Bicyclist killed by woman driver who was downloading cell phone ring tones



In article
<[email protected]>,
Tim McNamara <[email protected]> wrote:

> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 02 Dec 2006 03:07:36 GMT, "nash"
> > <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > >Sorry that was suppose to 100/ day. no need to go postal now
> > >
> > >peace

> >
> > Dear Nash,
> >
> > Nothing postal, just basic arithmetic.
> >
> > There are not 100 bicyclists with head injuries every day in "any
> > Chinese city."
> >
> > 365 x 100 = 36,500 head injuries per year in "any Chinese city."

>
> Not to mention that there are hundreds of Chinese cities, if not
> thousands (depending on how one defines "city"). Goiing with "hundred"
> and "thousand" we get a national incidence of:
>
> 36,500 x 100 = 3,650,000 per year.
>
> 36,500 x 1,000 = 36,500,000 per year.
>
> If this was the case, then the Chinese population would be decimated
> annually by bicycling-related head injuries. I would think that such
> injury rates would provoke some sort of governmental or societal
> response to reduce the risk.
>
> (misc.consumers.frugal-living snipped per Karen's request, whomever she
> may be. And since when do you need a newsgroup to talk about not buying
> **** you don't need? Frugality is hardly a difficult concept.)


Amusing how immoderate people can be in pursuit of
moderation.

--
Michael Press
 
In article
<[email protected]>,
Tim McNamara <[email protected]> wrote:

> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:
>
> > In article <[email protected]>, Tim
> > McNamara <[email protected]> writes:
> >
> > > And since when do you need a newsgroup to talk about not buying
> > > **** you don't need? Frugality is hardly a difficult concept.)

> >
> > Maintaining a Simplified Lifestyle can be difficult in practice, and
> > there's nothing wrong with some mutual support and shared experiences
> > & knowledge, like where to obtain a washboard and mangle, or how to
> > make a smokehouse out of an old Frigidaire, or what to feed your
> > mule, or how to split your own cedar shakes, or what kinds of
> > packaging can be re-used to grow bean sprouts in.
> >
> > Subscribing to a newsgroup is cheaper than subscribing to Mother
> > Earth News.

>
> So is subscribing to reality.
>
> "Simplified Lifestyle" in Capital Letters? None of those things are a
> "simpler" life. Well, maybe growing your own bean sprouts. But that
> confusion is not uncommon in the "voluntary simplicity" folks
> hereabouts. "Rustic" and "simple" are not the same thing. But whatever
> turns your crank- it's your life. I can understand doing those things
> because they are enjoyable in their own right, but as a Simplified
> Lifestyle...


B
It takes dynamite to get me up,

E7
Too much of everything is just enough.

B
One more thing I just got to say,

E7
I need a miracle every day.

G7
I need a miracle every day...

-- Barlow, Weir

<http://www.guitaretab.com/g/grateful-dead/7271.html>

--
Michael Press
 
> richard wrote:
>
>>
>> But I do not feel that an improper lane usage charge is not adequate as
>> there was a human life involved, which is a test for reckless operation,
>> and that test was met with flying colors.
>> I have a sneaking hunch this will not be the last time we will hear about
>> Ms. Stark and her cell phone.
>>
>>

>
> Actually Ms. Stark should be prohibited from owning/using a cell phone for
> the rest of her life!


<q>
.... All for a self-indulged driver who has her priorities ridiculously
out of order."
</q>
In my opinion she should be prohibited to drive a car for the rest of
her miserable life!


--
Posted by news://news.nb.nu
 
> In article <[email protected]>,
> "Yarper" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Clear and obvious guilt. Result? A slap on the wrist, due directly to
>> Democratic State Attorney Julia Reitz, who ironically is listed as
>> working for a personal-injury law firm.

>
> Is her political affiliation somehow relevant?
>
>> What we need in the USA is separate bicycle lanes, like they have
>> throughout Denmark and parts of Holland.

>
> What Denmark and Holland have is a population that uses bikes in large
> numbers. That's what makes the difference. Separate bikes lanes are
> frequently more dangerous than riding on the roads.


the issue in the Netherlands is that you really have a problem when you
kill a cyclist by ignorance


--
Posted by news://news.nb.nu
 
On Sat, 02 Dec 2006 02:32:46 GMT, "nash" <[email protected]>
wrote:


>Sure Dave and that is why any Chinese city has 100's of cyclist head
>injuries everyday of the year. Do not citation me I know it as common
>knowledge. Anyone?
>


a) you must be new here - claiming such a patently ridiculous
statistic to be true without any proof is only employed by trolls and
pro-helmet zealots; and

b) "common knowledge" isn't either.
 
"Martin Borsje" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>> richard wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> But I do not feel that an improper lane usage charge is not adequate as
>>> there was a human life involved, which is a test for reckless operation,
>>> and that test was met with flying colors.
>>> I have a sneaking hunch this will not be the last time we will hear
>>> about Ms. Stark and her cell phone.
>>>
>>>

>>
>> Actually Ms. Stark should be prohibited from owning/using a cell phone
>> for the rest of her life!

>
> <q>
> ... All for a self-indulged driver who has her priorities ridiculously out
> of order."
> </q>
> In my opinion she should be prohibited to drive a car for the rest of her
> miserable life!
>
>
> --
> Posted by news://news.nb.nu


She should be court-ordered to ride a bicycle as the only mode of
transportation for the rest of her life, which would, of course, be doing
her a favor in more ways than one.
 
\On 1 Dec 2006 12:55:12 -0800, "Yarper" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Clear and obvious guilt. Result? A slap on the wrist, due directly
>to Democratic State Attorney Julia Reitz, who ironically is listed as
>working for a personal-injury law firm.
>
>http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2006/11/30/woman_is_sentenced_for_bicyclists_death
>
>What we need in the USA is separate bicycle lanes, like
>they have throughout Denmark and parts of Holland.


All of the Netherlands, and no you don't.

Jasper
 
On 1 Dec 2006 14:21:51 -0800, "Yarper" <[email protected]> wrote:

>You're right, Karen, bicycling has *nothing* to do with frugal living.
>Frugal people drive 10-mile-per-gallon SUVs and own personal hovercraft
>and Leer jets.


The brand is Lear.

Jasper
 
On Fri, 1 Dec 2006 20:12:33 -0800, [email protected] (Tom Keats)
wrote:

>Maintaining a Simplified Lifestyle can be difficult in practice,
>and there's nothing wrong with some mutual support and shared
>experiences & knowledge, like where to obtain a washboard and
>mangle,


I'm not entirely convinced that washboard and mangle comes under frugal.
If you spent those hours working at a McD you'd probably make the cost of
the washing machine back ten times.


Jasper
 
On Sat, 02 Dec 2006 00:47:23 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

>Mother Earth News costs $10 per year:
>
>http://www.motherearthnews.com
>
>The cost of a computer, a telephone/dsl/cable connection to the
>internet, and the electric bill for running it all is an order of
>magnitude greater.


Two orders of magnitude, really, to not be working with decrepit old
machines failing at random times.


Jasper
 
On Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:40:01 -0600, Tim McNamara <[email protected]> wrote:
: In article <[email protected]>,
: [email protected] wrote:
:
: > On Sat, 02 Dec 2006 03:07:36 GMT, "nash"
: > <[email protected]> wrote:
: >
: > >Sorry that was suppose to 100/ day. no need to go postal now
: > >
: > >peace
: >
: > Dear Nash,
: >
: > Nothing postal, just basic arithmetic.
: >
: > There are not 100 bicyclists with head injuries every day in "any
: > Chinese city."
: >
: > 365 x 100 = 36,500 head injuries per year in "any Chinese city."
:
: Not to mention that there are hundreds of Chinese cities, if not
: thousands (depending on how one defines "city"). Goiing with "hundred"
: and "thousand" we get a national incidence of:
:
: 36,500 x 100 = 3,650,000 per year.
:
: 36,500 x 1,000 = 36,500,000 per year.
:
: If this was the case, then the Chinese population would be decimated
: annually by bicycling-related head injuries. I would think that such
: injury rates would provoke some sort of governmental or societal
: response to reduce the risk.

