Speed at Rest: portraits of speedsters photographed at zero miles per hour.

The salt bed of the Bonneville Speedway is the prime venue where ordinary people perform an extraordinary feat: they travel on land faster than 99% of us ever will. This is the place where land speed world records are broken.

The landscape is perfectly flat and barren. The air is hot and still. An overpowering and pervasive brightness relentlessly saps your energy from sunrise to sundown. This patch of desert and the machines that dot it are inextricably linked to each other. The salt has been waiting for the machines and they in turn were made to race on it.

During the summer months, the salt hardens enough to provide a suitable surface. Only then, drivers can reach outrageous speeds skimming the surface of an endless sea of white. The drill consists of aiming the machine at a designated point on the horizon, firing it off with an organ-shaking roar, shooting it in a straight line, pushing it to its limit, slowing it down, turning it back around, and racing against the clock one more time. This goes on for most of the day during official speed trials, one driver, one machine at a time. It’s a strange, almost surreal event to witness.

The following group of six images were shot with a medium format film camera. The images were submitted to the Lens Work 'Sixes' project in 2016 but were trurned down for publication.

Plate 1
Plate 2
Plate 3
Plate 4
Plate 5
Plate 6


EMTSBA III is a man who has 9 lives and lives like a cat; for three he fights, for three he laughs, for three he writes! He has the writing reflex, or so they say. His early formative years spent travelling different countries, living in a multilingual household and growing up among a dozen of other languages and nationalities, diversity in culture will later influence his interest in Personal Development, Community Outreach and Social Commentary. That journey took him through 3 continents and over 50 cities exploring to understand the Human Paradox (The title of his weekly Radio show). ***Follow @TheWritingReflex on Instagram and Twitter.***

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Posts Tagged ‘training effects’

Rhabdomyolysis in Athletes

A new “hot topic” in the fitness world: Rhabdomyolysis. Acute Exertional Rhabdomyolysis (AER) is a syndrome in which muscle swelling results from a breakdown of muscle fibers where its cell contents get released into the bloodstream. This typically occurs from intense bouts of strenuous eccentric exercise (common cases have been reported in the military, CrossFit community, and long distance runners).

It is important to be able to identify the signs and symptoms of this potentially fatal syndrome.

Symptoms: significant muscle swelling, severe muscle soreness (bilateral), cola-colored urine. If you have these symptoms, be sure to get to an Emergency Room right away.

Prevention: If you are an untrained or deconditioned individual, be sure to progress your exercise! Increase intensity of your exercise at a pace that will allow muscle tissue to recover. Also, proper exercise technique is imperative! Be away of extreme heat/humid situations, and be sure to stay hydrated!

T. Brudvig & P. Fitzgerald. “Identification of Signs and Symptoms of Acute Exertional Rhabdomyolysis in Athletes: A Guide for the Practitioner.” Strength and Conditioning Journal: February 2007.

5-Hour Energy, Red Bull, Rockstar….What are you putting into your body?

energy drinks

Energy drink sales have blown up! In 2002 Report Buyer estimated the market was at about $1.2 billion and would progress to $6.6 billion in 2007. And it doesn’t appear the energy drink market will slow down any time soon.

But, what are their risks and/or benefits?

Aerobic Performance:

One study by Candow and colleagues looked at the effects of sugar-free Red Bull on high-intensity run time to exhaustion in young adults. One group drank Red Bull and another group drank a non-caffeinated sugar-free placebo. They found no difference in run time to exhaustion or perceived exertion between groups

However, another study by Ivy and company showed conflicting results:  Performance on a bike test improved with energy drink consumption.

Anaerobic Performance:

Muscle strength was measured by a 3-set bench press test and endurance by an anaerobic power test on a Wingate cycle ergometer. The Red Bull group increased their total bench press reps but there was no effect on anaerobic power.

Conclusions: Similar results have been shown in other studies. Regardless of all the data on main ingredients of energy drinks (caffeine and carbs), there is limited data to show that they enhance aerobic or anaerobic exercise performance.

Recommendations: Energy drinks will not transform you into an “all-star” athlete. However, the occasional energy drink with regard to acute health risks is safe. But long-term studies have not been conducted yet. Be cautious of what you put into your body!

“Energy Drinks: Performance Effects and Safety Concerns”. Mike T. Nelson. 2012. National Strength & Conditioning Association.

Benefit to living in Bozeman? Live High-Train Low…

Have you ever wondered what effect altitude has on training? According to Stray-Gundersen’s research paper in the American Physiology Society,  altitude training improves sea level performance in male and female elite runners.

22 athletes performed high-intensity training at 1,250 meters (4,101 feet) before and after living at 2,500 meters (8,202 feet) for 27 days. These athletes improved their time trial performance (3,000-m) by 1.1% and 1/3 of the athletes achieved personal best times for the distance. Also, the athletes improved their VO2max. The mechanisms in which these changes take place are due to the expansion of red cell mass and increased circulating hemoglobin

Maybe there is a benefit to living closer to the mountains in Bozeman!

Stray-Gundersen, J., Chapman, R., and Levine, B. “Living high-training low” altitude training improves sea level performance in male and female elite runners. American Physiology Society. 2001.

Since one of the first studies on eccentric exercises in 1938, there  has been discussion about the physiological difference in eccentric versus concentric exercises. A Concentric exercise is the shortening of a muscle as it contracts (ex: raising of a weight during a bicep curl). An Eccentric exercise is the contraction of a lengthening muscle (ex: lowering of a weight during a bicep curl). Eccentric exercises have been shown to be more beneficial in terms of muscle physiology efficiency. In addition, eccentric exercises have been advocated for management of tendinopathies, muscle strains and prevention of ACL injury. Is it true, should we focus on the eccentric phase of exercises for maximum benefits?

Here are a few central reasons why eccentric exercises give you more bang for your physiological buck!

  • During eccentric exercise oxygen consumption rarely rises to more than twice the resting value (1).
  • When a muscle is eccentrically lengthened the energy requiring drops significantly because ATP breakdown and heat production are slowed (1).
  • Bigland-Ritchie et al found the following: less muscle activity was required to maintain the same force during eccentric work than concentric work; fewer muscle fibers were required to exert a given force and there was a large reduction in oxygen uptake when muscles were eccentrically lengthened compared to concentric shortening (2).
  • Eccentric exercise has been shown to reduce hamstring injury rates by 60-70% in various sports (3).

Conclusion: Eccentric exercise results in lower oxygen consumption, more force production, less energy expenditure and has been shown to prevent injuries when compared to concentric exercise.

Try an eccentric exercise:

Nordic Hamstring Exercise: Kneel on the ground while a partner holds your ankles to the ground. Lean forward leading with hips and keeping your knee, hips, and shoulders in a straight line. Keep leaning as long as possible until you fall on the ground and stop yourself with your hands. Push yourself back up and repeat.

1. Wilkie DR. Heat, work, and phosphorylcreatine break-down in muscle. Journal of Physiology 1968;195(1):57-183.

2. Bigland-Ritchie B, Woods JJ. Integrated electromyogram and oxygen uptake during positive and negative work. Journal of Physiology 1976;260(2):267-277.

3. Small K, et al. Effect of timing of eccentric hamstring strengthening exercises during soccer training: implications for muscle fatigability. J Strength Conditioning Research 2009;23(4):1077-1083.

If I am using ingredients that weren’t around 100 years ago, does that make sense?

At Rec Sports & Fitness we don’t promote any one particular diet or lifestyle. This is to be used for information purposes only. After working in the sport and fitness industry for well over 20 years, I have seen a lot of diet information come out. I usually like to say to my clients and staff, “If it didn’t come out of the ground or have a heartbeat, don’t eat it.” The nice thing about this, is that even they are vegetarians, it can still work out. In recent years, the paleo diet has taken center stage. It follows closely the quote which was just mentioned.  Check out the links below for more information.

Please remember that I am not promoting any of the products sold on these websites.  These sites have good information.

Other great things to remember is that you don’t have to be 100% faithful to your diet.  Take a break, perhaps follow the classic 80/20 rule.

On another note, I recently had some clients go “wheat-free” because of the gluten which is found in wheat.  Remember that carbohydrates are good for you, they just could come in the form of fruits and vegetables and rice and quinoa.  You can also choose breads which have no gluten in them as well (also pasta).  Thanks to the manufacturers over the years for perfecting these wheat-free beauties.

That is it for now, will post more later. 🙂  Enjoy the day!

Neuroendocrine Response to Resistance Training

What is the neuroendocrine response, and how do I get it?

Neuroendocrine refers to interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system. So what does this have to do with fitness? Muscle growth and strength increases largely depend on the neuroendocrine adaptations and acute responses evoked during exercise. Some helpful hormones that are released include testosterone, GH or growth hormone, cortisol, insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1), insulin, and the catecholamines. All of which play a role in the process of muscle breakdown and rebuilding. The breakdown, or catabolism, happens during exercise and the rebuilding, or anabolism, occurs during recovery.

Certain exercises and manipulations of exercise protocols can maximize the neuroendocrine response. The most effective exercises that stimulate the neuroendocrine system include large groups of muscle. Kraemer et al. found that “Large muscle-mass exercises such as the Olympic lifts, deadlifts and jump squats have been shown to produce large elevations in testosterone in comparison with small muscle-mass exercises” (2005). These types of exercises when done prior to smaller exercises significantly increase the amount of testosterone circulating in the blood a short time after exercise while exercises such as “bicep curls” done without doing lower body large muscle mass exercises beforehand did not (Hansen et. al. 2001).

