Mrs. the Poet is on her way, and the Feed

Mrs. the Poet is on her way to help take care of grandnephews in NY as things get destabilized for our niece. The farm she has been living on got sold out from underneath her and she needs childcare while she works. Mrs. the Poet will be spending about 36 hours on the Dawgbus to get there, and another 18 hours to recover.

In other news around Casa de El Poeta, we got the Explanation of Benefits on my surgery from BCBS. The total costs were in the neighborhood of $28K, my costs after my cash co-pay I provided the day of surgery, $0. When you reach your max out-of-pocket for the year with this policy, that is it, except for office visits to your PCP to see if something else needs fixing. So it took more than a year of running around and significant transportation issues to get there and back, but the lump on the back of my neck is gone and I don’t owe any more money for the procedure.

Up first, condolences on this Daily Ted. Suspected DUI driver kills adult trike rider and her dog in Garden Grove And the weapon vehicle will be crushed …?

Another link to that lawsuit where a bike rider was tased while riding his bike. Cops Beat, Tase Man for Riding Bike With No Headlight, Failing to ID Themselves, Lawsuit Claims More information, this article makes the claim the LEO failed to tell the victim he was being stopped for not having a headlight before tasing him while he was riding. As I pointed out yesterday this makes as much sense as tasing the driver of a car while the car is still moving, which nobody in their right mind would ever do because of the danger.

And a cyclist gets right crossed because a driver didn’t look so they give the cyclist a ticket for riding on the sidewalk? Elmira teen seriously injured in bike-car crash Monday TANJ!

There are two huge stories in the UK today. This is the one that makes me slightly more angry. Gran died after reckless cyclist ploughed into her on BMX bike he pulled from skip and Cyclist, 21, who knocked down and killed grandmother, 73, while riding BMX bike he pulled out of a skip is jailed Why does this one make me angry? Because the cyclist is going to be spending a year in jail longer than most drivers get for killing pedestrians or cyclists.

This is the other story that makes me almost as angry. Pictured: Newly-married cyclist killed in London lorry crash and Cyclist, 26, killed in Bank tipper truck crash was newly married Oxford graduate also Cyclist killed at ‘hectic’ seven-way Bank junction in London also this Why are female cyclists more vulnerable to London’s lorries?

In a different but related story. Widow of cyclist killed by Crossrail lorry calls for road safety improvements Another cyclist killed because of HGV having restricted visibility out the front and to the passenger side, which is exactly where the “bike lanes” of the UK put them. This cyclist apparently could not see the light had changed because there were trucks pulled in front of them, and one of those trucks ran him over.

From Canuckistan pay attention to cyclists while driving, the life you save could be your neighbor or the kid down the block. Cyclists deserve attention

A proposed change in the legal infrastructure of Oz. Cyclists face on-the-spot fines for using their phones, VicRoads report recommends Besides the phone thing cyclists would be assumed to have right of way in all intersections.

OH considers changing the law for the worse. Should bike helmets be the law? Considering the rather limited energy window that helmets work in, I would say making them mandatory would be a crime.

Memorial ride for a cyclist killed on a bike trail when a motorcycle went off the parallel road at high speed. Memory of bicyclist killed on Seaford bike path inspires fundraising bike ride

And an update on the Marine riding a hand-cycle from CA to VA. Combat-injured vet bicycling through Chanute Needless to say WoaB would be sending $$ to this if we had the $$ to send.

And I’m out of links again. Good thing because I have to make dinner and then clean up after.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

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This post should be done by dinner time, and the Feed

Not much in the Feed folder today, and the grocery run was completed by 1300. So I have most of the afternoon unencumbered for filtering and writing the blog post.

I got some more parts for the Sprint T yesterday via Speedway Motors. These are the rear lower control arms that locate the rear axle fore and aft and also work with the upper arm to control rotation. The actual upper arm will depend on what rear axle I end up with but the lower ones are the same no matter what rear axle I use. There are two places to mount the rear springs on this arm to adjust clearance between the spring and the rear axle housing and also the effective spring rate at the wheel.

This is one of the front spindles. It connects the front wheel to the front axle.
By choosing this I will have a choice of three different brake calipers, 4 different brake hubs and 3 diameters of rotors, and 5 different bolt circles to mount the wheels. Three of the hubs mount directly to the spindle, but one requires machining an adaptor to fit over the existing spindle. Since I recently got access to a CNC lathe machining the adaptor became almost as simple as plugging in the dimensions of the adaptor and flipping a switch.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Public Works says don’t ask us on Glendale-Hyperion; Ventura Grand Jury says cars are dangerous On that second part of the headline, can I get a “Doi!”?

