Part 3: Street ball

In my last but not least article I will present the other side of basketball – street ball. It’s surely more spectacular, on the other hand resulting in more injuries.

Part 3: Street ball

While the rules of street ball are generally non-existent, street ball places a higher emphasis on the joy of handling the ball. Often the attacker will perform numerous flashy moves while attempting to dribble or "drive" to the basket, including crossovers, jab steps, and other fake-out tricks. Street ball often features spectacular dunks and alley oops, impressive ball handling, and trash talking.

In most versions of street ball carrying, travelling, or double dribble is an accepted part of the game and is encouraged to make it less challenging for offensive players to score and more showy for the crowds.

Rules vary widely from court to court. Almost invariably a ‘call your own foul’ rule is in effect, and a player who believes he has been fouled, simply needs to call out "Foul!" or "Ball!", and play will be stopped, with the ball awarded to the fouled player's team.

It goes without saying: calling fouls in street ball is disfavoured. The etiquette of what rightly constitutes a foul, as well as the permissible amount of protestation against such a call, are the products of individual groups, and of the seriousness of a particular game. Another common variation to the contest is the "skunk" rule. This merely means that if a player reaches a certain point without the other player scoring, the game is over.

Street ball is often generalized as a "pick-up game", where players may or may not know one another, and is for the most part recreational. However, those who are interested in basketball may have heard about street ball crews like And1 or The Notic. Their so called ‘mix tapes’ (movies showing their street performances) had a great influence on street ball popularity not only in USA, but also in Europe. There is a number of street ball events organized annually, even in Warsaw.

Personally, I think that it had a bad impact on street ball, because now there are more selfish players who try their best at dribbling but end up losing the ball to the opponents. Also, there’s the whole dress code for a real ‘baller’ (short from street baller). Funnily looking boys with no skills are so pathetic ;)

I’m really keen on playing street ball from time to time with my mates. It really helps me unwind and relax. Having played basketball for about 5 years, I sometimes participate in events organised in Park Agrykola. I’ve never considered myself as a 100% IT guy, probably because (unlike my IT friends) I love sports ?

External sources

1st part of The Notic mix tape, one of my favourite. These guys have some serious skills in street balling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLSRjH1CY9Q Some of them play in NBA now



Funny basketball tricks as a variation of street ball: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww0wKU6BrwM




Thanks for reading on till the very end.
It’s been a pleasure writing about something I really like!
Michał Rapińczuk

Part 2: Best of the best

In my second article I will focus mainly on the most influential players in the basketball history. The list may show some surprises and some that are no brainers.


Part 2: Best of the best


First of all, I did not consider any player who has played fewer than 10 seasons. Hence, it’s the reason why I left out famous players like LeBron James. I think trying to place him on the all time list is premature and too much of a guess right now.

No 5: Larry Bird

Once every generation or so, a player comes along who can truly be called a superstar. Larry Bird was such a player. For 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, from 1979-80 through 1991-92, Bird personified hustle, consistency and excellence in all areas of play - as a scorer, a passer, a rebounder, a defender, a team player, and, perhaps above all, as a clutch performer. Bird was so self-confident that he was known to waltz up to the opponents' bench before tipoff and predict a 40-point performance for himself. He was such a deadly shooter that he sometimes practiced three-pointers with his eyes closed.

No 4: Earvin "Magic" Johnson

Few athletes are truly unique, changing the way their sport is played with their singular skills. Earvin "Magic" Johnson was one of them. Just how great a basketball player was Johnson? So great, perhaps, that future generation of hoop fans may wish they had entered the world years earlier-just so they could have seen Magic play in person instead of watching him only on highlight reels. He was what Bob Cousy was to the 1950s, what Oscar Robertson was to the 1960s, what Julius Erving was to the 1970s. Still, Earvin Johnson was even more than a revolutionary player who, at 6-9, was the tallest point guard in league history.

No 3: Wilt Chamberlain

He was basketball's unstoppable force, the most awesome offensive force the game has ever seen. Asked to name the greatest players ever to play basketball, most fans and aficionados would put Wilt Chamberlain at or near the top of the list. Dominating the game as few players in any sport ever have, Chamberlain seemed capable of scoring and rebounding at will, despite the double- and triple-teams and constant fouling tactics that opposing teams used to try to shut him down. As Oscar Robertson put it in the Philadelphia Daily News when asked whether Chamberlain was the best ever, "The books don't lie."

No 2: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left the game in 1989 at age 42, no NBA player had ever scored more points, blocked more shots, won more MVP awards, played in more All-Star Games, or logged more seasons. His list of personal and team accomplishments is perhaps the most awesome in league history: Rookie of the Year, member of six NBA championship teams, six-time NBA MVP, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 19-time All-Star, two-time scoring champ, and a member of the NBA 35th and 50th Anniversary All-Time Teams.

