0 0 0 Why I Joined the Biker Mob With the weather turning warm, it's time for me to haul out my bike. Since I get runny noses a lot, if I tried to ride through the frigid winter wind I would run a serious risk of Death by Mucous. But now, with the weather getting warm again, biking is the fastest and most convenient way to travel. Of course, biking also has its NATHA X minuses, such as certain death. T But if you want to-get somewhere quickly, biking is the way to go. A car is out of the question, with the parking situation in Ann Arbor. In fact, most stolen cars are actually abandoned - the thieves just want to take your parking space. So a car in Ann Arbor is about as effective, transportationally, as an aircraft carrier. And when you factor in the cost of parking tickets, it's less economical. Plus, owning an aircraft carrier provides the added benefit of being able to avoid your nine o'clock by ordering an air strike on the MLB. Nevertheless, I'm not suggesting that all you automo- bile drivers go out and buy aircraft carriers. For one thing, it would do little to alleviate the lack of parking spaces (Smith, Bob: Yourparkingspace is: North Campus). And the activists would go nuts. Remember all the controversy about cops carrying handguns? Think about the reaction to aircraft carriers. We'd have a violent revolution. And shanties. Hundreds of shanties. Shanties with elevators and public restrooms. You couldn't even walk through the Diag without bumping into a shanty. This would only complicate the transportation scene. So for the time being, aircraft carriers are not a feasible transportation option. Roller-skating, for me, is out of the question. As a nine- year-old, I was forced to visit a roller-skating rink with my Cub Scout pack. When I got there, I couldn't see any actual people roller-skating, just this blur whipping laps around the rink at incredibly high velocity. Cautiously, I approached the blur, contemplating a means by which I could become part of it. I stuck out my hand and latched onto one of the speeding skaters. For a few glorious moments, I was one with the blur. Then the P.A. announced that all kids under 12 had to leave the rink. The skater I had clung on to detached himself and left me stranded in a desolate corner. Soon the rink was empty, with the over-twelve crowd poised on the edge, waiting for me to get off the ice. After several failed attempts to skate, I was forced to crawl off in humiliation. To this day, even the sight of roller-skaters causes me tremendous emotional trauma. You should also rule out busing, unless you're forced into it on account of living at Bursley/Baits. I don't care what propaganda'the University tells us; nobody likes living on North Campus. When you first got your housing assignment as first-year students, did you ever hear someone say, "Oh, you live in West Quad? Tough break. I live in Bursley"? Sure, the orientation leaders try to convince you otherwise -"Burskty has many unique advantages. For instance, its residents have the lowest cholesterol level of any residence hall on campus."- but the fact is that North Campus is a place where randomly selected students are forced to stay for no good reason. This is unfair. I think that you shouldn't have to stay there involuntarily unless you do something wrong. They could make it a sort of penal colony, like Siberia. Instead of getting kicked out, students who fail classes or get into trouble could be sent to North Campus. Then, if they study hard and keep their nose clean, they would be allowed back on Central Campus. But this is beside the issue at hand, which is biking. Aside from the convenience, the greatest advantage of bicycling in Ann Arbor is the opportunity to maim inno- cent pedestrians. During the fall, I personally took out two civilians, and I don't regret it a bit. One of them was a very serious-looking, business suit-wearing, briefcase-carrying yuppie who clearly was the president of his high school Young Republican Club. What I'm getting at, pedestrians, is that we bikers try to hit you. It's fun. We have these weekly meetings in the steam tunnels to plan exactly when and where to strike. Our eventual goal is to take out every non-biking student that we can't convert, so that eventually the entire Univer- sity community is biking. The rest can live up on North Campus. MklhganS F Best of Ann Arbor Ballot '91 7 Please return to The Michigan Daily by mail or in person at 420 Maynard, 48109. Or, give this ballot to someone you know who works here. BsResults will be printed in the April 19 Best of Ann Arbor annual issue of WEEKEND. Thank you for your time. Best Restaurants/Bars for... 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I Place for the folks to take you Library Best (and worst) Dating Stuff _Newseatures Mike Gill I Dorm cafeteria (and worst) Place to study Pick-up spot (and worst) _Entertainment features _Larry Hu I Best Overall Restaurant Place to work out Pick-up line (and worst) Sports features _Craig Linne Best Overall Bar Best campus tradition Rejection line -Columnists Jesse Walker Regent______and___worst)___ Place for first date -.Scott Chupack _Sketchpad-JntaChi -heWrdAcdngoGl I Best Businesses for... Cause/issue/movement (and worst) Place for secret rendezvous tna mments: _lik __hpd I Records Activist group (and worst) Place for going all the way Additional ____comments:_____ I Used records Protest slogan (and worst) Idea for unusual date Men's clothing ..MSA member (and worst) Condom brand and style ... . ... .. . . ....... ...5: :lJtJJ":. ".::::1.... ..": .... -.. --.. -- -- ....-. ...::'::: :::::::.":to:""::.::fl::: "..o.::. ..::..e..: .. ..... .: . 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