In Praise of Older Bikes!

     During the splendid cycling weather in late summer and early fall, I was pedalling my carbon fibre Trek 5000 (below) along Ontario's Oak Ridges Moraine, when it occurred to me that among my current inventory of ten bikes this was the only "new" one. Then with something of a shock, I realized that in this case "new" meant 8 years old! Upon further reflection I came to the realization  and with an even greater shock that my second newest bike is 22 years old. I therefore decided to go through my bike inventory and give a brief description and provenance of each. 

1). 2005 Carbon Fibre Trek 5000.

Trek 5000 18 speed road race bicycle; purchased new in 2005. It features the same frame as that used by Lance Armstrong and others in the 1999 Tour de France. 

Extremely light -about 17 pounds. Note hollow pedal shaft.

2). 1991 Shogun Prairie Breaker.

 21 speed Shogun Prairie Breaker "Team Issue" mountain bike was bought new in 1991. At the time this model was top of the Shogun line and used by their factory race team. I used it for several years thrashing around the rugged trails and hills in the region. Having miraculously survived the appalling abuse it has now been somewhat tamed. 

Now "civilised' with new bars, gear-shifters and road tyres it used for local trail riding, shopping and everyday transport .

Also used for local tours and general transport as part of my camping ensemble.

3). 1987 Bianchi Vittoria.

Purchased new in 1987, this Bianchi Vittoria was my first real racing bike. In 2000 the original 12 speed Campagnolo Victory was updated with an 18 speed Campagnolo Veloce group. Always a favorite it has been ridden further than any of my other bikes. The precise total is not known but well over 30000km.  

As can be seen, the original Bianchi Celeste colour has withstood the rigours remarkably well

The Veloce chainwheel and front derailleur.

4). 1975 Dawes Kingpin.

Purchased new in England in 1975, was originally configured as a no-nonsense heavy shopping bike. Modified in 2000 to "hot rod" status with alloy rims, seat post, stem, bullhorn handlebars plus Profile TT bars, high performance tyres, Pantour suspension front hub. Complete Campagnolo Victory 6-speed rear derailleur transmission removed from the Bianchi (above), . Modifications saved 10 lb over the original! Over several years used on occasions on club rides with conventional bicycles.   

2012 shot showing revised water bottle cage and pump mount. Front wheel with Shimano 105 hub.


In addition to normal road riding used as back up for towing a WIKE shopping trailer

Current configuration in December 2013 with upright bars, Primo Comet tyres and a Shimano 105 rear derailleur . 

5). 1987 Norco Monterey

 12-speed Norco Monterey bought for the good reputation of the frame and fork. Rebuilt from ground up as a lightweight "credit card" tourer with new wheels including 8-speed Shimano internal hub, Axiom mudguards and rear rack, "recycled" 1980 Campagnolo brakes, chainwheel and cranks.

   

With Cannondale panniers fitted.


Shimano Nexus 8-speed hub installation


6). 1980 Nishiki Ultimate.

 1980 12 speed Nishiki Ultimate featuring race frame and forks acquired locally for conversion into a high performance "fixie".


Fixed gear Nishiki. Ridden extensively for 8 years in this configuration.

2013 conversion into an early 20th century "Scorcher" lookalike. Glossy black powder-coated frame and forks and Schwalbe Cream Delta Cruiser tyres

Three quarter view showing brass bell -plus period handlebars.


7). 1973 Raleigh Twenty.

One of two 1973 Raleigh Twenty folders purchased from "Africycle", an humanitarian charity which supports cycling initiatives in Malawi.  This one has been restored to original specification except for tyres.

Now in daily use as "exective transport" for my daughter who is CEO of a therapeutic farm which caters to people with various mental and physical challenges.

She sometimes picks up hitch hikers too!


8). 1973 Raleigh Twenty.

Second Raleigh Twenty folder which has been modified with new lighter wheels, seatpost, stem and handlebars. mudguards removed and gearing lowered. Total weight saving 6lb. Excellent for local riding and towing WIKE trailer (behind). See also previous description of Dawes Kingpin.

Manufacturing date of the Sturmey Archer hub on hub shell (73:1)


Schwalbe tyres are fitted to both Raleigh Twenties


9). & 10). 1973 Mens & 1979 Ladies Raleigh Sports.

Two Raleigh Sports were acquired at no charge!! They had been stored in a saw mill for about 30 years and were about to be scrapped! Underneath all the sawdust and surface detritus two very restorable bikes appeared.

1973 men's Raleigh Sports after restoration


The chrome is nearly as it was when new.


1979 ladies Raleigh Sports after restoration.


Chrome work and paint restored to nearly new condition.



A,amazing what a bit of TLC can accomplish

The ladies Raleigh Sports was manufactured in Canada (see sticker on bottom of seat tube).

Both bicycles are now in virtually as-new condition and ready for another 40 years of service!

My daughter and me riding the two Raleigh Sports in the Toronto Tweed Ride.

