cg2112

In a way, they are regulated in the same way in Ohio. Minors must take the MSF course, and wear a helmet. For adults (with the exception of first year riders), both are optional. That said, we don't regulate everything that can save lives the same way. Wearing a helmet while driving a car can save lives, too, but I don't think we should regulate driving headgear like we do seatbelts. I'm not saying that I think that MSF courses should be required. But they would go a long way in reducing fatal crashes. Most crashes are the result of improper cornering. Teaching every new rider how to corner properly, as well as some basic emergency maneuvers, and you'd probably reduce fatalities more than you would if you required every rider to wear a helmet. I don't think requiring riders to take the MSF course is a great idea - a better idea might be to give a significant insurance discount to those who have taken the course.

I'm not necessarily for (or against) mandatory MSF courses. Even if I were, there is a gaping cavern of differences in requiring someone who has never held a motorcycle endorsement to take a basic weekend skills course and requiring all bikers, regardless of skill level or experience, to wear certain protective gear. I'm just saying that in preventing fatal accidents, taking the MSF course might go a long way.

It doesn't, but it negates the claim that getting into an accident has anything to do with being close to home.

Another time I don't wear a helmet is when I go out to photograph. Photography has been a hobby of mine for a long time, and I stop and get off the bike 10 or 20 times in half an hour sometimes, which makes the helmet a pain in the ass.

That part has kind of been taken care of. In my MSF class, they taught that most fatalities are the result of improper cornering. I hate to say it, but requiring MSF courses might go a long way in reducing fatalities. I've been riding for years, but I learned a lot in my class, and they spend a lot of time on cornering, and proper cornering is actually the most highly weighted part of the skills assessment portion of the class.

Yeah, that's never made much sense to me. In a car with the windows up and the radio on, loud pipes do nothing for you in a blind spot. I've never really understood the loud pipes cock contest.

I'm bored today, so I'm reading through old posts, and I'm sure I'm going to revive something here, but I thought I'd weigh in. I'm pretty against a helmet law, and against seatbelt laws as well. I wear a helmet every time I ride, but that's because I have to at the moment (endorsement less than a year - I didn't always before, but then got pulled over, which sucked, violating restrictions is a major misdemeanor, same as prostitution and DUI). In the past, I've worn a helmet some of the time, and not others. I ride a cruiser right now, which I chose for a number of reasons, none of which involved taking risks (beyond the inherent risk of getting on a bike in the first place), so I don't feel terribly unsafe if I ride without a helmet around town, or the long way to work where I hit 55 once for a 1 mile stretch. If I'm on the highway, though, I'll always wear a lid. I'll also wear shorts and a tee shirt on a 100 degree day if I make the 2 mile trip to the store. While there's some truth to "dress for the crash, not for the ride," there are some days where full gear is just too hot and too uncomfortable to be enjoyable - and that's absolutely a risk, but there are a hell of a lot more risky activities than riding without full gear. A lot of that is because of the bike I ride, though. I plan on saving my pennies during the off-season for a bike for pure fun, a sport bike. I have no doubt that I'll ride with gear every time, since I know myself well enough to know that I'm going to want to have some fun every time I ride. The insurance argument seems kind of silly to me. I'm not sure how lower insurance rates would be with helmet law - I pay $100/yr for great insurance. Part of that, again, is partly because of the bike I ride. I guess the point is, I don't really want to be told that I MUST wear a helmet. I'll choose to wear one a lot of the time, and sometimes I won't, and it's my head that will hit the pavement.

Scorpion EXO 100. Has a visor that retracts into the body of the helmet, which is really handy if I've only got sunglasses and I'm out later than I expect to be.

Lying under oath is not necessarily perjury. Many do not feel that Clinton committed perjury, as information about his extra-marital affair was not necessarily material to the Paula Jones case (to be perjury, the lie must be material to the case). That said Clinton DID have charges brought against him. He was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice.

Best shows: Rush (many times) Live U2 Clapton BB King Worst shows: Tool (love the band, but the live show was annoying, Maynard stood with his back to the audience the entire time) Phish (seen them a few times before anyone knew who they were, free shows, I grew up where they came up)

I saw them at Summerfest in Milwaukee in the beginning of July. Don't have ticket for the Columbus show, since I'm closer to Cinci, but I'm considering making the drive and buying lawn seats.

You go to hell. You go to hell and you die!

I'm considering buying a sport bike in the near future. Right now I ride a cruiser, which is perfect for riding to work, which is primarily what I use it for, but would like a bike soley for enjoyment. Money is limited, but I've seen plenty of Ninja 250R's that are cheap-ish. Even new they're $4K or so. BUT, it's a 250. My fiancee has a Suzuki GZ250, and it feels almost like riding a little dirt bike. Anyone ride the Ninja 250R much to be able to say whether or not if feels like a substantial bike? Or does if feel more like an approximation of a sports bike, the way a Honda Rebel is an approximation of a cruiser?

There are many things that set this community center apart from a mosque (a more accurate word for it would be a "masjid.") First, there are a number of elements of the center (a swimming pool, a gym, etc) would not be allowed in a mosque. Second, non-Muslims are not allowed to eat in a mosque - in the community center, there is a restaurant open to the public. Lastly, and probably most important, a mosque is a building dedicated to worship. The community center will have a prayer room, but the building itself is not a place of worship.

I love when people get all bent out of socialism in the health care debate. This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US Department of Energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like using satellites designed, built and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I watched this while eating my breakfast of US Department of Agriculture inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the Food and Drug Administration. At the appropriate time, as regulated by the US congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the US Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile and set out to work on the roads built by the local, state and federal departments of transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank. On the way out the door, I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the US Postal Service and drop the kids off at the public school. After work, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads to my house, which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and fire marshall’s inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the local police department. I then log on to the internet, which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration and post on freerepublic.com and fox news forums about how socialism in medicine is bad because the government can’t do anything right.

How does this math work? When the Bush tax cuts expire, a minimum wage earner is going to be largely unaffected. A person making $7.50 an hour is going to earn $15600, if they happen to work 40 hours a week. In the end, that amounts to a yearly tax bill of $625, and $67 (if that) state. So, more like a take home pay of $6.60 an hour, or $264 (after payroll taxes are factored in). And this is with nothing but the standard deductions and exemptions. The Bush tax cuts expiring doesn't affect state and local taxes at all, and really only affects a very small number of earners.

The economy was in the tank before President Obama won the election, and before there was a Democratic majority. Personally, I DO blame Bush for the severity of our recession, but not because of the way he handled economic issues. I think the war in Iraq has been a huge factor in unemployment - there's a solid correlation between domestic spending and jobs. That said, while I think the war in Iraq has been a huge factor, I think we'd be in a recession regardless, and no one is really to blame for that. The economy is cyclical, and it was time for a recession.

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Wait, was he wearing a helmet?

That's exactly it. A person who is addicted is addicted for life. Even with treatment and programs, there are still urges and temptations. Anyone who has quit smoking can tell you that. Part of the problem (I think), is that you're looking at it rationally. Thing is, addiction, like many other mental related diseases and disorders, isn't terribly rational. It's hard to understand, and it doesn't necessarily make sense.

Alcoholics usually don't admit they have a problem. Drinking a lot doesn't make someone an alcoholic, it's not defined by the frequency or quantity with which you drink. If you drank every day and then just stopped because you didn't want to drink anymore, you weren't an alcoholic. An alcoholic can't stop wanting to drink. That's what makes them alcoholics. Whether you buy it or not, it's still a disease.

Sorry, I've never seen someone with "2112" in a handle and not be a Rush fan. No one is saying that alcoholics drink at gun point. But for some, getting a buzz is to feel normal, like many compulsions. And for even some, particularly alcoholics who have progressed in the disease, not drinking can be dangerous, even fatal.

But it doesn't really matter if we agree on this. We're both Rush fans, which is awesome. And I'm pretty sure that we both agree that this guy should be locked up for a long time.

Yes, it's clear that you don't care what modern medicine says. What I think you aren't getting is that alcohol is a legal, generally safe drug when used in moderation. People don't want to become alcoholics, and they don't try to become alcoholics. Some people drink every day and do not become drunks. Some people drink once a month, and do. I do get it, and I've lived it. It's one of the few things I can discuss and actually know what I'm talking about.