motorcycle news: June 2010

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Honda Griffon Scooter Gallery

Jesus Quotes for Dummies: "Turn the Other Cheek"

There is a famous quote from Jesus "If someone slaps you on the cheek, turn the other cheek". This is considered a "provocative" teaching, in that it tells us to deny our instinct of retaliation and revenge, and adopt a non-violent response. In this short teaching, Jesus not only tells us to not respond to violence with our own violence, but to even assist the aggressor by giving him (or her I suppose) the other cheek to slap.

The original Christians took Jesus' message to mean they should be non violent in their own lives. In the early years of Christianity, it was assumed that a true Christian could not even join the military. But as Christianity spread and became the official religion of the Roman Empire, obviously the interpretation had to adapt to the new situation.

Today, many who call themselves Christians no longer have problems with this teaching, because there are now many people to help them reinterpret it, and explain what Jesus really meant, and to tell them when this teaching does not apply. With these new explanations of Jesus' teaching, Christian TV evangelists support such things as pre-emptive war, torture of prisoners, political assassination, and the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

[the following may contain sarcasm, because in my opinion this "violent Christianity" is nothing more than pure hypocrisy]

I have decided to throw this question back to Jesus Himself, and get Him to clarify this potentially frustrating situation he left us with, in trying to honestly follow His teachings. Meanwhile, there are a bunch of legitimate ways that you can get around this requirement of turning the other cheek without feeling bad that you are not following Jesus's advice.

Here are a few situations that come to mind, that I want explained by Jesus Himself.

1. Say a bad man slaps your 2 year old daughter on the face. Should you tell her to turn the other cheek, or should you offer to let the bad man slap your cheek, or are you allowed to punch the bad man's lights out?

2. Say an orangutang (which is a monkey, not a human) slaps you on the cheek. Do you have to turn the other cheek if it's not even human or can you hit back. And if you can hit back against a monkey, than what about other men of different skin colour that I, as a racist Christian, consider non-human?

3. If a bad man tries to slap my cheek, but is so uncoordinated or feeble that he cannot do it with any force, should I assist him by slamming my cheek into his hand?

4. If my country is attacked, must the entire army stand around waiting to get slapped on the cheek and then after they are slapped, turn the other cheek and surrender?

5. Say a mass murderer is caught, tried and convicted. Must we let him go, and furthermore set him up with some new potential victims? Or can we go ahead and execute him. (humanely of course)

6. Say we have a suicide bomber in custody, and he knows there is a hidden atomic bomb set to go off in New York. Can we torture him to find out where it is? And if he doesn't talk with mere waterboarding, or if we're not sure he's telling the truth, can we go ahead with mutilation. And if we're not sure mutilating him worked, can we also mutilate his wife and children? Because after all, we're talking about millions of good Christian people dying in an atomic blast vs. one little case of torture.

So I guess that should give Jesus something to think about. Next time, maybe He won't be spouting off with his left wing pacifist BS before thinking it through. Or maybe God should just check with me first before delivering any more sermons from the mount.

Until Jesus gets back to me with some answers, I think it is pretty safe for the Judeo-Christian countries to continue the policy of pre-emptive war, where, just in case another country looks like it might one day want to attack us, we can bomb the crap out of them right now and put an end to it before it starts. And we can also carry on a policy of assassination of foreign leaders who look like they are not friendly, and may one day want to slap a tariff on the oil we are drilling on their land. (Are you listening, Hugo Chavez?)

More importantly, we can continue the policy of stealing land from Palestinians, and if any of them fight back, we can bomb and kill a hundred times as many in retaliation. And if any of the suicide bombing terrorists happen to hide near women and children instead of standing out in the open, we can just go ahead and kill all of them with a clear conscience. And if we catch any terrorists we can torture them till the cows come home.

But the best part of all this is that we are still Christians, and we can still boast that we are the peace loving ones, because after all it says right in the bible that Christians "Turn the other cheek". Isn't it great to be a Christian? We are saved from hell by our personal love of Jesus.

Some other thoughts

PRO
http://satyagrahaandahimsa.blogspot.com/2006/08/turn-other-cheek.html
CON
http://www.gac.20m.com/self-def.htm

INDEX
http://turntheothercheek.direction8.intelreviewnow.com/

Pictures: So many to choose from, this is a very controversial topic I guess
1. Game http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Halo
2. Wanna buy the T-Shirt? http://www.zazzle.com/dont_make_me_turn_the_other_cheek_tshirt-235522205793096742

2011 Kawasaki KFX450R USA Editions

2011 Kawasaki KFX450R USA Editions Picture

Sharing agent DNA with the awful acclaimed KX™450F motocrosser, the KFX450R is attainable to race. Equipped with titanium valves to accumulate reciprocating weight low, the agent is adapted with a awful acknowledging 32-bit agenda ammunition bang (DFI®) arrangement that automatically compensates for temperature or altitude. DFI enhances the KFX450R’s adeptness to construe its four-stroke ability into outstanding thrust, with calmly attainable torque in the low- and medium-rpm ranges.

