oh-revoir

A Letter to Philadelphia City Councilman Frank DiCicco

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0500

A Letter to Philadelphia City Councilman Frank DiCicco:

I’m writing in regards to your recent decision to introduce legislation changing the existing Philadelphia bike laws. In light of the recent events, I can certainly understand why such a call to action seems the right thing to do. However I believe you and Councilman Kenney are overreacting with your bills and should reconsider.

As a former resident and biker of Philadelphia, I can tell you with that there is absolutely no enforcement whatsoever of the existing bike laws. None. With no reason to obey the word of law, bikers have taken great liberty to make their lives easier: Running traffic lights on the wrong side of the road, not wearing helmets, etc. This lack of law has bred a culture of bad bike behavior.

With the recent deaths of two people on account of bad biking practices, you are now set to introduce laws that will dramatically alter the landscape of the city’s culture. The combination of reactionary over-enforcement of existing laws and penalties so severe that people risk losing their bicycles can only result in unrest and discourse. I am especially concerned with the penalty of confiscated a bike without brakes. This leaves the police in effective control over a person’s possessions in a matter where they may not have expertise. While I certainly abhor the idea of riding around without brakes, the notion that an officer can simply take your bike over the perception that you don’t have them is a frightening one.

We already have an existing set of laws. Enforcing them will foster a better community. Augmenting them to the levels you threaten only serves to disenchant people from biking in the city. Philadelphia has already ostracized it’s skateboard community by treating them as though they are thugs and criminals. Let’s not do the same to bikers.

Respectfully yours,

Matthew Kosoy

It could not have been put into better words than this. I don’t know if the city understand how much they are about to hurt such a large community in Philly.

If you are not aware of what is currently going on in Philadelphia… Please read the following articles.

City cyclists cheer one bill, boo others

Councilmen to propose license plates for bicycles

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-15)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:33:00 -0500

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-15):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

Beautiful footage of the fall of a West Philly Landmark (sort...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:40:47 -0500

Beautiful footage of the fall of a West Philly Landmark (sort of). The death of the Drexel shaft came yesterday. The footage caught gave the Amtrak Steam Plant a lovely goodbye as it exploded… and fell. Good use of song too. Gave me a chuckle.

Read the story at Philly.com: Changing Skyline: Powering Down

I cant help it. I love it. I had to post it to show my...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:46:07 -0500

I cant help it. I love it. I had to post it to show my appreciation for it.

Watching it makes me want to buy tons of shoe’s and clothing that I have no clue where I would wear in Philly. Still. As my friend would say… “FAB-U-LOUS”

This is a great cover perfect for today. sexmusic: Song:...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:42:34 -0500

This is a great cover perfect for today.

sexmusic:

Song: Whatever You Like

Artist: Anya Marina [T.I. Cover]

Oh information overload. I love it. Some of the facts are...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:43:33 -0500

Oh information overload. I love it. Some of the facts are incredible.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-8)

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:39:29 -0500

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-8):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

"If we could be as obsessive with government data as we are with baseball stats, maybe it would..."

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:24:48 -0500

“If we could be as obsessive with government data as we are with baseball stats, maybe it would change the form of democracy.”

- Lisa Staursfeld via fastcompany.com *amazing article

Was a Vampire for Halloween this year. Went to making time and I...

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:59:34 -0500

Was a Vampire for Halloween this year.

Went to making time and I must say, it was not what I expected. Venue was nothing spectacular. It could have been way better. I have learned my lesson for next year, the smaller the venue, the better the time.

Stayed for maybe an hour and the night ended with me walking 20+ blocks to find a cab. But all and all I got to hang with some awesome people. Just wished I got to dance a little more.

nuff said.

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:44:02 -0400

nuff said.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-10-25)

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:02:37 -0400

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-10-25):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

The game tonight was great! An intense game with beers and...

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:42:35 -0400

The game tonight was great! An intense game with beers and laughs. The music was ridiculous; including Tatu.. Chumbuwumba… and the Black Eyed Peas. Somehow it added to the night. We made it though. I started this blog right after the Phillie won the World Series… Here’s hopin’ for a repeat.

Above: Broad Street Crowd, Ashley and Emily and Me enjoying a beer. More images to come tomorrow. Or see more here.

Gettin' the Ol'Girl ready for a hot night...

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:40:00 -0400

Gettin' the Ol'Girl ready for a hot night...:

This is how our city is getting ready for Phillies Fans tonight… In case all hell breaks loose like last year. Greasing the Polls and Payphones so people cant climb them.

To read story, click above.

A beautiful map that helps sheds some light on the difference...

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:30:00 -0400

A beautiful map that helps sheds some light on the difference between Right and Left political sides.

Graphic is pulled from The Visual Miscellaneum

Enjoy some more yummy info graphics at Information is Beautiful.

Love. By: Mike Giant and more at Rebel 8

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:42:20 -0400

Love.

By: Mike Giant and more at Rebel 8

The GOOD 100.

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:50:15 -0400

The GOOD 100.:

Good Magazine’s is one of my favorite publications out there. Its informative and visually appealing. Half the time I look at the work in it I am in Awe and wish I did more info graphics; if any at all. On top of the magazine being beautiful, their website backs them up. I could spend loads of time on their site, reading stories and becoming more informed. Its organized, well laid out and clean. The smallest details were not left unnoticed when this site was designed; from the icons to the color usage.

I am sharing this today because their new issues out has an amazing cover with an impacting message behind it. Click Here to Read this Issue.

Sometimes I love the wittiness of Twitter in the morning.

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:28:59 -0400

Sometimes I love the wittiness of Twitter in the morning.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-10-18)

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:40:34 -0400

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-10-18):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

This is impressive, though a bit of a twisted story. I can not...

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:21:19 -0400

This is impressive, though a bit of a twisted story. I can not imagine how much time it took to make this.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-10-11)

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:26:43 -0400

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-10-11):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz