Mark Beaumont sets new World Cycle Record

Amazing feat Mark - congratulations.
You have lived the dream...

Courtesy of the BBC.

Scot smashes world cycle record

Mark Beaumont crossed the finish line at 1430 GMT Trip highlights

A British man has smashed the record for cycling round the world.

Mark Beaumont, from Fife, completed the journey in 195 days - beating the previous record of 276 days.

The 25-year-old crossed the finish line at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris at 1430 GMT after an 18,000-mile journey which began on 5 August last year.

Mr Beaumont passed through 20 countries on his way, including Pakistan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and the US.

Tonal Study in Oil

This is a 2 hour study in oils using black and white only.

Included this little detailed area which I love.

Earth Hour 2008

This is a great idea - if as many possible turn off their lights for one hour on one particular day we will save a huge amount of energy and probably see a whole new world.

Well even if only for 60 minutes. I happen to live in NYC the world's leading city at calling itself a world leader and yet notably absent from the cities that have agreed to take part.

But join me and 38 other people in Brooklyn (?!) in turning off your lights for one hour in March. Maybe you'll enjoy it so much you'll turn off your lights for an hour once a month, week, day...

On 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour. This massive collective effort reduced Sydney's energy consumption by 10.2% for one hour, which is the equivalent effect of taking 48,000 cars off the road for one hour.

With Sydney icons like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House turning their lights off, and unique events such as weddings by candlelight, the world took notice. Inspired by the collective effort of millions of Sydneysiders, many major global cities are joining Earth Hour in 2008, turning a symbolic event into a global movement.

Visit Earth Hour Day for more information.