The Generation Blame Game

Me on the right aged 18. circa 1954Did you know the term “Whipper-Snapper” dates back to the late 1600s? It originally referred to a young person who would stand on the street and crack a whip to make noise and draw attention to themselves.

A sure sign a person is old is if they still call someone a “Young Whipper-Snapper,” because in over 300 years they haven’t learned a better term.

Today’s youth would probably holler out of the widow of a limousine on the way to a school prom, and I would think, “You are in a fucking limousine, you didn’t just win the Super-bowl.”

The result is the same for every generation, make a lot of noise, but have nothing of substance to show. Looking back, was I any different? Of course not, how much life can one experience in just ten years from age 15 to 25?

I believe it was Mark Twain who said,

“When I was fifteen, I thought my father was an idiot. By the time I reached thirty, I was amazed how much he had learned in 15 years.”

I was born in the middle of the Great Depression, and I was between 3 and 9 years old during WWII. I became a teen in the 1950s, and we were pleased the world was a better place. We never blamed the previous generation; in fact, they had just fought a war for us. It was the 1960s with the Civil Rights issues, Vietnam, and the threat of nuclear war, that the blame game started.

The blame lies with mankind collectively, not individuals or even whole generations. Each generation would have done better to have listened to the previous generation, rather than to blame them. This generation will fare no better unless the change what previous generations have done. One never gets a different result by making the same mistake over.

The older generation probably looked at me and my peers and thought, “God help us when they are in charge.” By the time I was 25 years-old, I thought I knew it all, and I had the answers to all the world’s problems, when truth be known, we none of us knew Jack-Shit.

Since the Industrial Revolution began about 300 years ago, technology has increased at an ever-increasing rate. I look at the advances made in just my lifetime, and it is alarming. This advancement in technology has gone hand with a population explosion, the worlds population has doubled in the last 50 years. No one seems to be addressing that problem, as the planet is being destroyed.

Technology increases as knowledge is passed on from one generation to the next, but schools still teach the basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, that began in schools 300 years ago. Religion too is a hodge-podge of different religions the world over, and all based on writings hundreds, if not thousands of years old.

Young people leaving college today are attending classes on “How to cope.” Their parents gave then everything, and sent them to college, now they have graduated the parents expect them to leave home and get a job. They don’t have the basic skills needed to cope. I grew up poor, and left home at nineteen years old. Life showed me how to cope.

I am sure when I was young, I spouted my mouth off about all manner of subjects I knew nothing about. But it only reached my immediate friends, and I doubt much of it went any further. Today, technology has given us the Internet, Facebook, Twitter, You-Tube, and Tic-Toc. The list goes on. Someone can have some inane thought and within days that idea has spread around the world.

We no longer have to wait and say, “God help us when they take over?” Because the young generation is taking over now, through Social Medea. Killing free speech, erasing history, when if there is one lesson I have learned in life, it is. “Don’t dwell on the past, let it go and move on, because no matter how hard you try, the past will never improve.”

"True wisdom lies not in what you know, but in knowing that you can never know everything."

And how can anyone learn that in just ten short years.

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The Newspaper Boy

What did Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Wayne, and Martin Luther King all have in common?

They were all former paper boys.

Long before the newspaper industry went into decline, the newspaper delivery boy disappeared, and that is a shame.

Not only from a nostalgic perspective, but a newspaper route gave a kid a certain amount of independence, and above all it taught the importance of taking responsibility.

Once a youngster had taken on the job, a commitment had been made and there were an awful lot of individuals relying on this young bicycle courier for their daily paper.

There were many reasons the newspaper boy disappeared. Fear by parents for the youngster’s safety, changing child labor laws, school classes starting earlier, etc., etc.

There was hardly a Hollywood movie made up until the 1970s, set in suburban America, that didn’t include a scene where a newspaper boy is riding his bike, and throwing newspapers somewhere in the approximation of the front porch.

Strange thing is, I occasionally see a newspaper boy depicted in a TV commercial, are there still any out there; has anyone seen a real one lately?

It occurred to me that a lot of readers that visit here are ex-newspaper boys or girls, and maybe for some that’s how interest in cycling began.

