Friday Open Thread ~ 10 SEP 21 ~ bicicleta
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Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.
-- Albert Einstein
Welcome to your Friday open thread. Got biking on my mind. Put up here as a temporary distraction from the daily political morass, which we all find ourselves in. Do you bike?
Since my hip surgery, have been unable to ride as much as I would like. The solution? An electric bike. Now I can keep up with the wife (long legs and seriously younger). Can pedal as much as I care to, but get a boost when needed. One of the good things about living in a rural area, the traffic is light so it is not such a fright to ride along the roads. Town is about 2 miles from here, but there isn't much going on. The local gas station lost it's permit to sell gasoline, so now the proprietor fixes, rents and sells used bikes. Earls .. small town emporium.
Oh, then there is is cyclist club that rides by the house early Saturday mornings. Maybe about 30 riders all decked out in spandex, peddling english style racer wannabes. Noisy as all get out, yakking their way to fitness. Funny to observe them as a passing cluster. Whoosh, then they are gone. Except for the stragglers, pumping for all their worth. Trying to catch up..
My current ride is a NATCO city cruiser. Lights, horns, fenders, chain guard, basket and rack on the back. Gets about a thousand miles per gallon of sweat. Charges up quick and pretty spunky.
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This weekend we hope to ride the Cape Cod trail. It was once a railroad bed, but trains do not go there anymore. A shame really that train service is gone. Maybe bike paths are a good alternative.
The good news is lotlizard has volunteered to take up the Friday OT starting next week. It will be culturally astounding to have France on Thursday with Germany on Friday. Hope you all will support our new hostesses! Now if we could get a Spanish and Portuguese station going .. who knows?
Feel free to share your funny biking stories and / or whatever.
Comments
Oh, here we go again
Russiagate dreck 2.0, catapulted by DW (Deutsche Welle, German gov’t funded) and Der Spiegel.
https://www.dw.com/en/russians-hacking-german-election/a-59137152
One weird thing about this kind of story is the way it only identifies a single actual person by name, the official Thomas Haldenwang (to whom a totally uncontroversial two-months-old statement is attributed, namely that cyber-attacks can, duh, be used to capture personal information). All is nebulous, nothing is concrete, everything is cloaked in weasel words: “suspected / suspicion”, “could”, “believes / are convinced”:
Evidence? Specifics? Anything a reporter, citizen, or activist group such as the Chaos Computer Club might independently confirm or verify? Don’t be silly.
And, of course, closing with the obligatory mention of Navalny.
Like every household, I pay a yearly (and, especially for a person living alone on a fixed income, quite regressive) tax of over $300 for this low-quality agitprop. And Germany’s highest court just ruled that the government broadcasters can raise the tax indefinitely without parliamentary oversight.
One would hope these weasel words
have clued the readers to the news' true intent --
baffle them with bullshit
it's a shame you have to pay for it
Zionism is a social disease
In a similar vein - Germany wrestles with social media
not news but ..
one of the comments ..
Paid by Woke....paid by LGTBQZP....Paid by Soros ....paid by Deep State....paid by Gates.....paid by Zuckerboy.....paid by U´S
chuckles
https://www.rt.com/news/534421-germany-paid-bloggers-advertising/
Zionism is a social disease
Another anniversary without justice
Saturday, September 11th 2021 will mark the 20th Anniversary of the dreadful criminal attacks against the United States of America.
On that day, almost 3,000 innocent people were slaughtered and many thousands more have died from exposure to the contaminants at Ground Zero. These horrible crimes have never been properly investigated by the United States government, and the guilty parties have never been brought to justice.
Join us this September 11th for a tremendous commemorative life-stream event entitled " 9/11-anthtrax to the Pandemic; Life and Liberty in the Balance" featuring many outstanding speakers who will address the crimes of 9/11 as well as the continuing assault on civil liberties resulting from the present pandemic and show the connections between 9/11 and Covid-19.
The Lawyers' Committee is dedicated to Government transparency and accountability regarding the crimes of 9/11, investigating and litigating where necessary.
Help us carry on. Support our efforts and join us this September 11th for a very educational, eye opening experience.
Thank you.
David R. Meiswinkle, Esq.
