End of the world for the anti-PRTeabagger?

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Ken Avidor has injected himself into a lot of public PRT discussions over the years. Alameda, Santa Cruz, Seattle, Heathrow, Daventry, Ithaca -- if the local language is English he's been there, sowing his little bitter seeds of fear and hate. Like Johnny Rottenappleseed.

If, however, there was one place where pods could find no fertile soil, you would expect it would be Avidor's home field of Minnesota. He has spent years pouring poison into that soil, depriving it of water and light, shoveling-in too much of the wrong fertilizer.

So it's got to be a shock to everyone, no matter what side you're on, that the State of Minnesota is going to have a symposium about personal rapid transit!



Certainly Avidor must be beside himself with inarticulate (what else) rage, because all he can do is cite the press release and sputter "Bill James" (whoa, wash his mouth out!).

The takeaway message today: This can only be seen as a humiliating loss for Ken Avidor. After years of guilt-by-associating PRT with Bachmann and Mark Olson, after years of attacking CPRT, after years of harrassing any local candidate of any party who dared to not oppose PRT -- only to have podcars rise from that dead earth in time for Halloween? Instigated by the state DOT no less!

We're talking apocalypse-level, end of the world, Bill Buckner/Game 6 of the 1986 World Series FAIL for Team Avidor.

Even the spin in today's PRT Moondoggie headline is lame: "Pawlenty's MnDOT"??? Leave it to Kiln Ovendoor (did you miss those?) to ignore Transportation Commissioner Thomas K. Sorel, in favor of guilt-by-associating the symposium to a handy Resmuglican.

You really have to laugh. So I will: "Mua ha ha ha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha ha- *cough* "

Sorel unanimously confirmed by Senate (1/15/2009)

gPRT
"FHWA," Ken. You're not even trying.

More about the size of his n

Editor's note: We continue beta-testing the change to one of the oldest editorial policies of "PRT is a Joke" IS A JOKE. For a limited time, The Name of the Minnesota anti-PRT propagandist will be shown -- although special formatting will be used.

Wait, I had something else lying around needing to be debunked. Ah, here we go:

Citizens on Both Sides of the Atlantic Say No to Personal Rapid Transit

Almost a year ago, Chris Millar leader of the Daventry District Council told the Daventry Express, "The eyes of the world are on Daventry with this project." The project he was talking about was a plan to install a futuristic "Personal Rapid Transit" (PRT, Podcars) system in the quiet market town of Daventry, England, population 22,36. [sic]

Now, it appears the plan to bring the much-hyped "revolution in sustainable public transport" to Daventry has been called off... what happened? [ellipsis in original]

Source

"Citizens on Both Sides of the Atlantic." Man; how many people are required to take a position before you start generalizing like that?

Fast forward to the April, 2009 when The Gusher published an article titled "Pod Off! Residents oppose Daventry PRT scheme"

More than 100 Daventry townspeople voiced their opposition to proposals for a pod transport network in the town at a public meeting on Monday night.

100 people out of the 22,367 who live in Daventry (town)? Why, that's a sample size of four tenths of a percent (0.004). And one tenth of a percent (0.001) of the population of the wider Daventry district.

I only mention this now because, recently, I helpfully tried to being this to Kenny-Boy's attention! I placed this comment on the Daventry article he posted on his Viropop stalkblog (the one he set up after I started blogging on Viropop):

Population of Daventry District: 71838
Population of Daventry Town: 22367
Number of members of "Stop the Daventry POD" [Facebook]: 70

Awww, but Avidor censored it.

So when Ken writes "both sides of the Atlantic," alert readers are probably wondering, Daventry is just one side of the Atlantic -- what about the other side? How many citizens in the U.S. said No to PRT? Ken only bothers to mention Peg Tully in Ithaca, New York. A sample size of 1 out 304 million Americans is 0.00000000329 (0.00000000296 if you include 34 million Canadians).

This just in: PRT Is a Joke IS A JOKE is the #2 Ken Avidor site on the web!

Fun comparison:

• Number of active PRT-haters: 4
• Number of Alan Keyes for President voters, 2008: 47,694

gPRT

n=1

Editor's note: We continue beta-testing the change to one of the oldest editorial policies of "PRT is a Joke" IS A JOKE. For a limited time, The Name of the Minnesota anti-PRT propagandist will be shown -- although special formatting will be used.

Y'all remember your college statistics, right? Then you know what n is. Ssshh! Don't tell Ken, he went to art college.

