Strictly Street

I'll try to meet you at the Get-Go in groveport. If I can get the bike to start in the AM. Been having troubles with it when it's chill in the AM.

Haven't seen a post about a Central meetup point....

Seems like it isn't working out like that. Govt is stopping it in it's tracks with "Operation Choke Point". Makes no sense either to make everybody pay cash when you fill out the ATF/FBI paperwork anyway. The goal seems to be to shut down businesses that the Obama regime doesn't like but can't legally outlaw. In effect, the market is not free.

It’s white. It’s square. And at 1-by-1 inch in diameter, it is the perfect accoutrement to any entrepreneur’s smartphone. With its quick swipe capability and ultimate portability, the high-tech Square Reader credit-card processor has become an invaluable tool in today’s economy. Last summer, around the same time the U.S. Department of Justice’s Operation Choke Point began pressuring banks to drop customers who buy or sell firearms, tobacco and other goods considered “not acceptable” by the Obama administration, Square quietly changed its terms of agreement. In an alert regarding a change of terms, Square notified vendors: …you will not accept payments in connection with the following businesses or business activities: …sales of (i) firearms, firearm parts or hardware, and ammunition; or (ii) weapons and other devices designed to cause physical injury. More here: http://dailysignal.com/2014/09/25/gun-shop-owners-longer-hip-square/ Ah... The smell of hope and change. There is a lot of bad press surrounding the "Operation Choke Point".

If you have a clue, sure. But for those that don't...

This new technology is bringing auto loans — and Wall Street’s version of Big Brother — into the lives of people with credit scores battered by the financial downturn. Auto loans to borrowers considered subprime, those with credit scores at or below 640, have spiked in the last five years. The jump has been driven in large part by the demand among investors for securities backed by the loans, which offer high returns at a time of low interest rates. Roughly 25 percent of all new auto loans made last year were subprime, and the volume of subprime auto loans reached more than $145 billion in the first three months of this year. But before they can drive off the lot, many subprime borrowers like Ms. Bolender must have their car outfitted with a so-called starter interrupt device, which allows lenders to remotely disable the ignition. Using the GPS technology on the devices, the lenders can also track the cars’ location and movements. Interesting use of technology. More here: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/09/24/miss-a-payment-good-luck-moving-that-car/?_php=true&_type=blogs&src=twr&_r=0 As the ignition devices proliferate, so have complaints from troubled borrowers, many of whom are finding that credit comes at a steep price to their privacy and, at times, their dignity, according to interviews with state and federal regulators, borrowers and consumer lawyers. Some borrowers say their cars were disabled when they were only a few days behind on their payments, leaving them stranded in dangerous neighborhoods. Others said their cars were shut down while idling at stoplights. Some described how they could not take their children to school or to doctor’s appointments. One woman in Nevada said her car was shut down while she was driving on the freeway.

http://www.wgcarbs.com/index.php/using-joomla/extensions/components/content-component/article-categories/89-coils Excellent article on how to breath new life into older bikes with shaky electrical systems due to weathering of the ignition wires. Things like less than 12v at the coil. Nope, no need to wonder why I looked this up. After all my bike is 30 years old....

Burger King + Tim Hortons + Canada = Media Circus Chrysler + Fiat + Italy = Crickets

Los Angeles Unified school police officials said Tuesday that the department will relinquish some of the military weaponry it acquired through a federal program that furnishes local law enforcement with surplus equipment. The move comes as education and civil rights groups have called on the U.S. Department of Defense to halt the practice for schools. The Los Angeles School Police Department, which serves the nation's second-largest school system, will return three grenade launchers but intends to keep 61 rifles and a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected armored vehicle it received through the program. http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-schools-weapons-20140917-story.html What the hell does a school district need grenade launchers for?!?!? 61 rifles???? MRAP????

Militarizing Police departments is questionable but School Districts? Why did San Diego Unified acquire an armored vehicle?by Joe Yerardi September 9, 2014 San Diego Unified School District recently acquired a tank. Well, it’s as big as a tank, and it’s in the garage of Morse High School. It’s actually a mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle (MRAP). The U.S. military has used these vehicles in their occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. They’re capable of withstanding improvised explosive devices and smashing through barricades. Police departments around the country use similar vehicles for SWAT team deployments. The school district got the MRAP for free as part of the Department of Defense’s Excess Property Program. The program, commonly referred to as the 1033 Program, sends unneeded military equipment like weapons and body armor to local police forces for no cost. http://inewsource.org/2014/09/09/why-did-san-diego-unified-acquire-an-armored-vehicle/

