Ciclo de Lecturas: Proverbios Para Paranoicos.  Este jueves 3 de diciembre a las 19:00 horas, junto a los poetas:

Alexis Castillo

René Silva Catalán

Antonio Silva

Carmen Berenguer

Raúl Zurita

En la música: Óptica y Ondas

En el Auditorium Rolando Mellafe de la Facultad de Filosofía de la Universidad de Chile (Cap. Ignacio Carrera Pinto #1025, Ñuñoa).

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers: In a heavyweight bout between Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum and Antonio “Big Foot” Silva, all three judges scored it 29-28 for Fabricio Werdum. Cogratulations, Fabricio!

Photo from sherdog.com

Winners:
Fedor – It is pretty hard for Fedor’s stock to rise any higher, but he created mroe buzz with his impressive KO victory over Brett Rogers Saturday night. The casual fan will universally see Fedor as the best MMA fighter. The devoted fan gained more respect for the legend. However, the question still has to be why won’t he test himself against better talent? Who is he going to fight? Werdum? Overeem? Lashley? All of those may have some draw, but the real threats to Fedor lie in the UFC. Sorry.

Gegard Mousasi – His win was not as imrpessive as his win over Babalu, but it was a good win on a big stage. Mousasi was the favorite in this fight by a long shot so he did not show that much, but each win does raise his stock in the MMA world. Just like Fedor we have to wonder how many compelling fights there are for Mousasi at light heavyweight outside the UFC? As far as I can tell there is one, maybe two. Ricardo Arona and Dan Henderson. The irony is that neither of them are signed to Strikeforce right now.

Losers:
Mark Miller and Deray Davis – The bout was scheduled for the event, but was cancelled due to time restraints. I understand the time problem with CBS. However, these guys prepared and trained for this fight. I hope they got paid their salary and win bonus. Also, I hope Strikeforece plans better next time.

Sokoudjou – He proved that PRIDE victories over Ricardo Arona and Rogerio Nogueira were a fluke. He proved that UFC Sokoudjou is the real Sokoudjou, which is not good. He can’t hang with the best and this loss really hurt his career. His problem is not simply talent it is a lack of heart. He quits too much.

Jake Shields – I like Jake Shields and personally I enjoyed the Mayhem Miller fight, however it did not go over well with most people. Most people saw Shields as boring. I think he showed great technique and cardio. I still want to see Shields fight the best at 170 in the UFC. Though Shields won the Strikeforce Middleweight title he probably did not win over many fans. But I am sure he does not care about that because he got the “W”.

Up in the Air

Fabricio Werdum - I know Werdum won his fight against Antonio Silva.  I know a lot of people saw him in action on national television. I know that he may be the next in line for Fedor.  I know Scott Coke said that the Wedum-Fedor fight “makes a lot of sense” but I don’t know that it does.  I mean come on.  Werdum is good, but can he really beat Fedor?  I guess the draw will be a jiu jitsu ace taking a shot at the world’s best, but I don’t care to see that fight.  Werdum did well against Antonio Silva, but many think he lost that fight.  Honestly, I would rather have seen Fedor vs Antonio Silva.  So, Werdum becomes a winner if he gets the Fedor fight, but he really did not do much to improve his stock.

Strikeforce/CBS – I will be curious to see what the final numbers are.  I am sure they are strong, but are they good enough?  It may be sad that Kimbo is a bigger draw than Fedor.  This event was important for Strikeforce.  The network deal could hinge on how CBS views the numbers, especially in the key demographics.  Also, this may cause other networks to consider MMA.

Zero upsets on the main card. Every betting favorite won. Not that its a bad thing, just a tad rare. Werdum got past Silva, although it was very close and I thought Silva maybe had the 2nd round won as well as the first… whatever. Not even in the league of Shogun/Machida. Sokoudjou was surprisingly game against Mousasi for a while, but just fell apart in the second round. Jason Miller was right, Jake Sheilds couldn’t submit him, but he was able to stay on top of him for about 23 minutes. Very close in round three with that almost RNC, but them’s the breaks. And Fedor. Kaboom. We saw it against Arlovski, we saw it against Rogers. Pow. Out.

Still hasn’t lost in nine years.

Revgear sponsored Fabricio Werdum is training at Babalu’s gym in Cerritos, California.

Watch Fabricio fighting against Antonio Silva and other fights on CBS on Saturday, November 7, 2009 during Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers.

Video by affliction.

November is an exciting month for MMA with many exciting bouts on tap.  Here are the best fights of the month…

13. Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson – UFC 106 – Nov. 21

Someone is going to sleep in this one.  Can Johnson fight the elites of the UFC? 

12. Leonard Garcia vs. Manny Gamburyan – WEC 44 – Nov. 11

A potential slugfest.  Both guys look to get in the title picture again.

11. Jorge Gurgel vs. Billy Evangelista – ShoMMA – Nov. 6

This fight does not have a huge impact on the world of MMA or even the Strikeforce lightweight title picture, but Gurgel always brings it and that means excitment.

10. Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy – UFC 105 -Nov. 14

This fight is for the number one contender spot and that carries enough storyline.  Swick has the experience edge, but Hardy is no slouch.  Willa  Brit finally get a title shot? 

9. Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou – Strikeforce – Nov. 7

Mousasi is the clear favorite and this makes the list just because Mousasi is exciting and fun to watch. 

8. Fabricio Werdum vs. Antonio Silva – Strikeforce – Nov. 7

A great stylistic match between two great ground fighting heavyweights.  This fight could be a Fight of the Year candidate as both guys seem evenly matched.

7. Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin – UFC 106 – Nov, 21

A re-match of a great fight a few years back.  The return of Ortiz.  The return of Forrest Griffin after his loss to Anderson Silva.  A lot of storylines, but we have to wonder if the fight will deliver and live up to the hype.  I’d say it does as both guys want this win. 

6. Jorge Santiago vs. Mamed Khalidov – Sengoku 11 – Nov. 7

A non-title fight, but still good.  Santiago the champ will face highly toutted Khalidov.  This could be a classic.  I think Khalidov sees this as his chance to make it really big.

5. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Luis Cane – UFC 106 – Nov. 21

Not getting a huge amount of attention, but this is the best fight on UFC 106.  Two top 10 light heavyweights collide and move one step closer to the UFC title.  Plus the debut in the UFC of the other Nogueira.  Exciting fight here folks.

4. Mike Brown vs. Jose Aldo – WEC 44 – Nov. 11

This fight is exciting.  I believe the WEC featherweight division is one of the most exciting in all MMA.  Aldo is a quick and serious striker.  Will he be able to walk through Brown like he has everyone else? 

3. Jake Shields vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller – Strikeforce – Nov. 7

Shields is a tough dude, especially at 170 lbs.  Now he moves up to 185 to try to get the title.  How will he fair against the well-rounded “Mayhem”?  Will he be able to submit Miller?  Interesting to watch and certainly not a gimme for Shields.

2. Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera – UFC 105 – Nov. 14

Randy dropping to 205 to make a run at the light heavyweight title.  Enough said.  Vera has been less than stellar since dropping to 205, but he will hope to out strike the MMA legend, which is no easy task.

1. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Roger – Strikeforce – Nov. 7

The reason this is the best fight is because  of Fedor.  Not to mention the event will air on CBS.  People will be curious to see if Rogers can KO Fedor.  Also, the other storyline has to be the fact that the last time MMA was on CBS was when Kimbo got KO’d.  If fedor loses this fight somehow it would hurt Strikeforce.  However, it is good to see a real MMA fight with real credentials being promoted.

I’m only going to review in depth two fights from this week’s upcoming Strikeforce card. The Main event, and Mousasi vs. Soduku. (yeah I said Soduku, it’s funny to me)

However I’d like to tell you my picks for the other two fights and why I won’t be reviewing them in depth. I’m picking Antonio Silva over Fabricio Werdum and Jake Shields over Jason Miller. Fabricio has already been touted as Fedor’s next opponent however I tend to disagree because Junior Dos Santos KO’d him out of the UFC. In Round one. It got Knockout of the night. Do you get my drift here? Silva has one decision win on his record (13-1), everything else is a KO, TKO or submission. His only loss was by TKO. Antonio plans to end fights one way or another. I tend to lean towards fighters who finish fights as they fight differently than most.

Jake Shields and Jason Miller to me is not a championship fight. I love Jason Miller he’s an awesome character great for television and even better for the sport. However recently he’s been kind of streaky inside the ring. Jake Shields on the other hand has fought the toughest fighters one could outside of the UFC and beat them handily. Although his standup is shaky at best, on the ground no one is submitting Jake Shields. I don’t see Jason Miller being the first Strikeforce middleweight champ if his first opponent is Shields.

However I would like to talk about a fight that should be for the belt and that is….

GEGARD “THE DREAMCATCHER” MOUSASI (29-2) VS RAMEAU THIERRY “THE AFRICAN ASSASIN” SOKODJOU

Light Heavyweight Non-Title Fight
Mousasi KO round 1 TKO round 2 or Unanimous decision

Advantages to Soduku: Strong Judo background. Heavy Handed kickboxer. This isn’t for the title so cardio will only be a problem halfway through round 2.

Advantages to Mousasi: He’s the best fighter Soduku has faced since Lyoto Machida. (and we all know what happened there) Strong striking, and even better grappling. Strength of his opponent will be a non-issue.

Mousasi will win easily, he’s knows what’s at stake if he loses this one. Soduku has no answer for superior striking and grappling. Mousasi is poised to become the top of the pecking order at light heavyweight once he enters the UFC and Soduku is just another guy in the way.

Siiiiiiigh, you’ve heard it here first folks, this is the beginning of the end for Strikeforce. When you start having non title bouts involving your champion this is an example of a poor business model. If Mousasi does anything except win convincingly in this match-up with no controversy then Strikeforce will be on its last legs. Essentially they’ve arguably got two of the best fighters in the world fighting non title fights on the same card! ugh! I’ll expound more on this tomorrow.

On Saturday, November 7, 2009 Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers airs live from the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, on CBS during the primetime slot.

Revgear is proud to sponsor two great fighters from the event’s main card: Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi (26 – 2 – 1), a training partner of Fedor Emelianenko’s, who will fight with the hard-hitting Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in a non-title fight;

And heavyweight Fabricio Werdum (17-4) who is going to battle Antonio Silva.

Photo: Fabricio Werdum

Gegard Mousasi y Fedor Emelianenko / Photo by Esther Lin - Allelbows.com

El recién coronado campeón de Strikeforce Gegard Mousasi estará regresando a acción para enfrentarse a Rameu Thierry “Sokoudjou” en una pelea no titular este 7 de noviembre como parte del cartel de Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers en CBS.

Gegard Mousasi había sido rumorado para formar parte de la cartelera pero el principal problema era encontrar un oponente que figurará como un fuerte rival para Mousasi, entre los candidatos estaban Paulo Fhilo, Mike Whitehead y Kevin Randleman, y al parecer el acuerdo entre DREAM y Strikeforce ha puesto a Sokoudjou como oponente.

Originalmente estos dos peleadores estaban programados a enfrentarse en el pasado DREAM.11 como parte del torneo “SuperHulk”, pero debido a que Gegard se lastimó Sokoudjou avanzó a las finales con una victoria sobre Bob Sapp quien remplazó a Mousasi.

Se ha rumorado también la adición del veterano del PRIDE y UFC Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) para enfrentar al ex campeón Heavyweight de EliteXC Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (13-1) quien posee una racha de 6 victorias y tendrá su debut en Strikeforce. Werdum por su parte debutó en Strikeforce en agosto obteniendo una victoria sobre Mike Kyle y ha sido considerado un contendiente ante Fedor Emelianenko.

Balmaceda Arte Joven y Editorial Mantra tienen el agrado de invitarles a la presentación del libro Exhumada, del poeta Marcelo Arce Garín.
Esta presentación se realizará el jueves 1 de octubre a las 19:30 hrs. en Av. Balmaceda 12 15, sala de teatro, 3er piso y contará con la participación de los poetas Antonio Silva y José Ángel Cuevas.

Hoy viernes 11 de septiembre de 2009 comienza el ciclo de poesía y crítica literaria La Palabra Manchada. Este ciclo, patronizado por Editorial Cuarto Propio y organizado por el poeta Antonio Silva y el crítico de literatura Juan Manuel Silva Barandica, tiene por objeto “rememorar los diversos sistemas simbólicos que aglutina el mes de septiembre para Chile. Tres mesas de poesía y dos de críticos abrirán el diálogo sobre dichas materias para diversificar perspectivas junto al público asistente”.

A partir de las 19:00 horas en el Museo Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna (ubicado en Avda. Vicuña Mackenna 94, Providencia) este viernes leerán los poetas:

Diego Ramírez
Sergio Alfsen
Marcia Mogro
Bruno Vidal

El resto del programa es el siguiente:

Las mesas críticas, por su parte, tendrán lugar los días

28 de septiembre

Eugenia Brito
Juan Pablo Sutherland
Alicia Salomone
Gabriel Nicolas Larenas

5 de octubre

Naín Nómez
Patricia Espinosa
Felipe Ruiz
Víctor Quezada

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva disclosed to Tatame that should he win his fight with “Big” Jim York at Sengoku 10 on September 23rd, he will face Josh Barnett for the Japanese promotion’s heavyweight title in November.

Sengoku’s president confirmed that if I win, I’ll face Josh Barnett for the title in November.

While no official announcement has been made, Silva’s statements confirm rumors circulated since Barnett’s departure from active competition in the United States. After a 3rd failed drug screening prompted the cancellation of his marquee bout with consensus number one ranked heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, it seems unlikely that Barnett will return to action in the United States.

Check out the full story, including more quotes from Silva at Tatame.

I do not know if Joe Silva and the UFC have a wishlist of fighters, but if they did this is what the top ten would look like. Quite honestly, the heavyweight wishlist in pretty thin and the best hope is through prospects. There are only a few guys who would be contenders in the UFC and out of those guys there are not many who are likely to be in the UFC anytime soon.

UFC’s Heavyweight Wishlist

New MMAPlanet Heavyweight Rankings:

Others Considered: Justin McCully, Marcio Cruz

A soli tre giorni dai Campionati Europei Downhill in programma domenica 14 giugno a Kranjska Gora (Slovenia), la Squadra Azzurra, diretta dal Direttore Tecnico Antonio Silva, ha effettuato un
sopraluogo del percorso che è durato fino al tardo pomeriggio di ieri.

Dalle ore 12.00 alle ore 15.45 di venerdì 12 giugno, gli azzurri effettueranno un allenamento sul circuito e sabato 13 giugno il programma prevede la discesa cronometrata per le categorie junior ed elite per la qualifica dell’ordine di gara.
Ricordiamo che sabato 13 giugno alle ore 14.30 si svolgerà il Campionato Europeo downhill per la categoria master, mentre domenica 14 giugno, alle ore 12.00, scatterà il Campionato Europeo downhill per le categorie juniores ed elite, con gli azzurri al via.

