Like it or not, most Americans must go around with the bike on the back of the car to get somewhere
ComandanteBanana
From: Diane
Yeah, it will be a cold day in Hell before the U.S. adopts
preventative healthcare measures. Went on a nice bike ride today and
then returned home, took a nap, and dreamed all my Portland friends
moved to Albuquerque.
And I said this to her...
Howdy Diane,
Though not as dramatic as your ordeal, let me tell you my own story
over this Independence Holiday...
Friday we picked up a bike and decided to explore FROM THE CAR the
bike lanes provided by the bike coordinators' map --another
bureaucracy that promises a lot of trails out there, but hardly
connected at all.
Well we drove and drove, finding one disappointment after the other
until we started eating junk food while drive around. My girlfriend
commented, "This used to be my 'outing' with the kids." How boring and
stupid, I said. Anyway that's what many Americans do when not glued to
the idiot's box. So after an hour or so we started feeling the stomach
complaining of all that abuse and went out to a real path I knew. Not
a great distance but the indigestion somewhat went away. I guess
that's how most Americans get fat and stupid: DRIVING AROUND IN AN SUV
FOR THE HELL OF IT. (I wasn't driving an SUV.)
Like it or not, most Americans must go around with the bike on the
back of the car to get somewhere and THEN launch the bike in a safe
place. How ironic, the bike should be replacement of the car in most
situations.
The 4th of July though we had a true Independence Day because we
launched on the bikes from home and went to the beach, the bike shop,
a bar, a marina... Not to say we weren't exposed to the usual drivers
that THREATEN, IGNORE AND HARASS YOU, but at least we are alive to
tell the story.
We have a million buck bike path nearby, but it is --like HEALTHCARE--
wasteful and meant to make you fall. Yes, many issues with the access
to it and blinding light at night, and it only covers 1 1/2 miles, but
it's right on the beach.
Some say LIFE'S A BEACH, some say IT'S A BITCH.
Best regards,
Comandante Banana
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 3 C's of successful monkeys... Communicate, Coordinate, Cooperate.
ComandanteBanana
"Cars are expensive, and bikes are easier and cheaper."
***
Bikes are not easier, but they are well worth the effort.
Being lazy can kill you. And riding a bike too!
Well, you get the point.
Edward Dolan
"ComandanteBanana" <nolionn...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:28f35f15-3d91-4654...@d4g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...
I believe ComandanteBanana is almost on my level. He knows how to think big
thoughts. And he hates g.d. motor vehicles almost as much as I do. Bravo
ComandanteBanana!
Regards,
Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota
Jeff Grippe
"Edward Dolan" <edo...@iw.net> wrote in message
news:OfadnQJygdwZ3s_X...@prairiewave.com...
> I believe ComandanteBanana is almost on my level. He knows how to think
> big thoughts. And he hates g.d. motor vehicles almost as much as I do.
> Bravo ComandanteBanana!
The MV is one of the great unstoppable forces of our time Ed. People like
Robert Moses, who is almost a god in this area (at least that is what he
thought of himself), practically re-built the New York area to be based
around the car.
The same thing has happened with the Truck. The results are that we have no
good inter-city rail left (with a few exceptions), We have way too many cars
and trucks, We have an economy that depends on people buying more new cars
and trucks, and lastly but (to me) not least, a country that is basically
unsafe for cyclists.
Having said all that, however, not only isn't the tide turning but its
getting stronger in the direction of the MV's.
If you want a world safe for cyclists with more rational distribution
between auto, truck, rail and bike, move to Denmark.
Jeff
Edward Dolan
"Jeff Grippe" <je...@door7.com> wrote in message
news:36qdnZaI366Sz8_X...@supernews.com...
Light rail is the only way to go in every large metro. New York City has the
subway which saves it from total chaos. I remember back in the 40's there
was a pretty good trolley car system in Minneapolis. Alas, the tracks were
all torn out in the 50's and the trolleys were replaced with buses. I think
Europe is light years ahead of us in this regard. Most European cities
actually have a pretty good system of mass transit.
A possible solution to the grid lock which threatens all of our metro areas
is $100 a gallon gasoline. This would cause everyone to abandon their cars
and we could go back to a rational light rail system of getting around. The
present motor vehicle centered system is unsustainable and is going to drive
every one crazy who is not already crazy.
ComandanteBanana
> "ComandanteBanana" <nolionnoprob...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
Yeah, I'm almost getting to your level, but you beat me going
downhill, while I beat you uphill. ;)
ComandanteBanana
I'll take the advice, though, this option seems rather cold in the
winter time.
I wanted a tropical paradise and bikes, all at the same time.
(This dialogue with Diane is getting interesting, or at least it seems
so to me...)
Com. Banana,
Wow, sounds very frustrating! I'm not sure where you live as of yet.
In Portland, Oregon and here in ABQ the bike paths are reasonable most
of the time, and some are completely separate from the roads, others
not. On Sunday I rode my bike from home to a path which parallels
Tramway Road, and it was a nice ride, only had to stop and swear at
traffic at intersections, but some peaceful riding between.
Kraut Can is back, $1,200 later and 2 trips to 2 different shops. It's
so expensive, it should be turned into a heavily guarded flower pot.
Hope the rest of your week is smoother, and hope the rest of my week
is less expensive!
***
Yeah, it is Diane. I live in the middle of paradise (Miami Beach) and
yet some predators can turn it into a dangerous jungle in no time. It
happens all the time, but that's the subject for a different answer.
Believe it or not South Beach (who hasn't heard about it, Miami Vice,
right?) is not connected to Hollywood Beach some 15 miles to the
north. It would have been the perfect ride, but there's no bike
facilites other than the ones under construction, and those go to feed
some juicy contracts, not to be of practical use or even safe.
I'm sorry to hear that the "bite" from the lions (I'm pretty sure you
know about the metaphor by now) took so much of your hard earned
money. Bicycling, on the other hand, takes peanuts, which is why it is
often ignored.
Please check this out...
ComandanteBanana
> "Jeff Grippe" <j...@door7.com> wrote in message
>
> - Show quoted text -
There are two places where public transportation works, one is NYC and
the other is... Disney World. Yeah, just the other day there was an
accident that brought this monorail to the news.
The rest of the country is pretty much left to the cars, but I say IF
IT WORKS FOR DISNEY, WHY NOT FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTRY?
ComandanteBanana
have a car or be grounded...
"Hi, Yes that makes me sick! Experienced the horrors of the U.S. car
culture yesterday when I biked to the shop to pick up the car (2001 VW
Beetle) for $458 worth of CHECK ENGINE nonsensical repairs. On way
home with bike in car, A/C wasn't operating. Turned car around, back
to shop. Little test by mechanic, nope, it's doing okay! Back on the
rode midway home red emergency light comes on saying STOP NOW ENGINE
OVERHEATED!
Call to AAA with many expletives, though she was real nice. An hour
wait in 100-degree heat, totally livid. AAA tow pulls up driven by
Mexican national. We both discussed the high crime in Albuquerque and
to buy TOYOTA not KRAUT CANS!
So car towed to dealership this time, just for a 2nd opinion. Seems
the water pump gave in, plus it really needs a new timing belt, this
will cost $1,100 - about $300 for extended warranty payment.
Car and bike still in shop, shop gave me a ride home minus the bike
(still in the back of the car).
Am moving next month. After move am seriously considering selling car
and going carless. If I can't bike there, I shouldn't be there!
Fortunately, there is a grocery store and vet (for the kitties) within
walking distance.
Oh and did you see the article in the NY Times today about the young
lawyer who was turned down for the bar by a bunch of creepy judges
because he had too much student debt?
The property management company of current apts. are trying to charge
me last 2 weeks of the lease here. They changed my original lease date
to 2 weeks later last year because they tried to increase rent by $55
with a 2-week notice (not legal), I found another place, the manager
at the time advocated for 2 of us facing the same increase, they cut
the increase in 1/2 and wrote a year lease ending Sept. 1.
I've only had month-to-month in Portland. Albuquerque has all leases
so they can screw over the tenants and steal money from them.
The U.S. is one gigantic *****!
Enjoy the weekend, I will NOT be celebrating the birth of this
nation!"
Diane
Edward Dolan
> This is Diane's original ordeal, kind of commonplace when you must
> have a car or be grounded...