That concludes my current  inventory. However to conclude, here are several additional bicycles that have recently formed part of it but have now moved on; 

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11). 1990-ish Universal Folder

1990 or thereabouts Polish built Universal folder. When received it was non-operational, but a few hours of maintenance returned it to riding condition. Lacks the build quality and durability of the Raleigh folders. Since it was of little use to me, it was donated to Africycle.  

Quite a compact fold but the hinge could be better.

12). 2003 Urbanite Tourer

2003 Urbanite Tourer was purchased new from Urbane Cycles in Toronto. It was custom built to my specification as a full-on touring bicycle. However, as I am not likely to carry out any more loaded touring I disposed of it when I had built up the lighter and simpler Norco Monterey described above. The purchaser has a very fine machine that if looked after will last indefinitely.

It is also a fine all-season bicycle!

13). 1991 Miele Lupa.

My first attempt at a "fixie" Built up using my daughter's Miele Lupa frame and forks.

Very successful but a bit small for me.

14). 1991 Concorde Squadra.

Vintage Concorde Squadra frame and forks.  Amazingly acquired free of charge!! This design was used by the Dutch PDM national team between 1986 and 1992 including winning 1991 World Road Race Championship. Same frame size as Miele. Built up as a "fixie" using components transferred from the Miele Lupa above and given to my daughter. A beautiful machine!  

15). 1987-ish Velosport Courier 12.

!987 era Velosport Courier 12 speed. Overhauled and used initially as a single-speed shopping bike.

After purchase of trailer and fitting trailer attachment to Raleigh Twenty and Dawes Kingpin, this bike became redundant. Given to Africycle with derailleurs and panniers fitted. In excellent condition and perfect for use in Malawi.  

WIKE trailer rendered baskets redundant. High top tube and rear basket make mounting and dismounting difficult. The small wheeled folders with a step through frame are much more suited to the shopping role 

16). Brike recumbent tricycle. 

Last but not least a bizarre recumbent front wheel drive lean-steer tricycle called the Brike. Very cheaply constructed and aimed mainly at the younger set at campgrounds etc. Equipped as a single-speed and with an ineffective coaster brake. Much time spent in an attempt to make it roadworthy, including fitting of three speed Sturmey Archer internal gear, caliper front brake, new rear wheel with internal "roller brake", prototype of new seat. Many efforts made to improve the steering.  

View showing new rear wheel with roller brake and rear view of my revised seat concept. Design scheme to straighten the rear wheels was drawn up

Eventually ridden on roads but poor handling at speeds over 20 kph plus overall mediocre design and materials eventually caused me to lose interest. After deciding to part with it, a purchaser showed up immediately!    

Is it all about Conciousness?

    Over the past couple of years, in a number of posts I have touched on this and associated subjects. The following is intended in part as a consolidation and update of several of my earlier observations. 
The seemingly never-ending quest for the  origins of the Universe and our role within it has been and still is the enigma of the ages. However, the relatively recent emergence of Quantum Physics seems destined to solve many of its mysteries. However its non-intuitive nature and overall weirdness will in all probability introduce many new enigmas as it solves the old. One of its leading researchers once commented that  “If anyone tells you that they understand Quantum physics, doesn't understand Quantum Physics!”
Fundamentally, it contradicts the scientific dogma that we are purely mechanical entities, driven by genes and proteins. Now, it is becoming increasingly evident that we and the cosmos are all connected. The new science of particle physics has shown at the micro level that cosmic space variously referred to the Matrix, Cosmic Field, Ether and several others is not a vacuum as previously thought, but a seething mass of electro-magnetic waves and particles, popping into and out of existence and changing from one into the other. In other words, in addition to studying the macroscopic material world, there is increasing emphasis into that mysterious realm of sub-microscopic atomic layers. Known as the Unified Field and Super String Theory neither of which I pretend to understand, it is associated with research into the Big Bang theory.
One of the bizarre properties of Quantum physics can be seen in the famous double-slit experiment where it is shown that when photons are fired at a flat surface containing two slits towards another flat surface positioned a short distance in front of it, instead of the ensuing surface pattern being two strips of light there are several, referred to as an interference pattern. If now the flat surface is viewed through one of the slits, the resulting pattern now reverts to two simple strips as would have initially been expected. In other words, the particles seem to know that they are being watched! This fascinating experiment is covered in more detail on a number of YouTube videos. Here is an easy introduction:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfPeprQ7oGc
As another of the original researchers into quantum physics commented "-surely God doesn't play with dice!"
Another is the phenomenon of "entanglement". It has been shown that if two adjacent particles are now separated, regardless of the degree or distance of separation, any action on one particle will instantly occur on the other -not at light speed but instantaneously. This supports the assertion that, at least at the sub-atomic level, we are essentially one. So radical was this concept that it was sufficient to cause an alarmed Albert Einstein to comment that it was "spooky action from a distance". Although Quantum Physics is demonstrable and requires no declaration of faith, could its non-intuitive and "impossible" nature be a little Divine humor from God? 

