5-minute Glasto Poem

Pixies, dragons, elephants, cows
Hippies, chai, farmers, ploughs

Girls, falafael, tents, beer
Anger, love, anxiety, fear

Poppers, acid, weed, mud
Whisky, tears, music, blood

Days and nights blend into one
When you are a Glasto bum

And 5 days on without a shower
When you barely have the power
To skin a joint
Or see that band
Or hold your new friends by the hand

There's only one place you want to be

Back at home, drinking tea.

Land of the Frogs

France

Undoubtedly this is a country of extremes. Extremes in terms of the geography the landscape, and extremes in terms of the experiences and the people.
France is a country that has exceedingly good things, but also ridiculously bad. The people range from the warm and friendly to the arrogant and ignorant.
In an attempt for you to create your own image of France and to tie it in with the experience of the last week here are the key phrases and words that link the experiences with the impressions.
Nice-Pebble Beach-Topless Women-Michael Jackson-FA cup Final-Executive suite-Rooftop Dinner-Champagne-Year anniversary-One way streets-irratic driving-Monaco Grand Prix-Rich and plastic-Cold shower on the beach-Cannes-Film festival-U2-Borat impressions-Beers-Wannabe rich-Luxury Camping-Grasse-Car Park-Baking Sun-Sofitel rooftop pool-Valentino party man-Panoramic view-Luxury yachts- Marina-Marquees-Jam of the traffic variety-Alpine Rally-Radisson-Room with a view- 39th floor-Exemplorary room service-Virgil Symposium-Espace Tete dor-equisit hostess-Camp French blokey-Short Client-Happy Short Client-No room-Hilton last resort-Champions league football-Hilton Casino-Blackjack-Big win-Mini bar raid-TGV-Wrong station-RER-Accordian players-10 Euros-Ridiculous airport-ridiculous staff-ridiculous set up-illogical practice-mosquito plane-spotty hostess-Back in the land of the Fat.

This was one of the most striking reverse culture shocks I have experienced, considering the period of travel was just a short 1 week. The difference in the average size of human from the south of France to the North of England, in particular Manchester airport out side all the pie shops (Pizza Hut, Burger King etc) was ridiculous. Going from tanned, fit slim, healthy looking people, to pasty, fat, lazy, wasters that littered the airport. I myself felt physically sick on arrival, and now realise that our country has some serious issues to address.

Riding

href="http://farm.static.flickr.com/207/485339938_5a06d3b49a.jpg"

rode at chicksands on sat. was good

Sierra Nevada

Hello,
Well myself, Ali, Ash, Mel, Tom, Jimi T and Skates are back from Spain which quite frankly was superb. The area is fantastic with the cool city of Granada and the Sierra Nevada Mountains within about 25mins of each other. 5 days was spent exploring the area under the guide of Ali who learned the trails during his time with Ford over there. Definitly heading back soon.

Social Change

How about this?

Step 1. Calculate the level of emissions that Man can produce without contributing to global warming. Call this level the Emissions Ceiling.

Step 2. Identify a country that currently produces at the Emissions Ceiling.

Step 3. Impose global laws to bring about forced regression of development on all countries currently above the ceiling level to bring them down to the level of the country identified in Step 2.

Step 4 (optional). Provide (genuine) development aid to all countries significantly below the ceiling level to bring them up to the ceiling.

Result. All the world's nations live equitably and we no longer have to worry about global warming.

Prognosis. Not gonna happen. Those of us who live in the First World are no way going to be prepared to reduce our standard of living to one which is compatible with life at the Emissions Ceiling, perhaps one comparable to today's Tanzania.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and in our predominant capitalist world ('our' as in 'belonging to those of us who are fortunate enough to, by choice, live in and benefit from it, as opposed to those who are oppressed by it or slaves to it') necessity means 'economic necessity'. Until a solution to global warming is economically imperative, the policy tinkers and often misinformed, often half-hearted (though laudable) individual efforts will do nothing to reduce our emissions and change our society to the benefit of our planet.

Having said that, it doesn't mean that we should stop our misinformed and half-hearted efforts. Perhaps the global warming phenomenon is a genius ruse created by some social philanthropist who wants us all to rediscover the adventure in overland travel (rather than the teleportation of air travel), or to get all the fat people walking and riding bikes rather than using 4x4s. This is certainly my hope!

