Rather than make judgments about the ride through the MIT corridor based on speculation, how about taking an account from someone who was there. We went through in single file, and the corridor was quite wide, likely more than 8-10 feet. There was plenty of room for "pedestrians to get out of the way from a bicycle." Passers-by strolled calmly in the opposite direction as we pedaled by, single file, at a leisurely pace, while others hardly looked up from their laptops as they sat at benches. It was much more magical/whimsical than anything else. Given our small numbers and the small number of passers-by, it was very much dissimilar to a car going down a sidewalk. Not something to be repeated with a larger group or during the semester, but certainly a treat for all involved, I reckon.
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Jan 7, 2008 7:14 PM, <<a href="mailto:bostoncriticalmass-request@bostoncriticalmass.org">bostoncriticalmass-request@bostoncriticalmass.org</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Send Bostoncriticalmass mailing list submissions to<br> <a href="mailto:bostoncriticalmass@bostoncriticalmass.org">bostoncriticalmass@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br><br>To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
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bostoncriticalmass-owner@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br><br>When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific<br>than "Re: Contents of Bostoncriticalmass digest..."<br><br><br>Today's Topics:
<br><br> 1. Re: Thoughts, or what was the thinking at MIT and....<br> (Dan Barrett)<br> 2. Re: Thoughts, or what was the thinking at MIT and.... (Ari Pollak)<br> 3. Re: Thoughts, or what was the thinking at MIT and.... (Jon Ramos)
<br> 4. Thoughts, or what was the thinking at the MSM ... (Jym Dyer)<br> 5. Re: Thoughts, or what was the thinking at the MSM ...<br> (Adam Rosi-Kessel)<br> 6. Re: Thoughts, or what was the thinking at the MSM ... (Ari Pollak)
<br> 7. Re: Thoughts, or what was the thinking at the MSM ... (Adam Shoop)<br> 8. Re: Thoughts, or what was the thinking at the MSM ... (Jym Dyer)<br> 9. Re: Thoughts, or what was the thinking at the MSM ...<br> (
<a href="mailto:thom3@aol.com">thom3@aol.com</a>)<br> 10. Re: Thoughts, or what was the thinking at MIT and....<br> (Hiroyuki G Yamada)<br><br><br>----------------------------------------------------------------------
<br><br>Message: 1<br>Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 12:15:19 -0500 (EST)<br>From: "Dan Barrett" <<a href="mailto:dbx@pobox.com">dbx@pobox.com</a>><br>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at MIT and....
<br>To: <a href="mailto:bostoncriticalmass@bostoncriticalmass.org">bostoncriticalmass@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br>Message-ID:<br> <<a href="mailto:48126.208.27.111.121.1199726119.squirrel@webmail.offthehill.org">
48126.208.27.111.121.1199726119.squirrel@webmail.offthehill.org</a>><br>Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1<br><br>The article reminded me of my long-held desire to ride through the Star<br>Market in Porter Square.
<br><br><br><br>------------------------------<br><br>Message: 2<br>Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:26:10 -0500<br>From: Ari Pollak <<a href="mailto:ajp@aripollak.com">ajp@aripollak.com</a>><br>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at MIT and....
<br>To: <a href="mailto:thom3@aol.com">thom3@aol.com</a><br>Cc: <a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br>Message-ID: <<a href="mailto:1199726770.17290.64.camel@apollak.lab.compete.com">
1199726770.17290.64.camel@apollak.lab.compete.com</a>><br>Content-Type: text/plain<br><br>I don't think there was ever a followup on the list, and I think I was<br>too far ahead on that ride to notice the arrest.<br>
<br>On Mon, 2008-01-07 at 12:22 -0500, <a href="mailto:thom3@aol.com">thom3@aol.com</a> wrote:<br>> Oh yeah, an oldie but a goodie.....<br>><br>> do you recall what ever happened to the person?<br>><br>><br>
> Tom<br>><br>><br>> -----Original Message-----<br>> From: Ari Pollak <<a href="mailto:ajp@aripollak.com">ajp@aripollak.com</a>><br>> To: <a href="mailto:thom3@aol.com">thom3@aol.com</a><br>> Sent: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 12:18 pm
<br>> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at MIT and....<br>><br>> <a href="http://bostoncriticalmass.org/pipermail/bostoncriticalmass/2006-April/001172.html" target="_blank">http://bostoncriticalmass.org/pipermail/bostoncriticalmass/2006-April/001172.html
</a><br>><br>> I suppose that could've been State Police activity since the post did<br>> not specify, but still...<br>><br>> On Mon, 2008-01-07 at 11:49 -0500, <a href="mailto:thom3@aol.com">thom3@aol.com
</a> wrote:<br>> > can you elaborate as to why it is an understatement?<br>><br>> ><br>><br>><br>> ______________________________________________________________________<br>> More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail!
<br>><br><br><br><br>------------------------------<br><br>Message: 3<br>Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 10:19:06 -0800 (PST)<br>From: Jon Ramos <<a href="mailto:jontramos@yahoo.com">jontramos@yahoo.com</a>><br>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at MIT and....
<br>To: <a href="mailto:dbx@pobox.com">dbx@pobox.com</a>, <a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br>Message-ID: <<a href="mailto:987987.84829.qm@web50008.mail.re2.yahoo.com">987987.84829.qm@web50008.mail.re2.yahoo.com
</a>><br>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"<br><br>I missed the December ride due to my broken right hand, (bicycle accident, hit by a car on Tremont St) but I have to say that I am appalled that the group rode through a building. Corking traffic, and giving angry motorists 'the business' is one thing, because we have a right to be there etc, etc... but inside a building? that's just not cool. There is no place in a corridor for a pedestrian to get out of the way from a bicycle, in that situation we are analogous to cars driving down bike lanes & sidewalks. We dont have a right to be there. The December ride sounds like it may have been fun, but really it just made CM riders look like real a-holes.
<br><br>- Jon<br><br><br>----- Original Message ----<br>From: Dan Barrett <<a href="mailto:dbx@pobox.com">dbx@pobox.com</a>><br>To: <a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br>Sent: Monday, January 7, 2008 12:15:19 PM
<br>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at MIT and....<br><br>The article reminded me of my long-held desire to ride through the Star<br>Market in Porter Square.<br><br>_______________________________________________
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</a><br><br>------------------------------<br><br>Message: 4<br>Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:42:25 -0800<br>From: Jym Dyer <<a href="mailto:jym@econet.org">jym@econet.org</a>><br>Subject: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at the MSM ...
<br>To: Boston CM <<a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a>><br>Message-ID: <<a href="mailto:Jym.07Jan2008.47828083@econet.org">Jym.07Jan2008.47828083@econet.org</a>><br><br>
<a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/01/06/achieving_critical_mass/" target="_blank">http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/01/06/achieving_critical_mass/</a><br><br>=v= As feared, an article hopped up on an unrepresentative
<br>sampling of controversies and riddled with inaccuracies.<br><br>| ... and about 300 other cities ...<br><br>=1= Wow, good thing I pointed the guy to the <a href="http://www.critical-mass.org" target="_blank">www.critical-mass.org
</a><br>website which documents 450 cities.<br><br>| ... or just blocking traffic.<br><br>=2= Um, BEING traffic. Editorialize much?<br><br>| Critical Mass has caused contention in many communities - from<br>| New York, where hundreds of massers were arrested at the 2004
<br>| Republican National Convention, to San Francisco, where Mayor<br>| Willie Brown declared war on the group.<br><br>=3= Editorialize much about who caused what? I suppose NYC's<br>August 2004 ride (which a fact-checker should have noticed was
<br>*before* the RNC) "caused" 1800 people to be arrested over the<br>next weekend, too, huh?<br><br>=4= The police attack on the July 1997 ride in San Francisco was<br>indeed Willie Brown declaring war on us, but the "cause" was a
<br>massive traffic jam on the day of the June 1997 ride, which was<br>underway before the ride even began, then blamed on the ride<br>after the fact.<br><br>| The group's activities have spawned the term "U-lock justice"
<br><br>=5= Wrong. That term goes back at least to the 1980s.<br> <_Jym_><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>------------------------------<br><br>Message: 5<br>Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:55:59 -0500<br>From: Adam Rosi-Kessel <
<a href="mailto:adam@rosi-kessel.org">adam@rosi-kessel.org</a>><br>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at the MSM ...<br>To: Boston CM <<a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org