Now let’s focus in on testosterone. Not only does the type of exercise matter but also how that exercise is performed is essential to eliciting a significant neuroendocrine increase of testosterone concentration. The intensity, volume, and rest interval of the exercise being the major factors in programming; the intensity of exercise is how hard it is or the amount of resistance. The volume changes with the number of sets and repetitions performed Volume= (Sets x Reps x Resistance). The ideal programming for a good acute testosterone response according to Kraemer et al 2005 is a high volume with moderate to high resistance. Other factors that influence this acute response include age, sex, and training status.

One of Kraemer’s programs showed significant acute increases of testosterone and involved 8 exercises total with 3-5 sets done with 5 repetitions with 1 and 3 minute rest intervals (1991). Another significant change was recorded by Pakarinen with a program of 10 sets of 10 repetitions at 70% of 1 Repetition Maximum (1993). These are but a few ways of programming effectively for muscle growth and strength.

To put it in simple terms in order to maximize neuroendocrine response focus on working large muscle groups before smaller muscle groups. Use higher volume and moderate to high intensity with shorter rest intervals between sets.

Hakkinen K. Pakarinen A. Acute hormonal responses to two different fatiguing heavy-resistance protocols in male athletes. J Appl Physiol 1993;74:882-7

Kraemer W.J., Gordon SE, Fleck SJ. Et al. Endogenous anabolic hormonal and growth factor responses to heavy resistance exercisein males and females. Int J Sports Med 1991; 12:228-35

This article was written by Kevin Erickson ACSM-HFS.  Kevin is currently accepting new clients at the Marga Hosaeus Fitness Center.  Call 994-6309 for more information about Kevin’s training methods.

Want More BANG For Your BUCK From Your Workout??

The Holiday Festivities are among us, including pumpkin pie, turkey, potatoes galore, and Aunt Sally’s famous fruitcake. With your busy schedule your time is slim, but your waistline is not. Fear not; make your workouts more beneficial and less time consuming!

I ask this question: why train muscles individually when they always work together?

Here’s an answer: you don’t have to. Very rarely do your muscles work as each individual part. Any activity you perform requires activation from numerous muscles in your body. This means using large movements that take as many joints as possible through their available range of motion (Broadbent). Think of it like this; with the holidays you will be carrying lots of boxes (gifts, decorations, etc), shoveling snow, picking up nieces, nephews, and grandkids, and helping move furniture to accommodate the in-laws flying in from Texas. When performing these tasks it would be nice not to throw out your back, correct? Now is time to start training your body for these useful and practical duties and keep your pants buttoned! Working more muscles at once decreases your time spent at the gym, increases total calories burned, and keeps you in shape for those family outings.

According to Juan Carlos Santana, there are 4 pillars of human movement:

  1. Standing and locomotion
  2. Level changes in the body’s center of mass
  3. Pushing and pulling
  4. Rotation

Consider those movements condensed together! BOOM, more bang for your buck and BOOM, the focus is on functionality of the human body. Try these two multi-pillar based exercises.

  1. Sled Pull Aparts
  2. Squats with Overhead Press: start and finish


Dmitriy Isaev

In school Dmitri Isayev was keen on sports, but chose the violin after all. He studied in the Rimski-Korsakoff musical school. Since being 14 years-old he played violin in Yuri Tomashevsky's "Comedian's Refuge" theatre. Isayev entered the theatre school on the second try. In 1996 he graduated from the Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy. After that he worked in the "Comedian's Refuge" theatre and Komissarjevsky Theatre. At the same time, he worked as a fitness trainer, masseur, even shop director, took part in various projects related to dances and songs, were an assistant director for dubbing-in and cinema scoring. His first role as a film actor - little Mozart playing violin.

Dmitriy Isaev rol aldığı yapımlar.


Inventor of World Wide Web warns of threat to internet

Sir Tim Berners-Lee said he is up against “big companies” who want to tweak the laws to have “tremendous” control over the lives of web users.

The internet has come under increasing scrutiny surrounding privacy and censorship following revelations of data gathering by Government security services across the world and the EU’s decision to allow individuals to ask search engines to remove links to information about them.

But he denied that his creation, now 25 years old, has been tainted by ever evolving obstacles, from spying to child pornography, describing it as a “neutral platform” which reflects all aspects of humanity.

The London-born computer scientist, aged 59, has been marking the quarter century of the revolution he started by campaigning for an online “Magna Carta” of rules which would enshrine the independence of the internet and the privacy of its users.

“It (the web) has got so big that if a company can control your access to the internet, if they can control which websites they go to, then they have tremendous control over your life,” he said.

“If they can spy on what you’re doing they can understand a huge amount about you and similarly if a Government can block you going to, for example, the opposition’s political pages, then they can give you a blinkered view of reality to keep themselves in power and if they can spy on you and find out the people who are really serious dissidents then they can round you up and put you in jail.

“So suddenly the power to abuse the open internet has become so tempting both for government and big companies.

“There have been lots of times that it has been abused so now the Magna Carta is about saying everybody using the web take this year to stand up and say I want a web where I’m not spied on, where there’s no censorship.

“Generally everybody feels like that openness is really important, the only people who are pushing back are the lawyers in the big companies who realise that if they can make a play to take over control, that it will be so valuable that it’s worth them spending a lot of money trying to tweak the laws to allow loopholes which will allow them to start abusing people.”

Sir Tim attended the first day of the Web We Want Festival at London’s Southbank Centre this weekend, a partnership between the arts centre in central London and Sir Tim’s World Wide Web Foundation, which is encouraging all web users to think about how they want the internet to develop.

He added that it was an “important principle” that the web was able to reflect all of humanity, despite it enabling a “ghastly” side to exist.

“If I designed a web where you can only put nice things on it then you would have to be some central office of niceness where you would have to ask permission to put stuff up,” he said.

“When you have something that is a neutral medium the web is not censoring what is going on then you’re looking at humanity, you’re looking at a mirror of humanity. You see some wonderful stuff and you see some ghastly stuff.

“That’s an important principle that it can mirror humanity.

“Now some things are of course just illegal, child pornography, fraud, telling someone how to rob a bank, that’s illegal before the web and it’s illegal after the web.”

Report By Talk Talk (Source Link)


Logs are the most basic type of wood found in the game. They are harvested from regular Trees in the Woodcutting and Farming skills.

Usage Edit

Items Amount
Heat Variable
Charcoal Variable
EmptyHammer 10
EmptyShovel 10
EmptyPickaxe 10
RowBoat 100
Canoe 500
BonemealBin 1,000
SailBoat 1,000
OilFactory 5,000
WoodenWand 1,000
WoodenSpinningWheel 2,000
Logs Logs


Barack Obama Speech G7 Angela Merkel
US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel make speeches after signing the guest book in Kruen, Germany, June 7, 2015.
REUTERS/Matthias Schrader
Leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) industrial nations backed a tough line toward Moscow at the start of a summit in the Bavarian Alps, with US President Barack Obama urging the gathering to stand up to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Host Angela Merkel greeted Obama in the idyllic Alpine village of Kruen under blue skies, surrounded by locals in traditional dress, drinking beer and eating white sausage and pretzels.

But the crises in Ukraine and Greece seemed likely to overshadow the discussions at Schloss Elmau, a luxury Alpine hotel near the Austrian border.

Athens is running out of cash and will default on its debt, a move that could end up pushing it out of the eurozone, if it fails to reach a deal with its European partners and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the coming weeks.

US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel walk the streets in the Bavarian town of Kruen, Germany, June 7, 2015.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Obama said leaders would discuss the global economy, trade partnerships, and "standing up to Russian aggression in Ukraine", as well as threats from violent extremism and climate change.

Both he and Merkel highlighted the importance of the German-American relationship, damaged in recent years by revelations of US spying in Germany, including the bugging of the chancellor's mobile phone.

"My message to the German people is simple: We are grateful for your friendship, for your leadership," said Obama, using the traditional Bavarian greeting "Gruess Gott" with a crowd gathered in the village square in Kruen. "We stand together as inseparable allies in Europe and around the world."

Merkel alluded to "differences" but described the US as "our friend" and an "essential partner".

British Prime Minister David Cameron and European Council President Donald Tusk both said they hoped the G7 would present a united front on sanctions toward Russia.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is known to be skeptical about sanctions and left-wing politicians in Germany have also called for them to be removed.

Anti-G7 protestors climb a tree as they demonstrate in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany, June 7, 2015.
REUTERS/Michael Dalder

Germany deployed 17,000 police around the former Winter Olympic games venue at the foot of Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze. Another 2,000 were on stand-by across the border in Austria.

In addition to climate and health issues, the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, and European Union were due to discuss Islamist militant threats from groups such as Islamic State and Boko Haram. The leaders of Nigeria, Tunisia, and Iraq were to join them later as part of an "outreach" group of non-G7 countries.

Merkel was likely to have her work cut out for her on the climate talks. She won plaudits in 2007 when she hosted a G8 meeting on the Baltic coast and convinced Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, to join other leaders in pledging to fight global warming.

This time, she and François Hollande, the current president of France who will host the climate summit at the end of the year and is keen to generate some momentum for that in Bavaria, were facing resistance from Japan and Canada.


Greatest Motorsport Events in the World

August 19, 2016
Top Lists
Marijan Malcevic

  • 24 hours of Le Mans 2013
  • Monaco Grand Prix Monte Carlo
  • Indianapolis 500
  • Dakar Rally, 2015, Peugeot
  • Nurburgring

Here’s the list of the greatest motorsport events in the world. Twenty-two of them! Why 22? We had an idea of making the list of Top 10 greatest motorsport events in the world, as the list of the races and similar must-see events that every racing fan must have on his bucket list.

Well, we didn’t succeed. We didn’t succeed to make the list of only 10 events, because when we started writing, we didn’t want to shrink the choice. As the real petrolheads and race-loving maniacs,we think there are so many great, beautiful, must-see races, hundreds of them, so that’s the reason why more than ten races deserve the place on the list. So, instead of ten, we chose twenty races plus two more fantastic non-racing events.

24 hours of Le Mans, Circuit de la Sarthe, 2015 start

24 hours of Le Mans, Circuit de la Sarthe

24 hours of Le Mans (since 1923)

24 hours of Le Mans, which was organized for the first time near the French town Le Mans in 1923, is the pinnacle of the car racing and probably the most recognizable motorsport event in the world. The two-times-around-a-clock race at Circuit de la Sarthe is currently a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Through the history, the race survived several changes in the world’s motorsport hierarchy and it was a part of the various racing series or the non-championship events. The race was canceled only once, due to workers strike in 1936, and of course, it wasn’t held between 1940 and 1948 because of the World War II.

Since the inaugural race, in which 33 cars raced on the 17.2-km long circuit on the public roads, this race became the playground for the most sophisticated and technologically most advanced racing cars and prototypes. After many layout changes, including the chicanes on the famous Mulsanne Straight, the length of the race track is now 13.629 km. In the 2016 race, which was the 84th edition, 60 cars participated, which is the first 60-car grid after the tragic 1955 race. The usual date for the race is mid-June.

Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Indianapolis 500 (since 1911)

The greatest American race is one of the world’s oldest races that still exist. The first 500-mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was organized in 1911. In 2016, the 100th edition of the Indianapolis 500 was held. Between those two milestone dates, there are thousands of heartbreaking stories, celebrations and tragedies.

Throughout the history, the Indianapolis 500 was held under the various sanctioning bodies and as a part of different championship series, even in the Formula One championship calendar between 1950 and 1960. Besides drivers who regularly competed in the American open-wheel series, the Indy 500 race always attracted drivers from all over the world as the real 200-lap long test of the bravery, with the speeds of almost 230 mph around the 2.5-mile oval. The race is held on the Memorial Day weekend (last weekend in May).

Monaco Grand Prix Monte Carlo

Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo

Monaco Grand Prix (since 1929)

The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the original races of the inaugural 1950 Formula One World Championship, but its history is much longer. The first Grand Prix race on the streets of Monte-Carlo was held on April 14, 1929. Since then, the narrow race track around the streets of the prestigious town, different from any other Grand Prix track, had a special place in the motorsport history and it became the part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport (together with 24h Le Mans and Indy 500).

The unique character is what made the Monaco Grand Prix and Monaco street circuit so special. The race in Monte-Carlo is a slow-speed race but it is still one of the most demanding Grand Prix races and it is the reason why most of F1 drivers want to add this race to the winning list more than any other races. The driver who won the most times (six) was Ayrton Senna.

Rallye Monte-Carlo

Rallye Monte-Carlo

Rallye Monte-Carlo (since 1911)

Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) is the organizer of one more race that is among the world’s greatest races. The Rallye Monte-Carlo was organized for the first time in 1911, and it is the oldest of all rally events and is considered the most popular one of all rallies. In the early years, the concept of a rally was different, with competitors starting from different locations and traveling to Monte-Carlo.

The rally later became more compact, as other rallies in the World Rally Championship, featuring special stages in the hills near Principality of Monaco. Through the years, January-scheduled Rallye Monte-Carlo became widely known as the rally with varying weather and road conditions, unlike any other WRC event, so drivers could face dry and wet tarmac, snow, ice and mud on the same day and in the same stage. The Col de Turini mountain pass is one of the most famous rally stages in the world.

Dakar Rally, 2015, Peugeot

Dakar Rally

Dakar Rally (since 1979)

The intercontinental cross-country rally race, previously known as Paris – Dakar, is now just Dakar Rally, is definitely one of the top 5 most popular motorsport events in the world. It all started in 1977 when Thierry Sabine got lost in Tenere desert while competing in the Abidjan – Nice rally, so he decided to organize the regular rally in the African desert. The inaugural race started on December 26, 1978, in Paris, and finished on January 14, 1979, in Dakar, Senegal. The 182 vehicles participated in the first race.

Year by year, the number of competitors was growing, reaching its peak in 1988, with 603 vehicles in the entry list. All of those contestants wanted to pass the ultimate endurance test, sometimes more than 10,000 km long, to gain the glory. Unfortunately, through the years more than 70 people (competitors, officials, spectators) lost their lives at Dakar Rally. The 2008 event was canceled due to security threats in Mauritania and since 2009 the race took place in South America.

Isle of Man TT

Isle of Man TT

Isle of Man TT (since 1907)

The Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) is not only the oldest race on this list but also the craziest of all races we’ve ever seen. It’s crazy because of its mortality rate, with 266 lost lives since the inaugural race in 1907. Crazy because such a big number of fatalities didn’t stop either organizers or motorcycle racers to return every May (or June) at the 37.7-mile long Snaefell Mountain Course, that is constantly taking new victims every year. The record year was 2005, with eleven deaths on the public roads converted to the race track.

Between 1949 and 1976, the Isle of Man TT was a part of the FIM Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship. Some of the multiple winners in that period were John Surtees, Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini. Every driver who survived that crazy race deserves great respect, but the most respect goes to the current lap record holder Michael Dunlop and his uncle Joey Dunlop, who won 26 times.

Pikes Peak International Hillclimb

Pikes Peak International Hillclimb

Pikes Peak International Hillclimb (since 1916)

The Pikes Peak International Hillclimb (PPHIC), also known as the Race to the Clouds, is the most popular hill climb race in the world and the only race of such kind on this list. The hill climb racing is one of motorsport disciplines, but the Pikes Peak Hillclimb is out of all categories because it hosted all types of vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks).

The venue of this race is the 12.42-mile (20 km) long track from the bottom of the mountain to the summit of the Pikes Peak, at 4,300m altitude. Between start and finish lines, the competitors have 156 turns. The inaugural race in 1916 was the self-sanctioned event on the dirt track. Between 1946 and 1970, the race was a part of the various racing competitions (AAA, USAC), with Unsers dominating. In 2012, the whole track got a paved surface for the first time. A year later, Sebastien Loeb set the fastest ever track time with Pikes Peak special Peugeot 208 T16.

Daytona 500

Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway

Daytona 500 (since 1959)

Daytona 500 is considered as the most important and the most prestigious stock car racing event in the NASCAR Sprint Cup calendar, so it was also called the Great American Race.

The first 500-mile race at the 2.5-mile oval track at the Daytona International Speedway was held in 1959, in the year when the speedway was opened. Since the first race, Daytona 500 had its date in February. Since 1982, the race is the season-opening event of the Cup Series. The record holder with seven wins is Richard Petty. The most remembered victory was in 1979 when Petty won after Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed out and then had a fist fight in front of live TV audience.

Bathurst 1000, Mount Panorama Circuit

Bathurst 1000, Mount Panorama

Bathurst 1000 (since 1963)

The Bathurst 1000, the most popular Australian race surpassed the borders of Australia and became the race that attracts the drivers from all over the world, not only touring car drivers but from all other disciplines. The race originated from the Armstrong 500 race at Phillip Island in 1960, but in 1963 it was relocated to the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst.

Until 1972, it was the 500-mile long race, since 1973 the distance was changed to 1000 kilometers. The race on the 6.2-km long track, which was traditionally run in October, was a part of different Australian saloon/touring car competitions. Since 1999, it was reserved for the V8 Supercars vehicles. The record holder with nine wins is Peter Brock. After his death in 2006, the winner’s trophy is renamed to Peter Brock Trophy.

24 hours of Nurburgring

24 hours of Nurburgring

24 hours of Nürburgring (since 1970)

After the Le Mans 24-hour race, the second endurance race on the list is the 24 hours of Nürburgring, the race for touring cars and GT cars, that was introduced in 1970. The are couple reasons. First of all, the Nurburgring Nordschleife is one the most popular and most demanding race track in the world and every race on that circuit deserves to be seen.

But, not only the track is demanding and dangerous. As the ADAC 24h Rennen Nurburgring is hosting between 150 and 200 cars, driven both by professionals and amateur drivers, the day-and-night racing on the 20.8-km long track is sometimes extremely chaotic and unpredictable. Drivers maybe don’t like it, but spectators do.

Spa Francorchamps, Eau Rouge

Eau Rouge at night

24 hours of Spa (since 1924)

The 24 hours of Spa race was held for the first time in 1924, just a year after the similar race at Le Mans. Until 1953, sports cars were running in the 24-hour race at Spa, after that the touring cars were in charge until 2000 and finally, since 2001, the race is reserved for GT cars. 24 hours of Spa is currently a part of the Blancpain Endurance Series.

12 hours of Sebring (since 1952)

12 hours of Sebring is one of the endurance classics. It takes place on the Sebring International Raceway since 1952. The idea was to bring the Le Mans style racing to the America, so except the inaugural race, that was a part of the AAA championship, the cars at Sebring were always the same as the ones at Le Mans. Since 2014, the race is a part of the IMSA Sportscar Championship, so the leading cars are no more LMP1 but DP and LMP2 prototypes.