Ridin - no pics

Ok, what a great weekend for weather.
Friday - went shopping
Saturday - rode in Swinley, managed to do a step down i have done once before, but had the fear after i landed it front wheel first and rolled on the front whell for 10 metres, so, 3 months later i have done it. on my 4x bike, its frightening, shoots you up in the air and down in to a left hand corner so a bit of a hip. really nice and glad to have got that done. then i just rode lots of local trails with a friend. Was nice, fast trails and good traction. then went shopping in london for my sisters wedding

Sunday, ran and then rode with the girlfriend.

Monday, went to the Bull track in kent. It was fun. an ok DH track but then jump city, lots and lots of trails, managed al most all the trails, they were all at least 10 in a row, ranging from super small and tight, really tech landings and no time for the next. that was great, the flow once i had them dialled was really nice. just went in slow.

then a much bigger set with some sniper landings, but they were easier

i saved my self something for next time... a huge 10-15, gap... (i think) i have done one that size before in FOD a few times, but this was much more built up. so i am going to try next time, annoyed i didnt do it.

good to ride after hurting my back, neck and head last week. and good to ride both long travel bikes and hard tails

now hopefully i have found someone to swap by session for a 224.

All Change!

"....I feel like i'm riding on the back of a tandem at the moment, furiously working away, getting somewhere but not quite in control of what is going on!....."

Since my last entry i have been continuing to consume the earths natural resources by commuting 100miles a day. Combining that with flights up to Preston twice a month I have been going out of my way to really give mother earth a good kicking.

Whether I agree or disagree with Global Warming i don't know. I think its hyped up beyond belief and after watching the Global Warming Swindle program I thought, yeah, they've got a point.

However I also think these programs are obviously biased to make you think that way. After watching Loosechange 9/11 i thought the whole World Trade Center collapse was a controlled explosion and the whole American Government should face the death penalty. After watching the Global Warming Swindle I thought that the government were theifing bastards for all the "green taxes" and i'm off out to buy a 4x4 to really show my contempt at the knee jerk reactions of the media!

Whether they are right or wrong, to be honest it makes no odds. The main issue really is that this doesn't excuse our generation depleating the earths resources like we do and anything we can do to minimise pollution has to be a good thing right?

Well, i'm getting there. This afternoon I am walking into my bosses office and handing in my notice. I have been fortunate enough to find a job closer to home, with a great company and a career jump with pay rise. Its taken time believe me! Its worth holding out for though, there have been a number of occasions over the past 6 months where i've nearly taken a job because it met some of my criterion but not all. I'm glad i waited.

So combined with moving on from the company i have been with since i graduated, starting a new career elsewhere, I have also suddenly found that i have agreed to move in with my girlfriend, my flat is on the market and we have had an offer accepted on a new house. I feel like i'm riding on the back of a tandem at the moment, furiously working away, getting somewhere but not quite in control of what is going on. The house is awesome. Lovely 3 bed early 1900's house right in the centre of town. The temptation to get excited is hard to fight. Anyone who is familiar with the house buying/selling process in England will appreciate that a lot of things can and all to often do go wrong.

So anyway, watch this space. Hope everyone has a fantastic easter.

Matt.

Global Warming

I actually do not know where to stand on this. To me it seems that there is a lot of a misinformation and supposition. If it is true then we should be ok as it will become more difficult to access our reserves and people will be more inclined to buy efficient cars, especially with the price of fuel. After reading Freakonomics i think we stand in good stead of getting out ok. Either fuel prices need to decrease or consumption must decrease and this will incentivise to use less use regardless of global warming, we will not be ablt to keep it up economically.

Regardless, reducing emissions is a great thing, breathing becomes easier and less chance of things like cancer.

What can one person do to reduce "global warming" if it is CO2 based? I for one could reduce but the world needs 1000's of me. So will this ever happen? Not through want/benefit of the planet but to keep ourselves alive, we are a selfish mammal, our impact is larger than any other but that is also just natures way, we are all out to survive.

We could talk aboout where did it all start, Big Bang / God?