A causa di un infortunio, l’azzurro Marco Bugnone (ARGENTINA BIKE) sarà sostituito dall’azzurro Davide Michelis (SURFING SHOP SPORT PROMOTION). La Nazionale sarà così composta:

Nazionale Azzurra Dowhill:
Pietro CAIRE ARGENTINA BIKE
Elisa CANEPA IRON HORSE – KENDA – PLAYBIKER
Davide DON 100-ONE KONA
Carlo GAMBIRASIO SURFING SHOP SPORT PROMOTION
Andrea GAMENAR ARGENTINA BIKE
Alia MARCELLINI SURFING SHOP SPORT PROMOTION
Marco MILIVINTI DYTECH DH
Davide MICHELIS SURFING SHOP SPORT PROMOTION
Elias SOMVI ALUTECH DOWNHILL TEAM
Lorenzo SUDING DYTECH DH

The Kiss Nakao vs Antonio Silva Fight Video from the Sengoku 7 MMA Event in Japan. Enjoy this Nakao vs Silva Video!

Renato Di Rocco, presidente uscente e unico candidato alla presidenza della Federazione ciclistica italiana, è stato confermato nell’incarico con il 71 per cento delle preferenze nell’assemblea elettiva di domenica 15 marzo, che segna la data di inizio del quadriennio olimpico 2009 – 2012. Di Rocco sarà affiancato alla vicepresidenza dal vicario Flavio Milani, da Giovanni Duci e Giampietro Sommariva. L’ex ciclista su strada Fabio Baldato sarà il rappresentante dei professionisti nel consiglio federale. Nei prossimi giorni verranno nominati i direttori tecnici dei diversi settori: se per il DT degli élite su strada e coordinatore dei settori ciclistici, Franco Ballerini, e per quello dell’endurance mountain bike, Hubert Pallhuber, è ancora incerto il destino di Antonio Silva, responsabile del settore abilità.

Link
Il sito della Federciclismo.

Per domenica 1° marzo il direttore tecnico del fuoristrada, settore abilità, Antonio Silva ha programmato un raduno aperto ai ragazzi delle categorie esordienti ed allievi che praticano downhill. L’appuntamento è per le ore 9.00 presso l’impianto Bike air di Vigevano, in via Carrel.

E’ necessario disporre di bici tipo four-cross, BMX o similari in quanto l’attività si svolgerà prevalentemente su pista BMX, con obbligo di gomme scorrevoli (semislick) e pedali flat. In pista, a disposizione dei ragazzi insieme al DT, anche Alan Beggin. Anche nel pomeriggio, grazie alla gentile collaborazione della società ospitante (BMX Vigevano La Sgommata), sarà possibile per gli intervenuti continuare l’allenamento. I partecipanti dovranno presentarsi muniti di tessera FCI.

There are two things I envy ’bout Miguel, my new interviewee: he reads a lot and he travels a lot.
Knowing this, it’s easy to understand why his blog is made of short statements and “fast” reviews, but still covers a lot of issues, from art to fashion, from music to cinema, from literature to photography.

Anagrama Orgânico seems to reveal different layers from the same person. It never goes too deep into the contents (maybe leaving the reader the option to lookout for more info), but somehow shows that Miguel knows what he’s talking ’bout…always discussing content rather than form.
The thing that first got my attention on the blog is that he actually writes ’bout stuff he didn’t like with very incisive opinions, that’s something you don’t usually read in the blogging world and it takes someone with a very solid background to do. This interview was in fact my way to get to know more of his background.

Go grab a black tea so you don’t miss out a word, cause believe me, the text is long but worthy.  And if you’re already looking at the size of this post thinking “hell no, it’s too big”, then fuck you. Ignorance is bliss my ass.
Here I present you the words and thoughts of Miguel, the blogger from Anagrama Orgânico:

Why Organic Anagram? What does it mean?
M: Organic Anagram is a concept I heard from Meshuggah, not sure where they got it from. In one of their lyrics, it goes “I’m a carnal organic anagram, human flesh instead of written letters”. It is somehow connected to that concept that everybody is born as a blank canvas, ready to be influenced and shaped by his or her surroundings.
The intricate and complex power of the human mind fascinates me, as not all is organic, there are also psychological issues that we have no control over. Short answer would be: My interests go beyond the ordinary, so my mind is the conjugation of all that.

What’s the latest objective you’ve accomplished? (personal, professional, whatever)
M: I am always happy and glad of the things I do and that happen to me, however, I always want more.
I only live for three goals in life, and everything I do is either to keep me busy or to put me closer to those goals. I can tell you that my graduation last summer was something remarkable. I’m a kid from the middle of nowhere, we were told in school that we were shit and there is no way that we could ever achieve anything, almost on a weekly basis, so to be in Westminster with people clapping to your achievements in a university was unreal. It involved unreasonable sacrifices throughout the years and to have my family around on that day was fantastic. It was a good sense of achievement.
I didn’t join the “establishment” because of that, but to make my way around it and overcome everything, in a class I don’t belong to, made me happy. In the end my father approached me and he said “congratulations, but I am sure only you know how much it took you to get here”. I was like “true, you are right, thanks, I just did what I thought was correct.”

Best restaurant you ever ate on?
M: I hate food. I do not understand how can people waste two or more hours daily, cooking and eating, it’s such a waste of time. Plus, I tend to get fat if I eat, so I can be one week straight, eating only one normal meal.
Same goes for sleeping, I hate the wasted hours, and if there were pills to regulate your sleeping and eating condition, I would eat them all the time and do more productive stuff.
However, my mom and grandmother are incredibly good cooks, seriously, so talented. The best meals I had were on the first time I went to S. Francisco, there was a reception at the City Hall where I spent 3 hours eating sushi, no joke, and a few days later the biggest steak on earth, in a cosy velvet room.

It’s Sunday and there’s nothing to do, any original idea?
M: Sundays suck. I despise them. In Portugal what could you do on Sundays? You wake up at 1pm, all tired, you don’t do anything and then you watch TV at night.
Nowadays I write on Sundays, and when summer comes, I go to the parks around my area, either to read lying in the grass, play football or just see people having fun. I learned with the English culture to enjoy them a bit more, but I still have the “scars” haha.

Your favorite band.
M: Meshuggah. Darkthrone, Wu-Tang, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Carcass, Mobb Deep, Converge, Brujeria and Burzum all deserve mentions, but if it goes down to one, the Swedish audio deviant reigns over all. That is what I consider to be great, groundbreaking bands that do more than just music, it’s the entire way they portray themselves. I am also connected to the BFLBU beatdown scene, so part of my heart is with those bands.

We share some common musical interests, like hardcore or Wu-Tang, but you took your inspiration to different levels, with your project Organic Anagram. Is it something you take seriously, or do you consider it more like a manifestation of random creative intentions? How did this project emerge and developed itself?
M: It suits me. I do whatever I want, whenever I want. Labels ask me for stuff, so far I’ve released by three insanely good and hardworking netlabels, MiMi, Enough and Test Tube.
I was living alone in South London, a bad period in my life, all my friends were gone, I was discovering so many things by myself, gabba, breakcore, proper noise music and everything else, so I was like “I want to be a part of this, I believe I can do something”. One day, after I posted my first track on a message board, the people at Enough Records were excited about it and asked me to record more.
I don’t take it seriously. I am so grateful that people message me saying that they love what I release; I don’t take it for granted. I’ve met wonderful people because of it and they are the ones that move it forward, by playing my songs on DJ sets, by playing it on radio, by promoting it to their friends, inviting me to play, asking me for merch, designing prints, flyers, etc. I am really lucky in regards to that.
It developed by being true to myself. I recorded noise, black metal, breakcore, acoustic stuff, drum n bass, dubstep. It is what I want to do at the time, no rules.
Yesterday I went to order the Organic Anagram prints, they are high quality, watercolour stuff, require a decent frame and is a really nice item. If anyone reading would like to have one, contact me [you have his contacts on the end of this interview] and I’ll hook you up!

Name three timeless books that are absolutely essentials on any shelf.
M: I am obsessed by literature, so that is an ungrateful question. But I would say that people should read “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by Tolstoy, an incredible piece of literature, the human condition condensed in 100 pages, “The Unnameable” by Beckett, which is my favourite book, however you need a strong literary background to understand it, and “Diários” by God Torga, everything you need to know about Portugal is there.
I am leaving so many brilliant human beings like Sandor Marai, Robert Musil, Eça, Camilo Castelo Branco, Pessoa, etc. out and I feel like an idiot.

What brought you to the blogging world?
M: When I broke up with an ex-girlfriend, I started watching Ingmar Bergman movies obsessively and I wanted to write about it. It is useful, because I can remember my opinions on what I read and watch. I put some useful links too; it helps me to remember them.
It is also good to share and meet new people through this. I am a “lone soldier” however, I don’t get into fights or take part in the jealousy movements that spawn through the blogosphere, and the fact that I make no political comments leaves me safe in my bubble. My world is about art, not society. Aside from my own, I also write in a literature blog called Orgia Literária.

Do you agree that nowadays blogs assume a standout position as means of communication/expression, or are they just another tool, that suddenly suffered a hype powered by the growth of Internet accessibility?
M: They are helpful, but also stupid. I do not care about people that write about their day on blogs.
See, the people I admire, Groucho Marx, Samuel Beckett, Bergman, Buñuel, Torga, Magritte, João César Monteiro, António Silva, they are all dead. I would like to know about what they do (and even then I bet I’d be disappointed), but not a 20-year-old retard from the middle of nowhere.
In Portugal it is a good way to communicate, even though people take it seriously and you see so many politicians trying to make a career out of blogs. You have them quoted in Visão, Sábado, Público and other forms of media. That is stupid. Blogging is restricted to this virtual world, people should engage in discussions and share ideas, but not promote their careers in the “real” world. I also love streetwear blogs, they are incredibly helpful. I read a few political, some about communication and others that are made by people like me, that share their interests on the internet. Some people are afraid to post their thoughts on what they want to divulge, if I wanted to see photographs I would look at Diane Arbus, what I am interested in blogs is the perspective of the writer, so everybody please make an effort to write some bits.

