Road Pigs



"Ian" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:BCCC3C3A.1D341%[email protected]...
>
> > From: "Edward Dolan" <[email protected]> Newsgroups:
> > alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent Date: Sat, 15 May 2004
> > 15:12:55 -0500 Subject: Re: Road Pigs
> >
> > Guy has an irrational brain that simply doesn't function
> > the way Allah
meant
> > it to function.Listen to him and you will wind up dead
> > as a mackerel.
> >
> > --
> > Ed Dolan - Minnesota
> >
> >
> >
> >
> Would that be a mackerel swimming in the sea? They do that
> you know? Swim. You get a false impression of the fish
> when you buy it in a tin.

That is an old expression I picked up as a kid some 50 years
ago. Where these old expressions come from is hard to say
without looking them up in a dictionary that gives you the
origins of words and expressions. I believe these types of
homey expressions come from the early 20th century and
relate to the largely rural lives that most people were
living then. But those old time folks knew their poetry.
Dead as a pike or dead as a walleye would not work. It has
to be dead as a mackerel because mackerel is a funny word
and pike and walleye are not.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota
 
I too have often wished for a helmet camera with the last
thirty seconds. And part of that wish was being accused of
denting a w(b)itch's car after she pinched me into the curb.

"Robert Haston" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
| I would love to have a camera that kept the last 30
| seconds.
 
On Sat, 15 May 2004 21:29:31 +0100, Ian <[email protected]>
wrote in message <BCCC3C3A.1D341%[email protected]>:

>Would that be a mackerel swimming in the sea? They do that
>you know? Swim. You get a false impression of the fish when
>you buy it in a tin.

Heh! Another example of Mr. Ed's patented
RealityDisconnect[tm] at work :)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University
 
"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Sat, 15 May 2004 21:29:31 +0100, Ian
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> <BCCC3C3A.1D341%[email protected]>:
>
> >Would that be a mackerel swimming in the sea? They do
> >that you know?
Swim.
> >You get a false impression of the fish when you buy it
> >in a tin.
>
> Heh! Another example of Mr. Ed's patented
> RealityDisconnect[tm] at work :)
>
> Guy

Yeah, but these English nuts read me (even if they do not
know how to post my messages). Who the hell else would
bother with them if it weren't for me?

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota
 
> I firmly believe that one thing that cyclists in cars can
> do for cyclists on bikes is to do the speed limit on all
> roadways open to cyclists.

I feel that we should all do the speedlimit on all roads.
And feel free to use the 'fast' lane [1]. Used to be folks
appeared to maybe be a lil embarrassed that they were
speeding, and would slow down to work their way through a
crowded stretch of road. Not now! They crowd my bumper (to
me this is threatening my life with their blunt instrument),
flash their lights and worse. The speedlimits are OUR laws.
The authority to enforce them is derived from us the
citizens. The speeders are, therefore, very much our
business. One could even argue that we as citizens have a
responsibility to NOT aid the speeders in speeding by
yielding to them.

It is so bad hereabouts that unles you are willing to break
the law then you cannot even use the fast lane. Unless you
drive a large vehicle as I do (when I cannot avoid it, my
Suzuki Samurai is down for a new suspension install so my
tow vehicle is all I have left when I can't bike).

I have reached a point that I drive where and how I would
drive if the speeders weren't there [2]. If I would normally
drive in the left lane of the freeway, then I do so now, and
let the speeders deal with the inconvenience. If I am trying
to merge right to an exit, and the speeders are coming up
too fast on my right, I just move over, let them work it
out. It is their situation, their scoff-law attitude caused
whatever traffic situation we are in. I do not wish to have
to change MY driving in order to accomodate THEIR lack of
respect for our laws, their lack of concern for being a good
example to our young drivers, their self-indulgence that
scares our older citizens off of the road.

[1] In Calif on multi-lane roads, the law doesn't actually
require slower traffic to take the right-most lane. And
the 'slower traffic use turnouts' or 'slower traffic
stay right' was never intended for folks doing the
speedlimit.

[2] I should mention that I only do this when driving
my 6500 lb diesel pickup. When driving my lil
Suzuki Samurai I am still obnoxious but take more
care for my life.

