UPDATE : We are going to Burke's not King's. More information on Burke's here.

Don't forget that this weekend we're going canoeing. Sunday July 30th. Here's some information about the trip.

Questions and Answers

• When : Sunday July 30th, 2004 9AM until around 7PM. The trip down the river takes 4 or 5 hours assuming we take some time to swim and eat lunch and stuff.
• Where : Guerneville, CA
• Where exactly : At King's Kayak and Canoe Rentals located at 16258 Main St. Guerneville, CA 95446. In previous years we've gone to Burke's but this year we're going to try something new. If you're curious here are the relative locations of Burke's (the place we normally go) and King's (the place we're going this year).
• How much : A two-person canoe rental costs $50 for the day and there are 6 canoes total. This usually is split between 2 people for 25$ a piece. A two-person kayak is $45. Solo kayaks are $30. Cash only no credit. If 3 people want to join up to cut costs or because one person is lazy, and have 2 people paddle and one person sit in the middle of the canoe and hang out.
• How long does it take to get to Guerneville : About an hour and 45 minutes from San Francisco.
• Where are we going to leave from : We can caravan in multiple cars and we'll meet at the SafeWay parking lot at Church and Market. This way we'll be able to park and assemble. If you don't live in Berkeley/Oakland or the City, you may want to go directly there and meet us at the site.
• What time are we going to leave from Safeway : We'll head out at 9AM, try to get to Safeway at 8:30 to 8:45 cause we aint waitin'. Make sure to eat breakfast before you come over or bring/buy some food to eat on the drive up, canoeing takes a lot of energy. If you're planning on shopping at SafeWay, DON'T arrive at 8:30. Arrive before so you've got time to shop for food and then head out with everybody.
• How do I contact Gene if I have questions : Call me on my cell phone at 415 722 9846.
• What should I bring : (Listed in Order of Importance)
  

  So Vital that failing to bring these items, means you shouldn't go at all.

  • 25$ in cash (or 30$ if you're getting a solo kayak)
  • River shoes (Tivas, or some kind of sandle shoe that you can get wet, and still wear and that you can climb on rocky river bottom with. Old shoes work.)
  • Sunscreen

  Important

  • Lunch to go in the cooler
  • Drinks (it's gonna be hot and you will get very thirsty. Bottled water is a good idea) [No glass]
  • Change of clothes to leave in the car so you don't have to ride home wet.

  A good idea.

  • A hat.
  • clothes that you don't mind getting wet in
  • sunglasses
  • a pack to put your water bottles in and BUNGEE CHORDS to attach it to that canoe, so you don't lose it when the canoe tips over.
  I will bring a cooler and bungee chords to put in my canoe to keep the lunch. If someone else wants to bring a cooler and bungee chords, then we can fit more stuff. Optional however.
• What's the weather going to be like : Warm and sunny.

Who's going

I'll update this with the pairs of people as they get decided.

• Ilkka
• Sean
• Gene
• Kris
• Christine
• Michele
• Cassie
• Cassie's Guest
• Dianna

Vehicle to Person Ratio

• Passing through SF / Berkeley Oakland
• Passing through the Far East
• People going on their own and meeting us in Forestville

After a four month hiatus, I'll be back on the air starting Thursday. Tonight I was awarded the Thursday 9:30pm to Midnight show on KALX for one year. If you've enjoyed the show before, feel free to tune in from now on. Additionally in the last 4 months, our internet feeds have been fixed and now work all the time. You can find them on KALX. We've got mp3 and ogg.

I always felt a bit that my Wednesday morning 6AM to 9AM show was an interim show, a stepping stone. I always felt like I was waiting to get a good show. That has finally happened now.

PVC-sheathed wires such as these are collected and burned in open ditches on the edges of Guiyu, after which the 9 cents’ worth of copper in each is collected and sold. In the process, the burning plastic releases dioxins and furans, two of the world’s most carcinogenic substances, into the air. Most of the burning is done at night, as the Chinese government banned import of ewaste in 2000. This has not dented the practice, though. Customs inspectors are well-lubricated by e-waste brokers, who themselves are amply compensated at both ends: they are paid in America to “recycle” the computers—$10 to $30 per machine, on average—and also sell them upon reaching China. As one broker told the Washington Post last year, “I could care less where they go. My job is to make money.” The workers of Guiyu, meanwhile, are given an untenable choice between poverty and poison.

We met outside a closing bar. My inertia interrupted, I remained for some time; smoked an imaginary American Spirit; nurtured an imaginary bond; wrestled an imaginary tension. Until, once upon a moment - the late-night fellowship set into motion unrestrained - the imaginary heaved a material breath. A friend born! Empathy transfigured! The imaginary spirit hurls a cream pie into the face of Disenchantment; delivers a fresh, wet rasberry [sic] onto the unspecting [sic] neck of sleeping Courage; places a trap-door along the imminent path of Judgement! He swears an oath at all, and traces the outlines of romance as the pathway for my journey homeward!

If you have an opportunity today to check out the wikipedia article on Independence Day, I highly recommend it. It's written from an anthropoligical point of view with some great sentences like

• Other features of July 4 parades involve Shriner mini-cars, high school marching bands, floats promoting civic organizations and politicians, and children riding decorated bicycles.
• Barbecues generally involve hamburgers and hot dogs which may be garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions. Hamburgers may be topped with lettuce and/or tomatoes, and hot dogs may be topped with relish.
• Guests at barbecues and picnics may sit at a picnic table or some other form of outdoor furniture.