Well, "decimated" may be a bit too strong a term. It means "reduced by 90%".
The carnage you describe, even using the more lurid of your calculations,
amounts to approximately .03%. The Chinese population is pretty large.

: (misc.consumers.frugal-living snipped per Karen's request, whomever she
: may be. And since when do you need a newsgroup to talk about not buying
: **** you don't need? Frugality is hardly a difficult concept.)

Who cares? Nobody says you have to read it. Hasn't this thread wandered far
enough off-topic already?
 
On Sat, 02 Dec 2006 11:30:12 +0100, Martin Borsje <[email protected]>
wrote:
>> In article <[email protected]>,
>> "Yarper" <[email protected]> wrote:


>> What Denmark and Holland have is a population that uses bikes in large
>> numbers. That's what makes the difference. Separate bikes lanes are
>> frequently more dangerous than riding on the roads.

>
>the issue in the Netherlands is that you really have a problem when you
>kill a cyclist by ignorance


Not as much of a problem as you should, and conversely, if a cyclist kills
himself by driving under your wheels, you have way too much problems.

Jasper
 
bdbafh wrote:
> val189 wrote:
> > Yarper wrote:
> > > Clear and obvious guilt. Result? A slap on the wrist, due directly
> > > to Democratic State Attorney Julia Reitz, who ironically is listed as
> > > working for a personal-injury law firm.
> > >
> > > http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2006/11/30/woman_is_sentenced_for_bicyclists_death
> > >
> > > What we need in the USA is separate bicycle lanes, like
> > > they have throughout Denmark and parts of Holland.

> >
> > What we REALLY need are some heavy duty sentences for this type of
> > happening. I can't wait for the day they outlaw cell phone usage of
> > any kind while driving and some stiff penalties for noncompliance.
> > Almost got creamed today in a parking lot by two drivers screwin around
> > with their cellphones. Two hands on the wheel is becoming a rarity.

>
> "Two hands on the wheel is becoming a rarity."
>
> ever hear of driving a car with a standard (non-automatic)
> transmission?


In the US, the slushbox, er automatic transmission IS the standard
transmission. Almost all models of cars and light trucks have automatic
transmissions either available or as standard equipment, while the
majority of models do not even offer a manual transmission as an option
(try to find a minivan with a manual transmission).

The prevalence of the automatic transmission is one of the reasons why
US society is in decline. If cars were built to reasonable size and
weight, we could also get rid of power steering and brakes.

--
Tom Sherman - Post Free or Die!
 
On Fri, 01 Dec 2006 22:57:04 GMT, "nash" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Karen I do not see frugal living in the addresses


She cut it from her response, it's there in the post she replied to.

Jasper
 
Jasper Janssen wrote:
> On Fri, 1 Dec 2006 20:12:33 -0800, [email protected] (Tom Keats)
> wrote:
>
> >Maintaining a Simplified Lifestyle can be difficult in practice,
> >and there's nothing wrong with some mutual support and shared
> >experiences & knowledge, like where to obtain a washboard and
> >mangle,

>
> I'm not entirely convinced that washboard and mangle comes under frugal.
> If you spent those hours working at a McD you'd probably make the cost of
> the washing machine back ten times.


Frugal is living in an apartment building with common use washing
machines and dryers [1], since the machines stand idle much less than
privately owned ones.

[1] Dryers are necessary for a couple of reasons. Most apartments (in
the US) prohibit hanging clothes to dry on balconies, and there is
little space inside frugally priced apartments for clotheslines.

--
Tom Sherman - Post Free or Die!
 
Jasper Janssen wrote:
> \On 1 Dec 2006 12:55:12 -0800, "Yarper" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Clear and obvious guilt. Result? A slap on the wrist, due directly
> >to Democratic State Attorney Julia Reitz, who ironically is listed as
> >working for a personal-injury law firm.
> >
> >http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2006/11/30/woman_is_sentenced_for_bicyclists_death
> >
> >What we need in the USA is separate bicycle lanes, like
> >they have throughout Denmark and parts of Holland.

