It's always hard to tell when the last of some things happens. I'm guessing, that because of scheduling and weather, that today's all-too-short ride may have been the last ride of the year.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
The Void 2011 -- Ride report
What a great ride!
I completed The Void yesterday afternoon. I started in Lebanon, PA at 0900 Friday, and finished at about 1330 on Saturday.
A few thoughts:
I completed The Void yesterday afternoon. I started in Lebanon, PA at 0900 Friday, and finished at about 1330 on Saturday.
A few thoughts:
- I learned a lot from the MD 20/20, and didn't make those mistakes this time around...I made some new ones, but nothing serious.
- I still plan too aggressively...I need to give myself more time -- at least 10 minutes. The good news is that my plans always include bail-outs. The bad news is that I usually need them. Fuel stops are under five minutes, and most bonus locations are quick, but they aren't free.
- I had almost everything I needed. I forgot the road food at home, so needed to stop by the store Thursday evening. Not a big problem, but a distraction anyway. I needed stamps, so needed to stop at a post office on the way...took just a few minutes, but every minute counts.
- I need to think about traffic light density and construction zones -- these two factors destroy a timeline. U.S. 13 in Delaware comes to mind as a perfect example of a time-robbing route. Just because it says 45 MPH or 55 MPH on a sign, doesn't make it so.
- I had never done a rest bonus at the host hotel. I learned how to stop the clock quicker than I did last night. This cost me a big double bonus in North Carolina this morning. An extra half hour would have really helped.
- I made a few wrong turns, based on either my interpretation of really good signage, or signage that just wasn't clear enough. Either way, I was able to recover very quickly, so didn't lose any time.
- Choices. I went for a 999 multi in Delaware on Friday; that decision slowed me up enough to ensure I couldn't make it back to Lynchburg in enough time to do the difficult "Multi-N" loop in Virginia (which is what the winning rider did).
- I had fun. I had a lot of fun. I learned a lot about myself, about my motorcycle, and about motorcycle riding.
And now, on to the narrative:
I started in Lebanon, Pennsylvania on Friday morning. The start window ran from 0850 to 0910; I spent a few minutes unsuccessfully riding to the Lebanon Post Office (which I didn't locate), then rode to the Rite Aid downtown (at which I'd seen another rider earlier). One candy bar and a good receipt (to start the clock) later, I was ready to place the telephone call that let the Rally Masters know that I'd started the clock.
Note to self: these large chain drug stores are nearly everywhere (except in small towns where you want to buy sun screen because you're getting baked behind your helmet visor, but that's another story), and they have good receipts (meaning: the city, state, date, and time are on the receipt).
I had planned to pick up a two-bonus multi in PA and DE first, so I was off to find a cemetery in Bristol, PA. It was a beautiful morning, and the road conditions were really good.
Here's what I was searching for in Bristol:
This poor gal was killed in an automobile collision, and had more than a few visitors on Friday to pay their respects.
From Bristol, I was off to Dover, Delaware to visit the Governor's House. Pretty nice place.
As I alluded to earlier, I spent a lot of time navigating the streets and highways of Delaware...nice place, but very time-consuming.
The combination of Bristol, PA and Dover, DE (in any order, and with no other bonii in between) was worth 999 points (333 + 333 + 333 for the combination)
From Dover, I needed to travel just a short distance up the road to Smyrna, Delaware, to take a picture of a water tower. Very conveniently (for me), the water tower was adjacent to a Sheetz (and I needed fuel):
Smyrna was worth 111 points.
From Smyrna, I traveled north to Newark ("New Ark", as opposed to "Nurk", which is some other place, at another exit):
The Peoples Plaza get their own giant advertising sign, in the form of a water tower, which was worth 222 points to me.
Having spent A LOT OF TIME in Delaware, it was time to head north again to Pennsylvania. More time slogging along roads that had some construction and A LOT of traffic lights.
