swfong

This will be the third playoff run I have been involved with in the last two years. One benefit of living in around the country is having several team loyalties. I was in New York for the Yankees' last World Series victory and I was in New Orleans for the Saints' Superbowl win this year. Now the San Francisco Giants are pushing hard for their championship. I am more stoked than I have ever felt before, probably because I've been to games all through out the season; and friends, acquaintances, co-workers, and total strangers are all wearing the Orange. The other teams I followed privately from my current home in San Francisco. There was no one around to share my thoughts and elation with until I traveled to my team's home states for the actual championship game. The Giants is an easy team to love and support. There are no runaway egos, aloofness from the worshipful fan base, or the athlete abuses ranging from the asinine to the criminal which is unfortunately common w

I am reading the very interesting profile of Sarah Palin in Vanity Fair . It covers the usual bases of her now disillusioned constituents from Wasilla, the shadowy secret organization behind the lady and her career, and some of her greatest flubs, like the Clothing-Gate and Trooper-Gate. It does add color to the very believable profile of a mean and spiteful figure who is glad to wield her power vindictively. While I am very concerned about her influence on American politics and I am amazed about her success, there is less question about why she is has taken the road to the 2012 Presidential Election. I think about one of the most influential films in my youth, “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington”. The film which helped to define the word “Capra-esque”, is the story of how a very powerful political machine influences a naïve “Boy Rangers” leader after he is appointed U.S. Senator. The film mirrors the selection of Palin for running mate by the John McCain presidential campaign, although i

I find it amusing to be criticized for liking Obama. I have to be honest, I thought and still think he is a refreshing change from the stupid incompetency of Bush and the duplicity of the Clinton. Of course, conservatives love to bash me and other Obama supporters for our unwavering loyalty. Some liberals too, although they understand if they don't back their man what the result will be ("Yes, President Palin"). I have often said that the criticism of Obama is directly related to politicking for 2012. I haven't seen any solutions from Republicans. I hear statements like "Stop unemployment" or "Obama's war", which makes me think the Democrats are right. But I realize now is the conservative solution is to lose confidence in the Presidency. One thing that conservatives fail to remember is that Bush's Administration was the best at spin. From "Hecka of job, Brownie" to the coverup of Pat Tillman's death, they have controll

Just two links, the final approval of new San Francisco bike lanes , despite an injunction by a blogger with access to a lawyer. And the United Nations plot to restrict our personal freedoms by boosting bike riding in Denver . I just chuckle because there is nothing more free than riding a bicycle. I hate to say this, but I have taken an instigating posture when I am on two wheels, a trait which makes so many non-cyclists mad. Since I am not the only cyclist to act this way, it is a question worthy of analysis for all riders. My quick take is that I have become this way after years of automobile near-misses (and a few hits). Maybe my fear has also become defiance toward cars.

Def. Squid An extremely rare animal with a short lifespan. Usually a new sport bike enthusiast with the reasoning of a lunatic, whom you might see thrashing on an R1 wearing sandals, shorts, and a tee. When found lying motionless on the pavement, this creature transforms itself into a stream of blood, exposed flesh, and broken limbs. Hence the squid moniker. S tupid Q uick U nderdressed I mminently D ead I was commuting by motorcycle this morning, a 35 mile journey almost entirely on US-101. Going along the straightaway through Redwood City, I spy ahead a rider flopping in the wind. By the brevity that I close the distance between us, I know the rider must be on a scooter. I am always surprised when I see scooters on the highway. The speed limit is 65mph which is also the top speed of only the most powerful scooters, but when cars are passing you at 10-20mph faster than you are, the only way I feel safe is to go faster. I roll up next to the scooter in the left lane. Right behind

"Face down, handcuffed and shot to death...ALL CAUGHT ON TAPE FROM 5 ANGLES... Involuntary? NOOOOO! Do we live in a racist police state? YESSSS!" "There won't be any trouble or riots. They managed to thread the needle" "Some of us live (and love) in Oakland so cool it with the anti-Oakland sentiment, ok?" "Good verdict for Mehserle. Too bad some people are going to tear up Oakland." "lil scared to ride BART today" "STAY OFF BART!!! STAY OUT OF OAKLAND!!!" - that's me

After his World Cup heroics against Slovenia and Algeria, Landon Donovan is now an American sports hero!

As a follow up to my previous post, this is the friend I was writing about. I don't want to defend his actions, but at least he is a better speaker than Tony Hayward.

Being sick gives you an abnormal focus by limiting your mobility, your will, and your energy. While I was laying prone in this debilitating state, I watched "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane", one of the worst movies ever made. Everything about the movie was bad. The script sucked, the action was lame, the acting horrible. The worst part was Andrew Dice Clay. No matter what the tone of scene: tragic, melodramatic, tense; he would drop one of his famous vulgar, and in every scene, totally inappropriate, one-liners. I feel bad for every actor who had to work with him. I assume either everyone involved with this film was using cocaine, from the accountants to craft services, which fooled them all that they were making something viewable. A friend mentioned to me that whenever any film introduces cocaine at any point of the story, it is a guarantee that the entire production staff is using. I think a less believable but more plausible explanation is that that Dice had found

