When you get what you want in your struggle for self,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that man has to say.
For it isn’t your Father, or Mother, or Wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the man staring back from the glass.
He’s the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear up to the end,
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the man in the glass is your friend.
You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.
Almost every week I’m inspired something. This week I’m inspired by Rosemary Crane of the United Kingdom. Back in September ’06, we rode together for one whole week, all over Tenerife. She’s the only cyclist who I can confirm has ascended over 10,000 vertical metres in less than a week of riding. She also takes the honour of being the first client to cycle with www.Tenerife-Training.net!
Rosemary is a self-confessed cyclo-tourist addict. She’s been everywhere from the French Alps to the Himalayas, and never fails to take a bike with her. Pictured here is her and with her beloved DeRosa road racing bicycle at a place called «Casas de la Cumbre» (Houses of the Peak), in the Anaga Mountains. She says it’s the best way to see a foreign country…
Here’s what she had to say via e-mail afterwards:
THANK YOU for all the brilliant rides and for being so patient with such an old woman and I hope it wasnt as bad as you thought it might be having to spend 5 days with a grandmother and that you did not hate it too much having to go so much more slowly than you like to go …… the ride to Taganana was lovley as they all were a brill selection all different and yet all with their esoteric attractions. So many people just go to Playa de las Americas and that is ablout the only place I did not see and never want to. I feel sure I saw all the best parts. — Rosemary Crane, 62. September 2006.
And seeing how she was the first ever client, I had to get her to sign my personal guestbook on her latest return visit:
I have had such a BRILLIANT 5 days cycling with «Tenerife Training» been up & down such spectacular hills + enjoyed scenery that 99% of visitors to Tenerife never see. Leslie, you have been amazing. So kind and considerate… to an old grandmother cycling fanatic. THANKS — à bientôt or hasta luego
— Rosemary
Despite the arduous terrain here, she never complained, not once. Not even when the grades reached 10% or more! Rose, honestly, it’s been a pleasure riding with you. Have a great christmas, and I wish you all the best in 2008. Also, thanks because you’re an inspiration to us all!
I thought some of your readers might like to know that the local rock band Merdian Zero just released their first CD entitled «Doors of Creation». Here’s their proffessional-quality video-clip.
To celebrate the release, they’re holding a concert in La Orotava this friday, and attendance is FREE!!!!!;
They’re quite a talented new band, and the lead guitarrist is none other than my good friend Iván «Scalpel» Ruiz. In fact it was me who came up with the nick-name:
If only he could teach me to play like that! Thanks for the inspiration, Scalpel!!
This famous fish, who lives in the Marine Reserve known as Mar de Las Calmas, has become an icon of El Hierro and is now well-known all throughout the archipelago. The fish with big lips is apparantly a gentle giant, making friends easily with new local scubadivers. The grouper, affectionately named «Pancho», is over 40 years old and weighs 40kg!
Unfortunately, spear fishermen recently killed his long-time partner, Natalia. So to ensure that Pancho doesn’t suffer the same fate, local restaurants have incited a verbal agreement not to serve grouper on the menu in a move of respect for Pancho. Likewise, the municipal government of El Hierro has advised all to respect the coastal pools where groupers lay their eggs. Paco remains a proud symbol of the fight to preserve this rich marine ecosystem.
www.Tenerife-Training.net now caters for extra small riders! We’ve recently purchased some 16″ extra-small MTBs. These can be easily converted from a WSD hybrid style of bike (pictured below) to a conventional cross-country MTB.
Amornrat «Meow» Vatanatumrak of USA now takes the record for the shortest www.Tenerife-Training.net client, measuring 5’0″ (152cm). The previous record holder was Elena Lazkano of paÃs vasco (Spain), who stood 5’1″ (155).
To provide the most reliable, professional-quality bicycle hire service which accommodates for all manner of cycling enthusiasts and their associated needs on the island of Tenerife.
To provide an accurate, well-organised source of information about all aspects of cycling in the Canary Islands.
To effectively & courteously communicate with all of our potential clients.
To take advantage of the unique combination of Tenerife’s fantastic climate & mountainous terrain for physical training purposes.