No 1: Michael Jordan

By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. Although, a summary of his basketball career and influence on the game inevitably fails to do justice to the man. A phenomenal athlete with a unique combination of fundamental soundness, grace, speed, power, artistry, improvisational ability and an unquenchable competitive desire, Jordan single-handedly redefined the NBA superstar.

Even contemporaneous superstars recognized the unparalleled position of Jordan. Magic Johnson (4th on my list) said, ‘There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us.’ Larry Bird (5th on my list), following a playoff game where Jordan dropped 63 points on the Boston Celtics in just his second season, appraisal of the young player was: ‘God disguised as Michael Jordan’.

His impact is far greater than a great amount of awards and championships. He burst into the league as a rookie sensation scoring in droves with an unmatchable first step and acrobatic drives and dunks and concluded his career as a cultural icon. Along the way, he became a true champion who spearheaded the globalization of the NBA with his dynamic on court abilities and personal sense of style that was marketed to the masses.

He was an accessible star who managed to maintain an air of mystique. He was visible as ‘Air Jordan’, as part of a sneaker advertising campaign and endorsing other products as well as the star of the movie, Space Jam. However, he would vanish into retirement twice only to return until hanging up the sneakers for the last time after the 2002/03 season.

No 0: My personal favourite: Vince Carter

Before his injuries, and before the trade demands, Vince Carter was the biggest superstar this league had seen since Michael Jordan. His run at the top was very short, spanning from 1999 to 2002, but while he was at the top, he garnered international recognition, and he put the city of Toronto on the NBA map forever.

His dunk against Frederic Weis of France, where he jumped over the seven-footers' head was just the icing on the cake. He put together the most dominant dunk-off performance in NBA history in 2000, and he carried the Raptors to one shot from the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000-2001.

His play of late has been solid, but he's certainly lost his status as one of the league's top five names. While it became obvious that Carter was never ready for the responsibilities of carrying a league the way Jordan did, it was never questioned whether he was talented enough to do so. He'll go down as one of the most marketable athletes of his generation, and the greatest dunker in NBA history.

The summer he spent in China with Yao Ming truly completed the package, and even while posting average numbers, his fans globally were sure to vote ‘Vinsanity' into the All-Star game.

If you can't think of a time when Carter was this popular, just look in your closet. Buried deep beneath the pants which used to fit, and the shirt that used to be black, is a purple and black jersey with the number 15 on it. Unless of course you're a Raptor fan, in which case you've probably burnt it.

External sources

Michael Jordan - witness the greatest of all time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUF8ZiMF9xw



Vince Carter – the most famous Vince Carter dunk, with 6 different camera angles and the crazy commentator reaction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMrPjl-927Q



Vince Carter – in my opinion the best slam dunk ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGZtENNNUbA&feature=related



Michael Jordan quote: ‘One thing I believe to the fullest is that if you think and achieve as a team, the individual accolades will take care of themselves. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.’

Part 1: History of Basketball

Preface: Having very little time to think of some brilliant and creative idea for a series of articles, I decided to describe my second favourite sport – basketball. I’ll try to keep it as interesting as possible, so keep reading and don’t feel disappointed if you don’t like the topic :)

Part 1: History of Basketball

Basketball was invented in December 1891 by the Canadian clergyman, educator, and physician James Naismith. The concept of basketball was born from Naismith's school days in the area where he played a simple child's game known as duck-on-a-rock outside his one-room schoolhouse. The game involved attempting to knock a "duck" off the top of a large rock by tossing another rock at it.

Naismith introduced the game when we was an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. At the request of his superior, Dr. Luther H. Gulick, he organized a vigorous recreation suitable for indoor winter play. Naismith wanted to create a game of skill for the students instead of one that relied solely on strength. He needed a game that could be played indoors in a relatively small space. The first game was played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets used as goals. By 1897-1898, teams of five became standard.

A number of U.S. colleges adopted the game between about 1893 and 1895. In 1934 the first college games were staged in New York City's Madison Square Garden, and college basketball began to attract heightened interest. By the 1950s basketball had become a major college sport, thus paving the way for a growth of interest in professional basketball.

In 1949 two subsequent professional leagues, the National Basketball League (formed in 1937) and the Basketball Association of America (1946) merged to create the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Boston Celtics, led by their center Bill Russell, dominated the NBA from the late 1950s through the 1960s.

The NBA suffered a drop in popularity during the late 1970s, but was resuscitated, principally through the growing popularity of its most prominent players. Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, and Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers are credited with injecting excitement into the league in the 1980s through their superior skills and decade-long rivalry. During the late 1980s Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls rose to stardom and helped the Bulls dominate the NBA during the early 1990s. A new generation of basketball stars, including Shaquille O'Neal of the Orlando Magic and Larry Johnson of the Charlotte Hornets, have sustained the NBA's growth in popularity.


External sources

An excellent, inspirational video showing the history of basketball: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RySV-D0Fyk





Strongly recommended for great music and superb highlights choice.