The bigger your n, the more confidence you can have in your results. Therefore, when Ken Avidor generalizes about Ithaca, New York, using a sample size of just one (Ms. Peg Tully), there can be little confidence in the results. You can't say "there is little enthusiasm for the pods among Ithacans" based on one person's opinion.

Whereas if you refer to the PRT Is a Joke IS A JOKE coverage of Avidor and Ithaca from last September, you can see for yourself the number of Ithaca organizations who support Personal Rapid Transit -- including the mayor!

PRT's n is bigger than yours, Ken. Your n is really small; tiny; shriveled; like a peanut. Your n has shrinkage.

Read our coverage of Avidor's Ithaca blogging

Read the Los Angeles Times comment thread in which I refuted the smear of Jake Roberts

I see your Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (n=1), Ken, and raise you BioRegional and World Wildlife Fund (n=2)!

gPRT
Now he's copying my Google Translate links from Twitter -- Ken IS copying everything I do!

Propagandist undercuts his own position

Updated

Editor's note: We continue beta-testing the change to one of the oldest editorial policies of "PRT is a Joke" IS A JOKE. For a limited time, The Name of the Minnesota anti-PRT propagandist will be shown -- although special formatting will be used.

Ken Avidor's editorial policy at the PRT Moondoggie blog is not only to copy multimedia embedded on PRT Is a Joke IS A JOKE, Get On Board!PRT and GetThereFast. His (currently frenzied) pattern is also re-posting old propaganda -- whether it makes sense or not! Let's examine the items in his 'latest' posts:

Post 1: Personal Rapid Transit Hucksters to Offer Non-Solutions During Cop 15 [sic]

Apparently, SkyTran is the only PRT system worth discussing -- 1,900 words worth (after promising a "quick answer to any questions about podcars"!). It's all there -- Doug Malewicki's "Aaaarrrrgghh!" quote, the Robosaurus, the guideway building robot. No need to read any of it -- all have been previously posted by Avidor, numerous times:

• "Aaaarrrrgghh!" quote. Posted by Ken at least six other places on the internet. It's a relatively antique statement that was on the SkyTran website as early as May 11, 2000 (click through to item 14 in the Technical section)-- yet Avidor manages to omit the fact and let readers think it reflects SkyTran's current status.
  
  And funny that he wants to call attention to Malewicki's statement, "If I want to hire all black engineers (and I know a bunch of dam [sic] good practical ones), to the exclusion of Hispanics, Women, Polaks, etc. the government won't let me" (as if that's supposed to be 'shocking' -- 'Malewicki' is Polish). Funny, because Ken slurred Poles only two weeks ago:

"Polish PRT?"

Ken Avidor (@Daily Kos)
PRTJJ coverage

• Phoenix New Times article about SkyTran. Posted by Avidor two places on the internet.
• Arizona Republic article about SkyTran. Posted by Kennine places on the internet.
  

Post 2: Will San José [sic] Pimp Their Own Pods?

• Eleven month old report from KGO-TV San Francisco. Gotta brush up your HTML, Ken! Then the embedded player might work. I'd be happy to give you some pointers.
  
  
• "ULTra is featured zooming around in computer-generated videos... [ellipsis in original] no mention that the launch of ULTra at Heathrow 5 has been postponed twice." Because that eleven month old report came out before the reschedulings!!!
  
  
• "Pimp your own pod" video. Posted by Ken at least 14 other places on the internet.
  
  
• Video with Barbara Johnson in JPod. Posted by Avidor at least 4 other places on the internet.
  
  
• "Barbara Johnson's pod-praising letter to Bill James from the Jpod website."

Yes. What about Barbara A. Johnson, President of the Minneapolis City Council, representing Ward 1? She was elected in 1997, succeeding her mother, Alice Rainville, who was the city's first woman Council President. Mrs. Rainville served for 22 years; she only passed away this past March. In other words, Ken Avidor is sneering at a woman who is carrying on a family tradition of public service. And only because she supports PRT. Klassy* again, Ken!

And you know what else? BARBARA A. JOHNSON IS A DEMOCRAT! Endorsed with an "A" rating by Stonewall DFL! But- but- Ken Avidor claims only right wing Republicans like Michele Bachmann support PRT!!!

I guess Ken Avidor is wrong. Again.



* BTW Ken, I notice you're using "klassy" too. Get your own shtick.

gPRT
This is too easy Ken, you gotta put some effort into it

Mr. No Research

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Again a Kena Wei post that shows he does no research!

