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Sunday, October 30, 2011

One-Day too far away

(Photos: Sydney Magazine, SMH)



Australia, you're dreamin'!!!

- of course we'd love our men dished up on bicycles as portrayed in last week's SMH Sydney Magazine' but in reality this sexy guy would be up for a chat with the police, a $59 fine or a day in court the latter of which would then automatically mean a $67 bill for the Victim's Compensation Levy (VCL)!!!

With regards to my grossly unfair VCL bill & current battle with AG's Dept, I finally received a letter from the AG himself:

$ No - he will not grant me an exemption, in fact no-one will, AND

$ Yes - I still have to pay this arbitrary tax for this victimless crime, BUT

$ I might be interested to hear that last month NSW pollies decided that at a date to be decided maybe the VCL oughtn't apply to section 10(1)(a) dismissals anymore (YAY!), HOWEVER

$ this restored state of affairs would not retrospectively apply to me, THEREFORE

$ I must cough up money to settle my exponentially-rising VCL bill pronto!

BAD LAWS TOTALLY SUCK!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Aussie helmet law sees another cyclist in court


(Heading home down Liverpool Street)


(See you later / in a bit!)


(Disappearing into the Friday arvo melee)

Australian legislators continue to tie up valuable citizen, police, & court time with their blinkered insistence of bicycle helmet regulation. Consequently, in the Downing Centre today, another conscientious helmet-objector took the stand to argue his innocence by way of the defence of necessity.

Dan Woodall was ably assisted by Dr Veronica Harris (child psychologist) and Prof Chris Rissel (professor of public health at Sydney University) both of whom lent considerable weight to the elements of immanency and necessary belief.

For immanency, Dan argued that it is essential for him and his children to spend as much time with each other as possible (after all decreased father & child time is a risk to the family) & that the best way for him to maximise this beneficial time together is to use a bicycle for transport as opposed to any other method.

Dr Harris expressed that it was entirely reasonable for any father to undertake to spend more time with his children, and that if such a father was able to organise his affairs to do this, 'Dad-time' would be immensely beneficial. Moreover, research indicates that small children are 'solidly at an advantage' to have intensive 'Dad-time' bearing in mind their particular needs at this age, and cognitive retention rates.

Yet the law places Dan in an impossible position as it insists that he must wear a helmet should he decide to use a bicycle despite his necessary belief that helmets increase risk of serious head injury.

Prof Rissel recounted that there was a long history of head injuries attached to cycling, and that if someone believed that angular acceleration, diffuse axonal injury, and the risk compensation factor of helmet wearing increased their chances of serious head injury then this was a reasonable belief.

But this is Australia, and at the end of the day no matter how much the court accepted Dan's evidence supported by his experts' evidence, it remained constrained by the intent of the regulation. Thus Dan received a mixed bag of 'curial' goodies to take home by way of 1 small fine, a s10(1)(a) dismissal & an outright dismissal.

Importantly for all of us, Dan had his day in court, was truly heard, and was 'the' most eloquent & persuasive advocate for himself & for all bicycle users in Australia who would like to be free to choose their own hat options!

Brilliant, Dan, absolutely brilliant!!!!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Who needs scientific fact when there's populism?



All the world can see that it's not 'cycling' that causes trouble for cycling but 'motoring'

All the world can see that it's not people using bicycles who are the problem but people using cars

BUT...

Only Australian politicians see people using biycles as a menace

&...

Only Australian politicians continue to blame cyclists for what is a global transport & ecological problem...

MOTORISTS

Monday, October 24, 2011

My opinion is not one Greens MPs share



Totally gutted!

* Tooth Fairy

* Father Christmas

* Easter Bunny

...now Bob

...what's left to believe in?

(Certainly not Occupy Wallstreet!)

Saturday, October 22, 2011

The new Must-Have" Porsche

(Photos: Sydney Morning Herald, 21/10/2011)



Car people must be getting anxious! - the above porsche ad appeared in the 'Drive' part of the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday!!! - 'why is it so?!'

...& on a completely different tangent, can anyone explain how, if officialdom is so determined to remove all risk from our lives, OH&S works in a military setting?

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Uniquely Australian Phobia - the Bicycle

(Photos: Amsterdamize, Flickr, Royal Cyclery)


The idea of Australian bicycle safety has depended on all kinds of special effects that by definition contain a whiff of complete ridiculousness. It's the job of serious Bicycle NSW-types & the like to erase any trace of this ridiculousness and thus we get to observe the theatre of Australian cycling advocates underwriting scripts & props to "Danger Zone - The Bicycle".

Fascinatingly, we see that they have their own language and their own costumes and even their own special architect-designed bicycles which weigh less than meringues. But you don't have to scratch the surface very deep to expose the uncontainable whiff of 'Boys' Own Adventure World Ridiculousness'.

Why don't they do us all a favour & find themselves a truly scary pastime!!!

Cycling isn't dangerous: it's for everyone - aka from grannies to babies!!!!

Always has been, always will be!

Grow up, fellas!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Obstruction, your honour!



