I've been very clear this whole time. If you're doing an activity on American streets that puts you next to cars driving at speed, wear a helmet. In my view, recommending that people *not* wear a helmet, as I read you to be doing in this tweet, is dangerous.

Of course I do! But you began this whole thing by appealing to greater sophistication in parsing tradeoffs & statistical risks. Now you're acting like you can't differentiate between the risk of a car hitting a biker in a shared lane vs a walker on the sidewalk. Get a grip.

Where did I say that?

This isn't the Netherlands. In America we have a norm that bicyclists wear helmets for their own protection. This norm doubtlessly saves lives every year. I don't know why you're trying to change that.

Given the behavior of cars, closer to the former. I don't see people jogging in the street, inches from cars. But if I did, I would recommend they wear helmets too.

Every urban bike event I participate in encourages or requires helmets--as they should.

Also, I've been a daily bike commuter for nearly a decade & I've had 3 incidents that probably would've been life-changing if not for a helmet. Wear a helmet. This isn't complicated.

maybe because they don't support this narrative. I wrote about how the decline in support for Democratic candidates among Black Milwaukeeans is easily exaggerated.

faculty blog post: law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/...
newsletter version: bluebookmke.substack.com/p/the-declin...

Who do you use for knife sharpening in Milwaukee?

It's easy to share maps because the URL updates as you pan, zoom, & select geographies & filters. Send someone a URL & they'll see the same thing as you.

Here is a quick-start guide. johndjohnson.info/posts/2025/l...

Yeah, it's one of the really great things about the state IMO

more here johndjohnson.info/posts/2025/a...

The consolidation of farms common on the plains of Illinois is just physically more difficult in the Driftless where fields are often smaller, scattered, & oddly shaped. I bet this has helped dairy remain viable, along with other more niche farm products.

Why this difference between the counties? I suspect topography is a partial answer. McDonough is flat and Vernon is hilly--part of the unglaciated Driftless Area.

In McDonough, the farms have gotten vaster as the labor needed to grow & harvest corn/beans has diminished.

Despite selling about the same aggregate $ of agricultural products, Vernon has far more farms, farmers, & farmworkers than McDonough.

VERNON
- 1,810 farms
- 7,398 farmers
- 1,533 farmworkers (hired)

MCDONOUGH
- 658 farms
- 2,345 farmers
- 544 farmworkers

Consider Vernon, WI & McDonough, IL counties.

TOTAL SALES
- Vernon: 83rd pctile
- McDonough: 82nd pctile

PRODUCT DIVERSITY BY SALES
- Vernon: 80th pctile
- McDonough: 35th

COMMODITIES >$100k sales
- Vernon: 18
- McDonough: 6

The farms are different though. Illinois is mostly corn, beans, & some hog CAFOs. WI farmers produce many different products.