Some of the people in my RPG group are real big on Halloween, like REAL big. Start planning your costume and buying for it in August big. So I was out pricing and comparing body paint with one of them this afternoon. Body paint is sold in sizes from 4 oz. to multiple gallons in a bucket (not sure if that was a 3 or 5 gallon bucket, but that was a lot of body paint). The person I was shopping with would not need any of the large sizes, but depending on coverage she might need a gallon for the base color. Or she may decide to just go to a pro and get the job done right. I know I’m going to be busy that night because my church has decided to do a full ritual on that night. I’m not on the ad hoc for that ritual, but it will be a barn-burner (probably not literally as don’t have a barn to burn).
The Big Story tonight is a continuation of one from last night as the links and news on the drunk salmon driver who killed a cyclist in CO. Cyclist Killed On Lookout Mountain By Suspected Drunk Driver Leaves Behind Wife, Son and Cyclist killed after being struck by suspected drunk driver on Lookout Mountain Still the same story even with more links, it won’t get any better unless the perp hangs himself with a trash bag in jail.
The “new” Big Story is from the Most Deadliest State to walk or ride a bike in the US. Bicyclist dead in hit-and-run crash on U.S. 192 in Kissimmee and Search continues for driver in Kissimmee fatal hit-and-run on U.S. 192 The problem with drunk drivers who run is it is almost impossible to tell the difference between a drunk driver driving like a drunk, and deliberate murder. This case illustrates that difficulty, the cyclist was riding in the bike lane when the driver swerved off the road through the cyclist and hit a pole and another vehicle, then the driver got out of the car and ran, leaving the cyclist’s broken body in the grass in front of the weapon vehicle where it fell after the weapon vehicle hit the pole.
Still in FL, a SWCC wreck. St. Augustine bicyclist dies in U.S. 1 crash Not much in this one, just a cyclist hit while “crossing” a busy highway. Since the cyclist was dead at the scene when LEO got there there was no account from the victim of the wreck.
Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: More on Monday’s Vision Zero event, and a rider’s eye view of the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix
Still in CA, why is breaking a car window a crime but running a bike over after knocking the rider off of it and dragging the bike several blocks not a crime? Especially when the car window was broken trying to get the attention of the driver after the knocking down and dragging? Driver, bicyclists tussle in Normal Heights Hit-and-run against the injured cyclist with the damaged bike, and they are going to charge the cyclists? TANJ!
Also in CA a cyclist is knocked 176 feet by a hit-and-run driver. Hit-and-run leaves Hanford bicyclists injured This idiot driver came within inches of killing 3 people, they should throw the book at him, pick it up, throw it again, then pick it up and throw it one more time. When they catch him that is. If you see the black Caddy pickup truck the driver is probably a poseur with “compensation issues”, treat him as armed and dangerous. And Stupid, a bad combination.
Not done with CA yet, we have a left cross wreck. Cyclist injured in Alpine Road collision There are a lot of people who don’t know the how to drive in CA as evidenced by the comments section.
Moving closer to home, another LA cyclist is hit. Teen riding bike to school injured by hit-and-run driver Since they never mentioned lights and reflectors in the story in spite of the early hour before sunrise, the cyclist was at least legally conspicuous. And I am so tired of hit-and-run drivers.
Another wreck in MI. Sheriff: Cyclist injured in Charlevoix County hit-and-run crash I still want to run hit-and-run drivers through a car shredder with the car they hit-and-ran in. I might be benevolent and allow the driver as much to drink as they wanted before the trip through the car shredder, or I might be an asshole and make them drink Red Bull and Monster so they are really wired and alert, and have to pee. Can you tell I’m really angry at all the hit-and-runs this week, and it’s only Wednesday.
And now we get to that great cyclist and pedestrian killing field, NYC. Woman On Mobility Scooter Killed By Driver In Sheepshead Bay The victim was crossing with the light in the crosswalk when she was left-crossed from behind.
This just makes me angry too. Police Seek Riverside Park Hit-And-Run Cyclist Who Hospitalized 2-Year-Old Asshole, you hit a little kid, you stick around and exchange information with the parents. Oh, wait a minute she tried, but the parents left with the kid to go to the hospital… See what I get from reading too fast?
A little NYC infrastructure change. These Scary Atlantic Avenue Intersections Are Now A Little Less Dangerous
Another “safety” article that begins and ends at “helmets”. NYS Fair bike helmet giveaway; Upstate Medical’s free lids not just for kids anymore I think every one knows how I feel about helmets, even though a major reason why I quit riding was I couldn’t get the helmet over the tumor on the back of my neck.
Lovely infrastructure article from West Canuckistan. More than 200 people killed or seriously injured on Whyte Avenue in 10 years The area is a 3 km long stretch that has an average of almost 2 wrecks with injury or death every month. That’s about 2 miles in “old money”, to use a Britishism. That is too many for too long a time. Something needs to be fixed there…
This is an insane assault on a cyclist in Jolly Olde. Man who pushed cyclist into path of traffic turns himself in to police I still don’t see how this isn’t attempted murder to push someone into traffic, bicycle or not.
Last link, instead of just adopting the CROW manual, they have to do things the hard way. New junction opens to save bike riders
As an aside, I composed this post while listening to the 6 hour complete soundtrack music to Cowboy Bebop on YouTube and my phone. You’re welcome. Seriously this is just a long silky ride on a cloud of jazz, blues, a little rock, some heavy metal, a little Western Swing, some pure J-Pop, all written by an enormously talented Japanese woman who could have made a small fortune composing new classical pieces and directing orchestras, Yoko Kanno. I hope she got boatloads of yen for all the anime she has scored over the years. She also wrote all the music to the Ghost In The Shell series, Brain Powerd, and a couple dozen others that are not coming to mind right now. Good stuff, and lots of it, even if it is an anime soundtrack, if you didn’t know it was you couldn’t recognize it from the music. Unless you watched the show, of course. Oh, Gawwds they just got to “The Real Folk Blues”… about 2:50 or so into the 6 hours, but not the version in the end credits, the one used in the final battle between Spike and the Mob Guy…
Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet.
Witch on a Bicycle 