The fast and reliable KFX450R additionally includes a failing about-face accessory arrangement chip with its five-speed chiral transmission. The KFX450R’s about-face accessory allows riders to bound and calmly extricate themselves from aboriginal about-face chaos, aisle bottlenecks or any added on-track incident, application the accustomed about-face lever, additional a acceptable handlebar army lock-out lever.

2011 Kawasaki KFX450R USA Editions

2011 Kawasaki KFX450R USA Editions Picture

2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200S

Finally unveiled, world preview of the new and eagerly anticipated Multistrada 1200.

Also new for 2010: new “Corse” livery for the 1198, two new Hypermotard 1000evo models and technical advances in the Monster family.

As is tradition prior to the opening of the EICMA show, Ducati has officially revealed the innovations of its 2010 product range.
Dream bikes, the fruit of Italian ingenuity and creativity, and destined to become new points of reference on the international market, are ready to take the spotlight at EICMA 2009, the 67th edition of the International Motorcycle Exhibition, taking place at the Fiera Internazionale di Milano in Rho, from 10 - 15 November

Before the unveiling of the 2010 line-up, the new Ducati Corse logo was presented to the international press, an evolution of the historic brand in the form of a new graphic, following on from the launch of the new Ducati logo at last year’s EICMA show.

A press conference, eagerly anticipated and rich in content, took place immediately prior to the official opening of the trade show. Gabriele Del Torchio, President of Ducati Motor
Holding, met with representatives of the international media to present the company’s recent sporting and commercial results, confirming the Italian manufacturer’s strength and performance, despite the difficulties that the sector is currently experiencing.

2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200S

Suzuki Boulevard C109R/RT

In their attempt to create the absolute modern cruiser, Suzuki engineers have taken the power plant from the M109R and retuned the camshafts for more low-end and mid-range torque over horsepower and so deliver a classic piece of machinery, not only in style, but in attitude as well. The 1783 cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 54-degree V-Twin sets the Boulevards C109R and C109RT up against the best in the business, so a GSX-R-derived electronic fuel injection system seems like a great solution for the two models. And so does the wide-ratio five-speed transmission.

Like the engine and gearbox, the chassis was built for the long haul. With a high-tensile double cradle steel frame and Showa suspension working on both ends (49mm forks deliver 130mm of wheel travel and a rear monoshock linked to an aluminum swingarm), these bikes are meant to offer first class accommodations.

But stopping an 838 lbs or 900 lbs (touring model) curb weight is never an easy task. That is why Suzuki uses a combined braking system. So when applying only the front brake lever, two pistons out of three will provide the needed braking power, but when applying only the rear brake, this last will be used at full capabilities and the front will intervene with a single piston. You can imagine what happens when you hit both. This may not be extracted from the world of races, but it gets the job done proudly.

The Boulevard C109RT offers a plus of comfort thanks to a tall windscreen and passenger backrest, but also decent carrying capacity thanks to a pair of leather saddlebags. The bad boy image is enhanced by the studded seat while the new for 2010 white wall tires give it a retro look as well.

MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR Kit

MV Agusta announced today a new "track only" Cannonball Kit for the Brutale 1090RR. With the new package, MV Agusta wants increasing the performance, making the bike even lighter and fully exploiting its technology.

The new Cannonball Kit includes a modified Engine Control Unit, cylinder head, camshafts, valves and exhaust system, which is manufactured completely from titanium and is completed by a low and spirited exhaust pipe. The result is an increase of 21 HP to a total of 165 HP. At 9.000 revs/min the power is 140 hp, at 10.000 it is 160 hp, a little later the maximum is reached, an absolute record for Brutale.

The new technical components enables the Brutale Cannonball to excel on the track: the exciting performance are restrained by the pure chassis and by high quality suspension components which enable the rider to enjoy easy handling and the typical pleasure of riding an MV Agusta bike.

2010 Suzuki SFV 650 Gladius

Destined to those who just approach riding, the new Gladius not only impresses through the way it looks, but with the help of a low seat (only 30.9 inches from the ground) and a fuel-injected, twin plug head engine, which is tuned for low-to-mid range torque.

Production costs were kept as low as possible and that implies a little bit of sacrifice on the weight chapter. For example, the trellis frame is made out of steel instead of aluminum. That brings a significant contribution to the 446 lbs wet weight that doesn’t do the Gladius that much good.

* Engine: 645 cc, 4-stroke, 2-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 90 V-Twin
* Bore Stroke: 81.0 mm x 62.6 mm
* Compression Ratio: 11.5 : 1
* Fuel System: Fuel Injection
* Lubrication: Wet sump
* Ignition: Electronic ignition (Transistorized)
* Starter: Electric
* Transmission: 6-speed, constant mesh
* Primary Drive Ratio: 2.088 (71/34)
* Final Drive Ratio: 3.067 (46/15)

2010 Suzuki SFV 650 Gladius

Online casino entertainment for a biker

This may be a suitable entertainment for bikers, that online casino because playing in an online casino is very fun.

When you have started playing the game, there is a tendency for you to spend any money you have in just one sitting. In this situation, a player must be able to know the term 'manage' all started playing at online casino sites. We must learn how to manage their money when involved in a specific game at online casinos. Because you never know how much or even anything else can you spend in your favorite online gaming.

There are several factors you need to know from a player online before engaging in any casino game.

These factors can help a player to get the joy of playing On line casino without hesitation playing with money.One of factors need to know is how to determine the amount of money will be spent in gambling. Of course, the gamblers have to be smart in handling money because he will be playing for a long time.

Online casino entertainment for a biker

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Alternate Riding Positions for Comfort

This may very well be something I shouldn't write about. Maybe it's illegal, maybe it's unsafe. But for many years I have used alternate riding positions in order to be comfortable on long motorcycle rides. And with a country as big and empty as Canada, there are a lot of long lonely motorcycle rides.

The worst thing you can do for comfort is remain in a fixed position for many hours without moving. Numbness sets in, in the rear end, and even in the hands and wrists. You can overstress your back and neck. Even if you have a soft pillowy seat and a nice backrest.

It really does not take much moving around to make things more comfortable. At the very simplest level, you could lift your rear off the seat, just enough to allow daylight between your rear and the seat, for just a couple of seconds, and repeat every five minutes. If you start doing this before you start to go numb, you will remain comfortable for a long time. It's easier to do this on some bikes, such as standards, but it can also be done on many cruisers, providing the floorboards are not placed too far forward.

Even this simplest little move may be too difficult for some riders to do safely, I don't really know. I don't ever read about other people doing this much, so maybe it is considered dangerous, or that only a professional should attempt it. I know I can do it any time I want, and not lose control of the motorcycle. I can even do it leaning over in a curve. And I use a few other seating positions that are probably a lot harder. Lifting the rear end is one of the easiest and safest "tricks" I do.

One problem with cruiser motorcycles is that they force you into a single position. It's very hard to ride them standing up, and it is very hard to even slide back on the seat a few inches, because of the ledge between the rear and the front seat. On a standard motorcycle (before the 1980's), the passenger seat was level with the driver's seat, so if you didn't have a passenger, you could slide back as far as you liked.

What a lot of cruiser riders do is add forward mounted footrests so that they can ride with their legs stretched out. That gives another position, but it is only good on long straight stretches without gear changes or braking. That's because usually these highway pegs do not have the foot controls, and so you will never see this type of footpeg offered by the manufacturers. Because of liability problems.

I don't have these forward highway pegs, but one thing I can do instead is to sit on the passenger seat. It does require a large and possibly dangerous movement, and maybe some people would lose control doing it, but in my opinion, a good rider should not have a problem learning to do this. Maybe it should even be a training requirement. Once on the back seat, I can also move my feet to the passenger pegs if I want to, but there are no foot controls. At least I still have the front brake available in an emergency. I never ever sit on the back seat in busy areas or heavy traffic where I am driving defensively. The main difficulty with the back seat is leaning forward to reach the handlebars. If I don't have a windshield, leaning forward from the passenger seat is actually very comfortable, as it just balances the wind at 110 kph. With the windshield on, this particular position is not much use, as it becomes too uncomfortable holding yourself up.

Without the windshield, you can use the wind to good effect. Or you can choose to let it make you tired. I choose to let the wind help me, by leaning forward into it. This takes the weight off your back and seat, and it should also allow you to relax your grip on the handlebars. If you lean back, then you will need to fight the wind for many hours and you will become tired. If it were not for fog, cold, and wet weather, I would never use a windshield. (although sometimes bugstorms are worse than rain!)

