bradley. Durham, North Carolina and Mike Massey, Bellingham, Washington. In 2007,friends Jana and Mike drove from both coasts, meeting in the breadbasket of America to take on the Mighty MO. Through careful planning and determination, they managed to win their division in their first year of competition. The nocturnal pair returned in 2008 to defend their crown and were summarily crushed by the competition. They have not returned but have remained friends.

2009: inventiveness
Jodi Pfefferkorn, Rocheport, MO. Jodi continues to document the experiences of the MR340 and those who share a river life on film. Best be careful not to stand in the way of her camera or her razor-sharp wit.

Joe Wilson, Jefferson City, MO. The Mayor of Noren Access. Shed a tear in Joe's honor, he deserves it for creating a serene, beach-front park from a flood deposit.[photo:riverrelief.org]

2010: personal improvement
Joe Mann, San Antonio, Texas.The Dark Horse Paddler, after reading about the inaugural MR340, put out his cigarette and got off the couch. He stepped into a kayak for the first time in February, 2007 and in 3.5 years has become a formidable presence who contends in any race he enters.

Christina Glauner, Lawrence, KS.A veteran of all five MR340, Christina managed to convince 20 other people to sit in a dragon boat for 40 hours and paddle for the children. When the crew attempted to pitch one racalcitrant paddler overboard into the fog, Christina successfully intervened on their behalf.

loufest: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2010-08-30T09:30:00.016-04:00

loufest: the great lawn @ forest park, st. louis, mo, day 2, attendance ~5000

Carolina Chocolate Drops

Alexander Escavedo

Jeff Tweedy

She and Him

loufest 2010: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2010-08-29T07:20:00.012-04:00

loufest 2010, the great lawn @ forest park, st. louis, mo; day 1, attendance ~7500.

Airborne Toxic Event
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Built to Spill
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Titus Andronicus

m.o.i.: policy bat

2010-08-04T06:50:00.000-04:00

m.o.i.: "policy bat", 2010.
Found and re-purposed objects. Dimensions vary slightly, approximately 10 inches by 6 inches by 8 inches; 16 multiples.

m.o.i's version of a top-kill. It remains to be seen if it can accomplish its intended objectives.

kc sprint championships

2010-07-05T12:04:00.021-04:00

Race Director Scott Mansker takes advantage of a quiet pre-race moment to tell the assembled crowd a fish story.

The Mann family, Joe (rear left with white ballcap), Grandpa Hoot, and Grandson Frank took top style points by winning 2 divisions with 3 generations of racers.

Women's solo division winners. Left to right in 1st,2nd,and 3rd were: Katie Pfefferkorn, Shannon Twenter, and Barbara Stoppelmoor.

This was a tough landing in high water.

Well worth the price of this downriver run was a trip back to Kaw Point in Race Organizer Russ Payzant's beautifully restored 1950's era cabin cruiser.

corny hot dog contest

2010-07-05T07:49:00.006-04:00

Perhaps the only thing more ridiculous than cramming more than 50 hot dogs down your pie hole in less than 10 minutes is the fact that during yesterday's Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest, the organizers had 4-time former champion, Takeru Kobayashi, hauled away from Coney Island in handcuffs. The reason? Kobay, as his devoted fans call him, refused to sign a contract with Major League Eating–the "official sponsor" of the event. Well, ain't that America, home of the free?

If that isn't real enough for you then how a wi game devoted to competitive eating. Ready to barf yet?

reason #47 for not shopping @ walmart

2010-06-29T19:45:00.003-04:00

That venerable news source, the New York Times, reported today that a Walmart employee was fired for smoking medicinal marijuana. The employee, who lives and works in Michigan, which has legalized medicinal marijuana, failed a drug test and was summarily released from the company. The employee, who had a prescription for the drug, was smoking weed but he has an INOPERABLE brain tumor! Apparently, so does the store manager.

higher ground

2010-06-24T19:46:00.007-04:00

This black rat snake, likely chased from the den during our recent floods, has discovered a better vantage point for surveying onlookers. I've seen a lot of confused animals over the last couple of weeks, turkeys walking in circles, fawns looking unsure of their next steps, and snapping turtles dragging themselves through high ground.

summer medley

2010-06-23T19:30:00.012-04:00

Ahh...summer...tall flowers, big water, juicy fruit, and summer cakes.

edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2010-06-17T07:28:00.002-04:00

edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros: 16 June 2010 @ the beaumont club, kansas city, mo. attendance ~1,000

pfefferkorn takes on world record and memorial day complacency

2010-05-29T09:50:00.004-04:00

Updated 30 May 2010

Just talked to Scott: the new (unofficial) world record and soon to be a Guinness world record for farthest distance paddled by a woman on moving water is held by Katie Pfefferkorn at 192.1 miles. She finished with 12 minutes left on the clock, but was near a mile marker, so it was easiest to catch it on film to make it official.
--West Hansen via rivermiles.com

Katie Pfefferkorn, that bolt of Kansas sunshine who never seems to drop her wing paddle, solos past Paseo Bridge construction on her most recent world record attempt. Pfefferkorn, who broke the previous mark for the longest distance paddled by a woman in a 24-hour period less than a month ago, hopes to put in 200 miles before her day is done—which should happen at 7:45 am Sunday. Scott Mansker and Russ Payzant, a major part of the MR340 brain trust, are providing support and verification for the attempt.

our national debt, 18 million gallons and counting

2010-05-28T06:31:00.004-04:00

Funny stuff from BP Public Relation

livestrong, die, or take performance-enhancing drugs

2010-05-27T07:37:00.001-04:00

While some cycling fans, many of whom coincidentally seemed to be Reaganites, steadfastly stood by Floyd Landis' claims of innocence, readers of this blog will know that I never gave either Landis or Reagan much credit for being anything other than big dopes. However, just because Landis is the dopiest, angriest, most vindictive former member of the peleton doesn't mean he can't occasionally tell the truth.

Lance Armstrong has been the other big bully in cycling for years and bullies are yellow. Landis is Armstrong's 2nd teammate to accuse the 7-time TDF winner of systematic doping. Armstrong won the first case against Frankie Andreau and is winning the second one against Floyd in the court of public opinion. But should he? How is Lance any different than Barry Bonds? It's yet to be proven that Bonds took performance enhancing drugs to become the all-time home run king but everyone believes that he did. Only the superficial American cycling fan doesn't understand the fact that sure Lance has done more victory laps down the Champs Elysee than anyone in the history of cycling but that doesn't mean he's wasn't using. Listen to Lance and his coach when he speaks to the public, you'll hear him talk about being clean now and how he never had a positive test for performance enhancing drugs in his career.

The beloved and current US road champion, George Hincapie, sounded a lot like Mark McGuire the other day when he said he'd rather focus on the current state of cycling. Hincapie's sponsors (not the Steroids Anonymous ones!) would probably agree. A lot of cyclists can make similar statements about being clean today (ignoring yesterday) but no one else has Lance's seven TDF victories. And in America, we're all about winning. We're all about not getting caught. And we're all about being white.

It's hard to defend Landis because he has been such a bitter loser. Obviously what pains him the most is that he was doing what everyone else was doing at the time and he was the one who got caught and labeled a cheat. And others are seen as heroes. The timing of Landis' allegations during the Tour of California demonstrate just how bitter he remains. Landis, a former mountain bike world champion won the inaugural Tour of California. Now, he rides for a middling team that can't even buy entry into the event. And to make matters worst, Armstrong comes out of retirement and now all the media wants to do is talk about Lance. Lance. Lance. What a great guy. And his foundation. Awesome. All the time Landis is thinking, Jesus (forgive me, I have forsaken you), but I was just as good as this guy except I got caught and then burned by the system. This guys does it and he's a hero?

I don't think you've heard the end of this story but a lot of people with money and influence sure hope it goes away soon. Among those I count Radio Shack and the Livestrong Foundation. When the bottom line suffers, people take notice. Listen closely to their arguments against Landis and you'll discover that they always focus on labeling him and not on the issue of whether on not the accused took steroids during the time in question. Landis claims he spent as much as $90,000 a year on performance enhancing drugs. That should be pretty easy to prove if Landis cooperates. Authorities won't be able to access the finances of other riders who were implicated so all this will be hard, if not impossible to prove.

Ask yourself this. If Landis spent this kind of money to dope then the other top riders who claim innocence spent nothing? Also ask yourself this. Why are you so eager to find Barry Bonds guilty in the court of public opinion but not Lance Armstrong?

One of the more damning allegations, that the $100,000 contribution that Lance gave to the US anti-doping agency was in reality a bribe. UCI director. Pat McQuaid, strongly denied these allegations but this is one that should be pretty easy to uncover. For example, how many other $100,000 contributions did/does Lance routinely give and how many does UCI receive? We know the answer to the second question-none.

pat metheny–orchestrion: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2010-05-08T10:15:00.006-04:00

Pat Metheny: Orchestrion, 7 May 2010, Uptown Theater, Kansas City, MO. Attendance ~1500.

Other reviews:
pat metheny trio

grass is stupid

2010-05-06T16:42:00.004-04:00

OK. The lawnmower was secured (with a Kryptonite lock) to a tree late last summer lock to prevent property redistribution. The key was then lost for the next 9 months and lucky for us, most of this time was fall and winter. Then came spring, and rain.

