Happy New Year

Change.
But start slowly, because direction is more important than speed.
Sit in another chair, on the other side of the table.
Later on, change tables.
When you go out, try to walk on the other side of the street. Then change your route, walk calmly down other streets, observing closely the places you pass by.
Take other buses. Change your wardrobe for a while; give away your old shoes and try to walk barefoot for a few days - even if only at home.
Take off a whole afternoon to stroll about freely, listening to the birds or the noise of the cars.
Open and shut the drawers and doors with your left hand.
Sleep on the other side of the bed. Then try sleeping in other beds.
Watch other TV programs, read other books, live other romances - even of only in your imagination.
Sleep until later. Go to bed earlier.
Learn a new word a day.
Eat a little less, eat a little more, eat differently; choose new seasonings, new colors, things you have never dared to experiment.
Lunch in other places, go to other restaurants, order another kind of drink and buy bread at another bakery.
Lunch earlier, have dinner later, or vice-versa.
Try something new every day: a new side, a new method, a new flavor, a new way, a new pleasure, a new position.
Pick another market, another make of soap, another toothpaste.
Take a bath at different times of the day.
Use pens with different colors.
Go and visit other places.
Love more and more and in different ways. Even when you think that the other will be frightened, suggest what you have always dreamed about doing when you make love.
Change your bag, your wallet, your suitcases, buy new glasses, write other poems.
Open an account in another bank, go to other cinemas, other hairdressers, other theaters, visit new museums.
Change. And think seriously of finding another job, another activity, work that is more like what you expect from life, more dignified, more human.
If you cannot find reasons to be free, invent them: be creative.
And grab the chance to take a long, enjoyable trip - preferably without any destination.
Try new things. Change again. Make another change. Experiment something else.
You will certainly know better things and worse things than those you already know, but that does not matter. What matters most is change, movement, dynamism, energy.
Only what is dead does not change - and you are alive.

3 out of 10 was a bit disappointing

Take the Quiz

People to Hate

Scapegoats

Click on the heads of the ousted CEO's to see their story, how much you should hate them and their comeback potential.

Recipie for Skill Building

4 middle age men with MTBs(one slightly more aged than the rest)
Generous portion of night
2 dying or dead batteries
1 Rooty trail

Directions:
Ride fast, ride slow, have fun, follow Big Worm as closely as you can, Don't lead. Don't follow Big Jim. Don't shine your light on Spanish Mackerels butt. After 2 to 2.5 hrs you should have plenty of fatigue, a few good memories and a bit more skill.

Yeah!

I have exactly enough work shirts and pants left so I can just throw then out as they get (even more) dirty. A real nice feeling, and less laundry!

100% more

Time is soooo short. Looks like I will have to work right up to the 24th due to customs in Jax holding up our accent tile. I knew I should have ordered the non-cocaine laced grout.

On the more exciting news front though is this: Remember a few posts ago when I mentioned an organization called ZamBikes? Well I sent them an email to say hi, and that I'd like to see them when I'm in Zambia. Dustin Mcbride, one of the founders, emailed me back to say he'd welcome the visit and - here's the coolest part - Daryl Funk and Craig Calfee are gonna be there around that same time. Daryl is working on a trailer to go with his Eco-Truck bike design and Craig is starting a bamboo bike project there. How cool is that!

So here is another plug for you check these guys out. Owning a bike can increase the income of your average Zambian by 100% or more. It can help a rural doctor or nurse visit 3 times as many patients. They make a really big impact. And they don't cost that much.

The real nice thing abotu Zambikes though is that they do not give the bikes away. They have a microfinance program set up so that they can be purchased. And they are training mechanics and working towards training Zambians to build bikes. It's the beggining of an industry, which is what Zambia needs. Who knows, maybe my next road bike will be bamboo.

Why Doesn't John Harvey have a blog?

John Harvey answered all my questions in less that 200 words in a comment on WB's blog. I get a similarly warm and fuzzy feeling from Ken Fosters emails on bikeposse. They are the only two people I have ever heard talk about local trails that seemed to have a balanced view, knew what they were talking about and had talked to local officials about said issues.

This is 2009 isn't it? We'll probably be clearing trails with light sabers in a couple of years so why not use some of this new fangled technology to disseminate some info? FOTL tried to create a forum for discussion on their website but it didn't work. Tallahassee is too small. Blogs are great because first you have to post and discussion can happen around the post.

We have leaders, real leaders, amongst us who are working on these issues without ego or ulterior motive. It's time to follow. If you want to be a leader then learn from them for a few years and and take their place. But you gotta pay your dues first if you want me to follow you.

Please stop confusing the issue

If you hire an expert to do something, let him do it.

For years and years mtb trails in tally were built and maintained by local greats like John Harvey and Ken Foster and Kent Whittington. (stop your smirking, and choke down that 180, yes I said Kent Whittington. Revolutions definitely did their part back in the day)

These guys and others built great trails, trails we still ride. Without committee, without approval of the masses and without much help. Do you think they could have accomplished their task if they had to listen to 20 or 30 MTBers tell them how to do it? NO. Let me repeat that, NO.

