Critical Mass Panic

Can we kick our helmet addiction? Only once we give up fear.

Now I know I promised a deluge of video this week, but first, in an effort to organize my life and out myself as an incompetent human being, I am going through and putting up many half-assed, un-edited, ranting blog posts. Not unlike this one. Anyhow, if anyone cares, you might find some nuggets of wisdom, just as infinite monkeys with infinite typewriters could create the entirety of our corporate/legal/bureaucracy which we now live in. But really the only thing that this proves is that I love the sound of my fingers typing a tirade as much as I love the sound of my voice (proven by the forthcoming video). Speaking of said video, if you watched the teasers, you are probably asking yourself "how did I get tricked into wasting another 30 seconds of my life in front of a screen?" Well I assure you it is time well spent. Too often we've seen NYC Critical Mass either edited into music videos or cop-watch footage. Mainstream media typically only shows at the start and asks som...

THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN POSTED A WHILE AGO Now I am sure NOBODY really wants to be able to travel for whatever reason from Brooklyn to Staten Island via bicycle, but maybe in the future someone will. With this possibility in mind a group of rogue riders took to the streets of Bay Ridge the night before the NYC marathon to test the waters. Or rather, the gargantuan bridge above them. The city closes the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge to motor vehicle traffic the night before at the behest of the bank which sponsors the marathon. A small contingent of rad cyclists decided to take advantage of the situation and go where we usually are PROHIBITED. Maybe Transportation Alternatives can get a permit for next year. This year we got as far as the first pylon on the Brooklyn side with no trouble. It was a nice view. The rogue contingent afterwords drank copious amounts at local bars and took in some pizza on the way back north.

I am waiting for someone to come along and tell me that, "No, we are not yet slaves to machines" but I want them to bring proof as all I see seems to indicate otherwise.

Just cause it is Buy Nothing Day doesn't mean you shouldn't consume....here are some videos for your brain to digest...

Today I am grateful to the fact that major media outlets are covering some of the issues in a reasonable, balanced manner. I commend the Wall Street Journal at reading the pulse of capitalism and realizing that if the elite do not do something to mitigate all the problems of auto and oil addiction, the profits to be squeezed from the masses will run dry. Meanwhile the New York Times ran a piece more favorable of the vocal minority, believing that if you tell a story and make stuff up no matter how little sense it makes, it can come true! They initially headed it with a photo of the 1st Ave bike lane "protest", of which this man was one of three protestors. Big Props to Team Spider for this awesome footage.

Biking Rules has failed. Accepting the blame for the danger in the streets to our own lives has given the supporters of the auto/oil status-quo the fuel they need to deny cyclists safe infrastructure. Accepting token "shared use" pathways as bike commuting options has let politicians wash themselves "green" while putting anyone who doesn't use a car in danger. Police and politicians stand in the way at every turn. "No criminality" is the mantra of the NYPD with regard to reckless drivers. What can we do? Who brought us here?