Sick and tired of bicyclists ignoring traffic law - Straight Dope ...

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I have seen none of the above. I believe it is because the bicyclists are aware that the road is a flatter surface, (in other words, easier for them to ride their bikes), yet harder on the drivers, and more dangerous for everyone involved.

It's a rare 'bikepath' that's actually reserved for bicycles, rather than shared with every sort of nonmotorized traffic that cares to use it - pedestrians, joggers, pedestrians in groups, pedestrians walking dogs, kids on scooters and skateboards, and so forth.

In the DC area, all of the major bikepaths - C&O, Rock Creek, GW Parkway, W&OD, etc. - are widely used by pretty much all of the above. On weekends (and evenings during the Daylight Savings half of the year), a cyclist can pretty much forget about the prospect of building up any momentum on any of those trails.

Similarly, I've run into many secondary trails over time that were undoubtedly smooth right after they were initially paved, but have taken on the lumpiness of an unmade bed while preserving the solidness of asphalt, as tree roots, temperature changes, and low maintenance budgets have taken their toll.

In either case, it is only natural for cyclists to prefer the road. Not to mention, we do in fact have a legal right to ride on pretty much all roads that aren't limited access, and a few that are.

Sure, there's an added risk. But for the most part, we've got to bike on roads anyway, because outside of some exceptional locales like Portland, OR or Davis, CA, the bikepaths just don't go everywhere. In my part of Maryland, if I want to bike, I've got to bike on roads, period. (There's one little bikepath a few miles away from my home, but it's short and doesn't go anywhere I'm going.) So when I'm cycling in places where there's a bikepath, I'll use the bikepath if I regard it as an improvement on cycling on the roads, but I don't feel any obligation either to the temporary and marginal improvement to my own safety, or to the convenience of motorists, to use the bikepath rather than the road.

Source: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=696425

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Scientology Under Attack: Leah Remini Left Church Because She Was ?Fed Up? With How Badly People Were Treated

Leah Remini left Scientology because she was fed up with how badly the church treated people, RadarOnline.com is reporting exclusively.

The King of Queens star?s decision was prompted not only by things she had to endure but also by the way the church was being run, and in particular how the leaders treated certain members. Her decision has promoted a renewed focus on the church, its controversial policies and caused ex members to return to the spotlight with harsh criticism.

?Leah is like a lot of other people who left in that she got fed up with the church?s policies, and the way the leadership was acting,? a source told Radar.

?Many people who have left recently have lost faith in the people running the church. And that?s what happened here too.?

PHOTOS: Hollywood Stars Who Are Scientologists

As Radar reported earlier, Remini confirmed her decision to leave Scientology after days of public speculation. Several reports say she incurred the wrath of the church?s leaders when she questioned why David Miscavige?s wife was almost never seen in public ? and wasn?t at Tom Cruise?s 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes.

She was allegedly told to shut up by a church bigwig. That caused her to write a report, per church rules, about events that she saw as wrong.

For years she was treated with suspicion by high ranking members of the church, according to sources. And while they were suspicious of her, she grew fed up with them and how the church was being run.

?She thought about this over a long time,? one source told Us Weeky.

PHOTOS:? Scientology Celebrity Centre Celebrates Anniversary With Famous Members

And the New York Post reported that Remini left because she didn?t approve of Miscavige and his tactics in running the church.

It?s a headline-making defection and significant blow to the church, which counts John Travolta and Tom Cruise and many other celebrities among its high-profile members. Now Remini?s departure has put the church in the line of fire for many critics and those who have left over the years, with horror stories.

Journalist Tony Ortega, who broke the story of Remini leaving Scientology, posted an open letter to Cruise, demanding to know why HE didn?t question the odd disappearance of Miscavige?s wife Shelly.

Ortega wrote:

?You remember the stink that Leah raised at your wedding to Katie Holmes in 2006. Leah was surprised to see that your best man, Scientology leader David Miscavige, was there without his wife Shelly. And when she asked about it, Tommy Davis told her, ?You don?t have the f*cking rank to ask about Shelly.?

Well, if you know Leah ? and we know you do, Tom ? you could have predicted that she wasn?t going to take that lying down.

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Tom Cruise?s Tricked Out SUV Made By Scientology Church Members

Meanwhile, Jenna Miscavige Hill, the niece of Scientology leader David Miscavige, also said she heard Remini was fed up with the way she was treated.

?From what I understand, she was just fed up with the way she was being treated when she was following church policy,??she told People.com.

?She is a tough woman and isn?t the type to yield or turn a blind eye to a blatant injustice. People like that don?t last too long in Scientology because they aren?t easy to control.?

UPDATE: 3:15 PM: A rep from the Church of Scientology told us, ?The Church respects the privacy of parishioners and has no further comment.?? The Church went on to say ?on a broader level, please note the following, which is not to be construed as a comment about Ms. Remini. We have read numerous allegations about the Church in the coverage of this story that are categorically false, alleging so-called policies and practices. The allegations of ?interrogations? and ?thought modification? are absurd and pure nonsense, as are all the statements made about the Church?s leader, Mr. David Miscavige.? Under the 25-year leadership of Mr. Miscavige, following in the footsteps of our Founder, L. Ron Hubbard, the Church is enjoying tremendous expansion as shown in our new churches opening in six continents and the many new parishioners joining their congregations.?

Source: http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2013/07/leah-remini-left-scientology-fed-up-people-treated-badly/

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