Global Warming

If anyone saw "the Global Warming Swindle" on channel 4 a short time ago, it would have at the very least sparked a few minutes of deep thought. This has however fascinated me, causing a few weeks of careful thought and analysis. The fact one of the most media frenzied theories of our modern day could be simply have been born out of media hype is surely worth looking into. Especially when these thoeries are being challenged by some of the most well respected figures within the scientific community.

Here's the beef: Earth's 4.5 billion year history is one long story of climate change. This fact is pretty much accepted by those who think global warming is a natural process, and those who think it's caused by man.
In more recent history there has been: a mini ice age in the seventeenth century when the Thames froze so solidly that fairs could regularly be held on the ice; a Medieval Warm Period, even balmier than today; and sunnier still was the so-called Holocene Maximum, which was the warmest period in the last 10,000 years.

Those who think global warming is a natural process point to the fact that in the last 10,000 years, the warmest periods have happened well before humans started to produce large amounts of carbon dioxide.
A detailed look at recent climate change reveals that the temperature rose prior to 1940 but unexpectedly dropped in the post-war economic boom, when carbon dioxide emissions rose dramatically.

There is some evidence to suggest that the rise in carbon dioxide lags behind the temperature rise by 800 years and therefore can't be the cause of it.
In the greenhouse model of global warming, heat from the sun's rays is trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. If it weren't for these gases, Earth would be too cold for life.

Greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun within the earth's atmosphere. This is the greenhouse effect. Traditional models predict that increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases lead to runaway heating.
If greenhouse warming were happening, then scientists predict that the troposphere (the layer of the earth's atmosphere roughly 10-15km above us) should heat up faster than the surface of the planet, but data collected from satellites and weather balloons doesn't seem to support this.

Those who think global warming is a natural process say that the troposphere is not heating up because man-made greenhouse gases are not causing the planet to heat up.
For some people, the final nail in the coffin of human-produced greenhouse gas theories is the fact that carbon dioxide is produced in far larger quantities by many natural means: human emissions are miniscule in comparison. Volcanic emissions and carbon dioxide from animals, bacteria, decaying vegetation and the ocean outweigh our own production several times over.

Others would argue that carbon dioxide isn't the only greenhouse gas and that human emissions could tip up a finely balanced system.
New evidence shows that that as the radiation coming from the sun varies (and sun-spot activity is one way of monitoring this) the earth seems to heat up or cool down. Solar activity very precisely matches the plot of temperature change over the last 100 years. It correlates well with the anomalous post-war temperature dip, when global carbon dioxide levels were rising.

In fact, what is known of solar activity over the last several hundred years correlates very well with temperature. This is what some scientists are beginning to believe causes climate change. Others feel that solar activity only explains the fine details of temperature change.

So how does the sun affect the earth's temperature? The process scientists suggest is that as earth moves through space, the atmosphere is constantly bombarded by ever-present cosmic rays. As these particles hit water vapour evaporating from the oceans, clouds form in the atmosphere. Clouds shield Earth from some of the sun's radiation and have a cooling effect.

When solar activity is high, there is an increase in solar wind and this has the effect of reducing the amount of cosmic radiation which reaches Earth.
When less cosmic radiation reaches Earth, fewer clouds form and the full effects of the sun's radiation heats the planet.
But is the effect of solar activity really enough to explain away global warming caused by the greenhouse effect?

What do you reckon? Its a interesting set of theories that need paying close attention to. For the meantime taking close head on our emissions, and conserving our environment are clearly key ingredients to healthy living. However, maybe we don't need to be quite a worried as perhaps we thought.

The Lions Find a Lioness

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Three Lions

RAAAARRRRRRRRGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Project managment - Sink or Swim

The last 9 days have been a true test of ones Metal. An extreme learning curve where a plethora of skills have been stretched to maximum capacity!
Madrid saw the start of this, 4 days in a hot humid working enviroment, stood for hours on end in a sweaty hall, liasing with a crazy spanish electrian, an israeli organiser, a team of germans, and a crew of english (with "special needs") and our American clients. Needless to say the work was long and testing of the most patient persons reserve.

However, we did get to see the Bernabeu stadium right next to hour luxurious hotel, drink champagne every night and eat at the best resteraunts in town. Saturday night capped things off with VIP entry in CAPITAL one of Europes premier clubs, free champagne, rubbing shoulders with Mardids rich and famous.