24 hours of Daytona (since 1962)

Daytona International Speedway has one more race that has to be on the must-see list. The 24 hours of Daytona, held for the first time in 1962, is using the 3.56-mile combined road course that features the infield road course and some parts of Daytona’s oval. Together with Le Mans and Sebring, Daytona 24h is a part of the Triple Crown of Endurance Racing, because for a long time the same cars were eligible for all three races. Since 2014, the race is a part of the IMSA Sportscar Championship.

Italian Grand Prix,

Italian Grand Prix, Autodromo Nazionale Monza

Italian Grand Prix – Monza (since 1922)

The Italian Grand Prix is one of the original events in the inaugural 1950 Formula One World Championship. The Grand Prix races at Autodromo Nazionale Monza dated from 1922 when the Italian Grand Prix was moved to Monza from Brescia. Since then, it became one of the world’s classics, together with three more original 1950 F1 races on this list.

Belgian Grand Prix – Spa (since 1925)

We already have 24 hours of Spa on this list, but the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps is something completely different and it was a good reason to come to Spa two times in one year because watching Formula One cars flying through the Eau Rouge is a really fantastic experience. Spa circuit hosted the Belgian Grand Prix for the first time in 1925, then it became one of the original Formula 1 events in 1950 and since 1985, this track is the regular host of the F1 machines.

British Grand Prix – Silverstone (since 1948)

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone was the first race of the first Formula One season in 1950, that gave Silverstone a special place in the history of world’s motorsport. Two more race tracks (Aintree and Brands Hatch) hosted F1 British Grand Prix, but Silverstone is the exclusive host since 1987, so that’s one more reason to visit this 5.89-km long historic circuit.

Macau Grand Prix (since 1954)

The Macau Grand Prix race, inaugurated in 1954, wasn’t even close to Formula One calendar, but its tradition and the unique character of the Guia 6.2-km long street circuit made this race popular among motorsport fans. The Guia circuit is the Asian version of the Monaco Grand Prix, but faster straights and tighter corners are more dangerous than the streets of Monte-Carlo. In recent years, the main category at Macau Grand Prix is Formula 3, but motorcycle riders, GT and touring car drivers also compete there.

Rally Sweden

Rally Sweden

Rally Sweden (since 1950)

For every rally in the WRC calendar, we could say that is special for some reason and someone could argue with that, but the Rally Sweden is arguably the most special of them all because it is the only snow rally in the current WRC schedule. Watching rally cars driving on the snow and ice up to 200 km/h, on the places where normal drivers couldn’t even drive, is really unique experience, so if you are planning to visit some WRC events, Rally Sweden, that took place in February, then this place must be on the top of the list.

Rally Finland (since 1951)

After visiting Sweden in February, you could return to Scandinavia in July or August, to watch Rally Finland, formerly known as 1000 Lakes Rally and now commonly called The Grand Prix of Rallying. This name was given because it is the fastest rally of them all, with maximum and average speeds on the gravel road exceeding every other rally in the WRC calendar. Because of that, the rally fans adore Rally Finland.

Baja 1000 (since 1967)

Baja 1000 is the greatest North American off-road race, much older than (more popular) Dakar Rally. The race, inaugurated in 1967, takes place at Mexican Baja California Peninsula. In recent years, the race is a part of the SCORE International championship. The race is opened for various types of vehicles, for motorcycles, ATVs, buggies or trucks. In the past, the popularity of the race attracted many famous participants that weren’t usually off-road racers, for instance, famous actors Steve McQueen or Paul Newman or NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.

Goodwood Festival of Speed

Goodwood Festival of Speed

The best historic race cars at special events

The list of the great races could be much longer, but we will stop at twentieth place. Now, as we announced, we will add two more non-racing events that deserve to be on the must-see list of every racing lover. The one if Goodwood Festival of Speed, the other is Mille Miglia historic race.

Goodwood Festival of Speed (since 1993)

The Festival of Speed at Goodwood House Estate, owned by Lord March (Charles Gordon-Lennox), is the annual motoring event that features hundreds of racing cars from different decades and many non-official races. The Festival was founded by Lord March in 1993, and its purpose was to bring the motor racing back to the Goodwood Hillclimb and Goodwood Circuit, the British historic race track that was in use between 1948 and 1966. The Festival of Speed is held in late June or early July. It also has a similar sister event, the Goodwood Revival Meeting, that takes place in September.

Mille Miglia Storica (since 1977)

The Mille Miglia was the famous and dangerous sports car race on the public roads of central and northern Italy between 1927 and 1957. In 1977, the Mille Miglia name was reborn as the regularity rally for the classic and vintage cars. Participation is limited for cars produced after 1957, which was the time when the original Mille Miglia was driven. So, if you want to see the #722 Stirling Moss’ winning Mercedes on the roads where he was running back in 1955, or some other of famous race cars, you have an opportunity every May. Besides race cars, the must-see place is also the Mille Miglia Museum in Brescia.


Rationality and Economics

In The Theory of Imitation, when discussing the philosophical origin of science, I observed that these disciplines, such as physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology, medicine, and geology, only became sciences when they were able to wean themselves from their philosophical progenitor. Usually this involved a change in method, from merely reasoning or speculating about matters of fact to discover the truth about the world, as philosophers do, to testing one’s beliefs and theories by doing careful, controlled experiments, and making precise measurements and observations, as scientists have done ever since the days of Galileo and his contemporaries.

In the case of economics, in order to liberate itself from its philosophical progenitor, this would mean abandoning the philosophical belief that human beings are rational creatures, and that reason is the sole or primary determinant of our actions and decisions. The first economists – writers like David Hume, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, and David Ricardo – were philosophers who primarily reasoned about economic matters. Even in the present day, economists generally adhere to a philosophical, rather than to a rigorously scientific, standard of truth, since many of them believe that mere logical or mathematical deduction and consistency is sufficient to establish the truth of their theories. What this means is that, attached as economics still is by an umbilical cord to its philosophical forebear, economists have not the slightest justification for calling their profession a science. The false belief that economics is a science has misled many economists and their students into believing that their laws and theories have the same precision and universal validity as true scientific laws and theories. That this belief is wrong is clearly demonstrated by the many harmful effects which the application of economic theories has produced in numerous countries around the world.

To give an everyday example of how the assumption of rationality fails to account for common human behaviours, let us consider the matter of consumer purchases, a subject that is dear to the hearts of economists. According to the theory of utility maximization, which is one of the basic theories of modern economics, individuals spend their money in order to maximize a theoretical economic entity called utility, which is an amalgam of pleasure, satisfaction, need, and usefulness. According to economists, we buy products like foods, clothes, houses, music, art, and bicycles, and the services of teachers, plumbers, doctors, lawyers, electricians, and police officers because we need them or because they give us pleasure to own or consume them. This theory accounts for differences in people’s preferences by declaring that individuals have different priorities of utility. A smoker obviously has a different priority or preference than a non-smoker, which will influence the purchases one makes.

According to this theory, since human beings are rational creatures, they should never be mistaken about their preferences. And yet, it happens fairly often that we buy things that we later decide we don’t need or want. This is not a fatal objection to the theory of utility maximization, since even economists will admit that human beings sometimes make mistakes. But what happens next – or rather, what fails to happen in some cases – is much more fatal to their widely-accepted theory.

If, as economists claim, all human beings are rational maximizers of their utility, then a person who has made a mistake by buying something one doesn’t want, such as an item of clothing one never wears, should always return it, since by returning it, one can recoup one’s money, with which one can then buy something else. In other words, one would be exchanging something that provides one with no utility for the opportunity to buy something that would give one utility, which is clearly a gain in utility. But as everyone knows, whether from one’s own experiences or the experiences of others, this does not always happen.[1]

Considered from the very different perspective of the theory of imitation, we can easily understand what is going on. People buy things because they see other people using, consuming, owning, or wearing these things, and not because they want to maximize their utility. The pleasure that we experience when we obtain or do something we desire, such as owning a car, watching a movie in a theatre while eating popcorn, going on vacation to a certain place, or eating in a nice restaurant, is the pleasure of imitating the models we have observed. In the case of models that we have observed from an early age, we generally do not make mistakes about our preferences, since these preferences are strong and not likely to change suddenly. It is primarily with models that we begin observing only when we are older, such as when we are adults, that we are more likely to buy things which we later decide we don’t need or want.

It is also important to consider the effects of conformity, since people tend to conform to the behaviour of those who are in their realm of influence. A common example is when we buy something, such as an item of clothing, that soon goes out of style, in which case we may feel embarrassed, and therefore be hesitant to continue wearing or using it. Another example is when we buy something merely because we know that many other people already own it. None of these important determinants of our behaviour enter into the cogitations of economists, who are too busy thinking about abstract concepts like utility, which they have invented to account for our behaviour.[2]

If some people have great difficulty returning things after they decide they don’t want them, it is because they didn’t observe the model of returning unwanted purchases when they were young. In other words, they are inhibited from doing so because they didn’t observe this useful model when they were children. This is no different from the fact that most people lack certain abilities such as the ability to dance well, play a sport, or speak a foreign language, or have no inclination to perform these activities.

Furthermore, the theory of imitation can readily account for things which the theory of utility maximization cannot account for, such as the fact that different people have different preferences (because they grew up observing different models of behaviour), and why people today buy many more things than people did in the past (because they observe a much larger number of models – in television programs, movies, photographs, and on the Internet – than people did in the past). It is the desire to imitate and conform that makes people buy the latest fashion in clothes, even when the clothes they already own are not worn out and could still be worn for many more years; it is the desire to imitate that makes some people eat in expensive restaurants – and, moreover, prefer to eat in a restaurant that is full than in one that is empty – for those who have never observed this behaviour before will not want to do so; it is the desire to imitate that makes people go on trips and vacations; and the same is true of all the other things we spend our money on. Furthermore, the theory of imitation can also account for the fact that some people, such as ascetics who deny themselves even the basic necessities of life, try to consume as little as possible: because, when they were younger, they observed or heard or read of, and therefore admired, individuals who behaved in this manner.