</a>><br>Message-ID: <<a href="mailto:478275BF.8060203@rosi-kessel.org">478275BF.8060203@rosi-kessel.org</a>><br>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed<br><br>Jym Dyer wrote:<br>> | The group's activities have spawned the term "U-lock justice"
<br>> =5= Wrong. That term goes back at least to the 1980s.<br><br>And, just for the record, I never mentioned "civil disobedience." And my<br>name is spelled with one L.<br><br><br>------------------------------
<br><br>Message: 6<br>Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:05:44 -0500<br>From: Ari Pollak <<a href="mailto:ajp@aripollak.com">ajp@aripollak.com</a>><br>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at the MSM ...<br>
To: Boston Critical Mass <<a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a>><br>Message-ID: <<a href="mailto:1199732744.17290.86.camel@apollak.lab.compete.com">1199732744.17290.86.camel@apollak.lab.compete.com
</a>><br>Content-Type: text/plain<br><br>Sounds like a letter to the editor is in order.<br><br>On Mon, 2008-01-07 at 13:55 -0500, Adam Rosi-Kessel wrote:<br>> And, just for the record, I never mentioned "civil disobedience." And my
<br>> name is spelled with one L.<br><br><br><br>------------------------------<br><br>Message: 7<br>Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 14:19:40 -0500<br>From: "Adam Shoop" <<a href="mailto:info@adamshoop.org">info@adamshoop.org
</a>><br>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at the MSM ...<br>To: "'Boston Critical Mass'" <<a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a>><br>
Message-ID: <00c001c85162$41ca9720$6402a8c0@DG9BNJ41><br>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"<br><br>There are some pertinent comments on the Boston Fixed Gear forums as well.<br><br>Here's the main one:
<br><br><a href="http://bostonfixed.us/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=434&page=1" target="_blank">http://bostonfixed.us/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=434&page=1</a><br><br>And then one on what would make a better article:
<br><br><a href="http://bostonfixed.us/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=435&page=1" target="_blank">http://bostonfixed.us/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=435&page=1</a><br><br>-AS<br><br><br><br>------------------------------
<br><br>Message: 8<br>Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:44:06 -0800<br>From: Jym Dyer <<a href="mailto:jym@econet.org">jym@econet.org</a>><br>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at the MSM ...<br>To: Boston CM <
<a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a>><br>Message-ID: <<a href="mailto:Jym.07Jan2008.47828ef8@econet.org">Jym.07Jan2008.47828ef8@econet.org</a>><br><br>> the article is pretty much amature hour IMHO
<br><br>=v= Well, the guy was upfront about his amateur status when he<br>came to this list asking for information. What bothers me is<br>that he was given access to resources that would have made his<br>article more accurate, and apparently ignored them.
<br><br>=v= I could tell by his second inquiry that he wanted to focus<br>on the whiz! bang! pow! controversial! stuff, and warned that<br>it would lead to dishonestly unrepresentative reporting. And<br>lo, it came to pass.
<br> <_Jym_><br><br><br><br>------------------------------<br><br>Message: 9<br>Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:50:45 -0500<br>From: <a href="mailto:thom3@aol.com">thom3@aol.com</a><br>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at the MSM ...
<br>To: <a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a>, <a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br>Message-ID: <<a href="mailto:8CA1F7DBA6649B6-F88-1074@webmail-da21.sysops.aol.com">
8CA1F7DBA6649B6-F88-1074@webmail-da21.sysops.aol.com</a>><br>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"<br><br>right RE his status and I agree he was immensely lazy in his ability to do research. I am just amazed that The Boston Globe let this shit fly.
<br><br>I also think the POV is weird and sounds like the guy?drove a car along side the group and occassiobnally stops and asked "What are you feeling, what are you thinking?"<br><br>It's total crap, and why did he not wait til the thaw when a more "typical"/robust CM ride happens....