Shut up and let Chuck and Woody and one or two locals who know their shit build some damn trail. When they are done say "Thanks" and go ride.

More Bro picks

Buy on a down swing. That's the latest gem from my brother. I wish I had listened to that advice three weeks ago. I reinvested about 1/2 of my retirement account and the next day the DJIA drops 5%. The market is so volitile right now, if your gonna buy, buy on a down day, it almost guarantees a short term return on your money, which feels a hell of a lot better than a short term loss.

He also reccommends CX. It's all about infrastructure. Look at AA's P/E ratio vs their projected growth in EPS - it's sick how undervalued it is, imho. How about other stocks related to the stimulus plan? These Guys have been tracking them for a few months. Let me know if you find an electric grid stock you really like.

Some Hippie BS I like

By Paulo Coelho

The warrior of the light always manages to balance Rigor and Mercy. To attain his dream he needs to have a strong will - as well as an immense capacity of self-surrender.

Although he has an objective, the road to reach it is not always the one he imagines, so he has to use discipline and compassion. God never abandons his children - but the designs of Providence are unfathomable.

So, for the warrior of the light nothing is abstract. Everything is concrete and everything concerns him.

He does not sit in the comfort of his tent observing what is going on in the world, but accepts each challenge as an opportunity to transform himself.

Some of his companions spend their lives criticizing the lack of options or commenting on the decisions of others. The warrior, however, turns his thought into action.

Sometimes he makes mistakes, and pays the price of his error. Other times he strays from the path and wastes a lot of time getting back to the original destination.

But a warrior does not become distracted, because he knows what he is looking for.

Morning Rhumba

If you've never been to Southern Africa you've missed out on one of the great musical fusions of all time - African Rhumba. This video, posted by ZamBikes celebrates the music and the great utility of the bicycle in Africa. I'm really starting to like this organization. Africans building bikes for Africans - awesome.

Submacopter

Submacopter

Charity

Have you seen the new themes available for your igoogle page? They're called "themes for causes" and they all relate to different charities. They're cool themes and highlight some organizations I've never heard of.

One theme is for Doctors without Borders (Medicins Sans Frontieres). I've never donated to MSF and I'm not sure why. I think it's a great idea. A travelling Doctor and Dentist came to my village in Zambia and it was both sad and inspiring. People walked 30km to be seen. The lines were huge all day. I saw one woman walk into the clinic blind from cataracts and walk out a short time later seeing for the first time in years. I'd never seen joy like that before. I never thought of dentists as really being able to make a difference until that day. If you've ever had tooth pain that needed a root canal you know how blinding the pain can be. Without dentists villagers have to gut it out. The dentists who came to my village relieved or prevented that pain for hundreds that day. I would really like to support MSF but giving money blindly to an organization is not really my thing though.

If anyone has had any experience with MSF and can tell me the best way to give, please leave a comment or email me.

Ever since serving in the USPC I have been very reluctant to give to large charities. I've seen the waste, lack of effectiveness and sometimes damage done first hand, regardless of what the annual report says.

I think charity on a person to person level, or small organization level like a church or local club is excellent. But when things get to big and stop being local there is a huge chance for corruption and waste. Have you ever wondered why the billions of dollars we pour into development aid doesn't seem to work? A big reason is that there is no economic incentive for it to stop. In fact there is a huge economic and political incentive to make sure it never stops. Literally hundreds of thousands of people are employed by the development aid system. This includes Government workers, "volunteers", Host Country Nationals, Politicians... this list is big. They all make their livings from this pool of aid money. If aid works, they lose their job. And for people working in developing countries, these are really plush jobs. I don't mean to make the system, or the people in it, out to be selfish or evil because they're not. The system is just flawed in that way.

I there are of course other reasons large scale aid doesn't work: Large aid donations give western countries influence and control over developing nations, people often don't value anonymous charity, large donations of goods, like thousands of tons of food aid, undermines the local market for these goods, keeps prices depressed and stops economic progress.

Bottom line is when you give, you have to be careful. You have to be informed, or trust the advice of someone who is (and that's not a shameless plug, it's just the truth). Of course, if all you want is the tax deduction and don't care about the effectiveness of your donation, then by all means... flush away.

By the way, while doing a bit of net surfing while writing this post I found this organization. If you want to support a bike related aid organization (and yes bikes do make a huge difference to a rural villager) these guys seem to have their head on straight, at least at first blush. I'll definitely be visiting them when I get to Zambia.

Nice Idea

What a great use for things like sms and twitter: Ushahdi

STX is up 40% from last week

I should have listened.

