Mod-Blog

Strangest Bicycle Safety Video Ever

2009-11-05T18:41:00.001-05:00

Gov't Health Care Option charges fee to ALL to pay for abortions?

2009-11-05T12:49:00.000-05:00

This is insane and hopefully will torpedo the bill entirely. The Democratic leadership has put a section into their health care bill which requires ALL PUBLIC OPTION ENROLLEES TO BE CHARGED TO FUND ABORTIONS. This means even if you are anti-abortion and choose a plan which does not cover the procedure, your money is being used to abort the fetuses of others.

http://republicanleader.house.gov/blog/?p=666

If this passes it will require that I opt out of any government-run insurance option for the sake of my conscience. Thanks a lot. This kind of thing is what has made it more and more difficult for me to ever cross party lines to support any Democrat, even though in many ways I am a moderate.

Unemployment Benefits to be Extended 16-20 Weeks

2009-11-05T09:06:00.002-05:00

The Senate has passed a bill that will extend jobless benefits for 16 weeks for those whose benefits run out by the end of 2009. For those in states with unemployment rates above 8.5%, those benefits would be extended to 20 weeks. The house has a similar bill that has already passed, so most experts agree that the bills will be reconciled quickly. In the same bill, the first time home buyer tax credit of $8000 was also extended to April 30th of 2010 as well as a new benefit that would give home buyers who have held their existing house for at least 5 years a tax credit of $6500 if they buy home.

Ned Runs for Governor

2009-11-05T05:55:00.000-05:00

Millionaire businessman Ned Lamont will announce Thursday that he is running for Governor of Connecticut. Lamont is best known for wrestling the Democratic Senatorial nomination away from Joe Lieberman in 2006. Lieberman still went on to win as an Independent. If Connecticut trends like Tuesday's Governor races, then Lamont will be too Liberal to be elected.

Gotta love Shirt.Woot

2009-11-05T05:54:00.001-05:00

Be sure to check out today's Shirt.Woot. Definitely a keeper for anyone who loves life on two wheels! (Remember, Woot Shirts are available for one day only. If you miss it on 11/5/2009, click on the image to below instead to see what all the excitement was about.)

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

When A Remake Already Seems as Tired as the 30 Year Old Original...

2009-11-04T15:34:00.003-05:00

The rebooted V premiered last night to, frankly, astounding numbers. 14.3 million viewers, and a 5.2 rating in the demo were certainly beyond what anyone was expecting. Even ABC had not dared to dream that big. The marketing campaign was certainly huge, I haven't been able to read a magazine in the past month without ads on every few pages. There have even been multiple V adds on any given single website in the past week. The marketing was massive, and it brought out a lot of viewers.

I was looking forward to V, remembering the terrifying nature of the first mini-series as a kid. Muse had never seen the original and so had few preconceived notions but was willing to go along for the ride. Sadly, after an hour of the program, we both arrived at the same conclusion: boring, cliche, and tired. Oh so tired. There is nothing in this show that hasn't been done before. And no, I'm not referencing the original. I mean that there is not one idea in this new V that hasn't been done a thousand times in the past 30 years. It came across as if the writers are expecting people to enjoy it simply because it's a remake, and apparently therefore, does not need anything original.

We have pretty spaceships hovering over cities, terrorist cells that are really just Visitors planning our downfall, whiny way-too-pretty boy kids rebelling against their parents, aliens seeming oh-so-nice just to soften us up before they eat us, etc. Oh, and the priest is already making eyes at the FBI agent like he's ready to renounce his vows after knowing her for all of a half an hour. And the "best" bad line of the night goes to Scott Wolf who gets to ask Anna, the leader of the Visitors, "Are there any ugly Visitors? You're all so beautiful." Ack! I think I just lost my dinner. I get the meaning, but it was about as well executed as a George Lucas line.

Then add on that the whole hour seemed so rushed. I was astounded at how much they gave away already. So many devices that should have come into play later, and they're already revealed. Then of course, there is the closing "season preview" which totally destroyed any sense of mystery or suspense.

