Support something entirely unrelated to me or bicycling

Now that I have your attention, I am donating 4 loaves of bread to support the SolstiCelebration. The loaves are going as a set, no bidding on individual loaves but you can bid as a group for the lot and then divvy up the spoils amongst yourselves.

The auction runs until 12/13 and you can only get delivery local to me, because there are no preservatives in this bread so anything short of Santa’s Sleigh^tm isn’t going to be fast enough to prevent spoilage, you have 5 days or so to eat this from the time I bake it before it goes bad, unlike store-bought bread that may take 5 days to get to the store before you buy it. This bread will be baked by me the day of delivery and either you come pick it up at my church, or I deliver it in Garland, or the third alternative is to pick it up at the SolstiCelebration at the Cathedral of Hope. If you choose that option the bread will be on the red bicycle ridden by a penguin, make sure you get the bike with the penguin

PSA Opus

More shameless begging

OK I am in serious need of some charity here.

Part the first is my computer, which is dying. The CD-ROM drive is dead and fails to recognize a disk in the drive which makes fixing the OS problematic, which is another problem I have with my computer. I can’t access my MySpace page or talk to any of my friends there until I upgrade my browser, which requires I upgrade my OS which requires I have a computer that can reboot and also a working CD-ROM drive. The rebooting issue is a problem because I can’t shut down the computer because of a flaky power supply that works for as long as it isn’t turned off, but sometimes doesn’t want to restart after being shut down. What that boils down to is the ‘puter is on its last legs.

Part the second, I need to get some fenders for Gigi. I’m getting tired of shoes full of water when the wet stuff is on the streets or falling from the skies and then on the streets. Also Gigi would stay a lot cleaner and would look better if mud and clag would stay confined in the area of the tires instead of getting sprayed all over the bike. And safety would be enhanced if the front tire wasn’t throwing water and road grime in my face when my speed exceeds 13 MPH. If I wasn’t wearing glasses it would be different but after a few minutes of road gunk getting sprayed in my face my outward visibility is drastically impaired.

Third is this:

I have been asking about getting it made into a tattoo, but I have zero budget and I have been quoted prices ranging from $250 to $2000 to get it made beautiful. It’s not just the ugly scar that is the problem, there is also what the scar represents in my mind. Every day I get up with huge scars, both on my body and in my mind and psyche, while the guy that tried to kill me gets up with no consequences for his actions whatsoever, except whatever karma has placed on him in this life. I’m tired of the ugly reminder that someone tried to kill me because I was there doing something that had absolutely no negative impact on his life whatsoever, and he gets to live his life while I’m scarred physically and mentally and unable to work. So, what I’m asking for here is either a tattoo to make it beautiful, or plastic surgery to make it go away. I’ll still be physically and mentally scarred, but at least I won’t have that monster reminding about it me every day. And it will then remind me that there are people that care.

PSA, Opus

Live in LA CA? You could be semi-famous!

Here’s the deal: I want to be among the first to post a report on TTTWLAMWAMD getting sent to prison and for how long. Contact me here and I’ll give my e-mail addy to you to post the results. I keep a window open to my inbox and a new post ready to go on the day of the sentencing, and when I see your post in my Inbox I read it, do a copy and paste with your name on it and add my own pithy commentary and repeat your name several times as the reporter on scene. You become semi-famous and I get high Google search results driving up my blog traffic and making me more attractive to advertisers should I move to my own web site.

Opus

I can hardly lift my arms, but here’s the Feed

Well, I pruned some more today, on the live oak out back. I don’t have much upper body strength or endurance any more, so I lopped a few branches off with the pruner and had to call it quits. Then I filtered the Feed and now here I am to post the reports and make comments.

Another SWSS/SWCC wreck in the Pelican State (Louisiana). Cyclist killed at 171 and La. 394 and Bicycle rider killed near DeRidder I find the description of the wreck highly suspect. Especially the part where he was going east on 394 and then turned around to go east on 394…

What sounds like a left cross wreck in CA. Cyclist killed in traffic accident identified CA has the same laws about turning vehicles as TX that requires turning traffic to yield to traffic that is not turning, whether that traffic is oncoming traffic on the same street or road or traffic on the street or road that is being turned on. Hopefully there will be at least a ticket filed against the driver that killed the cyclist.