President/Executive Director
Lawyers' Committee for 9/11 Inquiry
Zionism is a social disease
My competition level (old school) MTB is now
a comfort cruiser. Mary Poppins style. I’m so into looking around as I pedal now, where hunched over staring at the macadam was my default position for decades. For years I rode the rail trail to work in Orleans, rain or shine. Best commute evah!
Let me know if you’d like an extra tag along, I’m still looking for excuses to idle away some pleasant miles in the saddle.
“The story around the world gives a silent testimony:
— The Beresovka mammoth, frozen in mud, with buttercups in his mouth…..”
The Adam and Eve Story, Chan Thomas 1963
Sitting upright in the saddle makes more sense
Taking in the views, smelling the aromas wafting by in slow motion.
Yeah, sounds fun ovals. PM me your contact info. We hope to go riding tomorrow.
Cheers
Zionism is a social disease
Anti-immigration hardliners and right-wing populists exploit the
living daylights out of a story like this one from Austria. And it does influence people and make them angry, how could it not?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9844273/Afghan-wanted-connectio...
Of course it’s not fair to tie all Afghani immigrants to such a horrible thing. But neither is it fair to mock victims and absolve their torturers of blame by putting it all down to “mental illness” or racist European society’s failure to do enough to integrate immigrants, as well-meaning, more progressive souls are wont to do.
George Floyd has become an internationally-celebrated martyr figure. Except among Europe’s right-wing “deplorables,” people like poor 13-year-old Leonie have not.
She's white. She was "Privileged"
And cresponsible for every racist act ever committed by a white pertson ever. So "The Left" tells us.
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
The photo triggered a lovely memory
of my granpa helping me learn how to ride a bike. THANKS! I woke up this morning thinking of my grandparents and wondering if I had lived up to their teachings or not. Both of them were very kind souls who filled my life with love and acceptance and helped me become who I am. I was lucky to have lived in their basement apartment during my formative years when the previous part of my life had been filled with violence and uncertainty and I often wonder who I would be if I hadn't had them then.
Granpa taught me to play catch and one of us would ask the other if we wanted to play mitt. I still have his glove that he let me use back when I was a wee toddler and it's framed in a deep box frame and hanging on the wall. When I think of my granma, Noni I remember butterscotch and sunshine.
I have been thinking how horrible it was for trains that traveled the country to have gone the way of the buffalo. They were killed off so that big oil and big car companies could make more money. How dreadfully that has affected us and we can see what we are missing when we look at European and other countries that have trains hauling citizens hither and yon. Good ole capitalism...it has destroyed so many wonderful marvels. Including so many incredible species that once dotted the globe....ugh.
The message echoes from Gaza back to the US. “Starving people is fine.”
I can identify with gramps in the photo
Glad you havre fond memories of the grands.
Mine were more like parents than the real ones too.
Regards
Q
Zionism is a social disease
Back when the earth was still cooling,
I was a semi-competitive roadracer. Made it (very) briefly to USCF Cat 2 at the end of my college career. But only a Person Without A Job can do enough training to remain competitive in cycling, so my entry into the workforce put the kibosh on that. I had the wrong body type for it anyway: high-zoot cycling is really not for ex-football-linemen.
I did a co-op gig at a company in Concord, MA when I was living in an apartment in Boston, and commuted through Cambridge and out Route 2 by bike a couple of summers as part of my training. Got hit by cars a few times, got hit by trash (soda cans, beer bottles) more times than I can count, made it almost two weeks once without having a flat tire. Very early in that era, I hung up my good sew-up wheels for a set of clinchers so I could ride Wolber Invulnerables (steel mesh under the tread for glass resistance) through all the piles of broken glass. That was in the 70s when people were still at least marginally polite to one another, so I can't even imagine what kind of crap people have to put up with now...
My wife and I now have nice, sedate MTBs, only ride bike paths, and my body-meant-for-comfort-not-speed really prefers it that way these days. But back in my single college days, the hours alone in the saddle grinding out the miles were indeed a wonderful time to think, not to mention being a great way to blow off studying. I miss that solitude.
On edit: and I can't believe that nobody has posted this yet![video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouORCGWhMcE]
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
very appropriate tunage
not sure if I would have had the cajones to ride after getting hit by a car or two.
Gave up the motorcycle after seeing some redneck force a bike ahead of me off the road.
Up in the mountains of AZ. Scary shit.
Strangers driving them ol' pickups. Felt like a scene from Easy Rider. Coulda been me.
