Cycling - Blog Posts
just remembered the one time a few years ago i rode a bike off a hill, flew a few feet into the air on said bike, fell and hit my head on the ground, then slept through the next two days
here's some photos of a potato being eaten that i took during those two days
Chris Birch
After an academic career at U.C. Riverside and Caltech, Chris Birch became a track cyclist on the U.S. National Team. She was training for the 2020 Olympics when she was chosen as an astronaut candidate. https://go.nasa.gov/49WJKHj
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My thoughts on the summer budget
I read the full Budget speech that George Osborne gave today.
I think that from a public relations point of view it has been a good budget for the Chancellor. I found myself thinking, "I agree with that" when watching the news and hearing the headlines.
Now that I have read the budget I am less pleased.
I am disappointed in his Infrastructure plans to increase productivity.
He said -
“Four fifths of all journeys in this country are by road, yet we rank behind Puerto Rico and Namibia in the quality of our network. In the last 25 years, France has built more than two and a half thousand miles of motorway – and we’ve built just 300. In the last Parliament I increased road spending, even in difficult times, and set out a plan for £15bn of new roads for the rest of this decade.”
I was disappointed in this because it makes no mention of public transport, it makes no mention of improving streets and paths to allow and encourage people to walk and cycle. Roads and streets are important and are a good place for investment, but I am concerned that the Governments plans will see more roads built, which will then fill up with cars and lorries, leading to no net improvement in productivity or happieness.
At one point in his speech he said -
For Britain is home to 1% of the world’s population; generates 4% of the world’s income; and yet pays out 7% of the world’s welfare spending.
What a meaningless statement!!! It may be factually correct but it is not illuminating. We should really be proud that we spend 7% of the world's welfare spending because there are lots of places that spend zero.
I was disappointed that the budget didn't set out any proposals to increase the affordability of housing or energy by increasing supply. This is the other side of the tax cut coin, making peoples money go further.
A search through the budget statement shows that equality or inequality was only mentioned once. He stated that - "In the last fortnight we’ve seen independent statistics showing that since 2010, child poverty is down and so is inequality." I do not see this as a strong budget to reduce inequality.
I was pleased to see that non-dom status is to be phased out.
I see that corporation tax will be reduced to 18% by 2020. I would have liked to see that a reduced tax rate associated with less unequal pay structure within corporations. Rather than just taxing high earners companies should pay more tax if they have highly unequal wage structures. One way to assess wage structues within a company would be through the use of the Gini Coefficient.
I understand that there is going to be further tightening of the rules concerning taxation to close loopholes and I support this.
I find that the discussion of tax credit and minimum wage confusing. I see that Ian Duncan Smith was cheering the increase in the minimum wage and I am prepared to trust his judgement.
In conclusion, I see this as a budget that was well crafted from the political point of view for middle England. I think the Budget will not play so well in Scotland. I am disappointed because I do not see this budget as making Britain a happier place to live. The Chancellor and the Government don't seem to want to promote more equality, or if they do, they are limiting themselves to only a few tools. The Budget will not improve affordability which is the other side of the tax coin when it comes to improving peoples lives.
I hope you find these views interesting.
If you want to read the full budget statement for yourself the reference is:
Osborne, G. and HM Treasury, (2015). Chancellor George Osborne's Summer Budget 2015 speech - Speeches - GOV.UK. [online] Gov.uk. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/chancellor-george-osbornes-summer-budget-2015-speech [Accessed 8 Jul. 2015].
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Rode parts of Ireland recently, had to write it down to make sure I remember it.
Pt.1 getting there
Buses, the lovelorn, and a bit of hangover.
In Seoul, there are walkways and bicycle paths along most rivers and streams. This is an advantage of Seoul, but it is also a response to the limited space for exercise due to overcrowding. Not only in Seoul but also in other Korean cities, rivers often have similar paths.
서울에서는 대부분의 강과 하천 옆에 산책로와 자전거 도로가 있습니다. 이는 서울의 장점이기도 하지만, 인구 과밀로 운동 공간이 부족한 데서 비롯된 결과이기도 합니다. 서울뿐 아니라 한국의 다른 도시에서도 강 주변이 대부분 비슷합니다.
Push yourself because no one else is going to do it for you
All great people who achieved true excellence had one thing in common. It’s the willingness to push beyond their limits, day in and day out, despite all the discomforts.
Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the body can achieve
What Seems Impossible Today Will One Day Become Your Warm Up
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway
Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it...Earl Nightingale
Someone who is busier than you is working out right now
DJA - La Ocho Velodrome, CMWC 2010 Panajachel, Guatemala
www.dieterjanssen.com
This 40 mile loop has a dedicated bike lane and goes from city to mountain and has 3 free beers midway! Like, follow, and comment to find out where