Picture: Four riding positions clockwise from the top left.
*Dirt riding, often from a standing position to allow the legs to absorb the bumps.
*Ape hangers, on a cruiser, this bike has highway pegs for good measure. I would not recommend the high handlebars (called apehangers), in any case they are illegal almost everywhere.
*An old fashioned position, lost favour when decent brakes were invented.
*A modern cafe racer, crouched forward. Can be comfortable at higher speeds without a windshield.

Different Opinions on the G20 Summit Riot

In the wake of the G20 summit held in Toronto, there are conflicting headlines in the newspapers, concerning the police actions. I am going to pick four papers from Toronto and contrast their stories, mainly looking at the titles rather than the content. I got the titles from looking at each paper's web page this morning and clicking on the story I saw about the summit controversy,

The Toronto Star:
"Outraged protesters rally against police"
[sub title] "Female protesters strip searched by male officers, detainee says"

The National Post
"Police work was ‘commendable,’ Mayor says"

The Globe and Mail
"Police chief offers no apologies for G20 tactics"

The Toronto Sun
"Anarchists were 'stupid' — Blair" [explanation required: Blair is the police chief]

There is a theory in spreading propaganda that you can get your readers to think a certain way by your choice of title, so I chose only the title rather than get bogged down in the content of the article, which you can read if you want to, by clicking on the links. But don't be surprised if the content does not exactly convey the same message as the title, that's part of the technique.

If this theory is correct, each paper will pick a title to get the readers to think along the lines dictated by its overall editorial approach.

I think it is agreed that the Toronto Star is a liberal, if not left-leaning paper. So their title seems to match their left wing slant, and appears to sympathise with the left wing protesters.

I am pretty sure most people know the "National Post" is a right wing paper, and by definition, would be on the side of the riot police. I am making the assumption that conservatives and right wingers are in favour of "The Man", the police, who are working for the governments and/or the corporations.

The "Globe and Mail" is the most widely respected paper in Toronto, and considered more neutral than the previous two. And the message of the headline, I feel, is somewhat in between the left and right wing views. Their headline manages to simultaneously suggest that apologies were in order, and that none were needed. Maybe you also noticed, the only title that did not quote someone.

The "Toronto Sun" is a tabloid, and tries to appeal to the average working class guy, as you can tell by the scantily clad Sunshine Girls in every paper. Their intended audience is looking for a simple, easily understood opinion.

Incidentally, I am not trying to promote the "Globe and Mail", although I suppose it might look like that from this post. I subscribe to none of these papers, I do not even live in Toronto, and I do not work for the Globe and Mail company. If you feel my assumptions about the Globe and Mail (or any of the other papers) are misguided, your comments are welcome.

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Monday, June 28, 2010

Answering a Reader Question #83

Anonymous Wrote:

I understand commercial/print models need to have their own wardrobe for shoots, but do fashion/editorial models ever need to bring an outfit, shoes, or other clothing articles to gigs?
Thank you for all your advice! :)

Hey, Anonymous! Thanks for the question and kind words--very much appreciated! When it comes to fashion/editorial models, there may be times when models are required to bring one or two items of their own for the shoot. However, most times the nature of these kinds of shoots have all those items covered (big budgets, top clients, large crew, etc.) so chances are the need to supply a shoot with your own stuff for editorial and fashion work will be minimal. It definitely varies from situation to situation--it's always best to be prepared for anything!

I do want to add that not all commercial/print models have to bring their own wardrobe/items to their shoots all the time. Regardless of the type of modeling one does, the decision as to whether a model needs to bring his/her own things solely depends on the nature of the shoot, who the client is, the size of the crew, etc. For example, if the client you are shooting for has a wardrobe stylist on the payroll (and a good budget to work with), they will do all the shopping for the shoot, which means the model will be off the hook (but even then they may ask you to bring a few things just in case--most times they don't even end up using your stuff but it's always best to be over prepared than under prepared). Smaller shoots that don't have a wardrobe stylist usually means the photographer/client will have to make the model responsible for the wardrobe since they do not have anyone assigned to oversee that part of the production.

In my experience, the one item I am regularly asked to bring are shoes. Or if it is a business themed shoot, they'll ask me to bring a nice, black suit jacket. So it varies but the items are definitely not the kind that will break your bank account.

The Long Way Round, Compared to What?

On Sunday, I was talking about the movies "The Long Way Round" and "The Long Way Down". A friend of mine, who has given up motorcycling as his years advanced, said to me that he thought "The Long Way Round" was actually quite easy, with the support vehicles and crew, and all the money. And that he was more impressed with a trip I made back in 2004, where I went alone on my motorcycle, leaving in late February, and going to Loreto, on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, and back.

In "The Long Way Round", a couple of movie actors, Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor, travel from the U.K. across Europe and Asia through Mongolia, and Siberia to Alaska, Canada, and then across America to return home to the UK. And they made a documentary film of their adventure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Way_Round

And one of several bits on Youtube: Mongolia

I myself was pretty impressed with Ewan and Charley's trip. And although I really enjoyed my own trip to Baja, it was very unstressful compared to Mongolia and Siberia.

The significant differences would be in the amount of experience I had, and in the difficulty of the trip. In my opinion, the amount of money and presence of a support crew and planning staff do not make the trip that much easier. I had experience doing the coast-to-coast North American trip, and all the money I really needed for comfort, and I never missed having a support crew. Ewan and Charley had practically no experience at all travelling long distances by motorcycle, they didn't even have experience in riding motorcycles, and their bikes were also new and unfamiliar.

I was on paved roads virtually all the time. They were in entire countries where they hardly saw a paved road, and often no roads at all. I was in only three countries, and all three were very motorcycle friendly. Ewan and Charley were in Mongolia, and Russia, and a lot of other places where they do not try to make it easy for tourists. And their trip went entirely round the world, while mine stayed on one continent.

I was amazed by the sheer audacity, or recklessness, of just heading out there on motorcycles and going around the world, with their level of experience. (basically none, at the start) It was a few years since I saw it, and honestly I could not remember whether they took support vehicles or not. Must be my memory going on me.

Ewan and Charley ran into a lot of difficulties on their trip, but kept going regardless. Ewan kept falling down, because he was riding a very heavy bike off road. Roads were blocked by rivers. Bad weather. Accidents.

My own trip was like a stroll in the park. I had all good weather, and that was not just dumb luck. I took full advantage of accurate weather tracking, now available to anyone with a TV, all over North America. I was riding with fully tested gear and equipment, including the motorcycle and the clothes. I took advantage of excellent roads, and good facilities all the way down, even in Mexico. I slept comfortably in motels every night, and ate at friendly restaurants with familiar food. My trip required minimal planning, actually none at all, other than an attempt to learn a little Spanish, and reseaching requirements on crossing the Mexican border.

I suppose with enough bad luck, I could have been faced with even worse difficulties than Ewan and Charley. I could have had an accident, I could have frozen in a blizzard, or been robbed at knifepoint, or even killed. Yes, every trip has the potential of turning into a nightmare. But on the other hand, when you have done similar trips dozens of times, you mostly eliminate those random chance problems. There were very few times on the trip when I doing something new that I had no experience at all in.

In one place, half of the road in Mexico had collapsed, washed away, and there were no warning signs posted, or cones or flares. Nothing. A couple of hundred metres of road (again in Mexico) were under water. I avoided both those obstacles by luck or experience. I never got the runs (Montezuma's Revenge) for eating local tacos. I never got hassled by corrupt cops. Only one person even asked for money, I see more panhandling than that in Kitchener.

I encountered a couple of other motorcyclists from Texas whose bikes had both broken down. My bike did not break down, and maybe I can take credit for that, maybe it was just a really good bike (1992 BMW K1100LT) that I had already driven for 90,000 km basically with no reliability issues, or accidents. Another motorcyclist, on a bike similar to mine died in an accident the day I was there and I met some of his companions after the accident. I suppose that could as easily have been me.

Some of the most difficults moments for Ewan and Charley are not only with the obstacles and dangers, but with each other. I never had that problem on the Baja trip, as I was alone, or I was free to leave anytime the other people's agenda didn't suit me. And I didn't have to worry about somebody else crashing and ending the trip for me.

Actually, what Ewan and Charley did was so monumental, that my own trip is kind of unworthy in comparison.

Pics: From My Baja trip. Also in this album, with precise GPS locations if you care to check them out.

http://picasaweb.google.ca/rbezeau/Baja#

How can one woman simultaneously satisfy 12 men?

Check this out! Those are huge! Now that's my kinda gal!
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How can one woman simultaneously satisfy 12 men?

Check this out! Those are huge! Now that's my kinda gal!
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How can one woman simultaneously satisfy 12 men?

Check this out! Those are huge! Now that's my kinda gal!
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Queers Against Israeli Apartheid Back in the Pride parade

Recently, I was sent a copy of an email by an activist friend of mine, which was critical of the group "Queers Against Israeli Apartheid". I had no interest in it initially, but on second thought I decided to look into this unusual development.

This group was going to be banned from participating in the upcoming Toronto Gay Pride parade, which has become a major event. But after some protests, the ban was overturned.

My question is why are the gays, lesbians and transsexuals supporting Palestinians, while Palestinians themselves apparently discriminate against homosexuality? At the same time, my understanding is that Israelis were very tolerant.