To minimise our impact on the environment by saving energy, reducing waste, reusing, repairing & ultimately recycling materials wherever possible
To support the local Canarian culture whenever we have the choice. We firmly believe that «small is beautiful»Â We endeavour to show these principles to all visitors.
To inspire people the world over; if you can cycle here, you can do almost anything.
To demostrate to other businesses that you don’t have to be big, you just have to think big.
The ultimate goal of www.Tenerife-Training.net is to be known by the entire worldwide cycling community.
To demonstrate the superior efficiency of the humble bicycle whilst encouraging cycling as a simultaneous form of transport and exercise to everyone else.
That’s right. This giant german man who stand 2.03m (6’8″) tall, rented one of our XL Mrazek BOH Road bikes just yesterday. The day before, he test-rode an XL 22″ sized Decathlon MTB, but found the seatpost was still ~5cm too short.
So when this road bike became available the following day (effectively 60cm center-center; 62cm center-top), I set the pro road seatpost to the maximum allowed height «safety height» mark, which resulted in a saddle to center-bottom-bracket measurement of a whopping 96cm. He attempted to straddle the bike and said «Ahh, you got me!» and we lowered the seatpost a few more cm to make it fit correctly…
Mathias Lohse of Germany (2.03m / 6’8″)Â now snatches the previous height record from Andrea Delcuratoro of Italy (1.93cm / 6’4″). Congratulations Mathias, and we hope to have some extra-long cranks available for our rental bikes in future.
The principals of acupuncture are based on the stimulation of certain points throughout the body. These points are interconnected and are known as meridians. The organs and limbs along these meridians beneficially respond to stimulation, with a subsequent relief of pain and an improvement in the general sense of well-being. [Read more →]
Ð’ÑчеÑлав Иванович Полунин (Vyacheslav Ivanovich Polunin ) has been called «The World’s Greatest Clown». I went and saw him in Sydney in the year 2000. It was an enlightening, inspirational and wondrous experience.
Slava’s Snowshow:Â
As to whether he would describe himself, as others have, as an “existential clownâ€, his reply is typically Zen. “I would agree with that as well. Every object can have a different meaning. A maple leaf is a symbol of Canada — yet for a street cleaner it is garbage, for a child it’s a toy, for a train conductor it could be a hazard. But it’s just a maple leaf. In my show I try to present the maple leaf in such a way that each person can see each thing in it.â€
“The more you want to be an anarchist, the more you have to know. There must be balance,†Slava explains, teetering on an imaginary tightrope to illustrate his point. “The more you reach out with one hand, the more the other must reach, or you fall over. So the more I want to be free, the more I have to learn.â€
Benedict Allen, author, explorer, public speaker and presenter, is one of Britain’s best known explorers. He has published nine books, two of them bestsellers, and his pioneering films of his expeditions – occasionally with a film crew but more typically without – have paved the way for the current generation of TV adventurers. Uniquely in television, his philosophy is to immerse himself in extreme or alien environments, relying not on satellite phones and other “backup†but to go alone and learn from indigenous people.
His approach to exploration is exemplified by his decision to undergo the harrowing “crocodile†initiation ceremony in New Guinea – he was given extensive crocodile scars and beaten for six weeks. It was an attempt not just to report back about things never before witnessed at the frontiers of our knowledge but to understand a different perspective on the world.
«To me exploration isn’t about conquering natural obstacles, planting flags… It’s not about going where no one’s gone before in order to leave your mark, but about the opposite of that – about making yourself vulnerable, opening yourself up to whatever’s there and letting the place leave its mark on you.» – Benedict Allen.
His belief in leaving the back-up systems often employed by adventurers – satellite phones, GPS navigation etc – at home make his solo expeditions particularly precarious; likewise, his technique of not bringing along camera-crews continues to ensure he is the only “adventurer†on TV often in very real and constant jeopardy; arguably, he has the most dangerous job seen on television. [Read more →]
Are we all making «nano-niches» for ourselves, in an attempt to fit into this new highly-customised, choice-oriented advanced consumer society? We now join online local communities such as forums, blog directories, myspace, dating sites, chat rooms. We subscribe to newsletters, RSS feeds. We can search for whatever we like with google, almost without limits. As individuals, we’re always searching to redefine ourselves, to find our life purpose.
