hello!
Getting late here in Amsterdam but I wanted to ship this before pulling the plug and catching some Zzzz's before tomorrow's Pathfinder Giro.
Ok, about the subject line, no not that 711. I'm referencing 711 AD when Spanish occupation by the Moors began. Back then, an African army, under their leader Tariq ibn-Ziyad, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from northern Africa and invaded the Iberian peninsula ‘Andalus’. Unfamiliar with the Moors? Read up.
Here are 5 of 15 facts on the Moors in Spain that I read about today:
- The Moors, who ruled Spain for 800 years, introduced new scientific techniques to Europe, such as an astrolabe, a device for measuring the position of the stars and planets. Scientific progress in Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Geography and Philosophy flourished in Moorish Spain
- At its height, Córdova, the heart of Moorish territory in Spain, was the most modern city in Europe. The streets were well-paved, with raised sidewalks for pedestrians. During the night, ten miles of streets were well illuminated by lamps. (This was hundreds of years before there was a paved street in Paris or a street lamp in London.)
- Education was universal in Moorish Spain, available to all, while in Christian Europe ninety-nine percent of the population were illiterate, and even kings could neither read nor write. At that time, Europe had only two universities, the Moors had seventeen great universities! These were located in Almeria, Cordova, Granada, Juen, Malaga, Seville, and Toledo.
- The Moors introduced paper to Europe and Arabic numerals, which replaced the clumsy Roman system. ; )
- The Moors introduced many new crops including the orange, lemon, peach, apricot, fig, sugar cane, dates, ginger and pomegranate as well as saffron, sugar cane, cotton, silk and rice which remain some of Spain’s main products today.
Until tonight, I wasn't really aware of any of this!
As always, thank you for reading!
I hope you have a nice rest of the weekend ahead,
Jon
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🧑🎨 Tomorrow's dresscode guide as header image by Yorit Kluitman.
p.s. The three lines in the subject line is a trigram for Heaven and was approved as part of Unicode 1.1 in 1993.
p.p.s. Please consider sharing this newsletter with your friends & colleagues:
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Cycling
The Bikepacking Journal Number Five Printing soon!
The latest issue of The Bikepacking Journal, bikepacking.com's biannually printed publication, deadline to join their Bikepacking Collective and ensure you receive Issue 05 is right around the corner at 11:59 PM EDT on next Saturday, October 17th.
Inside this issue you’ll find another 160 pages of the most engaging writing and inspiring photography from bikepacking trips all around the world. And they’re shipping the new issue with a sticker sheet featuring seven different stickers, including our new coyote and hare drivetrain animals.
I R I S Fall/Winter 2020 Launched!
Iris knows your winter season won’t be as exotic or ‘en vogue’ as their look book photos, but who cares? She wanted to add some ‘juice’ to your winter, to color your rides and ensure all eyes are on you.
Rivendell offers 'reparations' discount to Black customers
In its new Black Reparations Program, Rivendell Bicycle Works is offering Black customers a 45% discount on bikes and frames bought through its website or its warehouse store.
Unsurprisingly, this has upset more than a few people. I've always respected Riv.
Now, more than ever.
Ideas (wheels required)
BBC News Channel - Our World, Europe's Cycling Revolution
Click below to check out the segment. : )
Kind of intense that the previous episode is on police brutality in the USA and the following on Trump & God...
Bicycles And Buses Will Be Future’s Dominant Modes Of Urban Mobility, Predict 346 Transport Experts
The Transport for Under Two Degrees project published a report on October 8 arguing that governments around the world should stop subsiding motoring, must hike fuel prices, and, instead, build cycleways and wider sidewalks to accommodate a future of “active transport” in cities.
Always on point, Carlton!
Spoocha – Cycling Against Racism
SHARE YOUR FORTUNE - under this motto Spoocha has initiated charitable projects since 2013 and invites cyclists and sponsors to support disadvantaged children and young people.
Over 1 million kilometers have been ridden in 28 challenges and converted into over Euro 60.000,00 in donations.
In the future, Spoocha will pursue three topics that they see as crucial for our common future on this planet: Humanity, nature and respect
In times when nature tells us clearly that an immediate rethink is needed - times when people still fight each other because of their skin color, sex, religion or views, and disrespect is commonplace in social networks - in these times it is even more important to stand up for common values every day.
Click for more info (German for now & English in 2021) Keep it up, Chris & Andreas!
Ideas (no wheels required)
Slavery and racism haunt the US still. Could Germany’s model for Holocaust remembrance be the answer?
The long and public reckoning that followed the Holocaust shows a path forward for a United States that desperately needs to confront its racist past.
And, on the heels of the Rivendell article above: "The debt US companies owe Black Americans"
How Trump’s presidency has changed Europe for the better
How the emergence of a noisy Euroskeptic American president has inspired Europeans to push through years of crises to get stronger.
10 things you need to know to stop a coup
Speaking of Trump, this article is clearly relevant for one country in particular right now but several examples of thwarted attempts from around the world are used as examples in this informative guide.
Radness
I saw our local Yellow Submarine departing yesterday.
Click here to learn a bit more about the boat. So rad!