Small World

So I put the word out that I'm going to Africa and here's what I find out:

3 people I know are currently living in Africa
2 people I know are moving to Africa soon, like next month soon.
A friend is getting married, in Africa, in August.
Another half dozen of my friends are going to the wedding.

Nutty.

Also my buddy Hunter, who I completely forgot rode his motorcycle from Zambia to Cairo after the peace corps, emailed me the other day. The candy shotgun was his idea actually. Hunter used to call me "uncle paul" which he meant with love but I hated 'cause it made me feel old. But now I have a 4 year old niece who calls me uncle Paul and I love it. Her name is Katie Rose and that's her picture from last Christmas. She loves anything princess and being bossy and is already using my brothers laptop. She's 4.

They Throw Rocks at You in Ethiopia

That's what I've been told by several people. Kids, young ones, teenagers, all of em. They throw rocks at you as you pass. No one knows why. Know one knows how to stop them. I'm thinking of mounting a candy shotgun to my bars. Or maybe some kind of candy sling shot. Maybe it will distract them, or hurt them. Either works for me. I can't be held responsible for my actions if a 75 lb Ethiopian kid hits me with a rock. Can you carry a skittle gun onto an airplane?

Oh Yeah!!

We all get over enthusiastic sometimes. We get inspired and are filled with energy and wind up taking on more than we should. When I first became president of the Atomic Race Team two years ago that wasn't really the case. I wasn't particularly inspired to work and raise money so a bunch of middle class, middle age, white men could dress in spandex and go around in circles on their bikes. Even if I was one of them. But someone had to be president and I was the sucker who raised his hand.

Don't misunderstand me, I love bike racing. On road, off road, commuting... it doesn't really matter. I think the sport is totally worthy of support and more people should be encouraged to try it. But I joined Atomic to support the sport, not to be supported. Maybe this seems like a minor point to some, but to me it is a big one. I didn't want to be given anything, I wanted to give to those who needed it.

I had, and have, a strong desire to throw my heart and soul into something that can become bigger than me, that has the ability to help people I haven't met yet, and might never meet. Maybe that's true of everyone, but it doesn't seem that way to me. What I mostly see is people working hard to benefit themselves, and maybe a few of their friends. I needed to be a part of something that had some sense of social responsibility as its prime mover.

So after a year as president, and doing very little, I got inspired. I began to see the junior program, which had begun to grow again thanks to Tom G, as a great capacity building tool that really could change lives. I realized that kids and parents really needed support and direction. I began to understand that promoting a race could be as much about building community as it could be about winning. I got inspired, I was filled with energy, and I got overenthusiastic. Some feelings were hurt, some undue stress was caused, and of course I regret that. But I think Atomic took a step in the right direction this year. We took a step away from pretending to be an "elite" group of racers and a step towards what has always been the best thing about Atomic: it's sense of community, it's ability to promote races and it's junior program.

The junior program, under the leadership of Tom G, is stronger than ever. Last year the team raised more money than it ever has and consequently sent more kids to road camp than ever and sent kids to mtb camp for the first time, ever. And it was not just one or two people raising funds, the whole team contributed by spreading the word and soliciting sponsors. Sunshine Cycles and Joe's Bike Shop provided the team with a very generous and unprecedented level of sponsorship. We bought, bartered and traded to get bikes and gear for kids who needed them. We put on safety demos at schools. We even hosted our own fall training camp in Dahlonega and spring camp in PCB. The team reimbursed more race fees to juniors than ever before and the junior racers themselves are developing fast, racing well and having fun doing it. Our juniors are good, talented kids that are a credit to the sport.

We promoted not one, but two race weekends, one road and one cyclocross. Jim and Kristen led the charge to promote the first ever criterium in the middle of downtown Tallahassee, a huge undertaking that burned up a lot of their vacation days and weekends. The downtown crit really had a sense of community about it. I think we came really close to hosting an ideal event and developed a great relationship with city officials and the Mayors office in the process. It promoted cycling in the city and surrounding counties by combining forces with CCC and becoming the Big Bend Cycling Festival and really created a buzz. Kristen even got on NPR with Mark Koch and spent an hour talking about cycling related issues in Tallahassee. Jim just promoted his second 'cross race in Tallahasse and I think everyone would agree that it was awesome.

We also hosted a weekly practice crit that allowed juniors and new comers to mix with more experienced riders, get some racing experience and and maybe even win some money. The practice crit and training camps, which could never have happened without the dedication of Tom G, really added to the teams sense of unity. With everyone so busy with their 9-5 lives it's hard to build team unity and these events really helped everyone get to know each other and support one another.

Looking back its seems hard to believe we accomplished so much. Although many of these things were done without the benefit of my help, I am very proud to have been a part of the team this past year. I hope the team continues, as it has for 8 years now, to promote races, support the sport of bike racing and help develop new junior riders. I hope they continue down the path of social responsibility and continue to distance themselves from any idea of being "elite" or exclusive. And I hope they kick ass, win every race they can and have fun doing it.