It is now been suggested that this Matrix could be an expression of a universal consciousness or even intelligence. Indeed many refer to this as the Divine Matrix. For some time I have considered all this and wondered whether this could be the definitive answer to the eternal conundrum of where we came from and why.
Reviewing the foregoing, perhaps the most astounding hypothesis suggests that the cosmos with its ocean of electromagnetic particles is itself, our universal consciousness. Many report feeling something of this connection when looking up at a clear, starlit night sky. Along with the concept of connectedness, could it be that at the commencement of life, each human is essentially connected or "plugged in" to this consciousness where it remains for the duration of life at the conclusion of which the connection is severed.

Putting things into perspective. Cassini spacecraft view of Earth from the rings of Saturn

The Big Bang could have been the result of either of two alternative propositions. Possibly these too might themselves be connected:

1. It was initiated by a particle collision which resulted in a local collapse of the particle/wave formation into unstable particles producing a mass chain reaction. The colossal expansion would ultimately result in the Big Bang followed by the beginning of the generally accepted evolutionary process. This is merely my own hypothesis supported by little more than my own personal observations. 

2. The force referred to above as the Divine Matrix was the prime mover behind the Big Bang. This would have presumably have involved a fairly complex mathematics process leading to the perfection of the evolutionary equations. With all considerations in place, the celestial touch paper would be lit and things set in motion. 

Either alternative would follow the process of natural selection over the billions of years leading eventually to the point on the mammalian branch where the split with chimpanzees occurred. The new branch would follow its evolutionary path towards what would eventually become hominids. 

This is where things become interesting. These primitive humans would inevitably be a little rough around the edges. There would inevitably be some conflict between them in food-gathering, definition of territorial boundaries, sex, etc. Eventually over time, increasing brain capability and in the interest of less abrasive and counterproductive conduct, the radical concept of mutual collaboration might be evolved. 

Initially introduced as a logical way of introducing pragmatism in the struggle for survival, it would be recognized as being essential to their continuing advance. As a consequence it would become second nature, one of mutual support, fairness plus perhaps, feelings of well being. This would be the initial application of The Golden Rule or "do as you would be done by". Further along the evolutionary trail this could develop into a genuine altruistic attitude where to be mutually compassionate and caring would form a normal part of the human psyche and with it the concept of conscience and an awareness of the difference between right and wrong. Was this "conscience" merely an evolution of the mind or did it require a measure of spiritual course adjustment from the force of the Divine Matrix or are both manifestations of universal consciousness?  

Over thousands of years of continuing evolution, the first paintings, sculpture and music would appear in primitive form. Could these art forms spontaneously evolve into the amazingly complex classical creations of recent time. Are the inspired works of Michelangelo, da Vinci, Shakespeare, Shelley, Byron etc. naturally selected outcomes of evolution or have they required a further cosmic hand on the tiller? Even more remarkable are the truly exquisite, sophisticated, densely structured, mathematic creations of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart etc. Are they too merely a result of natural selection alone. 
Perhaps the most remarkable and quite unique manifestation is that of a sense of humour? How did laughter evolve -surely not from kookaburras and hyenas!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0ZbykXlg6Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONFi8N2FQsc

If the God of some traditional religion was solely responsible for all the diverse lifeforms, why is the work so flawed? Why are there thousands upon thousands of people suffering from countless diverse illnesses and bodily malfunctions? This can be seen in the full car parks outside every hospital and the waiting lists of those waiting for treatment. This is the best scenario. In many parts of the world, the availability of such a waiting list however long, would be a massive improvement on the status quo. This alone would seem to point strongly in favour of natural selection alone. Evolution has been and continues to be an ongoing transitioning of each life form hopefully to improve and eventually correct its shortcomings. 
The Divine Matrix alternative broadly follows the concept of Deism. In summary, Deists find that personal reasoning, the order and complexity of nature coupled with individual experiences of the amazing world in which we live, provides sufficient reason for belief. The emphasis is on free thinking and not so-called divine revelations and ancient holy texts.

Does this Divine Matrix possess any sympathy or compassion or is it a gigantic, disinterested onlooker? The notion of a part-time divinity is difficult to comprehend but is more logical when compared with traditional religious examples. Within the Abrahamic faiths in particular, the use of fear and primitive superstition are nothing more than devices to coerce, restrict individual thinking and control the mind. This brief list is shocking. Rather than offering help, support and love, in addition to the the lengthy list of "Thou shalt nots", the portfolio consists of warnings of divine retribution, torture, pain, hell-fire and damnation. 
The concept of worship is flawed too. What gives humanity the overweening arrogance to feel that this omniscient being called God possesses a fragile ego which needs repeatedly massaging by puny accolades? Why aren't expressions of sincere thanks and appreciation sufficient. Sycophantic groveling on the knees is demeaning and employed for mainly self-serving reasons aimed at securing itself a spot in eternity. 

Anyway, what is the fascination with eternal life? What and where does it take place? What is the schedule for eternity? The first 6 months might be acceptable but what about after 6, 60, 600 or 60000 years? At least Muslim males will have something to entertain them! It would seem that their heaven would also serve double-duty as hell for their 72 partners! Will they still be rutting away after 10000 years and beyond. Wear and tear must surely become a factor! 
As for myself I will be happy to rest in eternal oblivion. I was not aware of the year 1920 and didn't miss it one bit. The same can be said of 3 am last night. it fact I was glad to have been unaware of its passing!  