For 999 points, I went to Bernville, Pennsylvania, to visit the Kirkhoff Funeral Home (the site of the former Penn Valley Hotel):
My last stop in Pennsylvania was in Selinsgrove, for 1111 points:
There was a big traffic delay, so I just pulled over to the side of the road, jumped off the bike, and snapped the picture. As you might be able to see, it was getting late in the day when I made this stop. The traffic snarl around Selinsgrove added more delay to the plan. By now, I'm far enough behind on the plan that I abandoned the stop in Gettysburg (Devil's Den) which I'd been looking forward to all day. So, I'm now off to Virginia (via Maryland and West Virginia) to do the required odometer check in Lynchburg. My GPS told me that I'd be there right before midnight, and after a long ride, that's exactly where and when I ended up.
The odometer check was a ~15 mile route around a part of Lynchburg. That took about 30 minutes and was worth 1 point.
I stopped the clock at the rally hotel (the Quality Inn in Lynchburg) to begin the mandatory three-hour rest stop (which was worth 2000 points, plus 2000 points because every bonus after the odometer check was doubled(!)).
I got some good sleep in Lynchburg, then it was time to mount up again and head out. I'd dumped the massive 6672 point bonus (1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 6666 for the combination), so did a quick-replan. I planned to go to Kingsport, TN then Danbury, NC then back to Lynchburg (the fellow who placed second ran that route, but went to Danbury before Kingsport).
This is what (888 x 2) points looks like in Kingsport, TN:
This is one of the places to which I intend to return. I like river towns a lot, and Kingsport has a lot of appeal in that regard. It looks like they have good BBQ, as well, which is another good reason to return.
Next stop was in Abingdon, Virginia, for (111 x 2) points:
Abingdon is another place that I want to visit again.
Further up the road was Crockett, Virginia, where I aroused the attention of the person staffing the post office while I was earning (333 x 2) points:
She was wondering why so many people on motorcycles were running around her post office, taking pictures. By this time, I had been worried enough about getting caught on rural roads, in Virginia, on a beautiful fall Saturday, that I'd abandoned the Danbury, NC bonus (which would have been worth 777 x 2 points), so I chatted with the post office lady for a bit, explaining what we had been doing around her post office.
With Danbury off the plan, I now had enough time to stop for a bite to eat (which I did). Then, just for fun, I stopped off at Hiwassee, Virginia (for a whopping (6 x 2) points:
One of the many high points of this rally was seeing a very large black bear on a very small country road coming out of Hiwassee. The bear saw me about the time I saw it, and stood up on its hind legs. It looked at me for a split second, then went back down on all fours to amble a few paces, then stood up again. I was moving pretty slowly at the time (and as quietly as a motorcycle will allow), but the bear though better of a bear-motorcycle encounter, and ran through the brush downhill.
The road out of Hiwassee was beautiful -- another must-do visit in the future.
Also on a lark, I stopped by Bedford, Virginia, for my last stop (also worth 6 x 2 points).
Bedford is a charming town...on the list for revisits.
I finished 9th out of a field of 23 who started in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and learned lot. Now, it's off to the Cape Fear 1000 in April, 2012!
Many thanks to Scott LaShier and Gary Stipe (and a lot of others) who planned and executed yet another great The Void!
Friday, October 7, 2011
The Void start
Well, it's nice and quiet in Lebanon, PA this morning...I saw three RTs, one LT, and one Wing in the parking lot this morning....
Thursday, October 6, 2011
2011 The Void
The rally packet arrived Tuesday evening, and I'm planning my ride. It should be a nice ride -- the weather sure is cooperating.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Packing light?
One of the major advantages to backpacking is that it forces you to pack light. There are a few extra things here to support the front end and back end of this hike, but we were able to carry everything in one trip to the terminal.
Location : 7100-7102 Elm Rd, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Baltimore, MD 21240,
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Underway
On the tarmac at BWI...underway to CLT in a few minutes....
Location : 7100-7102 Elm Rd, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Baltimore, MD 21240,
Posted via Blogaway
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
The Void
Registration opened today for The Void, October's motorcycle endurance rally in the mid-Atlantic and southern states.
Monday, May 30, 2011
2011 Mason Dixon 20-20 Motorcycle Rally Ride Report
This is my ride report for the 2011 Mason Dixon 20-20 Motorcycle Rally that was run on Saturday and Sunday, 28-29 May 2011. This was my first long rally; I'd ridden the 500 mile / 10 hour Rally The Void mini-rally last October. Based on that experience, I was looking forward to "getting off the porch and running with the big dogs".