Instead, the theory of utility maximization takes these differences as idiosyncratic differences between different individuals or groups of people, but without being able to account for them. Although it may do a decent job of explaining some aspects of consumption behaviour, the theory of utility maximization is based on a falsehood.[3] This is only one example of how economists have failed to take into consideration important determinants of our behaviour like imitation, inhibition, and conformity. It is this failure that accounts for the fact that their theories are not very good at explaining human behaviour, and when they make predictions based on their theories about people’s behaviour, their predictions often turn out to be wrong.

To give another example of the very different results or expectations that follow from the theory of imitation and the economists’ assumption of rationality, let us consider the relationship between interest rates and investment, which is an important economic subject. According to the economist’s view of human behaviour, when interest rates are low, then the rational human being should borrow money in order to invest it or start a new business, with which one can earn money, thereby enabling one to pay back the loan while making a profit for oneself. But the theory of imitation declares that those who have never observed this model before will have no inclination to borrow money, regardless of the rate of interest. And this is in fact what we find in many poor countries that do not have a well-developed system of credit: usually those who borrow money are those who are indigent and in want, and they borrow only so they can stay alive, that is, in order to pay for current consumption, or to pay off debts, and not to invest or start a new business with which they can earn money and improve their economic situation. It is only those who are familiar with these kinds of Western or capitalist business practices that are willing to engage in them. Hence, in many poor countries, lending is usually small-scale, often at exorbitant rates of interest, and – most importantly from the economists’ perspective – it does not stimulate economic growth, and therefore it does not create jobs.

Because economists’ have completely overlooked the importance of models of behaviour in determining people’s behaviour, they have naively assumed that a lower rate of interest will have the same effect in all countries, namely to stimulate investment. If one were to imitate the economists’ example of generalizing from the behaviour of people in capitalist countries to the behaviour of all people in the world, one might as well assume that all people can speak and understand English, that all people know how to read and write, that all people can play the piano, that all people practise Buddhism or believe in God, or that all people have the same culinary tastes and preferences – none of which naive beliefs is true.

In the case of investing in things like real estate or the stock market, if human beings were truly rational creatures, then they would never get carried away by overconfidence and, by their collective delusion and the behaviours which result from this delusion, create financial or real estate bubbles, which, when they burst, can cause a calamitous decline in prices, thus leading to an economic recession or depression. But such events do occasionally occur because human beings are imitative creatures. When people see or hear of others making money by buying stocks or real estate, they believe that they too can make money by doing the same thing, which causes their prices to go even higher, at least for a time. But the higher the prices rise, especially when this happens in a short period of time, the more likely that they will drop just as precipitately. Hence, although the assumption of rationality cannot account for speculative bubbles, since their regular occurrence directly contradicts the economists’ assumption of rationality, they are easily explained by the theory of imitation.

It is important to understand that to deny that human beings are rational creatures does not mean that all our actions are therefore irrational, in the sense that we usually mean this word. For to draw this unwarranted conclusion would be to continue applying the rigid logical habits and categories which I am rejecting, in this case the inference that if A (rationality) is false, then its opposite, not A (irrationality), must be true. Instead, like all good scientists and sensible people, we must examine human behaviour as it really is, and not the way that certain people like economists believe it to be, according to the theories or beliefs which they hold to be true because everyone else they know holds them to be true.[4]

Even if our actions are not the result of a rational or logical thought process, many of them have the semblance of rationality. This is due to a combination of the imitation of sensible or traditional models of behaviour that have been shown, by repeated experiences, to be beneficial or advantageous, and the inhibition of embarrassment, which has the effect of restraining our emotions and behaviour. It is this semblance of rationality that has misled innumerable theorists and writers in the past, and not only in the realm of economics, into repeating the falsehood that human beings are rational creatures. But not everything that is imitated is wise or sensible, and this includes the behaviours that are studied by economists.

I am also far from saying that people do not reflect or weigh their options before making decisions. But the fact that we engage in this activity does not mean that we are rational creatures who always use our reasoning faculty to determine the best outcome before we act or decide on a particular course of action. For this would be to continue imitating the mistake made by Aristotle when he defined us as rational animals, by failing to recognize the great importance of imitation, conformity, and contempt in determining our actions, decisions, and behaviour, including in cases where we deliberate before acting.

Human beings are not rational creatures. Although we may behave at times as if we were rational, and we often do reflect between various alternatives before deciding on a course of action, this does not change the fact that we are imitative and conforming creatures. This is the fundamental truth that economics has ignored ever since its philosophical conception, development, and continued attachment. To the extent that it has erred, in both its theories and the policies, predictions, plans, and forecasts that are based on those theories, it is often because it has overlooked this basic truth about human nature, and hence, the true determinants of our behaviour.

Another of the unrealistic assumptions made by economists is that labour is perfectly mobile, meaning that all workers are willing to do whatever work happens to be available, provided it is the best-paying job they can get. But this is clearly untrue, for even in a booming economy, some positions or occupations remain short of workers. This may be due to a lack of skills or an inability to perform certain jobs, but it may also be due to the fact that the native inhabitants are not willing to do certain kinds of work, such as work that requires hard manual labour, or work that is regarded as being dirty or disreputable.

Apart from overlooking the strong human tendencies to imitate and conform to the behaviour of others, economists have failed to consider basic human motivations like embarrassment and contempt, both of which prevent people from doing certain things. Either one of these motivations can prevent people from doing certain kinds of work, which means that it is not simply the level of wages that determines the kinds of work that people are willing to do. This explains why there are some jobs that go unfilled even when there are many unemployed people looking for work: because, in the case of most people, there are certain jobs which they refuse to perform because they regard these jobs as being beneath them. Hence, many countries have found it necessary to permit inhabitants of poorer countries to enter their countries to perform these kinds of work, since, because they did not grow up there, they did not acquire the prejudice or disinclination towards these kinds of work that the native inhabitants have.

Economists have artificially stripped human beings of the emotions, desires, imitative and conforming tendencies, and other forces which can and do influence their behaviour. As a result, they spend far too much time thinking of human beings as general, abstract, and idealized rational creatures, rather than what they really are, which is flawed, wayward, emotional, impulsive, imitative, conforming, and imperfect earthly creatures who are subject to a wide variety of emotions and desires which can and frequently do influence their behaviour in undesirable ways, including in economic matters. This is like assuming that human beings don’t need to eat or sleep, or they never get tired, or a physicist who declares, “Let us assume there is no gravity or friction, or there is no limit to the speed of light,” meaning that the transmission of information can take place instantaneously at long distances. Clearly, the conclusions that are deduced from such unrealistic assumptions will have nothing to do with reality. And yet, many economists fail to realize this simple fact – that if you begin with unrealistic assumptions about the world and people’s behaviours, then you will also end up with unrealistic conclusions about these things.

In addition, many people, and not just economists, often think of the market as something that is separate from all the individuals who, together, comprise the market. But the market is nothing more than the aggregation of their actions, decisions, mistakes, panics, and herd behaviours. Here, for example, is a description of the financial panic that followed the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the event that triggered the start of World War One:

Instead, [British Chancellor of the Exchequer] Lloyd George decided that the Bank of England should go the whole hog by guaranteeing all approved bills accepted before 4 August [1914]. Within four months the Bank had discounted bills worth £120 million. In effect, the government paid the City’s [London’s financial sector’s] bad debts, and rewarded those privileged citizens who happened to be engaged in financial business.

‘Financiers in a fright do not make an heroic picture,’ Lloyd George wrote of this crisis. ‘One must make allowances, however, for men who were millionaires with an assured credit which seemed as firm as the globe it girdled, and who suddenly found their fortunes scattered by a bomb hurled at random from a reckless hand.’[5]

Apart from its falsehood, another important reason why the economists’ assumption of rationality must be abandoned is because it has misled many economists and other writers into holding a completely unwarranted faith in the operations of the free market. In other words, it has led them to espouse the folly of free-market or laissez-faire capitalism, which is just as mistaken and dangerous a theory as communism. In their extremely naive view, the free market can do no wrong, while the government, when it exceeds the narrow limits imposed on it by economic fundamentalists, can do no right – both of which are overly simplistic beliefs that do not accord with reality in a great many instances.

The result of this erroneous chain of reasoning is the following: whereas individuals are ignorant, selfish, subject to irrational passions and emotions, and otherwise imperfect, the purifying mechanism of competition in a free market corrects these negative aspects of human nature by rewarding the good and punishing the bad. It is this fundamental mistake that is at the heart of the beliefs espoused by the advocates of free-market capitalism, and accounts for their overestimation of the beneficial effects of unregulated capitalism.

But what do we find actually happens in the real world, as opposed to the abstract, idealized world of the economists? Provided we are not blinded by the erroneous assumptions made by economists, which prevent them from observing reality objectively, and instead make them view the world through their highly distorting, rationality-tinted glasses, what we will see is that, like a willful and misbehaving child, human emotions, desires, prejudices, and the like continue to intrude on, influence, and distort the operations of the free market.