>
> "Hi, Yes that makes me sick! Experienced the horrors of the U.S. car
> culture yesterday when I biked to the shop to pick up the car (2001 VW
> Beetle) for $458 worth of CHECK ENGINE nonsensical repairs. On way
> home with bike in car, A/C wasn't operating. Turned car around, back
> to shop. Little test by mechanic, nope, it's doing okay! Back on the
> rode midway home red emergency light comes on saying STOP NOW ENGINE
> OVERHEATED!
>
> Call to AAA with many expletives, though she was real nice. An hour
> wait in 100-degree heat, totally livid. AAA tow pulls up driven by
> Mexican national. We both discussed the high crime in Albuquerque and
> to buy TOYOTA not KRAUT CANS!
>
> So car towed to dealership this time, just for a 2nd opinion. Seems
> the water pump gave in, plus it really needs a new timing belt, this
> will cost $1,100 - about $300 for extended warranty payment.
>
> Car and bike still in shop, shop gave me a ride home minus the bike
> (still in the back of the car).
>
> Am moving next month. After move am seriously considering selling car
> and going carless. If I can't bike there, I shouldn't be there!
> Fortunately, there is a grocery store and vet (for the kitties) within
> walking distance.
I have got a 1988 Mazda 626 and when it goes, that is the end of it for me.
I can easily get along in my town without a car and, by God, I am going to.
I refuse to spend any money at all on repairs since all the garages know how
to do is to rob you.
This country would have been a millions times better off if there were no
private motor vehicles at all. They have ruined every city in the land. Many
downtowns are little more than parking lots these days and the sprawl that
motor vehicles with their confounded roads have created is an obscenity. I
don't believe there are any uglier urban areas in the world than American
metros.
ComandanteBanana
> "ComandanteBanana" <nolionnoprob...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> - Show quoted text -
I think that's a fair assessment of the Urban Jungle in America.
Few cities are trying to do something like Portland, Oregon.
Should we ALL try to move there? ;)
"Since the first Bicycle Master Plan was adopted, Portland has more
than doubled our bikeway network, to 300+ miles. We've added
thousands of bicycle parking spaces. There are almost daily bike
rides, events, and activities. We have a successful Safer Routes to
School program, and a burgeoning bicycle industry. And we can be proud
of how many more people are bicycling these days, with more than
16,000 daily riders crossing our downtown bridges* in 2008. That's
more than six times as many as in 1991!"
http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=44597
*NOTE: NOT ONE OF OUR BRIDGES ARE RIDEABLE!
Bill
here and snivel about how much you have to pay a mechanic to fix your
car? Why is it that men (or at least a lot of them) will learn to fix
their own cars, but women refuse to do so? (Hell, most of them even
refuse to check their oil. After all, they might get their manicure
dirty.) Quit sniveling and learn to fix your own car.
And you really look dumb when you complain that your 8-y.o. V.W. needs
some mechanical work. What is so unusual about that? Do you think
that cars are supposed to run forever without any repairs? And what
makes you think a Toyota would not need any work after 8 years of
ownership? You're probably one of those women who never does any
maintenance on your car; just drives it into the ground; and then
complains when it breaks.
Complain, complain, complain. Snivel, snivel, snivel. You don't like
this country because you failed to maintain your car properly. Why
don't you take responsibility for your own behavior?
I like both cars and bikes. I find cars fascinating, and have always
enjoyed driving them and, usually at least, working on them.
Bill Sornson
What the hell are you talking about and who the hell is Diane?!?
HTH! (BKIW)
Bill
questions when you obviously haven't read the thread completely.
Bill Sornson
> Bill, don't get on here and make a fool of yourself by asking stupid
> questions when you obviously haven't read the thread completely.
WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?
HTH!
Bill
now.
dgk
wrote:
Careful there guy, that's almost rational.
Bill Sornson
> Keep making a fool of yourself, fool! It is getting really amusing
> now.
What the hell are you talking about?!?
HTH!!! (Hint: learn to quote, MENSA. And don't top-post once you do.
HTH!)
Edward Dolan
"Bill" <retrog...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:91352b4a-cfb0-473d...@12g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
ALL TOP POSTERS ARE IDIOTS NOR DOES HE EVEN INCLUDE ANY OF THE MESSAGE TO
WHICH HE IS RESPONDING. WHAT AN IDIOT!
> Diane, don't you know how stupid it makes you look when you get on
> here and snivel about how much you have to pay a mechanic to fix your
> car? Why is it that men (or at least a lot of them) will learn to fix
> their own cars, but women refuse to do so? (Hell, most of them even
> refuse to check their oil. After all, they might get their manicure
> dirty.) Quit sniveling and learn to fix your own car.
>
> And you really look dumb when you complain that your 8-y.o. V.W. needs
> some mechanical work. What is so unusual about that? Do you think
> that cars are supposed to run forever without any repairs? And what
> makes you think a Toyota would not need any work after 8 years of
> ownership? You're probably one of those women who never does any
> maintenance on your car; just drives it into the ground; and then
> complains when it breaks.
Most of us will do minimal maintenance, but we do not want to become
mechanics. If we did, we would have gone to a trade school or taken
vocational training in high school.
> Complain, complain, complain. Snivel, snivel, snivel. You don't like
> this country because you failed to maintain your car properly. Why
> don't you take responsibility for your own behavior?
Mechanics seem to want $100 an hour for their modest labors. I say to hell
with them!
> I like both cars and bikes. I find cars fascinating, and have always
> enjoyed driving them and, usually at least, working on them.
You enjoy driving? Wow! I thought that ended with my father's generation. I
remember when I was a kid how we used to go for car drives in the country
every Sunday afternoon in the summer in the old Chevy and have a picnic in
some farmer's pasture. Now it is my idea of hell to go anywhere in an
automobile. The congestion just never stops and it is gridlock in all of our
metros. But hey, you like to sit in traffic jams for hours on end or else go
bumper to bumper at 85 mph in 8 lanes of traffic, be my guest - you dolt!
Edward Dolan
"dgk" <d...@somewhere.com> wrote in message
news:3oq655pjhhvqr0214...@4ax.com...
Always remember, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
ComandanteBanana
That's why they NEED us. My girlfriend deosn't even know how --or
why-- to measure the pressure on the tires. Now it's going to cost her
100 bucks.
But I think she's trying to make the point that life without a car is
so much simpler. ;)
ComandanteBanana
>
> - Show quoted text -
Diane is a real person who writes to me, and I forwarded to you. Call
it "recycling" the posts, if you will.
ComandanteBanana
"I live just outside Portland. The real one."
Is it the Utopia we all praying for?
Do you have to stick to the bike lanes, or basically you are as free
to ride as an Indian riding a horse* in the big plains?
* My two favorite metaphors for a cyclist on the open road is an
Indian riding a wild horse or a knight, an image that occurred to me
with my new pennant, I mean safety flag.
ComandanteBanana
> =v= ComandanteBananasForBrains has once again managed to
> cross-post yet another idiotic screed, entirely inaccurate
> and written to alienate everyone. With mad skillz like these,
> it's no wonder that he can't "command" people, nor even other
> primates. He's reduced to ordering bananas around, and I have
> strong doubts that they bother to listen.
What's your revolution, dude?
Have you heard of, "LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET OUT OF THE WAY!"?
Nuxx Bar
> Bill, don't get on here and make a fool of yourself by asking stupid
> questions when you obviously haven't read the thread completely.
Is it true that 37% of men in the USA are called Bill?
Edward Dolan
"Jym Dyer" <j...@econet.org> wrote in message
news:Jym.07Jul20...@scorcher.org...
> =v= ComandanteBananasForBrains has once again managed to
> cross-post yet another idiotic screed, entirely inaccurate
> and written to alienate everyone. With mad skillz like these,
> it's no wonder that he can't "command" people, nor even other
> primates. He's reduced to ordering bananas around, and I have
> strong doubts that they bother to listen.
>
> [I have removed rec.bicycles.rides and uk.rec.cycling from
> the Newsgroups: header, as this stupid thread has never been
> on-topic for those newsgroups.]
I have never encountered a newsgroup that I did not regard as the epitome of
stupid. Trust me on this, no message is too stupid for any of these cycling
newsgroups, most especially the nuts in the UK.
Jeff Grippe
"Edward Dolan" <edo...@iw.net> wrote in message
> Always remember, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
You are comparing yourself to a stopped clock Ed? That is an interesting
metaphor indeed. I dare say that for some people (probably not me) but for
some people you are probably right more often than once a day. For others,
probably not at all.