Campaign to Protect Rural England Opposes Personal Rapid Transit

From the CPRE's paper (PDF) "Eco-towns: living a greener future - CPRE's response" that can be downloaded HERE:

an integrated approach to transport, across a district as a whole, should be taken to maximise potential for journeys to and from eco-towns to be made in a sustainable fashion, rather than relying on unproven technologies such as Personal Rapid Transit

Aside from the fact that this is another example of advocacy -- remember, it doesn't determine policy -- and CPRE is perfectly entitled to take this position, there are some oddities.

1. The CPRE is responding to this consultation paper from the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG). It does not mention PRT or podcars.


2. What DCLG does mention are:

• frequent, reliable and easily accessible public transport for longer journeys, that residents are encouraged to use to ensure that they are well connected to key destinations within the ecotown and with nearby settlements and local supply networks. This may include such measures as bus priority schemes, car clubs and additional provision of community transport, as well as good access to information on transport options, including real time information in the home and personalised travel planning for every resident.

Ooooh, how pie-in-the-sky!

What is the plan right now for using PRT in rural England? Let's see, in rural-ish Daventry, it would be a local network, eventually connecting to the train station. Is this not an "integrated approach," local, but also connecting people to "nearby settlements"?

But the point is, PRT is not being put forward for the service niche CPRE is concerned about, transit "across a district as a whole." English districts (below), or 'shire counties', are pretty big, Ken. No one is talking about PRT "across" districts.



(Note to readers: Expert recommendations DCLG has received about PRT are: (a) consider PRT as a way to avoid building a new highway, and (b) consider trams and PRT as a way to avoid creating more local congestion. And these were not general recommendations, but rather specific to two of the proposed eco-towns.)

What you should have researched and written about, Ken, is the question -- what was CPRE actually responding to?

Maybe they were motivated by this kind of thinking:

Critics characterise CPRE as

• proponents of a drawbridge mentality (i.e. "I've moved to the countryside but I don't want others to do likewise")
• motivated by luddite nostalgia, or
• motivated by an egotist NIMBY stance^[4]

In December 2008 George Monbiot of The Guardian interviewed CPRE head, Shaun Spiers, about the organisation's opposition to wind farms but not opencast [open pit] coal mines. George Monbiot asked why he couldn't find any opposition of the CPRE to surface coal mining over the past five years, and pointed out that the negative effects that coal mines cause by removing the soil from large areas are much greater than the negative effects wind energy might have on the countryside. ^[5]

Source

One Guardian reader commented about the Monbiot interview:

Let's face it- the CPRE are there to protect the few who enjoy the country life. Not the countryside itself. Not the biodiversity. But the pretty 'midsomer murders'/'vicar of dibley' version of rolling peaceful England and the privileged few who are allowed to enjoy it.

Source

So -- non-inclusive, upper-class, anti-technology, against new alternative energy, and OK with open pit coal mining. Good to know who Ken Avidor supports!

* * *

Ken Avidor and friends enjoy the English countryside:

"Polish PRT?"

Ken Avidor (@Daily Kos)
PRTJJ coverage

gPRT

Is PRT an issue in Minneapolis Council Ward 9 race?

Updated
It is, if you believe anti-PRTeabagger Ken Avidor:

Dave Bicking is your garden-variety PRT-promoting politician.

Source

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But is Bicking talking about PRT?



How about Democrat Gary Schiff?



The Independence Party's Todd Eberhardy?



So why is Ken Avidor injecting non-issue personal rapid transit into this race? Why? WHY???

Update: His response to this post? To rehash four year old non-news!
(Kena Wei, how much should a first prototype cost -- one that worked "exactly as designed"?

"Polish PRT?"

Ken Avidor (@Daily Kos)
PRTJJ coverage

gPRT

Mock Journalist, Part VI

("Duck, duck, canard!")

Editor's note: We continue beta-testing the change to one of the oldest editorial policies of "PRT is a Joke" IS A JOKE. For a limited time, The Name of the Minnesota anti-PRT propagandist will be shown -- although special formatting will be used.

Exclusive!
©2009 Get On Board PRT News & Wiseline Institute and Center For The Secular Humorism

Recently, Ken Avidor lobbed the following bon mot at the MIST-ER personal rapid transit company:

"Polish PRT?"

Source (@Daily Kos)
PRTJJ coverage

Hopefully this ethnic slur was unintentional. 'Hopefully' because, so far, he has refused to explain himself.