Finally today, the key, having been hiding in the bottom of a dish, serendipitously resurfaces like a daylily. Then, 15 minutes into pushing the mower through foot high grass we encounter one of the many boulders lining our raised beds and KAPOW, THUNK. DUH.

All of which leaves me to believe that unless it's getting you high, grass is really stupid.

signature dish

2010-05-05T01:06:00.003-04:00

By now you've probably discovered that much of what your parents told you was wrong. Maybe they meant well, or didn't know any better, but rest assured, ignoring their advice, like that of the high school principal, was sometimes the right thing to do. Example: Playing with your food. Chef's who did not ignore this childhood advice staple are likely busy today running a fast food hot line. This may result in consistent product but it's better to eat playful, real food.

I recently learned of the poor person's sous vide from my pal Ebban (not his real name!) who, when not trying to corner the market on fresh water in the desert, is steeped in MacGyver re-runs. Apparently Hulu, unlike the rebels, can find it's way deep inside a fortified bunker outside of the Green Zone.

Sous vide, for the uninitiated, is French for "under vacuum". Tony chef's have been spending thousands on complicated vacuum cooking apparati for several years but turns out you have everything you need in your pantry. And here's how to do it.

Instead of vacuum sealing the item to be cooked you place it in a zip-lock bag and remove as much of the air as possible. To cook the item you'll need a clean cooler and some hot water. The trick with sous vide is to maintain the cooking fire (in this case hot water) at the desired finish temperature. Never more and never less. The item bastes in its own juices until it reaches the desired finished temperature. And a cooler is designed to do precisely that—hold temperatures steady for long periods of time. Recently we tried this method on a couple of filets and were astounded as how easy it was and how well and precisely it cooked the meat.

First, season the meat with pepper and salt, place in an Ziploc bag and seal tightly. Squeeze all the air from the bag as the food will need to directly contact the cooking liquid with no air spaces between. Make sure the bag is secured closed to prevent water from leaking into the bag.

To cook beef mid-rare (160° F) fill a small cooler with hot water from the tap and then add heated water from a teapot to bring the entire bath to 165-170°F The water bath temperature will drop slightly once you add the food which is why you start a few degrees higher. You must use an accurate instant read thermometer to insure the temperatures are correct.

Place the Ziploc bag(s) containing the filets in the water. Place a small lid on top to keep the bags fully submerged. Close the lid and then after a couple of minutes check the temperature and if off by more than a few degrees, adjust up or down as necessary. Close the lid and wait another 30 minutes before checking the water temperature again. If needed, adjust the water bath temperature by adding more hot water but never get it hotter than your final desired temperature. After 1.5 hours the filets will be cooked to perfection. You'll know it's done because the juices will have come out of the meat and it will be brown on the outside. You're doing the same thing that you do with any other heat source, you're setting the proteins in the meat. Let the filets stand for 20 minutes and the quickly (on the grill or in a pan) char the outside for 30 seconds. You will be astonished at the tenderness of the meat.

We served our sous vide cooked filet mignon with a slice of no-knead, pecan semolina bread and an apple-cauliflower soup. For desert, a signature dish of home made fresh strawberry and pineapple candied fruit jellies, no added sugar, just pure juice and all the yummy goodness one can stand.

one moment in time

2010-05-02T12:29:00.007-04:00

Photographers are capturing a moment in time (May 2nd, 2010 @ 1500 hours Greenwich Mean Time) in an effort to create a worldwide photographic mosaic. Here's our submission: Sunday morning ride taking as we were rolling down the street approximately 1 mile from the Worldwide Anthill Headquarters.

salted tomatoes

2010-05-01T01:05:00.002-04:00

We're not posting recipes since we're on sabbatical but inspired by a blogger who has posted some 9,000 images of everything he's consumed over the past 5 years we thought it apropos to share a few meals of the last several months. Savvy cooks only need an idea to figure out the recipes anyway so let's hope these inspire you to get happy in the kitchen.

Starter. Roasted carrot, golden beet, apple, and red pepper soup. Winter heaven.

Some pasta. Roasted califlower and almonds with acorn squash puree. More winter heaven.

Every since I saw Lidia Bastianich discuss salted tomatoes I've eschewed my former habit of ignoring all store-bought tomatoes and now use this technique to make them worthy of being in the cook's repertoire. Of course they'd be better with fresh tomatoes but those are only available for a couple of months a year. Look for the ripest ones and use only Roma or plum varieties. Tomatoes must be blanched in boiling water and the skins removed. Then sprinkle liberally with rock salt and place in non-reactive container. Drain for 4 hours. Then toss with olive oil, minced garlic, and balsamic vinegar. Let stand for 24 hours in the fridge. Excellent base for all sorts of dishes including several below.

For example.Salted tomatoes with bleu cheese and pecans. Or Stewed Chicken with asparagus.

Then there is line caught Pacific Halibut from Alaska, second only to the Alaskan Copper River King Salmon for flavor, texture, and yummy goodness. Cube, season, then quickly poach for a stew or tacos.

A couple of fruit tarts, each with a nut crust, for desert.] althought I've practically forgotten how to make these. They're only as good as the fruit.

Don't forget the leftovers. I love leftovers almost as much as the meal. Especially when the $100 turkey is involved. Heritage turkey on a plate of garlic mashed blue potatoes or an open-faced sandwich on homemade bread. Both with a cranberry confit.

katrina 2.0

2010-04-30T19:50:00.007-04:00

I was thinking (hoping?) this oil rig collapse surely couldn't be that big of a deal until I saw these NASA images of the 75 km slick bearing down on the birdsfoot delta region of Lousiana. This may become known as Katrina version 2.0 for the amount of damage to beaches, wetlands, and tourism that it may cause.

m.o.i.: season to risk

2010-04-30T00:14:00.001-04:00

"Season to risk", 2010. Acrylic, paper, duct tape on found object, dimensions vary slightly, ~1"x1"x10" 15 multiples.

researchers sudue, kill giant worm

2010-04-28T07:53:00.009-04:00

Researchers from the University of Idaho captured, subdued, and then killed a giant earthworm that feeds on prairie remnants. The worm, Driloleirus americanus, has rarely has been sighted. Locals say the pink worm, some of which have been purported to reach lengths of 9 feet, smells like a Lily. The Palouse earthworm's translucent skin allows the few who have ever seen one to watch the giant worm chew productive soils to pieces and then shit them out. Thousands of acres of native prairie lands have been destroyed in the last century in the Palouse earthworm region.

Another worm, taken in the same raid, was subdued with a stun gun, is currently being held hostage at a remote laboratory. It's unclear what the researchers are demanding in return but additional funding is believed to be central to their request.

Image of Palouse earthwork by Kelly Weaver, University of Idaho

river otter day

2010-04-25T08:00:00.003-04:00

Unless I'm counting cards at the Black Jack table I'm generally not a fan of casinos. Occasionally though, they seem to do the right thing such as helping to sponsor River Otter Day. River Otter Day isn't really about otters but more about the Missouri River and riverfront development both of which could use some help. There have been some significant improvements in Kansas City's riverfront in the past 5 years. I suspect before the next decade passes we might even see a restaurant or two that overlooks the river. Not sure what the city has to do to develop a marina downtown but it could be as simple as rerouting the few barges that still use the Big Muddy to the Mississippi.

t-rex returns, recycling begins

2010-04-24T08:28:00.006-04:00

T-Rex returned to Union Station just in time to find out that Prairie Village has finally started a curbside recycling program.

visual reviews of aural entertainment: rock paper scissors

2010-04-04T12:37:00.000-04:00

Rock Paper Scissors.
4 April 2010. House Party, KCMO; attendance ~150

visual reviews of aural entertainment: taylor swift

2010-04-04T12:35:00.001-04:00

Taylor Swift
@ the sprint center, KCMO. 3 April 2010; attendance, ~15,000.

if i had you

2010-04-02T00:51:00.001-04:00

obamas secretly prepare for new world order

2010-04-01T00:38:00.004-04:00

Think about it. An organic garden to feed the first family, some bees to produce honey, a hen house, and a rabbit hutch in the east garden—it can only mean one thing. Michelle Obama has been stockpiling the means to make her family self-sufficient. And given the mood of the right, she'd better hurry before they storm the castle.

Couple the First Lady's penchant for home cooking with Biggie O's penchant to always be surrounded by a cadre of weapon-toting, highly trained killers (who have ready access to a few thousand rounds of ammo) and you can see this family is set to maintain residency in the big white house indefinitely.

Revelation! During the coming apocalypse, the President will have the entire US military at his command.

If this liberal, healthy-eating-habit, forced agenda isn't stopped soon, America's ready access to Twinkies, incentive payments for high-fructose corn syrup production, and $1.99 whole roasted chickens could be threatened. The next thing you know, these Marxists will expect that all American children deserve a decent education and their parents a living-wage job. Beware! Univeral health care and tax increases will surely follow.