I'm with you on the $100 per gl gas. Get people out of the cars and trucks.
You need to build something else first, however.
ComandanteBanana
Yeah, I think that's called "bicycle infrastructure"...
Maybe just TAMING TRAFFIC will do the trick but I don't hear about
either one being planned. :(
ComandanteBanana
I'm a knight fighting for JUSTICE riding a bike with no armor, but
wearing a helmet, a pennant, and a banana...
Yes, a banana since no offensive weapons are allowed in this joust.
And the SUVs are NOT playing by the CHIVALRY CODES... Do I stand a
chance against the evil giants?
Edward Dolan
>
> "Edward Dolan" <edo...@iw.net> wrote in message
>
>> Always remember, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
>
> You are comparing yourself to a stopped clock Ed? That is an interesting
> metaphor indeed. I dare say that for some people (probably not me) but for
> some people you are probably right more often than once a day. For others,
> probably not at all.
I like to state matters in an extreme way so as to get the attention of the
casual reader. How else can you do it? Sweet reason is wasted on these
forums.
> I'm with you on the $100 per gl gas. Get people out of the cars and
> trucks. You need to build something else first, however.
We need to build light rail. Our forefathers from another century had it
figured out perfectly. Let's face it, we do not know what the hell we are
doing because we have become degenerate. Every generation is dumber than the
one before it.
And now for a typical Ed Dolan the Great rant.
Liberals pretty much control the political and social dialogue in this
country. Except for talk radio and Fox News, they dominate all of the media.
And liberals are mean spirited as hell. They gang up and destroy whoever
they think is a threat to them. The Sarah Palin affair is just the latest in
a long line of liberal assassinations.
I am mainly a conservative (but not entirely). But like liberals, I know how
to get low down and dirty. Most conservatives simply do not know how to do
this. I now believe I am as good at kicking ass as they are. You can utterly
depend on liberals to be scoundrels forever, so I never hesitate to kick
their dumb asses. No liberal ever born (or made) knows the meaning of fair
play - and so I play by their rules. I do to them before they can do to me.
Edward Dolan
"Nuxx Bar" <derderd...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4f1059a3-ab2b-48e5...@37g2000yqp.googlegroups.com...
I believe Bill (William) has always been a popular name in English speaking
countries. Certain names are like that. John is another such name.
Most names are subject to fashion. Edward, for instance, was more popular a
century ago than it is today. However, names are tricky, they come and go
without rhyme or reason. Some names disappear altogether never to be seen
again.
Edward will always be a name to reckon with in English speaking countries. I
have always liked my name. I hope the rest of you like your names too. To
have a name that you do not like is a curse direct from God. Some parents
should be horsewhipped for saddling their children with bad names.
Bill
Do you (apparently terminally-narcissistic) cyclists believe that,
immediately upon assuming the presidency, Abraham Lincoln should have
signed an executive order banning slavery?
If you do, then you clearly have no understanding of the political
process and I will take your opinions about banning cars in the same
vein.
Edward Dolan
Nope, not a chance! Fire has to be fought with fire. Niceness means defeat.
Where the hell do you think I would have ended up if I had ever been nice to
Tom Sherman, the most notorious liberal ever to infest Usenet?
Bill Sornson
> Look, let's cut to the chase here, OK?
Huh? Who? What? Huh?
Brilliant!
LOL
Edward Dolan
ALL TOP POSTERS ARE IDIOTS NOR DOES HE EVEN INCLUDE ANY OF THE MESSAGE TO
WHICH HE IS RESPONDING. WHAT AN IDIOT!
> Look, let's cut to the chase here, OK?
>
> Do you (apparently terminally-narcissistic) cyclists believe that,
> immediately upon assuming the presidency, Abraham Lincoln should have
> signed an executive order banning slavery?
Old Abe believed on assuming the presidency that slavery was OK in the
states in which it was already established. He did not want slavery extended
to any new states nor would he allow any succession from the union. That is
what the war was all about. Freeing the slaves everywhere was almost an
afterthought.
> If you do, then you clearly have no understanding of the political
> process and I will take your opinions about banning cars in the same
> vein.
I believe that humans should be banned from the planet earth since they are
in effect destroying it with their confounded automobiles. I ask you, which
is more important, that humans should continue to exist or that the planet
should continue to exist? I believe the question answers itself.
While we are "cutting to the chase", I suggest we drop an atom bomb on
Tehran and then one on your head. That will solve multiple problems which
have been plaguing us for several years. Of course, I reserve the right to
drop an atom bomb on Tom Sherman's head too, but he has behaved himself
lately so I may give him a reprieve.
Now you begin to get a glimmer of why I am Great - and you're not!
ComandanteBanana
We shouldn't ban cars, nor we submit cyclists to the status of SECOND
CLASS CITIZENS.
So a campaign of EQUAL RIGHTS is very much a possibility, where
BICYCLES CAN TAKE THE LANE.
Jeff Grippe
>
> We need to build light rail. Our forefathers from another century had it
> figured out perfectly. Let's face it, we do not know what the hell we are
> doing because we have become degenerate. Every generation is dumber than
> the one before it.
>
Yes to the light rail part. The rest is actually the beginning of the rant.
> And now for a typical Ed Dolan the Great rant.
>
> Liberals pretty much control the political and social dialogue in this
> country. Except for talk radio and Fox News, they dominate all of the
> media. And liberals are mean spirited as hell. They gang up and destroy
> whoever they think is a threat to them. The Sarah Palin affair is just the
> latest in a long line of liberal assassinations.
>
> I am mainly a conservative (but not entirely). But like liberals, I know
> how to get low down and dirty. Most conservatives simply do not know how
> to do this. I now believe I am as good at kicking ass as they are. You can
> utterly depend on liberals to be scoundrels forever, so I never hesitate
> to kick their dumb asses. No liberal ever born (or made) knows the meaning
> of fair play - and so I play by their rules. I do to them before they can
> do to me.
>
As you know, I detest the "down and dirty". I've now reached the point where
I detest both liberals and conservatives. Both of them can't see past the
noses on there own smug little faces. I've been a liberal for a long time
and I can tell you that it is a point of view, like all points of view, that
can get in the way.
I don't dare speak for you Ed, but most conservatives believe what they
believe because they feel it is what is best for everyone. This is true for
most liberals too. The problem is that neither one of them can understand
this simple fact.
So I now call myself a recovering liberal. The trick is that I'm not
recovering to conservative. I'm just fed up with beliefs that tear apart
instead of join together.
Jeff
Edward Dolan
This country will never return to the days of everyone working together for
the common good. It is now divide and conquer - and take no prisoners. All
the media have now chosen sides and if you are not on one side or the other,
then you are just in the way. I am reconciled to eternal divisiveness. After
all, I have met the enemy and he is us!
Bill
You ain't going to make it with anyone, anyhow."
"Revolution", The Beatles
Tell me again how you cyclists (0.1% of the population) intend to
prevent drivers (99.9% of the population) from driving their cars. It
really is amusing. (But then again, I guess I have a sick sense of
humor.)
Bill
Yes, it certainly is unreasonable for a guy who grosses $500 per week
to object to paying $150 a week in income and social security taxes.
Who the hell does he think he is, wanting to use that money to save
for a down payment on a house, or to send his kids to college? The
government knows how to spend the money better than he does, and will
give it to someone who deserves it more. Damn those conservatives!
ComandanteBanana
>
> - Show quoted text -
Read the book 'Why Orwell Matters,' and you will see there's nothing
wrong with you.
Of course, the thing is go past Big Brother and get down to the real
work of making things that work for the people: HEALTHCARE, BIKE
FACILITIES, FAST TRAINS...
ComandanteBanana
> "Jeff Grippe" <j...@door7.com> wrote in message
>
> - Show quoted text -
I think things hardly get accomplished in a project like United
Selfish of America.
Take the selfish part out and things will happen.
ComandanteBanana
Because the cyclists can liberate the drivers from their cages...
Most drivers do own bikes but are afraid to ride them. All they often
do is put the bike on back of the car to ride somewhere safe.
It's not US against THEM, but we all coexisting without "bumping" into
each other (literally). ;)
We can start by going to the supermarket, right?
Bill
Being selfless is, perhaps unfortunately, non-Darwinian.
cf. "The Tragedy of the Commons".
Edward Dolan
Edward Dolan wrote:
Liberals are going to spend the country into bankruptcy. The final
eventuality will be hyperinflation. This will hurt poor people the most.
