http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree hourly 1 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://gmane.org/img/gmane-25t.png http://gmane.org http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19946 <pre>Heilsa fellow riders, I recently started a new job that actually realizes it's employees are an actual asset, which is great other than the large laptop I was given and that leads to my question. I am using multi-modal transportation for getting to work, which involves an 8-10 mile one-way commute by bike. I used my messenger back yesterday and it was alright, but I am wanting to try and ride the whole way from home and back this summer and cannot imagine riding 40 miles with that bag, so I am looking for info on panniers that folks use. My laptop has the following dimensions and I have increased to nearest inch to allow for error. 16" L-R 12" front to back 2" tall/deep I was looking at some Ortlieb bags online, but cannot figure if the max size is at the widest point or at the narrowest point, which is at the bottom and is typically where laptops have issues fitting. Thanks, Devin </pre> Devin 2012-02-28T15:37:24 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19944 <pre>=v= "Man Bites Dog" isn't even news any more: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/man-bites-car-bath-salts-blame/story?id=15777655 &lt;_Jym_&gt; </pre> Jym Dyer 2012-02-24T17:47:05 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19943 <pre>=v= The movie Lorax is already starring in a computer-animated commercial for a greenwashed SUV: http://www.change.org/petitions/mazda-stop-forcing-the-lorax-to-sell-dangerous-polluting-cars &lt;_Jym_&gt; </pre> Jym Dyer 2012-02-24T17:41:33 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19942 <pre>When I saw the last posting, at first I misread it as proclaiming the good news that buses would no longer have to pay fuel tax. What is the situation regarding this in the US ? In the UK we used to have something called Fuel Duty Rebate whereby bus operators would get most of the fuel tax they paid in respect of public service workings rebated. In the mid 1990s the Conservative government introduced a fuel tax escalator whereby fuel tax would increase faster than inflation; however this increase was not rebated to bus operators. This situation continued under the following Labour government until they announced that any future fuel tax increases would be rebated. Unfortunately it was at that precise moment that they abandoned the escalator so there were no increases to rebate. Some time later they replaced Fuel Duty Rebate with Bus Service Operators Grant, which had the subtle effect of changing its accounting from a tax rebate to a subsidy. This had insidious effects when the Conservatives regained power, as they are allergic to subsidies and promptly announced that it would be cut from 80% of fuel tax to 60%, i.e. an effective doubling of fuel tax, this to take effect from this coming April. They seem to believe that this will have no adverse impact on services -- well it's a trait of politicians to believe one can get something for nothing. I think I've for this right, but if anyone in this group knows better please feel free to correct me. And there may be differences outside England, i.e. in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, though it was recently announced that Wales has decided to follow England's lead. Simon Norton </pre> Simon Norton 2012-02-21T21:29:42 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19939 <pre>.....................the place practically evaporates! Mind you, of course, I'm not saying I was ever the life of the party. ______________________________________ -Traci ("The minute I go away everything goes kaplot!"--Siegfried and when Shtarker points out that he was here all the time, "You're not making it any easier on yourself, Shtarker.", (w,stte), "Get Smart") </pre> traci 2012-02-16T09:17:55 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19938 <pre>=v= I guess San Francisco didn't get Mother Nature's hint when she knocked down some freeways, so she's giving us a reminder. &lt;_Jym_&gt; http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/23/BA221MT8PV.DTL Boulders slide down Telegraph Hill, crush car Will Kane, Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, 23-Jan-2012 | San Francisco Chronicle (01-23) 11:57 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- City officials have temporarily evacuated a condominium building at the base of San Francisco's Telegraph Hill after several boulders slid down the hill and crushed a parked car, authorities said. The boulders, apparently loosened by the weekend rain, slid down the hill near Lombard and Montgomery streets around 9:30 a.m., officials said. No one was hurt. The bottom floors of a multistory condo complex at 240 Lombard St. next to the hill has been evacuated while engineers from the city determine if any more boulders could fall, officials said. The car that was crushed was owned by a security guard for the complex, said Jon Golinger, head of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers Association, a neighborhood group. "It is unfortunate he lost his car, but it sounds like he protected this building," Golinger said. "If the car hadn't been there, the rocks might have rammed the first unit of the building." Some of the boulders are "as large a person," Golinger said. Crews with the city Department of Public Works will evaluate the hill and remove the boulders, said Mindy Linetzky, a spokeswoman for the agency. </pre> Jym Dyer 2012-01-23T20:30:25 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19937 <pre>=v= Jen-Luc Godard's 1967 film _Week_End_ was at a moviehouse this weekend, and had no idea what I was getting into. In the first few minutes of the film there is road rage (well, parking lot rage), and in short order we're in the road film from Hell. After another parking lot altercation, we find ourselves in a remarkable 8-minute tracking shot of a traffic jam on a highway out of Paris. Of course it's online: http://fan.tcm.com/_Week-End-1967-Jean-Luc-Godard-Tracking-Shot/video/1578921/66470.html Notice the honking and anger every step of the way. =v= Things aren't much better when our protagonists get their car rolling at higher speeds, of course; there are smashed-up cars and cartoonishly bloody bodies alongside every country road. A bicyclist is run off the road, then a car in exactly the same manner, and then of course a pedestrian. A collision between a sports car and tractor prompts a heated argument about class war. =v= A guerrilla band arrives about 2/3rds of the way into the film and dynamites a car, but alas, the revolution (and the film) goes awry when it loses sight of its core values. The guerillas apparently there to make some kind of statement about the collapse of bourgeois civiliation (I use the b-word advisedly, because after this film, Godard devoted his career to Marxism). The revolutionaries descend into cruelty and barbarism, less cartoonish and more shocking -- a dull-witted writeup in the _SF_Weekly_ links this to Occupy Wall Street for no discerniblereason -- and we move from cars to cannibalism and guns. Alas. =v= Even so, overall, a satisfying look at car culture and its discontents. Two carfree thumbs up! &lt;_Jym_&gt; </pre> Jym Dyer 2012-01-09T17:30:19 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19936 <pre>Please go to the site below, vote for me (Joseph Floyd, Zero Waste Coordinator), and share this on your wall. My beautiful wife entered me in a contest for a Yuba Mundo cargo bike that will allow me to carry 440 lbs plus me without the CO2 emissions of a car. Thanks in advance and thank your friends for me too!! :) http://wfi.re/f4hdv Sincerely, Joseph Floyd </pre> josephfloyd_zerowaste 2012-01-06T20:35:26 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19935 <pre>http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-green-burial-20120101,0,3811532.story =v= He was killed by a car. Of course. &lt;_Jym_&gt; </pre> Jym Dyer 2012-01-06T03:52:21 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19937 <pre>=v= Jen-Luc Godard's 1967 film _Week_End_ was at a moviehouse this weekend, and had no idea what I was getting into. In the first few minutes of the film there is road rage (well, parking lot rage), and in short order we're in the road film from Hell. After another parking lot altercation, we find ourselves in a remarkable 8-minute tracking shot of a traffic jam on a highway out of Paris. Of course it's online: http://fan.tcm.com/_Week-End-1967-Jean-Luc-Godard-Tracking-Shot/video/1578921/66470.html Notice the honking and anger every step of the way. =v= Things aren't much better when our protagonists get their car rolling at higher speeds, of course; there are smashed-up cars and cartoonishly bloody bodies alongside every country road. A bicyclist is run off the road, then a car in exactly the same manner, and then of course a pedestrian. A collision between a sports car and tractor prompts a heated argument about class war. =v= A guerrilla band arrives about 2/3rds of the way into the film and dynamites a car, but alas, the revolution (and the film) goes awry when it loses sight of its core values. The guerillas apparently there to make some kind of statement about the collapse of bourgeois civiliation (I use the b-word advisedly, because after this film, Godard devoted his career to Marxism). The revolutionaries descend into cruelty and barbarism, less cartoonish and more shocking -- a dull-witted writeup in the _SF_Weekly_ links this to Occupy Wall Street for no discerniblereason -- and we move from cars to cannibalism and guns. Alas. =v= Even