I'M FAT. FUCK OFF: The Kansas City Tattoo Convention

2010-03-19T05:02:00.000-04:00

Except for the sentiment being splayed across the front of the I'M FAT: FUCK OFF t-shirt, the KC tattoo convention was surprisingly conventional. Like motorcycle bars, punk clubs, and art openings, the room suffered from a multiplicity of sameness packaged as rebellious attitude. Rage against the man morphed into a rancid Diesel ad populated by overweight white males fawned over by legions of slim, cute, American Apparel chicks cloaked in subservience and thrift store accessories. The strong man and the tamed woman with a back story of too many taxes, stifled personal freedoms, and a deep, patriotic abiding love of guns. It could just have been easily been a Tea Party gathering

Most of the tattoo work on display suffered from the notion that if you call it art, then it must be art. When viewed repeatedly, endless derivations of Sailor Jack inspired ink begins to resemble this century's version of a Normal Rockwell poster.

Granted the medium seems inherently limited but Wafaa Bilal, an Iraqi-American artist, has recently been stretching the bounds with noted effort. For a recent piece, Mr. Bilal had the names of ten Iraqi cities tatooed in Arabic on his back. The 5,000 black dots used to inscribe these names represent the visible American casulities from the now, 7-year long conflict. To represent the more than 100,000 largely invisible Iraqis who have perished in this war, Billal had the outline of Iraqi tatooed, using 100,000 dots of ultraviolet, black-light ink.

The work benefits a not-for-profit designed to bring children displaced by the Iraqi war to the US for education.

enlightened self-interest

2010-03-16T21:08:00.003-04:00

Also known as The Revised New World Order. Campaign Manager William Klein promises an aggressive, historic campaign that “puts people second” or even third.

Visual reviews of aural and 3-D entertainment: quixotic vs nomathmatics

2010-03-14T17:32:00.003-04:00

Visual reviews of aural and 3-D entertainment
quixotic vs nomathmatics @ the foundation room, kcmo. attendance ~200

best riposte to a post

2010-03-14T12:34:00.017-04:00

The Internet, the coffee shop sans coffee where free-speech minded, democratic-loving members of the left and right go hot-tubbing on Sunday morning, is nothing to sneer at. OK, decidedly untrue, but in the interest of plot, let us suspend disbelief for a moment.

Writing recently in the NY Times Carpetbagger blog, host Melena Ryzik reminds us that the dirty cauldron of Hollywood business is still, well, dirty. For this Republicans surely rejoice; the rest concern yourselves with the red carpet faux paus of Ryan Seacrest.

Background from Bagger2.0:

On Wednesday, Mark Boal, the screenwriter and a producer of the movie [The Hurtlocker], was named in a lawsuit brought by Master Sgt. Jeffrey S. Sarver, whose Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit Mr. Boal embedded with in Baghdad in 2004 as part of an assignment for Playboy magazine.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New Jersey, is based on six counts, including misappropriation of name and likeness, invasion of privacy, infliction of emotional distress, fraud and negligent misrepresentation. It seeks in excess of $75,000 for each count, along with costs, interest and legal fees. It charges that the movie amounted to “the exploitation of a real-life, honorable, courageous and long-serving member of our country’s armed forces, by greedy, multibillion-dollar ‘entertainment’ corporations.”

The best, and seemingly most appropriate response by many to this was:

Hey, Master Sgt. Jeffrey S. Sarver, here's something to add to your emotional distress: You're a simpering overgrown baby.

How's that for defamation. Sue me.--quin wag, claremont

Let's hope that federal court appointees who, unlike Hollywood stars, are anointed for life, were listening.

anti-craft goes mainstream

2010-03-04T08:26:00.015-05:00

We were deep in the clutches of a week long absinthe binge when the Divine Hand of Brilliance touched us in an inappropriate place.

Thus begins the anticraft manifesto. It's a good place to start but seemingly ends in a vegan wrapped in bacon–which in all honestly isn't a bad start. But why stop there? Why not dip them in chocolate (72% cocoa!) afterwards.

One would have thought that bacon had reached its cultural, if not porcine, nadir with Bacon Explosion, a two pound, flame-grilled hunk of sausage wrapped in an equivalent weight of bacon. Pre-cooked weight 4 lbs; cooked weight 2.75 lbs: you can guess where the difference lies. The only thing less surprising than the viral nature of this singular flavor was the fact that it wasn't deep fried, which I hesitate to even mention because surely the next version will be just that to accompany your deep-fired turkey.

Once bacon, seemingly the only pork product that isn't white meat, moved into the pantheon of an Iron Chef secret ingredient we knew the trend was nearing an end. Bacon can be many things but never a secret ingredient.

Bacon shawl photo from monster crochet.

when animals go berserk

2010-02-27T16:12:00.007-05:00

When you put a killer whale in a tank, clap, and dangle fresh food in front of them in exchange for tricks, then one shouldn't be surprised that one day they might get bored with the white man's view of nature as just another entertainment venue. However, one should be surprised to learn that Tilikum had his own Twitter account and that SeaWorld officials, in response to the orca's recent drown-the-trainer routine, went berserk and suspended the account.

The GOP F'n hates Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T08:24:00.008-05:00

One of my spook friends turned me on to these GOP tricks. Valentine cards surely designed as much to build a database of e-dresses for spreading the hate as much as having a little fun at the expense of others.

Here's a story that you might have missed though. James O'Keefe, the anti-ACORN filmaker, who was largely responsible for the hate campaign during the last election cycle, was recently arrested (along with 3 co-conspirators) for trying to break into Senator's Mary Landriue's office. They face felony charges that could land them in prison for 10 years and draw a $25,000 fine.

super bowl tickets still available! we will not be undersold

2010-02-06T21:36:00.002-05:00

SUPER BOWL SUITES

FINAL MARKDOWN PRICES!!!!!!!!

Fully Catered

Private 16 Person on the 40yd Line $116,000
Private 16 Person on the 10yd Line $81,000
Shared 6 Person on the 20/25yd Line $37,500
--------------
actual prices, Feb. 5th, 2006

Bigger suite? Let us know.

visual reviews of 3-D entertainment

2010-01-20T20:05:00.002-05:00

Smurfs in 3-D. Coming soon to a theater near you!

teddy! we hardly knew ya

2010-01-14T07:35:00.002-05:00

Loves me some Soul Train...and the bass line in this groove. It's never easy to let it go.

where is lazie lynch

2009-12-31T09:51:00.004-05:00

This is for the HATERS out there who are starting up some fire with the fans about me hitting or robbing an old lady get a fuckin life you worthless shits, i got respects and havent touched or robbed no old lady. now move on and find a life ya shits

--Facebook profile of Craig 'Lazie' Lynch, the Internet police taunter who's garnered more than 30,000 fans since posting updates of his on-the-lam whereabouts.

tsa announces new travel restrictions

2009-12-26T22:15:00.003-05:00

In the wake of the thwarted Christmas Day terrorist plot on Northwest Airlines flight 253, TSA has announced new restrictions for air travel. While somewhat vague as to the specificity of the restrictions, passengers will no longer be allowed to carry explosive devices on board international flights arriving in the US.

grizzly bear eye candy

2009-12-13T12:51:00.002-05:00

An colorful antidote to "The Road".

tiger woods 11th 12th mistress revealed

2009-12-11T19:11:00.005-05:00

Warrior Ant Press has learned that, in addition to the other women in his life, Tiger Woods was also known to occasionally sleep with himself. In what may be the most unusual twist in this long-term relationship, Le Tigre, who seemed to exclusively date white woman, crossed not only racial, but gender barriers.

lance armstrong can't touch this

2009-11-13T22:35:00.003-05:00

You've never seen anything like this—parkur meets skateboarding meets bmx tricks. Danny MacCaskill does things on a bike that no else has even contemplated.

leonard cohen: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2009-11-10T06:42:00.010-05:00

Leonard Cohen @ The Midland Theater, Kansas City, MO. Monday, Nov. 9th, 2009. Attendance ~2500.

Previous reviews in the series.
m.o.i.: wilco
m.o.i.:Tim Whitmer trio
m.o.i.: people's liberation big band
m.o.i.: eleni mandel
m.o.i.: coner oberst with mystic valley band
m.o.i.: jackie greene
m.o.i.: madeline peyroux
m.o.i.: rufus wainwright
m.o.i.: the wilders @ davey's uptown
m.o.i.: wee snuff
m.o.i.: jametone (j. ashley miller)
m.o.i.: eldar at jardines
m.o.i.: matisyahu @ grinders sculpture park
m.o.i.: eldar @ cccc
m.o.i.: elvis costello and the attractions
m.o.i.: the police
m.o.i.: the swell season
m.o.i.: anne-sophie mutter
m.o.i.: pat metheny trio
m.o.i.: mars volta and isabel bayrakdarian

fall reading list

2009-11-07T08:46:00.001-05:00

Books fall from trees and Warrior Ant Press rakes them up and bags them for your fall enjoyment.

Let the Great World Spin. Colum McCann.2009, Random House. A book that stretches a long thin wire between Philippe Petit's wire walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center and 9/11 and dares to take the reader along the route. With a cast of New Yorkers that makes you long for a big city escape. No doubt, the best book you'll likely read this year.