There is no lower limit on IQ for getting a driver’s license in NY. Driver Crashes Mercedes Into UWS Restaurant While Fleeing Police And we can see what it takes to get arrested for a wreck in NYC, drugs and property damage.

And the victim of the wreck that led to “Cooper’s Law” is remembered by his classmates. “I Will Miss Cooper Every Day Of My Life”: Classmates Of Boy Killed By Cabbie Rally For Safer Streets This was the wreck that made hitting a pedestrian crossing in the crosswalk a crime all by itself in order to get reluctant DAs to file stiffer charges against killer drivers. It didn’t work of course, because the NY Supreme Court required a mens rea almost identical to first degree murder to convict of vehicular manslaughter…

What is the law about riding a bicycle on the sidewalk in CA? Dolan: Application of vehicle law to cyclists Depends on what town you are in and where in the town the bike is on the sidewalk…

More on the Marine handcycling from San Diego to Arlington VA. Town cheers injured Marine’s Ride Across America Did you see the shoulders on that guy? Wow!

Another link to the despicable woman who lied about being on her phone when she hit and killed a cyclist. Motorist was using mobile when she killed cyclist There is a circle of Hell just for people like this, a cacophony of strident ringtones, people talking at full volume, and the frequent but irregular shot to the head with a large clublike object being swung around by a blindfolded person on a noise-canceling headset so they can’t hear when they hit you while they talk to some distant person. I hope this woman goes there soon.

The UK has crap bicycle infrastructure. Protect cyclists from obstacle course So, this is news?

Just Yikes! Eskom liable for cyclist’s burns Electrocuted through the forehead? And still able to function? Yikes!

Lights would be good, but you saw the cyclist, right? No helmet, no lights, decked out in black: Cyclist tempts fate on major Sydney road during 3am ride And once again the “invisible ninja cyclist” myth is busted by the very people trying to perpetuate it. They saw the cyclist well enough to take a series of pictures of her and even get gender and an age range estimate, so what’s the problem?

Last link is just for fun as a sometimes-troublesome immigrant is granted Japanese citizenship after more than 50 years of residency. Resident evil: Godzilla made official Japanese citizen

And I seem to be out of links today, but there will be more tomorrow. There is always more tomorrow. I need a “more depressed” font for that one.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Bean Day, Monday, and the Feed

What can I say, it’s another Monday, and another Bean Day. I was supposed to get a paying gig to go work on another bike but this is one of those bikes that cannot fit inside a heated room, and the current weather situation is such that I dragged a hoodie out of the closet so I have a decent chance of keeping my fingers warm inside the house. I’m still wearing shorts but the combination pf the long sleeves and hood trap enough heat in my core that my fingers can function normally. And yes I know how silly long sleeves and shorts look. I don’t care about that, I just want to be comfortable when I’m working.

Up first Ellen DeGeneres is one of us as she teaches an actress in a show I don’t watch how to ride a bike. Ellen Makes Sarah Hyland Ride A Bike – See The Pics!

Our Daily Ted may not be visible to some as the site has been up and down all day resolving a server issue. Morning Links: Gloria Molina wonders where all the poor cars will park, and KFI’s John and Ken go on the attack If only there was a way to get back at people who lie and encourage illegal activity on the air, like maybe a license to use the airwaves, a broadcasting license for example…

And the Stoopid is strong with these. Should California cyclists be required to wear helmets? Question of the Week

And what is the problem here, cyclists or the people in cars that kill them with no fear of prosecution? Report: S.F. Is One of the Few Cities Where Cyclist Deaths Are Increasing

Along the same lines. Jeff Jardine: ‘Ghost bikes’ reminders of cyclist tragedies There was some misinformation in the article, mainly the bit about riding single file. Riding two up when there are many cyclists taking the lane both makes cyclists more visible and also easier to pass by reducing the amount of time needed to pass a group of cyclists.

I’m shocked that this is even being seriously considered. Should Bus Drivers Be Arrested For Failing To Yield? The question is making bus drivers immune from the law making death by failure to yield a misdemeanor and arrestable offense, instead of the previous maybe a traffic ticket only.

A little CA lifestyle article. Tour De Ed on Feb. 22 helps injured bikers I hope they rake in buttloads of money, Metric buttloads even.

Lifestyle in AZ, as cyclists remember one of our own who switched to handcycling after hip replacement. Bicyclists remember Rose Peters, rider killed in crash

A little UK lifestyle that I was also invited to attend/report on. Hundreds expected at vigil for cyclist killed in Holborn I’m still not sure of why I get invited to these things, I think I got on someone’s list by mistake. There is no way I could make it there to participate.

A little infrastructure news from the Emerald Isle. Cyclist urges council to repair road From the number of filled but still crumbling potholes I would say there is a word missing from the headline: “properly”.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet