Berlin had one

And the President wants one just like it...

Built by the army.

 

                                                  So how did that work out for them?


                                      A 15th century solution for a 21st century problem?


                                            Couldn't he find a better use for $5 Billion?

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                                                                                                           -VSR.

de Gaulle

Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.

                                                                                                                                 -Charles de Gaulle.

Ignorance

"Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!"

-Donald J. Trump.

Patriotism

"...You know, they have a word. It sort of became old-fashioned. It's called a nationalist. And I say, really, we're not supposed to use that word. You know what I am? I'm a nationalist, OK? I'm a nationalist.

"Nationalist. Nothing -- use that word. Use that word."

 -Donald J. Trump.
                     

“Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. By saying our interests come first, who cares about the others, we erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what makes it great and what is essential: its moral values.”

-Emmanuel Macron.

And the guns fell silent...

100 years ago today, at the 11th hour,of  the 11th day, of the 11th month, the Western Front fell silent.

That is not to say the Peace broke out throughout Europe,

                                                       but on the Western Front, that day,

                                                                                               the guns finally fell silent.




"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    (R.L.Binyon, from  "For the Fallen")

   

                                                                   
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                                                                   (repost from 11/11/17)

 Today is Veteran's Day. In the US, the day will be officially observed tomorrow; Banks will be closed, as will some schools, there will be no mail delivery, some other folks will have the day off, some stores may have holiday sales, and perhaps some people will remember to display the flag.

    How many will remember that 11 November was once known as Armistice Day? Or Why?



                                                                                                                                        VSR.

Remember Remember and VOTE!

   Today is Guy Fawkes day, a commemoration of the foiled plot to blow up the English Parliament. In some places in the U.K. and elsewhere there will be fireworks, bonfires, and burning in effigy of Guy Fawkes.

One older tradition was for gangs of children begging for "a penny for the Guy." My own way of remembrance -which must cause my neighbours' amusement or wonder- is to fly the Union Jack. If the weather holds, i may even have a small bonfire in the back yard... no effigy, though.

Fawkes and his co-conspirators sought to overthrow the government by destroying its symbolic seat (and hopefully many of its members in the bargain.) They were betrayed and discovered and horribly executed for their troubles.

                                                           
                                                                *******************
                                                                
Tomorrow is Election Day in the U.S. This is the Mid-term election wherein we voters will select our congressional delegates, some senators and governors, as well as many statewide offices and judicial seats. The Mid-terms are viewed as a referendum on the successes or failures of the President and the executive branch of government. Despite the importance of the Mid-terms, voter turnout is usually embarrassingly low, meaning that an even smaller than usual minority of voters will decide the direction of the government for the majority of citizens.

So far, indications are that this year will see a turnout that will rival or even exceed that of the average Presidential election.

The President had been touring the country ostensibly in support of his party's candidates. He has been shamelessly ginning up the fear of immigrants and other "undesirables", the opposing party, et cetera, et cetera, and outright lying to his supporters in an effort to frighten them to the polls. He has been making this election all about himself, and his party has been shamelessly supporting him in its cynical efforts to retain power and advance its agenda to solidify that power.

i wish to remind him, his party, and frankly ALL who seek elected office that they are there to SERVE, not RULE. i sincerely hope that tomorrow's vote will be a short, sharp shock to them that will remind them that they serve at the pleasure of the citizens of this country, not the reverse.

i do not advocate the methods of the Gunpowder Plotters in their attempt to change their government. Fortunately, so far the few who would use similar ways of doing so here today are a fringe minority.

Tomorrow, we citizens will be deciding the direction we wish our government will take: either to continue on its current path, or to turn away from the policies and practices of fear-mongering, xenophobia, isolationism, and one-party rule.

Those who would make these changes do not need gunpowder. They need only to get up on their hind feet and go to the polls tomorrow and be counted.

Remember remember that those in elected office are not in "power" but in service; SERVICE to US, the citizens of the United States, not corporations, not to wealthy donors or other lobbies, and certainly they need reminding that We are not in service to those who would believe they are "in power."

                                                        **************************    

                                                              End of rant. Peace. Out.

                                                                                                                                                       -VSR.

Impermanence

                            Time worn stone, looking as if it were a sugar cube left out in the rain...