Bowl of Cherries. Millard Kauffman. 2007, McSweeney's Rectangulars. The Iraq conflict filtered through the eyes of the co-creator of Mr. Magoo and the screenwriter of Bad Day at Black Rock. One part comix, one part satire, one part Hollywood blockbuster. Settle down with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy the ride.

Lowboy. John Wray. 2009, Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. A lowboy, as presented here, is someone who hangs out and lives in the subway tunnels. This lowboy, manic with the implications of global warming, is on the verge of a weirdly comic and inventive nervous breakdown. Jump the turnstile and join him.

Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work. Matthew B. Crawford. 2009, The Penguin Press. I found the first 100 pages of this book annoying as an admonishing parent. Work is useful for the soul. You knew that and if you didn't, well, you're lazy or ill. There's value in fixing things rather than outsourcing them. It wasn't until Crawford got over his embarrassment of having a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Univ. of Chicago that the book finally released itself from pedestrian interests and moved into something more substantive-like the quality of nuts and bolts.

The Impossible Dream: The Story of Scott Walker and the Walker Brothers. Anthony Reynolds. 2009, Genuine Jawbone Books. So you want to be a rock 'n roll star? Borrow 10 grand from your father, move to England, and act like one...for a few months. Make a hit record then drink heavily for 40 years. Then sober up a little and try to convince the world that you were once bigger than the Beatles and the Stones. OK. So? Could be true? One of the funniest books I've read in some time. At some point I actually had to google the band to find out if they ever existed. They did.

The American Painter Emma Dial.Samantha Peale. 2009, W.W. Nortong. A perfect little book about big paintings dripping with sexy characters amidst the back-stabbing art world.

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon. David Grann. 2009, Doubleday. One of my colleagues has a collection of books about the world's most challenging adventures: sailing solo around the world, hiking in Anartica, getting lost. Most of these end in tragedy or dismal failure. The Lost City of Z is more than that, sorta of the equivalent of repeatably sending in someone to save a drowning man only to watch the rescuer drown. And then sending one person after another. Eventually someone makes it safely back and writes a story about it. This book will make you stop complaining about the occassional mosquito bite.

Underground America: Narratives of Undocumented Lives. Peter Orner (Ed.)2008, McSweeney's Books. Stop complaining about your job and reconnect with the American Dream. It's not all pudding and raisins.

Stiches: a memoir. David Small, 2009, W.W.Norton. Small pulls us through a childhood filled with mentally ill family members and into a life of redemption and art. Soft strokes and hard words rendered into reality.

Prayer Requested, Christian Northeast. 2009, Drawn and Quarterly. It's easy, upon first reading, to dismiss these prayers as the quirky, ramblings of desparate internet trolls. Give this book a second read and you'll discover these prayers aren't that much different from your own. Don't you want to be God's FB friend?

A Gate at the Stairs. Lorrie Moore. 2009, Alfred A. Knopf. This book got a lot of attention when it appeared the summer. Seemingly, Lorrie Moore was every where talking about the time and energy spent writing this book; the premise sounded intriguing. I really wanted to like this book. I really did.

no turn on red

2009-10-31T07:33:00.030-05:00

Friday, as has become my routine, I get up late. Somehow, I'm able to squeeze a small cup of coffee out of the end of the bag, scarf down a bowl of cereal and head to work with the intention that OK, for once this week, I'll be on time. Maybe. First though, I need to stop and resupply my coffee beans and jazz my day with a double espresso. It's risky, but doable, because it only involves a quick detour on my morning commute.

I turn onto the narrow street that leads to the coffee shop. Halfway there I encounter a stopped school bus. Parking is allowed on both sides of the street so passage is difficult. The bus lights aren't flashing but the stop sign is out. I stop.

I can see no signs of children but there's an obligation, a social contract everyone has signed, including myself, that says, when the bus stops and the sign goes out, we stop. We all stop. We agree on this because it'll only take a minute and it's for the kids. Our precious children. Then we wait and watch. And the children, because all of this is done for the children, the children, all merry and eager to be with their pals, scamper from their homes to the school bus. And before they enter the bus, they reluctantly turn and wave to their parents and off they go to fill their minds with knowledge and eventually take their place as productive members of society. We watch this parade, humbled with fond memories and girdled with the hope that someday, yes, those poor, unknowing, bastards will take our place on the morning commute.

It's all about the children.

A minute passes. No kids. A car pulls up from the opposite direction and stops. We wait some more. A minute at least. Now two. No kids. Nice bus driver waiting like that for the kids. I look to the houses on each side of the street decked out with their pumpkins and their spooky spectacular fake cobwebs and think, OK, any second the door will open and a frantic parent will motion to the bus driver that it'll be just one second, hold the bus, Johnny forget his mask, and today's the big Halloween parade at school, and just be patient...but there is no parent. No Johnny. Just the yellow bus. The stop sign. The dashboard clock. My low fuel light.

Perhaps they don't know the bus has arrived. I'm surprised the bus isn't honking. Let's go Johnny. Hurry up now, tomorrow you can sleep late.

Jeez, where are those kids? Well if the bus driver is afraid to honk then I'll help. I tap my horn. We wait some more. Honk. No kids. The car opposite me turns around in the middle of the street and heads back from where it came. Damn. I can't really do that because it would mean a 3 or 4 block detour and besides, I can see the damn coffee shop from wear I'm sitting.

I tap my horn again. Gently, so as to be polite, but to facilitate the situation. Nothing. I read the back of the bus. FEDERAL LAW MANDATES THAT YOU MUST STOP WHEN THE BUS IS LOADING AND UNLOADING. Damn. Screwed. How long can this possibly take?

I look at the stop sign. I look at the houses with the doors closed and I look again at the sign...while loading and unloading...but they aren't loading and unloading...slowly....slowly, I pull out and begin to inch down the street. There's almost no room to pass so I have to go really slow. Then bus driver opens the door into traffic forcing me to stop. She motions me to get back.

Have I missed some small child tying his shoe in the front of the bus? I cautiously look. Nothing. I inch forward again. Now the bus driver opens the door farther and leans out and begins to yell at me to get back. I ask her where are the kids? She yells, get back! get back! But there aren't any kids, I protest. Get back! I'm calling the police. Fuck you! I clear the bus and head to the coffee shop.

Jeez, thank God that's over. Maybe I can get my coffee now and get on with my day before the police arrive. Yes, a lucky break, the first, the spot right in front of coffee shop is open. I pull over and look back. The bus is still stopped in the middle of the street. What the hell can they be doing?

I run inside, grab a pound of coffee and the roaster happens to be standing there and says, hey we got some fresher roast if you prefer. Yeah! Score again. The barrista pulls my double shot. Now. That's better. The day begins to open.

I walk outside. Yikes the school bus has pulled up next to my car. Oh shit. What's going to happen now? Will she block me in till the cops come? But then I think, what about those kids? don't they need to get to school?

Down come the bus windows. Up come the special needs children all dressed in their Halloween costumes. Yeah! There's the skeleton. And a princess. How sweet. Barack Obama? Sure. Obligatory Power Ranger. Kids in costumes, ready for the parade. Some have suckers in their mouths. A little early for treats, but hey, it's Halloween. Brings a smile to my face.

Then, as if on cue. They begin pelting my car with half eaten candy bars, lifesavers, and sweet tarts pulled from their tiny mouths. Yuk. Within seconds my car is covered in a sticky, gooey mess most likely harboring vast quantities of swine flu virus.

Hey, I yell. Stop that. You can't do that. You monsters! I start toward them. Then the bus door opens and the driver emerges. Oh shit. She steps out of the bus, walks over to my car and promptly dumps a pint of chocolate milk on my windshield. Fucking asshole she mouths so the kids don't hear.

She turns to kids. What do we say kids? TRICK OR TREAT they yell in unison. I shake my head and pray the siren I'm hearing in the distance isn't for me.

I clean the windshield and start the car. The bus driver boards the bus, pulls the stop sign in and drives away and the kids gather at the back of the bus and give me the finger.

spiritual center

2009-10-27T20:14:00.005-05:00

A friend gave me this video of Bob Dylan's unplugged concert three or four years ago. The video promptly got buried in one of my piles and was only recently uncovered. Perhaps there was a reason I never heard such a sad and beautiful song until today.

name change

2009-10-15T19:08:00.002-04:00

Can we now just call him "attic boy" or "box boy"?

bring on the savants

2009-10-11T18:15:00.006-04:00

There are few things in contemporary art that don't feel scripted or at the mercy of the latest collaborative trends. The notion that, "My friends are all artists therefore if we all get together and make a really enormous piece, then it will be grand."

Or maybe it won't. There's a tendency to apply too many layers when one would serve the project.