What drives you in life? (legs or means of transportation not accepted as an answer)
M: My family, my friends all over the world, music, I am still obsessed with music, art, mainly surrealism and the Italian Masters, philosophy, I used to hate it, but it was probably the most defining thing that shaped my attitude and thinking processes. It really is the cult of good living and it is always challenging to read the old classics.
I love Arsenal, juices, literature and libraries. I buy a lot of magazines, mainly fashion, design, art and streetwear stuff. Supermodernism, skateboarding, vinyl toys, records, Zelda, Lord of the Rings, American gangs, photography. I love maps, I grew up obsessed with flags and geography for no reason. I am a history nerd, be it World War 2, the feudal age, whatever.
I have an irrational interest in Norse mythology and the Nordic culture. I feel at home there, I am learning Norwegian now. All the folk, pagan stuff about Norway makes me so excited, that was the prime of civilization. The role the women had in their society, the fact that they went to America more than 14 centuries ago, their organization when attacking anything, they were unbelievable. They stroke with deadly force, but at the same time they also changed their plans on the way to the battlefield. They obeyed to no one and reigned supreme. Let me also mention that Portuguese history is unbelievably rich, if it wasn’t for our small size, we would be revered all over the world now, it’s a shame that we are ignored.
I am Straight edge since the night I turned 16. Nintendo, True Norwegian Black Metal and underground rap from the 90’s. Cinema too. Even though I never discuss about it, I have no interest in X Men or Spider Man, but give me silent D.W. Griffith movie and I’m lost in amazement.
Music then again, death metal, grindcore, dubtep, drum n bass, jazz, old country and bluegrass, pop, hip hop and so on. I have an encyclopedic knowledge about music, to me it is natural, what I find strange is how people can be happy listening to Franz Ferdinand or U2, their lives must be so sad.
I am lucky that somehow I developed my brain to acknowledge information extremely fast, so I have to keep busy with different interests. My friends say that they don’t understand how can I cope with so much, but I am extremely organized to the point that I have OCD [Obsessive-compulsive disorder], and I was once tested because of my ability to read fast, I scored 2 thirds faster than any other person, so that gives me an advantage when processing information (along with an impatience for other mundane things unfortunately).

Feel free to express yourself, last thoughts or whatever:
M: Let me just say that I am grateful that you made the effort to ask this. Sorry if I gave extended answers, but I am not one of those “I don’t know what to say” guys. I actually have stuff to say and I don’t mind throwing some personal stories in the middle.
Live and let live, help the others whenever you can. Exceed yourselves and the world could be a much more coloured place if it wasn’t for the mankind. We are so fucking dumb.
QUINTA DAS LAMEIRAS represent (!), London beatdown family, all my friends over the world and obviously my boys and girls holding it down in Portugal. I would have preferred that this was done in Portuguese, não há lingua mais bonita que a nossa. Obrigado.

Miguel.

www.anagramaorganico.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/noiseanagram
organic_anagram@hotmail.com contact me, I’m always down to talk.

ANAGRAMA ORGÂNICO BLOG

Tiziano Mammana, romano, è stato nel 2008 il meccanico del team internazionale Iron Horse – Playbiker e, assieme a Simon Cittati è stato la vera anima della squadra, vivendo fianco a fianco con gli atleti nella sede del ritiro di Pila, in Valle d’Aosta, e seguendo la squadra in tutte le trasferte di coppa del mondo. Meccanico della nazionale anche nel mondiale di Commezzadura e nell’europeo di Caspoggio, Mammana ha deciso per il 2009 di tornare alle origini, seguendo il circuito italiano con il negozio della capitale Bike-Store, e fornendo supporto ad agonisti e amatori. Nelle consuete “10 domande a…“, ormai agli sgoccioli negli ultimi giorni prima dell’avvio della stagione agonistica, Tiziano lascia trasparire la passione che lo ha portato ai massimi livelli.

1. L’evento più bello della stagione
Beh, indubbiamente il mondiale in Val di Sole, perché sono stati il fulcro del downhill internazionale per la stagione 2008, dove si vede davvero chi è il più forte, perché si respira un atmosfera particolare, di tensione e divertimento. Senza dimenticare che eravamo nella nostra bella Italia. Peccato soltanto che gli organizzatori, per alcuni aspetti, non sono stati all’altezza rispetto ad altre edizioni mondiali. Inesperienza nel settore?
E poi il campionato italiano assoluto di Pila, dove i piloti del nostro team sono stati veramente dei leoni partendo al cancelletto con il gas spalancato, vincendo e ripagandoci appieno degli sforzi fatti. Non dimenticherò mai i festeggiamenti al ristorante, la sera stessa, a base di birra mandata giù alla goccia, da un astemio come me!!!

2. La giornata peggiore
Senz’altro Fort William, numerose forature ai nostri atleti (e non solo), non ci hanno dato la possibilità di dare risultati in una delle piste più belle e massacranti della world cup, nonostante io e Giulio Neri (l’altro meccanico del team) avessimo dato il cento per cento per evitare questo problema, che è la bestia nera di ogni downhiller.