Ecological catastrophes - part 3

Hello. This is my last post about major ecological catastrophes, which took place in previous century. In previous post I wanted to bring some information about less known events in Bhopal and Aral Sea.

Today I will write about Cheronobyl disaster.

On April 26, 1986 in Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant happened the worst accident in the history of nuclear power. The cause of it was a dangerous test, which was supposed to check cooling system reaction during core shutdown procedure. During the test reactor was cut off from efficient cooling what resulted in rapidly increasing temperature and finally explosion and fire. Fire of the reactor lasted for 9 days releasing large amounts of radioactive dusts into the atmosphere. Radioactive cloud drifted not only over Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, but also over whole east, west and south Europe.

During accident 203 people were hospitalized immediately, of whom 31 died from radiation. Most deaths were among firefighters who came after explosion and were trying to stop fires. 135,000 people were evacuated from the 2500 km buffer zone around the plant, including 50,000 from the nearby town of Pripyat. Pripyat today is abandoned ghost town.

The total predicted number of deaths due to the disaster is highly controversial, generally calculated for around 4 000, with about 50% among disaster liquidators. On the whole world about 600 000 people were exposed to increased radiation levels, however there is no prove that this had any impact on their health. Depending on different sources this number can be much higher or lower. Different organizations like Green Peace have interest in showing overrated results of disaster. Governments of Belarus and Ukraine gets international help for fighting with effects of the accident. Impact on ecosystem is not yet widely studied but already made reports shows increase in numbers of wild animals.

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant worked producing energy to 2000 when last working reactor have been shut down. Zone around plant is still closed, however it is known that some people returned to their homes. Also in 2002, zone have been opened for tourism. One day trip costs about $150 - $200. Power plant site is to be cleared by 2065

Questions
1. What do you think about atomic power plants? Would you be disturbed having one in your town ?
2. Would you like to visit a place like Pripyat, knowing that there is increased radiation ?

Ecological catastrophes - part 2

Hi all,

This is my second post about major ecological catastrophes. Last time I wrote about Aral Sea ( thanks for interesting comments ). Today I would like to present you some information about city of Bhopal.  

From 1979 to 1984 Union Carbide's plant in Bhopal, India was producing carbaryl pesticide . In this process they were using extremely toxic intermediate chemical - methyl isocyanate (MIC).
During the nights of 2–3 December, a large amount of water entered tank containing MIC. A chemical reaction started, rising temperature and pressure. This resulted in tank explosion and exposure of over 500,000 to toxic gases. This event is known today as Bhopal disaster.

From half of million of people exposed to toxic gases 20 000 have died and over 100 000 have permanent injuries.The initial effects of exposure were coughing, vomiting, severe eye irritation and a feeling of suffocation. Medical staff were not prepared for thousands of people which came to hospitals. They also wasn't informed about proper MIC poisoning treatment. Plant was located in highly populated area. Today thousands of people still suffers from eye problems, respiratory difficulties, immune and neurological disorders, cardiac failure secondary to lung injury, female reproductive difficulties. After tragedy the plant was closed, but its terrain remained polluted. In 1991 water from over 100 tube wells was declared to be unfit for drinking.

There is many controversy about how operations of Uninion Carde contributed to the tragedy. Since 1979 there was available technology for producing carbaryl without MIC. UC never used it in Bhopal because it was more expensive. But that's not the last thing UC did to reduce costs of production. There is known that plant was working without proper servicing, money was being saved on alarm and backup systems, cooling systems, proper durable materials (ex. - for valves), workers training (manuals were giving them only in English language), etc. UC had reports showing that such disaster can happen, but did nothing to prevent it. Right after the event UC claimed that reason of water entering MIC tank was sabotage and all safety devices were in working order.



In the next 10 years Union Carbide paid over 100 million dollars for helping victims of the catastrophe. What still remains a problem is terrain pollution. Many toxic materials were never properly cleaned and even now remains a threat. This was remained in 2004 by a group called "The Yes Man". One of them claiming to be company representative announced on BBC that company had agreed to clean up the site and compensate victims with found of 12 billion dollars. 'Joke' resulted in 2 billion dollars drop in company's market value, but reminded of situation of people Bhopal.

Questions. :

What do you think about companies which move their production to countries with cheap workforce ?
Do you think they keep up standards when nobody looks at their hands?

Ecological catastrophes - part 1

Hi all,

In my weak of posting on this blog I will try to bring you some information about major ecological catastrophes, which took place in previous century. No, there will be not a word about recent oil leak in Gulf of Mexico, I'm quit sure you heard enough on the news. In the next days I will be writing about Aral Sea, Bohpal and Chernobyl power plant. I all this places industrial mistakes brought catastrophic results for people and ecosystems.

I'll start from Aral Sea.

Between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan lied one of the world largest lakes – the Aral Sea. 50 years ago It had surface of 68,000 square kilometers - almost the size of Ireland. Lake had great meaning for fish industry in whole region. Today total size of what has left from it is no higher than 17,160 square kilometers – rest have turned into desert.