Chronology
Prelude -- registration opened LONG ago...in January, as I recall. I signed up, and anticipated the day when the bonii list would be delivered to my email inbox. The list was originally promised on Friday, 20 May...giving us a week to stew over our routes. As it happened, though, the bonii list was released early, giving us even more time to agonize over potential routes.
Buford, WY (the Ames Memorial) was the obvious sucker's bonus, and I initially discounted Indianapolis (on the weekend of the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, no less) as a sucker's bonus. So, I planned a clockwise route: Hagerstown -> Flight 94 Memorial -> Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery -> Easton -> Manhattan -> Brooklyn –> Arlington –> North Carolina (with the three-hour mandatory rest bonus spent at home on the way) -> Hagerstown. I spent a day or two tweaking that route and convincing myself that it was doable. Mission accomplished!
Chatter on the email list had me rethinking the Indianapolis ride, so I did a re-plan with an anti-clockwise rotation: Hagerstown -> Arlington -> Brooklyn -> Manhattan -> Easton -> Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery -> Indianapolis -> Flight 93 Memorial -> Hagerstown (with a few other bonii in between). That’s essentially the route I rode.
Friday’s dinner was awesome. We had catered Mexican food – a build-your-own taco salad, with chicken and beef. Needless to say, there was good Mexican beer to go with the chow.
A mandatory first-time rider’s meeting started at 2000 and ran until about 2130. I was beat, so I set myself up for the second rookie mistake of the trip by not making sure my fuel tank was topped off before Saturday’s departure. More on that, later.
Many of the riders heading south to Arlington County, VA took the same route out of the parking lot. Individual riding styles caused the pack to thin out quickly, as each rider hit his or her stride. The weather was perfect -- the roads had dried out from the thunderstorms that had swept through the area on Friday evening (right around our dinnertime). The temperature was very pleasant, matching well with the light clothes I was wearing under my riding gear. I expected the temperatures to rise as the day went on, and planned to be uncomfortably hot by the afternoon.
I stopped for fuel about halfway to Arlington -- one of several unforced errors during the rally. As I mentioned earlier, I started for Hagerstown late on Friday, and wound up in a typical I-270 freeway parking lot. It took about an hour more to get to Hagerstown than it should have. That delay made getting fuel before the odometer check problematic, and I didn't get fuel after the mandatory first-time Mason Dixon 20-20 rider's meeting (which ended about 2130) because I was beat and there isn’t a fuel station anywhere close (that I could find). So, I took that extra fuel stop and chewed up a lot of time (ten minutes or more!) getting through neighborhoods and traffic lights on the way to the station. Fueled up, I continued south on I-270. Traffic was flowing very well and visibility was great: all-in-all a great ride.
My route took me south on I-270 to I-495, then to the Clara Barton Parkway. Even with living in northern Virginia for more than 20 years, I haven't spent much time on that road. I continued south to the turn onto Key Bridge, and made another unforced error (and one that I have made before, in a cage!). I turned onto the Whitehurst Freeway, instead of waiting another block to turn on U.S. 29S (the Key Bridge) to Rosslyn. That error ensured that I spent probably 10 minutes goofing off in DC on the way to I-66. I got through picturesque downtown Rosslyn okay, and made it to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, where there were a number of other riders getting their photographs. I knew the photograph that I wanted, and walked briskly to the memorial to set it up. I knew I had to have three things in the frame: the memorial, the Washington Monument, and my rally flag.
On my way to I-895, I was nervous about getting the EZPass to work correctly; I keep the "puck" in a clear pocket on my left sleeve. Previously, I had hit-or-miss performance with the puck in my pocket. I experimented a while with placement, taking to waving the puck at the first few toll booths as I rode north.
I took a wrong turn out of that location, another rookie mistake, which cost me a few more minutes as I headed back to the highway. Crossing the bridge into Delaware, I picked up I-95 north again (and more toll stops).
Another thing I didn’t plan well enough was my route from Battery Park to the Holland Tunnel. Traffic was bad and getting worse, and GPS reception in lower Manhattan is always bad. I bumbled my way north on the island, though, and managed to get on 12th Avenue. The traffic getting into and through the Holland Tunnel was miserable, and the tunnel was pretty warm. My oil-cooled bike thought it was pretty warm while idling in the tunnel, as well…I kept one eye on the traffic and the other on the temperature gauge. It was good to see the light at the end of the tunnel, even if it was New Jersey(!).
By now, I’m about an hour behind where I should have been to make the back end of the trip manageable, so I’m busy thinking about shedding some bonii as I ride along.
The cemetery is beautiful; I’m looking forward to returning to visit when I have a little more time.
It started to rain a bit as I was pulling out of the cemetery, and I needed fuel. I also needed to get another of the wildcard bonii: a $2 scratcher lottery ticket (had to be from MD, PA, or WV). There’s a gas station just down the road from the cemetery, so that was the logical place to stop to get both jobs done.
The rain doesn’t look like it’s going to be a major problem.
Major decision point. I’m far enough off my plan now, that I need to make some quick decisions. The fellow who was with me at Fat Daddy’s was on to Reading, PA – I’d decided against Reading early in the planning process because I didn’t think it offered enough points for the time and distance required. I had planned to pick up three locations to the north, up U.S. 22. With time problems, I decided to shed the U.S. 22 locations and head west. That turned out to be a good decision for at least two reasons – U.S. 22 was far more likely to be critter-ridden that the Interstate (the VAST number of road-kill on the PA Interstates is a caution flag) and I was to be riding on U.S. 22 during “critter time”, and it turns out that the extra time on U.S. 22 would have really cramped my ability to finish before the deadline. What I didn’t do, though, as part of the replanning effort, was to realize that I should have picked up the Flight 93 site on Saturday (since I rode right past it while heading to Indianapolis) – yet another rookie mistake. I had half of the re-planning effort thought out in advance, but didn’t work all the details. That mistake cost me points at the scoring table.
Now, as you can tell, it’s pretty dark. I’m okay for a few more hours of riding, but the skies are threatening. I work the numbers in my head as I ride, and elect to stop in Springfield, OH just as the skies are really looking bad. As it happens, another rider was caught in that storm and wound up with a tank-slapper, going down in the freeway. I understand he was banged up a bit, but otherwise okay.
I snagged a room at a hotel right around midnight and bagged just under three hours of sleep. I woke up fine, and headed downstairs to check out, only to find the lobby area locked. Ugh. I walked around to the front door to see what the issue was – as soon as I left the hotel to make the turn to the front door, I was confronted with the gas station across the street being completely full of cars and people. No one was getting gas (at this, the only gas station open as far as I could see) – they were all at the gas station to party at 0300!
After staring at this spectacle for a few minutes, the guy at the front desk let me in. He wasn’t quick enough in locking the door behind me, and some party-goers came in to use the facilities (which concerned the night manager greatly). I was anxious to get out of there as quickly as possible, so didn’t spend too much time chit-chatting. My rest bonus had started at the party-goer-ridden gas station across the street, and I needed fuel for the next leg, so I shoe-horned my bike between a car and the pump and managed to get a tank-full. In my amazement at the crowd,I managed to miss getting the required photograph of the pump to satisfy the fuel log requirement, costing me 5 points at the scoring table. Five points at this rally was huge. Oh, well…another rookie mistake.
From there, I had to get to Speedway, IN to grab another photo. As it would turn out, the approach from Brownsburg was probably the only reasonable way to get into Speedway, since the cars were already lined up for miles to the east to get into infield parking. What a zoo! Anyway, I get to the appointed location, jump off the bike (there’s another rider there, as well, looking for the right thing to take a picture of), and start hunting. The RM had sent a text that I didn’t get until MUCH too late, telling us that the description of the location changed from museum (which is really in the infield) to administration building (which is where I was). So, I spent a half-hour trying to finagle my way onto the infield (to no avail), then had to bail to get back to the Flight 93 memorial and on to Hagerstown before the deadline. Yet another rookie mistake.
So, I’m on my way back east, having experienced Indianapolis on race day (which is awesome), and I’m riding into the rising sun. What a beautiful sight! I’m a bit hungry, so I stop (again, for longer than I should have) for a bite at a rest stop.
After riding all morning, I arrived at the Flight 93 National Memorial, where I snapped this picture.
