Comments on: Morning Links

By: SJE

SJE — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:52:54 +0000

not a viking: I disagree, although it may depend on your definition of “serious.”

By: Juice

Juice — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 23:04:07 +0000

Man…

I’m really trying to give a shit about the bike helmet thing.

I just can’t bring myself to do it.

By: World’s Strangest | Latvia’s Hospital-Themed Restaurant

World’s Strangest | Latvia’s Hospital-Themed Restaurant — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 20:09:12 +0000

[...] via The Agitator | Photo: Spot Cool [...]

By: DarkEFang

DarkEFang — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:20:53 +0000

“New York magazine looks at false confessions.”:

Yet another unintended consequence of the War on Drugs and the various other vice crimes. If police forces weren’t wasting the bulk of their manpower trying to prevent victimless crimes, they might have the time to properly investigate murders, rapes and other actual crimes.

By: Samsam von Virginia

Samsam von Virginia — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:14:34 +0000

@15
14 years ago, my wife and I built our house. We did much of the work ourselves, but also hired “professionals” to do some of the work. Quality of work was uncorrelated with licensing. To this day a running joke (or rather cry of exasperation) is “I don’t want a professional carpenter, I want a good carpenter!”

By: Aresen

Aresen — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:51:35 +0000

On the helmet laws: I use and wear a helmet while riding a bike or a horse. There is no law that says I have to wear a helmet while riding a horse, but I do because it is safer that way. (I’ve taken a few hits from low branches over the years.)*

However, I know that I feel freer when I don’t have a helmet, so I can understand why people don’t want to. It should be up to each individual to evaluate the risks and benefits.

*(One 97 degree day, I showed up for a lesson without a helmet. My instructor asked why I didn’t have one. I told her I preferred my brains scrambled to fried.)

By: Yizmo Gizmo

Yizmo Gizmo — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:25:21 +0000

@15 “the judge exclaimed that jurors are only supposed to look at the facts, and that they are never (his words) to judge the law itself.”

As if the two are mutually exclusive. What if “the facts” indicate
that the law itself is stupid or tyrannical? And on what legal precedent or document is he basing this directive? Or his he just improvising? Or talkin’ shit?

By: Michael Chaney

Michael Chaney — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:09:53 +0000

The false confession article is a good example of a murder that would have been averted had the police charged the actual perpetrator. He committed another murder 4 years later.

By: Andrew S.

Andrew S. — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:08:47 +0000

Off topic (can you be off topic in the links post?): Had jury duty yesterday. Was hoping to get on a drug trial, but wasn’t to be (didn’t get picked at all, had gone through jury selection for a trial involving “unlicensed contracting”, which could’ve been an interesting discussion in and of itself). Two things I noticed in jury selection:

1. I winced at how the other potential jurors, upon questioning, seemed to equate licensing from the government as proof of competence, and, conversely, not being licensed as proof of incompetence.

2. If it weren’t for the fear of a contempt citation (or losing my law license), I might’ve had something to say when the judge exclaimed that jurors are only supposed to look at the facts, and that they are never (his words) to judge the law itself.

By: Persona Non Gratia

Persona Non Gratia — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:01:11 +0000

Not ordinarily a big fan of The Onion, but this was eerily prescient. From January, 2001.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/bush-our-long-national-nightmare-of-peace-and-pros,464/

By: Samsam von Virginia

Samsam von Virginia — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:50:31 +0000

When I bought a helmet for my daughter (probably a Bell helmet from WalMart), I actually read the literature that came with the helmet. The most memorable line went something like:

“This helmet cannot protect you from all injuries. Just as an egg can be scrambled without breaking the shell…”

By: Mike Leatherwood

Mike Leatherwood — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:39:56 +0000

1. At least they didn’t use the word “maverick”.
2. Police manipulation? Slyly coerced confessions? Brainwashing PD? Hell, I knew that. I’ve watched enough Hill Street Blues to figure that one out a long time ago.
3. Find a need and fill it.
4. Sponsored by NAMBLA
5. Screw helmets for bikes. A piddly helmet is not going to protect that face plant you’re gonna get when you fall off the bike. What’s next, a ban on baseball cards in the spokes?
6. I wonder how flooded her inbox became?
7. Officer, it is called a funny bone. Shake it off.

By: Michael Chaney

Michael Chaney — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:37:17 +0000

Radley, the link for the false confession article goes to the 6th page. Try this instead:

http://nymag.com/news/crimelaw/68715/

By: Yizmo Gizmo

Yizmo Gizmo — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:35:10 +0000

helmets bugged me. Damned aixelsyd.

By: Yizmo Gizmo

Yizmo Gizmo — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:33:37 +0000

The California laws for under-18′s bugged bike helmets me.
Armed gov’t goons cruising around in
ozone-depleting race cars, targeting innocent kids on their
way to school, with the prospect of arrest if the kid
provided the wrong info or copped a little attitude.
Also, there’s the whole “Do as I say, not as I do!” hypocrisy.
While I’m at it, sprout some freakin bike lanes if you’re really serious about bike safety, and not just ticket-happy.

By: not a viking

not a viking — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:30:02 +0000

@SJE

Actually bike helmets protect against some major injuries and are rubbish against other minor ones. The deciding factor tends to be what kind of accident you are having and the speed/force of impact. I.e. somersaulting off your bike and into a sharp hard edge head first could totally ruin your day if not wearing a helmet (pic: http://arsdicendi.com/temp/hjalm.jpg ), even if cycling slowly.

Also based on the news and public service announcements from back when I was living/biking/crashing in Copenhagen, Denmark, isn’t failing to respect the blind spot of trucks a way bigger killer than lack of helmets? Was always amazed at peoples lack of respect for heavy vehicles there.

@freedomfan

“[..]Europe where bike riding is popular and helmet coercers are told to go f*** themselves.”

If only, you only have to look at Denmark’s neighbor Sweden for helmet laws there. And trust me, bike riding is usually not universally popular, especially amongst people who drive a lot, closer to a low level war between bicyclists and drivers I’d say…

By: Charlie O

Charlie O — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:18:05 +0000

I don’t need no stinking helmets. Somehow I managed to get through childhood and my teen years without once ever wearing a bicycle helmet. (I don’t even know even they existed, I’m that old.). And I rode a bicycle up until the time I joined the Navy. My parents wouldn’t sign off on a DL for me. We are nation of pussies. I’ve been riding motorcycles for over 25 years. Ridden all over the US, up to Alaska, etc. No helmet whenever the law allows. Somehow what’s in my head has done more to save my ass than what’s on it. Fuck all helmet laws! Bicycle, motorcycle or otherwise.

By: freedomfan

freedomfan — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:11:38 +0000

What I found best about the Postrel article on bike helmet laws, though she isn't explicit in pointing it out, is that the market place has come up with better alternatives in places like Europe where bike riding is popular and helmet coercers are told to go f*** themselves. If the state forces people to wear helmets, as many states do in the U.S., the helmet makers have less incentive to fight for business by coming up with designs that appeal to non-wearers. If Obama were wearing one of the Yakkay helmets, designed to appeal to people who want safety with something approximating style, then he might not be thought of as such a dork for wearing his helmet. That won't ameliorate the million other reasons he is a dork, but maybe baby steps are the right approach here. ;-)

By: the innominate one

the innominate one — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:04:16 +0000

Call me for the girl show.

By: Mattocracy

Mattocracy — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:59:48 +0000

The correction of the week made my day.