Damn those liberals!
Edward Dolan
> So I now call myself a recovering liberal. The trick is that I'm not
> recovering to conservative. I'm just fed up with beliefs that tear apart
> instead of join together.
>
wrong with you.
Orwell was wrong about most everything that matters. He was typical of
English socialists. Go to the UK today to see how things have transpired why
don't you. They can't even get something so simple as a national health care
service to work effectively.
[...]
Bill
OK, now I'm going to lay it on you. Here's how us cyclists should
handle the car "problem".
Don't do anything. Let the price of gas increase, as it will, due to
diminishing supply. When people can't afford to drive their cars
anymore, they won't have any choice but to ride a bike. Political
activism by cyclists to make life harder for motorists is totally
counterproductive. The most important thing for us cyclists is image
control. Don't do anything that will give motorists any reason to
blame us cyclists because they can't afford to drive anymore.
ComandanteBanana
Even the predators such as the lions do COOPERATE in order to hunt
successfully.
And without cooperation the prey would be lunch as we presently are...
"The video shows a battle between a pride of lions and a herd of water
buffalo at South Africa's Kruger National Park at watering hole. The
huge herd approaches the watering hole. A pride of lions lay in wait,
rush the herd and capture a baby water buffalo. Panicked, the herd
runs off to protect their own lives, then re-group. En mass they
tentatively approach the pride of lions in the act of killing the baby
water buffalo. Two forcefully charge and two lions run off. Emboldened
by the acts of a few, the herd surrounded the stunned lions who
astutely release their choke-hold on the baby water buffalo. He walks
back and disappears into the herd.
It is the perfect metaphor of how, together, we can get things done.
Solidarity-- without it, we're lunch."
http://mybignoise.blogspot.com/2007/08/solidarity-law-of-jungle.html
ComandanteBanana
> "ComandanteBanana" <nolionnoprob...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
At least their traffic laws seem to work much better.
I think the UK is one step ahead of us toward civilization --but not
as much as Holland with its bike lanes.
ComandanteBanana
By the time you get everybody to do something we'll be cooking in
Global Warming. Just waiting for your leaders to give orders before
you actually do something and ride a bike?
If the blacks applied your recipe, they'll still be segregated and we
wouldn't an Obama president...
Well, maybe the second point is irrelevant. ;)
Edward Dolan
On Jul 9, 10:38 am, "Edward Dolan" <edo...@iw.net> wrote:
> "ComandanteBanana" <nolionnoprob...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> news:79d6985b-9f71-417b...@k1g2000yqf.googlegroups.com...
> On Jul 8, 3:06 pm, "Jeff Grippe" <j...@door7.com> wrote:
> [...]> So I now call myself a recovering liberal. The trick is that I'm
> not
> > recovering to conservative. I'm just fed up with beliefs that tear apart
> > instead of join together.
>
> >> Read the book 'Why Orwell Matters,' and you will see there's nothing
> wrong with you.
>
> Orwell was wrong about most everything that matters. He was typical of
> English socialists. Go to the UK today to see how things have transpired
> why
> don't you. They can't even get something so simple as a national health
> care
> service to work effectively.
> [...]
>>> At least their traffic laws seem to work much better.
>>> I think the UK is one step ahead of us toward civilization --but not
as much as Holland with its bike lanes.
It is not just bike lanes that are needed, but streets that are completely
free of automobiles. Such places are a pleasure for pedestrians. I love
medieval cities because they cannot turn them into roadways for automobiles.
Go to the old city of Fez, Morocco and you will see what I mean.
ComandanteBanana
>
> - Show quoted text -
For that we need a revolution...
The American government wouldn't even dare to reduce automobiles by
30%. But I think a 33% solution is satisfactory: 33% cars, 33% public
transportation and 33% bikes.
Tom Sherman °_°
> [SNIP]
Y Y A W W NN N
Y Y A A W W W N N N
Y Y A A W W W W N N N
Y A A W W W W N N N
Y AAAAAAAAA W W W W N N N
Y A A W W W W N N N
Y A A W W N NN
--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
I am a vehicular cyclist.
Edward Dolan
"Tom Sherman �_�" <twsherm...@THISsouthslope.net> wrote in message
news:h38voj$p7u$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
> ComandanteBanana wrote:
>> [SNIP]
>
>
> Y Y A W W NN N
> Y Y A A W W W N N N
> Y Y A A W W W W N N N
> Y A A W W W W N N N
> Y AAAAAAAAA W W W W N N N
> Y A A W W W W N N N
> Y A A W W N NN
ComandanteBanana is presenting a point of view with which most us can
sympathize. Who hasn't been almost killed by a driver of a motor vehicle at
one time or another?
But still your point is well taken. One note Johnnies are always tiresome,
some sooner than others. It is a pity you did not find Ed Gin and Assocs.
equally tiresome since they were nothing but one note Johnnies. Instead, you
chose to think they were amusing, thereby contributing to the ruin of ARBR
as a viable newsgroup.
However, I think all newsgroups are going the way of the Dodo Bird.
Unmoderated newsgroups are a form of insanity, but moderated forums are a
million times worse. Maybe we should all just shut up and tend to our own
garden like Voltaire suggested (Candide).
Tom Sherman °_°
> "Tom Sherman �_�" <twsherm...@THISsouthslope.net> wrote in message
> news:h38voj$p7u$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>> ComandanteBanana wrote:
>>> [SNIP]
>>
>> Y Y A W W NN N
>> Y Y A A W W W N N N
>> Y Y A A W W W W N N N
>> Y A A W W W W N N N
>> Y AAAAAAAAA W W W W N N N
>> Y A A W W W W N N N
>> Y A A W W N NN
>
> ComandanteBanana is presenting a point of view with which most us can
> sympathize. Who hasn't been almost killed by a driver of a motor vehicle at
No, "ComandanteBanana" is an anti-cyclist, pro-motorist fear-monger,
which is why I have no patience for him.
Edward Dolan
"Tom Sherman �_�" <twsherm...@THISsouthslope.net> wrote in message
If you do not fear being hit by a motorist while cycling, then you must be
as crazy as a Minnesota loon. Why not take a vacation in Florida and find
out for yourself just how dangerous it is there for cycling?
C-B is not an elite sport cyclist like you, he is an everyday utilitarian
cyclist. So am I. He is pro-cyclist and anti-motorist. So am I. He is more
sane than you. So am I.
But he is tiresome as hell. All one note Johnnies are, none ever more so
than Ed Gin and Assocs. whom you thought amusing. Your impatience priorities
are all screwed up. Or maybe you just like to hang around criminals?
Tom Sherman °_°
> So do you. <plonk />
>
>
Learn to quote.
P.S. Only losers announce that they are kill-filing people.
Bill
afraid to. That is just a handy excuse. The real reason is because
they are too lazy.
If you think the government should do more to encourage cycling, you
really should try riding in Holland. The Dutch government said they
would build a network of bike paths that went everywhere, and relegate
cyclists to using them. They built a lot of them, and then ran out of
money. So let's say you're riding from Amsterdam to The Hague. You
come to an intersection on the bike path that says "The Hague - 41
km", so you take it. You ride 8 km. down this bike path and find that
it comes to a dead end. Then you have to retrace the path back to the
intersection and figure out how you're going to get to The Hague on
the public roads. And when you do that, the motorists wonder why you
are not on the bike path.
Tom Sherman °_°
Quoting for context is Usenet custom.
ComandanteBanana
> The reason people don't ride their bikes is not because they are
> afraid to. That is just a handy excuse. The real reason is because
> they are too lazy.
>
> If you think the government should do more to encourage cycling, you
> really should try riding in Holland. The Dutch government said they
> would build a network of bike paths that went everywhere, and relegate
> cyclists to using them. They built a lot of them, and then ran out of
> money. So let's say you're riding from Amsterdam to The Hague. You
> come to an intersection on the bike path that says "The Hague - 41
> km", so you take it. You ride 8 km. down this bike path and find that
> it comes to a dead end. Then you have to retrace the path back to the
> intersection and figure out how you're going to get to The Hague on
> the public roads. And when you do that, the motorists wonder why you
> are not on the bike path.
The first step in America is NOT to build bike lanes/paths. Our
goverment is TOO WASTEFUL AND STUPID to build something that WORKS AND
CONNECT. I say CONNECT because we have thousands of miles of bike
lanes/paths in America that don't connect to each other. And the last
bike path that they built near my home is so STUPID that is not even
connected to the park next door, forcing the people to ride over sand,
risking falling and bicycle damage.