I thought it would be interesting to hear some of your experiences, and to know how long ago that was. Kind of like a survey to find when and why the newspaper boy went into decline. 

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Fine Italian Steel

On hearing the term “Fine Italian Steel,” one usually thinks of handcrafted steel frames, but in the early 1950s, Italy having made a quick recovery from the devastation of WWII, were producing some quite beautiful steel bicycle components.

There were no Campagnolo Groupos in the early 1950s, Campagnolo made quick release hubs and derailleur gears, and that was it. Pedals and cranksets were introduced in the late 50s.

The two main brands I remember were Gnutti and Magistroni, between them they made cranksets, bottom bracket bearings, hubs and headsets.

Gnutti made a really elegant cotterless crankset, (Pictured above.) that fitted onto a tapered and splined BB spindle, and was held in place with recessed Alen screws.

They also made a less expensive cottered crank, which was the one I used, pictured left.

Both Gnutti and Magistroni cranks were a three arm pattern with the same standard bolt circle diameter.

They were often used in conjunction with the French made Simplex chainrings.

Simplex had these three simple bolt-on adapter arms. (Picture below.)

Gnutti’s quick release hubs were a copy of Tulio Campagnolo’s original idea, I’m not sure if the patent had run out, or they were made under license. The hubs had a chromed steel barrel with aluminum flanges pressed and swaged into place. (Pictures below.)

Finally this Magistroni headset (Pictured below right.) intrigues me, it is quite an engineering masterpiece. How did they get the “Magistroni” name around its circumference?

It would not have been cast, a casting would not work as a bearing surface.

Stamping not possible around the complete circle. It would not have been engraved or pantographed, too costly.

Knowing a little about engineering practices of that era, I believe the lettering was rolled on.

Probably done while the bar stock was in a solid piece, before the headset cup was shaped in a lathe. The bar would be turned slowly and a rotating die with the lettering in reverse pressed into it under great pressure. If anyone else has any alternative theories let me know.

Also note the teeth machined into the top of the bearing cup, with a lock ring with matching teeth. After loosening the top nut, this would allow adjustment by hand, one notch at a time. The lock ring being keyed to the steering tube would prevent the bearing cup from turning as the top nut was re-tightened.

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Take a look at what is in your sports drink and energy bars

Energy bars have become the standard and convenient way for cyclists to carry food when racing or training. Used by professional cyclists in events like the Tour de France most amateur cyclists and weekend warriors follow suit, not even stopping to look at what they might be consuming.

Protein shakes have become popular among body builders and other athletes as a way to lose fat and pack on lean muscle. A whole new Sports Nutrition industry has sprung up, and a lot of misinformation is being fed to athletes along with the food products.

Most meal replacement protein shakes and energy bars contain Soy Protein Isolate. (Read the ingredients label.)

"Soy protein isolate is a dry powder food ingredient that has been separated or isolated from the other components of the soybean, making it 90 to 95 percent protein and nearly carbohydrate and fat-free."

On the face of it that might seem okay, but like all highly processed foods, it has little or no nutritional value left. The same with “High Fructose Corn Syrup,” another ingredient in many energy bars. It is corn processed until all that remains is pure carbohydrate and again very little nutritional value.

Some energy bars have the ingredient “Organically Grown Brown Rice Syrup.” This sounds much better than “High Fructose Corn Syrup,” but again it has little or no nutritional value, and is just the sugar or carbohydrate isolated from rice instead of corn.

The problem also with brown rice based products is that many of these are grown in fields that were previously used to grow cotton, and were sprayed with arsenic as an insecticide. This arsenic stays in the soil for years, and is absorbed by the rice.

Arsenic also occurs naturally in some soil, the problem is that rice absorbs arsenic more readily than other plants. Even if it is not enough to kill a person, ask yourself, do you even want to consume even trace amounts of this poison?

Soy too can be highly toxic. What makes soy products even worse is that 90% to 95% of soy grown in the US is Genetically Modified. It is modified to withstand the herbicide “Roundup.” This means the fields can be sprayed with this widely used weed killer and it will not kill the soy plant. It doesn't kill the plant but the plant absorbs it, to be digested later by humans and by animals humans eat.