The rumors are that this show has been beset with production problems from the start. There are only four episodes ready to launch (there were unknown factors that shut filming down at least twice) and ABC has already announced that after those four, the show will be on hiatus for at least 4 months.

The show might maintain an audience, but sadly I expect to see a huge drop in the coming weeks. I'm as avid a sci-fi watcher as you can find, and even I have no excitement left in me to watch this show. Will I? For the time being, the recorded version so we can get through it faster without commercials. But this rebooting of V seems to be so much like the visitors. Something ugly and not at all good hiding just beneath a pretty exterior.

I'm curious if any of our readers/posters watched the premier and if so, what your thoughts were.

Dems: No Health Care Bill in 2009

2009-11-04T13:23:00.001-05:00

In what is sure to be a surprise onto the White House, Democrats are now admitting that no Health Care Reform Bill will be passed or signed this year.

http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=8987651&pid=4380645

While President Obama has been publicly confident about the bill, the myriad of problems to be worked through have been daunting for legislators and the public. The fact is that we are looking to overhaul a problem 50 years in the making, and it will take time to pick and choose which parts to keep and which to throw out, especially since the Democratic Leadership has made it clear they have no interest in smaller bills which address only select parts of the problem.

Sunrise and bicycling, the perfect combo?

2009-11-04T06:13:00.001-05:00

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

"Light exercise" reduces death risk by 60%

2009-11-03T05:48:00.001-05:00

I took up the bicycle purely as a way to lose weight, when I realized it was out of control. But for many, there is not as obvious a trigger for action as the number on the scale. A new study gives us a really good number to get us onto a bike: 60% increased survival rate for those who do light exercise. The increase was seen by those who did only 50 minutes of walking or bicycling three-times-a-week, saw huge gains in their survival rate. This was especially pronounced for those under high stress from their jobs or other life circumstances.

If you ever needed a reason to get onto two wheels, this has got to be it!

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

Too Good Not to Post

2009-11-02T12:57:00.002-05:00

Here is a true story posted by someone on Neal Bortz' website in a comment section of one of his posts.

"A few years ago, I pulled into a 7-11 and a car was running in the parking lot. A guy was getting into it and I told him that he was taking a big risk doing that. He said, "I hear ya" and drove off. I went in to get my caffeine jolt and a guy comes running in saying his car had been stolen. I'd been speaking to the car thief.

I live in MD and it is against the law to keep a car running unattended. The guy not only lost his car, but was cited by the responding officer."

Too Funny.

Bikes vs Cars on the Roads

2009-11-02T06:01:00.001-05:00

A key problem facing cyclists as we try to expand our numbers is how to share the road with automobile-drivers. Communities around the country are struggling to determine the best way to encourage life on 2 wheels, without making it less safe for those involved. Some advocate dedicated bike paths and "bikeways" to keep confrontation between bikes and cars to a minimum, while others believe that "claiming the road" as equals is the best way to promote equal treatment. Studies show the more people biking, the safer the ride is, as motorists become used to dealing with cyclists and thus are more tolerant. Yet, cities seeing fewer accidents with a rising number of cyclists are also seeing a rising severity of injuries.

What do our readers think? What is the best way to encourage cycling, while keeping it safe?

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

CIT Files for Bankruptcy

2009-11-01T16:57:00.005-05:00

CIT picked Sunday afternoon to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. CIT had been considering bankruptcy for some time, but finally had to do it. The government had hoped to stave off the bankruptcy by lending CIT $2.3 Billion earlier this year.

Crimson under bright skies

2009-11-01T16:57:00.001-05:00

Crimson under bright skies
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Exercise mood-lift can last 12 hours

2009-10-31T08:16:00.001-05:00

People always told me that exercise can be addictive, but having always been a books-and-computer sort of guy, I did not believe it. But when I got into bicycling last year for weight loss, I found that the old wisdom was correct. I now find myself longing for exercise after a day or so without it. Now, new studies show the lifting of mood from just 20 minutes of exercise can last up to 12 hours! Your bicycle may be the best way to combat depression. Get riding now!

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

Autumn sunlight

2009-10-30T13:15:00.001-05:00

Autumn sunlight
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Is parking key to expanding bicycling?

2009-10-30T06:25:00.001-05:00

There is a hidden barrier to cyclists all over the country - where do you park the bike when you get to where you are going? Some communities provide bike racks, but most places provide no official place to lock up a bike and in many cases have banned securing bicycles to trees, cart return structures, etc. In general, a cyclist makes their best guess as to the most appropriate place, locks things in place, and prays that the bike is there when they emerge from the store.

Now, finally, some cities are doing something about this state of affai rs. For example, the NYC "Bicycle Access Bill" which requires buildings to allow cyclists to bring their vehicles inside for storage between rides. Click thru to see many more efforts in cities around the country.

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

BBC: Recession Has Ended

2009-10-30T05:00:00.001-05:00

Economics is messy business. You can never know where you are in the monetary cycle. You have to wait and look backward to see where you were. That being said, according to the BBC, the USA has emerged from the "Great Recession".

The US economy grew at an annual pace of 3.5% between July and September, its first expansion in more than a year.
The growth was helped by a substantial government spending plan, including a scheme to boost car sales.

The official figures indicate recession has ended, but some economists think there could be further setbacks...

The return to growth of the world's largest economy also sent shares on Wall Street sharply higher. The main Dow Jones index closed up 200 points, or 2.1%, at 9,962.58.

Here's hoping they are right. I have a lot of friends and family members who could use an improved economy. Then again, it may be a while between the first small improvements and an economy that produces jobs for most of us.

How can you NOT love it?

2009-10-29T11:16:00.000-05:00

File this under "Brilliant or Evil Genius"

2009-10-29T09:10:00.001-05:00

I am not quite sure what to make of this one. Inspired by Johnny Appleseed, two design students have created an add-on to bikes designed to seed cityscapes with flowers. The idea is a mixture of bubble solution and tiny flower seeds are put in, then the natural motion of the bicycle generates a wind thru the device which blows bubble filled with the seeds. The bubble drift naturally thru the city streets and land in cracks and crevices where they sprout and produce impromptu gardens to delight the eyes.

Is this a genius idea? Yes. But one must wonder if it is evil genius, since I am sure city planners will be worried about these impromptu gardens increasing erosion of sidewalks and streets, requiring more frequent repaving projects. Then again, maybe I am looking a gift horse in the mouth. What do our readers think?

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

Blame Your Parents for Your Bad Driving

2009-10-29T08:10:00.003-05:00

A new study seems to indicate that bad driving can be influenced by your genes. Those in the study with a certain gene variant scored 30% lower than those without it. I guess this gives a new defense to those who get many tickets. Blame it on their parents for passing on the bad genes.

Perspective is Important

2009-10-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

From here.

That sound you're hearing is the screams from Garmin and TomTom

2009-10-28T12:25:00.003-05:00

Google has announced their own FREE turn-by-turn with voice directions GPS app for all Google Android phones, starting to the Verizon/Motorola DROID. And yes, they have confirmed it is coming to the iPhone as well. This could be the beginning of the end for the old GPS manufacturers.

ReRead History

2009-10-28T04:26:00.000-05:00

The Times of London has a great feature on their site that now lets you view archived editions of their newspaper. You can view some of the articles for free or subscribe to see all 7 Million articles. I enjoyed reading the accounts of events of the day that Germany invaded Poland at the start of World War II.

Go Vegitarian or Don't Go at All

2009-10-27T08:33:00.002-05:00

A leading British scientist is advocating that everyone become a vegetaria n in order to fight global warming. The basic argument is that the production of meat sources for food takes up more natural resources than a vegetarian diet and that the cows and pigs that we eat produce a high percentage of the methane gas that contributes to global warming. The most interesting part of the article to me though talked about how much meat an average person in Britain eats in a day. I am guessing that they do not go to McDonalds much.

"On average, a British person eats 50g of protein derived from meat each day — the equivalent of a chicken breast or a lamb chop. This is a relatively low level for a wealthy country but between 25 per cent and 50 per cent higher than the amount recommended by the World Health Organisation."

I Can See Ward Doing This

2009-10-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Via www.xkcd.com