By this time, I’m running against the clock, knowing that I’m going to lose more points at the scoring table because I’m going to bust the 1400 end time. Upon rounding the corner to the finish line, I stopped and hopped off the bike long enough to put my sponsor decal and rally flag on my bike (both were bonus points – the decal was pre-announced, and the rally flag (because it had a checkered flag on it) was a wild-card bonus).
I ended up coming in 14 minutes late (for a 14(!) point penalty). Again, oh well.
Epilogue. I was, characteristically, the last bike out of the hotel’s parking lot on Monday, taking advantage of the standard noon checkout. I’d taken advantage of a slow morning to indulge in my other scavenger hunt hobby, geocaching, in the area around the mall. While hiking around, I came upon the site of the Saturday evening skills tests, with the target times chalked onto the pavement.
With the rally over, I was left with the decision about the route home. Rick had announced, the night before, that the theme of the 2012 Mason Dixon 20-20 would be Mountain Do Do (sp?). That inspired me to ride west to Cumberland (where I tested my bike’s ability to find a Dairy Queen for a celebratory Blizzard™).
After dessert, I rode south to Moorefield to let the RT off the leash in the sweepers and twisties so common in West Virginia. Just north of Moorefield, I headed east on the infamous Corridor H (the freeway from nowhere – Virginia hasn’t lobbied / won’t lobby to get it connected to I-81 in the vicinity of Strasburg to, largely, nowhere. Senator Byrd died just a few miles too soon to fully realize this tourism boon, though I’m sure that the easternmost counties do benefit from the old guy’s fondness of spending other people’s money. The old WV 55 is still there, and is a great ride. I was still a bit sore from the ride to and from Indianapolis, though, so I took the more direct route when it was available (see, maybe the old unreconstructed southern Democrat was on to something…). I continued on VA 55 after crossing the state line, all the way to just shy of The Plains, where I picked up I-66 eastbound. Ahhh, the slab again. Traffic was remarkably light, so the rest of the trip back to Fairfax County was uneventful (but very hot and humid – the thermometer on the bike registered north of 95 deg F as I was rolling east on I-66).
Unforced errors. Made far, far too many. Practice will help with some of this. A more comfortable saddle will help, as well.
Bottom line: great experience, tremendous fun, very safe (no situations at all -- nothing hit me, and I didn't hit anything (though I did have a close call with something that looked like a small rat or large mouse that tried to charge across a road in front of my bike after I left the Flight 93 National Memorial)), somewhat sore (the IBA doesn't call it a "bunburner" for nothing), lots of good experience and many lessons-learned.
What didn't work well. Getting fuel early spent critical time early in the run. Wrong turn onto the Whitehurst Freeway -- spent at least five minutes goofing off in DC on my way to the memorial. Bad turn out of Havre de Grace.
What worked reasonably well:
- Planning – I had a decent plan that, if I’d ridden it, would have turned out pretty good. Major problem: not leaving enough time in the plan for fuel and bonus stops.
- Routing – decent routing. I came up with a way of figuring out how much of any given route is taken up with specific types of roads, which is a useful thing to know. Also, I learned how to compare the results of MapSource routing and the routing computed by my GPS receiver. MapSource allows you to tinker with the speeds for different classes of roads – the GPS receiver uses whatever the posted speed limit is to compute the route. These are wildly different results, and it’s useful to understand why.
- Options – bailout. Work them out in advance, write them down, and put them on the tank bag. Worked great for me, except I hadn’t thought through the implications of one of my bailout plans.
Additional points of enjoyment:
- Environment – this is a beautiful country. It’s even more beautiful on the back of a nice bike.
- Weather – weather was really good for me. There were a few spots of rain, heavy at times, but never to the soaking point or to a point where I felt unsafe. Following my intuition in Springfield, OH saved me a drenching (or worse). The area I rode through had really nasty weather just a few days before (lots of tornado warnings / watches), but things were generally pleasant for the ride.
- Great gear – great helmet, great riding clothes, great boots. Made for a comfortable ride (aside from the stock saddle discomfort).
- Food and water – brought the right amount and type of food in Chez Tankbag, and bought a 3 liter water bladder that I wore as a backpack, which worked great. A bit tight to get the bite valve up under the chin protector on the helmet, but doable.