GeoB

Givers have to set limits because takers rarely do.
- Irma Kurtz
 
"GeoB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > I firmly believe that one thing that cyclists in cars
> > can do for cyclists on bikes is to do the speed limit on
> > all roadways open to cyclists.
>
> I feel that we should all do the speedlimit on all roads.
> And feel free to use the 'fast' lane [1]. Used to be folks
> appeared to maybe be a lil embarrassed that they were
> speeding, and would slow down to work their way through a
> crowded stretch of road. Not now! They crowd my bumper (to
> me this is threatening my life with their blunt
> instrument), flash their lights and worse. The speedlimits
> are OUR laws. The authority to enforce them is derived
> from us the citizens. The speeders are, therefore, very
> much our business. One could even argue that we as
> citizens have a responsibility to NOT aid the speeders in
> speeding by yielding to them.
>
> It is so bad hereabouts that unles you are willing to
> break the law then you cannot even use the fast lane.
> Unless you drive a large vehicle as I do (when I cannot
> avoid it, my Suzuki Samurai is down for a new suspension
> install so my tow vehicle is all I have left when I
> can't bike).
>
> I have reached a point that I drive where and how I would
> drive if the speeders weren't there [2]. If I would
> normally drive in the left lane of the freeway, then I do
> so now, and let the speeders deal with the inconvenience.
> If I am trying to merge right to an exit, and the speeders
> are coming up too fast on my right, I just move over, let
> them work it out. It is their situation, their scoff-law
> attitude caused whatever traffic situation we are in. I do
> not wish to have to change MY driving in order to
> accomodate THEIR lack of respect for our laws, their lack
> of concern for being a good example to our young drivers,
> their self-indulgence that scares our older citizens off
> of the road.
>
> [1] In Calif on multi-lane roads, the law doesn't
> actually require slower traffic to take the right-
> most lane. And the 'slower traffic use turnouts' or
> 'slower traffic stay right' was never intended for
> folks doing the speedlimit.
>
> [2] I should mention that I only do this when driving my
> 6500 lb diesel pickup. When driving my lil Suzuki
> Samurai I am still obnoxious but take more care for
> my life.
>
> GeoB

Bravo, GeoB! The paragraph you are responding to at the
top of your message was so incredibly stupid that I
couldn't believe that it was actually written the way it
read. I thought the writer had made a mistake and mashed
his words somehow.

Needless to say, I agree with EVERYTHING you have said. We
need to get much tougher on speeders in this country.
Everyone is going 85 mph on the Interstate highways now and
there is a carry over from that to other roads too.
Frankly, I liked this country a lot better when the speed
limit was 55 mph and everything was moving much slower than
now. Speed kills of course and anyone who tells you
otherwise is an idiot.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota
 
GeoB wrote:

>>I firmly believe that one thing that cyclists in cars can
>>do for cyclists on bikes is to do the speed limit on all
>>roadways open to cyclists.
>
>
> I feel that we should all do the speedlimit on all roads.
> And feel free to use the 'fast' lane [1]. Used to be folks
> appeared to maybe be a lil embarrassed that they were
> speeding, and would slow down to work their way through a
> crowded stretch of road. Not now! They crowd my bumper (to
> me this is threatening my life with their blunt
> instrument), flash their lights and worse. The speedlimits
> are OUR laws. The authority to enforce them is derived
> from us the citizens. The speeders are, therefore, very
> much our business. One could even argue that we as
> citizens have a responsibility to NOT aid the speeders in
> speeding by yielding to them.
>
> It is so bad hereabouts that unles you are willing to
> break the law then you cannot even use the fast lane.
> Unless you drive a large vehicle as I do (when I cannot
> avoid it, my Suzuki Samurai is down for a new suspension
> install so my tow vehicle is all I have left when I
> can't bike).
>
> I have reached a point that I drive where and how I would
> drive if the speeders weren't there [2]. If I would
> normally drive in the left lane of the freeway, then I do
> so now, and let the speeders deal with the inconvenience.
> If I am trying to merge right to an exit, and the speeders
> are coming up too fast on my right, I just move over, let
> them work it out. It is their situation, their scoff-law
> attitude caused whatever traffic situation we are in. I do
> not wish to have to change MY driving in order to
> accomodate THEIR lack of respect for our laws, their lack
> of concern for being a good example to our young drivers,
> their self-indulgence that scares our older citizens off
> of the road.
>
> [1] In Calif on multi-lane roads, the law doesn't
> actually require slower traffic to take the right-
> most lane. And the 'slower traffic use turnouts' or
> 'slower traffic stay right' was never intended for
> folks doing the speedlimit.
>
> [2] I should mention that I only do this when driving my
> 6500 lb diesel pickup. When driving my lil Suzuki
> Samurai I am still obnoxious but take more care for
> my life.
>
> GeoB
>
> Givers have to set limits because takers rarely do.
> - Irma Kurtz
The problem is not speeding per say, but a general breakdown
in US society of considerations of social responsibility and
respect for others. This breakdown is seen in other areas:
using the vehicle horn instead of a doorbell in residential
areas, inflicting the "thump-thump of hip-hop on ones
neighbors, etc.

