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Gasoline costs take biggest share of household income in three decades

By Ben Geman, The hill
Trips to the gasoline pump in 2012 and 2008 took their biggest share of U.S. household income in several decades, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The Energy Department’s statistical arm reported Monday that the average household spent $2,912 for gasoline in 2012, which makes up almost 4 percent of pre-tax income, tying 2008 for the highest percentage in roughly 30 years.
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https://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/280873-fed-agency-2012-household-gasoline-costs-take-biggest-bite-in-decades

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Tree and Human Health May be Linked

Via Bioscience Technology
"In an analysis of 18 years of data from 1,296 counties in 15 states, researchers found that Americans living in areas infested by the emerald ash borer, a beetle that kills ash trees, suffered from an additional 15,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 6,000 more deaths from lower respiratory disease when compared to uninfected areas. When emerald ash borer comes into a community, city streets lined with ash trees become treeless."
https://www.biosciencetechnology.com/news/2013/01/tree-and-human-health-may-be-linked

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NEW Kona Bikes Donation

Race Pace mechanic buys 10 new bicycles and donates them to Bikes For the World.

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Part time mechanic at Race Pace buys 10 new Kona bikes and donates them to BfW. Seen here with Keith Oberg of BfW and Kevin Dolan Race Pace Bicycles

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Norm even helped load them up for us!

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The first time Norm donated bikes they went to Uganda. Here is one with Muwonge Jalia. Most of the farmers in the Kayunga District all borrow Jalia’s bicycle to travel to the markets, health centers, and for personal business. They loved the bikes so much, they left the cardboard packing on them to help protect them.
Continue reading “NEW Kona Bikes Donation”

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Surface Streets Are Not Freeways!

B’ Spokes: While I was biking up Charles Street some idiot car driver tells me I am not allowed to bike on highways. So I respond “Oh you’re thinking of freeways.” and then gave him directions to 83. The look on his face was priceless.

Two things to note from this is 1) He had enough time and space to comfortably drive along side me during this conversation and traffic was still able to get around the both of us. 2) 83 is typically doing crawling speeds at this time due to too many cars. Too many cars are the problem and not too many bikes!

Another story: The guy behind me is honking his fool head off for about one minute when I come to a double parked truck unloading. I slip off to the left of the truck and Mr. honking is no longer an issue. Nice situational awareness guy.

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Continue reading “Surface Streets Are Not Freeways!”

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Why We Need More Research Into Cycling and Brain Science

By SARAH GOODYEAR, The Atlantic Cities
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The same holds true for depression and other mood problems. People who ride bicycles are almost ridiculously eager – and I include myself in this company – to tell you about how getting on the bike and riding for transportation or for pleasure elevates their mood and helps calm anxiety. It’s one of the reasons that people become so passionately attached to their bicycles. Yet scientists still don’t fully understand why this might be so.
John Ratey, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard University, is one of the people who is trying to figure it out. His 2008 book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, looked at the link between exercise and learning, mood, aging, ADHD, and a host of other mental functions. In an interview with The Independent, Ratey discussed why cycling might be a particularly effective way to both exercise our bodies and sharpen our minds:
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Cycling, says Ratey, is "like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of Ritalin."
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https://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/02/why-we-need-more-research-cycling-and-brain-science/4624/