“The idea advanced by the NRA people is that homicides are basically done by monster criminals. But what really seems to be going on is that as the number of guns increases, as more houses have guns, it’s the availability of guns that turn ordinary interpersonal disputes, including domestic disputes, into lethal events.”
Bioethics and gun policy: a Q&A with Steve Miles | MinnPost (via minnpost)

(via minnpost)

Women Who Bike: A Survey in the Name of Social Science

swirlspice:

leahj:

secretrepublic:

If you’re a woman who bikes for transportation, please consider taking 10-15 minutes of your time for this survey. Your input is quite valuable.

Do it.

Consider it extra credit for 30 Days of Biking.

boomd:

s4xton:

kaeti:

boomd:

Friends, I am seeking a renter for my condo. It is my first home and first love so I hope to find someone who appreciates it as much as I do. Please share with anyone you know who might be looking for a place to live close to downtown St Paul. 

Skyline view, vaulted ceilings, & pet-friendly!

Nestled among the stately Victorians of St. Paul’s Dayton’s Bluff, the historic Schoch Building has been lovingly preserved in order to fit with and celebrate what has been described as “the most picturesque and beautiful district of the city.”

Turn-of-the-century detail, vaulted ceilings and a view of the downtown skyline are some of the many charming features this cozy upper one-bedroom has to offer. Others include sharing a building with the award-winning Strip Club Meat & Fish restaurant (domeats.com) and walking distance proximity to Metro State University and the glorious caramel rolls of Swede Hollow Cafe. (swedehollowcafe.com)

Rent includes heat, gas, garbage, a storage space, and laundry (shared, same level). Well-behaved cats and dogs will be cheerfully considered, with no additional deposit! Parking is on-street.

$900 a month. Email for a showing.

Know anyone looking for a great place to live in St. Paul? Ang will be the greatest landlord you could ask for.

…and you’d be living above one of the coolest restaurants in Saint Paul.

Hey, look at that, I need a renter again. Looking to have someone move in June 15th. July 1st at the latest. 

Since the original listing, we have replaced the storm windows in all the apartments, which improved temperature control and reduced street noise. 

Email for a showing. Will need to schedule showings at least 48 hours in advance. 

newscatgif: When I’m chasing a story Via i-justreally-like-cats-okay:

newscatgif:

When I’m chasing a story

Via i-justreally-like-cats-okay:

thedependentclause: Here is the bike Elyse Stern was riding on Friday night when she was hit by Juan Ricardo Hernandez-Campoceco, who was driving drunk.  I would like MPD Sgt. William Palmer to explain to us all how a helmet and lights would have prevented Hernandez-Campoceco from doing this to Stern’s bike with his car, killing her instantly, and continuing on his way without even slowing down. I would like Palmer to explain to me how, when “one of the key ­lessons here is prevention,” you immediately mention a helmet and lights, without saying anything about harsher drunk driving laws. Sure, let’s talk about bike safety, but let’s also talk about how physics, the legal system, and our culture ensures that, no matter who was at fault, motorized transportation will win out in terms of bodily harm, police reports, and a media that still portrays cyclists as outliers and freaks. Explain to me why that is. I would like Palmer and, by extension, anyone beating the helmets / lights / get-off-the-road / cycling-is-inherently-unsafe drum, to explain how a helmet and lights would prevent Hernandez-Campoceco from getting behind the wheel drunk. Explain to me how a helmet and lights would prevent Stern from having to ride through one of the busiest and most dangerous intersections in town at 2 a.m., an intersection she nonetheless had every right to use. Or perhaps you could explain how easily preventable tragedies like Elyse Stern’s death are maybe not the most appropriate time to point out what she was doing “wrong,” when the above photo makes clear that doing everything “right” and riding safely and being a Model Cyclist almost certainly wouldn’t have prevented her death, as the above photo suggests. Explain to the trolls in comments sections far and wide how a person has every right to ride her bike on a city street at 2 a.m., especially if that’s her primary mode of transportation, and how getting killed by a drunk driver should never be an acceptable risk of riding late at night. Explain to them to all of us how her ride home would be safer if our city had more bike lanes and motorists understood what they mean. Explain why even responsible, conscientious motorists have revealed to me, through experience and in conversation, that they don’t understand basic laws governing bicycle use within traffic. Explain how helmets and lights and encouraging cyclists to “follow the rules of the road” are supposed to prevent accidents when, in every fatal car/bike collision in the Twin Cities for at least the past five years, as near as anyone can tell, the cyclist involved was obeying the rules of the road, and in most cases wearing a helmet. The families of Dennis Dumm, Audrey Hull, Thomas Malloy, and Virginia Hauer are patiently awaiting your lecture about lights and helmets. Explain why, in the majority of the countless instances where my safety on a bike was jeopardized by a motorist, it was by a “professional” motor-vehicle operator, such as a taxi or school-bus driver.  Explain how helmets and lights might not even be necessary if we had more bike paths; if motorists drove the speed limit and didn’t get behind the wheel drunk or take calls or text while driving; if motorists didn’t hate cyclists just for exercising their equal right to the roads (which cyclists pay taxes on too, so so let me just save you the time of trotting that one out); if motorists didn’t intimidate cyclists by passing too close or tailgating or honking or yelling at them in order to “teach them a lesson,” always justifying their actions by saying they’ve seen some cyclists ride unsafely or illegally, so therefore apparently cyclists should all be afraid, all the time. Explain how our culture has accepted all of that that as the norm for a city that’s consistently ranked among the most bike-friendly cities in America.   Ha ha, April Fools—I know you’re not going to do any of that.