Another report on the DC cyclist killed by a cop cruiser. Md. cyclist who was killed by police cruiser identified Yeah, anyone that believes the cop was going under the speed limit, I have some oceanfront property in El Paso I would like to sell. I’m not saying the cyclist wasn’t at fault, just saying the likelihood of the cop driving under the speed limit is so low as to be invisible. The fact that they made the statement thus renders all of their other statements suspect. The grain of salt required is about the size of a semi-trailer.

Another report on the kid killed in DE. Teen cyclist killed on 273 ID’d Again the rider was thrown into a car that was in front of both vehicles. This indicates to me that traffic was stopped and the kid did not run the red light like the cops say.

More on the NY state cyclist that was hit by a transit bus. Cops: Greenburgh cyclist was riding alongside bus; bikers invited to ride at funeral The cyclist appears to have been doing exactly what he should have, I still don’t know why LEO haven’t charged the bus driver with running down the cyclist. NY law requires the passing vehicle to pass safely, which means far enough away that you don’t scare the other operator to death. That didn’t happen this time. So why no ticket or charges?

A TX lawyer thinks that Gov. Goodhair’s veto of the Vulnerable Road Users Bill (SB488) may have contributed to the driver that killed 2 people on a tandem bicycle not getting any kind of ticket or charge. Texas Governor Perry Vetoes Safe Passing Bill: Cyclist Deaths The Result? I just want to know what the Helotes LEOs were thinking when they decided that the guy in the truck did nothing illegal when he killed the 2 cyclists.

A case in Scotland that just floored me as the police report wasn’t allowed to be read into evidence. Scottish jury finds case against driver who killed cyclist ‘not proven’ Of course it wasn’t proven, the judge threw out the most important evidence against the driver. Again, what was he thinking?

Again I had to pick myself up off the floor when I read about a multiple repeat drunk driver was facing in the way of charges in Enn Zed. Drink-drive charge ‘appallingly inadequate’ “Downer, who has two previous drink driving convictions, could face a maximum of five years behind bars.” Five years for drunk driving that killed somebody, that’s just a travesty.

And a trio of people that train together for bicycle riding suffered similar wrecks. Cyclist tells of horror crash The man was killed while the wife was recovering from a previous crash, and the personal trainer was in a coma for 5 weeks from the wreck that killed the man… What a mess.

The 2010 Tour of the Battenkill will have a stage dedicated to Veterans. 2010 Tour of the Battenkill Announces Ride to Benefit Injured Veterans If you can do this next year Witch on a Bicycle says do it.

And that’s all for tonight.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Breaking news: The thing that walks like a man with a medical degree is guilty of all counts.

This just in from BikingInLA, Christopher Thompson was found guilty on all counts in his trial in LA. Evil on Trial: GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY! I am just dumbfounded by this verdict. This is more than I could ever believe possible. I congratulate the jury for their findings.

PSA Opus

Backlash on cyclists hit in Bexar County, and more from the Feed

Well the story on the pickup truck that hit the tandem bike from behind on the improved shoulder in Bexar county TX has heated up with people making numerous calls to the DA’s office and the Sheriff’s Office over the incident, and others in Bexar county. Also there were other wrecks and questions raised about them in other parts of the world. We got wrecks and inquiries about wrecks from almost the span of the Anglophone world, so hang on tight.

Up first there may be an inquiry launched into the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office over their handling of wrecks as was brought to a head over the tandem bicycle hit from behind on the shoulder of TX 16 near Helotes. Pickup truck strikes couple on tandem bike on Bandera another report on the initial wreck and this article is the follow up Answers sought in cyclists’ deaths From the article and the comments it is apparent that victims of motor vehicle crashes that were not driving or passengers in cars were found at fault or the drivers were not ticketed or charged, that in the majority if not the totality of cases involving a victim not driving or riding in or on a motor vehicle the drivers were allowed to leave without penalty. Just probability will tell you that ain’t going to happen, there had to have been some drivers that were at fault for hitting people not in cars. This sounds like a severe case of car head bias against people not in cars, on an institutional level. Or as my wife puts it “looney”.

Another case of car head bias a rider that had been drinking was hit from behind by a pickup truck. Truck hits, kills cyclist on Poplar Level Road and Bicyclist struck by truck identified also Bicyclist Killed In Road Accident Answer me this: had the drunk been in a car that was hit from behind, would it still have been the drunk’s fault for being on the road?