An unlikely alternative would be re-incarnation. However should it exist it would seem to involve a total erasure of the memory hard-drive and a start from scratch, devoid of any previously acquired wisdom. Moreover, prospects are looking increasingly uncertain for the world. There is increasing indication that there could be a tipping point in the not-too-distant future. Indeed from a meteorological point of view, we already seem to be closing in on it. 

I will finish as I began. The one possible source of enlightenment could come with a (currently unlikely) comprehensive understanding of Quantum Physics. Should this happen, all that remains is to convey its meaning to the world at large, an equally challenging task.

At the end of the day, does any of this really matter? Other other than human curiosity, why do we really need any of this knowledge, theological or otherwise? It makes no practical difference at all in our daily existence. As I see it, our lifetime's goal is to truly appreciate the privilege of being alive on this wonderful vibrant blue planet, to do the best we can in all our endeavours, to enthusiastically apply the Golden Rule in all dealings with each other, show respect to all living things and aim to leave this world in better state than it was before our arrival. 

Amen.

Bon Echo Provincial Park, Ontario.

Nature's Palette.

    In Southern Ontario, the late summer and early fall of 2013 has provided some of the best cycling weather that I can remember. From early September, day followed day of warm, largely sunny conditions in which I was more than happy to immerse myself as I pedalled northward towards the undulations of the Oak Ridges Moraine. Although this situation was frequently accompanied by strong winds it did little to adversely impact the idyllic environment; indeed the increase in pedalling effort required probably imparted additional fitness benefits. During this time, it was particularly rewarding to observe the progressive colour changes of a range of greenery to an amalgam of gold, red and yellow. 
   Why is nature's palette of colours is so appealing? In the height of summer the beautiful Canadian Shield country to the north to which full campgrounds and summer cottages bear witness, its rocks, shimmering lakes and green woodlands (with hopefully blue skies above!) provide highly desirable holiday locations for all but the most ardent of "townies".  Regardless of personal circumstances, virtually everyone enjoys this spiritually uplifting panoply of shades and tints, which collectively all provide such a restorative environment to those in need of an annual "recharging of the batteries".

Burleigh Falls.

    I have often wondered whether this universally positive response is an acquired taste or hard-wired into the system. Would we feel the same if the palette was revised? Would we feel the same if leaves were red, grass was blue and the sky green? Although entirely hypothetical could this combination ever produce such an equally positive response as the existing colour combination?

    Several years ago I had occasion to view the tar sands at Sydney N.S. where the water was of a decidedly different hue from that existing in the lakes of the Algonquin Highlands!! In fact the only likely thing to uplift the spirit in Sydney would be a glass containing a stiff shot of Scotch to overcome the shock of witnessing this lake of poisonous effluent.
    That being said, should there ever be (however unlikely), an occurrence of nature changing its colour protocol, I will immediately acquire some rose coloured spectacles and happily continue as if nothing had happened!

Evolution at the Gallop!

            Evolution tells us that humans evolved from a common ancestor ape which, about 6 million years ago, split into two branches, one of which subsequently became humans -whilst the other became chimpanzees which then further split into two; bonobos and common chimps. They are so similar that the bonobo is sometimes referred to as the pygmy or dwarf chimpanzee. 

            Since we are all transitional species I have wondered whether or when a split is likely to the human branch forming another related species. What might affect the rate of any such change and could this be occurring at a sufficiently rapidly as to be apparent during the course of say a couple of life spans? Within this time frame, which effectively takes us back to the mid 1900’s, thanks mainly to technological advances, our whole life experience has been developing exponentially in step with this and shows no sign of slowing –quite the reverse in fact.

            During the early years of this period, at least among the developed countries, class divisions existed, fueled by the privileges of wealth, social status or religious mandates. However, this situation relied mainly on the benefits bestowed upon the upper classes at the expense of the rest and was not in any way a function of basic levels of intelligence or innate abilities. Indeed, during the subsequent 100 years, during which many of these inequalities diminished, there have been vast numbers of the erstwhile “great unwashed” who given the opportunities, have demonstrated their abilities and talents in a manner which has frequently surpassed that of “their betters”.  

            The twentieth century was barely three years old before the Wright brothers successfully made the first controlled power flight, and sadly spurred on by the deadly imperatives of two World Wars, advances in science and technology accelerated. More recently, the advent of electronics and its colossal offspring, computer technology, have resulted in advances in all technologies at a rate inconceivable even after the conclusion of global conflict in 1945. This entirely new phenomenon has been entirely trans-formative and has necessitated a completely new way of thinking involving innovations in not only technology but in thought processes, problem solving and vocabulary.