In early forties of previous century Soviets began to construct irrigating canals. The plan was to divert flow of rivers which had their end in the lake and make nearby desert suitable for cotton production. Construction was very cheep therefore most of water was never reaching fields, simply evaporation or leaking. Although project was very ineffective the main goal have been reached – today cotton is one of the major Kazakhstan crops. Destroying of the lake was no surprise for government, some of the Soviet experts treated giant salty lake as a nature's error.

Between 1960 an 2000 most of the lake waters evaporated . Today its waters divided into two separate small lakes on the west and north. 

Shrinking of the lake resulted in increase of salinity, making huge impact on ecosystem. Where once were waters full of fish there is now salty desert pouted with toxic chemicals and pesticides. Dust storms spreads pollution destroying crops and people's health. A lot of population suffers from cancer and lungs diseases. Industry which once employed 40 000 people and contributed
one-sixth to the Soviet Union's entire fish catch have been destroyed. Cites once lying at lake shore now are in the middle of the desert. Such example is Muynak in Uzbekistan with its armada of rusting hulks turned into major tourist attraction.

Plans for restoration of the Aral Sea began in 2000, but serious events started in 2003 with support of the World Bank . Building a dam separating north part of the lake and repairing damage caused by previous irrigating works helped to rise water level and decrease salinity. It helped to partly reviving the fishing industry in the region. However the The South Aral Sea, which lies in poorer Uzbekistan has no plans for improvement. Their government shows almost no interest in returning original river flow, which stills irrigates their cotton fields.

Questions. :

Have you ever heard about Aral Sea?
Have you ever hard about similar ecological catastrophe ?
What do you think about huge investments in rearranging ecosystems ?

Car quality – today and in the past

The quality of cars has decreased dramatically over the last few years. Previously, people were not worried about the problems of rusting cars and bad electronic, because the equipment of vehicles was in fact very poor. We can say that now driving comfort and safety increased much, but at what cost? I think that everyone, even in a new car, has met with some problems, although small, but very annoying. Blown fuses, all the time perishable sensors or appearing engine control can make everyone dizzy. What’s more there are problems with the clutch cable and accelerator pedal, as recently in Toyota. Due to the fact that the cars are overloaded with electronics repair is more difficult and simultaneously more expensive.

In addition to persistent problems with the engine and the computer, there are problems with the car body. I am sure that a lot of people are surprised that in the brand new cars you can find traces of corrosion and what’s more in quite large quantities.

It is also commonly believed that Opel is a car that has a very good engine, but unfortunately it is characterized by a very bad body. Every owner of Opel has to reckon with the fact that after a few years he will have to repair the sills and wheel arches. Very often there is corrosion on the doors and engine lid. In the new Opel there is also a problem with the engine (still appearing “check engine” control), which can reduce the comfort of driving even in the most comfortable model.


Perhaps you met also with the statement that French cars are the worst quality. Of course they run excellently - have a perfect lead, are comfortable, but is the every month visit by the mechanic not too much expense?


And do you remember the cars which are popular 20 - 30 years ago? Our Fiat 125 P could be driven throughout the Europe, even without the spare wheel and nothing had happened. Family trip to Bulgaria was a normal phenomenon in communist Poland and no one thought what he would do if the car breaks. In case of any failure every driver coped with the problem by himself using simple tools. Replacing the engine was possible in the garage and each driver was able to do simple repairs in his vehicle. Problems with the paint did not exist and no one cared about rust.


If you now want to repair by yourself your great new car, certainly you won’t manage it without help of specialist. Expensive programs to detect errors in the computer prevented garage repair. Biodegradable coatings resulted in much larger cars rusting, which further increases the costs of maintaining the car.

What do you think about the today’s quality of cars?
Are you the lucky man who don’t have such problems or are you the member of the frustrated car owner community?

Toyota great setback

Many of us choose Toyota cars. because of their amazing quality and durability. Unfortunately even the Japan giants, like Toyota make mistakes.

Due to complaints of unintended acceleration caused by the mats sticking underneath the accelerator pedal over 3.8 million cars were recalled to service, to repair failure. The recall involved popular models such as the Toyota Camry, the top-selling passenger car in America, and the Toyota Prius, the best-selling hybrid car. Toyota needed to inform every client of the failure car to contact to the service. Before that every owners should take out the removable floor mat on the driver’s side and not replace it.



National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is a government institution responsible for managing traffic and roads in USA said it had received reports of 102 incidents in which the accelerator may have become stuck on the Toyota vehicles involved. It was unclear how many led to crashes but the inquiry was prompted by a highspeed crash in August in California of a Lexus ES350 barrelling out of control. All the passengers (road policeman and his family) died. As the vehicle hit speeds exceeding 193km/h, one of the passengers made a frantic 911 call and said the accelerator was stuck and they couldn’t stop the vehicle, then the car had crashed.


