Halladay vs. Burnett

Tuesday, Rogers Centre. The Jays' 1 and 2 starting pitchers last year will face off... sounds like a great game to go to!

Bixi

Check out the stations!: http://www.bixi.com/stations

Montreal's bike share system. 300 stations and 3000 bikes... so far.

The origin and current status of the bicycle helmet

(not me)

At age 46, a few weeks after leaving the service, T.E. Lawrence was fatally injured in a motorcycle accident on a Brough Superior SS100 in Dorset, close to his cottage, Clouds Hill, near Wareham. A dip in the road obstructed his view of two boys on their bicycles; he swerved to avoid them, lost control and was thrown over the handlebars of his motorcycle. He died six days later. The spot is marked by a small memorial at the side of the road. The circumstances of Lawrence's death had far reaching consequences. One of the doctors attending him was the neurosurgeon Hugh Cairns. He was profoundly affected by the incident and consequently began a long study of what he saw as the unnecessary loss of life by motorcycle dispatch riders through head injuries and his research led to the use of crash helmets by both military and civilian motorcyclists. As a consequence of treating Lawrence, Sir Hugh Cairns would ultimately save the lives of many motorcyclists.<sup>[12]

Reading the new Malcolm Gladwell article made me realize that I have no idea who this Lawrence of Arabia guy is/was... So, off to Wikipedia. From there, despite finding little of interest in the man, the above quote did resonate, especially after re-interest was sparked several times this weekend on the helmet vs. no-helmet cyclist debate. Now, to be clear, I DEFINITELY don't think they should be mandated by law. This act would inhibit bicycle riding insurmountably in the city, I think. But, if I were to make a personal choice, I'm still not 100% convinced which it should be. As of now, if I'm about to jump on the bike and remember to put my helmet on, I wear it. But often it doesn't come into mind... should it more often?

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Here are several articles on the topic that if you are interested...

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/29/national/29BIKE.html
a rebuttal: http://helmets.org/time2001.htm

different types of helmets for riding: http://helmets.org/other.htm</sup> (We do not recommend equestrian helmets for bicycle riding because the lab drop test on flat surfaces is done at only 1.8 meters rather than the 2.0 meter bicycle requirement... hahaha! So ridiculous.)

Origins: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/487465/the_origin_development_of_biking_helmets.html?cat=27

Wikipedia:

...one evaluation of the relative merits of different cycle safety interventions estimated that 27 % of cyclist casualties could be prevented by various measures, of which just 1 % could be achieved through a combination of bicycle engineering and helmet use.^{[citation needed]}

In 1998 the European Cyclists' Federation adopted a position paper rejecting compulsory helmet laws as being likely to have greater negative rather than positive health effects.^[91] The UK cyclists' club, CTC, believes that the "overall health effects of compulsory helmets are negative."^[93] The UK minister of transport knew of no evidence to support the claim that helmets saved lives. ^[94] The British National Children's Bureau has said "The 2004 BMA statement announcing its decision to support compulsory cycle helmets shows how the uncritical use of accident statistics can lead to poor conclusions."^[95] The same report estimated that, at most, universal helmet use would save the lives of three children aged 0 to 15 each year. That figure "assumes universal and correct use of helmets, it assumes that risk compensation does not occur and it assumes that no children die as a result of strangulation or other injuries caused by helmet use. These assumptions are most unlikely to be correct in the real world."

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Ok, I can find one basic reason for wearing a helmet:

From what I've read, I'm estimating that it increases my chances of surviving an accident, and living a normal life after the accident, by about 5%, regardless of accident. Head trauma is a bummer though...

I can find three basic reasons for not wearing a helmet.

1) A reduction in cycling may lead to an increased risk for the cyclists remaining on the road, due to a "safety in numbers" effect.^[56] According to one source, the probability of an individual cyclist being struck by a motorist declines with the 0.6 power of the number of cyclists on the road.^[32] This means that if the number of cyclists on the road doubles, then the average individual cyclist can ride for an additional 50% of the time without increasing the probability of being struck. It is thought that the increased frequency of motorist-cyclist interaction creates more aware motorists.

2) Risk compensation: The Don Cherry helmet and visor rule.

A range of theories have been proposed to explain why helmet use might cause more or worse accidents.

Under the risk compensation theory, helmeted cyclists may be expected to ride less carefully; this is supported by evidence for other road safety interventions such as seat belts and anti-lock braking systems.^[61][62] There is some evidence for risk compensation by children in relation to safety equipment.^[63]

3) Motorists actually acting differently when passing helmeted vs. non-helmeted cyclists:

Motorists may also alter their behaviour towards helmeted cyclists. Recent evidence from England found that vehicles passed a helmeted cyclist with measurably less clearance (8.5 cm) than that given to the same cyclist un-helmeted (out of an average total passing distance of 1.2 to 1.3 metres).^[65]

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After all this, aside from the motorists reactions to helmets vs. non-helmets, wearing a helmet almost seems like your classic prisoner's dilemma game; if everyone doesn't wear one we're all better off. But if everyone doesn't wear one and you wear one you're taking advantage of the system.