One year, three months

                                                           

Family plot

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Meanwhile in Helsinki...

i usually prefer to not vent about politics in this forum, but after listening to today's news conference with Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin, i am suffering from an acute case of nausea. i'll just say this:

If either of these "gentlemen" were to tell me that the sky was blue, i'd go look out the window.

Our president is an international embarrassment. Mr. Putin has played him like a violin.

Denmark Strait. 24 May, 1941

 To: Admiralty
From: HMS Prince of Whales

HMS Hood has blown up


HMS Hood, considered the pride of the Royal Navy, was lost this day in 1941 during a brief  battle with the German Kriegsmarine's DKM Bismark. 1415 men were lost in an instant. There were three survivors.
       In the battle, HMS Prince of Whales was heavily damaged and was forced to withdraw. The Royal Navy eventually hunted down Bismark and she was sunk 3 days later.
      Hood was sometimes called the most beautiful ship (if any weapon of war could ever be considered thus) in the Royal Navy, but she suffered from a serious design flaw: her decks were not sufficiently armoured, leaving her vulnerable to plunging fire. This flaw led to her demise. On the fifth salvo from Bismark, a 15 inch shell penetrated her deck abaft her stacks and exploded in the after magazine. The resulting blast tore Hood apart and she sank in about 2 minutes.

   The three survivors were Midshipman William Dundas, Able Seaman Bob Tilburn, and Ordinary Signalman Ted Briggs.
 In 2001, the wreck of HMS Hood was found, and a plaque in honour of her crew was placed beside her on the sea floor. Ted Briggs, the last surviving crewman, was given the honour of releasing the plaque. Mr Briggs died in 2008.                       

                                       ****************************

HMS HOOD at anchor at Scapa Flow

                              

Ship's crew, 1940

Last known photo of Hood, taken from Prince of Whales, 24 May, 1941.

The end as seen from DKM Prinz Eugen. Smoke from Hood's blast on the right, Prince of Whales making smoke on left.

                                                     ******************************

Detritus

What little snow we've had this winter is gone, except for a large pile on the north side of my town's multi-story parking structure- stuff that was scraped off  the top level by the plough and won't be gone until June.

In many places the road along the fog line is liberally sprinkled with glass from jettisoned beer bottles- it's a minor miracle that i haven't punctured yet.

i used to wonder how so much brown and green glass wound up on the road until i witnessed some yahoos tossing out their beer bottles so as not to be caught with open liquor in their car.

i'm not sure what makes me angrier- the fact that people are consuming alcohol whilst driving or that they feel entitled to just toss their trash along the roads.

When i ride in more rural parts, i see a lot of beer cans and 12 pack cartons strewn along the right-of-way. One time i remarked to a riding companion that the overwhelming majority of those cans were from one or two of the more common brands of "light" ("Lite?") beer.  He pointed out that the reason for so many light beer cans being tossed was that they were ashamed to leave evidence in their cars that they actually drank such dreck. i mean, if you're going to drink beer, drink real beer. Ah well...

Along with the beer cans and bottles, i lately notice an alarming number of hard liquor bottles out there. Empty 750ml vodka and whiskey bottles are frighteningly common. When i find myself on an evening or nighttime ride i especially worry about this.

Among of the odder things i've seen are vanilla extract bottles. At the last couple of years' 3 Speed Tours there were dozens along the shoulder of Wisconsin 35. i wonder if under-agers were spiking their soda with the stuff...  How's that for desperate?

It's depressing to me that so many people feel it's okay to scatter trash along the highways and streets. i have on a couple of past occasions been able to scoop up someone's trash and toss it back to them at the next stoplight, but i don't think i'll do that any more since i never know who may be packing heat.

Of course, not everything i encounter on my rides is useless. Last Sunday i found a crisp dollar bill in the gutter- yea me! For some reason, 12mm box wrenches are a regular find, as well as the occasional pliers and other small hand tools... i once came back from a brevet with a claw hammer in my seat bag. You miss these sorts of things when behind the wheel of a car.

                                                          ********************

March Forth

The Order of the Day...

March comes in on clumsy feet,
 Kicks the trash cans down the street,
 Spills some garbage on the lawn,
 Blows the rest to hellandgone,
Knocks the branches off the trees, 
Gives the power lines a squeeze, 
Then March leaves and as it goes 
The sun comes out and then it snows.