Toyota’s previously recalled over 900 000 vehicles in 2005 to fix a steering issue. The company declined to say how many complaints it had received about the accelerator issue.

Chinese cars

Chinese car companies became more popular these days. They tries to entry to European and American markets. But are they safe? What about quality of cars produced by them?

Chinese companies have started exporting cars to countries outside China. They want to take control of the west markets tempting low prices of their products. Before they can be sold in European markets, that need to pass rigorous crash tests. In one of the crash tests of a Chinese car, a Chery Amulet car front end folded like a concertina.
Different situation is in east countries. Russia is China's biggest auto-export market, and the Chery Amulet for $9,000 is the top Chinese cars, which are sold in Russia. There was sold over 10000 cars in the first half of 2007. A safety testing centre passed the Amulet in the rudimentary tests required for cars sold in Russia , where price typically outweighs safety for budget-minded consumers.




In tests of the another Chery model, the QQ, which is very similar car to Deawoo Matiz, the car crashed worse then Amulet, because softer metal used in the door-lock mechanism gave way and the door popped open. Passengers inside the car don't have any chanced to survive, in case of accident. Car which is very good copy of Matiz (Chinese cars have a design very similar to European and Japan models to increase their popularity), in crash tests has a huge gap to the Deawoo model.

Here is Daewoo Matiz after front crash tests:


And here is Chery QQ:



The other side of the problem is a quality of the materials, from which Chinese cars are made. Obviously it has direct impact to the safety, but even if we skip safety issues, there is still problem with unreliability. Because of the fact that materials are really bad quality, cars can't endure more then 2 years. If we take into account that for example brake pads are made from pressed cardboard, there is no chance that they will ensure reliability for years.


Just to know, I publish the most unsafely car ever. It was a Australian car called Holden Commodore:


Questions:
1. What to you think about safety of Chinese cars?
2. Do you think Chinese models should entry to European market?
3. Will you ever buy a Chinese model?

Urban exploration - part 3

My third post here covers what seems to be the best places for urban exploration all over the world.

Gunkanjima, Japan
It's one of those places, that seems to look like from a postapocalyptic movie. Between 1887 and 1974 it was a coal mining facility. During that time it was a property of Mitsubishi that wanted to retrieve coal from the bottom of the sea. That big concrete building there was built in 1916 for workers which were growing in numbers. Because of the coal being replaced by petrolum, in 1960s and 1970s more and more coal mines were being closed all over the Japan and Gunkanjima's one wasn't an exception. 1974 was the last year there were any inhabitants there. After about 35 years of closure, the island was opened for visitors in 2009. You can visit



Varosha, Cyprus
Varosha's history is complex as the history of the whole Cyprus. It is Famagusta's city district. Starting at 1970 this place was a number one to visit when going to the Cyprus. It was a biggest holiday resort there especially for wealthy people. Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot were Varosha's fans. Sad part starts on 1974 when Turkey invaded Cyprus in response to a Greek military junta backed coup. Since that day, the island is divided into 2 parts seen on the map below. One is Turkey's territory, second is part of the Republic of Cyprus. It's amazing that Nicosia -- the capital of Cyprus -- has a country's border in the center (seen on picture below). Turkey wasn't interested in keeping this place as a holiday resort. No one can live there, no one can do anything there, no one can there without a permission. Sad to see that such a lovely place changes that way.




Balestrino and Craco, Italy
These are two small, stoned villages in Italy that were established in 19-th century. There were couple hundreds villagers in each of them. Both severely suffered from earthquakes in 1990s and are left deserted since then.

Beer - Festiwals

A Beer Festival is an organised event during which a variety of beers (and often other alcoholic drinks) are available for tasting and purchase. Beer festivals are held in a number of countries. A Beer Exhibition is usually synonymous with a Beer Festival but, whilst a beer festival may involve a limited range of beer styles or manufacturers, with an emphasis on entertainment, use of the term "beer exhibition" places emphasis on sampling or tasting a wide range of beers, usually craft-brewed in a variety of different styles by various brewers.

German beer festivals:

The largest beer festival in the world is the known to every1 oktoberfest in germany. Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to early October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year. The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the Munich event. Several other smaller beer festivals are held all over Germany all over the year. The 2nd largest beer festival in Germany and probably in Europe, is the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart.

The second largest genuine Bavarian festival is the Gäubodenvolksfest in Straubing. The festival is similar like Oktoberfest but it has an own history and it is not a copy of the Oktoberfest, as is the Barthelmarkt by Manching, which even dates back to Roman times. The third largest beer festival in Bavaria is the Bergkirchweih in Erlangen, with the largest open-air beer garden in Europe.

oktoberfest by night

British beer festivals:

Festivals are often organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), by local pubs and occasionally by other groups. CAMRA festivals are run by volunteers under direction of the local CAMRA branch. There is an admission fee which is reduced or waived for CAMRA members. Pub festivals use professional bar staff, and there are usually no entry fees. Beer festivals organised by student real ale societies - some CAMRA-affiliated and some not - have existed for many years, but are currently enjoying something of a boom. These festivals are typically held in students' union premises, and entry is hence sometimes restricted to students and staff, though exceptions may be made for card-carrying CAMRA members.