[video:https://youtu.be/z4qkGf3q7gA]
Zionism is a social disease
There's a trick to it-
just be young and truly believe that you're immortal.
Actually, the most prevalent accident type (in New England in the 70s, anyway) was relatively low speed, with the yobbos who believe that you are stationary, punch it to get around you, and immediately turn hard right across your path. You can sort of feel them coming, and usually you can stop before you hit them. But sometimes they just flat turn into you without even being fully alongside. In that case, and if you're lucky- you can lead with your butt, pick the bike up between your legs (the joy of cleated racing shoes!), and slide across the hood without the frame or wheels getting tweaked. I busted the windshield out of an AMC Pacer with my butt that way, landed back on my wheels, and rode away. Was far enough away that I couldn't even make out the words he was screaming at me when he got out of the car... Ahh, Boston.
I've never been able to get next to motorcyles: there are no relatively-low-speed accidents, as near as I can see. When it hits the fan, shit gets *real*. I've had a lifetime's-worth of road rash already without needing to go much over 20 (or 50 in a descent)!
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Thanks for the OT
I, too have joined those with pedal-assist bicycles. It has made bicycling much easier and do a lot more riding because of the assist when I need it. Here in Santa Fe, we have a great number of connected trails and so you can do a lot of riding without ever having to get out on the street and watch out for the distracted drivers.
Favorite ride at the moment is going to the Farmer’s Market by bike, spending about an hour checking out the various offerings, listening to the music that is always going on. I ride the Rail Trail and it runs right along the track the Railrunner uses from Belen, NM to the end in Santa Fe right past the Farmer’s Market.
The conductor has to go very slowly past the market because people seem to think it is OK to get out on the track to take a quick picture of the train coming in!
Another reason I love this bike is the fact that I can right upright and enjoy the scenery as I pedal along. Hope all have a great day!
Life is what you make it, so make it something worthwhile.
This ain't no dress rehearsal!
A bike ride sounds like fun
when I lived in Austin I used to ride my bike all over the place. It was a fairly friendly bike town back then but there were some roads on my route you would not want to ride on. Then I would stay on the sidewalk, get off and jog, pushing my bike in front of me, I think I thought I was very cool.
Love the gramps pic., have a great ride on that trail!
I too have a pedal assist ebike...
that I love. Could ride these hills and dales without it.
I still have my old Raleigh 5 speed from college. In those days, in fairly flat Auburn, I rode 7 miles into town and back out everyday rain or shine. Healthiest I think I've ever been...of course I was 19 YO. It is ridable and I use it to take on camping trips and such.
I have to time my rides to avoid peak traffic. Normally about 10 AM our road is pretty quiet, and I can make the 3 mile trip to town and back to run errands fairly quick without many encounters.
Bikes are the perfect transportation, right speed, a little exercise, and you experience the landscape. If only we had a train system to use for long distance with our bikes.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Good morning QMS. It appears that we have a merry
band or current and ex-cyclists ici. I too am of that ilk. Got a bike at age 40 iirc, so I could leave the pick up parked and "do everything" on the bike. Soon learned that any such idea was a fantasy unless one could deal with the hills, of which the Bay Area has a vast quantity, and therefore instituted a daily campaign of spending hours repeatedly attacking the local ones over and over and over. And was using the damn thing for commuting and shopping and all that. Eventually I conquered Berkeley's Grizzley Peak and took to doing it pretty much daily weather permitting.
Anyway I became an avid bike commuter and even did a stint where I was riding across the Dumbarton Bridge to cross the bay, riding from Berkeley to South Hayward to visit a friend, and generally using it for everything. I rode my first bike, a hybrid, into the ground and got a mountain bike. My wife started joining me on the weekends, doing 50 and 60 mile loops. And then we retired, swapped her bike for a cruiser and within 2 or 3 years stopped riding completely. Since bikes take up garage space, we keep discussing getting rid of them but can't pull the trigger, so lately I've been thinking about converting them to e-bikes, to facilitate getting around while avoiding the two or three insane streets which are the ones without ugly hills that my left knee probably couldn't handle anymore. It seems like the next step.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Like the idea of a conversion
have a decent older bike that I may convert. Seems the simpler version replaces the front wheel
for motive force. Not ideal, but you don't have to deal with the existing sprocket and chain aft with that set-up. Good luck!
Zionism is a social disease
Thanks.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --