smccrory

Similar with my kiddo. Introduced her to an airsoft when she was 7 and used only on range with eye protection and one pellet loaded at a time, then the same with a BB gun at 8, then a .22 at 9, then 9mm and 12g chambered with single rounds at a time at 15. No full-autos. She has a healthy respect for guns and knows to evaluate range partners and instructors suspiciously. I've made a point to show her bullet holes in stall dividers as proof that carelessness can happen any time, and can be fatal.

Clearly in any case you can tell its summer right now. Having this same discussion on Ohio Riders in the winter brings a wholly different tenor :-).

That's pretty much how it was at the turn of the century, and exactly what we'll be closer to if tea-party Ayn Randian capitalism has its way. If those elements keep pushing enough for it, I wouldn't be surprised at all with a Marxist/Socialist backlash in 50 years when society once again has enough of companies leaving wasted resources and sick people behind for our children to clean up. Speaking of, pure Marxism and Socialism have been shown time and time again to be awesome ideas that don't work on their own. Humans aren't evolved beyond self-interest, so successful economic policy needs to account for and harvest self-interest to motivate desired behaviors that benefit both individuals bearing risk for reward, and also shared public resources and interests. One desired behavior, I would argue is NOT to create robber barons that refuse to pay for their use, maintenance and culture of a market's infrastructure and resources. I really like TPoppa's post... Because it unemotionally describes several of the key debates. What is "fair share?" Heck, is there even something called "public/common interest" that must be fairly shared (pure capitalists doubt there is)? Should citizens pay all or most of what it takes to run, maintain, invest in and protect the country (since businesses benefit the public), or should businesses pay for all or part of that since they can't do business without live consumers, workers, roads, telecommunications, clean water, etc. I don't think it's unreasonable at all to temper capitalism's "efficiency" and make players pay a tax for the environment they operate in. We can disagree about the levels, but anyone who thinks government and the tax man should get out of the way is asking for a free lunch.

Yep, used mine in a group of 4 riders a couple weeks ago (the other 3 using SMH10 units). Everything paired up well once we figured out the sequence, though my 20S has much better range ;-).

Indeed that is the "beauty" of capitalism - It can be relied upon to find the most efficient mechanism towards profit, even when it burdens the public with its shadow. That's it, really. Certainly the public benefits from capitalistic ventures but it's also burdened by them. The debate, therefore, is about balance. I personally believe that the corporate tax rate is too high, but there are too many loopholes which end up making the largest of corporations pay far less than personal tax rates.

People are pissed, not because it's illogical or illegal, but because it's unfair. They benefit from U.S. infrastructure but don't want to pay for it. Companies now have the ability to discriminate based on religious grounds and contribute massive amounts of political money to super pacs with only the vaguest of disclosure. They enjoy public infrastructure in ways that go far beyond an individual's, so why shouldn't they pay for the very environment that enables their profit? It's easy to say that the U.S. has high corporate tax rates which are driving companies out of country. But like you guys allude to re: tax code, tax attorneys and CPAs make careers out of exploiting loopholes (and lobbying for loophole existence), and that will only go away if we vastly simplify the tax code. But good luck making that happen without the balance being tilted even more towards corporations with corporate tax attorneys and CPAs on the scene to craft the simplifications. It's like letting bankers and ex-bankers craft financial regulations.

Me too, though even then there was a bias we didn't know about. Journalism is never unbiased - look at how papers reported in the industrial era, though I believe it to be as bad today as it ever was. Oddly enough, sit and watch Al-Jazeera for 15 minutes. I've seen some pretty good reporting from them. Not as visually... amazing... as Telemundo News, but still.

I used to be one of those people quick to judge a person arrested for sex crimes, but I've grown to learn that things are not always what they seem. I sure hope the guys gets due process but nonetheless, his life will never be the same after this. An incredible shame if he's innocent.