Sleep deprived, there was no rest for the wicked, 4 hours in the office in Sheffield and straight on the plane to Paris, to project manage the most disorganised show ever witnessed. The parisian style of operating is quite something in certain instances! Every thing is crammed into eh smallest space possible, everybody smokes like a frickin chimney. All the cafe tables are the size of a playing card....... the waiters are comedy, as witnessed by Mr Seelig! One waiter attempting to run me over with a table, afterwhich we rudely laughed in his face as he asked in comedy french whether or not we might like an aperitif! (Its definitely a had to be there moment!) There is a list of things as long as my arm that make no sense, however this in essence what makes it an interesting and charming place.

I feel my french has improved beyond recogniti0n in just the last 24 hours, and endless stream of problems had to be sorted out with the French. But eventually everything was completed on time..... Had the worst Indian takeaway curry last night. Took it back - they claimed they had had anyone complain in the last 27 years! THe likes of monsieur Jaques Shirac had eaten there. Yeah right whatever you pompous self righteous Indian tosser. (I have a problem with some Indians..... not all I have some good Indian friends, however some of them claim that what ever they do touch etc etc is always the best, the very best, they all think they are the next entrepreneur / business man legend, when infact they are just a Tosser, excentuating their own self worth by claiming to be said legend.

Anyway rant over, gotta dash for a taxi to take the TGV down to Lyon. At least its a first class ticket.......! Man I need some kip!

Greeting to all who read this.........

www.nissan-QASHQAIchallenge.com

doing something new

in response to Dougs post. I managed a drop i had only done on my fs bike. Did it finally on a hardtail. i could get my freeride measuring tape out but it made me crap myself as it is about 6-7ft down and probably the same across over gap that has been cut out so you can not come up short, plus it had been made longer. I watched one my friends do it so I had to do it. butter smooth. 0" of travel. Finding the joys of riding the hardtail again, especially on the local trails.

London Night Out - May 11, 200SEVEN

Looking back, I just realized that I have known most of the contributors to this blog for SEVEN years. Time moves too quickly! I think it's rare to stay in touch with such a group of people considering our transatlantic rift. Have been happy to participate in multiple LAD-Ventures over the years - the latest of which was in Fernie. These have been excellent times!

Things do change however - and I will be embarking on a new phase in life. Moving back home to Montreal and away from Vancouver/Whistler *sigh*. As most of you know, I'll be travelling from May through August. My first stop is in London. I invite you all to come down so we can reunite once more for a loving it night out. The date is Friday May 11. I do hope all of you can make it. Will be in touch sooner to the date and consult you all on the best place to go.

Til then, keep loving yourselves.
ta,
mengels

ps: this blog is genius. good job banks.

best day of the season !

Verbier last Saturday. 20cm of fresh on a nice base.







Shame we didn't get more photos of us skiing, but we were too busy enjoying ourselves I guess!

NO AIMS NO GAINS

This should have happened at the birth of this splendid year.

However I challenge you all to write down 5 things..........Yes just 5 things that you aim to start and see through to the completion by the dawn of 2008!

Here are my 5:

1. See the inauguration of DougBanksPhotography, with professional portfolio and first money making assignment
2. Learn a 5th Language to a good standard - at the moment its a toss up between Portuguese / Spanish and Polish
3. Not take a single day off work sick!
4. At 27 I believe I am at my physical prime and therefore wish to complete a triathlon even though just 6 months ago I could barely swim 2 lengths in the pool. I'm up to 16 lengths of the 33m pool now at Goodwin!
5. Take up a new hobby..... At the moment I'm keen on Capoeira / Bee Boy dancing, or something similar for pure comedy.

Please post your 5, and motivate yourself go an DOOOOO ITTTTTTT!

Ha ha ha!

England 26 - Frogs 18

Diggin it in Dublin - Diamond in the muff

As the clock struck twelve and Feb span into March I sunk another Guinness in Dublin's fair city where the girls are so " ..." .... well they'd better be after that much alcohol! Just returned from a 4 day stag weekend where booze units topped hours of sleep. That clubbin scene recalled some quality nights out in Sheffield - a reminder that the year of the lad still has plenty to live up to.

EVO

Am going to test drive one of these this week or next