THE FIRST STEP IS TO TAME TRAFFIC, and perhaps tell the cyclists IT'S
OK TO TAKE THE LANE. Well, the latter sounds pretty revolutionary,
doesn't it?
NOTE: Thanks big Ed for saying it like is.
Edward Dolan
"Tom Sherman �_�" <twsherm...@THISsouthslope.net> wrote in message
Yes, and it is just common courtesy too. Who are these assholes who come
unto a group without quoting any context, as if the world begins and ends
with them.
These are discussion forums, not formats for rants and raves. Only Great
Ones like Ed Dolan the Great are ever permitted any shortcuts - and He does
not take them because of His Essential Greatness! I urge everyone on these
newsgroups to model yourselves after Ed Dolan the Great. That way, you will
never go wrong.
Edward Dolan
"Tom Sherman �_�" <twsherm...@THISsouthslope.net> wrote in message
> David Lloyd wrote:
>> So do you. <plonk />
> Learn to quote.
>
> P.S. Only losers announce that they are kill-filing people.
Tom Sherman has got it exactly right. Note how many never quote any of my
brilliant words when they proffer their pitiful responses. That is because
an encounter with Greatness strikes terror into their minuscule souls. But
Ed Dolan the Great is ever magnanimous and will not hold it against you no
matter how pitiful your response - PROVIDED you quote Him.
Tom Sherman has also got it exactly right about announcing kill-files. Who
the hell gives a damn who is kill-filing whom. Usenet is not for "friends",
it is for ENEMIES. Jeez, try to get up to speed why don't you!
Edward Dolan
"Jym Dyer" <j...@econet.org> wrote in message
news:Jym.11Jul20...@scorcher.org...
> Tom Sherman @ "Eternal September" writes:
>
>> Quoting for context is Usenet custom.
>
> the entirety of every flippin' message just to add evidence
> that you have nothing substantial to add to it.
> <_Jym_>
Tom Sherman often trims too much. If in doubt, it is better to quote the
entire message than to fuck it up. This is especially true whenever Ed Dolan
the Great is involved. You trim his priceless words are your peril.
Bill
He must have read "How To Lose Your Credibility In One Easy Lesson" by
Joe Biden. (Hair implants optional at extra cost.)
Edward Dolan
> WTF kind of affected bullshit is spelling the name "Jim" as "Jym"???
>
> He must have read "How To Lose Your Credibility In One Easy Lesson" by
> Joe Biden. (Hair implants optional at extra cost.)
It took me a long time to figure out why people hide behind user names on
the Internet. It is because the virtual world can sometimes spill over into
the real world with dire consequences. However, no one is really anonymous
on the Internet. Every computer has an identifier attached to it by your
ISP and it is a no brainer for the police to find out who you are. It is
merely self deception to think otherwise.
delta
wrote:
> This is what Diane says...
>
> From: Diane
>
> Yeah, it will be a cold day in Hell before the U.S. adopts
> preventative healthcare measures. Went on a nice bike ride today and
> then returned home, took a nap, and dreamed all my Portland friends
> moved to Albuquerque.
>
> And I said this to her...
>
> Howdy Diane,
>
> Though not as dramatic as your ordeal, let me tell you my own story
> over this Independence Holiday...
>
> Friday we picked up a bike and decided to explore FROM THE CAR the
> bike lanes provided by the bike coordinators' map --another
> bureaucracy that promises a lot of trails out there, but hardly
> connected at all.
>
> Well we drove and drove, finding one disappointment after the other
> until we started eating junk food while drive around. My girlfriend
> commented, "This used to be my 'outing' with the kids." How boring and
> stupid, I said. Anyway that's what many Americans do when not glued to
> the idiot's box. So after an hour or so we started feeling the stomach
> complaining of all that abuse and went out to a real path I knew. Not
> a great distance but the indigestion somewhat went away. I guess
> that's how most Americans get fat and stupid: DRIVING AROUND IN AN SUV
> FOR THE HELL OF IT. (I wasn't driving an SUV.)
>
> Like it or not, most Americans must go around with the bike on the
> back of the car to get somewhere and THEN launch the bike in a safe
> place. How ironic, the bike should be replacement of the car in most
> situations.
>
> The 4th of July though we had a true Independence Day because we
> launched on the bikes from home and went to the beach, the bike shop,
> a bar, a marina... Not to say we weren't exposed to the usual drivers
> that THREATEN, IGNORE AND HARASS YOU, but at least we are alive to
> tell the story.
>
> We have a million buck bike path nearby, but it is --like HEALTHCARE--
> wasteful and meant to make you fall. Yes, many issues with the access
> to it and blinding light at night, and it only covers 1 1/2 miles, but
> it's right on the beach.
>
> Some say LIFE'S A BEACH, some say IT'S A BITCH.
>
> Best regards,
> Comandante Banana
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
> The 3 C's of successful monkeys... Communicate, Coordinate, Cooperate.
>
> http://webspawner.com/users/bananarevolution
Just get out and ride - if you wait till the world paves you a yellow
brick bike path you will never get out there. It is just an excuse -
pave me a safe bike path - give me showers at work - make it sunny and
70 - have a nice tail wind both ways to work - give me a nice bike -
make me Lance Armstrong... Then just maybe I will get off my butt and
ride to work... Never happen.
Bill
they'll still be segregated and we wouldn't an Obama president..."
Comandante, I believe that your analogy is defective. Public
agitation for civil rights for black people in the U.S. came in two
stages: first, the commies in the 1930s agitated for it as part of
their strategy for a revolution establishing a workers' state, but
they were unsuccessful and, in fact, engendered only a reaction in the
form of Mcarthyism. (Ironically, the U.S. commie party had already
largely died out by the '50s due to Stalin's purges, his non-
aggression pact with Hitler, and the Russian party's constantly-
changing and contradictory party line, which they forcibly imposed on
the U.S. party.)
Then in the '50s, black people themselves agitated for their own civil
rights with peaceful protest, and they were successful.
"If you go around carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow."
ComandanteBanana
>
> - Show quoted text -
We did just that last night, in an outing that calls for a car among
sane people. Yes, sane people drive because you have to be crazy to
ride a bike at midnight. Don't tell me to go and ride at 5 am because
that would be too much sacrifice for me, and WOULDN'T GET ANYTHING
ACCOMPLISHED.
I care for practical biking and that calls for TAMING OUR WILD ROADS.
My girlfriend budged for a moment and went on the sidewalk, and we got
split apart by a mile.
But I don't blame her: Surviving on American jungle is not easy
adventure. I guess it calls for a superhero, someone like...
(from one of my t-shirts)
"INDIANA BANANA"... LOOKING FOR ADVENTURE IN THE JUNGLE!
ComandanteBanana
Thank you. It just demonstrates that the revolution calls for peaceful
means of resistance...
(no Bolshevism just Perestroika)
Out of the following introduction to NONVIOLENCE, we can deduce that
cyclists can use both PROTEST AND INTERVENTION. Who the hell needs
Mao? ;)
Back to Why Nonviolence?
Why Nonviolence?
history, methods, and varieties of nonviolence
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nonviolent action is a means of social struggle which has begun to be
developed in a conscious way only in the last several decades. It does
not rely on the good will of the opponent but instead is designed to
work in the face of determined opposition or violent repression. It is
not limited to any race, nationality, social class, or gender and has
been used successfully in widely varying political circumstances.
Nonviolent action is not simply any method of action which is not
violent. Broadly speaking, it means taking action that goes beyond
normal institutionalized political methods (voting, lobbying, letter
writing, verbal expression) without injuring opponents. Nonviolent
action, like war, is a means of waging conflict. It requires a
willingness to take risks and bear suffering without retaliation. On
the most fundamental level, it is a means by which people discover
their social power.
Nonviolent action takes three main forms: 1) protest and persuasion,
2) noncooperation, and 3) intervention.
The first category includes such activities as speech-making,
picketing, petitions, vigils, street theater, marches, rallies, and
teach-ins. When practiced under conditions of governmental tolerance,
these methods can be comparatively insignificant; when the views
expressed are unpopular or controversial, or go against government
policy, even the mildest of them may require great courage and can
have a powerful impact.