The victim of a hit-and-run from behind returns to work but still has a long way to go before he’s recovered. Injured bicyclist back at work A rarity in today’s post, a live cyclist hit-and-run or hit from behind victim. For this cyclist we know there wasn’t enough time nor space to escape the wreck; rock, meet hard place.

It took a long time, and an opinion from the AG, but a driver that hit a cyclist was finally given a ticket. Sheriff Files Charge Against Driver Whose Truck Hit Bicyclist It took from July to late September to decide if a truck that hit a cyclist from behind had passed with 3 feet of clearance? The mental gymnastics these LEO went through makes discussions of the number of angels dancing on the head of a pin seem like nothing. As for how to avoid that was one of the problems in this case in the first place as the cyclist had left the road to avoid getting hit which caused the difficulty in deciding the driver violated the 3 foot law. Do you still have to pass with 3 feet of clearance if the cyclist is not on the road?

A 65 YO cyclist that had been racing at the club level in the UK for 50 years is remembered after “being in collision” with a truck. Tributes to cyclist killed in A1 accident Nothing here about how he died, but since there was a big truck (semi?) involved you can assume the death was pretty gory, and probably quick.

Another wreck in the UK in the form of a door prize. Cyclist injured in accident in Burnham-On-Sea town centre Door prizes are rare in the UK, probably because they are dealt with rather severely. To avoid the door prize, the easiest way is to avoid the door zone beside parked cars, if they can’t get to you they can’t hit you, but should that option be taken away by a mandatory bike lane in the door zone, watch the parked cars (while you are watching for road debris and behind you for hit from behind drivers) for heads on the side of the car closest to you. If you see a head you can assume there is a body attached to it that will shortly want to leave the car, or the car leave the parking space. Be ready to dodge the opening door or hit the brakes if there’s no room to dodge.

More on the family of a dead cyclist in Scotland suing the drver that killed him. Killed cyclist’s family sue van driver Do you really think £500,000 ($795,950) is going to be enough money for such a promising young man?

For such a sparsely populated country NZ sure does have a lot of bike v car wrecks. Somebody else thought so, too and is trying to do something about it. Safety forum promotes road sharing City transport chairman Ken Baguley wants the forum to come up with ideas for how all users can share the popular waterfront route more safely while “moving beyond the motorist versus cycling antagonism which has this week dominated media and blogs”. This after a wreck that left a cyclist severely injured on a popular cycling route.

OK I still haven’t figured this one out except that there was a bicycle and a motorcycle involved and there was one person killed at the scene and 3 more injured, and one of the injured died in hospital later, 2 killed in Panchagarh road mishapThis is what happens when English is the official language, but nobody speaks English as a first language, you get news reports that leave you unable to figure out who was riding which vehicle when they were killed or injured.

At first I though Mrs. Gore had another “problem”. Tipper turns killer, yet again This was just another dump truck that hit-and-run another cyclist in India.

And to close out the post we have another example of why it’s so hard to get people to ride a bike in the US. Cycling or Walking to School Will Not Be Tolerated! Yes, you read that right. There are schools that call the cops on parents that allow their kids to ride a bike to school, or to walk. You can be charged with a crime because your kids ride a bike to school. There’s a crime going on, but riding to school ain’t it. It’s a crime to be that stupid! What is wrong with people?

And that’s all I got today.

Billed @$.02, Opus

The Canuckistani have spoken, and their silence is deafening

OK all you up there in the Great White North, I asked you last week if you cared about my labeling the provinces west of and including Manitoba as Canuckistan, and Ontario and east as Canadia. Well the votes are in and the results are (drum roll): You don’t care enough to contact me about it.

So henceforth all of you from MB on to BC will be Canuckistani, and I will not be getting any of that free medical care up there in the GWN. It’s a rather long bike ride from TX to the Northern Border, so it’s not like I was going to get the free health care anyway even if I was made a citizen of Canada.

And Gigi was looking forward to wearing studded tires in the winter, not.