After I read a bit on this web page, explaining the origin of this group

http://queersagainstapartheid.org/who/

more questions arise and some answers.

The Israeli treatment of Palestinians is probably worse in many ways than the Palestinian discrimination against homosexuals. Not being a homosexual or a Palestinian myself, I am not an expert on these issues, and I may not fully understand the discrimination each one faces. And furthermore, maybe I'm using the incorrect terms such as "queer" instead of LGBT. In which case I apologize, but I am not anti-gay/lesbian/bisexual/transsexual/queer. I am simply for universal human rights and freedom.

Homosexuals, even in Islamic countries, do not have their rights taken away unless they are "discovered", and even then, their entire families are not punished by having their houses bulldozed. Homosexuals are not marked from birth to be denied housing and free access to jobs. Homosexual leaders are not regularly targeted by missile attacks in densely populated areas.

On the other hand, I am told that homosexuality is something that has been around a long time, and apparently homosexuals exist all over the world, and throughout history, in many antagonistic cultures.

I find it interesting that a homosexual group such as this would take the trouble to speak out in support of other people (like the Palestinians) who have been denied their rights, even though most Palestinians may not be queer themselves, and may discriminate against homosexuals.

Meanwhile Israel has apparently been the only country in the middle East to openly tolerate homosexuals, while gays are persecuted in the Islamic Arab countries.

Here is Wikipedia on Israel, Palestine and homosexuals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Israel

Meanwhile, this right wing web page calls gay marriage in Israel "Worse then the holocaust" and "far worse to allow the homosexualization of the Holy Land than to give back land to the Arabs" I guess Rabbi Levin thinks it is better to give the Holy Land back to the Arabs than to allow homosexuality.

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/nov/06112107.html

Also, homosexuals can still be (illegally) murdered in Israel, presumably by Orthodox Jews:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1914391,00.html

Then, in a weird turnaround, Israeli settlers plan "Jewish Pride" parades through Arab neighbourhoods in retaliation for "Gay Pride" parades in Israel.

http://www.alternet.org/world/140934/right-wing_israeli_extremists_using_gay_rights_to_justify_incursions_into_arab_villages/

And a long article about the politicization of homosexuality, and how it is affected by the occupation of Palestine.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/oct/02/israel.gayrights

And furthermore, a documentary on the Iranian practice of forcing sex change operations on homosexuals.

http://current.com/news-and-politics/76312142_transsexuality-in-iran.htm

It's hard for me to draw any conclusions, but still, I find it interesting that Gays, who have plenty of problems of their own, are not so self absorbed that they can't also express support for fellow human beings who are suffering from discrimination for a different reason.

Picture: Israeli gay pride parade

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Wiley De and Sam Elliott Comparison

Some of you know who this is.
Left half of the photo snagged from Dave Mickelson's Facebook Photos.

Was someone blow drying Willey's hair? Was he moving a a great clip?. He looks like he means business!

Wiley De and Sam Elliott Comparison

Some of you know who this is.
Left half of the photo snagged from Dave Mickelson's Facebook Photos.

Was someone blow drying Willey's hair? Was he moving a a great clip?. He looks like he means business!

Yamaha R1 Magazine Motorcycles Picture

Yamaha R1 Magazine
Motorcycles Poster

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Saturday, June 26, 2010

Trash Journalism, Mixing Gossip and Propaganda

There has always been trash journalism. The difference is that today, there is more opportunity than ever before in human history, to spread false or misleading stories. This is done for a variety of reasons, and to make money is not the only one. Many people take delight in spreading fear, hysteria, or crackpot theories without any hope for compensation. The motivations can be many and varied. Sometimes just the desire to ruin someone else's life is enough motivation.

Just today, three stories I came across help illustrate that trash journalism is much more than just the Fox News Network. Perhaps I should refer to it as "gossip journalism", as "trash journalism" sounds so negative. And in some cases I am not totally negative about it. Here is the first example. Rolling Stone magazine published an article called "Runaway General" that got General Stanley McChrystal fired. In one sense, I would call this trash journalism because on a very basic level, it was trap set by a reporter, to gain the confidence of the staff. Later, he created a report that made them look disrespectful of their Commander in Chief and lots of other people. Whether they were disrespectful or not is not the question for me. They allowed the reporter to talk to them, and apparently approved the article, and were fired because of the tone of the article. In the final analysis, the story was the story. Like I said, not necessarily trash, not necessarily false or misleading, but not really great journalism either. Just banter that was put into print.