http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/10339/after_motorcylist_s_death_bike_vanishes_from_the_scene_before_police_arrive#.VA9W7K0pC70 A very strange thing happened after a fatal motorcycle accident in Detroit on Monday: The dead man's motorcycle and belongings including his computer tablet were snatched off the street before EMS and police arrived. Fox 2's Taryn Asher reports that witnesses said that a man who claimed to be the motorcyclist's cousin drove off with the motorcycle, that was still running, and that a woman who claimed to be the girlfriend got out of a car and took his belongings including a tablet and phone. Asher said it's not clear if the people are who they said they are. Fox 2's Taryn Asher reports that it all began when the a Pontiac Grand Am car was trying to turn into a gas station at the intersection of 7 Mile Road and Greenview on Detroit's west side. As the car was pulling into the station, the speeding motorcycle driven by a 22-year-old man crashed into the car. Police say the motorcycle was going too fast, which appears to have resulted in the accident. WTF?

http://www.psmag.com/navigation/health-and-behavior/truth-wont-admit-drinking-healthy-87891/ The U.S. public health establishment buries overwhelming evidence that abstinence is a cause of heart disease and early death. People deserve to know that alcohol gives most of us a higher life expectancy—even if consumed above recommended limits. A society best handles its available intoxicants by regarding them calmly and rationally, and by understanding that people have the capacity (and the responsibility) to consume them in sensible, even life-enhancing ways. As formerly illegal drugs are decriminalized, as new “designer” substances are regularly introduced, as performance-enhancing drugs and quite powerful psychiatric drugs are more and more commonly used, there is really no other option for navigating substance use in the 21st century. Long but interesting article.

Now, now don't make fun of the dog-and-pony show the media puts on - that's racist!

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!

Cool idea, now if they could just get it to corner like one of these...

http://youtu.be/ElDZ3ZPgflQ

Interesting observation from Bloomberg. Burger King pays less than the U.S. corporate tax rate because it operates in many jurisdictions. Its effective rate in 2013 was 27.5 percent, one percentage point higher than the Canadian corporate tax rate of 26.5 percent. So is all this really about un-patriotic companies and evil capitalists? Over 1% of taxes? Or a possible created political talking point that serves no real point? http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-27/buffett-burger-king-funds-flip-obama-s-inversion-calculus.html See Warren Buffets attitude on the whole thing. “I proposed closing this unpatriotic tax loophole for good,” Obama said in his weekly address on July 26 the theater continues.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_HortonsLooks like it's been moved for tax purposes a couple of times already. Nobody complained then. What makes now different? Merger with Wendy'sA Tim Hortons/Wendy's sign in Milton, OntarioIn 1992, the owner of all Tim Hortons and Wendy's Restaurants in Prince Edward Island, Daniel P. Murphy, decided to open new franchise outlets for both brands in the same building in the town of Montague. Murphy invited Joyce and Wendy's chairman Dave Thomas to the grand opening of the "combo store", where the two executives met for the first time and immediately established a rapport. Murphy's success with combining coffee and doughnuts with Wendy's fast food led to the 8 August 1995 acquisition of and merger with TDL Group by Wendy's International, Inc., an American company.[17] Joyce became the largest shareholder in Wendy's, even surpassing Thomas. TDL Group continued to operate as a separate subsidiary from its head office in Oakville, Ontario, although Joyce eventually retired from active management to pursue other interests. Regaining independenceA Tim Hortons store in New York City.Under pressure from rival restaurateur Nelson Peltz, in late 2005, Wendy's announced it would sell between 15% and 18% of the Tim Hortons operations in an initial public offering, which was completed on 24 March 2006, and subsequently said it would spin off to shareholders its remaining interest by the end of 2006.[18] Wendy's cited increased competition between the two chains and Tim Hortons' increasing self-sufficiency as reasons for its decision, but the company had been under shareholder pressure to make such a move because of the strength and profitability of the Tim Hortons brand.[19] Peltz in 2008 acquired Wendy's after pressuring them initially to spin off Tim Hortons. Shares of the company began trading on 24 March 2006, with an initial public offering of C$27 per share, raising over $700 million in the first day of trading. On 24 September 2006, Wendy's spun off the rest of its shares in Tim Hortons, by distributing the remaining 82% to its shareholders.[20] On the same day, Tim Hortons was added to Canada's benchmark stock-market indicator, the S&P/TSX Composite Index, and to the S&P/TSX 60.[21] Despite maintaining its operational headquarters in Oakville, the spun-off holding company, Tim Hortons Inc., was initially incorporated in Delaware. RepatriationOn 29 June 2009, Tim Hortons Inc. announced that, pending shareholder approval, the chain's operations would be reorganized under a new publicly traded company, also named "Tim Hortons Inc.", incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act. The change was being made primarily for tax purposes.[22][23] On 28 September 2009, Tim Hortons Inc. announced it had completed the reorganization of its corporate structure to become a Canadian public company.[24][25] In November 2010, Tim Hortons extended Interac debit payment system acceptance to most of its stores. The company previously began accepting Interac in its stores in Western Canada in 2003 and, later, MasterCard and MasterCard PayPass across most of its stores in 2007. The company often indicated the delay of broader or wider electronic payment acceptance was to "ensure speed of service".[26][27] In 2012, Tim Hortons began accepting Visa cards, and in 2013, began accepting American Express cards.[citation needed] Acquisition by Burger KingOn August 24, 2014, U.S. fast food chain Burger King announced that it was in negotiations to merge with Tim Hortons Inc.; the proposed $18 billion merger would involve a tax inversion into Canada, with a new holding company majority-owned by 3G Capital, and the remaining shares in the company held by current Burger King and Tim Hortons shareholders. A Tim Hortons representative stated that the proposed merger would allow Tim Hortons to leverage Burger King's resources for international growth; the two chains would retain separate operations post-merger.[28][29] News of the proposal caused Tim Hortons' shares to increase in value by 28 percent.[30] On August 25, 2014, Burger King officially confirmed its intent to acquire Tim Hortons Inc. in a deal totalling CDN$12.5 billion (US$11.4 billion).[31] 3G Capital will purchase the company at $65.50 per-share; existing shareholders will receive $65.50 in cash and 0.8025 shares in the new holding company per-share—all-cash ($88.50) and all-shares (3.0879) options will also be available. 3G Capital (which currently holds a 71% majority stake in Burger King) will hold a 51% majority stake in the new company, Tim Hortons' existing shareholders will own 22%, and Burger King's will own 27%. The new entity will be based in Oakville and listed on both the TSX and New York Stock Exchange. Burger King CEO Daniel Schwartz will serve as CEO of the company, with existing Tim Hortons CEO Marc Caira being vice-chairman and director; Burger King itself will still operate out of its existing headquarters in Miami. The deal is subject to approval by Tim Hortons shareholders and regulatory authorities, and will form the third-largest fast food restaurant chain in the world. Caira reassured the integrity of Tim Hortons following the purchase, stating that the acquisition would "enable us to move more quickly and efficiently to bring Tim Hortons iconic Canadian brand to a new global customer base."[30][32]