Tailgating behavior is an act of either ignorance/stupidity
[1] or aggression with its implied threat of violence (I
will run you off the road if you do not get out of my way).
This is part of the same inconsiderate and offensive
behavior that leads people to buy vehicles of ever larger
size so they will have a perceived advantage in a collision
with another vehicle (and the desire to broadcast that
attitude to others roadway users).

As for why this is occurring, the relative social isolation
[2] and deliberate avoidance of people of a different social
class in the US are certainly partly responsible. The belief
of might makes right promoted by government, the competitive
business system, and the popular entertainment industry must
also share a large portion of the blame.

[1] Not taking into account that if the vehicle ahead makes
a sudden stop, a collision will occur.
[2] This is one of the greatest advantages of bicycles over
motor vehicles - communication with other cyclists is
easily performed while riding, so the social restraints
are present that disappear when a person gets in his/her
isolation box of a motor vehicle.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area
 
On 19 May 2004 10:01:39 -0700, [email protected] (GeoB) wrote:

>I feel that we should all do the speedlimit on all roads.
>And feel free to use the 'fast' lane [1]. Used to be folks
>appeared to maybe be a lil embarrassed that they were
>speeding, and would slow down to work their way through a
>crowded stretch of road.

Wouldn't disagree - just wasn't relevant IMO to issue vis-a-
vis bikes. Its been a long time since that I feel any
problem with leading a parade of cars along a back road. The
only problem in Maryland is that sooner or later you get to
a multilane roadway and they speed off that much faster.
OTOH, you deal with what you can.

I doubt drivers driving the speed limit can take back the
Interstates. The road I take every morning OTOH is used as a
high speed shortcut by commuters when there are other
options available. Maybe a few of them, one at a time, will
decide to take the other options if they find their speed
held to the speed limit on a regular basis.

Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on
two wheels...
 
"Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> GeoB wrote:
>
> >>I firmly believe that one thing that cyclists in cars
> >>can do for cyclists on bikes is to do the speed limit on
> >>all roadways open to cyclists.
> >
> >
> > I feel that we should all do the speedlimit on all
> > roads. And feel free to use the 'fast' lane [1]. Used to
> > be folks appeared to maybe be a lil embarrassed that
> > they were speeding, and would slow down to work their
> > way through a crowded stretch of road. Not now! They
> > crowd my bumper (to me this is threatening my life with
> > their blunt instrument), flash their lights and worse.
> > The speedlimits are OUR laws. The authority to enforce
> > them is derived from us the citizens. The speeders are,
> > therefore, very much our business. One could even argue
> > that we as citizens have a responsibility to NOT aid the
> > speeders in speeding by yielding to them.
> >
> > It is so bad hereabouts that unles you are willing to
> > break the law then you cannot even use the fast lane.
> > Unless you drive a large vehicle as I do (when I cannot
> > avoid it, my Suzuki Samurai is down for a new suspension
> > install so my tow vehicle is all I have left when I
> > can't bike).
> >
> > I have reached a point that I drive where and how I
> > would drive if the speeders weren't there [2]. If I
> > would normally drive in the left lane of the freeway,
> > then I do so now, and let the speeders deal with the
> > inconvenience. If I am trying to merge right to an exit,
> > and the speeders are coming up too fast on my right, I
> > just move over, let them work it out. It is their
> > situation, their scoff-law attitude caused whatever
> > traffic situation we are in. I do not wish to have to
> > change MY driving in order to accomodate THEIR lack of
> > respect for our laws, their lack of concern for being a
> > good example to our young drivers, their self-indulgence
> > that scares our older citizens off of the road.
> >
> > [1] In Calif on multi-lane roads, the law doesn't
> > actually require slower traffic to take the right-
> > most lane. And the 'slower traffic use turnouts' or
> > 'slower traffic stay right' was never intended for
> > folks doing the speedlimit.
> >
> > [2] I should mention that I only do this when driving
> > my 6500 lb diesel pickup. When driving my lil
> > Suzuki Samurai I am still obnoxious but take more
> > care for my life.
> >
> > GeoB
> >
> > Givers have to set limits because takers rarely do.
> > - Irma Kurtz
> The problem is not speeding per say, but a general
> breakdown in US society of considerations of social
> responsibility and respect for others. This breakdown is
> seen in other areas: using the vehicle horn instead of a
> doorbell in residential areas, inflicting the "thump-thump
> of hip-hop on ones neighbors, etc.
>
> Tailgating behavior is an act of either
> ignorance/stupidity [1] or aggression with its implied
> threat of violence (I will run you off the road if you do
> not get out of my way). This is part of the same
> inconsiderate and offensive behavior that leads people to
> buy vehicles of ever larger size so they will have a
> perceived advantage in a collision with another vehicle
> (and the desire to broadcast that attitude to others
> roadway users).
>
> As for why this is occurring, the relative social
> isolation [2] and deliberate avoidance of people of a
> different social class in the US are certainly partly
> responsible. The belief of might makes right promoted by
> government, the competitive business system, and the
> popular entertainment industry must also share a large
> portion of the blame.
>
> [1] Not taking into account that if the vehicle ahead
> makes a sudden stop, a collision will occur.
> [2] This is one of the greatest advantages of bicycles
> over motor vehicles - communication with other
> cyclists is easily performed while riding, so the
> social restraints are present that disappear when a
> person gets in his/her isolation box of a motor
> vehicle.
>
> --
> Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