The reverse graffiti project works in opposition to that approach. Born of a grimy speck on the wall this work hits the mark and does what fine art should do, reveal surfaces hidden from the eye.

wilco:visual reviews of audio entertainment

2009-10-08T07:47:00.006-04:00

Wilco @ Crossroads KC. Tuesday, Oct. 6rd, attendance ~2500 (sold out)

Previous reviews in the series.
m.o.i.Tim whitmer trio
m.o.i.: people's liberation big band
m.o.i.: eleni mandel
m.o.i.: coner oberst with mystic valley band
m.o.i.: jackie greene
m.o.i.: madeline peyroux
m.o.i.: rufus wainwright
m.o.i.: the wilders @ davey's uptown
m.o.i.: wee snuff
m.o.i.: jametone (j. ashley miller)
m.o.i.: eldar at jardines
m.o.i.: matisyahu @ grinders sculpture park
m.o.i.: eldar @ cccc
m.o.i.: elvis costello and the attractions
m.o.i.: the police
m.o.i.: the swell season
m.o.i.: anne-sophie mutter
m.o.i.: pat metheny trio
m.o.i.: mars volta and isabel bayrakdarian

copperhead road

2009-09-23T14:05:00.002-04:00

I'm pretty sure that it's only dudes, who upon encountering a venomous snake, insist that it pose like a pit viper. This viper, Agkistrodon contortrix aka the copperhead, was very slow to comply, likely due to the cool fall temperatures which made it a big sluggish. Or perhaps it knew, via its sophisicated heat sensors, that niether the stick nor the dumb scientists trying to get it to flick its forked tongue and coil for a strike, posed it no harm.

he's a jackass

2009-09-16T07:36:00.002-04:00

The President on ~~Congressman Joe Wilson~~ Kanye West.

No doubt the so-called Don't Tread on Me crowd will use the President's remark as just an another excuse to spread lies. Since journalists rarely call out even the most blatant slanders, reporting on them as though they are news, it becomes easy for the oppostiion to sell untruth as a policy alternative.

In a weird turn around though, it's the right wingers who are suggesting now that the government has overstepped its boundaries and is treading on individual rights and liberties. When the Bushites were in office, it was the left. Seems as though we're doomed to ping pong between levels of extremism in the country. Jackasses!

the race is on for the tour of missouri

2009-09-15T06:14:00.020-04:00

The recently ended Tour of Missouri brings to light just how far the reach of politics. Because of that it's sometimes difficult to get an accurate picture of race. The Tour of Missouri, let's call it TOM, is a good race. In it's first 3 years, it has consistently fielded some great teams and some top-notch riders. TOM benefits from being one of only 2 pro stage races left in the United States - next year they may be as many as four if Colorado and Georgia return. TOM also benefits from being near the end of the pro racing season but is hurt somewhat by occurring at the same time as the Vuelta E'spana, the last of the 3 Grand European stage races of the season. However, because few riders have the strentgh and stamina to compete in the Giro D'Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta in the same year, some teams are looking for other venues. For pro teams with largely American sponsors like Garmin Slipstream and Columbia HTC the TOM provides them the perfect opportunity to showcase their talent on American soil. And because the TOM is a 7 day race rather than a 3 week race, it makes even more manageable from a financial standpoint.

One thing that TOM lacks, which it will never have, and will always prevent it from becoming a truly great race is mountains. We have hills in Missouri not mountains. Hills, especially the rollers that dominant our state, as any weekend cyclist knows, can be tough. In Missouri they can seem to go on and on forever. As tough as they may be to negotiate for amateurs, they aren't long enough to bring the kind of separation needed in a pro race to really matter. This is why the breaks during the long road races are always brought back and eventually won by the sprinters. Teams with strong sprinters like Columbia HTC love this because it means that they have a chance to win stages and gain media attention.

Columbia HTC sprinter, Mark Cavendish, was able to win the first 2 stages of the TOM, wear the yellow jersey for a few days and grab lots of media attention. Other sprinters, Thor Hushvold of Cervelo Test and J.J. Haedo of Saxo Bank were also in the mix most every day there was a field sprint. In fact they all won a stage and given how the bonus points were awarded they traded wearing the yellow jersey at some point during the race. However, all but Hushvold eventually abandoned the race. Sprinters may win the majority of the stages but in a race like TOM, without mountain stages, the eventual winner will be the person who claims victory in the time trial.

This year it was Dave Zabriski of Garmin Slipstream. Zabriski, the US national time trail champion 4 years running, is no slouch. He holds the record for the fastest time trial in Tour de France history. The TOM victory was Zabriski's first General Classification win of his career and was due to his ability as a time trialist.

Now that the race has ended another race has begun. How to keep the race funded for 2010. Lt. Governor Peter Kinder who single-handily has been responsible for keeping the race going over the last 3 years faces a lot of opposition from the Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon. It's a bit odd that cycling, which largely draws a Democratic crowd, isn't in the favor of the Governor but that where the politics comes into play. Kinder and Nixon never talk to one another; Nixon doesn't even return his calls. Kinder has used the race to essentially campaign, without seeming to do so, for a week a year on taxpayer money. At every venue, Lt. Gov. Kinder is one of the first to speak at the start of each race and the last to leave the podium. Local politicians at every town sing his praises because the race brings a large contingent of tourists as they pass through. They spend money which is why it makes sense for tourism dollars to be spent on the race and why it's a little ridiculous for Gov. Nixon to pooh pah the spending of tax money on the race. Considering how much the state pays to support professional baseball, football, and soccer the 1.5 million seems paltry. The real question is does the investment pay for itself and all indications are that it does so quite well.

Although Missouri companies such as Edward Jones, Drury Inn, and the Farm Bureau also provide sponsorship no one seems to be willing to put up the bucks to have the race named after them. Anheiser-Busch would rather throw $10 million toward NASCAR which might be smart considering that most cyclists pride themselves on drinking better beer.

Most everyone has some connection to cycling and walking around St. Louis and Kansas City it was easy to see just how diverse the interest in cycling remains. Older club and weekend riders, many of who have been riding for years, were out in force, many wearing their charity t-shirts and jerseys of events they have conquered. Then there were the young single-track riders in their retro woolens and sneakers. There were also the serious amateurs in their kits and the families in the matching mountain bikes and Livestrong equipment.

Pro cycling also attracts interest because it's accessible in ways that other professional sporting events are not. Sure the cyclists may whiz by you on the race at speeds approaching 40 mph at times but they are just feet away. Position yourself at the top of a climb and it's easy to see the anguish on their faces. For most other sports you only get those sorts of closeups on television.

Before the races it's also easy for fans to mingle backstage and see the preparations that go into keeping the race moving. Because the races are constantly moving from town to town, the staging areas are portable and run out the backs of tour buses and vans. Mechanics set up popup tents and each day prep the bikes in full view of spectators. This has the added benefit of selling the sponsors and many cyclists are gear heads who are frequently searching for the latest technology. Pro bikes are the place to see the latest in streamlined technology before it hits the stores.

It will be a tough road for the TOM next year because Nixon is vindictive. Maybe come Christmas, Nixon will find a shiny new bike underneath his Christmas tree and have a change of heart.

lock, load, and repeat

2009-09-08T18:57:00.009-04:00

Although this photo is from the stage 1 finish of the Tour of Missouri it could have just as easily have been from today's 2nd stage that finished in very similar fashion in the southeast Missouri burg of Cape Girardeau. A mass field sprint, set up in the last few kilometers by some disorganized attempts to control the front by various factions from Kelly United, Cevello Test Team, and even a brief attempt by OUCH - all of which fell apart more than 300 meters from the line, ended with the usual suspects fighting for the same 3 spots on the podium. Although the 2nd and 3rd place riders switched positions from the day before, Cavendish laid down the same marker. Thor Hushold looked to have the stage in his pocket until Mark Cavendish jumped off his wheel and rode past with ease to take his second consecutive stage and stay in yellow for another day.

The Tour moves into the Ozarks for a couple of days that will allow some riders besides the sprinters to flex a little muscle. Although these hills can definitely put the hurt on the peleton, the Ozark stages offer the chance that a long break could stay away until the end. Such a well-placed break could give Columbia HTC the chance to move someone like George Hincapie into the race lead.

tour of missouri missle launch

2009-09-07T20:12:00.002-04:00

Crowds in St. Louis may not have been as large for the opening stage as they were for last year's closing stage but they had lots to do in the Market Street area where the race began and ended. Live music. The City Garden art park. Plus racing from the 2nd turn and on to the end.

There was an early break, no surprise there, just as there was no surprise that the peleton left the 3 riders off the front (Chris Anker Soerensen, Saxo Bank; Tomas Vaitkus, Astana; and Moises Aldape Chavez, Team Type 1) have a show of it until the last 3 km. Then, as scripted, the well-organized Columbia High Road team locked, loaded, and fired the Manx Missle, Mark Cavendish, over the line just ahead of frequent runnerups J.J. Haedo (Saxo Bank) and Thor Hushvold (Cervelo Test Team). When asked when he realized he had the race won, Cavendish replied in typical fastest-man-in-the-world style, "as soon as I awoke this morning."

landis among Tour of Missouri peleton

2009-09-07T15:43:00.002-04:00

Floyd Landis, the American cyclist that many want to forget, was part of the talented field that just kicked it into high gear for stage 1. The field also includes crowd favs George Hincapie, Mark Cavendish, and Levi Leipheimer along with defending champ Christian Van de Velde. The 2009 Le Tour Green jersey holder, Thor Hushvold and stage winner Franco Pelizotti. Expect todays stage to end in a bunch sprint with odds to Cavendish.

keep on truckin'

2009-09-07T12:12:00.001-04:00

St. Louis remains one of the very few US cities with the gumption to hold a Labor Day Parade. It's a rather modest event, excepting for the thousands of Unionists and their families who participate and who line the streets to watch a steady stream of 18-wheelers, panel trucks, and delivery vans decked out in bunting and pride. When these trucks toot their horn, it sounds a lot like America the Beautiful.

