Comments Zeth has made

Biking in skirts

I've been a bike commuter since I was 16 and running deliveries in Seattle. I've been car-free since I was 18, and now at 24 I have finally learned how to bike in a skirt. There are great comments on the board already, so I'm going to toss out just a few, especially as I have two bikes and zero chain-guards or skirt-guards between them.

1. On the short side: I know that I can ride in any skirt with a hem within seven inches above my knees. Sit firmly on the back of your skirt and the front will stay in place.

2. On the long side: I know that for the most part, I can ride in any skirt that doesn't come within 12 inches of my feet. There are a few that I pin up, etc., but I've never had the skirt-in-the-works problem. Not yet, at least.

3. Trendy: So it might sound weird, but skirts that are shorter in the front than they are on the sides are perfect. The front sits nicely on the crossbar and the sides keep you from getting unwelcome exposure.

4. I'm not for pimping brands, but a couple of (hint) sustainably-minded companies make practical, beautiful SKIRTS that are designed for biking in. Happy hunting . . . I bought three in different colors.

The mutual contract

My high-school job was working as a bike messenger in downtown Seattle. I cut my biking eye-teeth commuting from Edmonds and riding up, down and around the Seattle metropolitan area. Now I live, carless, in Portland (OR) and commute to work, by bicycle five days a week (bar weather). A few quick, anecdotal, non-definitive observations:

Portland has more bike lanes than Seattle, hands down. This does not, however, make drivers any more careful. My first month in Portland I was mowed over WHILST IN THE BIKE LANE. There is only so much you can do to avoid being hit. Drivers have to take some responsibility.

Seattle's Burke Gilman trail is a marvel because it goes where people need it to go. The number of commuters that move along the Burke highlight the difference between a recreational bike-trail and a commuter bike-trail. It really ought to be extended as soon as possible.

Portland has an incredible number of bicycle racks, which in my opinion may be what makes it truly bike-friendly. I can always find somewhere to park my ride. Waiters are also famously tolerant of folk showing up with helmets strapped to their bags and bike-gloves on, so props.

As far as I'm concerned, bikes have no right and no right of way on busy sidewalks. I drive my boyfriend crazy by insisting that he get his ass back on the road, but by having a right to the road, bikers forfeit their right to the sidewalk. Sorry, dudes.

In the end, it only works if there is a mutual contract. When I was in England, I was floored by how many riders didn't wear helmets. On the other hand, I didn't know anyone who has ever been hit. I've been hit three times in eight years in the States. Bikers have to wear a helmet, ride responsibly, and stay off of the sidewalk. Drivers have to get down off of their expensive, smoggy high-horsepower thrones(I'll admit to a chip on my shoulder) and check their blind spots.

Oh yeah - and I'm really tired of hearing, "Get off the road, bitch!" I've heard it before. It's no longer shocking.On Is your town? posted 2 years, 6 months ago 17 Responses

Touche!

Touche, Mary, and I retract the "none". I'm not hating on vegans or veggies (better not be, 'cause I am one), but just because it CAN be done doesn't mean, de facto, that it ought to. I know a lot and lot of Mom-and-Baby docs and nurses, including midwifes, osteopaths and naturopaths, some of them veggie or vegan, but none of them made it compulsory for their own children. Upon a quick sample, none of them would reccommend it for the majority of children they treat and see, either, though they admit that it's possible to raise vegan kids.

Taking another step back, I work in the Neurosciences and know a fair bit about what makes brains and bodies work. I also know that it's awfully hard for young bodies to extract what they need to grow from plant sources. Nina Planck asserts that "no society in the world is naturally vegan." It's an extreme choice and yes, I know, it's totally workable, but veganism in particular has not been conclusively proven either good or evil. Before we get into a screaming match, however, let me humbly present some of the other literature:

Giannini A. Mirra N. Patria MF. Health risks for children raised on vegan or vegetarian diets.[comment]. [Case Reports. Comment. Letter] Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. 7(2):188, 2006 Mar.

Leblanc JC, Yoon H, Kombadjian A, et al: Nutritional intakes of vegetarian populations in France. Eur J Clin Nutr 2000; 54:443-449

Moilanen BC: Vegan diets in infants, children and adolescents. Pediatr Rev 2004; 25:174-176

Key TJ. Appleby PN. Rosell MS. Health effects of vegetarian and vegan diets. [Review] [65 refs] [Journal Article. Review] Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 65(1):35-41, 2006 Feb.

Particularly in the last, the study found that vegans were statistically as healthy as health-conscious non-vegans. On the nutritional front, a lit review revelas that the jury is still out on kids and veganism. It's full of stories on adults who benefit from lower BMI and improved cardiovascular function but suffer from B12 or Calcium definciencies. It states that small ammounts of DHA can, in fact, be processed from plant-based foods, but the quantity of soy necessary to compensate is extraoridnarily high, and the research on wicked-high soy consumption is split as well. I couldn't dig up an article from a peer-reviewed, non-biased medical journal advocating for a vegan diet for infants, children or adolescents. Mary, while you've certainly demonstrated that dietitians say that it can be done, all of your sources are from vegan and vegetarian resource groups who can't be said to be free from bias.

The jury is hung and the facts are extant. The last thing the environmental movement needs is more in-fighting, but before you tell people to check their facts, check your own.

And you were right - there are nutritionists who okay a vegan diet for kids.

Respectfully,

ZethOn Dare this mom to change her life posted 2 years, 7 months ago 36 Responses