-Richard Thompson (1957-2016.) 

My favourite poem of the season; from one of my favourite cartoonists, who is sorely missed.

 i did obey the Order of March Fourth today. It was a typical atypical late winter day here- a bit warmer than average and sunny. Of course, i forgot the sunscreen, but i probably got more windburned than anything. i dodged pedestrians and other riders on the MUP around Busse Woods, riding out on Molly, my Mercian path bike, pedaling every kilometer in a 66" fixed gear. Eight weeks to the first GLR brevet... so much more work to do.

Bridge over Higgins road, Busse path.

 The west bridge of the Busse Woods MUP was built a couple of years ago over Illinois route 72. The previous path used a crosswalk at the intersection of 72 and the frontage road of IL53/I-290. It took a fatality at that intersection to get the state to put in this overpass. The intersection can just be seen in the distance between the railings.

i usually avoid MUPs, but it's early season and the path wasn't yet completely overrun with skaters and dog walkers. It was also downwind from home, just in case i got a bit wonky on the ride back.
                                                  **********************************

Road Rides Cancelled Until Further Notice

                                                         **********************

                                                             Stay tuned for updates.

Every Ride is a Recovery Ride

About 130 kilometers.

My total road distance for January, excluding errand rides. i don't usually count those distances because they're taken at only a bit higher pace than my walking speed (spoiler alert: i mosey on foot.)

i wasn't keeping track in December or November. i'd be surprised if it broke 200km total.

2017 wasn't a good year for my riding. Although i did manage to do three 200 km brevets, an invitational or two, and a long day's ride on Wisconsin's Wild Goose Trail and another on the Badger State Trail. 

With a few exceptions, i found that i've been having increasing difficulty being able to ride fast enough to keep out of my own way. i've never had tons of stamina, but in recent years, what stamina i've had has been ebbing. My doctor gave me a good going over last year, but nothing is obviously wrong. i live in denial that it's an age thing.

So, i've been practicing an attitude adjustment. i no longer try to chase down that guy up the road, nor step up my pace to keep up with any rider who passes me... for the time being.

Today there's an inch or two of snow on the roads and it's about 15 degrees American outside with a stiff wind. i'm holed up and considering my options. i do want to attempt some longer brevets this season- the first one of our club's rides is in April, so there's a lot of work ahead of me.

Downstairs my wife's bike is on the trainer. Her goal is to be able to do the two days' Lake Pepin 3 Speed Tour as discomfort-free as possible. We've done seven of these rides so far and we're really looking forward to it. i admire her ambition. As for me, i detest indoor riding- so much so that i sold off my wind trainer and rollers a few years ago- i hardly used them anyway, but now i'm regretting that decision. i think that tomorrow i'll be taking her bike off and setting up my own- have to start somewhere...

Basically, i'm at kilometer zero. Time to quit whingeing and to get busy.
                                                  
                                                 *****************************

It's all uphill.

What's with that name?

i've been accused of keeping everything...

The other day i was rummaging through a box of miscellaneous papers- the usual accumulation of pictures, old greeting cards, unsent postcards, and then this:

 A simple 3 X 5 index card, a practice piece from my high school days' art class. i was trying to master chisel-tipped steel pens and india ink.

My calligraphy never progressed much beyond this example.

Whence the name? Back in those days there was a local sound system/band by the name of Euphoria Blimp Works (aka Yama & the Karma Dusters.) Somewhere about that time, i decided that "Euphoria Bicycle Works, ltd." sounded like kind of a good name for a business i might run one day.

i think the name stuck in my mind after a concert-gone-bad on a hot July day in 1970; one rumour that seeped out was that Euphoria Blimp Work's equipment was looted and wrecked in the mayhem. Various accounts of the event were covered in local underground papers such as the Chicago Seed.

i wasn't downtown that day, although i was supposed to be there with some friends. Kinda glad i missed it.

Anyway, sometime during my senior year, Euphoria Bicycle Works, ltd., my notional bike shop, was born. That index card once graced the door of my college dorm room and made appearances over my workbench from time to time. How that card has survived all these years i'll never know.

 i never did open that bike shop - probably a good career non-choice- but it did lend its name to this occasional blog.


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