<br><br><br>Tom<br><br><br>-----Original Message-----<br>From: Jym Dyer <<a href="mailto:jym@econet.org">jym@econet.org</a>><br>To: Boston CM <<a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org
</a>><br>Sent: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 3:44 pm<br>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at the MSM ...<br><br><br><br>> the article is pretty much amature hour IMHO<br><br>=v= Well, the guy was upfront about his amateur status when he
<br>came to this list asking for information. What bothers me is<br>that he was given access to resources that would have made his<br>article more accurate, and apparently ignored them.<br><br>=v= I could tell by his second inquiry that he wanted to focus
<br>on the whiz! bang! pow! controversial! stuff, and warned that<br>it would lead to dishonestly unrepresentative reporting. And<br>lo, it came to pass.<br> <_Jym_><br><br>_______________________________________________
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<a href="mailto:hyamada@MIT.EDU">hyamada@MIT.EDU</a>><br>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at MIT and....<br>To: Boston Critical Mass <<a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org
</a>><br>Message-ID: <<a href="mailto:Pine.LNX.4.64L.0801071909540.12160@vinegar-pot.mit.edu">Pine.LNX.4.64L.0801071909540.12160@vinegar-pot.mit.edu</a>><br>Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
<br><br>Keep In mind though, that MIT wasn't in session at this point -- Finals<br>were over the 21st and most people students gone by the 22nd or 23rd. The<br>remaining grad students etc were probably a minuscule proportion of the
<br>usual traffic in the infinite corridor and this was probably taken into<br>consideration when the ride through MIT was suggested. Also, with only 30<br>riders (if the article is to be trusted on that count) it also wouldn't
<br>have been as bad. Probably not the best of ideas on a friday in the middle<br>of term, with 300+ riders, to go traipsing through a corridor, but in that<br>particular instance, I can't imagine that it was too much trouble.
<br><br>As for the article, it sounds like he wanted to get as "good" of an<br>article out (his standard for good might have been exciting or "wham pow,"<br>vs an actual editorially accurate and well-written piece) with as little
<br>work -- just trolling around on wikipedia could have given him the<br>information he posted. Given how responsive Boston's CM list was, it<br>certainly seems that he could have gotten a more in-depth look at our<br>
particular ride.<br><br>(Perhaps written up a blurb about the arrest over at Harvard Square in the<br>(I think) October ride?)<br><br>--Yuki<br><br>On Mon, 7 Jan 2008, Jon Ramos wrote:<br><br>> I missed the December ride due to my broken right hand, (bicycle accident, hit by a car on Tremont St) but I have to say that I am appalled that the group rode through a building. Corking traffic, and giving angry motorists 'the business' is one thing, because we have a right to be there etc, etc... but inside a building? that's just not cool. There is no place in a corridor for a pedestrian to get out of the way from a bicycle, in that situation we are analogous to cars driving down bike lanes & sidewalks. We dont have a right to be there. The December ride sounds like it may have been fun, but really it just made CM riders look like real a-holes.
<br>><br>> - Jon<br>><br>><br>> ----- Original Message ----<br>> From: Dan Barrett <<a href="mailto:dbx@pobox.com">dbx@pobox.com</a>><br>> To: <a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org
</a><br>> Sent: Monday, January 7, 2008 12:15:19 PM<br>> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Thoughts, or what was the thinking at MIT and....<br>><br>> The article reminded me of my long-held desire to ride through the Star
<br>> Market in Porter Square.<br>><br>> _______________________________________________<br>> Boston Critical Mass mailing list<br>> <a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a>
<br>> <a href="http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list" target="_blank">http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list</a><br>> To unsubscribe email <a href="mailto:list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org">list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org
</a><br>><br>><br>> ____________________________________________________________________________________<br>> Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page.<br>> <a href="http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs" target="_blank">
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs</a><br><br><br>------------------------------<br><br>_______________________________________________<br>Boston Critical Mass mailing list<br><a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org
</a><br><a href="http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list" target="_blank">http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list</a><br><br>End of Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 43, Issue 3<br>*************************************************<br>
</blockquote></div><br>