Jelly belly takes the beans

2009-09-06T19:18:00.002-04:00

We're priming ourselves with Schafly Pale Ale and our complimentary pack of Sport Beans in ready for the 3rd annual Tour of Missouri kicking off, Labor Day, in Missouri's river town, St. Louis. Jelly Belly, which may not be the strongest team in the field, does hold court as the longest sponsor of professional cycling in America - 10 years running.

this little piggy

2009-09-06T08:22:00.004-04:00

You don't have to take your chances with the flu vaccine which has yet to arrive in many parts of the country. No, you can just touch the wrong doorknob and Voilà! a brief respite from the world awaits you. But, if you're like most of us, you'll end up with a mild case. By mild it generally means that fluids won't be leaking from your ears but you'll still be spending 4 days prone contemplating, among other things, your own mortality.

victim of consequence

2009-09-03T06:18:00.003-04:00

Without pollen there would be no Flower Project but some kinds of pollen are a little much. The Giant (Ambrosia trifida) and the Common or Annual (Ambrosia Artemisiifolia) Ragweed, both native to this area, are blooming profusely at the moment. No matter if your principal operational mode is Darwinian or faith based, allergies are a cruel joke that make little sense from either perspective.

today

2009-09-02T13:06:00.002-04:00

This is more like my kind of organic debris.

yesterday

2009-09-02T13:02:00.002-04:00

Dead rat in the middle of the wier.

record low marks return of dinosaurs

2009-09-01T06:50:00.003-04:00

Fall fairs begin early. No need to relocate during August as dog days have given over to dino haze.

teddy! we hardly knew you

2009-08-30T01:03:00.008-04:00

My favorite bit of Ted Kennedyísm is where he confronts then Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, and asks for his resignation. Few would have the gumption to do that. One forgets the influence of the Senator until reminded during the numerous tributes that have run this week. Some of them have been quite moving such as his helping of the littlest refusnik and her family or his work with a family to provide better armor for vehicles in Iraq, work that has saved hundreds of lives and thousands of wounded. Kennedy was a powerful man and he used that power, at times to help people in ways that few others could.

We do wonder though if any of those who talk about the Kennedy penchant for helping those less fortunate ever ponder the fact that no one can attain great wealth without taking advantage of others in some way(s). And even if your wealth, as in the case of Ted Kennedy, has largely been handed to you, the maintenance of such wealth has consequences for others, some of whom are less fortunate. I raise this only as an ethical question that we must all address, where should our wealth end and that of others begin?

Tim whitmer trio: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2009-08-29T18:57:00.002-04:00

Tim Whitmer Trio, the Cafe @ Briarcliff, KCMO, attendance ~15

cats in trees

2009-08-29T01:08:00.002-04:00

m.o.i has always had a fondness for quirky folk who live at the edges of society. This may be due, in part, to fortunate circumstances that allow us to live somewhere in the middle realm, but one has to admit that often the self-trained artist is more interesting than the one more finely trained.

We say this in defense of Bob, whose performance piece Cats in Trees had a brief run as part of an ongoing street theatre project that Bob maintains. The premise of Cats in Trees is quite simple. First Bob, having created a Device for Placing Cats in Trees, must befriend feral cats that roam the neighborhood (no easy task in itself). Once Bob earns the trust of the cat to where he can pick them up and hold them without fear of cat-scratch fever or blindness, he gently places the cat in the Device for Placing Cats in Trees, lifts the device into the upper branches of a nearby tree, and gently shakes the basket until the cat removes itself from the basket and into the tree. Bob finds the phrase, "Ima a shaking it boss" if repeated long enough will usually drive the cat into the tree although I've also seen Bob resort to barking, growling, and reading the poems of Mary Oliver--all of which seemed to work.

Now, I'm certain that some of my animial rights loving friends might find this practice to verge on animal endangerment or even a violation of cat's rights, but hear this first about Bob before you render final judgement.

Bob's day job is to field test shopping carts by pushing them around on city streets until they surrender to the rigors of urban life. Poorly designed shopping carts can fail and endanger shoppers, their children, and are costly to replace. Bob suggests that one day on the street with him and the cart has undergone the equivalent of one year in a parking lot. As with Cats-in-Trees, the field testing of shopping carts is a public service the Bob provides with no expectation of financial reward.

Avian lovers might also object to Cats-in-Trees but to them Bob has a ready response.

"These aren't domestic cats I'm placing in trees. These are feral cats. A tree to a wild cat is a natural place. Now I can see that you might be opposed to cats eating birds but that's a natural thing for a cat. And besides, cats don't catch birds while in trees, it's too dangerous for the cat. Watch them hunt. They mostly catch birds on the ground or in low-lying shrubs. Only cats without claws are afraid of trees. My project just helps the cats realize the heights of their potential."

So there you have it. From Bob. Cats in Trees. Not the best art you've seen this week, not the worst. But maybe, just maybe, the most different. Purr on it.

test drive: the kruger sea wind

2009-08-28T07:27:00.004-04:00

What happened to the dog days of yore? It was August and I was wearing long-sleeves, not to keep from a massive sunburn, but to stay warm; the sandals on my feet, normally a summer knock around imperative, had my toes curling to maintain proper blood flow to the extremities. It certainly made for a wonderful day with autumnal hints but it was strange not having sweat oozing from every pore of your body in the middle of August.

We took the opportunity of this most welcome respite from a more typical Missouri August day to test drive a Kruger canoe, considered by many to be the best canoe ever made. After meeting the legendary Norm Miller, who paddled some 3,600 miles upstream the entire length of the Missouri River and then on to the ocean, I've been coveting one of these boats. Designed by Verlon Kruger, who went through 40 iterations to find this design, these are expedition craft. After Verlon finished his design he paddled more than 25,000 miles in the boat to prove it's worthiness.

And it's true, these are beautifully designed boats. Looking at one closely and seeing the inside of one you can feel the hand-crafted nature of these boats. To say they are roomy is an understatement. You can sleep in one of these boats and many do. No more of the kayaker's tendency to have to store things in every little nook and cranny, in a Kruger, there's room to hand things close at hand. And the boat's stability eliminates any of worries about capsizing and losing everything.

After paddling a sleeker kayak for several years now the Kruger fell a little sluggish going upriver. The thing is incredibly stable though, tough as nails, and turns on a dime. It's durability (10 layers of carbon fiber) make for a heavy boat (62 lbs) and it's rounded hull design makes lifting it a little awkward until you realize the easy way is to get completely underneath the boat. The seat reverses into an ingenious shoulder yoke that makes portaging a snap. Except for the 600 lbs of gear you can stow inside one of them; that you'll have to carry separately. However, the crazy thing about this boat is that you could, if you had sufficient Popeye arms, just drag the thing, gear and all, and not seriously damage the boat.

If an expedition or hunting trip is in your future the Kruger might just be the boat for you. Although a number of folks use these on ultra marathon races, personally I would opt for a sleeker craft, unless the river was near flood stage and then you'd be safe, high, and dry.

I have often felt that Krugers were over-priced by about a thousand dollars. One of Vern's protege's, Scott B. Smith, has starting building his own expedition craft, the Superior Expedition. It's almost the exact boat as a Kruger with a slightly modified bow design and this boat is forcing me to reassess my opinion of Krugers. It could be that they're over-priced by two grand, instead of one.

prawns ate my hard drive

2009-08-27T19:45:00.005-04:00

Apparently some of the black blood must have contaminated my Junior Mints because within an hour of visiting District 9 my hard drive was consumed by aliens.

Warrior Ant Press will remain on backup power for the next few days while we await the relocation of the offending party.

aliens invade warrior ant press

2009-08-26T19:44:00.002-04:00

Warrior Ant Press is experiencing technical difficulties. It could be fallout from the recent alien invasion, proof of which is offered by the ring of mushrooms recently photographed at the Unity Headquarters (who knew aliens preferred a lite-brand of Jesus?).

WAP is working on a fix. It may require throttling a Russian, flame-throwing an alien, or hiring a geek, but we'll figure it out.

Or, we won't.

michael jackson was murdered!

2009-08-24T19:17:00.004-04:00

Priorities please. The US needs to enact real health care reform and the public plan is the least expensive option. We already have the private option; that's the problem.

simple is as simple does: figs with key lime sugar

2009-08-21T23:17:00.007-04:00

I like to cook. Most who know moi, know that. But what they may not know, is that although some of my cooking might appear complex or involved, my favorite form of cooking involves simplicity. Find fresh ingredients, pair them with simple, but unique flavors, and make something interesting and worthy of sharing. Desserts are meant to be shared, this is why we like them so much, they typically involve sharing with others.

Back to simplicity. Thomas Keller can cook and his food is interesting. It has a certain simplicity if you focus on the individual steps instead of the outcome. That's one of the keys of french cuisine in which Keller if profoundly steeped. Cusine français can appear to be, and is some cases be, quite complex, but primarily the complexity arises from the subtle layers and interplay of simple ingredients.