Notable British beer festivals:

The Great British Beer Festival held annually in August in London is the largest and most famous beer festival in the UK, and is organised by CAMRA. The "GBBF", as it is known, was founded in 1977 and was attended by over 66,000 people in 2006, and 350,000 pints of ale were consumed over the five days of the festival.

The CAMRA National Winter Ales Festival; held at New Century Hall, Manchester, is designed to showcase beer styles which may not be readily available during the summer festival. Taking place every January, it has also been celebrated in Glasgow and Burton-on-Trent.

The Luton Beer Festival, organised by South Beds CAMRA, is one of the first major beer festivals of the UK calendar year. With over 100 beers, ciders and perries usually available. Takes place 18–20 February 2010 and is currently in its 27th year.

The Peterborough CAMRA Beer Festival held in three giant marquees on the Embankment, Peterborough, PE1 1EF has been running since 1978 and is the largest outside of London with 350+ draught real ales, 100+ ciders and perries. Takes place on the Tuesday to Saturday in the week before August Bank Holiday.

The Nottingham Robin Hood Beer Festival in Nottingham, has been held annually in October since 1977 (before 2008 styled Nottingham Beer Festival). It is held in the grounds of Nottingham Castle in the city having moved there from the Victoria Leisure Centre. It has grown to 15,000 people attending in 2008 with 57,500 pints of real ale consumed.

Festivals in other countries:

In Belgrade, Serbia, Belgrade Beer Fest takes place every August at Ušće park.

In Braşov, Romania, a large Beer festival is held every year in October.

In Bruges, Belgium, BAB-bierfestival, held every year in November

In Copenhagen, Denmark, the big Copenhagen Beer Festival takes place every year in May.

In Karlovac, Croatia, Dani piva, held every year, 10 days starting on last Friday in August

In Kragujevac, Serbia, Šumadija Beer Open, held every year in June.

In Plzeň, Czech Republic, the biggest Czech beer festival (Pilsner Fest) is held every year in October.

In Tallinn, Estonia, festival Ollesummer is held every year in July.

In Trondheim, Norway, an Oktoberfest is held every second year during the student festival UKA.

In Stockholm, Sweden, Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival is held every year in September.

In London, England the largest event is the Alexandra Palace German Beer Festival which coincides with the venues annual firework display (7 November 2009)

Have you ever attended to a festival like this ? If so, tell us how was it !

Do these kind of events intrest you ? Would you like to participate in oktoberfest if you never had ?

Beer - Production process

To the uninitiated making beer can almost seem like a black art. But the process of turning grains, water, yeast and hops into beer is really a very simple one. In fact, it could be said that very little of the work is done by the brewer. The real heroes of beer making are the yeast cells.

The object of the entire process is to convert grain starches to sugar, extract the sugar with water, and then ferment it with yeast to produce the alcoholic, lightly carbonated beverage.

Ingredients

Water - Beer is composed mostly of water. Regions have water with different mineral components and as a result different regions are better suited to making certain typers of beer. For example Dublin has hard water ideal for brewing stout, such as Guiness, while Pilzen has soft water well suited for brewing pale lager, such as Pilsner Urquell.

Starch source - The starch source provides the fermentable material and is a key determinant of the strength and flavour of the beer. The most common starch source used in beer is malted grain.

Hops - The flower of the hop vine is used as a flavouring and preservative agent in nearly all beer made today. The flowers themselves are often called "hops".

Yeast - Yeast is the microorganism that is responsible for fermentation in beer. Yeast metabolises the sugars extracted from grains, which produces alcohol and carbon dioxide, and thereby turns wort into beer. In addition to fermenting the beer, yeast influences the character and flavour.

Clarifying agent - Some brewers add one or more clarifying agents to beer witch precipitate out of beer with protein solids and are found only in trace amounts in the final product. THis makes the beer apear clean and brighter.

Here is a synopsis of the brewing process:

Malted barley is soaked in hot water to release the malt sugars.

The malt sugar solution is boiled with Hops for seasoning.

The solution is cooled and yeast is added to begin fermentation.

The yeast ferments the sugars, releasing CO2 and ethyl alcohol.

When the main fermentation is complete, the beer is bottled with a little bit of added sugar to provide the carbonation.

Here's a very intresting clip taking you on a tour around the Chimay Brewery and explaining the process of brewing.

Topics for discussion:

Have u ever been in any brewery on a tour ? If not would you like to ?

What Polish brewery do you like the most and what makes it so special ?

Urban exploration - part 2 - Warsaw

Chernobyl is great and probably the biggest and the most interesting abandoned place in 1000 kilometers diameter. Nonetheless it's not the only abandoned place near. Great source for this kind of places in Poland is http://opuszczone.com . There are hundreds deserted locations in Poland. Let's start with Warsaw and its suburbs.