The second example is out of The National Enquirer. A 55 year old masseuse, employed (or contracted) by a hotel Al Gore stayed at four years ago, and reported Al had sexually harassed her. National Enquirer printed the story with a front page picture.

National Enquirer is one of those magazines you see at the grocery store checkout. The others are Star, Globe, OK, "Weekly World News" and many other titles. Quite honestly, I group these grocery store papers in one of two categories. Those that are true, but gossipy and unimportant, and the others that would be of colossal importance, if they were true. The National Inquirer was the first I know of to report on Charles and Diana breaking up. And of several similar personal and or sexual stories, like Canadian motorcycle racer Mike Duff wanting a sex change operation. A surprising number of these stories ended up being scoops for the National Enquirer, and later were proven to be based on fact.

The other stories would be of monumental importance if true, but have never panned out. Most of the other magazines specialize in that other type of story, such as "Obama appoints extra terrestrial alien to be Secretary of Space". Or "Pet Dog born with head of Elvis", showing the obviously photoshopped picture of Elvis Presley's face on a puppy. Yes, if it was true it would be of great scientific importance, but these stories never yet have proven true.

In reading about "The National Enquirer" in Wikipedia, I came across this interesting allegation I have never heard before:

"Founded in 1926 as The New York Evening Enquirer, Sunday afternoon newspaper distributed throughout the city. It was founded by anti-Semite William Griffin in 1926 and became a voice for isolationism and fascist propaganda in the 1930s and 1940s.[2]"

Obviously, the National Enquirer has changed hands since then, and is not in the business of Nazi propaganda any more (I don't think).

The third and last, for now, is from a website on the internet. I'm not sure how current that link will stay, due to the design of the website, but here is how the article starts off with this unfounded and probably false statement:

"EXTREME ALERT-MOVE YOUR FAMILIES NOW!: Inside sources have informed me that Full scale Gulf Coast evacuations are expected to begin in next couple of weeks--With Methane now surfacing and Bubbling in Florida waters the potential for a Methane Explosion of unimaginable devastation now comes into focus Further Law Enforcement Sources are being Advised of "ESCALATING VENT DETERIORATION" Two Definitions were provided to me--First "VENT" DEFINITION-"The opening in a volcano from which gas and molten rock erupt" and "ESCALATES"- DEFINITION GIVEN-"To expand step by step as from a limited or local conflict into a General NUCLEAR WAR"--to become unmanageable--You don't need a rocket science degree to read between the lines. Ten Years ago after the Papua New Guinea Earthquake in which "Burnt to a Crisp" bodies were pulled from the Fiery Seas-Stan Deyo and I did multiple Radio programs together over the years, warning of the Methane Hydrate Problems off our Coasts that could turn into "Seas Of Fire". "

Two links are provided in this section, I suppose to provide background scientific information.

It just happens that I have a sister in law living in Sarasota Florida, and so somehow one of Mary Ann's cousins came across this website and asked her if she thought it was the real thing, in which case a warning might be in order.

As far as I'm concerned, it's quite one thing to believe Al Gore sexually harassed a masseuse, and quite another to tell your sister in law to pack her bags and flee her home, based on a website story with no reputation of credibility.

By the way, if you do actually follow either of those links in the website, you will find that the first one is about a carbon dioxide explosion, not a methane explosion, and you should not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out those two are different. The second link, you can decide for yourself whether it is relevant.

Apparently it is true that there are localized high concentrations of methane gas dissolved in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, presumably due to the oil spill. Another link was provided here: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65L6IA20100622 In case you do not know, Reuters is more credible than SteveQuayle.com. Knowing how credible a source is comes with much experience, I guess.

What do we do about this spread of gossipy trash journalism? It seems that it is getting worse instead of getting better. I might as well admit that I don't have a clue yet, except to (1) search various reputable sources, including Snopes.com (2) stay in school when you have the chance and do your homework (3) Don't evacuate your house until you email another family member or friend for a second opinion. (4) try actually reading the whole thing, sometimes it's a joke or there is some context to consider.

Friday, June 25, 2010

The Scooters are Coming, and What Can be Done About It

It's starting to look like scooters are taking over, and if so what can be done to stop them?

I was living during the time of the big Harley Davidson comeback circa 1985. I remember the buzz in our motorcycle club, as member after member traded in their Honda Goldwing touring bike for a big V-twin Harley Davidson. Honda Goldwings used to be the most popular bike in the club by far. We didn't know it at the time, but that would be the beginning of at least 20 years of Harley Davidson growth in market share, to the point where they now dominate the big bike market.