The active ingredient in Roundup herbicide is called glyphosate, which is responsible for the disruption of the delicate hormonal balance of the female reproductive cycle. "It's an endocrine buster," says UK pathologist Stanley Ewen, "that interferes with aromatase, which produces estrogen."

It is especially dangerous to females and unborn children. There can be miscarriages or birth defects. Men and young boys can experience Gynecomastia. (Breast enlargement, or man boobs.) Some men experience decreased libido and erectile dysfunction.

There is a lot of information on the subject of processed food on the Internet. I have provided a few links in this article, these in turn link to many more. Far be it for me to tell people what to eat, but I am finding it is not always a good thing to believe blindly what the food, and sports nutrition companies tell us.

I’ll agree that energy bars are convenient, but I have stopped using them altogether. I drink filtered tap water, and take electrolyte tablets to replace the lost salts and minerals. For the most part I have stopped consuming any highly processed food.

You might consider limiting energy bars to their use when racing only. If you are consuming them on a daily basis even when not riding, ask yourself what nutritional value are you getting? And worse are you slowly poisoning yourself?

When I started racing back in the 1950s and 1960s, there were no energy bars. My mother made me a solid rice pudding with raisins in it, sometimes a bread pudding. I would cut this into pieces and wrap in foil or grease proof paper.

Three ounces of deli roast beef has 24 grams of protein, a beef sandwich has as much protein as the average protein bar. On your next long ride, try taking some cold boiled potatoes. Small, bite size, boiled so they are soft enough to bite into, but not so soft they break or get squished in your pocket. Carried in a plastic bag they are easy to munch on as you ride.

Potatoes have a high glycemic index, which means they are quickly turned into energy. They are a nutrient rich source of potassium and vitamin C. Make sure you eat the skin because that’s where most of the nutrients are.

You can also make your own energy bars, that way you know what is in them. I know some natural foods like bananas, potatoes, are not as compact as an energy bar.

You could carry a Musette Bag on longer rides. (Left.) It can be folded up and put in your jersey pocket when empty. They used to be called a “Bonk Bag” for good reason, but thinking about it, they are more like an “Anti-Bonk Bag.”

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Art, and the Artist’s Ego

I had an interesting discussion the other day. I stated that without the artist’s ego, there would be no art, and who would create anything if they thought no one would look at it?

There was immediate disagreement and counter argument that the joy is in creating itself. And if the artist creates what others like rather that what he likes then is it really art? I don’t entirely disagree with either of these statements.

I am very much aware of artists who go “commercial,” and create what is popular with the masses. I see that every day in crap TV programs, movies, and music. I appreciate when artists create what they believe in. Without a pioneer spirit nothing new would be created.

However, the original statement was concerned with the artist’s ego, and one has to look closely at the word “Ego.” We are often taught that to have an ego is a bad thing, but I look at the dictionary definition and it means “Self-esteem,” a person’s sense of worth.

On the other hand, there is the word “Egotist,” which means “Self-Centered,” is definitely not a good thing. Initially, artists create for their own gratification, the joy of looking at what they have done.

Does this joy not come from the boost to their self-esteem or ego? Who does not step back and look at their work and say to themselves, “Look at what I have done here, I am a pretty clever fellow?”

There comes a point however, where one must move on from this self-gratification and seek validation from others. This validation may not be immediately forthcoming, and this is where it is important for the artist to continue with what he truly believes in.

This is not always easy for the performing artist, musician, singer/songwriter, actor, or comedian. By nature of their art, they must have an audience, validation from others. And ultimately so must every other artist, be they painter, sculptor, or writer. What would be to point in my writing here if no one read it?

The artist always treads a fine line between pleasing themselves and pleasing others. Sometimes originality is so original that only the artist understands. They can carry on, hoping their audience will eventually “Get it.” Or they can tweak their art, so others do understand and see value in it, without completely “Selling out.” 

There are many people who create for no other reason than their own relaxation. They draw or paint or write in private journals with no intention of sharing. No one is obligated to share what they create.

However, does the art have value? And to know that one must have the validation of other people. People will spend money on your art, and they will tell other people. “You must read this book.” Or “Have you heard this song,” that is validation.

And it is the validation of an artist’s work by others, and especially input from his peers that enables an artist to grow, and create even better things.

What are your views?

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