The second category involves active noncooperation. In the face of
institutional injustice, people may refuse to act in ways which are
considered “normal” — to work, buy, or obey. This largest category of
nonviolent action includes refusal to pay taxes, withholding rent or
utility payments, civil disobedience, draft resistance, fasting, and
more than fifty different kinds of boycotts and strikes.
Noncooperation can effectively halt the normal functioning of society,
depending on the type of action employed and how widespread its use
becomes.
Finally, there is nonviolent intervention, which can be defined as the
active insertion and disruptive presence of people in the usual
processes of social institutions. This can include sit-ins,
occupations, obstructions of “business as usual” in offices, the
streets, or elsewhere, and creation of new social and economic
institutions, including the establishment of parallel governments
which compete with the old order for sovereignty. These methods tend
both to pose a more direct and immediate challenge than the other
methods described earlier and to bring either a quicker success or
sharper repression.
http://www.vernalproject.org/papers/understanding/WhyNV/WhyNonviolence3.html
Jym Dyer
> It took me a long time to figure out why people hide behind
> user names on the Internet.
=x= Sorry you're so slow on the uptake.
=x= I have used this, my real name, in my career and on the
Internet going back to 1983. It's not a problem if (1) you
post things of value rather than drunken Saturday-night-at-home
blather, and (2) you have the strength of character to stand
behind your words.
<_Jym_>
Edward Dolan
You do not know your own name? Surely it is Jim and not Jym? But either one
is better than Jimmie, a kid's name. But why not James? Even so, I give
credit to those who use their real names, no matter how ridiculous their
real names may be. Not everyone in the world can have a Great Name like
Mine.
I no longer bother posting any messages of value since there are none but
idiots inhabiting these forums. It is all blather, but even so, I stand
behind everything I have ever said on Usenet, up to and including dropping
an atom bomb on Tom Sherman's head.
ComandanteBanana
> I no longer bother posting any messages of value since there are none but
> idiots inhabiting these forums. It is all blather, but even so, I stand
> behind everything I have ever said on Usenet, up to and including dropping
> an atom bomb on Tom Sherman's head.
Yeah, I love the idea of dropping THE BOMB on his head. Here it is...
"There were not a lot of reports in the Feed this morning, and many of
them were for the same wreck. There was also an updated report on a
wreck reported here earlier, and some people doing subversive things
on their bikes, like having fun.
Getting to the update first, there is more information on that head-on
hit-and-run with a drunk driver I linked to yesterday. 1 dead, 2 hurt
in crash With what we know now there were at least 5 cyclists in the
group, single file, and the drunk drove across 2 lanes of traffic and
on to the shoulder to hit them, killing one, injuring 2 badly enough
to require transport to a medical facility and only slightly injuring
the other 2, plus hitting a sixth vehicle, a Hyundai, while trying to
flee the scene. For some reason bail has only been set at $1 Million
for assaulting 6 people with a deadly weapon."
http://opusthepoet.wordpress.com
Since he doesn't want to hear the reality of the jungle, this whole
blog will be like a bomb to him! ;)
ComandanteBanana
> I no longer bother posting any messages of value since there are none but
> idiots inhabiting these forums. It is all blather, but even so, I stand
> behind everything I have ever said on Usenet, up to and including dropping
> an atom bomb on Tom Sherman's head.
>
> Regards,
>
> Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
Hey, Big Ed, here's another bomb in your arsenal...
(two comments on some Vehicular Cycling instructor killed by a car)
Originally Posted by Bekologist
"The tragedy of a cycling instructor killed executing a vehicular left
turn on a highway speed road is an example of the tenets of vehicular
cycling education and autocentric infrastructure failing even a
experienced cyclist in the face of heavy traffic and high speed
differentials."
We don't know exactly what Bruce did or didn't do, and perhaps never
will.
But we can be sure that the Chief VC Mathematician and followers (who
juggle and manipulate numbers and definitions to show the
effectiveness of VC education in lowering cycling risk "80%
reduction!") will flatly state that BR was not practicing Vehicular
Cycling at the time of his accident.
By their definition and circular logic process, anyone who has an
accident would have not had that accident if only they were cycling
vehicularly; any accident is proof that the cyclist wasn't cycling
vehicularly. Any cyclist involved in an accident is no longer
considered a vehicular cyclist and vehicular cycling maintains its
remarkable safety record.
Just zis Guy, you know?
Bill Sornson
Edward Dolan
"ComandanteBanana" <nolionn...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:7a425f40-7537-42fe...@f30g2000vbf.googlegroups.com...
> On Jul 13, 5:36 pm, "Edward Dolan" <edo...@iw.net> wrote:
>
>> I no longer bother posting any messages of value since there are none but
>> idiots inhabiting these forums. It is all blather, but even so, I stand
>> behind everything I have ever said on Usenet, up to and including
>> dropping
>> an atom bomb on Tom Sherman's head.
>
>
> (two comments on some Vehicular Cycling instructor killed by a car)
>
> Originally Posted by Bekologist
> "The tragedy of a cycling instructor killed executing a vehicular left
> turn on a highway speed road is an example of the tenets of vehicular
> cycling education and autocentric infrastructure failing even a
> experienced cyclist in the face of heavy traffic and high speed
> differentials."
>
> We don't know exactly what Bruce did or didn't do, and perhaps never
> will.
>
> But we can be sure that the Chief VC Mathematician and followers (who
> juggle and manipulate numbers and definitions to show the
> effectiveness of VC education in lowering cycling risk "80%
> reduction!") will flatly state that BR was not practicing Vehicular
> Cycling at the time of his accident.
>
> By their definition and circular logic process, anyone who has an
> accident would have not had that accident if only they were cycling
> vehicularly; any accident is proof that the cyclist wasn't cycling
> vehicularly. Any cyclist involved in an accident is no longer
> considered a vehicular cyclist and vehicular cycling maintains its
> remarkable safety record.
>
> http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=561536
I gave up on bicycle safety instructors 30 years ago when I realized that
none of them knew what the hell they were talking about. In fact, I advise
everyone never to go near such types. They will get you killed faster than
you would ever get yourself killed on your own.
They are always blathering about taking the lane, as if that is going to
somehow make you safe. All that taking the lane does is put you in a direct
line to getting run over. It is this kind of stupidity which make me despair
of anyone ever knowing anything worth knowing. My God, you have to get out
of the way of motor vehicles! That is just common sense, but as is well
known, nothing is so rare as common sense.
Regards,
Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
Edward Dolan
"Just zis Guy, you know?" <guy.c...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:76638b71-2aba-418a...@z34g2000vbl.googlegroups.com...
> IFYPFY.
And goobledegook to you too, you g.d. fucking English moron!
Edward Dolan
>> http://opusthepoet.wordpress.com
Cyclists by and large do not like to hear stories about all the mayhem on
the highways. That is because we know how vulnerable we are. No matter how
safe we think we ride, we KNOW that we can be struck and killed in an
instant through no fault of our own. It is why cyclists need their own bike
trails and paths.
To be on a highway with fast moving motor vehicles is inherently unsafe. At
the very least, you have got to have a shoulder to ride on. To be in the
same lane as a motor vehicle is just asking to be hit - and sooner or later,
you will be.
Just zis Guy, you know?
wrote:
>
>"Just zis Guy, you know?" <guy.c...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
>news:76638b71-2aba-418a...@z34g2000vbl.googlegroups.com...
>> IFYPFY.
>
>And goobledegook to you too, you g.d. fucking English moron!
Plonk trolling fuckwit. You need serious help.
--
Guy
Opus
>snip<
>
> Cyclists by and large do not like to hear stories about all the mayhem on
> the highways. That is because we know how vulnerable we are. No matter how
> safe we think we ride, we KNOW that we can be struck and killed in an
> instant through no fault of our own. It is why cyclists need their own bike
> trails and paths.
>
> To be on a highway with fast moving motor vehicles is inherently unsafe. At
> the very least, you have got to have a shoulder to ride on. To be in the
> same lane as a motor vehicle is just asking to be hit - and sooner or later,
> you will be.
>
> Regards,
>
> Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
> aka
> Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota
Actually the cyclists in the article quoted were riding single file on
the shoulder on the opposite side of the road from the driver that hit
them. The driver crossed 2 lanes of traffic and either on or over the
shoulder to hit the 5 cyclists, I'm still hoping to get the final
report on this one to find out if he was trying to hit the cyclists or
just stupid.
Edward Dolan
"Just zis Guy, you know?" <guy.c...@spamcap.net> wrote in message
news:2qkp55lh0lv1bhi6t...@4ax.com...