First place is a Róża's Luksemburg factory located near PJWSTK. This building was built in 1922 and at first it was producing lightbulbs. Some years after that vacuum tubes were assembled there, so there's some IT background there ;) What I didn't know is that for decades this was a Philips factory. After the war, this place was producing different types of lighting, but after 1991 this factory gone bancrupt. Most part of the building isn't used, but it's really great to see that such a great place was partly adapted as paintball playground.

http://opuszczone.com/galerie/wawa_roza/index.php


Second thing I want to show you, is a place that I visited recently. I was amazed that there's an empty multi-storey building near Modlińska street. It was built in 70's as a hotel for FSO employees. Because of a fact that designers didn't expect people to live there for a longer time, each flat is extremely small. When FSO was bought by Daewoo, most residents moved from there. Nonetheless a couple families lived there up to 2000, when the building was closed because of debts. Doors and windows on lowest floors are blocked, but there are holes in basement's windows. It isn't easy to get there, but a view from the roof is worth everything. From there you can see a big part of Warsaw.
http://www.warsawsun.pl/pokaz.php?miejsce=62
http://penetratorscavengerteam.blogspot.com/2009/04/15042009-szklana-puapka.html


Last place is a so called Atomic Headquarters (Atomowa Kwatera Dowodzenia). There are a couple of buildings looking like a school and a garage. But that's only on the outside. If you use stairs in the school or go deeper into the garage, you'll find a maze of halls and rooms. If you start in school and go under it, you're on the level -1. That's the last place here where you can go without a flashlight. Fun begins here. You can go further, but be aware that there are holes, there's a grease etc. It's really amazing when you're on the level -3 in a place where some engines were working in the past and when you turn off your lightsource, there's no way you can see anything. There's an absolute darkness. You can only use your hear. You can smell the grease that's the only thing left after the engines that were there in the past. There's no way you could get out of there without a light. Amazing experience.

http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomowa_Kwatera_Dowodzenia


Topics for discussion:
1. Have you ever been to at least one of those places?
2. Which one of those places seems to be the most interesting?
3. Would you like to visit those places?

Beer - origins

Did you know that beer has been argued to be responsible for humanity's ability to build civilizations and develor technology ? When people of the ancient world realised they could make bread and beer from grain, they stoped roaming and settled down to cultivate cereals in recognisable communities.

Beer is one of the world's oldest prepared beverages, with history dating back to 6000 bc and was recorded in written history of ancient Egypt, ancient Sumeria and Mesapotamia. Originally it was made from barley - it was crushed, mixed with water, and dried into cakes. When broken up and mixed with water, the cakes gave an extract that was fermented by microorganisms accumulated on the surfaces of fermenting vessels. A Prayer to Ninkasi also known as the "Hymn to ninkasi" from the earliest Sumerian culture writings serves as both, a prayer as well as a recipt to remember the brewing process of beer in a culture with few literate people.

Ninkasi, you are the one

You are the one who holds with both hands the great sweet wort...

Ninkasi, you are the one who pours out the filtered beer of the collector vat,

It is the onrush of Tigris and Euphrates.

There are 3 basic types of beer beverages:

Ale - commonly defined by the strain of yeast used and the fermenting temperature. The important distinction for ales is that they are fermented at higher temperatures and thus ferment more quickly than lagers.

Lager - Lager is the English name for cool fermenting beers of Central European origin. The name lager comes from the German lagern for "to store", as brewers around Bavaria stored beer in cool cellars and caves during the warm summer months.

Colour - Beer colour is determined by the malt. The most common colour is a pale amber produced from using pale malts. Pale lager and pale ale are terms used for beers made from malt dried with coke. Coke was first used for roasting malt in 1642, but it was not until around 1703 that the term pale ale was used.

Personaly my favorite are lagers. They also are the most commonly consumed beers in the world

As almost any substance containing carbohydrates can naturally undergo fermentation it is likely thet beer was independently invented among various cultures throughout the world. In ancient Mesopotamia, clay tablets indicate that brewing was a fairly well respected occupation, and that the majority of brewers were women. During the Middle Ages, the monastic orders preserved brewing as a craft. The Industrial Revolution brought the mechanization of brewing. Brewing in the 21st century is a large-scale industry. Modern breweries use stainless-steel equipment and computer-controlled automated operations, and they package beer in metal casks, glass bottles, aluminum cans, and plastic containers. Beers are now exported worldwide and are produced under license in foreign countries.

Few questions to sharpen your imagination:

1. How many different kinds of beer have you drunk?

2. What do you think of the impact of alcoholic beverages upon the civilizational development of society?

3. Alcohol as a personal relation breakthrough - true or false?

Urban exploration - part 1 - Chernobyl

I'd like to tell you little about one of my favourite things - urban exploration. Probably most of you already know what it means, but I'd like to give some basic description at the beginning.