I can completely see Ben's perspective. Ben, you're not being a downer, you're just trying to warn Nivin about the potential consequences without protection. The thing is, it's not the nice and understanding riders to worry about, it's ambivalent insurance companies trying to reclaim payouts caused by an incident. In a serious accident, there would be a wrecked bike or two, an injured or killed rider, injured or killed motorists, damage to private property and damage to public property (guard rails and such). That's anywhere from a couple thousand to several hundred thousand dollars that insurance companies would either have to pay out or subrogate to reduce their losses. And yes, there are also sleazy attorneys who make a practice of subrogation. You can imagine how this would go. Biker tries to keep up beyond their skill level and enters a turn too hot. Gets scared and locks up, stares at the side of the road or an oncoming vehicle, gets on the brakes which stand up the bike and takes them into a very bad place. Insurance company looks at the police report and determines that the road conditions were a bad choice by the organizer, as were the mismatched skill groupings and decides to name you as one of several defendants. Because you're not protected by an LLC, your personal holdings are subject to whatever plea or judgements are achieved.

Wow, new to me and I've lived here 18 years!

Damn, she's seriously cute. But you're coming dangerously close to revealing the real reason why cosplay looks so fun...

Quaker nights aren't a fair comparison - that's just a restaurant pulling in as many paying customers as possible. I've heard they even let in the Irish. Think of it more as a costume party. Would y'all feel as butthurt if you were told you couldn't come to a costume party without a costume? You wouldn't like the Masquerade Ball.

I like those comparisons. I haven't done it either unless you count dressing up as a golden age pilot for halloween, but I think it looks ridiculously fun and I'm secure enough to not care. Like the DooDah parade or Zombie walk/run or the Warrior Dash (except with massive fitness) or the Ohio Ride with track outfits or 99.9% of all fashion worn daily. There's a strongly playful make-believe element to things like the Distinguished Gentlemen Ride. Nobody (with rare exception) takes themselves seriously and it's an excuse to dress up.

Agreed. SO many horror stories about shops that royally screw up bikes. I'd also add an endorsement for Hoblick if you were closer to him than Isaac's Papa.

I suppose, but with a more playful and less mean-spirited attitude about it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay Basically going to a convention dressed as a character is costume play. Going to a party in an outfit is kind of watered down costume play. Same with wearing lots of sports memorabilia or dressing up in period costume before riding a motorcycle.

Certainly not with those weak-ass Ducs!

Vs. riding more HP than you can legally exercise on U.S. roads just for the fun of it? It's just cosplay for the heck of it, man - different strokes for different folks - no different than dressing up like a pro racer wannabe or a pirate or Ewan McGreggor.

It means I can't participate this year, but I think theirs is a fair policy and they explain the rationale better than I could have. Next year I hope to have my CB77 ready to go.

I SO want to take my '66 CB77 in my best tweeds, but she won't be runnable until spring.

Typically step one is to put fresh fuel in it if you haven't already, and add a generous dose of seafoam to it to help clean out lacquer. Also check for inline fuel filters that could be choking the supply at higher revs. Check the temps of your pipes to make sure all are firing and sync the carbs with a manometer. Failing all that, pull the carbs, remove the rubber parts and inspect them (replacing as necessary) and soak the metal in 50% pine sol solution overnight, then blasting them out with carb cleaner. Reassemble and see what you get.

I don't know anything about this particular organization, but the cause is a good one. I had no idea that human trafficking wasn't just done by poor asian, european and african nations, but that it's done right here in the good ol' US of A. I went to a TEDxColumbus where a woman spoke about being held as a sex slave for years until she found a way out. She was just a suburban kid you wouldn't think differently about anyone else. It started simply and would probably freak out the dads here how easy a young woman can get pulled in. I can't ride this weekend but good luck and kudos to those who participate. Major respect. - Scott

Do you mean he had a loaded firearm WITHOUT a valid, current Concealed Handgun License, or that he had a loaded firearm WITH a valid, current CHL? CCW is a charge, so was he charged with Carrying a Concealed Weapon?

Girl's account may have differed from the mother's.

No they do not. I know someone first-hand who had his whole life turned upside down based on no more than a gal's accusations.