What's wrong with this picture?

Golden thinks, like some biblical parable of water into wine, that putting a bike sign on a road magically makes it a good road for cycling. So consider a few things that have not changed with this sign.

• There is two way-traffic and parking on both sides of the street. As you can see even cars find the road too narrow. It just barely possible for two small cars to pass one another.
• The speed limit is too high. One block away, on the same road, where there is NO parking the speed is only 15. Here on the dangerous stretch, it's 25. 180 degrees out of phase with reality--as usual.
• cyclists need around 3 feet from parked cars to keep from being doored. Imagine a car trying to pass a bike with an on-coming car. It happens all the time and it's not a pretty sight.
• this is one of the most pediastrian-crowded places on campus between classes. This leads to major sensory overload for drivers.
• cars turning onto this street routinely blow through stop signs because the sight is so restricted.
• the upshot is that I tell all my cyclists friends to avoid this road and take the much safe route via Maple.

The former police chief at Mines told me this road was a disaster but he couldn't get the City of Golden to do anything about it. Whoever is responsible for this sign should have his/her sign-making keys taken away. The sign is not only stupid, it is liable to give cyclists a false sense of security. Or, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. Addendum: saw an RTD call and ride mini-bus today on Illinois. The road is too narrow for two-way traffic with one of these. When a car comes the other direction, it's a standoff.

How should ethical vegans think about insects

Many vegans, perhaps most, eschew honey and silk on the grounds of cruelty to the bees and silkworms. On the other hand, some non-vegans are suggesting that insects such as grasshoppers could be a significant food source in the future (link via @JaymiHeimbuch) [Of course, to vegans it goes without saying that becoming a vegan would be the most dramatic step toward "food security". But we must be prepared to confront arguments rationally and scientifically without resorting to vague, ambiguous claims.]

long road back

If all goes according to plan, next month I'll start racing again after a year of post-getting-crunched-by-SUV time. The broken bones and resulting surgery healed quickly. The back/spine alignment injuries have taken much longer; intensive physical therapy, electro-stim, bergs of ice (floating in, strapped to). For reasons of scheduling it looks like hill climbs, followed by TT's will be the order of business.