[dc-critmass-list] CRITICAL MASS THIS FRIDAY! - Note from Nik S

[Adam Eidinger]

Friends,

*Critical Mass in Washington, DC takes place on the first Friday of 
every month.*  Due to the seasons, this month will be the darkest ride 
of the year and to combat this we'll be *having a special 
light-up-your-bike Critical Mass!*  It's one thing to show motorists 
that we are traffic, but it's another thing to show off our collective 
bicycle bling!  

Adam Eidinger has purchased a bulk order of Hokey Spokes ( 
http://www.hokeyspokes.com ) and will have them available if you are 
interested in lighting up your bike.  By purchasing them directly from 
Adam, as opposed to the website, you do not need to pay for shipping! 
 To contact Adam, send him e-mail: adam at mintwood.com or call 
202-744-2671. They run $20 to $30 each plus batteries.  They look the 
best when there are at least 3 per wheel.  I currently have two hokey 
spokes on each wheel (as many of you have seen).  However, even one 
hokey spoke provides increased lateral visibility at night.  Remember, 
safety first!

*/Background on my Critical Mass participation:/* Nearly 4 years ago, on 
April 11, 2003, shortly after the start of the Iraq War, I participated 
in my first Critical Mass bike ride (/no blood for oil!/).   As we rode 
through Washington, DC (Dupont to GWU to the State Department to 
Memorial Bridge to the Washington Monument), I used my tiny digital 
camera to document & record the trip.  When I got home, I sequenced the 
30+ ten second clips and added Gary Numan's tune "Cars."  You can watch 
this "newsic video" here:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1657293202 
<http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1657293202>
/(looks like fun right?!?)
/
/The info:
/*WHAT: WASHINGTON, DC CRITICAL MASS - JANUARY 5th, 2007 - "The Darkest 
Ride of the Year"
WHO: Bicyclists, skateboarders, roller bladers / skaters, etc.
WHERE: Dupont Circle
WHEN: This Friday, January 5th, meet @ 6pm, ride at 6:30pm
WHY: Because we can!  No really--- because we can show the world that 
living a car free lifestyle is one of the most sustainable & conscious 
decisions we can make in our daily lives.  Bicycles ARE traffic and we 
deserve the same respect as cars when sharing (or taking over) the road, 
so lets ride together!
*
:: *ABOUT CRITICAL MASS *::
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass
Critical Mass is a bike ride typically held on the last Friday of every 
month [DC is the first Friday] in cities around the world where 
bicyclists and, less frequently, skateboarders, roller bladers, roller 
skaters and other self-propelled commuters take to the streets en masse.

Critical Mass is not led, and has no officially-stated message, though 
it is largely understood to be an effort to promote alternative 
(non-motorized) modes of transportation and to raise awareness about the 
safety issues that face commuters using non-motorized forms of 
transportation when sharing the streets with motor vehicles. 
Participants meet at a set location and time and enjoy the security and 
companionship of traveling as a group through city streets. This can 
cause a disruption of motorized traffic, but the general philosophy 
behind the ride is expressed in the widely-used slogan, "We aren't 
blocking traffic; we are traffic."

Critical Mass rides are self-organized, non-commercial and 
non-competitive, and they operate with diffused and informal 
decision-making, independent of "leaders". They are often also 
unofficial, foregoing permits and official sanction from municipal 
authorities. Usually only the meeting place, date and time are fixed. In 
some cities, the route, finishing point, or attractions along the way 
may be planned ahead. Participants demonstrate the advantages of cycling 
in a city, and show how the city may be failing cyclists in terms of 
facilities and safety.

Critical Mass rides have been perceived as protest activities. For 
instance, a 2006 New Yorker magazine article described Critical Mass's 
activity in New York City as "monthly political-protest rides", and 
characterized Critical Mass as a part of a social movement[2]; and the 
UK e-zine Urban75, which advertises and publishes photographs of the 
Critical Mass event in London, describes this as "the monthly protest by 
cyclists reclaiming the streets of London"[3]. However, Critical Mass 
has insisted that its events should be viewed as "celebrations" and 
spontaneous gatherings, and not as protests or organized 
demonstrations[4][5]. This stance allows Critical Mass to argue a legal 
position that its events can occur without advance notification of local 
police[6][7].+

Critical Mass rides vary greatly in many respects, including frequency 
and number of participants. For example, in what have been the largest 
events using the name Critical Mass, the city of Budapest, Hungary holds 
only two rides each year, and they attract tens of thousands of riders. 
The April 22, 2006 Budapest ride participation was generally estimated 
at 32,000 riders. Unlike in other cities' rides, many of which are 
treated as illegal, Budapest residents are exhorted to attend by 
significant civic entities, from political parties to tourist magazines, 
and certain major roads are closed for the entire day (always on a 
Saturday) to welcome the ride.

===

I've found Critical Mass rides to be one of the most empowering forms 
for direct action, /and you will too!
/
See you Friday!
*
Nikolas R. Schiller
dc at nikolasschiller.com
#202-460-0032
http://nikolasschiller.com*
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