ThumbShift

Kenk: Search for Closure

JoFergus — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:23:58 +0000

As all Cyclists in the city already know….After years and years of general apathy towards bike theft in Toronto, city officials and law enforcement officers took on a suddenly very keen and marked interest with the infamous Igor Kenk in July 2008. Not simply showing a renewed resolve in the dispensation of their duty to investigate bike theft, but in fact in orchestrating a full blown sting operation on Igor Kenk’s infamous Bike Clinic on Queen West, exactly where Kenk had already operated for years in plain sight sight of the law on sidewalk of Queen West. This fully publicised operation was very well covered in the Media with supporting facts, figures, and background info that was all prepared in time for the first printings the very next day. This level of fully produced PR exposure indicates not only a keen interest in both the prompt execution of this successful sting operation, but als the need to have a very well prepared Press Corp. that could get news onto the street in the very next day’s morning editions. Thus the City must have had a clear desire to promote their sudden desire to create the Public Perceptions required to show that the issue of bike theft had indeed been dealt a sever blow here in Toronto.

Since then though, Torontonians in general, and Cyclists in particular, had been waiting quite awhile for Justice to be served. Waiting visible signs of restitution, or at least some sort of karmic balance to be applied in the unfolding of the infamous case of Igor Kenk vs The Crown. instrad, last month after Kenk’s unheralded release from custody, we were all left to go search for our own signs of closure instead…So I’ll offer you mine HERE in case you feel that there needs to be more told in this sudden summation by the City of the Kenk Saga:

SEE: Fitting Time with Crime

SOURCE: http://thumbshift.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/kenk-fitting-time-crime/

Another Bikelane Boondoggle ?

JoFergus — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:45:25 +0000

I might be off in La-La-Land here but…Is this BikeShare program the really the best use of limited funds by a cash-strapped City Hall ?

You see…I’ve never really gotten the impression that Toronto needed more ‘bikes’ per se (shared or otherwise) to encourage more cycling…I always thought the barrier was a need for more roadway/infrastrucure to add/assure the safety of Cyclists, and encourage the less experienced Urban Cyclists out onto the road…

Could this enormous expense for a BikeShare program be another
BikeLane Boondoggle ?

MORE at: ThumbShift.com

http://thumbshift.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/bikelane-boondoggles/

Ride On

Sidewalk Sissies ?

JoFergus — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:36:55 +0000

The return of warmer times and climes, is enticing more people outdoors to enjoy the City at a more leisurely pace, and with that the return of casual cyclists. Unfortunately the sidewalks have also gotten busier with people who don’t actually belong there…

Although there are all sorts of reasons why it could be acceptable to coast along a sidewalk before or after making a stop…What boggles the mind is wondering where so many grown adults ever got the idea that it’s actually acceptable to ride on sidewalks? There seem to be more excuses about avoiding “risks” than actually understanding what the true risks actually are…and the sidewalk riders might be astounded to find out that not only are they endangering Pedestrians, Seniors and Children…but that they are in fact also ADDING to their own risks ! ! !

I’ve put together the details over at ThumbShift.com, and even included a little slice of hockey-style justice, for anyone who truly doesn’t see that they don’t have the right to be a menace to others…

Learn the real risks right here…

Igor Kenk in a Comicbook !?!

JoFergus — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:45:30 +0000

You can believe it…It’s True !

A local production company has taken it’s documentary footage of Igor in the year leading up to his arrest (and afterwards?), and teamed up with an acclaimed Journalists and Comic Illustrator (DC, Marvel, etc)to produce a pretty innovative sounding publication that due to be released in May !

You can read the details RIGHT HERE

Will the wonders ever cease…

Healthy Mind, Healthy Body

JoFergus — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:52:32 +0000

First/Test Post

Before I introduce myself properly to the Biking Toronto crowd, I just thought I’d toss something together here, based on something that I wrote previously…

This idea began when I recently realized that slowly but surely, time/age is starting to catch up with me, and I can no longer simply burn/bike through anything that I happen to feel like eating/drinking anymore. Well, not without some residual effects anyhow. So I was fascinated by an article I read which sought to explain the “French Paradox” – which is how a nation of rich food-eating smokers can still show MUCH lower rates of heart disease than comparable neighbors! Believe it or not, I tied this explanation into my love of cycling, and my now waning interests in junk food, and sewed it all together with a good strong thread of Environmentalism on my Cycling Blog at ThumbShift.com. So here’s the gist of it if you’re interested in considering a bizarrely holistic approach to health – that can still include French Fries !

First, let’s start with one of the most decadent things you can possibly eat…Poutine. For anyone who still doesn’t know what that is, just click on the link and don’t worry because none of my links will close this page. On that page, I’ve reviewed an eatery that uses 100% bio-degradable packaging (even the forks!) and local produce to offer you a guilt free eco-experience while you mow down on some of the highest-cal fuel you can put into yourself!

Next, as you consider topping up with such fuel, you need to remind yourself that you’re lifestyle choices are not only consistently leaving little to no negative impact on your environment, if you are cycling everywhere you go and not wasting energy otherwise, but that you’re also serving as a humble example of what clean, low-emissions urban life can be like for others as well! We can talk more about this kind of Karma at a later time though…

Finally, and this is where the “French Paradox” comes in…As you’re eating, you simply need to remind yourself that Life is Good Because you see (and you can read more about this here), it’s not necessarily WHAT you eat, but HOW you eat it that makes a huge difference to our overall health!

So by cycling to and from your meals to save travel time and offer yourself a more leisurely meal, and by being ecological about your choices, and finally by FULLY enjoying your meal and the company of others (or even just yourself!) while you eat…You too can benefit from the effects of the “French Paradox”. Which, when you think about it, is an especially useful outlook on life in general as a Cyclist in our all too busy little City.

Bon Appetit !

Jo Fergus is pleased to be able to contribute to the Community at Biking Toronto, and can be reached here, or via his personal blog at ThumbShift.com