HumanPoweredTransport

Informant Or Entrapment? The Strange Saga of Common Ground

The story starts simple; do-gooder group forms to aide victims of hurricane. One of it's founders reveals himself to be a government snitch, spying on 'radical' organizations. Such a tale is coming to light about a man who formed an activist/relief group in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. Around the same time, he became a snitch for the FBI. His tale is championed in right-leaning press, while the moderate and left-leaning stories coming out now point to Darby as inciting and promoting illegal acts, then ratting them out. Forming a group with the express desire to bait and trap 'radicals' (aka to frame them) would be tough to prove, but it's a question worth considering in this case. COINTEL anyone?

Happiness Parade Happened

(CLICK THE PICS TO SEE FULL SCREEN) It went from a simple idea, to this. To all of this. It started smallish. And grew. There were signs of change. Noise makers encouraged. Refreshing. Keep on keepin' it on people. You've got the power.

Sorry Jonny

(CLICK PICS TO SEE FULL SCREEN) Chapeau Jon, it was a good run.

As We Know It

Could there be a company so bad that even Halliburton would dump them? Don't be shocked by the answer. LA get's biked. Schram does good. Dope through the ages.Not sure what a mille miglia is but we want some. For cycling, it's come to this. Bike Snob's burden. Action Obama. Portland love them some cross. World's, this weekend. Gotta give love. Time to get creative and make a book. Skate Afghanistan. Hartsel lives! What's Dagger? Nothing is impossible; with a closet full of instant backs, we hope they prove it. Art blog.

Business

WTF does Louie have to do with stuntwoods? LA rocks a new business model. And allegedly, business for bikes is good. So's the pirate business (although it's reported 5 of 'em drowned in the dash with the cash), and it's not all you're being told it is. Onward.

Bag o' Nine Hammers

It's 2009, answer the Edge. Bro at Embrocation is putting up nothin' but net from Belgium. Trouble in the denim kingdom of Le Rock- a few other places too. Watch economics and/or dope take down more than one team this summer. Tennessee Ti, now blogging. Tobin Yelland kills it for sure. Planet power. Mumble, quietly killing it. Illinois gov. is trying hard to rain on our Obama parade - step into the ring and take a jab. Go mudfoot.

To The Nines

There's a lot of reasons we love Kevin Kelly. Here's one, two, three, four. There's a lot of reasons we love Ghana, where an election season is having a dramatic ringing in of the new year. Sound familiar? It's different yet similar. It's winter, so there's a lot of reasons we love cyclocross, high drama in sport always a welcome distraction. Here's to a love of parades. While we're at it, here's to bike valets at the inaugural. Ride to the church of the big ring. And do go ride.

Aces N' Eights

Gone and good riddance. In 19 days things can only get better. Happy nuevos eggos folks. Some of the pop-cultural things we dug in '08, in no particular rhyme or reason: Poetry at Little Joy, Man On Wire, David Byrne at The Greek, Alva's 50th, Jalapeno Pancakes at The Continental Club, The Dark Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, Dear Science, Tommy G., Anathem, AFI Fest, SXSW Fest, and all the other books read, concerts attended, albums played and verses heard that have been lost in the fog of short-term memory loss. Some of the socio-political events of the year: Forclosures and skateboarding, Mexican Cartels, Mumbai, Bailouts without oversight, web two point oh, Obama's victory, racially motivated vigilante behavior in New Orleans, the rise of PSC's, collapsing infrastructure, street art as political campaigning tool... go ride.