One of my favorite chef has always been Jacques Pépin, who some may know as mentor to Julia Child, has always been one of my favorite chefs primarily because he's very grounded in the reality that cooking food is foremost sustenance, but it must also taste good and look good. Pepin was a 3-star Michelin chef in France before he become one of the first tv chefs. There was Child, Pepin, and that goofy, galloping, Scot gourmet, Graham Kerr. Since then, there seem to have been thousands of tv and celebrity chefs most of whom know a lot more about makeup than they do about plate presentation.

My friends also know they can hardly talk me into making dessert anymore and when I do I usually resort to tricky. Here's a good one that's marvelous slight-of-hand. It owes it existence to my 3-year quest to make the world's greatest limeade (still perfecting this one) and it's very simple (almost).

FRESH FIGS WITH KEY LIME SUGAR

For this you will need.
Fresh, ripe mission figs. A ripe fig lasts about as long a ripe peach and is almost as tasty. You'll need 3-4 per serving.

Some cream from a real honest-to-goodness dairy. There's lots of them. I prefer Shatto Farms because the cream comes in little glass bottles that make, among other things, a perfect flower vase.

Key Lime sugar. This is the hard part. But it keeps well. And since it's a bit tricky, make a larger batch. You'll find many uses for key lime sugar (some I'll share later). Zest (you'll need a special zester for the key limes because the peel of a key lime is very thin) and zesting 4 dozen key limes is no picnic. As the zest collects in a bowl cover it with finely granulated organic cane sugar. Once you're finished, you'll have a coarse meal that about the consistency of shredded coconut. Four dozen key limes can season a pound of sugar. Immediately place the sugar in a glass jar and seal for several weeks. The lime zest will candy and the sugar will obtain a wonderful aroma that rivals that of Madagascar vanilla bean sugar. You have to stir the sugar occassionally to keep if form solidifying into a mass. If done right, you should be able to spoon it easily when finished. If you really wanted to gild the Lily you could add a hit of vanilla bean to the batch. Resist that urge!

Quarter the figs. Place in a dish. Freeze a stainless steel whipping bowl along with the whisk. Whisk the cream until it begins to thicken and then add a couple of tablespoons of the key lime sugar. Whisk until soft peaks form. Let stand refrigerated for an hour or so to allow the lime zest to better flavor the cream. Rewhisk as needed and then add to the quartered figs.

Options. None recommended but you could garnish with candied ginger in very small amounts. Biscuits, i.e. shortbread would work well. Raspberries. Chocolate, milk or dark.

best leftovers i had today

2009-08-18T07:50:00.010-04:00

As much as I like to cook, repurposing leftovers into something tasty is almost as much fun. The keys to a good repurpose are ingredients and planning. The use of top quality ingredients is really the key to all cooking but can certainly take what might be bland leftovers and move them into a higher realm. Planning for leftovers typically means making sure the original foods aren't overcooked.

Poached salmon salad.

6 oz. leftover coho salmon, stored refrigerated in the poaching liquid.
fresh spinach, washed and torn
fresh romaine, washed and torn
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 fresh tomato, chopped
4 fresh figs
toasted sesame seeds
few slices of parmaggino

Place the ingredients, excepting the salmon, in a bowl and toss with a little olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper. Add a dash of toasted sesame oil and fresh lemon juice. Plate. Break up the salmon onto the top. Arrange the figs around the edge of the plate. Enjoy with a hearty chunk of real bread. There you go. A fine, healthy dinner in about 15 minutes.

best meal i had today

2009-08-17T07:28:00.017-04:00

This meal has lots of red food in it. Tomatoes. Cherries. Grapes. And wild Alaskan Coho salmon. Red food is supposed to be good for you. Antioxidant proprieties or some such thing. Blue food, i.e. blueberries, is also supposed to be good for you. But think about it, green food, as in green leafy vegetables woiuld definitely be good for you. Yellow food, such as squash and corn, would also be good for you. Colorful food looks good on the plate, but really, as long as the food is fresh and prepared well, it's probably good for you.

Here's the best meal I had today; ok well, true, it might have been yesterday. Simple and easy. Red and green.

Salmon poached with garlic and spinach.

Ingredients:
Nice slab, 3/4 lbs or so, of fresh salmon.
3 cloves of German stiff-necked garlic, diced.
1/2 pound of fresh spinach, coarsely chopped.
3/4 cup of half and half.
salt and pepper.

Pour the half and half in a small shallow saucepan and add the garlic and spinach. Place the salmon on top, skin side down. Salt and pepper the top side. Then simmer covered for about 10 minutes. The salmon may need to cook for a few minutes longer. If that is the case, then remove the spinach and garlic with a slotted spoon. Poach the salmon until just firm - about 140° F. Serve on a bed of the spinach.

avett brothers: visual reviews of aural entertainment

2009-08-16T08:43:00.010-04:00

Avett Brothers w/ Railroad Earth @ Crossroads KC. Attendance ~1500.

It's refreshing to know, some 40 years after Woodstock, that the youth of today are still smoking clove cigarettes, taking mind-altering substances, and still can assemble peacefully in a mudpit to listen to live music.

avett brothers

Previous reviews in the series.
m.o.i.: people's liberation big band
m.o.i.: eleni mandel
m.o.i.: coner oberst with mystic valley band
m.o.i.: jackie greene
m.o.i.: madeline peyroux
m.o.i.: rufus wainwright
m.o.i.: the wilders @ davey's uptown
m.o.i.: wee snuff
m.o.i.: jametone (j. ashley miller)
m.o.i.: eldar at jardines
m.o.i.: matisyahu @ grinders sculpture park
m.o.i.: eldar @ cccc
m.o.i.: elvis costello and the attractions
m.o.i.: the police
m.o.i.: the swell season
m.o.i.: anne-sophie mutter
m.o.i.: pat metheny trio
m.o.i.: mars volta and isabel bayrakdarian

armstrong crushes leadville 100

2009-08-15T14:33:00.008-04:00

Lance Armstrong soloed off the front of the pack on one of the high climbs and cruised to victory in the Leadville 100. Lance's victory spurned so much interest in the high-altitude endurance event that event servers crashed for several hours into the race; this sent millions of frustrated cyclists onto streets everywhere as they attempted to get a decent workout after sitting in front of their computers for the last hour looking a live-blog feeds. Six-peat champion Dave Wiens took second. Over 1600 participated and at this hour (5pm) MST over 1000 were still on the course.

1st. Lance Amstrong, Aspen, CO, 6:28:50.9 (new course record)
2nd. Dave Wiens, Gunnison, CO, 6:57:02.0
3rd Matt Schriver 7:09:48.5
4th Alex Grant 7:10:54.1
5th Len Zanni 7:11:21.0
6th Max Tamm 7:16:56
7th Travis Brown 7:22:05.5
8th Manual Prado 7:35:27.2
9th Mike Hogan 7:353:35.0
10th Jason Tullous 7:35 47.1

Women
1st Rebecca Rusch 8:14:53 (30th overall)
2nd Amanda Carey 8:40:03.0 (66th overall)

wiens takes sight on leadville trail 100: armstrong on his wheel

2009-08-14T08:14:00.008-04:00

Is Dave Wiens the mountain bike equivalent of Alberto Contador for Lance Armstrong? Weins, 6 time winner of the Leadville 100 mountain bike race, defeated Armstrong last year by a couple of minutes in the grueling climbs above 10,000 feet. It was one of Armstrong's first tests in his comeback so the 2nd place finish was somewhat measured. Since then, Armstrong has ridden in the Tours of California, Italy, and France. He's yet to win and is looking for some redemption in Leadville. Weins has no interest in submitting and Lance's plan of having Astana teammate Levi Leipheimer pace him to a new course record fell flat when Leipheimer crashed, breaking his wrist during stage 12 of this year's Le Tour.

For the first time in history you can watch live-streaming video of the Leadville Trail 100 for about the price of six-pack of beer.

2009 mr340: in pictures

2009-08-13T18:13:00.006-04:00

View a collection of photos about the recent mr340 at
mr340 photo collection.

Photo: The Rivermiles Gang of Four: Karin Thomas, Travis Worley, Scott Mansker, and Russ Payzant. They are backed by several hundred volunteers. It's not true that they don't like people, far from it, they just like to push them--to their limit.

2009 mr340: m.o.i.'s experience

2009-08-11T11:02:00.002-04:00

The short and sweet of it. From m.o.i.'s initial perspective this year's mr340 felt like an ass-whupping on the river. I say that and then remember that after being ready to throw in the towel midway through the race I did manage to stop sucking my thumb and begin enjoying myself a little and FINISH. ALIVE. This matters. Thirty second place in my division - ahead of some 62 other men's soloists - 103rd overall. A victory of perseverance which, lacking charm, good looks, and wealth, happens to be one of my best qualities.

Yes, the time was a little slower than last years but our hip rotation must have been much better this year because it's my back that's a little tight, not my shoulders. Joint pain? excepting a few knuckles on my hands, I have none. My biggest problem are my swollen and numb feet, an indication that I was driving my legs throughout the race; I'm hoping it disappears soon.