            The same thing has occurred in the fields of physical human achievement. It was not until 1953 that the first successful ascent of Mount Everest was made. Since then the challenge has become almost commonplace. Indeed to make the final ascent it is often necessary to line up! Similarly the first four- minute mile, which many claimed was impossible, was attained by Dr Roger Bannister in 1954. Nowadays this level of performance is required to even qualify for international track meets. In all areas of human endeavour, since there is no likelihood of reverting back to lower levels of achievement, it can be argued that all these factors are examples of accelerated evolution.

            In the cerebral arena of technical progress, increasingly higher levels of intellectual capability are required to remain current with the breakneck development of computer, medical and associated technology -including the exploration of the puzzling and non-intuitive mysteries of quantum mechanics.

            Could this phenomenon have the effect of creating an intellectual elite category of cutting edge computer-savvy young people. Could these “whiz kids” due to common interests, social compatibility with their peers, and genetic composition, ultimately go on to produce future generations who possess increasingly higher levels of intellect ultimately to become considered as a separate species?

             In my own personal case, whilst being able to cope with the technological advancement of the 1960 – 2000 time frame, I now find it difficult, if not impossible to keep up with the jargon, procedures and vocabulary of modern computers. I scarcely know the difference between a browser and a toolbar! Thankfully as a mere user, the operating commands associated with modern, relatively user-friendly programmes enable me to capitalize on most of their benefits.

            Should this elite “species” manifest itself, what would happen to the rest of society? As I see it, there would be a breakdown into two groups. 1) Those people like myself who for whatever reason are intellectually unable, try as they might, to keep pace with the elite group –and 2) those who are totally unwilling to make the effort. Regrettably the number in this second group of seems to be on the rise. The current obsession with smart phones, social media, computer games, “pop culture” and other superficial pursuits demonstrates a basic antipathy towards anything involving constructive thinking, critical assessment as well as a basic inability to engage in thoughtful discourse with, and lack of compassion towards their fellow humans. Perhaps the most striking example of this can be seen in the social media. Here, thanks to the ability to hide their real personal identity, this “ignorati” group exhibit a distressing and cowardly side to their character by ignorant, illiterate, badly spelt, poorly worded, expletive sprinkled -and at times vitriolic outpourings designed to cause distress to the recipients. The same thing appears in the comments to many YouTube videos where regardless of the topic, an innocent if possibly uninformed comment can expect a verbal -often obscene onslaught.

            Sadly for group 1) there will be no refuge from the refuse spewed by group 2) who despite the foregoing, will effectively remain part of the same species. There could be increasing tension between these two groups as well as resentment towards the elite group who will have left them behind in a cloud of intellectual dust. What level of intellect will have evolved in say 1000 years (assuming that we have not already destroyed ourselves)? Could this enhanced intellect have evolved to a point where it could be considered a new species similar to the chimpanzee/bonobo split described at the start?

Thankfully, it is unlikely that I will be around to make that determination!

Atonement -"beware of the dogma!"

    For Jews, this is the time of year of Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. For the course of this day, in addition to fasting they ask forgiveness for all transgressions of the past year. This hopefully wipes the sin slate clean and enables them to continue forward with a renewed incentive to improve their lives and actions over the coming year. For those of this faith this seems quite reasonable.
    In the case of Roman Catholics, their confessional provides a similar incentive on a more frequent basis -maybe even weekly. However in this case and that of other Christian denominations there is a significant and extraordinary addition to the process. They are told that the forgiveness of their sins has been made possible only by virtue of Jesus's torture and sacrifice on the cross. I have long pondered how or why this should be the case. What possible connection could there be between the pain, torture and murder of a victim of a crucifixion 2000 years ago and the sins of  contemporary humans in 2013 AD (-or C.E.).  Try as I might I just don't get it. The two events are entirely unconnected and have no perceivable commonality anywhere.
    To add to the confusion, it is not clear whether Jesus is in fact God, his son, or both. Either way it makes no sense. Why would God deliberately a) allow himself to be tortured -a totally invalid proposition or b) willingly submit his son to the ordeal, which since he is also his father is equally invalid.
    This is yet another example of insidious religious dogma intervening. Why is it not possible for anyone to ask and receive forgiveness from God directly? In virtually all faiths -even traditionally benign Buddhism, which arguably is a philosophy rather than a religion, there are the inevitable groups of self-appointed divine representatives who interpose their authority on those prepared to listen to their litanies of threats,warnings and negative prognoses. Indeed the emphasis concentrates almost exclusively on a diet of "thou shalt not" restrictions, with consequential suffering and punishment rather than on spreading love and compassion which ostensibly should be their main objective .
    We all possess an extraordinary brain to think with and a mind with which to reason. If these attributes are God-given what possible reason could there be to reject and relegate these truly amazing facilities to the innermost recesses of our sub-conscious. It has always seemed to me that this proposition is analogous to "The Parable of the Talents" where the recipient of one talent buries it unused in the ground.
    Regardless of personal beliefs, it seems obvious that we should all constantly endeavour to exercise "love, compassion and goodwill towards all men" and generally attempt to make a positive contribution towards a better world. With or without divine participation there is no difference to the way we should live our lives. Perhaps the most profound dictate is that everyone should to live in accordance with "The Golden Rule". This instructs us to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" -or in its compact form "do as you would be done by".With a global population of approaching 7 billion, this three word philosophy is becoming increasingly relevant.
`    The situation is similar in both cases; the only difference being that the faithful -for mainly self- serving reasons, believe that their actions will enhance their prospects for the afterlife. In the other case all good works are done solely for reasons of genuine concern and compassion for their fellow humans.
     I believe that we are all born with an instinctive morality. Sadly in many cases, without positive encouragement and ongoing practical examples, this can become progressively and sometimes radically diluted during our formative years and subsequently distorted in today's materialistic society.
    Surely to continually reflect upon, audit and then positively update our lives to the betterment of society at large requires no pleading to a supernatural entity. It's very simple. We all all know what we have to do. The bonus is that these actions may stimulate those with whom we are in contact to react similarly and thus exponentially "spread the word".
        

