Blaming Victim Gives Society False Sense of Security 8
Tom Samson – the cyclist killed on Nov 23, 2012 with his family prior to his death – Photo courtesy of the Samson family When Grade 2 teacher Tom Samson was killed on his bicycle early in the morning on November 23rd 2012, Toronto Police had told Samson’s wife that he was struck and ...
Teens On Bicycles Save Kidnapped 5-Year-Old Girl 2
Screenshot from CNN video – Courtesy of CNN Two teenage boys used their bicycles to chase a car that was carrying a kidnapped 5-year-old girl. From CNN: “Two teenage boys are being hailed as heroes after they chased a car carrying a kidnapped girl — on their bicycles. Five-year-old Jocelyn Rojas was playing in her ...
Dave Matthews’ Bike Breaks Down, Picked Up By Fan 1
Screen grab from CNN video – Courtesy of CNN Musician Dave Matthews was out for a bike ride on Saturday shortly before his concert in Hershey Pennsylvania, when his back tire popped, leaving him stranded on the side of the road without a cell phone. Emily Kraus had been a Dave Matthews fan since she ...
Darcy Allan Sheppard Documents Revealed Through Freedom Of Information Request 2
In Memory of Allan Sheppard – Photo by Tsar Kasim New details have emerged through a Freedom of Information request regarding the August 31, 2009 death of Darcy Allan Sheppard. Sheppard’s father claims the evidence he has obtained through the freedom of information request does not support the explanation in the decision to drop charges ...
Shanghai Cyclist Hit By Driver Caught On Video 4
Screenshot from a YouTube video of a Chinese cyclist being hit by a turning car A driver’s dash cam caught on video a cyclist in Shanghai getting hit by a driver who had suddenly turned from the centre lane. Despite the unfortunate and misleading title of the video given by Shanghaiist writer James Griffiths, the ...
The Urban Country Has Moved… 5
Photo courtesy of Chris Jupin As you may have noticed, we are currently undergoing some changes here on The Urban Country. We have moved from our old blogging platform (Blogger) to a new platform (WordPress). While we are at it we are cleaning up and simplifying the website design to provide a better user experience. ...
What Would You Do For $100 Million Dollars? The Incentives Behind Lance Armstrong 17
Stack of cash photo by 401(K) 2012 In a recent article, I wrote that I care more about what Lance did with his fame than how he achieved it. I asked whether it is really cheating if everyone was doing it. I claimed that Lance had done more with his fame than most other professional ...
Russia’s 200KM, 3-day Traffic Jam
Photo from video provided by 3news.co.nz In Russia, a 200KM mega traffic jam has stranded drivers for several days. The backlog on this highway that runs between Moscow and St. Petersberg was intensified by heavy snow last week. From Time.com: “A 125-mile long queue of vehicles spanned the roadway, which connects Moscow and St. Petersburg. ...
In Support of Lance Armstrong 13
Photo of Lance Armstrong courtesy of Martyna Borkowski, Rubenstein Although I have never been a close follower of professional cycling, I had always had immense respect for the sport. It pushes the human limits, encourages people to stay active, and has minimal adverse effects on our environment. The recent doping allegations and overwhelming evidence against ...
Medical Marijuana: Rights over Reason? 4
In May 2005, legal pot smoker Steve Gibson was asked to leave the premises of Gator Ted’s restaurant in Burlington Ontario. Since then, Gator Ted’s owner Ted Kindos has been battling Gibson; mounting tens of thousands of dollars in court legal bills with his business on the line. Gibson received a medical certificate to smoke ...