Other things I learned:
- Pennsylvania ought to change from the “Keystone State” to the “Road-Kill State”. Seriously. I don’t know where all the buzzards are; there’s enough road-kill on the Interstate highways of PA to do a remake of Hitchcock’s The Birds.
- Endurance rallying is truly a mix of skills – route planning, efficient and safe riding, reading comprehension, …
- I have too much patience for some things.
- Re-read the IBA list-of-things-to-bring. I brought everything I needed, without bringing too much stuff I didn’t.
- Practice. Practice making bonus stops. Practice making fuel stops. Figure out what the average time is, and factor that into the plan.
- Packing. Keep things exactly where they belong all the time. The wallet goes in a pocket. Two sets of keys. Spare cash for when the credit card stops working. Camera in the same location each time. Rally flag in the same location each time. And so on….
- The Droid doesn’t like being hooked up to the bike in the tank bag on hot days. It doesn’t like being out in its carrier, either, because of overheating. No real, practical solution to this problem. Using the Droid as a cheap substitute for a Spot doesn’t work for me.
Bottom line. Great rally, put on by great people, ridden by great riders. Awesome experience – can’t wait until next year.
I’m inspired to run The Void in October, Cape Fear next April, the MD20-20 next May, and the Butt Lite next summer.
Beast in the East
I learned, last night, that the Beast in the East registration is open until 1 June 2011 (the same day that The Void registration opens). The BitE is a multi-day rally, run from 15 August 2011 through 19 August 2011.
With hiking around Mt Rainier and taking a long ride to Canada and back this summer, my dance card is already full. I've given more than a passing thought of the fun and challenge of the BitE (and the two non-draw IBR 2013 spots, with one as no fee(!)), though, and will be looking for ride reports when folks get back.
With hiking around Mt Rainier and taking a long ride to Canada and back this summer, my dance card is already full. I've given more than a passing thought of the fun and challenge of the BitE (and the two non-draw IBR 2013 spots, with one as no fee(!)), though, and will be looking for ride reports when folks get back.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Mason Dixon 20-20
I've taken a few more passes through the boni list, trying to see if i can develop a route that allows me to finish within the 1666 mile cap, finish within 29:30 riding hours, maximize the number of boni points, maintain some mileage and time margin, and have fun. I struggled a bit with a candidate route, and ended up cutting two locations because they provided too little in the way of points/mile and points/minute. So, i now have a route that both fits within the mileage cap and the time limit without having to run hot for too many miles.
At rally end, there's an event that adjusts scores by plus or minus 30 points, which is a huge swing. I've been practicing my ride slow skills, and working on maneuverability at slow speeds, just in case that's on the [unpublished] syllabus.
I'm sure i'll fuss with this route a bit more, but it's looking doable.
Location : 1049 Rhue Hollow Rd, Roseland, VA 22967,
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Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Mason Dixon 20-20 Motorcycle Rally
The boni locations / points listing came out this afternoon -- one day earlier than advertised! I'm going through it right now to see what kinds of delights the Rally Bubbas have in store for us. This will be my first MD 20-20; I'm looking forward to it quite a lot.
I plan to write about both planning and riding, so stay tuned!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Maine's Labor Mural Disappears Over Weekend
Maine's Labor Mural Disappears Over Weekend:
"Controversy surrounds a mural depicting labor history of Maine. Gov. Paul LePage ordered the mural removed from a lobby of the state's Department of Labor, saying it made business interests uncomfortable. Well, the 36-foot mural vanished over the weekend."
I'd like to add to the controversy by asking why the U.S. taxpayer paid $60,000 for this mural in the first place.
While not being surprised at the usual snarky reporting from Maine Public Radio and National Public (?) Radio, I'm disappointed that the obvious question wasn't raised: Why are the taxpayers of this great country paying for artwork for state buildings? If the good people of Maine want artwork for their buildings, they ought to pay the freight and not rely on money extorted from the U.S. taxpayer.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Supervisors delay Springfield Mall redevelopment | William C. Flook | Local | Washington Examiner
"Eclipsed by better-regarded shopping centers in Tysons Corner, the mall garnered an undesirable reputation as a symbol of suburban decay."
Springfield Mall is in terrible shape, as are many suburban malls across the country. Springfield Mall reflects its neighborhood...perhaps this redevelopment (razing?) will help not only rid the county of this eyesore but put some pressure on improving the neighborhood.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
And the campaign begins....
