What Next....

To add another rule to the list, "No apologizing for time lapses between blog posts". Yea it's been a week or so, but I was on vacation, and even if I wasn't I'm not going to be sorry for having my time taken up with... well you know.

There are quite a few things that I want to write about, but I can't quite decide which will be first. In an effort to procrastinate and mull over in my mind what will be next, here are some topics to watch out for in the next... well who knows how long it will take to get them posted, but I won't apologize if it takes while.

"Top 5 ROCK! albums of all time." Probably already done a million times over but I've got my take on it too

"The English language SUCKS!" Fairly self explanatory I think.

"A new scooter in more ways than one." My next two wheel project. New (to me) scoot, and new (to me) kind of scoot (Lambretta!)

"To eat meat or not to eat meat?"

"Digital TV for all, Healthcare for some"

"I heart CD's"

That is what is looming out there on the radar, so keep your interweb travels poised for developments.

Go Get a Scooter!

Yea two posts in one day is crazy, but I'm unpredictable.

Someone on a local scooter forum posted a link to this add from Piaggio (parent company to Vespa). I'm not a huge fan of modern scooters, aka Tupperware scooters, but they have their place on the road. The deal is you put 10% down on a new scoot, finance the rest over 36 months, and after 12 months if you think the scooter is too cool for you and you can't handle it you can just simply return it. So you are out the 10% and 12 payments, it's not like they are giving them away, but it might be the thing someone needs to convince them to give a two wheel a try.

Hot Button Topic Ahead!

How about abortion? Controversial enough for you? 

      The discussion about abortion and it's legality and morality frustrates me. Not because of which side of the pro-choice / pro-life struggle I find myself on, but rather because of how the war is waged. This issue has struck me with the recent the murder of a doctor who provided abortions in Wichita Kansas. 

      Brian's issue #1. If pro-lifers think taking a life is wrong than why is it alright to kill a man while he greets people at his church? The entire abortion debate is littered with inconsistencies. I almost can't hold back when I hear someone in public, (and why people feel the need to be publicly outspoken about such matters to strangers boggles my mind and will be a later post) demonize abortions and then advocate for the death penalty. And don't get me started on the willingness of people to use science and medicine to get pregnant against natures will, but unwilling to recognize a place for science to end pregnancy against natures will. Pro-choicers are guilty here too. The stance that abortions should be cheap, easy and readily available doesn't fly with me. Should we also have cheap, easy and readily available angioplasty, hip replacements and neurosurgery? Medicine is not a drive through industry.

     Brian's issue #2. Abortion is not the only end to the situation of an unwanted pregnancy. Why is there not more attention given to adoption? Why does the public discussion center around "keep the baby or have an abortion"? Having seen a few people go through the process it seems as though there are lots of people willing to adopt but fewer babies available (at least in the US, not to mention the hard reality that many parents want racially similar babies to themselves leaving minority adoptees unclaimed). 

     Brian's issue #3. Isn't the discussion about abortion a band-aid discussion? The issue is unwanted pregnancy, so lets discuss that! Prevention and education has it's own land mines, but also has a place for everyone to advocate as opposed to lashing out at the wrongness of the other side. Proponents of abstinence education may not agree with contraception availability to teens, but one does not necessitate undermining the other to further their stance. Abstinence encouragement, sex-ed in schools and contraceptive availability all get to the same end.... less unwanted buns in the oven. 

     It angers me that abortion has become a black and white political platform, when, like most of science and medicine, it is very grey. NPR's, Talk of the Nation, (click "listen to tuesdays shows" and select the 3rd section labeled Health Care) had an interesting discussion on the topic after the announcement by George Tiller's family that his clinic will close permanently. The pro-choice commentator discussed the standard talking points, but also mentioned that she has never seen a women come into her clinic with a flippant casual attitude towards getting an abortion. The pro-life commentator also espoused the talking points of their stance, and then clearly recognized the medical need for abortions, but that those circumstances are not clearly defined. Too often I think the persona of trollops using abortion as birth control, and the stance that all conceived embryos should be carried to birth skews these discussions.

      I can't help but think that when people are forced by society to align as pro-choice or pro-life that they are over polarizing them selves, and more tragically and artificially move farther away from the grey of the argument where most of us are, and where I think, the resolution can be found.

Two Wheel

  I'm not sure if anyone else uses the term "two wheel" to refer to their Vespa, but that is what makes sense to me. I purchased my first one from a coworker in 2006 and never looked back. I love old cars and just after Laura and I got married, I wanted to get a project car to work on. Quickly I realized I didn't have the space, money, tools or realistically the knowledge to take on a car. Somehow I came across scooters and mopeds and when my friend at work offered to sell me his old Vespa, I jumped. 

So why do I love Vespas? I could tell you all about the elegant design of not only the body and esthetics, but the engine and transmission. I could tout the fuel efficiency in our age of rising fuel cost (60-100 mpg depending on engine and riding style). Using a scooter for normal life requires efficient grocery lists, traveling sans freeways ands forces you to make the most of every mile on the road. How about the less waste from tires (two small ones opposed to 4 big ones), engine oil (a quart will last you all year), spark plugs (1 vs. 8), and so on. More scooters and less cars equals less traffic gridlock. The engines are so basic that they are roadside repairable by even novice mechanics. All of these are great attributes of scooters and more specifically vintage Vespas, but most of all.... they are a blast to ride!

Given the state of our automobile industry, the rising cost of gas, and the realization that we must start conserving it (for the environment and because it will dry up) maybe we can learn a little from those goofy little two wheels I love so much. And in the process maybe people will enjoy their travels a little more. 

This video is about 3 minutes and tells the basic story of the Vespa. It's worth a watch.