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Motorists Prime Beneficiaries of Socialism 116

Motorists Prime Beneficiaries of Socialism
The freedom of driving (or not) – a Toronto traffic jam by wyliepoon Whether they like it or not, most motorists are socialists. The American media tends to generally associate the term socialism with social assistance such as welfare, but socialism comes in different forms. That same media is also littered with driver self-pity over ...

On The Inferiority of Bicyclists and Gay People 54

On The Inferiority of Bicyclists and Gay People
“Amsterdam Summer” by Michael Stallmeister / RateMyVelo.com Last night I visited a friend in the “Beach” – a trendy area in the east end of Toronto comprised of a popular stretch of beach frequented by tourists and residents alike. Throughout the night I encountered two separate incidents in which I was ridiculed for riding a ...

Bicycle Infrastructure in Unexpected Places 16

Bicycle Infrastructure in Unexpected Places
Photo by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country On the weekend we rented a car and drove to Niagara to visit family and have fun in Niagara Falls while Grandma babysat the little one for us. En route to the Falls while driving through Niagara “wine country” I was pleasantly surprised to encounter a ...

RIP Jack Layton: 1950-2011 4

RIP Jack Layton: 1950-2011
Photo of bike lane memorial for Jack Layton on College Street by Martin Reis I was deeply saddened this morning to wake up to the news that Jack Layton had succumbed to cancer. Layton gave me hope for Canada, and hope for the world. That politicians can work hard to make things better in our ...

Baby And The Bicycle 15

Baby And The Bicycle
Photo of baby Sofia by Jamie Morren – All rights reserved Today’s post is about two things that play a prominent role in my life right now: my baby and my bicycle. We took our baby Sofia for her first foray into modeling: an outdoor photo shoot. I decided to bring my bicycle with me ...

How To Win Over Non-Cyclists at a Dinner Party 18

How To Win Over Non-Cyclists at a Dinner Party
Bicycle Film Festival Panel Discussion at the Gladstone Hotel (Aug 10, 2011) – photo by Erin Simkin / Bicycle Film Festival Toronto Last Wednesday I participated in a panel discussion for the Toronto Bicycle Film Festival. The title of the panel discussion was: “Building Bridges: How to tell good stories and win over non-cyclists at ...

When Driver Kills Cyclist, Media Shrugs… 22

When Driver Kills Cyclist, Media Shrugs…
Screenshot from InsideToronto.com article on 84-year-old Jack Roper, the cyclist killed last Friday On July 5th, a cyclist struck and critically injured a pedestrian in Toronto. The pedestrian survived, but this incident set off a flurry of media rage against cyclists. The Toronto Star’s first report on the incident (“Cyclist fractures pedestrian’s skull, gets $400 ...

Algonquin 2011: The Serenity of Human Power 20

Algonquin 2011: The Serenity of Human Power
Photo of Algonquin Park by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country Last week I returned from an epic 6-day trip in the hinterlands of Algonquin Park on my 8th annual canoe/portage expedition. (Read last year’s article on the history of the 7,652 sq. kilometre Algonquin Park.) Each time I visit the quiet, serene, picturesque ...