3. La gara e il percorso più bello del calendario italiano
Non per essere di parte, ma Pila è stata senza dubbio la gara più bella del circuito nazionale, sia per la pista di altissimo livello che per l’organizzazione degna di un campionato assoluto. Spero e sono convinto che col tempo tutte le gare nazionali possano raggiungere quel livello.

4. Il tuo idolo di tutti i tempi, nel mondo del downhill
Il mio idolo è senza dubbio Jared Graves, uno di quei piloti che quando lo vedi scendere o saltare su una pista da four-cross dal vivo, è un piacere per gli occhi! Preciso, potente, tecnico, pulito: rispecchia proprio i miei canoni di vero racer professionista.
Poi se parliamo anche del piano umano, ci metterei in mezzo Peat, Minnaar e Fairclough per la simpatia.

5. Come è cambiato il mondo del downhill da quando sei nell’ambiente? E le biciclette?
In questi ultimi anni il downhill è cambiato parecchio, e penso se ne siano accorti tutti, sia per l’evoluzione delle bici che per i tipi di percorsi, che per il numero di praticanti, e per fortuna la discesa non è più una nicchia piccola piccola.
Le bici ormai sono dei veri concentrati di tecnologia, con escursioni e sistemi ammortizzanti prima impensabili, dei mezzi con cui non si hanno davvero limiti… se non la propria testa! Basta vedere la Red Bull Rampage di quest’anno cosa hanno fatto con bici normalmente acquistabili in negozio!)

6. Quale ruolo pensi dovrebbero avere i media in questo sport?
I media in questo sport sono linfa vitale, perché a differenza del calcio, del tennis o del motociclismo, ci sono ancora troppe persone che neanche sanno cosa sia il downhill, e per ovviare a questo problema, la stampa e la tv sopratutto, devono cominciare a pensare anche che esistono tanti sport che meriterebbero il loro piccolo spazio, per farli crescere, così che un team o un pilota possa anche trovare uno sponsor che abbia voglia di investire, creando una positiva reazione a catena per tutto il movimento.
E poi parliamoci chiaro, la gente rimane a bocca aperta quando in tv ogni tanto fanno vedere qualche “pazzo” scendere giù da una pista di downhill!

7. Che cosa serve per far crescere il movimento?
Per far crescere il movimento servono numeri… e per farli servono gestori di impianti che investono nei bike park e che creino piste per ogni livello, la tv che avvicina nuovi appassionati e scuole di freeride per bambini e adulti come in Francia. Praticamente la filosofia dello sci, applicata alla mountain bike. So che non è facile, ma in questi ultimi tre o quattro anni qualcosa si è mosso, e si vede. Per cui cerchiamo di non fermarci mai.

8. I tuoi obiettivi per il prossimo anno
Per il 2009 mi prenderò uno stop dalla world cup e tornerò a collaborare con Bike-Store (negozio romano specializzato in freeride e downhill) con cui seguiremo tutte le tappe del circuito nazionale di downhill con un supporto a tutti gli appassionati amatori di questo sport, senza tralasciare ovviamente l’ormai consolidata collaborazione come meccanico per la nazionale italiana di dowhill e four-cross, coaudivata sempre dall’onnipresente CT Antonio Silva.
Altre cose ancora bollono in pentola…

9. Un giovane emergente su cui scommetteresti per il futuro
Di ragazzini con la manetta aperta ce ne sono molti, ma il primo che mi viene in mente è Gianluca Vernassa, sta venendo su a “pane e downhill” e i risultati si vedono. Staremo a vedere.

10. Il 2008 verrà ricordato per…
Verrà ricordato come gia detto da altri, per la caduta di Sam Hill all’ultima curva di una gara di campionato del mondo (di cui io ero spettatore in prima fila proprio all’interno di quella curva maledetta), e per il ritiro di Alan Beggin dal mondo del downhill, per i motivi che ormai tutti sappiamo.
Perché no, anche per i grandi risultati portati dalle “mie” atlete Elisa Canepa e Floriane Pugin, una per essere campionessa italiana per il secondo anno, e l’altra per essere salita sul podio della coppa del mondo varie volte, anche grazie alle mie manine sui loro mezzi!

Per la rubrica “10 domande a…“, questa volta è il turno di Justyn Norek. “Junior” di nome (suo padre, Justyn Norek Senior, si chiama infatti come lui) e, fino allo scorso anno, di fatto, nel 2009 passerà di categoria tra gli under 23 ma rimarrà nel team Dayco, che gli affiancherà tre atleti del calibro di Cozzi, Milivinti e Suding per puntare in alto. Quattro atleti di questo livello nello stesso team possono aiutarsi a vicenda e fare il salto di qualità che è mancato negli ultimi anni al downhill italiano.
Norek, di origini polacche ma di base a Torino da anni, pratica il downhill sin dalle categorie giovanili, nelle quali è arrivato al titolo tricolore tra gli allievi a Sestola, nel 2006, ed è sempre stato ai massimi livelli anche tra gli junior. Nel 2008 ha disputato alcune tappe della iXS Cup in Svizzera, risultando sempre tra i migliori di categoria, e ha vinto la tappa dell’Abetone del circuito italiano tra gli junior. Infortunatosi ad una spalla durante le prime fasi della preparazione invernale, spera di essere al più presto al massimo della forma, per le prime gare della stagione.