To give just one example, there are economists who have actually argued, in all seriousness, that the free market is the best way to combat racism, because, left to itself, the free market will overcome strong and established patterns of discrimination that are due to hatred against certain groups of people, and therefore government laws, regulations, or interventions to punish and deter racism and its discriminatory consequences are not necessary. But when the majority of people are prejudiced towards a certain group of people, as the majority of white people were towards black people prior to the 1960s in the United States, or when a minority uses its political power to oppress and discriminate against the majority, as happened in South Africa during the period of apartheid, then the belief that the free market will correct these tendencies is nothing more than wishful thinking. For these prejudiced people, if they are free to do as they want, will continue to discriminate against those they hate or regard as inferior to themselves. The prejudiced business owner or manager will continue to refuse to hire or serve black people, even if this hurts one’s business, because the desire for profits is only one of many variables that determine people’s behaviour, and certainly not the only one, as the myopic economist believes.

The economist, narrowly thinking only of the business owner’s profit and loss, argues that his desire to increase his profits will make him suppress his prejudices and hire or serve black people. But if this argument were actually valid, then there would never have been any prejudice and discrimination in the first place. The prejudiced business owner, being the rational creature described by Aristotle – who, incidentally, never met him, since the great Greek philosopher died long before he was born – would have recognized that it was in his best interest not to discriminate against black people, and would therefore have modified his behaviour, and not waited until the enlightened economist came along and told him how he ought to behave in order to maximize his profits for the benefit of both himself and the society in which he lives. But the strength and continued existence of racism clearly show the absurdity of the economist’s argument. This is just one example of how reality does not match the economist’s unjustified optimism in the curative – or it were better to call it the miraculous – powers which many economists attribute to the free market.

The mistake made by economists is to assume that the desire for profits will override all other considerations, an assumption that in some instances is clearly false. This mistake is due to their very silly habit of considering only this single determinant of human behaviour, while ignoring all other determinants of our behaviour. For them, no other human emotions enter into their calculations except the twin desires for profits and the desire to avoid economic losses. But as we have seen, this approach leads to false conclusions and beliefs because we must consider more than just this single variable in order to understand people’s behaviour and predict the way they will behave. After all, in the economists’ own case, the desire to study and understand economic phenomena was not the result – as they must believe according to their simplistic theory of human motivation – of the economist’s desire for profits, since most economists could probably earn more money doing something else, such as working in the financial sector. Money is not the sole determinant of the kinds of work that people want or are willing to do. To paraphrase Hamlet, There are more things in the world, Economist, than are considered in your narrow – and frequently mistaken – philosophy of human behaviour.

Like language, relationships, sports, war, art, music, science, hunting, and other human activities, the market is only one kind of human behaviour. And, like these other activities, economic behaviours are not free from the constraints, emotions, desires, and other factors that influence and shape human behaviour in these other areas. One can arbitrarily delimit a certain type of behaviour as one’s field of study, as the economists have done, but this does not mean that it is not subject to the forces that influence and determine our behaviour in other areas. Economic behaviour does not have some sort of special or independent status that sets it apart from the behaviours that are studied by writers and researchers in other disciplines like psychology, anthropology, and history. It is this artificially isolationist approach, rather than the requisite global approach, that has misled economists into making claims that are foolish, incorrect, and occasionally complete nonsense.

John Stuart Mill looked upon political economy [which today is called economics] “not as a thing by itself, but as a fragment of a greater whole; a branch of social philosophy, so interlinked with all the other branches that its conclusions, even in its own peculiar province, are only true conditionally, subject to interference and counteraction from causes not directly within its scope.”[6]

The logically consistent and mathematically rigorous – but unrealistic and pragmatically fragile – edifice of laissez-faire capitalism is based on the false assumption that human beings are rational creatures. It is this falsity that accounts for the fact that it has never been adopted by any country or group of people in the history of humanity – why all sensible groups of people have found it necessary to check, correct, curb, and counterbalance the harmful effects of unrestrained capitalism, along with its driving force, the selfish desire for profits. And it is this same falsity that explains why, if it were ever adopted or implemented, the actual consequences that are produced by this system would diverge greatly from the overly optimistic but highly unrealistic expectations of its overzealous advocates.

Economists must perform three basic tasks if they are to purge their discipline of the many errors, falsehoods, and misconceptions that presently beset it: first, they must abandon the false belief that human beings are rational creatures; second, they must make their theories consistent with the laws and theory of imitation;[7] and third, from now on, they must test their cherished theories and hypotheses, rather than assuming, as most economists have done until now, that mere logical or mathematical consistency is sufficient to ensure that they are true. Coupled with this last requirement is the readiness to reject or modify their theories if they are refuted by real-world evidence, something that many ideologically-blinded economists have very conspicuously failed to do in the past. Henceforth, the writings of any economist who continues to base one’s work on the assumption of rationality should automatically be considered suspect, in the same way that the work of any astronomer who continues to adhere to the geocentric model, which places the Earth at the centre of the solar system or Universe, would also be considered suspect and most likely wrong.

In order to make proper use of this new starting point, it will be necessary for economists and their followers to change the way they think about economic phenomena, as well as the behaviour of individuals and corporations. Instead of the logical, rational, dispassionate, and omniscient individuals – previously the hypothetical but not-very-realistic creatures which economists theorized about – whose behaviour was not subject to the checks, inhibitions, and herd behaviour which in reality characterize many of our actions, we begin with human beings as they really are: selfish, ignorant of many things, prone to committing errors, occasionally stupid, desirous of gaining control over others in order to accomplish their aims, whether by foul means or fair, subject to the sway of irrational emotions like greed, fear, covetousness, and unjustified optimism about future events, and whose behaviour is highly susceptible to being influenced by their knowledge of what other people are doing or not doing, regardless of whether these actions are good or bad, legal or illegal, or beneficial or harmful. In other words, we must purge economics of the false assumption that has been at the heart of its theories and explanations from its inception, the deleterious intellectual inheritance that was bequeathed to economists by their primitive philosophical forebears, who, to their descendants’ detriment and confusion, erroneously infused the cult of rationality in many fields of human knowledge.

[1] Of course, the economist would come up with an explanation to account for this real-world contradiction of their theory, such as that the time it takes to go to the store and return the item is not worthwhile for certain individuals because they could obtain more utility by doing something else with that time, such as working to earn more money. But if it was worth the individual’s time to go to the store to purchase the item in the first place, then surely it is worth one’s time to return to the store to get the money back with which one can then buy something else that will provide one with more utility than the unwanted item.

[2] This example illustrates the economist’s common but erroneous tendency to view each individual as being completely separate from everyone else, both in terms of one’s actions and the decisions one makes. In other words, economists have failed to take into consideration the very strong influence that the behaviour of other people has on our own behaviour. Again, this oversight is due to their mistaken belief that we are rational creatures, since a rational creature would not do something simply or primarily because other people are doing it, or have done it in the past.

[3] Similarly, the Ptolemaic model of the Heavens, which assumed that the Earth lay at the centre of the Universe, was able to account for the observed motions of the other planets, including the anomalous fact that, during a part of its orbit, the planet Mercury appears to reverse direction. However, the central feature of this model – that the Earth rather than the Sun is at the centre of the solar system – is of course wrong.

[4] That economists regard these false theories as true cannot, of course, be explained by the belief that human beings are rational creatures, since it is not at all rational to believe something that is false. But their behaviour is easily explained by the fact that economists are imitating and conforming creatures, since it can easily happen, as has been amply demonstrated throughout all of recorded history, that a group of people believe something that is false simply from their strong tendencies to imitate those they admire and to conform to each other’s behaviour.

[5] Universal Man: The Seven Lives of John Maynard Keynes by Richard Davenport-Hines, chapter 3. William Collins, London, 2015.

[6] Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered by E.F. Schumacher, p. 27. Hartley & Marks, Point Roberts, Washington, 1999.

[7] In the same way, the sciences of astronomy, chemistry, and biology, in addition to being consistent with each other, are all consistent with the laws and theories of physics.

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Mascarpone Cheesecake With Honey-Caramel Apples

This gourmet cheesecake comes from one of Whistler's top chefs, James Walt. As executive chef at Araxi, an award-winning restaurant nestled in the mountains of B.C., Walt has compiled his favourite recipes in new cookbook, on sale October 2009.

The mascarpone cheese makes this cheesecake a little lighter than most, but quite creamy at the same time. We use Pink Lady, Granny Smith or Cox’s Orange Pippin apples for this recipe because they are firm, tangy and keep their shape and texture when cooked. You can substitute hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans for the almonds in the praline — or, if you want, try a regular graham cracker crust. At the Araxi restaurant, we prepare individual portions, but the whole cake recipe here is just as delicious and easier to make. We garnish them with oven-dried apple chips to provide a contrast in texture and to heighten the apple flavour.

Almond Praline
1 cup whole natural almonds
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Mascarpone Cheesecake
8 oz. mascarpone cheese, room temperature
11-1/4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
5/8 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod discarded
5 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 cups vanilla crème anglaise for garnish (or regular whipped cream with vanilla extract will do the trick)

Honey-Caramel Apples
8 large Granny Smith apples or other firm cooking apples
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, pod split and seeds scraped
3/4 cup organic apple juice
1/4 cup unpasteurized liquid honey

Almond Praline

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the almonds on the baking sheet and toast until very lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the nuts to cool on the baking sheet.

Step 2: In a small pot, combine the sugar with just enough water to moisten it evenly (about 1/4 cup). Heat the sugar on medium heat, without stirring, until it is caramelized and light amber, about 10 minutes.

Step 3: Pour this syrup over the almonds and stir gently until the nuts are evenly coated. Allow the praline to cool completely, then grind it in batches in a food processor until you have a fine powder.

