Hoarse Speak

Thanks very much to Sassy for the link, this is an amazing story (http://www.historynet.com/ah/blwheelsofwar/) of a unit of African-American Infantry men who set out from Missoula, Montana to St. Louis, Missouri on Bicycles in 1897. The trip took them 40 days and they were trying to prove the effectiveness of the "Safety Bicycle" to the military.

Some choice quotes:
"The unit's bicycles were the most modern available, built to military specifications by A.G. Spalding & Bros. of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. Eager for its product to undergo a rigorous service test, Spalding donated the bicycles to the government. Although constructed with the most up-to-date specifications, the bicycles had steel frames and rims and were cumbersome and heavy."

Cumbersome and heavy? My bicycle is cumbersome and heavy - these guys were riding "Safety" bikes, the name given to the "modern" bicycle which used a chain drive instead of the classic high wheeler. There were no coaster brakes in 1897 (they were invented the following year) which means these bikes were direct drive and may have had spoon brakes, but probably not since spoon brakes were known to puncture pnematic tires.

"Each rider carried a 10-pound blanket roll that included a shelter tent and poles, a set of underwear, two pairs of socks, a handkerchief, and toothbrush and powder. Properly packed, the roll fitted into a luggage carrier in front of the bicycle's handlebars. Each man also carried rations of bacon, bread, canned beef, baked beans, coffee, and sugar in hard leather cases attached to the bicycle frame. Every other man carried a towel and a bar of soap, and each squad chief carried a comb and brush and a box of matches. Fully loaded, the soldiers' bicycles weighed about 59 pounds each. Every man also carried a 10-pound Krag-Jorgensen rifle and a 50-round cartridge belt."

And to boot, there was no asphalt - any roads these guys rode on were dirt, well mud really. And still they were faster and cheaper than horse cavalry. They were averaging 60 miles a day basically going cross country on dirt roads or RR tracks.

I have good friends here in North Carolina and I think part of being a friend is to understand friends when they are having a bad time, but also to be honest with friends when they are wallowing in something or hurting themselves. Today, I had an interesting conversation with both Sassy and 'dib and they said things to me both directly and indirectly that resonated with me on how I'm letting my frustration with my work situation bleed over into my personal life. Hemorrage is more like it. I work directly with Muaddib, Robogoth, and Senor Unpleasant and Sassy works in the same organization.

'Goth and I have talked at length about some of our frustrations but I thought I was largely keeping it at work. Unpleasant and I routinely bash the shit out of our situation from sheer frustration and impotence at being able to affect in anyway our situation which I won't go into here because I will resolve that this is the last time I will write about these frustrations in this space. I will keep it in a constructively critical voice on my workblog. I also further resolve to do more to keep my work frustration between the hours of 9am and 5pm.

This week, the frustration combined with the death of my grandmother and my parents deciding to move to Reno, Nevada when my Dad retires (which is a decision I do not understand). My partner, Ana is in Brasil for a year or more, and although I will eventually be joining her, right now it is difficult and I miss her a lot. So somehow this week, the grumpy bastard in me is bleeding all over my life. 'Dib brought up an idea w/r to creating more of a community space (after the blog conference we attended this morning which I will write about after this) and I just pissed all over it rather than offering my opinion in a less cynical and more constructive way. Sorry 'Dib, I was an ass. Also, this week and last week we ('Dib, 'Goth, and Sassy) have been talking extensively about our gaming group and mostly when it comes to the logistics of the dinner situation I've just been an asshole rather than offering anything constructive.

So anyhow, I'm rambling on a little too much. The long and short message is thanks guys and gals (shout out to the entire collective), I'm glad I've got friends like you all to keep me honest and who are not be afraid to tell me directly and indirectly when I'm being a stubborn, feeling sorry for myself, unconstructive asshole.

From the American Conservative magazine…

http://www.amconmag.com/2004_11_08/cover1.html

And my favorite passage, in the last paragraph

"George W. Bush has come to embody a politics that is antithetical to almost any kind of thoughtful conservatism. His international policies have been based on the hopelessly naïve belief that foreign peoples are eager to be liberated by American armies—a notion more grounded in Leon Trotsky’s concept of global revolution than any sort of conservative statecraft. His immigration policies—temporarily put on hold while he runs for re-election—are just as extreme. A re-elected President Bush would be committed to bringing in millions of low-wage immigrants to do jobs Americans “won’t do.” This election is all about George W. Bush, and those issues are enough to render him unworthy of any conservative support."

scary to think its been 30 years. read the comments at the end of this article,
geeks are not alone
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3655627.stm

This was sent to The Institute for Planetary Consciousness Board Members… I removed the obnoxious purple text

SpaceLife Institute
Consciousness Is The Only Medicine Against Violence

Dear Friends

For the scientific development of human consciousness its "functional
aspect" is of the same importance as its "bio-physical aspect": it is
important to search for the bio-physical origin of consciousness, but it
is also important to practice techniques that help to awaken human
consciousness. One of the main techniques that awakens consciousness is
watching (witnessing). Human beings have the capacity to watch and
become aware of the way the mind functions, and to watch and become
aware of body movements and breathing. Watching is an individual
research method that leads to a conscious experience of the world. It is
a method that allows human beings to grow beyond religious, national and
racial conditioning.

History and today situation in the world confirm that violence can not
be uprooted with violence. Consciousness Is The Only Medicine Against
Violence. Scientific development of human consciousness is a mission of
our institute, we are inviting you for cooperation. Do not hesitate to
contact us for any further information. More about our institute see on
home page "http://www.directscientificexperience.com"

Best Wishes,

Director, Amrit S. Sorli