Lord Monckton

The local newspaper today includes a report of a trans-Atlantic insult contest which has erupted over the issue of global warming. The details of the controversy including video of both parties making their presentations on the subject are available linked at the end of the news story.

What struck me is that the Englisher, Christopher Monckton, who is also Lord Monckton, the Third Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, is said by the news report to have called the local institution of higher learning, the University of Saint Thomas, a "half-assed Catholic Bible college" and "a wretched little Bible college". Those who know me will know that I am generally not likely to rise to the defense of Saint Thomas but on this one Lord Monckton knows not of what he speaks. We have Bible colleges in this town and today GRider and I took a ride to two of them.

We first visited Northwestern College in Roseville. I know that the college continues to proudly proclaim that Billy Graham was once president of the college. Given Mr. Graham's well known reputation and acumen in the area of fund raising I am going to guess without a shred of evidence and without having done even a single second of research that Mr. Graham's association with the institution is not unrelated to the current idyllic location of the college campus on the east shore of Lake Johanna.

We rode on to Bethel University in Arden Hills. I do not believe Bethel claims any such illustrious figure as a former leader of the college but fund raising has been good there too as evidenced by the current idyllic location of the college campus on the south shore of Lake Valentine.Guest Rider for scale.

Today's bicycle bloggable moment occurred just shortly before we paused long enough for that picture. We were riding through Valentine Hills, a, surprise here, hilly neighborhood just west of the college. We were at the end of a downhill and came upon a family out for a walk. On the flat were what looked like oldest child, boy of 7 or so, walking ahead with his younger brother and younger sister. What looked like mom and grandma were still on the downhill which was about to be our next uphill, pushing a stroller with a still younger sibling.

The young fellow in the lead called out to me, "Cool helmet".

I gave him a thank you and a pouce up.My certified cool Rabobank helmet with water bottles, cycling gloves and George Hincapie sunglasses for context.

Anyone who has recently been to Paris must watch tomorrow's stage of the Tour de France when the riders arrive in Paris. They will be riding on what should be for all of us very familiar looking ground.