Mascarpone Cheesecake

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Tightly wrap the bottom of a 10″ diameter bottomless metal ring mould with aluminum foil. Place the mould into a large roasting pan. Place the roasting pan on a baking sheet.

Step 2: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the mascarpone and cream cheeses with the sugar and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until the cheeses are well blended and the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and cream. With the motor running at low speed, add the egg mixture to the cheese mixture. Scraping down the sides of the bowl 2 or 3 times, mix until the batter is just combined and smooth, about 3 minutes total.

Step 4: Strain the batter through a fine-mesh sieve into the prepared ring mould. Discard the solids. Fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to reach halfway up the side of the ring mould. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the baking sheet around and lower the temperature to 285°F. Bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until a dry knife inserted in the centre
of the cake comes out clean.

Step 5: Remove the ring mould from the water bath. Refrigerate the cheesecake for 2 hours or until chilled.

Step 6: Line a cake platter or a large plate with parchment paper. Carefully remove the aluminum foil from the bottom of the cheesecake, then gently transfer the cheesecake to the platter (or plate). Dip a knife in hot water, then run it around the edges of the mould to loosen the filling. Gently slide the mould up and away from the cheesecake.

Honey-Caramel Apples

Step 1: Peel and core the apples, then cut them into 1/4″ slices. Place the apple slices in a large bowl and toss them with the lemon juice to prevent oxidization.

Step 2: In a large sauté pan on medium heat, cook the sugar until it turns a golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the apples to the pan, then stir in the vanilla seeds and pod.

Step 3: Deglaze the pan with the apple juice and honey, then sauté the apples, stirring frequently, until the liquid is reduced and the apple slices are slightly translucent, about 15 minutes. (If the pan dries out too quickly, add 1/4 cup more apple juice.)

Step 4: Remove the apples from the heat and transfer them to a stainless steel bowl. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, then discard the vanilla pod. Set aside.

Step 5: To finish the cheesecake, gently sift half of the almond praline (recipe above) onto a clean work surface, and shape it into a circle 11″ in diameter. Carefully place the cheesecake onto the praline and press gently on the cake to coat the bottom of it.

Step 6: Using two lifters, transfer the cheesecake to a large cake platter or serving plate. Cut a sheet of parchment paper into a 10″ circle. Slide the ring mould back around the cake, then fan the apple slices in a circle on the top of the cheesecake, ensuring that they reach right to the edge.

Step 7: Place the parchment paper over the apples and lightly press it down with your hands to set the apples onto the cheesecake. Remove the parchment paper and the ring mould. Using a plastic scraper, coat the sides of the cheesecake with the remaining almond praline.

Step 8: To serve, use a sharp knife dipped in hot water and then dried, then slice the cake into individual servings. Serve with generous spoonfuls of vanilla crème anglaise or regular whipped cream.

Reprinted with permission from James Walt’s Araxi: Seasonal Recipes from the Celebrated Whistler Restaurant (2009 Douglas & McIntyre).


Tag Archives: belonging

Cultivating Cooperation in Center Base Care- what works and what doesn’t

Cultivating Cooperation with infants and toddlers at home or in center base care requires an investment in time with focus on continuity in routines and relationships. Continuity being the cornerstone.

In center base care, continuity also being the crux.

Unlike its professional counterparts of the 1920s, the early childhood frontline caregiver remains underpaid, under supported, and under valued by the mainstream. As a result, continuity- keeping the early childhood professional happy, fed and resourced in the field- remains the number one challenge in center base care.

Yet, without a stable and reliable primary caregiver spanning the first two or three years, toddlers are less likely to spontaneously cooperate. Why is that important?

Cooperation demonstrates an individual’s sense of belonging to the group (society) by demonstrating that person’s desire to contribute to the betterment of her community. Along Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs, it smacks right at the center.

What does spontaneous cooperation in center base care look like?

Let’s take a look at a group of 8 Early Toddlers ranging in age from 13mths – 19mths as they come together to put on their shoes and venture outdoors under the guidance of their two caregivers. Warning: it’s an almost 10 minute observation, but I’ve had a hard time taking out even a minute, even those first few shoe chomping ones.

Early Toddler Cooperation from MMP School on Vimeo.

“Cooperation is an invitation; otherwise, it’s not cooperation.” -Anna Tardos

Remarkably, even though the door is wide open, each child chooses to stay with the group until all are ready. Although caregivers put shoes on a bit differently, the fluidity of the routine unfolds organically. Limits are tested, then reinforced. The children have free movement, are relaxed, and demonstrate cooperative gestures. At times the adult may need to break from the routine. Yet, she maintains a calm sense of order and control.

Do opportunities for improvement exist? Most certainly- to err is human. However, take a look a the intimacy in the relationship each child is able to enjoy nestled closely with his primary teacher who has been with him all of his infant life. Amazing to witness in center base care. Necessary for the toddler to cooperate without rewards or punishments on her compliance.

Given the time, commitment, and resources any early childhood center has the opportunity to cultivate toddler cooperations from the start- continuity being key.

What works- Small Group Size- children under two years of age should remain in group sizes no larger than eight. Even so, plan for times of the day where the child can break from the group individually and also in smaller groups of four or less.

What doesn’t work- Even an adult/child ratio relatively lower- for example 10 babies and 3 adults- can be less beneficial than a group size with a 1:4 ratio as the larger group overstimulates the infant brain.

What works- Primary Caregiving- dedicate one adult to be the primary caregiver for each child. She should have no more than four children under her supervision. As an advocate and resource to the parent, the primary caregiver should remain consistent over long periods of time.

What doesn’t work- Staggering caregivers or combining groups for before/after care to accommodate extended service times.

What works- Continuity of Relationships- keep the Primary Group of Four together with their Primary Caregiver as they transition through environments while in center base care. This means when a child develops the environment changes to meet that development rather than the child changes environments to meet the development. When transitions from one room to the next become necessary, the child moves with his Primary Teacher AND group of three friends. The longer the infant is with his friends and provider, the more likely he is able to be understood to get his physical needs met, feel safe and secure in a trusting relationship to explore, and then- feel a sense of belonging facilitating his cooperation.

What doesn’t work- Moving children up to the next level when they are ready physically or cognitively without considering his social or emotional needs. Severed relationships over time may inhibit the child from coopering in groups later on.

What works- Support the Early Childcare Provider with the time, resources, and salary enabling her to invest in her profession and be fully present to care for the well-being of infants and toddlers. We recommend the RIE® Foundations course as the precursor for this development. For those working in centers and institutions, Pikler® offers several advance training opportunities in the US and abroad.

What doesn’t work- Low pay, long hours, without opportunity for advancement results in a higher degree of teacher turn over.

What works- Share your experiences with parents. We’ve found coming together at least every quarter instrumental in developing consistency between home and center. A half hour in the morning every three months or so when parent, teacher, and child in primary groups of four connect is all it takes to pull the whole thing together. When parents have a sense of belonging with their center community the feeling is translated and absorbed by their child.

Witnessing the young child in cooperation in center base care demonstrates that all components are in place for a happy, healthy and full early childhood experience.

Belonging and the Flag Ceremony

Maslov ranked Sense of Belonging before Self-Esteem on his hierarchy of needs.  Meaning that without a social context in which a person can validate his perceived worth, self-worth is not internalized.

Yet we often witness groups of young children being reconfigured each year without regard to established relationships at the start of each school year.  It is with schools- both at the early childhood and elementary levels especially- that affords the best opportunity to establish community and sense of belonging.

A strong sense of community provides the foundation upon which a child can develop the degree of her self-regulation to temporarily place her own will aside even for the benefit of the group to which she belongs- collaboration.  In doing so, the child is rewarded internally by a deep satisfaction his contributions have provided to the whole-  a deep feeling of worth he would not have been able to receive by simply attending to his own needs.

A feeling of BELONGING.

We like to cultivate this feeling on our very first day returning to school.  The Flag Ceremony initiates the process as school community elders open classroom activities for the day.  Spontaneously, the younger children join in…

Belonging – Flag Ceremony


“Boogeyman” Can’t Get New Trial for Florida Prosecutor’s Inappropriate Name Calling

There are a number of procedural safeguards built into Florida laws that are designed to ensure that a person charged with a crime gets a fair trial without any preconceived notion of guilt. Those safeguards are particularly important in Florida sex crime cases, which often carry a certain stigma based on the allegations involved. Sometimes when those rules are broken, however, it may still not be enough to justify a new trial. Just look at a recent case out of Florida’s First District Court of Appeal.

gavelA defendant was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a person, stemming from an alleged incident involving a friend of his young daughter. The 11-year-old girl was staying at the defendant’s home one night when he allegedly entered the room in which she was sleeping and “rubbed the victim’s genital region,” according to the court. In an opening statement at trial, a state prosecutor referred to the defendant as a “boogeyman.” During trial, the prosecution also introduced evidence testimony about what the victim said happened. He was eventually convicted.

The defendant later appealed the conviction, asserting that the trial judge made a number of errors. He argued, for instance, that the judge should have granted a new trial after the prosecutor called the defendant a “boogeyman” during the opening statement. The First District noted, however, that his lawyer objected to the characterization and that the trial judge sustained that objection. Although the prosecutor’s comment was inappropriate, the appeals court said it wasn’t enough to justify a new trial. The court pointed to a 2017 decision in a different case, in which it found that a prosecutor’s reference to a defendant as a “creature that stalked the night” did not warrant a new trial.