As claimed by Wikipedia, urban exploration "is the examination of the normally unseen or off-limits parts of urban areas or industrial facilities." There are abandoned factories, orphanages, mental hospitals, army facilities etc. all around. Sometimes it is in good shape, sometimes it's abandoned for many years and you have to be fully aware there. Sometimes you need to use just your legs, but there are places where you can't get into without pliers, flashlight or even ropes, hooks and aqualung.

After some basic information, I'd like to show you my personal best places to explore. First of them is popular and well known - Chernobyl Power Plant and Prypiat. Second thing is a city about 4 km from Chernobyl Power Plant in Ukraine. It was founded in 1970 as a place to live for employees of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station. Nonetheless this wasn't the only purpose for this city to exist - it was also a bigget river and railroad cargo port in the Northern Ukraine. Population there was about 50,000 in 1986. This was the year when the worst accident in history of nuclear power happened. There are different evaluations of how many people died because of that accident, nevertheless all the Prypiat's residents were resettled and that city became deserted and stays the same to this day.

I'm a person that can't go anywhere without seeing a map first, so I put it here.



When visiting this place, you should be familiar with at least a couple of most interesting parts. First of them is a vehicle junkyard. It's a place where there are hundreds of ruined vehicles that belonged to Prypiat's residents or were used during evacuation and lockdown of the reactor. That's the place where Geiger counter makes more sounds than anywhere else besides the reactor and its nearest neighbourhood.




Another place worth mentioning is the above-mentioned reactor itself. You can't go closer than couple hundred meters from it. That's forbidden because of the radioactivity, of course. Nonetheless it's great to be there and knowing that you're so close to great amounts of energy hidden under the concrete near you.



Last thing that I'd like to show you, is the housing estate part. It's the only one of places described here, that is in the Prypiat itself. There are tens of buildings, what is best seen here (just click "Rooftop view"):

http://www.blueroomdesign.net/pripyat/

There are resident blocks there mostly, but there are also shops, kindergarten, schools, cinema, hospital and many more. One of the most astonishing parts is the amusement park with a ferris wheel. It's amazing to see a place made for fun, but abandoned for more then 20 years now.

And please, don't get me wrong. I like this kind of exploration, but I'm an amateur to the extreme. Some people use ropes, hooks, oxygen masks etc. I admire them, but that's not for me.

Topics for discussion:
1. What do you think of this kind of activity?
2. Did you visit Chernobyl? Would you do this, if there was a chance to?

10 most beautiful women by Maxim magazine ranking

10th Marisa Lee Miller was born Aug. 6, 1978 in California. She is an American super model.Career began in 2002 where he appeared on the cover of Fashion magazine. She is a model Victoria Sectet. In 2008 she was an angel Victoria Sercet. Is known for its advertising Harley-Davidson. In addition to modeling, is the ambassador for the American Cancer Society.



9th Kimberly Noel Kardashian was born October 21, 1980 in LA. Known for its reallity show "Kardashian Family." Now is a super model. Known for its many scandals. Kimberly played in two films, 2008: Deep in the Valley, Disaster Movie.




8th. Olivia Munn was born July 2, 1982 in Oklahoma. She is an actress. She was raised with five siblings. The first time she played in the film Beyond Break in 2006, then in Big Stan. Now is a television presenter.



7th Elisabetta Canalis was born September 12, 1978 in Sardinia. She is an Italian model and actress. She played the
Gigolo in Europe and Virgin Territory. George Clooney loves her holidays spent together.



6th Rihanna was born February 20, 1988 in Barbados. Her real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty. I guess everyone knows it very well:) She is a singer of pop and R & B. The first album was released in 2005, "Music of the Sun." After the debut of her career went rapidly forward.



5th Megan Fox was born May 16, 1986 in Oak Ridge. She is an actress and model. Career as an actress she was 15 years in the film, "holidays in the sun." She is bisexual:(. She played in thirteen films, mostly role. I think she is the prettiest because she is natural.




4th Blake Lively was born August 25, 1987 in California. She is an actress. Her parents are also actors. She has four siblings. The first time she played in "Sandman." My father forbade her to play in the movies until the end of school. When she finished school she played in many films.



3rd Zoe Saldana was born June 19, 1978 in New Jersey. She is an actress. Career began in 2000 film "Center Stage", the film received much praise and her career blossomed. Little is known about her private life, not like the media and interviews.



2nd Brooklyn Decker, 12 April 1987 in Ohio. She is a model and actress. In 2009 was the wedding of Andy Roddick. She is a model magazines, Ell, GQ, Cosmopolitan. She and her husband want to have a child.



1st Katy Perry was born October 25, 1984 in California. She is a singer and songwriter. The popularity has brought the single "One of the Boys." When I was little, she sang in the church.Her idols are the band "Queen". It is the most promising singers.

I hope this ranking is more is more interesting for you:)

Which girl are you most like?
Which girl do you think is the prettiest:?