Viet Nam Veteran and veteran political candidate Jimmy "The Deficit is Too Damn High" McMillan has announced! On to Iowa!
Jesse Jackson and armed conflict
As I was thinking about the "no-fly zone" proposals for the "Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya" on the drive home tonight, I was reminded of Jesse Jackson's December 1983 road trip to Damascus.
I'm with Secretary Gates on this one...going to war in Libya will be extremely costly. This is one best left to the League of Arab States and African Union. Let's not give Jesse Jackson another opportunity for showboating, fresh on the heels of his recent visit to Madison, WI.
I'm with Secretary Gates on this one...going to war in Libya will be extremely costly. This is one best left to the League of Arab States and African Union. Let's not give Jesse Jackson another opportunity for showboating, fresh on the heels of his recent visit to Madison, WI.
Friday, February 18, 2011
2012 Is Finally The Time to Prune Farm Subsidies
http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2011/02/2012-is-finally-time-to-prune-farm.html
Sent to you via Google Reader
Jeffery W Wilson
Progressive Bourbons
http://cafehayek.com/2011/02/progressive-bourbons.html
Sent to you via Google Reader
Jeffery W Wilson
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
WHO COULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING? Green-Energy Plant Sucks Up Subsidies, Then Goes Bust….
More opportunities for big budget reductions at DoE....
I'm Part Of An "Outgroup" -- Send Money
Either this problem is getting worse, or I'm much more sensitive to it....
http://legalinsurrection.blogspot.com/2011/02/im-part-of-outgroup-send-money.html
REGULATED PROFESSIONS: CAT GROOMERS AND LAWYERS….
Yet another good target for deregulation...reduce job-inhibiting regulation, barriers to free trade, AND unproductive state bureaucracy.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Another Day Older and Deeper in Debt… — The American, A Magazine of Ideas
Veronique de Rugy has an excellent article in The American today concerning the impending debt limit discussion and debate (the limit may be reached as early as late March). We need to have a serious, adults-only discussion on the debt ceiling, and what we're going to do as a country about spending. We have a spending problem that must be fixed.
As always, I recommend reading the whole thing....
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Federal government to lift restrictions on guns in national parks - washingtonpost.com
Federal government to lift restrictions on guns in national parks - washingtonpost.com
Ed O'Keefe,
It's been nearly 11 months since this piece was published...I wonder if you'd take the time to revisit the predictions of the folks you quote to see how they turned out.
National parks hosted about 275 million visitors in 2008, the agency said. There were 3,760 reported major crimes, including five homicides and 37 rapes. The agency does not note which crimes involve firearms. Crime is down across the system's parks, according to the statistics.Is there any evidence that visitors are experiencing increased suspicions, wariness, and concern? Did the "social dynamic" really change?Bill Wade, president of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, said that could change Monday.
"Visitors are going to go to national parks with an increased amount of suspicions and weariness and concern," Wade said. Worse, he said, the new law will erase the park system's reputation as a place of solitude and safety.
"People go to national parks to get away from things that they face in their everyday living, where they live and work. Now I think that social dynamic is really going to change," Wade said.
Scot McElveen, president of the Association of National Park Rangers, said that the new law violates the Park Service's original mission to serve as a preserve for the United States' natural resources and wildlife."Our tens of thousands of years of collective experience in operating and managing parks leads us to believe that allowing loaded, readily accessible firearms in parks is one that will lead to lessened preservation of park resources," McElveen said.
Critics are also concerned about the possibility of an increase in illegal hunting and poaching.
"There are a group of folks that will never break the law, no matter what, because they believe the law and want to keep their weapons," McElveen said. "But there's also a group in the middle that can be tempted by opportunity when they think that no one's around and no one will find out."
The National Park Service must keep extensive records regarding poaching, along with other crime statistics. What are they seeing in the way of increased crime? And how about these "group in the middle" folks whose moral compass is so skewed that they will be tempted to use that firearm they have along for protection just because they can?
Tucson Shootings Revive Calls For Tougher Gun Laws : NPR
Tucson Shootings Revive Calls For Tougher Gun Laws : NPR:
Yep. "Tougher Gun Laws", formerly known as gun control, is (a) at least temporarily recognized as a third rail (c.f., the 1994 mid-term elections) and (b) completely ineffective in deterring crime. The shooter (er, alleged shooter) may have been impaired in some way (we'll know more as soon as the alleged shooter enters a plea in U.S. v. Loughner, 11-mj-00035, U.S. District Court, District of Arizona (Phoenix)); this impairment is likely the cause of the shooting, not the presence or absence of gun control legislation.
"That issue has all but disappeared from the debate in Congress."
"In recent years, new federal laws have allowed guns in the national parks."
Yes, and the media was filled with hand-wringing over the bloodshed that was imminent in the National Parks. Park Rangers predicted a tide of lawlessness, both in terms of human-on-human carnage and an increase in poaching. The media has been strangely silent in reporting on the problems that have arisen since the Reagan (!) era regulation (not legislation) was initially overturned by further regulation in the final days of the Bush administration, then overturned by legislation once it became clear that the Obama administration was going to try to put that toothpaste back into the tube.
""Just to show you ... the climate in D.C. about this before this incident, my staff and I couldn't get a hearing on closing the gun-show loophole," [Rep Mike Quigley (D-IL)] said."
The so-called "gun-show loophole" isn't worth a hearing, because it isn't a problem. Virginians endure hearings nearly every year on this non-issue, because it's a great platform for grandstanding by politicians.
"But lawmakers may only be reflecting public opinion. A Gallup Poll released in October found that 44 percent of Americans thought gun laws should be stricter. Compare that to 2000, when 62 percent wanted stricter gun laws, and 1990, when the number favoring stricter gun laws was 78 percent."
Said without a hint of irony, it seems. If our elected representatives ("lawmakers") are truly representative, wouldn't they "reflect public opinion"? Or do we expect them to "know better" than the electorate?
"Based on what we know so far, the system that is supposed to protect us from dangerous and deranged people has failed once again," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
Which "system" is that? We don't have a "system" that is supposed to protect us from dangerous and deranged people, so it's not reasonable to assert that it "has failed once again". Mayor Bloomberg isn't a lawyer, so it's probably natural that he wouldn't be familiar with the expectations that a citizen should have regarding police protection.
See, for example:
Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005)
DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services, 489 U.S. 189 (1989) ("Poor Joshua!")
Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Peter King of New York announced Tuesday that he plans to introduce legislation banning anyone from carrying a loaded gun within 1,000 feet of a federal official — from the president down to a member of Congress.
Sigh. Yet another attempt to make the federal criminal code even larger than it already is, and a complete failure to recognize that this law WOULD HAVE MADE NO DIFFERENCE in this last weekend's tragedy, because the alleged shooter couldn't have cared less about federal law (or state or local law, for that matter). The rest of us are faced with contemplating how average citizens are supposed to know if a federal official is nearby -- will they now be required to wear readily-identifiable clothing, much like hunters wear during hunting season?
"This legislation, I believe, is essential," he said. "I always believe if we can take a horrible tragedy and attempt to get something good out of it, then all is not lost."
Rahm would be proud of you, Rep King. Real proud.
Knox says efforts should be focused on preventing people with mental illnesses from obtaining firearms. And that may be one area where gun control opponents and backers can find some common ground.
Well, that sounds good until you start to define "mental illness" and who gets to determine if you're "mentally ill". We had that debate in Virginia a few years back, and it's a much thornier issue than it appears at first blush.
Report: Sales Of Glocks, Other Handguns, Have Surged Since Arizona Rampage : The Two-Way : NPR
Report: Sales Of Glocks, Other Handguns, Have Surged Since Arizona Rampage : The Two-Way : NPR
Unsurprising: perceptions of a shortage caused by fevered reports on NPR suggesting additional gun control and knee-jerk showboating by Members of Congress (c.f., Rep Pete King (R-NY) and Rep James E. Clyburn (D-SC) ) cause an increase in demand.
Demand for firearms soared as the Obama administration began, in anticipation of the Democrat-controlled Congress and Democrat administration. Prices on scary black guns reflected demand, and waiting lines grew. The pent-up demand for long guns has since returned to equilibrium, but now we're seeing what I suspect will be a short-term spike in demand for handguns.
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