Your concern for my welfare touches me. But I am Great and you are not! You
should be honored that One so Great as Myself even deigns to take notice of
a twerp like you.
I suggest you concern yourself strictly with your own welfare - and by all
means, NEVER wear a cycling helmet. There is no need to in your case since
your skull is impenetrable.
Edward Dolan
"Opus" <opust...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:5c646f3f-125a-4fa2...@c1g2000yqi.googlegroups.com...
> On Jul 14, 6:07 pm, "Edward Dolan" <edo...@iw.net> wrote:
>>snip<
>>
>> Cyclists by and large do not like to hear stories about all the mayhem on
>> the highways. That is because we know how vulnerable we are. No matter
>> how
>> safe we think we ride, we KNOW that we can be struck and killed in an
>> instant through no fault of our own. It is why cyclists need their own
>> bike
>> trails and paths.
>>
>> To be on a highway with fast moving motor vehicles is inherently unsafe.
>> At
>> the very least, you have got to have a shoulder to ride on. To be in the
>> same lane as a motor vehicle is just asking to be hit - and sooner or
>> later,
>> you will be.
>
> the shoulder on the opposite side of the road from the driver that hit
> them. The driver crossed 2 lanes of traffic and either on or over the
> shoulder to hit the 5 cyclists, I'm still hoping to get the final
> report on this one to find out if he was trying to hit the cyclists or
> just stupid.
It will turn out to be someone who was just plain drunk or high on drugs.
How half these accidents happen is incomprehensible to me. Just less than a
year ago, a road warrior of a cyclist (he did the Ride Across America the
previous year) was struck and killed right here in NW Iowa, an area with not
much traffic and good roads with excellent sight lines.
The thing to bear in mind is that many motorists are incredibly bad drivers.
Frankly, I do not want to be on the road with them when I am on my bicycle.
I consider it something of a miracle that in 30 years of cycling I have not
been hit by a motorist. It is only smart to be aware of these dangers when
we are cycling on high speed highways with motor vehicles.
ComandanteBanana
> "Just zis Guy, you know?" <guy.chap...@spamcap.net> wrote in messagenews:2qkp55lh0lv1bhi6t...@4ax.com...> >>"Just zis Guy, you know?" <guy.chap...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
> >>news:76638b71-2aba-418a...@z34g2000vbl.googlegroups.com...
> >>> IFYPFY.
>
> >>And goobledegook to you too, you g.d. fucking English moron!
>
> > Plonk trolling fuckwit. You need serious help.
>
> Your concern for my welfare touches me. But I am Great and you are not! You
> should be honored that One so Great as Myself even deigns to take notice of
> a twerp like you.
>
> I suggest you concern yourself strictly with your own welfare - and by all
> means, NEVER wear a cycling helmet. There is no need to in your case since
> your skull is impenetrable.
>
> Regards,
>
> Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
> aka
> Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota
Very good advice on Opus' blog about the helmet: YOU MAY AS WELL LEAVE
IT HOME!
After 12 mph accidents your helmet is good for next to nothing.
However I DO ADVISE WEARING A SAFETY VEST, which makes you visible to
all those assholes behind the phone.
Of course, the first step of the revolution is to ban the stupid
phones!
NO PHONE, NO PROBLEMA! ;)
Tom Keats
Tom Sherman �_� <twsherm...@THISsouthslope.net> writes:
> Edward Dolan wrote:
>> "Tom Sherman �_�" <twsherm...@THISsouthslope.net> wrote in message
>>> ComandanteBanana wrote:
>>>> [SNIP]
>>>
>>> Y Y A W W NN N
>>> Y Y A A W W W N N N
>>> Y Y A A W W W W N N N
>>> Y A A W W W W N N N
>>> Y AAAAAAAAA W W W W N N N
>>> Y A A W W W W N N N
>>> Y A A W W N NN
>>
>> ComandanteBanana is presenting a point of view with which most us can
>> sympathize. Who hasn't been almost killed by a driver of a motor vehicle at
>> one time or another?[...]
>
> No, "ComandanteBanana" is an anti-cyclist, pro-motorist fear-monger,
> which is why I have no patience for him.
Yes, he is transparent glass.
He's like an awkward, artless, wannabe conspirator
who thinks out loud too much for his own misbegotten
purposes. Kinda like Homer Simpson. Doh!!
cheers,
Tom
--
By their fruits shall ye know 'em.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca
Keitht
Amazing innit?
Able to use the term 'fucking' but unable to use 'God Damned'
And we're suposed to be backwards?
After the exchanges including of the use of 'cunt', 'g.d.' seems rather
quaint.
Bless.
--
Come to Dave & Boris - your cycle security experts.
Just zis Guy, you know?
>Amazing innit?
The amazing thing is that Dolan is not dead yet; he said he had
Alzheimer's (and that's consistent with the standard of his posts to
usenet). I think he's proud of having destroyed arbr.
Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/urc | http://www.nohelmetlaw.org.uk/
"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken
Newsgroup may contain nuts.
Opus
wrote:
>snip<
> Very good advice on Opus' blog about the helmet: YOU MAY AS WELL LEAVE
> IT HOME!
>
> After 12 mph accidents your helmet is good for next to nothing.
>
> However I DO ADVISE WEARING A SAFETY VEST, which makes you visible to
> all those assholes behind the phone.
>
> Of course, the first step of the revolution is to ban the stupid
> phones!
>
> NO PHONE, NO PROBLEMA! ;)
That is not what I say or advocate. I wear a helmet every time I ride
(a full face BMX/DH helmet in the 100+ degree F TX heat at that) and
what I tell people is that helmets are pretty much the only PPE we as
cyclists have. Throw gloves in there that keep the skin on your palms
if you go pavement surfing and you have reached the end of the list.
What I do say is that the Gov't. has no business forcing people to
wear such devices when they do so little to protect us. I'm also an
advocate of reducing and enforcing speed limits on through streets
that have to be taken to get someplace in areas that adopted the
"superblock" planning back in the '60s, '70s, and early '80s. I'm for
a number of things, including voluntary helmet wearing.
ComandanteBanana
> "Opus" <opusthep...@gmail.com> wrote in message
Yeah, and on top of that they assume we shouldn't be on the roads.
Last time we went on the road at "odd hours" (8-12 pm in heavy
traffic) was for a practical reason, to pay a visit to this family, 6
miles away or so. Anyway we are alive to tell it, but my girlfriend
(mentioned above) chickened out and went on the sidewalk and we
wanderer apart.
The most noteworthy detail, though, is that one of the family members,
a dumb lady, just the average American driver, said, "I never knew the
bicycles belonged on the road!"
They really worry me because they act with the conviction of an
ignorant, trying to keep our roads clear of "dangerous cyclists"...
ComandanteBanana
> In article <h39325$41...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> Tom Sherman °_° <twshermanREM...@THISsouthslope.net> writes:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Edward Dolan wrote:
> >>news:h38voj$p7u$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
> >>> ComandanteBanana wrote:
> >>>> [SNIP]
>
> >>> Y Y A W W NN N
> >>> Y Y A A W W W N N N
> >>> Y Y A A W W W W N N N
> >>> Y A A W W W W N N N
> >>> Y AAAAAAAAA W W W W N N N
> >>> Y A A W W W W N N N
> >>> Y A A W W N NN
>
> >> ComandanteBanana is presenting a point of view with which most us can
> >> sympathize. Who hasn't been almost killed by a driver of a motor vehicle at
> >> one time or another?[...]
>
> > No, "ComandanteBanana" is an anti-cyclist, pro-motorist fear-monger,
> > which is why I have no patience for him.
>
> Yes, he is transparent glass.
>
> He's like an awkward, artless, wannabe conspirator
> who thinks out loud too much for his own misbegotten
> purposes. Kinda like Homer Simpson. Doh!!
>
> cheers,
> Tom
>
No, there's no CONSPIRACY AGAINST CYCLISTS IN AMERICA. They just allow
the FEAR FACTOR to keep them off the road.
You are dumb though. I hope you don't drive.
Nuck Spar
<guy.c...@spamcop.net> wrote:
>On Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:18:18 +0100, Keitht <KeithT> wrote:
>
>>Amazing innit?
>
>The amazing thing is that Dolan is not dead yet; he said he had
>Alzheimer's (and that's consistent with the standard of his posts to
>usenet). I think he's proud of having destroyed arbr.
And I think you're proud of being universally despised.