The defendant also argued that the court should not have allowed the prosecutors to introduce hearsay evidence from others who were told by the victim what the defendant allegedly did to her. Florida law generally bans one person from testifying about what another person said outside court, if it’s being used to prove that what the person said is true. There are a number of exceptions to this general rule, however, including for out-of-court statements by a child victim. State law allows those hearsay statements to be introduced as evidence when the child testifies or is unavailable as a witness, and the court finds that the circumstances and content of the statement “provide sufficient safeguards of reliability.” In this case, the Court said the trial judge properly allowed the evidence to be considered.

As a result, the First District affirmed the defendant’s conviction.

If you or a loved one has been charged with lewd and lascivious molestation in Florida, it is essential that you seek the advice and counsel of an experienced lawyer. Clearwater sex crime attorney Will Hanlon is a seasoned lawyer who fights aggressively on behalf of clients charged with a wide range of offenses. Call our offices at (727) 897-5413 or contact us online to speak with Mr. Hanlon about your case.

More blog posts:

Double Jeopardy in Florida Sex Crime Cases

Proving Intent in Florida Sex Crime Cases

Constructive Possession in Florida Child Pornography Cases


A One Stop convenience shop Bournemouth has allowed a cat, known as Lennon, DC and Dave, to visit their store for the past 13 years. The cat would wait patiently at the pedestrian cross walk every morning just to stroll into the store and interact with customers.

Unfortunately, the store recently decided to ban the cat from coming in. Now customers are upset that their neighborhood cat can no longer visit his favorite store. Fellow shopper Rory Lindsay said: “He was always in there – he’s the best thing about the shop”.

Perhaps if enough customers complain, the store will reverse their decision. So if you live in the Bournemouth area and want to stand up for the rights of cats, talk to the store manager and let them know that a cat in the store is actually a way to draw more people into the store.

To read more about the cat banned from his favorite store, click here.


Second Grade Curriculum Goals

1. Perform, then read and write, a duration twice the length of one beat using the tie. (2 quarter notes tied together = half note.)
2. Perform, read, and write quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes, and rests in 2/4 songs, rhythms, and instrumental pieces.
3.  Identify and perform patterns using repeat signs.
4. Identify and conduct 2/4, observing downbeat as beat one and metric accent.
5. Improvise and compose pieces using all known durations.
6. Write 4-beat patterns from dictation, using all known durations.
7. Perform rhythms while walking the beat, then while walking and singing.
8. Perform, then read and write, rhythms using whole note. (2 half notes tied together - whole note.)
9. Perform, read, and write whole notes and rests in 4/4 rhythms and instrumental pieces.
10. Identify and conduct 4/4, observing downbeat as beat one and metric accent.
11. Compare 3/4 to 2/4 and 4/4 through song, movement, and body percussion. Identify difference in groupings of beat.

1. Review and practice la-sol-mi in singing, movement, on instruments, in solfege, and in notation.
2. Identify do as tonal center in performance and then notation.
3. Identify mi-re-do patterns in performance, notation, and hand signs.
4. Improvise and write melodies using motives typical of pentatonic songs (sml, mrd, dms, dls.)
5. Practice reading to perform songs and accompaniments in pentatonic.
6. Analyze 4-note motives vocally, using solfege syllables and hand signs.. Notate sequences of up to 4 notes from dictation.
7.  Sing 2-part canons and songs with vocal ostinato.
8.  Aurally identify and perform songs in la pentatonic.


Monday, May 23, 2016

Weekend Art Challenge Review 051316

Hello all, Anastase here.
Here is the challenge we are reviewing. Let us see what was submitted.

Challenge: Design a card that takes reinterprets the idea of riding a horse.

Riding a horse (and riding anything) is very evocative. I know we have tried to solve this in the past. Outside of a named mechanic, I imagine it best represented by a creature that has two creature types and, when it dies, leaves a smaller token of the second creature type, but that is a personal taste. I have also seen mechanics that are a combination of Duplicant and banisher priest which are flavorful but also slightly complex for common.

I always fear this is a windmill we are tilting at and that the fact that wizards has not named a mechanic for riding horses/ beasts is because they have not found an elegant enough way to capture all that riding entails. Another minor detail: With the addition of planeswalkers to the game, you also need to evoke that both mount and rider are attacking the same target.

This week we look at too interesting implementations, close to the soulbond mechanical pairing:

The interesting part of this is its non-parasitic nature (although you could add a parasitic mechanic—I fancy it named "Rider"—that cares about being mounted). It cares about attacking, which helps gameplay a lot. While as a mechanic it does not capture the speed and evasiveness, it remains an interesting interpretation.

Jay submitted an unchanged mechanic that gives a stronger incentive to attacking while mounted: giving first strike to both creatures. This way, you effectively have to kill either the horse or the rider in combat since absorbing a lot of first strike damage and killing the creature can be hard in practice. And it makes for interesting situations when the horse/knight gets bounced. Interesting to note how selecting what secondary ability to pair with an "activation/threshold" mechanic can influence the perception of the mechanic.

This implementation of mount is more flavorful, but carries too much complexity in the NWO. It is also somehow close to what banding did albeit in a more grok-able way. It is bizarre that the rider is unblockable and will always deal damage to the opponent or the opponent's planeswalkers even though you blocked it.

Challenge: Design a devotion card that belongs to the same cycle as cinder charger.

Jenesis gave us a cool second card for an allied colors hybrid devotion cycle. It lead us to discuss about devotion and about cycles (namely about not changing thresholds in a cycle to preserve mental space, even if it could be a way to adjust power level). A very good submission.

Challenge: Design a card that emulates an iconic sorcery of its color(s) in creature form.

No takers on this one. I guess it is hard to make a sorcery in creature form in that most creatures have to have P/T and be able to deal, take damage, while non-red sorceries rarely deal damage.

Challenge: Design another type of parasite/symbiote relationship mechanic.

Jenesis submitted this interesting treefolk. I think that it could probably cost {1} less, and be slightly better phrased, but I like the idea of the treefolk draining the discarded lands for sustenance. I imagine some Jennies would be very happy.

Challenge: Design a card that lets you live through an attack of Embermare.

Pretty, common, easy to grok. Very nice work there Jack. I like it.

Challenge: Use the burn mechanic in another context. You are allowed to rename it.

The most popular challenge this week was burn. Jack stoked the fires of our collective imaginations. General mechanics and limited vocabulary are things that can force game designers in Magic to think twice about naming their mechanic. While naming the mechanic is not essential (if the mechanic doesn't do some heavy lifting but still sees print, creative will find a name for it) many mechanics that are easy enough to reprint over and over need a generic enough name to avoid bushido situations. Again, creative will be there to help designers out, but it is a good skill to acquire.

Jenesis gave us a card with an apparent disadvantage (you burn your own cards? oh noes!) but then gives us hellbent! Who would have thought this 8-on-the-storm-scale mechanic would be able to find a home? I didn't. This is an amazing place to put Hellbent. I wish I had a knight of carnage for my B/R commander deck.

Kevin Gao's Mordred contains an interesting nugget of card design, using bind (a renamed burn) as a cost for attacking. However the way it is implemented it is almost like having pay {2} and 2 life if you want to attack or block which is a small cost to pay for +2/+1 to your creatures and a 6/6 for 4. I guess if you had to pay this for every creature that attacks it would be ok, yet even so this legendary creature is not very evocative of a flavor.

Droquen gives us a strangely blue legendary creature with a BUG color identity for Commander, the format for which I guess this card was aimed at. A minor detail: Legendary creatures tend to have specific names. As a 2/2 for 2 in blue this is already appealing. The rest of the card just screams Jenny. Unfortunately something in this card feels off to me, probably having to do with the card being blue. I could easily have seen the treefolk image as a BG creature with the exact same abilities and it would have been fine.

Waylay is an interesting name for burn, and Pasteur's card sends this ability to blue when it comes to creatures. I guess it is in between blue and white, since it kind of exiles until a condition is met and kind of bounces. It started off being named banish but that would have made banisher priest cry, and who would like that?

Challenge: Design a card that cares about colored mana in your mana pool in a different way than Flamemare does.

Strangely no one took on this challenge. I had some hopes for a green treefolk that cared about green mana or a blue creature caring about blue mana...

Challenge: Design an uncommon hate card for Nightsteed Subjugator. The shorter the phrasing, the better.

Hello Promontory Lookout my old friend, I come to visit you again, cause you are also a cool counter to the subjugator!

Design a card that cares about cards exiled from your graveyard.

We revisit Jenesis' Treefolk. It still cares about cards in your graveyard so here it is.

Joining the treefolk we have theo's legendary enchantment: Claimed by the Sea. I have issues with its CMC and its upkeep mana payment. Otherwise it is a card that is in-color and can be very strong in limited.

Challenge: Design a card for a neglected minority of MtG players.

I guess I should have put a picture of a noggle with the challenge.

Challenge: Complete the cycle for trojan candle.

This is also a design challenge I would have loved to see taken up.

Good work, Artisans.

I will take a moment here and ask for your input about the way I judge the cards. Do you consider it is too strict? I am worried I am clipping too many wings. Are these challenges supposed to be about blue-skying for you or about seeing if we can design cards that fit in the NWO? I was expecting more submissions this time around since there were 10 challenges. Was that too much?

See you on this week-end's challenge post!

  1. Yeah it was meant to be worded as creatures can't attack or block unless you bind one and pay 2 life for each creature

    1. It makes more sense like that. While I like the "hoop" you have to jump through to attack or block, I still think that it is slightly lacking in flavor (6/6 and other creatures get haste and +2/+1 does not feel as something that would see print nowadays).

      I am unsure of how to tackle this given how much space the text takes already.

      I like it more with this restriction however.