PSA, Opus

After a hot sweaty day in the yard and working on Gigi, the Feed

Bad things happened last night, and some good things. Also some downright bizarre things, which I’ll get to in a moment. Finally had money to go buy gas for the mower so both yards, front and back are done now, and I managed to soak through a wicking T and a pair of wicking pants that I got for looking good (more on those in the future, not today). I also repaired an electrical fault in the headlight circuit on Gigi, so while the high beam bulb is still SNAFU, I have low beam working full time now, and charging the battery is no longer a random event when I plug in the charger. Note to fans, I’m looking for a cheap 3W LED MR-16 bulb with a tight beam of 10 degrees or less and at least 50 lumens light output, you can leave me a message in the comments.

Getting to the bizarre first, they caught the guy that hit-and-run a cyclist in the bike lane in Phoenix in the process of trying to destroy the evidence. PD: Man caught trying to trade in car that killed bicyclist and PD: Man caught trying to trade in car that killed bicyclist apparently from the same press release, but with comments. Surprisingly the comments were almost totally pro-bicycle or at the very least anti-hit-and-run driver.

Police caught a drunk driver after he ran over a cyclist, but still haven’t charged him yet. Police ID injured cyclist If the cops had caught this guy at a sobriety checkpoint he would have been hauled off to jail, but since he “just” hit a cyclist while drunk he gets a pass and a trip home…

Closer to home, my home anyway, a cyclist has a run in with a local shuttle bus in Odessa. Bicyclist Hit by EZ Rider Bus 8/13/09 This was about the least violent bicycle V bus wreck I have ever heard of.

Update on that bicycle V motorcycle wreck in FL. New Info on Deadly Motorcycle Crash and Bicyclist killed in crash with motorcycle If the reports are true that the motorcycle rider was doing 100 coming into a residential area with a 45 MPH limit, then if he wasn’t drunk he should have been charged with murder, if he was drunk then intoxication manslaughter.

More on the dim bulb killed when he rolled out a trick on his BMX bike into traffic. Passenger dies in Alton car crash; bicyclist struck, killed in WaterlooThis was not a wreck a normal cyclist would be involved in or even a smart BMX trick rider.

More outrage over the drunk driver that killed a cyclist in OH. Cyclist’s Death Brings Calls For Sharing Road Some of the commenters must be posting about a different wreck because they are talking about cyclists riding 2 up and impeding traffic and running stop signs, all at the same time, while this wreck was a drunk that was so out of it he didn’t even know what road he was on plowing over a legal cyclist with lights and reflectors and reflective clothing.

Someone noticed there have been a lot of bikes hit by cars this year in AB. More cyclists being hurt, killed Same as in the US away from certain big cities people don’t know how to share the roads, and cyclists pay the price of everybody’s ignorance, their own and drivers’, too.

Speaking of that, there are more injured. Pedestrian killed on south side; cyclists recovering in hospital Got to watch out on the roads, glad to hear the cyclist hit by 2 vehicles on a highway was identified, and I hope the cyclist hit by another 2 vehicles when one of them ran a red light and hit the other sending both into the cyclist in a crosswalk also does well.

Another one hit in the UK, I think this is an update on a wreck from yesterday, if not this is a dangerous highway indeed for cyclists. Cyclist killed in A414 collision named Got to watch out out there, and dang the UK media laws for not allowing enough information to tell you how to not get in the same kind of wreck.

A man with a passion for bicycles. PRINCETON: Passion for bicycles survives man’s death Recording sheet music into digital files, that’s passion.

Another helmet-centric “safety” article. Promoting biking is aim of Denville rodeo, tour on Aug. 20 Just to remind people, wear your helmet it’s all you have to protect yourself, just don’t expect much from it.

Trouble in Oz. How can we be friends? Start by not trying to kill people on bikes because they are riding slower than you want to drive…

And that’s all for today, I have to go rehearse my ritual for this Sunday’s service at Sacred Journey Fellowship. I have been asked to inject some humor into our service, we have been too serious lately, and also I have been asked to portray the god Hermes for our upcoming Patron Auction, where we choose the deity or concept that will guide us through our next fiscal year. I’m playing against type as Hermes is a smooth talker, and I can’t talk my way out of a paper bag since the wreck. As long as I stay on script I should be OK, and I have been doing some heavy research for the part so that I can stay on script even in the Q&A session.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Shave your legs and saddle up!

Yehuda Moon had a line that will become a classic today, as quoted in the headline. 2009-08-10 Shave Your Legs and Saddle Up

PSA Opus

Thank you for reading my blog, now the Feed

First up I want to thank the hundreds of you who read my blog. You have no idea how it makes me feel to have an audience like that again, I thought that after my wreck reaching that many people at a single time would be out of my life forever. Now I have that back, and I thank you for it. I also appreciate your support during my dental issues, and promise to keep the news flowing to the best of my ability.