But what happens if and when you can’t seem to find your own unique, specific niche? I’m talking about major areas of your life, like employment. Your ideal partner? Your own distinct style? Your identity? Can these two states of overchoice and underchoice lead to mental health problems? What happens to your mood when there are an infinite number of things you could possibly do with your life? Do you begin to block everything out, deny existence of something? [Read more →]
I found this particular website last month. Internet masters with more than 10 years experience know to be picky when adding newfound sites to your ever-expanding list of favourites, otherwise they can get out of control. But this is one example of a site that, once encountered, will surely remain in your favourites folder forever. If you’re lacking motivation, inspirationm have pessimistic thoughts, are depressed, etc, you won’t ever want to lose it.
«Happiness through Self Awareness; Change core beliefs, control emotional reactions, and create love and happiness in your relationships»
Anyway, normally I don’t link to other blogs directly, but everything this man writes is pure gold! I wanted to show his advice to others, especially the ones with mental health problems -I think that’s nearly everyone these days- because I really think this man has incredible wisdom, which he is so willing to share with the world in order to make it a better place.
In 1991, Mazda became the first and only Japanese car manufacturer to win the prestigous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. Using the Wankel rotary engine, it was also the only non-piston engine car to ever win. All three Mazda 787B cars to enter the race finished the gruelling event in respectable 1st, 6th and 8th positions. Of a total of 46 entrants, only 12 cars officially finished the race, 4 did not make the required classification, 22 did not finish, while the remaining eight either failed to start or qualify.
 So successful was Mazda’s entry in the 1991 race that the rules for subsequent races were changed to ban the rotary engine from competing in subsequent Le Mans endurance races. At the end of the season, the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) banned the use of Wankel-type rotary engines in the racing series which it governed to solely allow cars with the 3.5L F1 engine to compete.
1991 was the first, last, and only time that a Japanese car has won the 24 Hours of LeMans. The victory sealed the 787B’s status as an icon with Mazda fans throughout the world. Despite the enormous success of the 787B and its Wankel powerplant, Mazda didn’t fully exploit its historic victory through marketing campaigns and advertising. However it did strengthen sales partially for Mazda’s road cars…
Simplicity of design:
The powerplant:
It used a 4-rotor R26B Wankel engine which produced over 700 hp (522 kW). Engine speed (RPM’s) were deliberately kept low for longevity under the extreme stresses incurred during a 24-hour endurance race. The 787 was reported to have a redline around 9000rpm. However, interviews with Mazda’s 787 race engineers revealed that the power of the quad-rotor increased dramatically above 9000rpm. One engineer stated that the car could develop more than 930hp with a redline around 10,500rpm.
Engineers also commented that during the post-race inspection and tear-down of the quad-rotor engine they discovered that all aspects of the engine were still in excellent condition and could have run another 24-hour race.
«I kept seeing this bumble bee appear in my rearview mirror,» – Davy Jones, one of the TWR Jaguar drivers, of the Mazda.
Advantages of the Rotary Engine:
Wankel engines have several major advantages over reciprocating piston designs, in addition to having higher output for similar displacement and physical size. Wankel engines are considerably simpler and contain far fewer moving parts. For instance, because valving is accomplished by simple ports cut into the walls of the rotor housing, they have no valves or complex valve trains; in addition, since the rotor is geared directly to the output shaft, there is no need for connecting rods, a conventional crankshaft, crankshaft balance weights, etc.
The elimination of these parts not only makes a Wankel engine much lighter (typically half that of a conventional engine of equivalent power), but it also completely eliminates the reciprocating mass of a piston engine with its internal strain and inherent vibration due to repeated acceleration and deceleration, producing not only a smoother flow of power but also the ability to produce more power by running at higher rpm. [Read more →]
On 17th July 1993, the scottish cyclist Graeme Obree stunned the international cycling world when he emerged form obscurity to smash Francesco Moser’s World Hour Record, which had stood for nearly a decade. His new record, 51.596km in one hour, achieved at the Hamar velodrome in Norway, was celebrated as a triumph for the ordinary rider, for the outsider over the establishment. He had eclipsed Moser’s record by 445m. Even more impressive was that he did it at sea level (which cost him a kilometer per hour in speed).