Giving credit where credit is due!

    In my last post "TV Schedules", amongst several other channels I was critical of  Rogers Sportsnet Ontario. However I am pleased to report that recently there has been a considerable improvement. Happily some of the Poker tournaments and other non-sporting fillers seemingly were foregone in favour of  -more and different sports!! During the week of August 24-30th, there was excellent live coverage of the classic "Vuelta a Espana" bicycle stage race, and also taped coverage of the USA Pro Challenge stage race. On the water, the kayak and canoe Slalom World Cup kayak were featured as was the absorbing Louis Vuitton series of ocean sailboat races.  Well done! Keep it coming.    

TV Schedules; -not exactly "what you see is what you get"!

    There are penalties in place sufficient to dissuade manufacturing companies from advertising products which are defective or simply not able to provide the advertised benefits. However there seems to be a total lack of credence in the advertising of television channels. Whilst my appetite for television in general is modest, there are some subjects which pique my interest and which by definition would appear to provide material devoted to them. This is particularly true of the following three specialist channels;  History, The Discovery Channel and the Outdoor Life Network.
    I have a TV schedule to hand and note that the advertised products, far from being connected in any way with their advertised title, seem to be designed to appeal to those having little or zero interest in either History or Discoveries but instead are expected to possess an all-consuming addiction towards the acquisition of, restoring, pawning or auctioning of cars and a wide selection of various types of bric-a-brac. In some cases, merchandise is stored in containers, the contents of which are unknown and are selected blind by the participants in the show. On the page in front of me, The History Channel entices viewers with "Counting Cars", sandwiched between an hours-worth of "Pawnathon" and "American Pickers". Over the same time period, "The Discovery Channel" offers three auction shows, two episodes of "Shred" one of "Sons of Guns" and one of "Don't Drive Here". Having watched the latter offering, I will concede that since it takes place in Ulan Bataar in Mongolia, it gets a pass.
    However, the "Outdoor Life Network" really sets the bar for shows having no connection whatsoever with the listed subject. Consulting my TV schedule, I note that on Sunday afternoon their schedule consists entirely of thirteen back to back episodes of "The Liquidator"! Still it's not all bad. On July 25, the afternoon listings do offer a choice; between either Storage Wars, Storage Hunters or Storage Texas!

    Not only are they misleading, but within the space constraints of the tabulated schedules, the description of some shows are quite incomprehensible. I note that the listed OLN fare for the afternoon of July 28th, comprises no less than eleven episodes of "Bggg Bttls". It was only after viewing this gem that I was able to decipher that it is yet another auction show, "Baggage Battles", dealing with the auctioning of unclaimed articles left at airports, railway terminals etc. Again on OLN, a show oddly entitled Duck D (-admittedly outdoors) also offers eleven back-to-back episodes. Further investigation revealed that its full title is Duck Dynasty. This features a strange group of hersute "good old boys" -in fact their heads seem to comprise 90% hair! Whilst killing ducks seems to be the overall objective, details are unclear as without sub titles their accents are virtually unintelligible.

The "stars" of Duck Dynasty.