>
> All of the Netherlands, and no you don't.
>
> Jasper


The solution-

http://www.speedbandits.dk/
 
On Fri, 01 Dec 2006 19:03:53 -0600, Tim McNamara <[email protected]> wrote:
: In article <[email protected]>,
: "Yarper" <[email protected]> wrote:
:
: > Clear and obvious guilt. Result? A slap on the wrist, due directly to
: > Democratic State Attorney Julia Reitz, who ironically is listed as
: > working for a personal-injury law firm.
:
: Is her political affiliation somehow relevant?

It depends on your point of view. Is Jack Abramoff's political affiliation
relevant?
 
richard wrote:
> No! (Out of curiosity, how can anyone argue in favor of a big ticket
> item like separate bike lanes and be trashing the Democratic Party in
> one posting?) This bimbo would have climbed over curbs and other
> barriers and hit the cyclist. (Another local court screw-up - paperwork
> for one of the driver's 3 previous convictions never made it to the
> state DOT. She should have had her drivers license revoked prior to the
> collision. Oh yeah, and one of those violations was for exceding the
> speed limit by 30 mph!)
>
> At the "sentencing", the judge seemed to be quite frustrated with Reitz
> for not persuing the criminal charges. The local coroner's jury did in
> fact rule it to be reckless homicide.
>
> Our previous State's Attorney lost his job for not filing burglery
> charges against a basketball player. The cycling community is just
> hoping this memory stays fresh for another 2 years (when Reitz is up for
> re-election).


Where exactly did this accident take place? In the couple of hundred
times I rode to the east of Urbana, I don't recall ever riding on Route
130, but always used 1500E or 1700E instead. Have the shoulders of
Route 130 been paved in the last 5 years?

--
Tom Sherman - Post Free or Die!
 
Tim McNamara <[email protected]> wrote:

> [email protected] wrote:


>> There are not 100 bicyclists with head injuries every day in "any
>> Chinese city."
>>
>> 365 x 100 = 36,500 head injuries per year in "any Chinese city."

>
>Not to mention that there are hundreds of Chinese cities, if not
>thousands (depending on how one defines "city"). Goiing with "hundred"
>and "thousand" we get a national incidence of:
>
>36,500 x 100 = 3,650,000 per year.
>
>36,500 x 1,000 = 36,500,000 per year.
>
>If this was the case, then the Chinese population would be decimated
>annually by bicycling-related head injuries. I would think that such
>injury rates would provoke some sort of governmental or societal
>response to reduce the risk.


FWIW, Chinese maps tend not to include any "city" with a population of
less than 1,000,000. If a map of China was produced with the same
rules as a map of the US, the eastern seaboard would be solid ink.

Having ridden in Beijing while I lived there, I can say with absolute
certainty that there ARE a fair number of cyclists injured, but the
vast majority are injured by motor vehicles (just because you're in
the separated northbound bicycle lane doesn't mean there's not a
southbound bus coming at you). The cycling speed of commuters in
China is not much above a slow jogging speed - a necessity due to the
fact that a) they don't want to arrive at work sweaty, b) the density
of the bike traffic makes it difficult to ride a lot faster than the
"typical rider" and c) a very large percentage of the bikes don't have
working brakes of any type (other than the Fred Flinstone version).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Robert Coe <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Fri, 01 Dec 2006 19:03:53 -0600, Tim McNamara
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> : In article <[email protected]>,
> : "Yarper" <[email protected]> wrote:
> :
> : > Clear and obvious guilt. Result? A slap on the wrist, due
> : > directly to Democratic State Attorney Julia Reitz, who ironically
> : > is listed as working for a personal-injury law firm.
> :
> : Is her political affiliation somehow relevant?
>
> It depends on your point of view. Is Jack Abramoff's political
> affiliation relevant?


No.
 

Similar threads