so, overall, a satisfying look at car culture and its discontents. Two carfree thumbs up! &lt;_Jym_&gt; </pre> Jym Dyer 2012-01-09T17:30:19 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19936 <pre>Please go to the site below, vote for me (Joseph Floyd, Zero Waste Coordinator), and share this on your wall. My beautiful wife entered me in a contest for a Yuba Mundo cargo bike that will allow me to carry 440 lbs plus me without the CO2 emissions of a car. Thanks in advance and thank your friends for me too!! :) http://wfi.re/f4hdv Sincerely, Joseph Floyd </pre> josephfloyd_zerowaste 2012-01-06T20:35:26 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19935 <pre>http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-green-burial-20120101,0,3811532.story =v= He was killed by a car. Of course. &lt;_Jym_&gt; </pre> Jym Dyer 2012-01-06T03:52:21 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19936 <pre>Please go to the site below, vote for me (Joseph Floyd, Zero Waste Coordinator), and share this on your wall. My beautiful wife entered me in a contest for a Yuba Mundo cargo bike that will allow me to carry 440 lbs plus me without the CO2 emissions of a car. Thanks in advance and thank your friends for me too!! :) http://wfi.re/f4hdv Sincerely, Joseph Floyd </pre> josephfloyd_zerowaste 2012-01-06T20:35:26 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19935 <pre>http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-green-burial-20120101,0,3811532.story =v= He was killed by a car. Of course. &lt;_Jym_&gt; </pre> Jym Dyer 2012-01-06T03:52:21 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19932 <pre> To the very first place we must make one thing clear that the fuel injection pump which is typically used synonymously with the diesel injection pump can also be utilized to provide gasoline to a petrol motor. So, you must come out of the misconception that fuel injection system is only meant to support the diesel vehicles. The diesel fuel injectors &lt;http://www.dieselinjectionpump.net/&gt; is powered by the engine using a connection straight to the crankshaft of the engine. The diesel pump is engineered to keep on injecting the diesel into the engine all along the piston stroke. Commonly the larger engines are used in the hefty vehicles and machineries to boost the fuel performance where as the four stroke and two stroke engines are found in cars and mopeds respectively. With different variations the diesel engines are carefully made compatible for different dimensions of the automobiles. It is essential get the right type of diesel fuel injector &lt;http://www.dieselinjectionpump.net/&gt; pump to experience the smooth driving for long without a functional hassle. Diesel fuel engines have been a little sluggish as compared to the others on the up-take. It has been observed especially in the common family cars. According to the automobile engineers it is mainly due to their repute of being noisy and smelly and not for any serious functional issues. However, as the technology is improving everyday and innovations are coming into the market the diesel engines are getting more acceptable resolution to our modern transportation woes. So, it is wise to have some knowledge about the recent status of diesel vehicles before you get your own. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] </pre> jimcorbett89 2011-09-01T06:00:33 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19931 <pre> Being a car owner you must be well acquainted with the fuel injection pump, and its mechanism of mixing fuel with air in an internal combustion engine. The fuel injection system has completely replaced the carburetors and become the primary fuel delivery system of all the automotive engines. There are specific designs and calibration of fuel injection system for specific type of fuel. Notably most of the fuel injectors were made for the gasoline or diesel applications. However, before the diesel injector &lt;http://www.dieselinjectionpump.net/&gt; came, carburetors were the predominant method used to meter fuel on diesel or gasoline engines. Since the earliest development and usage of the internal combustion engines, a variety of fuel injection system appeared to the market. The diesel injectors &lt;http://www.dieselinjectionpump.net/&gt; specifications are made in relation to their specific engineering and functionalities. So, if you are looking for a diesel injection pump you must compare the specifications to find the best suitable mechanism for your vehicle. The Bosch fuel injection pump is the most popular automotive equipment available to the recent market that perfectly suits the Original Equipment requirements of the vehicle owners. According to the manufacturers of Bosch injection pump, the fuel injector system is only the nozzle and valve, where the power to inject the fuel to the engine comes from specially designed pressure container or pump located behind the fuel supply. The fuel injector systems perform a vital role in the accurate metering and atomization of fuel. So, it is important to get the quality components to maintain a good health of your motor vehicle for long. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] </pre> jimcorbett89 2011-09-01T06:05:00 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19927 <pre>=v= U.S. Congress is looking to reduce the commuter benefit tax break at the end of this year. Two years ago it was increased to match the tax break for parking cars, but now it's supposed to expire while motorists still get the full benefit. Some details: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jhorner/want_to_keep_your_pre-tax_tran.html http://transportationnation.org/2011/11/07/commuter-transit-tax-benefit-to-expire-at-end-of-year/ =v= Here's an email-sending site to tell Congress not to continue the transit benefit: http://act.commuterbenefitsworkforus.com/5239/tell-congress-to-support-transit-benefit/ &lt;_Jym_&gt; </pre> Jym Dyer 2011-11-17T00:11:34 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19926 <pre>http://www.statesman.com/news/local/texas-gets-more-in-highway-bucks-than-texans-1917284.html?cxtype=rss_news And less than 10% of state funds for roads come from motorists in the form of gas tax and registration fees. Over 90% comes from the general fund meaning non-car owners are just subsidizing ungrateful drivers. John </pre> John Mayson 2011-10-17T02:10:38 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19924 <pre> Even on an earth day event I could not get the TV news to show up even though I had asked them way before the event. I want to show other businesses that you can run a business without a car. I have also heard rumors that homeland security is protecting the oil companies, and I am wondering if this could be the reason the news is shy of me. I have also heard that people who filmed or promoted the documentary Gasland against oil companies ended up on the terror watch list such as Mark Ruffalo or Josh Fox. My handyman business uses bike and public transit and also uses a 4 wheeled bicycle to carry larger tools. </pre> Joseph Carrillo 2011-08-30T02:34:21 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19922 <pre>=v= Here's an Associated Press story about a street lined with rechargers for electric cars: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/08/16/national/a145352D31.DTL =v= Apparently we've dropped all pretense that EVs will be charged off-peak, at least up until the next-to-last paragraph, which makes no sense given the entire article before it. Right after a proposed grandiose "West Coast Green [sic] Highway" is mentioned, we get this: | Electric vehicles will not put much strain on the power | grid because charging stations don't use much of it -- | about the same as two hair dyers -- and because most | charging will probably be done from home at night, | when plants generate excess electricity, said Jim Piro, | president and chief executive of Portland General Electric, | the local power company. The "will probably" part is the sticking point, given that even early adopters of this technology havemostly opted instead for the all-American convenience of topping up the old batteries in the middle of the day. Increased energy demand during peak hours means increased pollution -- so, um, what was the point of taxpayers subsidizing these things again? =v= Of course they're playing the usual shell game with that: | PGE is powering the charging stations with renewable energy. | The utility will study their impact on the power grid, said | Charlie Allcock, the director of economic development. What's to study? When you devote more and more eco-groovy energy sources to wasteful car-based transportation, demand will increase for the not-so-groovy sources for everything else society needs. That's how a power grid works. =v= It bears mentioning that the Pacific Northwest does have a lot of hydro power, not all of it ecologically benign, if you care about depleted salmon runs. When it comes to using and wasting electricity, though, the grid spans the continent, so that's the context to be thinking about. &lt;_Jym_&gt; </pre> Jym Dyer 2011-08-17T14:28:03 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.politics.activism.carfree/19912 <pre>We are a carfree family of 7 since January and LOVING it. Our AAA membership is up for renewal, and we're wondering if it's worth keeping for the bike service and anytime we might actually borrow or use a car. What are people's experience with AAA or a comparable service for bikes? Thanks for your thoughts! Anne </pre> rootsandshootsmama 2011-08-01T22:40:32 Search the mailing list at Gmane query http://search.gmane.org/?group=$group=gmane.politics.activism.carfree