Outside of the hotshots who compete in this race, for the rest of us this race is more about chasing away the mind demons. The ones that say to you, "you can't do that", "forget doing that", or "you're really not cut out for that". The process to make the demons disappear is fairly simple. Stay in the boat and paddle.

The race is also about asking for and receiving the help of others. My field crew essentially consisted of 5 people-the logistics of kayaking to St. Louis and getting yourself and the boat back in one piece isn't that easy. My daughter Sarah delivered me to the start line and told me to shut up and relax when the thunderstorms delayed the start. She also picked me up from the Amtrak station upon my return and cleaned my car in the intervening days of the race. Anyone who knows my Homer tendencies knows that this isn't a small task. My unflappable friend WendE delivered supplies at several checkpoints along the way, handed me a raspberry Slurpee at the finish line, and solicited the help of fellow conservationist Steve Van Rhein who was able to witness first hand the carnage, joy, and sense of accomplishment this race brings to folks. Next year his lame excuses run out and he climbs in a boat and comes along or he'll find himself blowing on my tender feet again. Being younger, stronger, and more fit Steve might even beat me downriver but my veteran status suggests that I might just kick his ass (undaunted braggadocio is one side effect of finishing this race). Another pal, former Conservationist Ruth Wallace (does one detect a trend in my choice of crew?) had my halfway point resupply cache waiting in the sand at Jefferson City. I was also assisted on numerous occasions by John Dunn who kept throwing bananas and the advice to "get some sleep" my way.

Time for a new adventure. It may be as simple as trimming the hedge or organizing the house. It may be as complex as facing down the MAN at the day job, tackling the Yukon Quest, or romancing the stone. Whatever it may be, it'll likely be shorter than 340 miles on the Muddy MO in August.

Race directors Karin Thomas, Russ Payzant, and Scott Mansker see which favors they can call in to get the rain to stop.
---------------------------------------------------

Favorite moments from this years mr340:
Reconnecting with the Ninja Raccoons, meeting their prospecting field chief, and being able to share a little of our city with them before the race.

A 1 hour nap, a banana, and a bottle of Ensure courtesy of Bill Lanning's daughter.

Sleeping on the Katfish Katy ramp with no one around and being refreshed for once upon arriving at Cooper's Landing.

Flipping my kayak while trying to land it on the Noren beach and not caring one iota especially after being handed a piping hot cup of french press from my friend Vicki.

Watching the locals shoot 8-ball on the regulation sized pool tables at the River Bend Bar in Portland and then imitating Carter Johnson by stuffing a double cheeseburger from same bar in my pocket and paddling off into the setting sun.

Sharing a hotdog and a cup of The World's Greatest Limeade ver.3.0 with Wende and Steve at the Herman Checkpoint.

Throwing the ashes (stuffed inside a toy dinosaur) of former racer, Trex the Rare West Tibetan Mountain dog, deep into the river from the barge dock below the finish line and watching booger catch a ride on the thalweg.

Seeing friendly faces at every stop and people who gave me cold water, bananas, peanut butter sandwiches, words of encouragement, and even a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

Joanie's post-race slideshow of Machu Picchu.\

Being a tourist in St.Louis after the race, riding the light rail downtown, checking out CityPark Sculpture Garden, and having the Amtrak run on time.

Finding out that Darling Daughter Dora had detailed six months of Kansas River silt and sand from my car.

Least favorite moments:
Being scared of capsizing in the windy wake of 270 boats for the first 30 minutes of the race, the energy-sucking crossing through the gale blowing across the Missouri City bend, and the toxicity of too much adrenalin.

Not sufficiently testing my new watering/electrolyte system and having to drink only electrolytes for the first 50 miles.

Bonking hard on the run into Booneville.

Trying to put contacts in my eyes and losing several on the sandy ramp at Klondike (The fun part though was ignoring John Dunn's advice, "you're not going to put that sandy lens in your eye, please tell me you're not going to do that!" Yes John I am. But first the hydrologist must triple rinse!.

Missing 90 percent of the awards ceremony due to poor service at the Mill Creek Brew House.

Losing two $25 hats-both favorites. The new rivermiles hat flew off in the wind during the first 10 miles of the race and my USGS shade hat eventually shredded from UV damage.

Images by Sarah Star via flickr. see more images at dokidokididikoko's photostream

2009 mr340: passing the torch

2009-08-10T09:37:00.009-04:00

During the awards ceremony of the 2009 MR340 last year's past champions, The Ninja Racoons,Mike Massey and Jana Shannon, passed the torch to this year's mixed tandem winners, Katie Pfefferkorn and West Hansen.

When asked later if their first place mixed tandem finish (4th place overall) met their expectations Hansen depanned, "I didn't have any." That seems odd coming from somone who seems to have a ceremonial kilt for every category of this race except women's solo.

Massey and Shannon, whose 2009 finish time was nearly equivalent to the 65 hour time posted during last year's race, saw their record time bested by more than 20 hours. Shannon, recovering from reconstructive knee surgery and no stranger to the Scotland move, was nonplussed by all the hoopla over men-in-kilts, "next time we train."

2009 mr340: the missouri river run

2009-08-09T20:39:00.003-04:00

Amtrak engineers on the 313 seem to blow their horns almost nonstop to prevent knuckleheads from crossing in front of fast-moving trains. So far this trip has included (in order of appearance) travel on hiway, river, gravel road, sidewalk, plank road, and rail line (electric and standard gage track).

2009 mr340: contact dermatitis

2009-08-09T18:40:00.007-04:00

The mr340 comes with its own set of aches and pains if one expects to get full value from the race. Tendinitis, sunburn, chafing, heat exhaustion, loss of sensation in extremities, and weird skin rashes seem to pop up with the regularity of Corps wing dikes. We must remain vigilant to prevent toxic waste from entering our streams; toxic waste comes in many forms-some obvious and some not. As Paracelsus said, it's the dose that makes the poison so just because something is released in very small quantities into the environment doesn't mean it doesn't harm the biota. Ask the next 3-legged Simpson frog you see how they feel about trace amounts of atrazine in runoff.

Although the US certainly has some of the cleanest waters in the world, we have also polluted many stretches our rivers. Few rivers can be considered pristine. Even mountain headwaiter streams frequently have detectable quantities of human personal care products.

Despite the efforts of anyone, including the racers, involved with the mr340, the Missouri River is considered by many other citizens to be little more than a freeway, the ultimate sewage treatment plant discharge point for about one-third of our nation, or a willing participant as a recipient of nutrient laden sediment. These attitudes need to change; not just about the MO river but also with regards to the tributary streams.

The 2 barrels in the above photo were seen in St. Charles' Frontier Park (adjacent to the finish). The distance to the MO River from this trib is less than 500 ft. The next big storm will likely carry the barrels and any remaining chemical inside them into the Mighty MO. Once in the MO the barrels can and from their its onto

2009 mr340: recovery tips, pt. 3

2009-08-09T15:07:00.004-04:00

Appetizer-double expresso.
Entree-bowl-sized cup of Ethopian Yagiracheffe.
Dessert-the Gateway Arch.
Cheese course-Citygarden,StL's new outdoor sculpture park.

2009 mr340: everyone came by boat

2009-08-09T12:49:00.004-04:00

In our celebrity culture that seems to only want to recognize the comings, goings, and shenanigans of the beautiful, gifted, and wealthy it's easy to forget that most all of our ancestors arrived in the Midwest by water. Some came up the Mississippi and then the Missouri in all sorts of water craft but many crossed the ocean of prairie grass in boats of a different sort. Back then, these travels, many of which lasted for weeks or months, were more often called the way to go rather than a crazy adventure.

2009 mr340 recovery tips, pt. 2

2009-08-09T11:50:00.002-04:00

Field chief has rasberry slushee 4 U @ finish line. Free vitamin h2o,
whole grain bagels, & massage courtesy of chron's/colitis fun run in
frontier park. Live music & schafly American pale ale.

2009 mr340: onward rare west Tibetan mountain dog

2009-08-09T08:31:00.003-04:00

The ashes of Trex, reknowned river dog, adventurist, mr340 racer, and Rare West Tibetan Mountain dog nonpareil, entombed in a glow-in-the-dark dinosaur were a stowaway in the 4th edition of the mr340. At sunrise Sunday they were released back into the river for a seaward journey of reincarnation.

2009 mr340: the next adventure awaits

2009-08-09T08:21:00.003-04:00

Coffeedog's recycled boat sits behind the Lewis & Clark boathouse in St. Charles awaiting to be reclaimed by a new suite of downriver adventurists.

2000 mr340: quick recovery pt. 1

2009-08-08T19:40:00.001-04:00

M.O.I. offers some quick recovery tips from the rigors of the longest
nonstop canoe/kayak race in the world.
Cucumber water.
Fresh peach and homegrown tomato salad.
Epsom salts.

2000 mr340: storms early, then sun

2009-08-08T17:41:00.002-04:00

Pfefferkorn power. Jodi (left) and her sister Katie documented the rapidly changing conditions. Jodi with her camera and Little Miss Sunshine with her power stroke.