People have been making a mess out there for cyclists, and of cyclists, too. I don’t know what the issues are besides more bicycle and motor vehicle traffic in the good weather, but y’all gotta stop getting hit. I don’t know for sure that any of my readers were injured lately, but I sure hope not.

A cyclist is hit in GA. Bicyclist Injured in Gray Accident There was no grey area in the wreck, the name of the town was Gray. From the comments it appears the cyclist was riding on the sidewalk and was hit by a motor vehicle pulling out of a driveway and directly into the cyclist. This is why you should never ride on the sidewalk, drivers can’t see you until after they hit you and by then it’s a little too late.

Another hit-and-run in the Deep South. Cyclist killed in Rankin County “We are looking for a silver or gray Dodge Dakota with damage to the front left,” Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol spokesman Sgt. James Walker said. “The passenger window will be broken out and the side-view mirror is missing.” Sounds like the driver may have been drunk when he hit the cyclist, and the patrol officer doesn’t know left from right, as in the US the passenger sits on the right side of the vehicle. But still with that much damage to the vehicle there is now way the driver didn’t know he had hit something and should stop. Usual hit-and-run rant applies, make sure he has cat allergies then put him in a locked room with a couple dozen cute kittens, let him die of cute overload. Better than me stomping his body to lifelessness. Not that I would do such a thing, just using that as an example of worse ways to die than anaphylactic shock caused by a cute kitten. And even that’s too good for the vermin that hits cyclists and leaves them to die. And it looks like commenter “cyclist55″ rides a Bachetta.

There are web sites for everyone, including bottom-feeder lawyer types. Missouri S&T professor killed in bicycling accident! I feel slimed from the ads on that site, and I run Linux. Even bottom-feeder lawyers have to make a living somehow.

A fender-bender involving a bike in the UK. Cyclist injured in Burnham-On-Sea road accident Treated at the scene means the cyclist was only grazed and maybe knocked down, but not seriously hurt, Thank (the deity of your choice).

Two reports on a wreck in th4e Mediterranean Isle of Malta. UPDATED: Cyclist killed in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq was training for LifeCycle and also UPDATED: Lifecycle cyclist killed in hit-and-run The found the driver, who is answering questions in custody.

My ABQ colleague from examiner.com has a two part helmet article. Bicycle helmet safety, avoid an afternoon helicopter ride. and the second part Continuation of yesterday’s post, bicycle helmet safety The writer uses some out of date and discredited studies, but the message is this: when you ride off road the only PPE you have is your helmet and gloves which you should wear all the time when you ride. For some riders there is also some body armor, but it can’t be worn on every ride because of heat buildup.

Another helmet-centric “safety” article. Free ice cream for responsible bicycle riders “It takes one incident to change a community, one child with a traumatic brain injury,” he said. “We want to be proactive.” Then try getting rid of the #1 killer of people under the age of 18 in the US, the motor vehicle. Yes cars kill more kids than anything else, by a wide margin at some ages. Under 5 YO cars kill more kids than all other causes. “If it saves just one child’s life” is BS when getting rid of cars around kids will save many thousands of lives directly through preventing crashes, and hundreds of thousands more by preventing car-related diseases, like obesity. At least they are trying to promote cycling, in spite of making it more difficult.

Infrastructure article from Seattle, they are trying to re-do a car-only intersection into one that can be shared by bicycles. Bike lane changes proposed for Ballard Bridge Personally I don’t like any of the choices offered, all are killers just some less so than others. That’s the problem with trying to retrofit car-only infrastructure into a complete street.

MA riders are trying to beat cancer into submission by riding the long way across their state. Riding down a killer I support this worthy cause by telling you to give them money, because I ain’t got none.

And final report for the day, fundraising for the injured cyclits in that Ottawa wreck has begun. Ottawa man organizing fundraiser for 5 injured cyclists For my readers from the Great White North this is another worthy cause to which I direct your money because I ain’t got none.

I have another church function to attend tonight, first time out since the operation, and I intend to enjoy myself. That means not only will there not be an evening update, I won’t even be thinking about tomorrow’s update until I get up tomorrow morning.

Billed @$.02, Opus