Admit it: you are, aren't you? You love to be hated. And you hate
motorists (who don't love to be hated). Why else would people keep
thinking the "forged" anti-motorist rants really were from you?
(Another unanswered question to join the "Did you make the 'piece of
shit' Lou Knee post?" one....)
--
Guy Cuthbertson
ComandanteBanana
AMERICA...
(some Texan wrote)
We are home to one of the worst journalist outfits I have ever had the
displeasure to deal with and that is The Houston Chronicle. Anyway
today they ran a story on governor Perry vetoing the bill that would
make it law to give cyclists at least three feet of room despite
overwhelming senate and house support. Here's the story:
(quoting from the paper)
Some Texans wanted Perry to veto the measure.
“You will have radical bikers taking license numbers of cars and
reporting them because they thought they passed too close,” Kenneth
Bain of Duncanville wrote Perry. “If you sign this bill you are
letting a small minority rule the voting masses and it will not sit
well at election time.”
ComandanteBanana
more bike friendly you have to learn from Europe and do...
A comprehensive, continuous, integrated approach that extends beyond
pedestrian and bicyclist “treatments” to include elements such as:
- Parking policies
- Street design hierarchy that considers pedestrians and bicyclists
first
- Integration with and widespread availability of public transit
- Connected on-street and off-street walking and biking networks
- Ongoing promotional campaigns and activities
- Traffic safety education for children throughout their school
years;
- Visually rich pedestrian-level built environment;
- Routine photo enforcement; and,
- Numerous other policy and facility details that make walking and
bicycling easy, convenient, and enjoyable.
http://drusilla.hsrc.unc.edu/cms/downloads/Pedestrian%20Bicycle%20Scan%20Summary%20Report.pdf
This is the LONG WAY... The QUICK WAY is to make every bike entitled
to the lane, and the cars better overtake them on the other lane --or
else smile for the cameras.
Edward Dolan
[...]
> This is the LONG WAY... The QUICK WAY is to make every bike entitled
to the lane, and the cars better overtake them on the other lane --or
else smile for the cameras.
Bikes and motor vehicles need their own lanes entirely separated from one
another by physical barriers. Otherwise you are just whistling Dixie!
ComandanteBanana
"Good point well taken. Disregard my previous post! Alaska really is
awful. And we all live in igloos and earthen huts."
No, my real worry is that Alaska has TOO MANY SUVS PERCAPITA.
***I think the real hellholes have a very high concentration of SUVs
and low concentration of bikes.***
Probably Florida and Alaska are way up there with Texas.
ComandanteBanana
> "ComandanteBanana" <nolionnoprob...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
Big Ed, I think WE NEED BOTH, some bikes beg the path (my Electras)
while others beg the road (my Seattle).
The thing is that when you ask for too much, they tell you, "SORRY, NO
DINERO."
Making the bike a legal vehicle entitled to the lane is a smart move
if you back it with cameras. 30 feet before and after your bike the
car must leave YOUR lane.
ComandanteBanana
> On Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:14:25 -0500, "Edward Dolan" <edo...@iw.net>
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >"ComandanteBanana" <nolionnoprob...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> >news:1831044f-9fb3-4fd1...@k6g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
> >[...]
> >to the lane, and the cars better overtake them on the other lane --or
> >else smile for the cameras.
>
> >another by physical barriers. Otherwise you are just whistling Dixie!
>
> >Regards,
>
> >Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
> >aka
> >Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota
>
> while actually ON a bike path. But I have been hit by one while
> trying to cross a street. And no it doesn't feel that good.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Yes, it gotta hurt...
Edward Dolan
> On Jul 18, 6:39 am, Harry Brogan <hbroga...@NOSPAM.YAHOO.COM> wrote:
>> On Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:14:25 -0500, "Edward Dolan" <edo...@iw.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >"ComandanteBanana" <nolionnoprob...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> >news:1831044f-9fb3-4fd1...@k6g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
>> >[...]
>> >> This is the LONG WAY... The QUICK WAY is to make every bike entitled
>> >to the lane, and the cars better overtake them on the other lane --or
>> >else smile for the cameras.
>>
>> >Bikes and motor vehicles need their own lanes entirely separated from
>> >one
>> >another by physical barriers. Otherwise you are just whistling Dixie!
>>
>> while actually ON a bike path. But I have been hit by one while
>> trying to cross a street. And no it doesn't feel that good.- Hide quoted
>> text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> Yes, it gotta hurt...
>
> http://snopes.com/photos/accident/bikerace.asp
That picture has been posted several times on these cycling newsgroups and
serves to remind us all of how vulnerable we are on the roads with motor
vehicles. I will no longer ride my bike on high speed highways with no
shoulders. Way too dangerous. I must have a shoulder or else the traffic has
to be nonexistent.
Bike lanes without physical separators are no solution at all. Motorists
will veer into bike lanes without giving it a second thought if it suits
their convenience.
ComandanteBanana
>
> - Show quoted text -
Yeah Big Ed, I'm riding some road now, but mostly we would depend on a
car to take a bike somewhere safe, like most Americans out there.
Hey, by the way, here are some of the worst states (in my opinion) to
ride a bike...
Originally Posted by balindamood
"I have been commuting year round in Anchorage for five years now,
even with our annual 5-months of poor road conditions, and I love it.
It has its problems, but from a bicycle perspective, it beats
everywhere I have lived before (Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia,
Massachusetts, Kansas City, Minnesota, North Dakota, and most
certainly...Texas).
Stay in Miami, or Kentucky, Boise, or wherever if you want. At 650,000
people in the entire state, it is starting to feel a bit crowded
anyway."
***
Thank you for not encouraging me to go over...
Anyways it seems the most problematic states are Florida and Alaska,
for different reasons, and then, of course, Texas...
Alaska is the Last Frontier and it got too many gold diggers or oil
diggers whatever.
Florida is the Deep South, and some people are subhuman, specially
broke people and cyclists.
And Texas...
Originally Posted by mlts22
"Ironically, there was a bill that almost got passed in Texas that
would require 3 feet passing distance, six for commercial vehicles
between a cyclist and other traffic, but it was explicitly vetoed.
This is the second time this type of bill hit the floors of Texas's
lawmakers too."
***
Well, I think Texas is still considered part of the Wild West.
It'll get to pass though when lawmakers ride bikes too --if ever.
Edward Dolan
> That picture has been posted several times on these cycling newsgroups and
> serves to remind us all of how vulnerable we are on the roads with motor
> vehicles. I will no longer ride my bike on high speed highways with no
> shoulders. Way too dangerous. I must have a shoulder or else the traffic
> has
> to be nonexistent.
>
> Bike lanes without physical separators are no solution at all. Motorists
> will veer into bike lanes without giving it a second thought if it suits
> their convenience.
It is too much work to get your post looking right as it appears on my
computer, so just allow me to comment on those 3 states that you mention in
your message.
Florida.
The state is a disaster because Americans are wealthy enough to move to
wherever they think it is warm. The only solution is for Americans to become
as poor as most third world peoples. Poverty encourages roots.
Texas.
The only part of Texas I ever liked was the Big Bend country. You can't even
live in much of Texas (Houston for instance) unless you are behind an air
conditioner for most of the year.
Alaska.
Yes, I suppose the Last Frontier, but with 20th century technology behind
you, what does it matter. Most Alaskans have to live behind their furnaces
for most of the year. Not even Eskimos live like Eskimos anymore.
What is wrong with all 3 states is the rootlessness of most Americans. It
would be better if we were all more rooted. I am looking forward to Obama
making us all as poor as a church mouse. Then maybe we will stay put.
Poverty encourages roots.
Regards,
Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota
ComandanteBanana wrote:
>> Yeah Big Ed, I'm riding some road now, but mostly we would depend on a
car to take a bike somewhere safe, like most Americans out there.
>> Hey, by the way, here are some of the worst states (in my opinion) to
ride a bike...
>> Originally Posted by balindamood
"I have been commuting year round in Anchorage for five years now,
even with our annual 5-months of poor road conditions, and I love it.
It has its problems, but from a bicycle perspective, it beats
everywhere I have lived before (Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia,
Massachusetts, Kansas City, Minnesota, North Dakota, and most
certainly...Texas).
>> Stay in Miami, or Kentucky, Boise, or wherever if you want. At 650,000
people in the entire state, it is starting to feel a bit crowded
anyway."
>>> Thank you for not encouraging me to go over...