thedependentclause:

Here is the bike Elyse Stern was riding on Friday night when she was hit by Juan Ricardo Hernandez-Campoceco, who was driving drunk. 

I would like MPD Sgt. William Palmer to explain to us all how a helmet and lights would have prevented Hernandez-Campoceco from doing this to Stern’s bike with his car, killing her instantly, and continuing on his way without even slowing down.

I would like Palmer to explain to me how, when “one of the key ­lessons here is prevention,” you immediately mention a helmet and lights, without saying anything about harsher drunk driving laws. Sure, let’s talk about bike safety, but let’s also talk about how physics, the legal system, and our culture ensures that, no matter who was at fault, motorized transportation will win out in terms of bodily harm, police reports, and a media that still portrays cyclists as outliers and freaks. Explain to me why that is.

I would like Palmer and, by extension, anyone beating the helmets / lights / get-off-the-road / cycling-is-inherently-unsafe drum, to explain how a helmet and lights would prevent Hernandez-Campoceco from getting behind the wheel drunk. Explain to me how a helmet and lights would prevent Stern from having to ride through one of the busiest and most dangerous intersections in town at 2 a.m., an intersection she nonetheless had every right to use.

Or perhaps you could explain how easily preventable tragedies like Elyse Stern’s death are maybe not the most appropriate time to point out what she was doing “wrong,” when the above photo makes clear that doing everything “right” and riding safely and being a Model Cyclist almost certainly wouldn’t have prevented her death, as the above photo suggests.

Explain to the trolls in comments sections far and wide how a person has every right to ride her bike on a city street at 2 a.m., especially if that’s her primary mode of transportation, and how getting killed by a drunk driver should never be an acceptable risk of riding late at night.

Explain to them to all of us how her ride home would be safer if our city had more bike lanes and motorists understood what they mean. Explain why even responsible, conscientious motorists have revealed to me, through experience and in conversation, that they don’t understand basic laws governing bicycle use within traffic.

Explain how helmets and lights and encouraging cyclists to “follow the rules of the road” are supposed to prevent accidents when, in every fatal car/bike collision in the Twin Cities for at least the past five years, as near as anyone can tell, the cyclist involved was obeying the rules of the road, and in most cases wearing a helmet. The families of Dennis Dumm, Audrey Hull, Thomas Malloy, and Virginia Hauer are patiently awaiting your lecture about lights and helmets.

Explain why, in the majority of the countless instances where my safety on a bike was jeopardized by a motorist, it was by a “professional” motor-vehicle operator, such as a taxi or school-bus driver. 

Explain how helmets and lights might not even be necessary if we had more bike paths; if motorists drove the speed limit and didn’t get behind the wheel drunk or take calls or text while driving; if motorists didn’t hate cyclists just for exercising their equal right to the roads (which cyclists pay taxes on too, so so let me just save you the time of trotting that one out); if motorists didn’t intimidate cyclists by passing too close or tailgating or honking or yelling at them in order to “teach them a lesson,” always justifying their actions by saying they’ve seen some cyclists ride unsafely or illegally, so therefore apparently cyclists should all be afraid, all the time.

Explain how our culture has accepted all of that that as the norm for a city that’s consistently ranked among the most bike-friendly cities in America.  

Ha ha, April Fools—I know you’re not going to do any of that.

(via boomd)

(Source: togifs, via caturday)

bigboxcar: 10 Reasons To Oppose Marriage Equality

bigboxcar:

10 Reasons To Oppose Marriage Equality

mantavelous: neshatriumphs: Rape Culture isn’t real? holy SHIT

mantavelous:

neshatriumphs:

Rape Culture isn’t real?

holy SHIT

(Source: bonitabreezy, via bakeanddestroy)

mrchristian1982:

This house is directly across from Westboro Baptist Church, the notorious hate group. You know the one, with all the ”GOD HATES FAGS!” protest signs. The guys that protest the funerals of children, soldiers and celebrities. Yeah, those guys.

This house was bought a few months ago and turned into a LGBT rights group’s HQ. WBC had no idea… until today… when the group “came out” and painted the outside of the home with gay pride flag colors. Right. Across. The. Street. 

Now, WBC has to look at that house. Every day. Every. Day. Rock on!

Troll level: Activist

You can read the full story here. 

SO GREAT!

(via dysfunctionarian)

settled-forevermore: this is rape culture

settled-forevermore:

this is rape culture

(via bakeanddestroy)