So, in conclusion, the strongest argument I see here is that wearing a helmet seems to take away from the 'safety in numbers' argument. Better to have more riders, and having riders wear helmets takes away from riding... if mandatory. So, working all this out in my still intact head I've come up with the following personal solution... basically status quo. Don't let not having a helmet ever stop me from riding. If a helmet is available, take it along. Also, avoid bike accidents! ... which, leads me to the three keys I think will eventually lead to significant cycling change in Toronto, that being a downtown congestion charge, increased road infrastructure, and a bike share system along the lines of Velolib and Bixi.

Happy Mother's Day: To a sweet old broad!

Celebrating Canadian mothers on their day

Broadcast Date: May 10, 1963

Carnations and chocolates and breakfast in bed – it's become a child's traditional offering on the second Sunday of May, Mother's Day. But what was once a spiritual celebration of motherhood has by 1963 become a big, booming business with florists, restaurateurs, and greeting card companies cashing in. Has Mother's Day become a commercialized scam or is it still a sweet, loving gesture? Panelists debate this subject in this CBC Television feature.

Original: http://archives.cbc.ca/society/family/topics/2495/

Hilarious! .. at 1:58; "I saw one card the other day.. 'Happy Mother's Day: To a Sweet Old Broad!'"..

at 4:20... "Do women deserve the attention they get on this day... "

at 5:15... "Motherhood is just a.. is often an accident.. "

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Anna Jarvis:

On May 12, 1907, two years after her mother's death, she held a memorial to her mother and thereafter embarked upon a campaign to make "Mother's Day" a recognized holiday. On May 8, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional resolution designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.(1) She succeeded in making this nationally recognized in 1914. The International Mother's Day Shrine was established in Grafton to commemorate her accomplishment.

By the 1920s, Anna Jarvis had become soured by the commercialization of the holiday. She incorporated herself as the Mother’s Day International Association, trademarked the phrases "second Sunday in May" and "Mother's Day", and was once arrested for disturbing the peace. She and her sister Ellsinore spent their family inheritance campaigning against the holiday. Both died in poverty. Jarvis, says her New York Times obituary, became embittered because too many people sent their mothers a printed greeting card. As she said,

A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A petty sentiment!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Jarvis
(1) http://www.wvculture.org/history/thisdayinwvhistory/0508.html

Happy Mother's Day Mom!
...you'll get no card from me! ;)

TVO The Agenda: Sharing the Road

(from www.ibiketo.ca)

At your desk and ready to surf the net for a bit? Push play above and at least listen to the discussion. Nothing earth shattering, but I picked up a few things for sure. All panelists do a great job, and the St. Clair transit construction is discussed near the end as well.

I agree that increased infrastructure is a great step to encourage additional cycling. However, I doubt it will work alone, and there needs to be more done here. The potential addition of road bike availability seems like a natural fit here to me. Going from Parkdale to the downtown core? Nice day out? The logical choice is a bicycle. Now, I can see the argument being made that this only takes away from transit use (and not auto traffic)... hmmm.. and I kind of agree with that. However, I think it could allow (a) more cars coming into Toronto for the afternoon to stop further from the city core and continue the route by bike, (b) make the decision to not own a car in the core a lot easier. I'm still hoping against hope for a downtown congestion charge, and I think these programs would be a perfect triple marriage, that being infrastructure, a DCC, and bike sharing system.

Good morning!: Sarah's photos

Gladstone is throwing a stills motion exhibit and one of my friends (the same one who came on the NYC ride!) is showing.



Still Motions traces the tension between the still and the moving image, presenting works that critique the logic of traditional photography via its successor media, film and video. Each work contains a degree of stillness that is in some way destabilized to disrupt the notion of a photograph as a suspended moment in time. The interaction of the three media allow for hybrid forms of moving images to emerge, generating the uncanny within the familiar while adding a sensorial even visceral dimension to our appreciation of the still image.

The exhibit, along with about 25 others, runs to the end of the month at the Gladstone Hotel.

A day in the existence of Roy Halladay.

5:41 AM: Wake before sunrise. Another day; another victory. You'll never best me, Earth's yellow sun.

http://www.ghostrunneronfirst.com/2008/11/day-in-life-existence-of-roy-halladay.html

Vitamin E and Cognitive Decline

"A study with over 540 patients over three years has found that moderate Vitamin E intake combined with anti-inflammatories was effective in producing a statistically significant intervention against cognitive decline, compared with a placebo, Vitamin E alone, or anti-inflammatory medication alone.

"Our results are consistent for a potential benefit of vitamin E on slowing functional decline and a smaller possible benefit of anti-inflammatory medications on slowing cognitive decline in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease," according to researcher Alireza Atri.

article

Ok, this is taken verbatim (copy/paste) from http://blog.cognitivelabs.com, which is superb and worth visiting in its own right. The thing I find currious is the anti-inflammatory bit. I take an Aspirin a day. Partially becuase of the anti-inflammatory proporties, and partially because my father, a doctor, has mentioned that the drug will not only lower blood pressure, but there is a property to inhibit a hangover effect. To be more specific, my dad said that there is an inhibitory effect of buildup of 'tired effects' when you have this. It could be due to the anti-pressure (in the tubes - arteries and vessels - in your body), and this obviously extends to your brain. Or, it could be due to something else entirely. That's the beauty of the "black box" that is our body/world/science.

