US unveiling of Piaggio's MP3

Powersports Business

So it looks like Piaggio is showing off the already legendary MP3 in San Antonio soon. I wonder if this means that we'll actually get some imported to this side of the pond. I also wonder if you'd have to get a trike/sidecar endorsement to ride it in Washington State.

Piaggio Group Americas plans to show its three-wheel scooter, the MP3, October 3 at the 2006 Piaggio Dealer Convention in San Antonio, Texas. Piaggio says the first demo units recently arrived from Italy. Look for reviews of the unit in upcoming issues of many of your favorite consumer magazines - the company invited select media outlets to test ride the vehicle during the dealer event.

American Son: Wes Clark

Hmmm...
Just did a check on Wes Clark's Youtube profile. There are three videos, the Body Armor ad, an ad for Clark Casts, and this 18 minute 45 second promo from the 2004 primary. Funny thing is this biographic film with a decidedly "look what great president this guy would make" air about it, was only posted a couple of days ago (on 09/13/06).
Which made me think two things: A)hopefully Wes is getting ready to make that "announcement" in a couple of months when the 2006 election is over, and B)if his blog took a spike in hits in any proportion to what mine did on the 5th anniversary of 9/11, maybe he's got an even better chance than I thought.

VoteVets call Senator George Allen to task.

Body Armor: VoteVets AD


If only all political ads were this straightforward and adhere to the three C's: Clear, Concise, and Concrete. Whatever your views on our current military actions in the Middle East, I think you'll agree that we shouldn't allow politicians to wrap themselves in the flag while sending troops to foreign shores, whilst cutting funding for necessary equipment and promised benefits when noone is looking. If there is a Republican incumbent Senator up for reelection in your district, I urge you to consider these facts.

VoteVet.org's new ad features Peter Granato, a brave American who served in Iraq in 2003. Peter went to war with an obsolete flak jacket from the Vietnam era because the Bush Administration and Republicans in Congress failed to ensure that he -- and thousands of others -- had the right equipment.

Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) offered an amendment to give the Guard and Reserve $1 billion to procure additional equipment, including body armor, in April 2003. But every single Republican, including George Allen, voted to kill that amendment.

I cannot overstate the importance of that failure to support the troops. Young men and women continued to go into harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan without the right protection because the Republicans didn't think it was worth spending the money. Yet George Bush and the Republican Party were all too willing to pass billions of dollars of tax cuts for the wealthy.

This vote is a disgrace, and VoteVets.org has launched the bluntest ad of the entire political season to hold George Allen accountable for his foolish -- and deadly -- vote. Please watch it, and then let's keep it on the air. -- From Gen. Wes Clark at WesPAC

The Electric Unicycle

The Electric Unicycle

um... yeah. This falls under stuff I think is cool, and I'm glad there are people crazy... er um, creative enough to actually design it, but I don't think I'd even want to try it. If YOU think it's the greatest thing ever, and just have to have one, there are instructions on the linked page.

The Electric Unicycle's only control is the on-off switch. The rider controls everything else by shifting his weight. You lean forward to accelerate, lean backwards to brake, and gyrate your arms wildly to turn. With a little practice you can get more graceful and keep your arms mostly by your side.

Wandering Wheels Seniors - Kymco 50cc Scooters - Motorcyclist Magazine

Wandering Wheels Seniors - Kymco 50cc Scooters - Motorcyclist Magazine

File under: You are never too old to do something crazy!

Kymco's reviews just seem to get better and better. But I have to say that when Jes and I were shopping for boots at a local Suzuki dealership, we killed some time sitting on the available scooters. They had pretty much the whole range of Kymcos, and while I like the lines of the Peoples, I found there wasn't enough room for my long legs on the floorboards. I can't see riding for long in barstool posture that the tall seats and short floorboards force you into. The Xcitings were much more comfortable, if I could just get over my prejudices against maxi-scooter styling.

On July 7, when 23 scooters, mostly KYMCO 50cc models, pulled into Myrtle Beach, SC, the jubilant group of riders organized by "Wandering Wheels" celebrated a dream come true. They had just successfully two-wheeled across the USA on back roads: 3500 miles in 20 days.
It was a truly amazing feat made more incredible by two other facts: nearly all of the riders were between 65 and 80 years old, and the large majority had made the trip with only 50cc displacement engines!

Motorcycle Safety Foundation

Motorcycle Safety Foundation

I've seen several articles lately about the disproportionate
rise in motorcycling fatalities to motorcycle riding. So I don't feel too square doing another post about two-wheeler safety. If you are going to be riding TAKE ONE OF MSF's safety classes! Heck, you might even be lucky enough to live somewhere that has scooter classes. If not, you can always check out the handbook here.

All Hail Eris!

BBC NEWS Science/Nature Astronomers name 'world of chaos'

Personally the Dragon is gleeful that Pluto has been knocked down a peg and Eris dances (as she always has) with the stars.

A PRIMER FOR ERISIAN EVANGELISTS by Lord Omar
The SOCRATIC APPROACH is most successful when confronting theignorant. The "socratic approach" is what you call starting an argument byasking questions. You approach the innocent and simply ask "Did you know that God's name is ERIS, and that He is a girl?" If he should answer "Yes." then he probably is a fellow Erisian and so you can forget it. If he says "No." then quickly proceed to:
THE BLIND ASSERTION and say "Well, He Is a girl, and His name is ERIS!" Shrewedly observe if the subject is convinced. If he is, swear him into the Legion of Dynamic Discord before he changes his mind. If he does not appear convinced, then proceed to:
THE FAITH BIT: "But you must have Faith! All is lost without Faith! I sure feel sorry for you if you don't have Faith." And then add:
THE ARGUMENT BY FEAR and in an ominous voice ask "Do you know whathappens to those who deny Goddess?" If he hesitates, don't tell him that hewill surely be reincarnated as a precious Mao Button and distributed to thepoor in the Region of Thud (which would be a mean thing to say), just shakeyour head sadly and, while wiping a tear from your eye, go to:
THE FIRST CLAUSE PLOY wherein you point to all of the discord andconfusion in the world and exclaim "Well who the hell do you think did all of this, wise guy?" If he says, "Nobody, just impersonal forces." then quickly respond with:
THE ARGUMENT BY SEMANTICAL GYMNASTICS and say that he is absolutelyright, and that those impersonal forces are female and that Her name is ERIS. If he, wonder of wonders, still remains obstinate, then finally resort to:
THE FIGURATIVE SYMBOLISM DODGE and confide that sophisticated peoplelike himself recognize that Eris is a Figurative Symbol for an IneffableMetaphysical Reality and that The Erisian Movement is really more like a poem than like a science and that he is liable to be turned into a Precious Mao Button and Distributed to The Poor in The Region of Thud if he does not get hip. Then put him on your mailing list.

Eris' discoverer, Michael Brown of the California Institute of Technology, told the Associated Press that the name was an obvious choice, calling it "too perfect to resist".
In mythology, Eris caused a quarrel among goddesses that sparked the Trojan War. In real life, Eris also caused strife, forcing scientists to produce a strict definition of the term planet - and that eventually led to Pluto losing the status it had held since its discovery in 1930. -- from the BBC article

This post has been brought to you by the Leonard Walden Memorial Cabal, Cascadia Bio-Region, Spiraling madly through space somewhere in the unfashionable arm of the Milky Way (or was it Snickers?) Galaxy.

Please do not use this document as toilet paper.