Graeme Obree’s first attempt at the one hour record was unsuccessful, missing Moser’s record by nearly 1 km. Normally, weeks of recovery are needed after such a demanding effort, but Graeme Obree wanted to try again immediately following the failed attempt! Although that idea was not permitted, Obree was determined to try again the very next day. Most journalists had left and Obree had to beg the officials to let him have another go. This time he was successful.
Obree’s achievements were seen as remarkable since his riding had been largely at amateur events, and he did not have major sponsorship and development support. Instead, he developed a unique riding position (the «crouch», or «tuck» position) and constructed a unique bike frame to use.
Obree created his bicycle «Old Faithful» with the aim of reducing wind resistance and instability, while increasing pedalling power. He reduced air resistance from the legs by designing a very narrow bottom bracket and dispensing with a top tube to prevent his knees from hitting the frame. The bike also had chainstays at 45 degrees rather than horizontal to allow for the cranks to pass with such a narrow bottom bracket. He placed the handlebars so that his shoulders were almost touching them, with his arms folded by his side as he cycled: this reduced air resistance on his head and torso. The seat was placed so that his legs exerted maximum force on the pedals. Later a single-bladed front fork was added, designed by Mike Burrows to be as narrow as possible. The main bearing was taken from a washing machine, a fact that Obree later regretted revealing to journalists as they thenceforward always referred to this before any other of his innovations and achievements, reducing the likelihood of team sponsorship deals. Although he made his first (failed) hour record attempt on a similar carbon fibre frame, Obree used «Old Faithful» to break the hour record.
«To take the record I’m going to have to grit my teeth and then grit them some more and spit blood to make the difference. And, after doing all that, I’ll either just break the record or just miss it. I might only add 10 meters to it, because I think the record is now at the edge of human ability.» – Graeme Obree (Cycling Weekly)
On the way to breaking the World hour record, he created major controversy in the professional cycling world over his unique riding style and his pioneering construction techniques. He famously had to use washing machine parts to complete the building of his ‘Old Faithful’ machine. Graeme’s story starts with his tough upbringing in the Ayrshire valleys, where he found his escape by taking to the roads. From there he tells an inspiring story of what it takes to become a world record breaker, of his thrilling head-to-head duels with Chris Boardman and how he became a major international star on the European circuit. The story ends with Graeme’s searingly honest account of his battle against manic depression which drove him to attempt suicide.
By Robert Hughes – TIME magazine art critic
To say that Pablo Picasso dominated Western art in the 20th century is, by now, the merest commonplace. Before his 50th birthday, the little Spaniard from Malaga had become the very prototype of the modern artist as public figure. No painter before him had had a mass audience in his own lifetime. The total public for Titian in the 16th century or Velazquez in the 17th was probably no more than a few thousand people–though that included most of the crowned heads, nobility and intelligentsia of Europe. Picasso’s audience–meaning people who had heard of him and seen his work, at least in reproduction–was in the tens, possibly hundreds, of millions. He and his work were the subjects of unending analysis, gossip, dislike, adoration and rumor.
He was a superstitious, sarcastic man, sometimes rotten to his children, often beastly to his women. He had contempt for women artists. His famous remark about women being «goddesses or doormats» has rendered him odious to feminists, but women tended to walk into both roles open-eyed and eagerly, for his charm was legendary. Whole cultural industries derived from his much mythologized virility. He was the Minotaur in a canvas-and-paper labyrinth of his own construction.
«Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.»
He was also politically lucky. Though to Nazis his work was the epitome of «degenerate art,» his fame protected him during the German occupation of Paris, where he lived; and after the war, when artists and writers were thought disgraced by the slightest affiliation with Nazism or fascism, Picasso gave enthusiastic endorsement to Joseph Stalin, a mass murderer on a scale far beyond Hitler’s, and scarcely received a word of criticism for it, even in cold war America.
No painter or sculptor, not even Michelangelo, had been as famous as this in his own lifetime. And it is quite possible that none ever will be again, now that the mandate to set forth social meaning, to articulate myth and generate widely memorable images has been so largely transferred from painting and sculpture to other media: photography, movies, television.