    However, the gold medal has to go to the History Channel with its Restoration show which basically seems to specialize in converting various types of junk into restored junk. With a schedule which hardly offers balanced and varied programming, on Sunday August 4th, it presents -wait for it. THIRTY NINE back to back episodes which run through the night to Monday morning!
    I am interested in certain sports but surfing through the channels where it might be expected to find a choice of athletic pursuits to select, the results are often frustrating. We have three "free" channels; "The Sport Network", "Rogers Sportsnet Ontario" and "Score". On one recent late afternoon all three were featuring POKER! What stretch of the imagination could possibly make a connection between sports with a card game? The participants with their baseball caps and omnipresent sunglasses appear the the very antithesis of athletes!  Maybe this sedentary phenomenon could be developed further to introduce a more sporty connotation requiring a modicum of cardio-vascular activity.  Why not offer such irresistible attractions as "Extreme Tiddly-Winks" where competitive Winkers vie to race ping their Tiddling pieces along a special "Tiddle track", or maybe why not feature "Snakes and Ladders" with real ladders and real snakes!
    Even when genuine sports are featured, they are mainly confined to the highly commercialized disciplines of Baseball, Football, Hockey or Basketball. In fact with the astronomical finances involved with each, it might be more appropriate to include the sports results as part of the daily Business Report.
 viz:  Here are the sports industry closing numbers;   "Boston 3 - Toronto 4 
                                                                            New York 6 - Chicago 2"
                                                                                       -and so on.
    Considering the veritable plethora of recreational pursuits available, it is just not acceptable to virtually ignore them all. To view the the recent and globally popular Tour de France bicycle race, it was necessary to go to an NBC feed -the pay channel, TSN2. In addition to cycling, there are activities such as Track and Field, Rock Climbing, Canoeing/kayaking, Sailing, Squash, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Rugby, Cricket and Lacrosse etc.  In the case of  lacrosse, the Toronto Rock, the only successful local professional team, receives scant recognition by the TV media.
    Finally, another irritant is the number of tedious shows featuring various self-opinionated talking heads of ex, wannabe or never-were jocks, forcibly expressing themselves on sporting minutiae or forecasting upcoming events.
    All in all, there is so much time filling involved it's almost enough to persuade viewers to turn off the TV and go outside for some exercise!  

Unconditional Credibility.

     The theme of an earlier post "What Kept You?" published on November 9th 2012, discussed that, subject to there being a Deity watching over us, why did she/he/it ignore the earth and its inhabitants until about 6000 years ago. The answer, according to Young Earth Creationists (YEC) is that despite mountains of information to the contrary, nothing existed prior to this date,  "Our minds are made up. Don't confuse us with facts!" seems to be their dictum. Despite the appalling cases of pain, sickness and suffering to be witnessed all around the world. their God they insist, is a God of compassion and unconditional love. Given this it is perhaps to be expected that perhaps they should return the favour and treat everything good they hear about God with unconditional credibility and deny the rest. Why or how the YEC's can swallow all this I never cease to wonder. 
     Intrigued, I recently dug out the family Bible and started to reread the beginning of Genesis. The results were very revealing. Right on the first page I read something that is clearly impossible. Verse 16 informs us that "God made two great lights, the greater one to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament to give light upon the earth". Since (-as far as I am aware) the YEC has not disputed the speed of light, the Biblical claim of the stars giving light upon the earth cannot be true since they are located thousands and millions of light-years away. Consequently, in 2013 the "lesser lights", apart from the odd itinerant meteors and comets, would consist solely of the light emanating from the moon and the planets of our solar system. Apart from this, the sky would be black!
  Whatever the lame justification, what the Bible says has got to be true because God says it is. Continuing on, we then learn of the magical saga of Adam and Eve, the talking serpent and the forbidden fruit, the consumption of which had dire consequences. 

   

"Don't stretch Adam  -and take that thing away from my ear!"

     Turning just one page, we come upon another inexplicable statement. After God made Adam and Eve,we are told that they bore two sons Cain and Abel. In the first recorded case of sibling rivalry Cain soon disposed of his brother, which naturally did not sit well with Adam who placed an identifying mark upon him, although there was only himself and Eve around to see it. Consequently Cain left home and dwelt in the land of Nod on the East side of Eden. Who named these locations? It had to have been either God, Adam, Eve or Cain -but I digress. Cain apparently took unto himself a wife who bore him a son, Enoch. Where did the spouse come from? Even if Cain possessed the characteristics of Earth's first "chick magnet" the available pickings were very slim indeed. There was only Eve his mother -or assuming that she had also borne a daughter, his sister. Whichever choice he made it was incest, plain and simple, but what the Bible says has got to be true because God says it is.
     Whilst on this subject we fast forward to Chapter 19 to learn something of  the severely put-upon Lot who had the misfortune to reside near Sodom. One evening, two angels dropped by and agreed to have supper with him. However, before they could begin, a group of the local militant gay community dropped by and demanded that Lot should bring out his two visitors so that they might "know" them.  The two visitors, who clearly had received some divine martial arts training, smote the men who were at the door with blindness. That seemed to work just fine.
    However since God was very wroth with the Sodomites and was about to overthrow and rain his customary fire and brimstone package upon the city, the angels suggested that Lot and family should evacuate immediately. As they fled, his unfortunate wife looked behind her to get a glimpse of the divine devastation. That proved to be an unwise move as she was promptly turned into a pillar of salt! Don't you hate it when that sort of thing happens? Ultimately Lot headed for the hills and dwelt in a cave with his two daughters. These two females took pity on their father and since their Mother had become non-operational, took pity upon him, and on two consecutive nights plied him with much wine, took him to bed and had sex with him. Incest again. As a result, they both became pregnant and after the fullness of time, bore two sons, Moab and Ben-ammi.
    We are told later that Lot "perceived not when they lay down nor when they arose";  -sounds reasonable, right? This must be one of the most ridiculous stories I've ever heard. We are expected to believe that despite his total lack of subsequent recall and in a virtually comatose state, without any stimulation, be it erotic, voluptuous, emotional, or any other form of mind/genital interface, he managed to rise to the occasion and then continue to the point where he discharged his responsibilities to such good effect that he hit the "motherlode" -twice. Again the entire episode beggars belief. Nevertheless what the Bible says has got to be true because God says it is.

