Obama and Bikes

Check out this article -

Obama Gets A Boost From the Crucial Bicycle Swing Vote
by Andrew Posner, Rhode Island, USA on 01.14.08
Cars & Transportation
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Yes, we all know that politicians pander to special interest groups in the hopes of picking up key votes. Unfortunately, bicyclists aren't usually one of the interest groups targeted by politicians (although there have been some funny photo-ops of, for instance, John Edwards riding his bike with Lance Armstrong). This bit of news isn't going to change how politicians view cyclists, but it may change how cyclists view a certain politician. According to C.I.C.L.E. (it stands for Cyclists Inciting Change Thru Live Exchange), the Portland bicycle community has unearthed a quote from Barack Obama's energy platform in which he expresses his support for cycling and mass transit. And It turns out that Obama is "the only one of the Democratic presidential candidates who explicitly encourages bicycle transportation in his platform." On the Republican side, the only mention of bicycles comes from Mike Huckabee who, apparently, "rides his bike to the grocery store." (Huckabee is a big proponent of health and wellness, having himself lost over 100 pounds). Read the quote from Obama's platform after the fold:
As president, Barack Obama will re-evaluate the transportation funding process to ensure that smart growth considerations are taken into account. Obama will build upon his efforts in the Senate to ensure that more Metropolitan Planning Organizations create policies to incentivize greater bicycle and pedestrian usage of roads and sidewalks, and he will also re-commit federal resources to public mass transportation projects across the country. Building more livable and sustainable communities will not only reduce the amount of time individuals spent commuting, but will also have significant benefits to air quality, public health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions."
So, does this make you more inclined to vote Obama?

The more cookies the better

So instead of flying home this past weekend - I met Barry in the Milwaukee Airport so we could fly together to my Cousin Kate's wedding in Minnesota. Yes, a Winter Wedding in Minnesota (sorry, Kate), of all things! It was one of those cold weather bouts in the Midwest where you find yourself running from warm spot to warm spot (airport, to shuttle, to hotel, to shuttle, to car, to hotel, to church, to reception) and practically planning the exact exit and entrance of each location to avoid at all possible, the bitter cold.

The wedding was very pretty and the reception is always a blast with my family, no matter what the DJ is like. I got to catch up with many of my relatives and cousins whom I never see and agree on that we are all growing up really fast (everyone now seems like the same age - despite being several years younger or older).

So - I've told Barry before about the cookies I get on some of my flights - and that it's nice to fly on an airline that actually gives you any sort of service on shorter flight segments. And besides beer, what else does he like - chocolate chip cookies - So, he was anticipating 'the cookie flight'. On the way back, our plane was smaller and didn't look like the 'Signature' cookie flight. So, after he almost dismissed it, the flight attendant announced that it would be a 'limited' but nonetheless, 'cookie flight' - Limited meaning one cookie instead of two. So here's the scenario -

Flight attendant - would you like a cookie?

Barry - Yes, the more the better (in a greedy voice)

Flight attendant - well, if I have some left over I'll see what I can do.

Me - Oh, just take mine - do you really need that many?

Barry - Of course - there're free and warm.

5 mins. later....

The Flight Attendant gives Barry a bag full of cookies.

So, needless to say, Barry was happy the rest of the flight.

Happy New Year!

so sad, it's the new year and a new blog entry, finally! I'm keeping pretty busy with my job so not a lot of time for any crazy off-season biking escapades. I did get a couple weeks to be at home over the holidays but overall, it was a pretty uneventful holiday except for having a bad chest cold during Christmas. I managed to do a lot of baking at the very last min., say 11pm Christmas Eve, to supplement my gift giving. Managed to make a pretty festive homemade granola that would be awesome as a mid or post-ride snack. ...But, I think I'll have to do a little more riding in order to justify it. I also managed to enjoy some of the white stuff we had sticking around as well.

Leave it to the boys to build jumps!

I think we might just be a little too pumped about our planned ski vacation this spring. If you can't bike, why not ski!