Dwpends mainly on how valuable one thinks their brain is.
1 Like
Back in my hockey playing days, someone was complaining about the cost of helmets. I say that my brain was worth way more than that price.
2 Likes
Yup. Hope your friend has no permanent damage.
Had a nasty bike accident 30 years ago that I would not have gotten up from with no helmet. Always wear one even if just going a few blocks for groceries.
Helmet saved my son’s life although he still had permanent brain damage from his cycling accident 5 years ago. Amazed to see how hardly anyone wears helmets in London despite the cycling risk there.
I wouldn’t leave home without it…yep, even on fun short rides. it’s part of the uniform. I’ve seen numerous accidents where the helmets didn’t survive. And my buddy had one that ended up split right in half.
I try to always wear a helmet when cycling and it has saved me once when I fell, hit my head on the kerb and went on to break my collarbone.
However, mandating helmet usage has, paradoxically resulted in more fatalities per miles cycled in countries/states where it was introduced. Various reasons were proposed, but not verified, such as more risk-taking, impaired vision and hearing from wearing the helmet, balancing issues and lowering of drivers’ familiarity of cyclists due to less people cycling (since those without helmets just stopped cycling).
(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337367329_Effects_of_bicycle_helmet_wearing_on_accident_and_injury_rates)
I believe most of these issues can be overcome with practice. I noticed in Sydney, Australia that their citibikes had helmets attached to the bikes (not sure how you would clean it after someone else had used it).
1 Like
A mallard duck couple has been living in my neighborhood the last year or two. If they migrate during the year, I haven’t really noticed, but I assume that it is the same couple because there has only ever been one pair that I have seen at once. Anyway, the male seems to have disappeared sometime in the last month or so. I usually see the female in about the same spot, in the retention pond, every time I walk by. Maybe that is where he went missing? In any case, its a bit sad to see the lonely duck.
…but I feel better about this after the internets tell me mallard ducks are only seasonally monogamous. I guess it will be interesting to see if she comes back with a new mate next year.
1 Like
TIL
Yup, I had assumed they were just like those nasty geese you guys send down, but I was wrong!
2 Likes
The ex of our friend who is in assisted living after a stroke passed away a couple of weeks ago. G had liver cancer after decades of heavy drinking. He was not very nice to our friend, but it still makes her and us sad.
1 Like
family i am close to might be self-deporting. they have 2 kids in K-3 and 3 who are 17-20. all the kids are citizens. but now that racial profiling is legal the family is worried about the younger kids getting separated and those kids lack the brain and voice to advocate in such a situation.
prior to this admin, the process was you might get grabbed and processed and there was, well, a process. now it’s an unmarked van and men in masks and an indifference.
6 Likes
Did not know this doctor but am always saddened by such stories. Mountain biking is not risk-free but many in my family are enthusiasts.
Renowned ICU doctor Darren Markland dies in Alberta mountain biking accident | Globalnews.ca
Strange that they didn’t give any details on how he died, just that it was an accident.
Eh. It’s dangerous, and that’s that. We had family of a friend had a similar fate. A motorcycle cop, crazily enough. I didn’t know him, but it affected our friend greatly.
“If you are reading this and want to honour him the way he would have wanted, do what he did every day: go outside, ride your bike, enjoy nature, and do something kind for a stranger,” the obit stated.
I’ll volunteer to do my part. Been itching to get back my bike. It’s been a while.
RIP
Sounds like he was a quality human.
No, mountain biking is not dangerous (compared to other outdoor sports). However, downhill mountain biking is (17x more than regular mountain biking), but there was no mention of that in the death of the Canadian doctor. Perhaps the family member of your friend was doing downhill?
Mountain biking has an overall injury risk rate of 0.6% per year, translating to 1 injury per 1000 hours of riding on average. A similar injury risk rate to other outdoor sports.
The injury rate for Downhill is 17 times higher [at 16.8 injuries per 1000 h]
1 Like
I assumed that it was mountain biking in the mountains that did in the physician. That’s what some of my family members do that concerns me. Riding their bikes around the city is not worrisome.
There is a big difference in the inherent danger between different types of riding. If you’re on a mellow trail, taking in the sights and just generally enjoying nature it’s like 2/10 on the danger scale. Like on par with a jog through a park. If you are on a downhill trail, trying to go as fast as possible, and flying off jumps and stuff it’s more like 6-10/10, depending on how hard you are sending it. The type of riding the Dr. was doing in the brief video I saw would be in that safer category, but they didn’t give any info about what kind of trail he was on when the accident happened.
1 Like
a
A guy I went to high school with was suddenly and unexpectedly diagnosed with grade IV brain cancer. It started with an urgent care visit about a week and a half ago, and now he’s is in a rehab facility following brain surgery. We weren’t close, but we had a lot of classes together. Our lives are very different, but he seems pretty desperate for visitors, so I’m going to try to drop by this weekend, despite the likely awkwardness.
11 Likes
there’s no awkwardness when you take the time to be with someone like that.
2 Likes