How Busy Could He Be?

Here's the thing with being a part-time freelancer and full-time radio guy (not to mention husband, father and grandfather): there's never enough time. So while I have been writing, quite a bit actually, all of my writing efforts have gone towards work that actually pays. And since this blog doesn't pay, well it's been further down on the list of priorities. So here's a sampling of some of what I've been working on lately. Click on an individual heading to go to the full article.

I have been pretty busy writing



Motorcycle Safety And How To Ride Safely

Life is a risky business. You can minimize risk, manage risk, anticipate and have a plan for dealing with risk, but you can never totally eliminate risk. There is risk associated with riding a motorcycle. You can ride safely and do things, employ strategies to help ensure your safety, but, as the U.S. Supreme Court said in a workplace safety related case in 1980, "safety is not the equivalent of risk free."

There are two major areas of motorcycle safety or risk management that I'll look at here; avoiding getting into an accident in the first place and minimizing your risk of injury if you do have an accident.

Top Motorcycle Gear And Accessories

Every rider has different needs, a unique attitude and wants to express that when they ride. There is a wide array of gear and accessories available to help you ride comfortably, securely and in your own inimitable style. I've listed some of the basic categories here along with a list of some of the major manufacturers in each.

Five Things You Should Know Before Your Ride

Maybe you've been thinking about riding a motorcycle for a while. Perhaps you rode years ago, before the kids came along and now that they're about grown you're thinking of going back to two wheels. In my own experience as a rider I have only one regret, that I didn't start doing it 20 years earlier. It is one of the most pleasurable experiences you can have.

As  much fun as it is though, it does require a good deal of thought before you jump into it. Like any new endeavor there's a learning curve. So before you throw a leg over that shiny new ride and motor off for adventure allow me to share a few things you should know before you ride.

Riding A Motorcycle In Winter

Shorter days and cooler temperatures signal the beginning of the end of the riding season for many bikers. But it doesn't have to. As long as you allow yourself a little more time to gear up and get where you're going, and you what winter hazards you're likely to face, you can ride pretty much year round.

Getting Your Motorcycle Ready For Winter

We bikers are a pretty hardy bunch. We long for the open road, the wind in our faces and the feeling of being one with our rides. Being closed up inside a four-wheeled, climate-controlled cage? That's a last ditch choice for those of us who favor the two-wheeled freedom of a motorcycle. And yet for those riders who live where the winters are harsh, snowfall is measured in feet and temperatures can  dip well below freezing for weeks at a time it's often necessary to park the bike for the winter.

But simplhy putting your motorcycle in the garage for the winter can mean having a ride that's hard to start come spring. If it starts at all. It can also lead to an expensive trip to your local dealership if you don't take a few simple steps to get your bike ready for the winter. By taking a little time to prep your bike for a couple of months of inactivity you can ensure you're ready to ride when the weather finally breaks.

Another Shameless Plug

As if this entire peice hasn't been one big "please read my stuff" deal, here's another. You can subscribe to this blog or "like" my FaceBook page here to keep updated on what I've been publishing. 

Some of My Latest on a New Website

The Auto Resources section of InternetAutoGuide.com just went live.  I have a number of articles published on this new site, with many more to come.  Here are links to a couple of them, with a little info from each article.

Facts on the Classic Jaguar XJ6 Series III

 Jaguar launched the XJ series in 1968, the same year that the company merged with the British Motor Corporation. The XJ series replaced all of Jaguar's previous four-door sedans, the 340, 420 and 420G and met with initial success, both commercially and critically. As ownership changed hands, Leyland bought out BMC and then the company was nationalized and became British Leyland. During this time, the XJ6 line suffered from quality issues which were finally rectified as Jaguar left the British Leyland fold in the 1980s.