I guess they wont be going to Ferguson, Missouri. I was waiting for the media circus trifecta. On the other hand they won't be in the news for long.

I just love charts and graphs!

Russia is demanding that Bulgaria try harder to prevent vandalism of Soviet monuments, after yet another monument to Soviet troops in Sofia was spray-painted, ITAR-Tass reported. The Russian Embassy in Bulgaria has issued a note demanding that its former Soviet-era ally clean up the monument in Sofia's Lozenets district, identify and punish those responsible, and take "exhaustive measures" to prevent similar attacks in the future, the news agency reported Monday. The monument was spray-painted on the eve of the Bulgarian Socialist Party's celebration of its 123rd anniversary, the Sofia-based Novinite news agency reported. The vandalism was the latest in a series of similar recent incidents in Bulgaria — each drawing angry criticism from Moscow. Early this year, unknown artists painted another monument to Soviet troops in Sofia in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. In August last year, a Soviet army monument in Sofia was painted pink in an "artistic apology" for Bulgaria's support of Soviet troops who suppressed Czechoslovakia's Prague Spring revolt against Moscow-based communist rulers. How many do you see? The Joker Santa Claus Superman Aqua Man Ronald McDonald A Klingon? Capt. America

http://youtu.be/7vd_OuqUAaI

Picture it: you're sitting on the freeway in traffic with the windows open, and the deliciously unmistakeable scent of bacon comes wafting into your car. Traffic is bumper-to-bumper, so you can't even take the nearest exit and hunt for a 24-hour diner to satisfy your increasing desire for some crispy strips. How are you going to release your bacon frustration? Easy — call the 800 number of Hormel, because it's probably their fault. Hormel has manufactured the bike pictured above, which runs on biodiesel fuel derived from bacon grease and emits bacon-scented exhaust fumes. The bike will be featured in an upcoming documentary, Driven by Bacon, about a bacon-lovin' man who travels from Austin, Texas to San Diego, California. The doc will be presented to what is certain to be an enthusiastic crowd at the San Diego International Bacon Film Festival on August 29th. It might not be a Harley, but it reserves the right to be called a hog.

Good to know...