So it's a kinda breathtaking example of chutzpah that he would almost simultaneously put forward the claim that PRT appeals to one of the worst human impulses. In the comment thread accompanying the same Daily Kos post, Ken manages to stir one reader's outrage:

Greendem: Pods are safer because you don't have to ride with scary brown people.
Pod people should just stay in their cars.

Avidor: That's what the [sic] used to say... [ellipsis in original]



Greendem: Exactly
It's "public transit" for racists.

Yeah, I know -- the brochure doesn't mention race. What was racist when only Whites could ride in the front of buses? The buses, or Jim Crow and its supporters?

This Tuesday Avidor went after Bill Mego, a columnist for the Naperville, Illinois, Sun. Mego's October 20 column advocated for PRT in Naperville. No public funds were spent because of it, but as regular "PRT Is a Joke" IS A JOKE! readers probably expect, Mego's mere advocacy for PRT was enough to send Ken searching Mego's archives for a gotcha.

Last week, Bill Mego of the Naperville Sun wrote a column titled; "Public transportation is going away in U.S.".

It will have to be safe and private. Naperville people don't want to travel in groups or mingle with the lower classes or the homeless.

So, to be successful, public transportation will have to be less than a fifth as expensive as light rail, not need a right of way, and run on a very small amount of electricity. Its cars will have to be safe and private, have essentially no moving parts that require maintenance, and not need a driver. So is there such a system? Yes, fortunately there is, but the "experts" aren't considering it.

I'll explain next week what it is.

Right.. [sic] the old, you don't want to ride with scary (fill in the blank) people, anti-transit canard.

Source

Link that to this week's PRT column and -- "GOTCHA!" Chalk one up for Avidor's position, right?

Sorry, no. Because this is another example of Ken Avidor's tendency to not ask questions and rely on guesswork.

His mistake this time was to not seek out the local context.

The Local Context

What you need to know is that Naperville (pop. 145,000) is a suburb west of Chicago, and calls itself a--

"vibrant, thriving city consistently ranks as a top community in the nation in which to live, raise children and retire. The city is home to acclaimed public and parochial schools, the best public library system in the country, an array of healthcare options and an exceptionally low crime rate."

What is Naperville like? You be the judge. Thumbnail sketch: Naperville's median home price is $311,2005 (higher than Chicago and Bloomingdale). The average family income is $149,352, and 80.7% of residents are White (2005). Only 2.8% are below the poverty line.

There is also an ongoing controversy about an ordinance making it illegal to sleep on a "public way," directed at the homeless. One outspoken and mediagenic homeless man, Scott Huber, seems to be a particular target of the ordinance.^{1, 2, 3, 4}

My opinion? Naperville seems like a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to be homeless there.

Which, it turns out, was the point of Bill Mego's Oct. 13 column. As Mego explained to me (Yes! I contact total strangers and ask questions like a real writer!), Naperville has trouble getting people to ride the bus.



Those routes only carry an average of 46, 38, 36, 34, and 12 riders, respectively, per day.

"We have been having problems getting enough riders on our buses," says Mego. "One of the reasons people give is that the Mexicans from a neighboring town, who travel through and who work in our downtown restaurants, make riding the buses dangerous."

That's part of the background. The law aimed at Huber, in Mego's words, "makes it illegal to sleep on a public way. Yes, it makes it against the law to nap in the park, fall asleep during a parade, and let your baby sleep it its buggy."

The Denouement

Pay attention now, Ken! This is where I tell you, if you haven't guessed: Mego doesn't like the ordinance, saying about its backers: "They passed this foolish law because we have a homeless man who has been living alongside a parking garage for the last eight years, and people are now saying 'I didn't move to Naperville to see slovenly homeless people'."

Mego added: "The Sun is a local paper, and our readers know I've written often, defending the man [Huber]. They understood that that statement [about group travel and mingling with lower classes] referred specifically to that situation, and was a sarcastic comment on some of our citizens' intolerance."

* * *

I think Mego's motivation in suggesting PRT can be characterized as 'irritated realism.' Something like, you idiots, so you don't want to use transit? Well how about PRT, would you use that?

The implicit answer is 'No.' Mego's final point in the column was, and I quote, "the 'experts' aren't considering it."

The town that passed an ordinance against sleeping on the street isn't considering PRT. Some gotcha for Ken Avidor

The people of the Chicagoland area are going
to LOVE Avidor's "Polish PRT? " slur!

Zoom

(that about wraps it up for Ken Avidor in Naperville!)



Read: Mock Journalist- The Series

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