I noticed one of my friends just deleted his facebook account. I made a joke about it, since I think the reason why is that he is now the representative from British Petroleum for coordinating the thousands of claims against his company. Or I should say, our old company. I used to work with him at BP in the Exploration and Production section, which included the Horizon deepwater platform. He was actually the one who explained to me the difference between deepwater and the shelf. The continental shelf is about 500 feet deep, which has been accessible by traditional oil drilling rigs since the early 1900's. Deepwater is considered to be 3000-7000 feet deep, and the technology to drill for oil in water that depth has only been available since the 90's. And the primary reason to drill in deepwater, despite the risk, is greed, in case you heard otherwise. He also explained that since every "lease" in the shelf is accessible (the government owns all the rights but the

An acquaintance just made a dramatic pronouncement that he is abandoning Facebook at midnight because of too many idiots. Of course, many of his "idiot" friends posted their "well-wishes" on his page in the form of pointed criticism over his antagonist political rants. You see, my acquaintance has been railing many of his now ex-Facebook friends about their hypocrisy over the lack of outrage over Obama, the last over his handling of the BP Oil Spill. There are a lot of comparisons being made now between Bush and his handling of Katrina versus Obama and BP, and most of them are for political capital. Considering this is an ongoing event, I have yet to hear any suggestions about how to cap the spill, because not surprisingly, pundits and talk show hosts are not engineers, rig workers, or well control experts. Actually, if you pay attention, no one who has been interviewed has actually worked on the stopping the spill, or even works in the industry. I wonder if it

With all the turmoil, with market volatility, the oil spill, and political upheaval; my channel surfing to FNC had O'Reilly discussing why ethnic studies in Arizona are bad and Hannity talking about a mosque being built 12 blocks away from Ground Zero. Really hard hitting news. Watch Rachel Maddow for 30 minutes. The reason why conservatives target her is that she concisely reports the news without bluster. You may disagree with her politics but not with her reporting.

I saw an article from a New York tabloid describing this commercial as creepy , and I think it describes it perfectly. For me, it reminds me of my own lost youth, a fuller-faced Tiger who is careening into middle-age. A man who participated in irresponsible behavior, suitable for the frat house, not a married man who was the spokesman of many companies. However, this whole affair should have been a private matter. Besides the minor traffic incident, he has done nothing which he owes the public or society an apology. But the massive advertising campaign behind Tiger has created a public image which was not true. He is not the happy-go-lucky family man who is the greatest golfer of all time. He was a serial cheater who is also the greatest golfer. Having Nike do anything to repair Tiger's image just exacerbates the problem. Tiger's real life is in direct conflict with his media image, and there is no one to convince anyone that the two will ever be in sync again.

I read this article, With No Jobs, Time for Tea Party . The focus of the article, was pressing for more government benefits while spending all of his time fighting the current government (which, of course, is trying to fix the mess that previous regime left for us). I wonder though is this a new era in politics, where tradition allegiances, such as Republicans and big business or Democrats and unions, will be changing. I think many recognize the problem with big business and unions, but had nowhere to turn to. Of course, since the Tea Party movement is being pushed heavily by Freedom Works, an organization which includes Dick Armey and Bill Bennett, two ex-high ranking Republicans, many of these people might have their understandable outrage directed towards the current Democratic government. I wonder if McCain had won, would the Tea Party include large groups of liberals?

I still can't believe the stupid look of someone who destroyed another person's life...

This is the playlist for my 35 mile motorcycle commute to work via 101. I Will Follow - U2 Mongoloid - Devo Date With The Night - Yeah Yeah Yeahs Detachable Penis - King Missile Clap Your Hands - Wu Tang Clan Soldier - Eminem Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chili Peppers Disorder - Exploited Ride To The Bottom - Small Axe Raw Power - Stooges Wicked - Ice Cube Metal Militia - Metalica This mix started with riding at night. The streets are for the most part quiet and weirdness steeps into my ride. Part of it is the limited visibility; navigating the road surfaces at speed becomes a mental exercise. Sometimes you can remember how the road bends or bumps, or you can draw from your experience to find you the right line. I will just imagine how I am are going to roll through it and hope for the best. It was also an experiment. I wanted to see if I could ride safely while listening to my Ipod. I listen to music on most of my rides, safety and the laws be damned. This playlist originate

"The people who try to divide society on the basis of ethnicity we call racists. The people who try to divide it on the basis of religion we call sectarians. The people who try to divide it on the basis of social class we call either populists or elitists." - David Brooks I think this was an elegant statement on racism and other means to divide us. Beyond the very clear cases of discrimination, most stories about racism are really about rudeness. "Someone said something I found offensive concerning race". There is a blog on the SFGate website, and the author wrote about visiting an Oakland jazz club and his outrage seeing "Happy Nigger Day" scribbled on a bathroom wall board. Is this graffito offensive in a racial? Definitely. But is something written on a bathroom wall even worth mentioning? I thought it was more racist to comment about the almost entirely white audience, as if personal tastes in music and friends is an attempt at discrimination. But

These are the elements to any great Batman story. 1. Must have a scene where he is brooding in the Batcave. Bonus points if he is also solving a mystery. 2. Have you ever met a professional rugby player? Average height 6'3", weight 230lb. While football and hockey players are just as huge, covered up in pads and helmets, they do not tower like a flanker or centre does. Batman should dwarf the mere mortal, and many comic book artists cannot do perspective correctly. Tim Sale does it perfectly in series of panels with Catwoman: 3. Beat up the supercriminals, finesse the regular ones. Yes, yes, Batman can trash henchman by the dozen. But it is way cool to see a high tech device in action, one of the many reasons why Batman has endured for 70 years. But there has to be some creativity lest you fall into the campy bat-belt cliché. I just read No Man's Land, and Batman threatened to destroy the Penguin's generators with a micro electromagnetic pulse device. He was bluf