May 8, 2007
I just returned from a visit to Oslo, the capitol of Norway, and, at first glance, Oslo is like many other modern European cities. Although the prices are a bit high (I paid $23 US dollars for a 12-inch pizza in an Italian restaurant!) the city is sparking clean, the people are extremely friendly, and there are the usual statues and tourist attractions. In fact, I set a record at one of those tourist attractions, the famous Bislet stadium, where so many running world records have been set. But what makes Olso unique is that it is the place where the Nobel Peace Prize is decided and awarded.
I just returned from a visit to Oslo, the capitol of Norway, and, at first glance, Oslo is like many other modern European cities. Although the prices are a bit high (I paid $23 US dollars for a 12-inch pizza in an Italian restaurant!) the city is sparking clean, the people are extremely friendly, and there are the usual statues and tourist attractions. In fact, I set a record at one of those tourist attractions, the famous Bislet stadium, where so many running world records have been set. But what makes Olso unique is that it is the place where the Nobel Peace Prize is decided and awarded.
When Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, died in 1896, he bequeathed much of his wealth to establish annual prizes to honor people who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of chemistry, physics, literature, medicine and peace. All of these prizes are decided in Sweden but, for some reason, Nobel stipulated that the Peace Prize be determined by the Norwegian Nobel Committee which is appointed by the Norwegian Parliament. And, believe me, the Norwegians are extremely proud of this distinction. For the past decade, the Peace Prize has been awarded at the Oslo City Hall and, while I was in Norway, some friends and I were fortunate enough to get a tour of the prestigious City Hall by the Deputy Mayor of Oslo.
Although the building features high ceilings, marble staircases and massive works of art on the walls, and feels like an ancient castle, there is a significant difference. Instead of the usual heavy warlike atmosphere, the entire structure emanates peace and tranquility. Just to give you an idea of how peaceful the place is, ever since I did a yodeling record many years ago, I have been constantly on the lookout for good places to yodel. I’ve yodeled in dozens of significant structures around the world including the Pyramids, the U.S. Capitol, and the Louvre. However, despite the excellent acoustics at the Olso City Hall, I was too calm to even utter a peep!
Apr 29, 2007
In Japan and Thailand it is considered in very poor taste to show anger. Anger is judged to be a weakness and, if a person gets mad, he loses face. In that case, I lost face in a very big way last weekend!
I was at the Jamaica High School track training for a possible new record – running with a raw egg balanced in a dessert spoon, but instead of holding the spoon the traditional way in my hand, I was trying to run while holding the spoon in my mouth. It was really difficult and I had no doubt that I looked absolutely ridiculous!
Apr 18, 2007
One thing I really appreciate about the Guinness Book is that it’s a global collection of the wild, weird and extraordinary. You can read about feats that you could never have even imagined. For example, I’ve been juggling for decades and yet never thought of using gravity boots to hang upside down off a bar and juggle until I saw a photo of an Australian fellow doing it in the 2007 book. If it weren’t for Guinness, I also would never have discovered frog jumping, constructing stilts out of cans and string, or backwards bowling. And that would have been a shame because backwards bowling is one of the coolest, most fun sports ever invented!
All the rules of regular bowling apply to backwards bowling except, when you release the ball, your back has to be facing the pins. Since you can’t see the pins, you have use the floor in front of you as a guide. It’s difficult, but when you get a strike or convert a difficult spare, there is a huge feeling of satisfaction. When I first spotted this category in the 2005 Guinness Book, the record was 139 for a single game. I was never a great forward bowler, but I thought that bowling backwards might just be crazy enough to fit my personality! I kept thinking about going to the bowling alley and testing my ability but, for some reason, I kept procrastinating. Finally, I made a promise that, in a week, I would go to the bowling alley, no matter what.
Apr 8, 2007
Bill Rogers, the world-class marathon runner, once commented, ” My record will go and it will be good. I like to see records broken even if they’re my own.” Since I follow Sri Chinmoy’s philosophy of self-transcendence, I can totally relate to Mr. Rogers’ profound detachment. However, recently, when I found out that my record for finger snapping was broken, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed!
Now, you’re possibly thinking that I’ve gone soft. Here is the guy who once somersaulted for 12 miles and now he’s into finger snapping! I agree, it’s not my normal type of record, but when I spotted it in the new Guinness Book last August, a giant light bulb lit up in my head. Finger snapping must have been a new category because the record was only 119 snaps in one minute. This was my crazy idea -“ maybe I could combine the snapping with something else and break two Guinness records simultaneously!
Bill Rogers, the world-class marathon runner, once commented, ” My record will go and it will be good. I like to see records broken even if they’re my own.” Since I follow Sri Chinmoy’s philosophy of self-transcendence, I can totally relate to Mr. Rogers’ profound detachment. However, recently, when I found out that my record for finger snapping was broken, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed!
Now, you’re possibly thinking that I’ve gone soft. Here is the guy who once somersaulted for 12 miles and now he’s into finger snapping! I agree, it’s not my normal type of record, but when I spotted it in the new Guinness Book last August, a giant light bulb lit up in my head. Finger snapping must have been a new category because the record was only 119 snaps in one minute. This was my crazy idea : maybe I could combine the snapping with something else and break two Guinness records simultaneously!
Apr 1, 2007
I was reading the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated last week and, in the middle of an article about a Japanese baseball pitcher, the journalist quoted the following ancient haiku by the illustrious poet Matsuo Basho:
The old pond
A frog jumps in
The sound of water
The haiku really had nothing to do with the subject of the article, but it was very apropos to me. Just a few days later, on Wednesday, I attempted to break the Guinness frog jumping record at the Frog Pond at the Boston Common. However, my attempt was nothing like the feeling in the poem where everything seems so tranquil, elegant, and eternal. There was no water in the pond (it is used as an ice skating rink in the winter and a wading pool in the summer) and the only sound was me grunting as I tried to hop like a crazed amphibian while awkwardly holding onto my big toes!
