The Blog Page

News, commentary and humor about bicycling and other topics of the day

 

Mmmmm ... coffee

One of the great things about working at a newspaper is reading about the weird and unusual things going on throughout the world. Today's news of the weird revolves around Kopi Luwak coffee, which is brewed from beans that come out of the rear end of a lemur, a type of civet cat. It costs about $300 a pound and $10 a cup, and only 500 pounds of Kopi Luwak is produced each year.

To learn more about this coffee, read this article on the Sally's Place Web site.

To enjoy a special animation about Kope Luwak coffee, visit the Language Log site.

Roger 9:11 PM

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Three Stooges in The New Yorker

Peter and Bobby Farrelly are in the process of developing a Three Stooges movie, about 70 years after the release of the boys' first short, "Women Haters." You can read about it in this New Yorker piece. Frankly, I don't know if the Farrelly brothers can pull it off. It will be hard to match the genius of the original films.

Speaking of the Stooges, I spent the afternoon reviewing the course for the Tour de Stooges to make sure I don't have to make any detours on the route May 1. I am excited about the ride; it should be our best ever. We're already nearly sold out on our T-shirts. I just hope the weather holds out as it has for our first six rides.

Roger 0 comments 4:51 PM

New Who music

The Who always have been my favorite rock group, although U2 comes a very close second. Pete Townshend, for my money, is the best songwriter in rock. Yes, sometimes Pete can be too honest for his own good, and it has gotten him in trouble over the years. But that same honesty makes his songs truly powerful. Even as he approaches his 59th birthday on May 19, he can still pack a punch with his guitar.

When I first heard one of The Who's new songs, "Real Good Looking Boy" as background music at the Borders in Fairview Heights, I must admit I wasn't impressed. But after a few more times, I have grown to love this song, a tribute to Elvis Presley. Below is a link to a video of the song:

"Real Good Looking Boy" (Real Media)

Roger 0 comments 3:17 AM

Monday, April 19, 2004

Good news for Illinois cyclists

Gov. Rod Blagojevich today announced $600,000 in construction grants to Madison County, St. Clair County and the City of Madison through his Opportunity Returns program. These three grants from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will support construction of regional bike trails, which will benefit local residents and increase tourism opportunities.

Madison County will receive a $200,000 Opportunity Returns grant. It will support construction of the “Schoolhouse Connecter” trail, which will join six Madison County bike trails together to form one united trail that will provide safe, world-class biking all across Madison County.

The City of Madison will receive a $200,000 grant to construct two miles of trail connecting Illinois Route 3 to the Confluence Bikeway and to the Chain of Rocks Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River and connects to the Riverfront Trail in Missouri.

The Village of Swansea, in St. Clair County, will also receive a $200,000 Opportunity Returns grant to construct more than one and a half miles of trail connecting with four miles of existing MetroLink bike trail and the City of Belleville’s two mile Richland Creek Greenway.

To see the full press release from Blagojevich's office, see:
http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=3&RecNum=2965.

Roger 0 comments 4:21 PM

Friday, April 16, 2004

Roadside assistance for cyclists!

The nation's first bicycle "pick-up" service is now available through the
St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation and Better World Club.
Better World Club will supply this service nationwide. It works just the
same as the reliable emergency roadside assistance program for automobiles. They'll take you and your bike to the nearest repair facility, or home, within 30 miles from pick up. For more information about the service, visit the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation.

Roger 0 comments 2:17 PM

Thursday, April 08, 2004

Impressions from bicycle travels

If you want to see some really nice bicycle travel photography, visit Impressions from bicycle travels, a Web site by Paul Jeurissen & Grace Johnson. It's one of the most professional looking bicycle touring sites I've seen!

Paul and Grace share visual stories from their travels in the United States, India and Nepal. They make me wish I had more time to take extended bicycle tours!

Roger 0 comments 2:30 PM