Welcome to the October edition of Better Is Possible.
It’s a scary one. Boo.
Let’s jump right in.
No, your kids Halloween candy does not have drugs in it,
but they might get run over by a car.
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[Article] Want To Not Die In a Traffic Crash? Move to Helsinki!
“The Finnish transportation system is as impressive for its safety as it is for its multimodality. Only 219 people died on Finnish roads in 2021, or four per 100,000 residents — just one-third the US rate. And Finland’s roadways are growing steadily safer. Fatalities plunged 50% between 2001 and 2019, when Helsinki made international news for going an entire year without a single pedestrian or cyclist fatality.“
“[…]the US is an outlier in global road safety: Americans are now at least twice as likely to die in a vehicle crash as residents of Canada, France and Japan (among many other countries).”
How Finland Put Traffic Crashes on Ice, CityLab, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-07/helsinki-finland-s-amazing-traffic-safety-record-explained Boo.
[Article] Alex Jones: Finally Finding Out*
Hoping for nothing but the worst for this turd. May his irrelevancy and suffering be swift.
The families of eight Sandy Hook shooting victims on Wednesday won nearly $1 billion in damages from the Infowars fabulist Alex Jones, a devastating blow against his empire and a message from the jury that his lies and those of his followers have crippling consequences.
Mr. Jones, who for years said the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown, Conn., was a government hoax, now faces financial ruin. But it is unclear how much money the families will ultimately collect.
Sandy Hook Families Win $1 Billion From Alex Jones, The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/12/us/politics/alex-jones-sandy-hook-damages.html
If that NYT article is Regwalled for you, from The AP: https://apnews.com/article/shootings-school-connecticut-conspiracy-alex-jones-3f579380515fdd6eb59f5bf0e3e1c08f
*After fucking around for so long.
[Article] Trains, eBikes, and…Blimps?
“But the substitution of electricity for fossil fuels also allows us to do things a little differently if we want, beginning with this question of speed. The train is not as fast as the airplane for the trip to New York, but in every other dimension it’s infinitely superior: big windows to stare at the passing beauty, plenty of legroom and the chance to get up and stroll, an easy wifi connection, no TSA.”
Trains, E-Bikes, & Blimps — Bill McKibben Envisions Slower, Cleaner Transportation, Clean Technica, https://cleantechnica.com/2022/10/03/trains-e-bikes-blimps-bill-mckibben-envisions-slower-cleaner-transportation/
“Every trip taken by e-bike instead of automobile is a win for the planet. Even electric cars require far more resources than e-bikes to construct and operate (at 1,800 pounds, the battery of the Ford F-150 Lightning weighs as much as 233 Rad Power e-bike batteries). And according to one market estimate, e-bikes now outsell electric cars in the United States; almost 800,000 were purchased in 2021.”
Why E-Bikes Could Change Everything, Sierra, https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2022-3-fall/material-world/why-e-bikes-could-change-everything
[Article] The people are clamoring for E-bikes! In Denver, E-bike rebates are gone in minutes
“Andrea Coyle is one of the Denver residents who’s benefited from the program. She and her wife both bought e-bikes using city vouchers with the goal of replacing two car trips a week. But they’ve exceeded their own expectations, and instead find themselves riding “most days,” Coyle said.
Coyle, who received a $400 voucher, deals with chronic fatigue and sports-induced asthma. Riding on an e-bike makes hilly or longer outings more doable for her. And she and her wife are eager to take advantage. There’s “a car trip almost every day that we’re replacing,” she said.”
Denver’s E-Bike Rebates Are So Hot They’re Gone Within Minutes, Bloomberg, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-13/denver-e-bike-rebates-offer-lessons-for-other-cities Boo.
[Bonus] Bike Bus Update
NBC Nightly News did a feature on the Portland elementary school Bike Bus. See the video shared on twitter here: https://twitter.com/berkie1/status/1580341540605808640 Boo.
[Video] Is It Possible For Democrats To Win Back The Rural Voter?
Probably!
How The Left Wins Back Rural US Voters | Chloe Maxmin & Canyon Woodward, The Majority Report, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxwjvTTFECo
[Bonus] A Quick Thread On How To Better Interact With The Visibly, And Not-So-Visibly, Disabled
Boo.