Reply to: Broken bike

[AlfredJPruffock]

Aye TW

If you ever see a Library with the motto 'Let there be Light' upon the entrance it means the Library was donated by the Carnegie Foundation - founded by Andrew Carnegie , born in Dunfermiline Scotland was at the time of his death om 1919 the richest man in the world.

This library I am writing in . situated in Edinburgh, is a Carnegie Library and you can see the motto above the doorway.

The establishment of public libraries was mainly due to Carnegie and he established the idea of the distribution of wealth through Philanthropy,indeed Carnegie was of the opinion that there was a moral to give their fortunes to the benefit of the poor.



Biography


Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, on November 25, 1835. The son of a weaver, he came with his family to the United States in 1848 and settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. At age thirteen, Carnegie went to work as a bobbin boy in a cotton mill. He then moved rapidly through a succession of jobs with Western Union and the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1865, he resigned to establish his own business enterprises and eventually organized the Carnegie Steel Company, which launched the steel industry in Pittsburgh.

At age sixty-five, he sold the company to J. P. Morgan for $480 million and devoted the rest of his life to his philanthropic activities and writing, including his autobiography.

Many persons of wealth have contributed to charity, but Carnegie was perhaps the first to state publicly that the rich have a moral obligation to give away their fortunes.

In 1889 he wrote The Gospel of Wealth, in which he asserted that all personal wealth beyond that required to supply the needs of one's family should be regarded as a trust fund to be administered for the benefit of the community.

Carnegie set about disposing of his fortune through innumerable personal gifts and through the establishment of various trusts. In his thirties, Carnegie had already begun to give away some of his fast-accumulating funds. His first large gifts were made to his native town. Later he created seven philanthropic and educational organizations in the United States, including Carnegie Corporation of New York, and several more in Europe.

One of Carnegie's lifelong interests was the establishment of free public libraries to make available to everyone a means of self-education. There were only a few public libraries in the world when, in 1881, Carnegie began to promote his idea. He and the Corporation subsequently spent over $56 million to build 2,509 libraries throughout the English-speaking world.

After termination of this program in 1917, the Corporation continued for about forty years an interest in the improvement of library services. Other major programs in the Corporation's early history included adult education and education in the fine arts.

During his lifetime, Carnegie gave away over $350 million. He died in Lenox, Massachusetts, on August 11, 1919.

[TimberWolf]

The British Library is a wonderful institution - by the way, does your local library have the Motto 'LET THERE BE LIGHT' near its entrace ?

I wonder if any clever clogs out there knows the significance of this ?

Dunno, but it does ring a bell. Yeah, libraries are a great source of much cheapness, including Internet access at my local uni library.

[AlfredJPruffock]

Cos you can't read without it?

A good guess Pinto , but not quite the answer I was loooking for.

Anyone ?

Here is a clue - Dunfermiline, in the Kingdom of Fife

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Y..... Costs are mounting. ........Up until yesterday my bike costs had been zero, now they are approaching £50, eek.

IIRC you can claim mileage for bikes

[bellymonster]

If you ever need a another bike, try signing up to your local Freecycle group.

OK it's not just cycles (as the name might suggest) but you do get an awful lot of bikes being offered. Better than buying second hand.

You can also get rid of your old bike this way, because one mans trash is another mans treasure. You be suprised at the crap I've got rid of.

[b0redom]

If you want to get a new one, I would suggest spending more than £140 - that will get you a bike-shaped-object, rather than an actual bicycle. I'm thinking of spending somewhere in the £250 - £300 range for a basic but worthwhile hybrid.

I just bought a £300 hybrid - fairly basic as these things go, but considering my commute is 11 miles each way, and I was on an old steel framed mountain bike, WELL worth the investment.

[Pinto]

The British Library is a wonderful institution - by the way, does your local library have the Motto 'LET THERE BE LIGHT' near its entrace ?

I wonder if any clever clogs out there knows the significance of this ?

Cos you can't read without it?

[AlfredJPruffock]

Yep, I bought and fitted a rear deraileur today too, at a cost of £10. Broke my chain pin extractor widget thing fitting the thing though FFS (had split the chain again to fit the new dérailleur). Only bought it yesterday. I noticed on the Internet some biker dude was going on about how carp these chain splitters can be. Also bought an odeometer/spedo while I was at the shop. Costs are mounting. Bike works well though - no more grating sounds when I pedal.

Might look out for the Haynes book if I see it. I don't want to go mad buying bike stuff though. Up until yesterday my bike costs had been zero, now they are approaching £50, eek.

Would be worthwhile to take the CPE back to the retailer as it clearly was not fit for purpose.

As for the chain - good to see its working well -would be a good idea to keep the old one for spares - you never know.

Fifty pounds expenditure may be, at first glance may give cause fof concern - but think of the money you will save on bus fares - or if you are old fashioned, the motor-car , and if you cycle for 30 mins a day this is a wonderful way to execise you need not spend mor e money joining any gyms etc.

So I would regard this an investment rather than an expenditure.

Regarding the Hayes book - I expect you'll find it at your local library - I order all of my literary needs from my local library, including recoding music, movies and sheet music.

The British Library is a wonderful institution - by the way, does your local library have the Motto 'LET THERE BE LIGHT' near its entrace ?

I wonder if any clever clogs out there knows the significance of this ?

[TimberWolf]

Having made the aforementioned cycle accessories purchases - does your bike now work well ?

PS Somebody refered to the Hayes Bicycle repair book - this is well worth ordering from your local library

Yep, I bought and fitted a rear deraileur today too, at a cost of £10. Broke my chain pin extractor widget thing fitting the thing though FFS (had split the chain again to fit the new dérailleur). Only bought it yesterday. I noticed on the Internet some biker dude was going on about how carp these chain splitters can be. Also bought an odeometer/spedo while I was at the shop. Costs are mounting. Bike works well though - no more grating sounds when I pedal.

Might look out for the Haynes book if I see it. I don't want to go mad buying bike stuff though. Up until yesterday my bike costs had been zero, now they are approaching £50, eek.

[TheBigYinJames]

I use them all the time - why pay full price for a book - and have never been disappointed, although the service can be slow (max a week)

I use them as well, for all my scoffing. They are the way Ebay used to be, when it was genuine people getting rid of their old but good stuf, before it was taken over by 'poundland' sellers selling old cheapo tat.

[TheBigYinJames]

Bollux

Sorry. Bollux stains.

[sasguru]

And on Amazon shops 'new' means that you can only just see the excrement stains.

Bollux

[sasguru]

Indeed... I don't know why but I'm always vaguely distrustful of "Amazon Marketplace" sellers. Silly really, as on the few occasions I've used one the service has been excellent

I use them all the time - why pay full price for a book - and have never been disappointed, although the service can be slow (max a week)

[NickFitz]

And on Amazon shops 'new' means that you can only just see the excrement stains.

Indeed... I don't know why but I'm always vaguely distrustful of "Amazon Marketplace" sellers. Silly really, as on the few occasions I've used one the service has been excellent

[TheBigYinJames]

As I said, published in 2000 and out of print - only two of the nine copies available are described as "new".

And on Amazon shops 'new' means that you can only just see the excrement stains.