1. L’evento più bello della stagione
L’evento piu bello dell’anno e stato il ritiro con la nazionale  per svolgere le due prove di coppa del mondo a Fort William e ad Andorra, in cui ho potuto famigliarizzare con la squadra nazionale, conoscere il C.T. Antonio Silva e rappresentare l’Italia all’estero.

2. La giornata peggiore
Una giornata negativa e stata quest’estate quando ricevetti la comunicazione negativa per la partecipazione al campionato mondiale in Val Di Sole, in cui non potetti partecipare. Mi è dispiaciuto molto perche non ho potuto rappresentare in Italia la mia nazione che ospitava l’evento piu importante della stagione.

3. La gara e il percorso più bello del calendario italiano
La gara di di circuito italiano che preferisco è Forni di Sopra (Udine) anche se non è piu in calendario, era una pista molto veloce e soddisfava le mie doti tecniche. Quest’anno è stata l’Abetone, perché ero riuscito a disputare una buona discesa, penso la migliore in circuito di tutto l’anno.

4. Il tuo idolo di tutti i tempi, nel mondo del downhill
Piu di uno… A partire da Vouilloz, Barel, Hill, non uno in particolare ma questi maggiormente. Gracia probabilmente è il piu spettacolare nel four-cross  ed e anche un personaggio all’interno di questo sport, Vouilloz è stato un pilota fantastico sia nel campo del ciclismo sia nei rally in cui dimostra tutt’ora la sua tecnica. Barel ho avuto la fortuna di conoscerlo un poco, ed anche se è un po’ criticato nell’ambiente italiano è una persona con i piedi per terra, e con una guida molto pulita e silenziosa, veramente bella da vedere. Hill: un vero fenomeno, attualmente il più forte secondo me, velocissimo con uno stile particolare, ma è impressionante la sua sicurezza di guida.

5. Come è cambiato il mondo del downhill da quando gareggi? E le biciclette?
Sicuramente sono aumentati la velocità e il livello, ma le piste sono rimaste, soprattutto in Italia, strette e tortuose e abbastanza pericolose, a causa della mancanza di vie di fuga e per la presenza di innumerevoli alberi nelle vicinanza del tracciato o addirittura in esso… Le bici hanno subito notevoli miglioramenti a partire dalle sospensioni tipo Dwlink con Iron Horse e della stessa rigidezza con sezione dei tubi variabile e a base triangolare sia sulla parte anteriore, sia del forcellone e biellette con spessore rilevante per diminuire la torsione. I Vpp con Intense e Santa Cruz hanno anch’essi rivoluzionato il mondo delle sospensioni nella discesa. Anche Yeti con il fulcro virtuale e con una struttura molto rigida dovràcomportarsi in maniera ottima, ma e solo un’ ipotesi visto che non ho ancora potuto provarla.

6. Quale ruolo pensi dovrebbero avere i media in questo sport?
Per questo sport i media potrebbero avere notevole importanza, dare rilievo sulle reti televisive comporterebbe un certo aumento dei praricanti di questo sport, visto che quando mi si chiede lo sport che pratico, almeno dieci minuti devo passarli per spiegarne le caratteristiche. Piu visibilità farebbe in modo di aumentare i conoscitori di questo sport.

7. Che cosa serve per far crescere il movimento?
Per far crescere la discesa servirebbe una maggiore attenzione da parte delle scuole di ciclismo, con l’istituzione di corsi per un avvicinamento lento e sicuro per coloro che cominciano a praticare la discesa. In seguito si potrebbero creare  gare per poter correre ad un età inferiore di 13 anni.

8. I tuoi obiettivi per il prossimo anno
Rientro dopo l’infortunio alla spalla, l’obiettivo è di riconfermarmi a livello nazionale nei top 10, fare bene in coppa del mondo visto che ci tengo molto.

9. Un giovane emergente su cui scommetteresti per il futuro
Emergente? Io punterei su Sam Blenkinsop, appena diciannovenne che secondo me potrà dare spettacolo già dall’anno prossimo, ottenendo grandi risultati.
E’ molto disponibile e va molto forte, mi piace il suo stile di guida, molto attuale. E’ molto motivato e la sua vittoria nella finale di coppa del mondo lo conferma.

10. Il 2008 verrà ricordato per…
Penso che ricorderò il 2008 per la caduta al mondiale in Val Di Sole di Sam Hill, ho visto la sua discesa, ed è stato impressionante, il suo controllo e la sua sicurezza durante la discesa. La tenacia quando si è rialzato, fino al traguardo arrivando al terzo posto… e il vantaggio che aveva all’uscita del bosco di oltre sette secondi… tantissimi, quando si è al vertice. Peccato per il finale, ma può capitare, aspettando il mondiale dell’anno prossimo che essendo in Australia, per lui in casa, lo porterà alla ricerca del titolo mondiale.