Lot's daughters putting their moves on their Dad!

    Having closed the book on incest let's backtrack a bit to one of my favourites  -Noah's Flood and the Ark of Chapter 6. Before smiting Sodom, God had been increasingly wroth with the way that people were conducting themselves and decided to carry out a massive cull. Since "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord"  he was directed to build an ark of gopher-wood sealed with pitch inside and out. He was even given a detailed design spec. which called for (in Imperial units) a vessel 450 x 75 x 45 feet in size which must have placed a major demand on the supply side of the regional gopher-wood and pitch market! Into this structure, examples of all the male and female wild-life species on the face of the earth would be housed. In addition there would be seven examples of some creatures which would be used as food for the crew. Somehow Noah was mysteriously able to persuade all these creatures to join him at the dockside and placidly enter the ark "the self same day". Then as is widely known, it rained for forty days and nights but it was not until one year later that they were able to disembark.
    There are many estimates of the number of species involved, ranging from one million to thirty thousand -depending upon how the directive of "every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort" is interpreted. Even when accepting the ludicrously lower figure, the idea of all these creatures arriving at the point of departure and then embarking on the allotted day defies all reason. Without GPS or even a map, they were able to walk, fly, hop, flap, crawl or slither their way from their country of residence to an a obscure venue in the Eastern Mediterranean region. They were then sufficiently docile to permit Noah and family to guide them their respective living quarters.  Indeed throughout the entire period of 24 hours they would need to have entered at a rate of 21 species (42 creatures) per minute.
    Noah must have done some intensive research to ensure that sufficient food was on board consisting of all the various food groups necessary to sustain 60000 creatures (30000 pairs) for one year -not to mention the huge problem of disposing of all their generated waste. Naturally there were no cooling nor refrigerating facilities. After one year's incarceration, the interior of the craft would have been decidedly rank, particularly after the 40 day rain period when everything was shut in! Finally there would be additional problems created by the animals exercising their instinctive carnal desires, with the subsequent increase in population compounding the misery.
     It could be expected that upon release, there would be a huge proliferation of wild life in the region around Mount Ararat, a phenomenon which even after 4000 years would be evident. However, there have been no sightings of tigers in Turkey, elephants in Greece or polar bears in Saudi Arabia. As if by magic they all returned from whence they came. This was a daunting trek for the indigenous creatures of the Galapagos -or the penguins of Antarctica who faced an exhausting waddle across equatorial Africa, to say nothing of the crossings of the Timor and Tasman seas which confronted the kangaroos and kiwis respectively.
    As for the human population, "every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground",  However, Noah's sons had been permitted to take their wives with them which were necessary to begin the begatting process necessary to repopulate the Earth. They were certainly effective, managing to effectively re-prime the pump to the extent that by the advent of Chapter 19, the population had rebounded to point where, together with the the apparent upsurge in gay lifestyle in Sodom, the circumstances had become sufficient to make God wroth again.

    "Thank goodness that's over. Now where do we go from here?"

    Perhaps more than any other example, this illustrates the lack of sophistication of the primitive desert dwelling scribes. Clearly they assumed that the entire world was situated in the Eastern Mediterranean and environs. We are told that to them, the world was essentially a giant shallow dish above which the firmament was akin to the hanging roof of a circus tent. Since within this region there existed but a very small fraction of total global wild life, what they purported to have happened could have achieved some credibility with the uneducated populace. However the YEC insist that all creation occurred simultaneously so the scribes' writings are intended to reflect a present day global situation.
    Several religious and other sources around the world claim the historic existence of a flood. Certainly after the Ice Age the amount of melt water would have had a major effect on sea levels. However this is dated as being around ten to twelve thousand years ago which of course the YEC's insist never existed. It must be of considerable solace to them that even with its obvious contradictions and impossible situations, what the Bible says has got to be true because God says it is.
    However right from the outset, the absurd proposition of the ark story is apparent. Verse 19 of Chapter 7 informs us that "all the high hills which were under the earth were covered".  This infers that to cover Mount Everest, the water would need to be more than 29000 feet deep! If one assumes that the new sea level ambient pressure -even at 29000ft above normal sea level would still remain at 14.7 psi presumably oxygen (or lack of it) would not be a factor. However, temperature would be, and for all diverse species to survive at the likely sea level temperature for the duration would be extremely unlikely.
   
    All the above is recorded in the first 19 chapters of the first book in the Bible. It is sufficient to affirm -to me at least, that like other accounts from other sources, it is nothing more than a creation myth similar to "The Epic of Gilgamesh" from which the Garden of Eden and Noah's Ark  stories probably originated. This assumption is even endorsed by The Conservative Movement of Judaism, which is of the view that these stories had a common source that progressively diverged in subsequent re-tellings. 
    There seems little point in continuing. I rest my case.