Bravo, Mr. Sherman! I couldn't agree more with you on
everything you say in your message above (except for some
segments of your last paragraph excluding your confounded
footnotes).

Very many of the younger generation coming up today are
essentially not only uncivilized, they are not even
socialized. Unfortunately we all come into this world as
savages and we have to be socialized. That is the most
important task of society. Whether of not we ever become
civilized is up to the schools. I fear for the progress of
America as I do not see the levels of sophistication that
existed prior to my generation. We are failing in the
essential task of socializing the young. We are raising a
generation of savages. Civilization itself is in peril. We
could easily end up like a third world country where life is
savage, brutal - and short!

By the way, I have always associated with people of all
classes all of my life. I learned this very valuable lesson
in my youth when I was in the Navy that people are pretty
much the same and there is never any reason for avoiding
anyone. This also comes from small town living where
everyone more or less knows everyone else. These gated
communities are an abomination. I abhor them!

Government and business don't have much to do with our
decline, but I do believe that our entertainment industry
has a lot to do with the low level of culture prevailing in
this country. I even have some sympathy for the Islamic
extremists who simply hate our popular entertainment which
is being exported to the rest of the world. But enuf of ye
old curmudgeon!

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota
 
"Curtis L. Russell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 19 May 2004 10:01:39 -0700, [email protected]
> (GeoB) wrote:
>
> >I feel that we should all do the speedlimit on all roads.
> >And feel free to use the 'fast' lane [1]. Used to be
> >folks appeared to maybe be a lil embarrassed that they
> >were speeding, and would slow down to work their way
> >through a crowded stretch of road.
>
> Wouldn't disagree - just wasn't relevant IMO to issue vis-a-
> vis bikes. Its been a long time since that I feel any
> problem with leading a parade of cars along a back road.
> The only problem in Maryland is that sooner or later you
> get to a multilane roadway and they speed off that much
> faster. OTOH, you deal with what you can.
>
> I doubt drivers driving the speed limit can take back the
> Interstates. The road I take every morning OTOH is used as
> a high speed shortcut by commuters when there are other
> options available. Maybe a few of them, one at a time,
> will decide to take the other options if they find their
> speed held to the speed limit on a regular basis.

Curtis, the problem is all this damnable commuting that is
going on. There are folks here that are commuting over to
Sioux Falls, some 60 miles away from my town, and they are
doing this every day of the week. Of course they are going
faster than hell because everyone hates all this commuting.

Did you ever see the movie The Magnificent Ambersons? That
is the way we should be living. A nice civilized commute on
a street car that runs by our house and will take us
downtown to where we work. We are now living in such a
screwed up society that it is not possible to do this kind
of civilized commute anymore.

Sometimes I wish the price of gasoline in this country would
become prohibitively expensive - like maybe $50. a gallon. I
think that is what it will take before we become sensible
about how we commute. Right now, it is total insanity.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota
 
> >I feel that we should all do the speedlimit on all roads.
> >And feel free to use the 'fast' lane [1]. Used to be
> >folks appeared to maybe be a lil embarrassed that they
> >were speeding, and would slow down to work their way
> >through a crowded stretch of road.
>
> Wouldn't disagree - just wasn't relevant IMO to issue vis-a-
> vis bikes.

Yes, I think understood what you meant. My comment WAS off-
topic, but I wasn't aiming it at you at all. Someone in a
following post seems to have adopted the worst possible
interpretation of your original statement.
 
GeoB wrote:
>
> I feel that we should all do the speedlimit on all
> roads....

If I come upon a downhill on my bike where I can exceed 55-
mph, I am going for it. ;)

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area
 

Similar threads

S
Replies
31
Views
1K
T