What am I starting to see recently, reminds me of those heady times for H-D Co. But now it is scooters. First, Mary Ann rejected my finely tuned 1970 Honda CD175 in favour of a 2005 Suzuki Burgman 400. I could understand that, as she did not like messing with the gears and clutch while driving a two wheeled vehicle. And it had space for shopping under the seat, and protection from the rain and cold. And then once we had it for several thousand kilometers, it became apparent that it was also fully capable of transporting two people on a freeway at over 110 kph.

Then, another friend, (my age) who I advised to buy a medium to small cruiser as his first bike, ended up with a sport bike. When he showed me, I wondered "Why?". He told me a sport bike, being shorter, would fit into his garden shed while a cruiser would not. OK, good enough reason I suppose, but after a couple of trips on the sport bike, he was wondering if he should give up motorcycling, as it was so uncomfortable. Mary Ann told him the Burgman was comfortable, and to prove it she lent it to him for a 200 km trip. Within a week, he had sold the Suzuki Katana 650 and bought a Yamaha Majesty 400cc scooter. And he still has it and loves to ride it.

This year, Barry bought a scooter after selling his 1400 cc Harley Davidson Dyna Sport. It's a Kymco Bet & Win 150, which he bought lightly used. A few years back, Barry was telling me he would never let somebody on a scooter ride with him. Now we ride together with these bikes: Barry's Bet & Win 150, my Vulcan 900, and Bob's Suzuki Intruder 1400. These are 200 km plus rides, and we move at a reasonable clip of 90 kph. The only question on all our minds is when will the 150cc engine blow up, since it runs most of the time at 9,000 rpm and full throttle. It has not done so yet.

Bob and I have given up on insulting the Kymco Scooter, after several months of side splitting witticisms. Today when we were at Tim Horton's in Port Dover we discussed picking up the scooter and hiding it while Barry was in the bathroom. Unfortunately (or fortunately) Barry got wind of the plot and took out his owners manual to show us the weight of the scooter, so that we would not be so foolish to attempt this in the future. It weighs 300 lbs, which is enough to give both of us a hernia even if Bob lifted 200 lb while I got the remaining 100, as was my plan.

Shortly after that botched prank, we were in the little shop called "On the Fringe" where Bob had heard that the 2010 Friday 13th T-shirts were on sale. He needed to get one ahead of time, as he has the full collection and it's really difficult to get in there on Friday 13th, and not only that they will probably run out early this year if the weather is half decent on Friday 13th. Anyway, it was a partially false rumour, as they had the women's T-Shirts but not the men's, and Bob could not be persuaded to try on the women's. But as we were leaving, I spotted a sticker for $5 that said "Remember when sex was safe and bikes were dangerous?" I remarked that this would be a good sticker to put on Barry's bike, and Bob decided to get one and put it on. That makes it an official "bike", with the sticker in place.

At the last stop on our ride, we were at the Tim Horton's in Paris, and as our gang pulled in, there was another 150cc scooter parked next to us. I asked the rider where he was going, as he had a basket strapped to the luggage rack with shoes and clothing in it. He was heading to Mississauga with his scooter, and had started from his home in London (Ontario). Also we inquired as to why there was all this duct tape over his scooter, and he informed us that it was the result of being hit three times by London drivers, who are the worst in the world, according to our friend. Anyhow he took off in the direction of Mississauga after a friendly chat, and it looked like he was going to make it. I did not have the heart to tell him that Mississauga is the road rage capital of Canada. No sooner had he left than another man with a Burgman 650 (scooter) pulled in looking for coffee and willing to brag about his bike. He had a trailer hitch, where he told us that he attached a 250 pound one-wheel trailer, and was planning to make a trip to Nova Scotia and PEI this summer. I asked him if it was his first bike, no he said, he used to have a Burgman 400 that he put 60,000 km on and then traded on the Burgman 650.

Picture: Quicksilver, a steam-punk custom scooter,just to give you an idea where scooters might be headed when designers figure out what they should look like. From this web site:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Quicksilver-Retro-Future-Scooter-from-appliances/

Software Upgrade Offers Shipment Tracking

You asked us to make it easier to find out when your order was shipped.

Good news!

Now you can get that and more - a linked tracking number that allows you to check shipment status with the click of a mouse. Simply go to Order History (link in the top black navigation bar) and enter the email and zip code you used on the order.

This enhancement applies to all orders placed on www.LeaderMotorcycle.com starting on June 11. (It does NOT apply to phone-in orders.) We hope you find this feature valuable and that it makes your experience with Leader Motorcycle even better!

Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - Cheryl

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery. See Cheryl's grandfather, Edwin Wright, with his 1930s bike of unknown make and model. Do you recognize the bike? We need more pictures of men and women with their motorcycles. Get your picture in. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.