Mount Sneffels
It’s been a little while since I wrote anything here on tadfad. Fear not, just another lapse in blog-time.
I’ve been cooking up some good ideas that will hopefully materialize shortly. In the meantime, here’s a photo of me and Arvind at the summit of Mt. Sneffels near Ouray, Colorado. 14,150 feet of fun!
Filed under Travel : Comments (0) : Jul 27th, 2010 by tadfad
How to make our kids better drivers
As I was riding my bike today a thought crossed my mind : bicycling forces you to become hyper-aware of your surroundings at all times. I constantly scan the road ahead of me for any drivers who might try to turn into my lane, open their door, or otherwise try to kill me. I’m aware of who or what is behind me in case I need to make an abrupt lane change or stop suddenly. And with no windscreen to obstruct my view, I can check corners and intersections as I approach.
Imagine if we went back to a time when most children road bicycles as their primary form of transportation (instead of as passengers in Mom or Dad’s SUV). A child could put in at least 6-10 years of bicycling before they ever got behind the wheel of a car. By internalizing the skills of defensive driving, I think it’s a reasonable conclusion that they would be much safer drivers once they got a license at age 16.
What would it take to get kids on bicycles? I can think of two hurdles:
1. Many people buy bicycles in a big box store like Walmart or Target. They cost $100 and 100% garbage. These bikes are extremely heavy, poorly assembled, and feature inferior components. Due to the increased weight, rolling resistance, and friction, riding one of these bicycles is not fun at all. I don’t blame kids for letting their Huffy grow dusty in the back of the garage. Real bicycles are purchased at a bicycle shop and cost $200-500. This may seem like a lot, but a well-built and well-maintained bicycle will easily last 25 years if not more.
2. Our suburban landscape is not at all bicycle friendly. Many kids in the US live on a cul-de-sac or feeder road that leads directly to a 2- or 4-lane highway. This is not conducive to bicycling whatsoever. Fortunately, many communities are building bicycle lanes and dedicated bicycle paths. I suspect that this trend will continue as gas prices rise again into the $4 range and bicycling is seen as a more attractive mode for kids and adults alike.
As the icing on the cake, getting more kids onto bicycles is a great way to fight childhood obesity. A casual bike ride to and from school every day would do wonders for our youth.
Filed under bicycle, culture, suburbs : Comments (0) : May 31st, 2010 by tadfad
In the wake of BP destroying the Gulf of Mexico. . .
. . . this is particularly relevant:
Filed under politics : Comments (2) : May 30th, 2010 by tadfad
A historical reminder
History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.
Here’s a video from 1947 produced by the Defense Department warning Americans about the dangers of false leaders. Jump to 2:15 and see if you can relate it to any of the loud voices in contemporary times.
Excerpt:
“Now friends, I’m just an average American. But I’m an American American. . . and I ask you, if we allow these things to go along, what’s going to become of us Real Americans?”
Filed under culture, politics : Comments (0) : May 26th, 2010 by tadfad
Deregulation : A smashing success!
After a few decades of fervent deregulation, our economy has never been stronger! Our air is clean, our waters safe, and the worker has extremely safe working conditions.
Right?
Now can we please agree that regulation is NOT Socialism? Rather, smart regulation actually enforces the level playing field upon which free markets thrive.
Filed under politics : Comments (0) : May 14th, 2010 by tadfad