๏̯̃๏ Why is 'what's-on-your-head' more noteworthy than 'what's-in-your-lane'?

๏̯̃๏ Why do mandatory helmet law promoters refuse to admit the benefits of regulatory correction?

๏̯̃๏ Why are mandatory helmet law promoters constantly sheltered from criticism?

๏̯̃๏ Why are well-intentioned people rendered incapable of thinking rationally?

๏̯̃๏ Why does the ACCC oversee enforceable standards for adults but not for under four year olds?

--------------------OIL--------------------

Most of us are familiar with the notion that extinction is the natural companion to evolution but did Australian politicians ever consider that mass extinction could be a very dangerous activity? - hmmmn, maybe they did?!...

'Alas, poor bicycle users, we loved thee well!'

(Exit stage left, humming wistfully)

'Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got till it's gone...'

Monday, October 17, 2011

Baby No.2's Court Date Vacated



Yes 'tis true - the policeman can't make it tomorrow!!!

Ok, so no worries, quick little reshuffle of expert witness(es), journo(s), exams - & yay! bob's your uncle, everyone will be there come Friday 18th Novomber 2011...

...with bells on, of course(?!!!)

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Take me back to dear old Yamba!





Immanency of ecological catastrophe that our 5-Planet lifestyle has incurred, compels me to ride my bicycle at all times whenever I can.

Reasonable belief of cerebral catastrophe that could be incurred in the unlikely event of me falling off my bicycle, compels me to ride my bicycle without a helmet at all times full stop.

It's that simple - why is this a problem, Australia?

Friday, October 14, 2011

Bicycle Poster Drinkie-Poos






Tonight's Agenda:

♥ quick little Proseco at Wine Library

♥ coast whole way down Oxford Street

♥ across Taylor Square & over fountain sprays, hoping they won't turn on

♥ straight through lights, bending left

♥ continue coast down Bourke Street

♥ mad little left at Fitzroy Street

♥ leisurely Sauvignon Blanc at Somedays Gallery

♥ soak up elegance of Bicycle Film Festival & romantic bicycle art installation...

♥...as well as continued cosy karma from finding phone left by me on back of 'mon velo' in Oxford Street during quick little Proseco moment!!!!

Bliss

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Sydney plays 'we ♥ bicycles' while New Zealand mops-up


Machine & muse(os)


Bundles of bikes


'I-bicycle-as-I-find-me' Sarah Wilson


'Sassy-Chic'

We frolicked in the park at breakfast with our bicycles hitched to abudant though temporary bicycle infrastructure - & how lovely it was...

...but let us not forget the terrible price our menacing Car & Oil Culture continues to exact on the planet - this time in New Zealand and the beautiful Bay of Plenty - shame on us all

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Mandatory Floaties Law anyone?











Baby No.3 nearly choked on his beer & prawns when I issued my "anyone-who-takes-a-dip-in-the-surf-ought-to-have-to-wear-floaties-whether-they-can-swim-or-not-&-whether-they-like-it-or-not" pronouncement!!!!

'Muuuummmm! WTF! No way!' he protested 'what's wrong with you - that's as dumb as helmets...'

'...ha! ha! ha!'

'You're not funny'

Needless to mention I think I'm hilarious (!) but I'm also acutely aware that a nation of surfies would no more trust floaties to provide water-safety than a nation of bicycle-users would trust helmets to provide road-safety!

It's a question of what frightens you - & clearly Australians are NOT frightened of rips or sharks or 4 metre swells or blue-bottley-Portuguese-men-of-war or even crocodiles...

...only of bicycles (sigh)

Friday, October 7, 2011

More Yamba Beauties


Humpback - between Convent & Pippi's...


...taking timeout to breach & de-barnacle en-route to the Antarctic


Masked lapwing (plover) - guarding park near Queen Street


Water dragon - sharing Seabank verandah


Dolphin - gathering 'brekkie' off the Breakwater

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Where's your 'expletive deletive' helmet?



To all the helmet-believers who constantly communicate with me concerning loved ones & people they know who were wearing bicycle helmets that saved their lives,

The dreadful circumstances you describe do not make you better judges of safety protection & in fact could even be said to say make you worse ones.

It never ceases to amaze me that not only have Australian governments not detached themselves from your raw emotion in their policy-making, but that they've continued to disregard any cogent proposal to revoke mandatory bicycle helmet law despite the mountains of evidence that they've never worked.

Manadatory bicycle helmet laws are a blatant failure, & I intend to continue to dress for cycling as I choose, & in the manner I see fit.

Thanks for your concern anyway,

With...(blah! blah! blah!)

From...(blah! blah! blah!)

xx

Monday, October 3, 2011

Yamba beauties


(Rainbow lorrikeet in Queen Street, Yamba)


(Crested tern cruising near Turner's beach, Yamba)


(White bellied sea eagle above the breakwater, Yamba)


(Baby no.4 on 'Seabank' vernadah, Yamba )

...but how did that one above get to be so grown-up when only the other day she was so small?!!!

Sigh - yesterday this baby got the key of the door!!!!