We observe a great deal of things... some work, some don't some have no effect. However, this does, and although (apparently) no one is sure so far, it seems to make sense to take one of these aspirins a day...

Now, Vitamin E? Yeah... just starting to learn about that. Not sure what the 'scientific' / anabolic issues here are, but I'm popping one a day now too... I'll do more research and get back to you...

Food that contains Vit. E

Vitamin E has also shown signs of being good for topical skin application as well. Not sure how that works, but I suspect it has something to do with its fat qualities, as well as it's absorptive character.

Waterloo. Mecca.

So I went down to that random lecture tonight, and it was DEFINITELY worth the drive... so gorgeous! I already knew (as most of us do) most of the things he was talking about, so blah, blah, blah...


but exciting for me!: (a) to hear it charismatically is great and inspiring, (b) to hear it understand of reading it again and have it reinforced is great too, (c) to hear new examples of current lab work is even better. I'm now convinced to keep up with the field a bit more, even at the superficial understanding I am at.

Mlodinow talked about the impact randomness has on everyday events. He brought up some great examples.. For one: a stock broker was congratulated in the New York Times in (Bill Miller, if I remember correctly) 2004 for out profiting the index for 15 years straight. Mlodinow did some quick math - 1000 stock brokers choosing stocks at random for 15 years; how many would do this over the index by random?: 3% of the population. Ok.. pretty cool. Now comes the kicker; let's say a stock broker works for 40 years. Several NEWSpapers tried to estimate the odds saying something like 1:477,000. One even went as high as 1:2.2 billion! The right odds?: i.e. what are the odds that randomly 1000 stock brokers would have a streak of 15 straight years beating the index over a 40 year career? Roughly 3 out of 4. 75%!.. Amazing display of math and faulty "logic". And of a job? Any job?

Another example: Let's say one NHL team (the B&Bs) have a 55% percent chance of beating another team on any given night (Given W-L records in the NHL, this can very well be approximately correct). So, during a best of 7 series the better team has only a 60% chance of coming out on top! Moreover, to calculate the better team coming out on top to statistical significance (a 5% failure rate - the scientific standard being the 95% success rate), the series would have to be a best of 269!.. wow and awesome.

One last great study M mentioned: A group of folks was introduced to several wines in different price ranges and asked to rate them on how they liked them... the catch was that the scientists put the same wine marked as $90 and as $10 in the same batch. Now, it's kinda obvious that most people would rate the $90 bottle better tasting than the $10 bottle of wine (playing to expectations, don't wanna look like a fool, etc). The catch here was that they performed the tastings in an MRI machine. What happened? They weren't faking! More activity and dopamine release was seen in the brain when drinking the $90 bottle of wine! How cool is that! They (we) tend to actually enjoy the wine (or whatever) more than the equivalent when expecting 'worse'! Stuff like that really matters to people, and it's obviously transferable to so many aspects of life! So, so awesome.

Just to leave with a quote (how he closed the lecture): "If you want to succeed, double your failure rate." Thomas Watson, IBM.

Basically, what I got from it was keep trying, motherfucking all the time, because there are always so many unaccounted variables in every situation that the best method to guarantee success, is to keep trying. Awesome again.

Ok, enough gushing. I've let my place get outta control since coming back from NYC. I haven't even unpacked; time for some cleanup.

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UPDATE!: Watch it live here: http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/en/Outreach/Public_Lectures/View_Past_Public_Lectures/

I ask a question that was caught on tape re: clutch hitting at 1:01:49!...

Another baseball article not really about baseball...

Doug Glanville

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/opinion/06glanville-tipping.html

Glanville surprised me with this one..

"Where do you go when, having focused your life on that one thing you can be the best at, you realize that because of choices you made things will never again be the same in anyone else’s eyes?"

He kind of spells it out at the end a bit too overtly, but there are a ton of baseball analogies and examples! Not really that well written, but worth the read.

To clarify the Roncesvalles redevelopment (bumpouts) a bit

Here's what a "bumpout" looks like in Portland, Oregon:




Here's what's proposed for Roncesvalles come 2010 - 2011.



Hmmm... good idea? Well, will definitely cut down on car traffic... I wonder how the businesses are doing in the Portland bumpout areas? Now, Portland is a lot more bike friendly and busy than Toronto, but I suppose you have to start somewhere! It'd be interesting to see where the target areas are/were for Portland and these bumpouts. Right now biking along Roncesvalles is impossible as the road is potholed and patched to hell..

Anyway, sounds like Y. Bambrick is on the case, which should make things much more bike friendly than the usual bad, uninformed decisions.

http://torontoist.com/2009/03/roncey_redesign_review.php

http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/05/bump_outs_coming_to_roncesvalles/

oh gawd I love Parkdale. It's the new frontier.