List of Classic Muscle Cars

The definition of “muscle car” is one that is open to some interpretation. Merriam-Webster defines a muscle car as "any of a group of American-made, two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." Some add that a true muscle car must have a V-8 engine, rear-wheel drive and an original MSRP that would have been affordable to the general car buying public. Smaller-framed vehicles that meet many of the other muscle car requirements are often referred to as pony cars. Some, but not all, pony cars can also be classified as muscle cars, depending on which “expert” you ask. This list makes use of the broader definition that includes some pony cars and defines the classic period for muscle cars as 1964 through the mid 1970s.

Early For Model T Information 

The Ford Model T was a revolutionary car. Ford's use of the assembly line, introduced in 1913, helped to usher in and define the industrial revolution. In 1999, the Model T was voted Car of the Century. With over 15 million units sold between 1908 and 1927, the Model T held the record for the best-selling vehicle in history until 1972, when it was surpassed by the Volkswagen Beetle.

The Specifications of a 1929 Ford Model A

The Ford Model A replaced Henry Ford's "universal car," the Model T, which still stands as one of the best-selling automobiles of all time, with more than 15 million units sold during its 19 year production run. Introduced in 1927, the Ford Model A styling cues borrowed so much from its upscale cousin, the Lincoln, that it was dubbed "the baby Lincoln."

Tips on Driving in Subzero Temperatures

Winter weather brings unique hazards to drivers. Snow and ice make starting, accelerating and steering challenging -- and when temperatures dip below zero, weather-related hazards can be magnified. The extreme cold can negatively affect your car's performance, causing fluids to thicken and your battery to function improperly. If you must drive in such conditions, there are a number of things, both preventative and while on the road, you can do to help ensure you reach your destination safely.

The Republic Is Dead



Turn out the lights, the party is over.  The Republic has passed into the great beyond, the Supreme Court having shoveled the last of the dirt into the grave today.

Many have written about it more eloquently than I can, so here are some higlights and links to the full text of a number of them.

From Francis W. Porretto at Liberty's Torch

"That halting, choking sound you hear is the Cheyne-Stokes breathing of
the last remaining remnant of Americans' individual liberty.

The Republic has fallen. Let him save himself who can."

From T.L. Davis at TL In Exile

"We do not feel the joy we should at sharing our wealth, we feel resentment, we feel cheated when those funds go to someone who refuses work rather than to those who cannot find work. In a compassionate system the person who is destitute is not in need of funds, but in need of work. Those who offer kindness have no interest in giving money away, but do have an interest in providing opportunity."

From Anne Barnhardt

"And you know what the result will be? Not an iota of ObamaCare will be touched, much less repealed. The republicans want it every bit as much as the democrats. They're all gunning for that power. They will NEVER turn loose of that power voluntarily. We are now to the point where the only way we get rid of these people and re-establish a lawful government is through involuntary removal. In short, we are either going to have to have a junta, or an all-out hot civil war. I strongly, strongly advocate a junta at this point. A junta would be, by far, the least bloody solution. Sadly, there are no men of integrity left in the flag officer corps to do it - the U.S. military is populated by vile, power-hungry, money-grubbing Marxist degenerates just as much as the three branches."

And finally, with a look at the logical extension of the precedent that the Supreme Court established today, here's Donald Sensing at Sense Of Events

"Congress now has the Constitutional power to make you buy a firearm and ammunition.

The point I don't see other commentators getting is this: the ruling means that Congress now has unlimited power to tax. Congress now has the power to tax absolutely any activity or inactivity by individuals.

So does the Congress have the authority to make us eat broccoli, as one justice asked the solicitor general during the hearing? Now we know the answer: not eat it, but without question the Congress now enjoys the power to make us buy broccoli, whether we eat it or not. Don't buy it? Pay a special tax.

Congress has the power now to make everyone drive a white car - or pay a special tax if they don't.

Mark today's date on your calendars. June 28, 2012 is the day that the sovereignty of the American people vanished. This is the day we became subjects rather than citizens."

Now things should get interesting. 

Alea iacta est