Italian Woman trying to Parallel Park

Helmet questions...

New Direction for any war: Send Service Vets over 60!

I am over 60 and the Armed Forces thinks I'm too old to track down terrorists. You can't be older than 42 to join the military. They've got the whole thing backwards. Instead of sending 18-year olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys. You shouldn't be able to join a military unit until you're at least 35.

For starters:

Researchers say 18-year-olds think about sex every 10 seconds. Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a day, leaving us more than 28,000 additional sec onds per day to concentrate on the enemy.

Young guys haven't lived long enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier. 'My back hurts! I can't sleep, I'm tired and hungry' We are impatient and maybe letting us kill some jerk that desperately deserves it will make us feel better and shut us up for a while.

An 18-year-old doesn't even like to get up before 10 a.m. Old guys always get up early to pee so what the hell. Besides, like I said, 'I'm tired and can't sleep and since I'm already up, I may as well be up killing some fanatical towel head.

If captured we couldn't spill the beans because we'd forget where we put them. In fact, name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser.

Boot camp would be easier for old guys. We're used to getting screamed and yelled at and we're used to soft food. We've also developed an appreciation for guns. We've been using them for years as an excuse to get out of the house, away from the screaming and yelling.

They could lighten up on the obstacle course however. I've been in combat and didn't see a single 20-foot wall with rope hanging over the side, nor did I ever do any pushups after completing basic training.

Actually, the running part is kind of a waste of energy, too. I 've never seen anyone out run a bullet.

An 18-year-old has the whole world ahead of him. He's still learning to shave, to start up a conversation with a pretty girl. He still hasn't figured out that a baseball cap has a brim to shade his eyes, not the back of his head.

These are all great reasons to keep our kids at home to learn a little more about life before sending them off into harm's way.

Let us old guys track down those dirty rotten coward terrorists. The last thing an enemy would want to see is a couple of million ticked off old guys with attitudes and automatic weapons who know that their best years are already behind them.

If nothing else, put us on border patrol....we will have it secured the first night!

Funny how things happen..

I finish the last post to the blog last night, publish it, and log on to e-mail to check for messages. I have a search on e-bay that e-mails me when items I am looking for are listed. Up pops a message for a fairing.. I check it out.. It's a Rabid Transit off a wrecked Moto Guzzi. Closer look.. the main body is cracked to hell, and it lacks the headlight, but yes it has the lowers and a tinted windscreen and both are in good shape! The windshield is worth more than the asking price..

Forget bidding, went right to the "buy it now" option.. Lowers problem solved! Spare windshield to boot! Got to love e-bay!

Shipping would be expensive but it is close, so we made a trip to Pelham, NH to pick it up today.. I finally have all the fairing parts I need for two complete units..

I also will get a chance to try my hand at some epoxy work on the busted-up main body.. I could end up with 2 1/2 fairings..

BMW Progress

So out of the blue about three weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a man in Oregon. In the e-mail he mentions that he heard somewhere that I was looking for a Rabid Transit fairing.

He has one complete with the exception of the lowers (which were an option back in the 70s) and he has no use for it.

The fairing without the lowers just does not look correct, and I'm not sure why anyone would not have spent a couple of more dollars for them, I suppose some folk just wanted a spot to mount a radio, a few guages, and also have the glove boxes, and were not concerned with looks of the bike. Maybe the look without lowers is one that grows on you..



A few e-mails flew back and forth.. he has the original mounting instructions, wire loom, handlebars, headlight cover, fairing pocket covers, high touring windshield, and the mounting bracket for a /6 BMW.

Now as you know, I already have an RT fairing for the project bike, but lacked the wire loom..

I asked for a price and to shorten the story I'll just say that the price was more than fair (probably due to the lack of lowers)and I now have a back-up fairing.. It arrived while I was in Rangeley, (Janel moved the large box into the living room and told me in a phone conversation it was here). I sat in the woods a few days and it kept running around in the back of my mind..

I have been toying with the idea of using a set of BMW RS fairing lowers and with some fiberglass work making them fit a Rabid Transit fairing. I like the look of the way the RS lowers wrap around the cylinders..

It is sort of a shame to cut up a RS fairing just to salvage the lowers, but no guts no glory.



I have a set of Rabid Transit fairing lowers to use as a guide, so guess I will give it a shot.. If nothing else it will be unique. It will be no easy job to make this happen though.. both sides of the fairing lowers are different due to one cylinder being forward of the other by an inch or so.. There is also the oil cooler and flexible brake lines to remount, so some fabrication for that essential gear is going to need to happen.

I'll send them both to the paint shop and have them painted the same colors but perhaps in reverse of each other..

Hi all....

Well, the annual trip to Rangeley Maine has come and gone, and for those who are wondering, no deer or other wildlife were harmed. More later...

x

Driver's Licenses for Illegals

Bike Progress...

New parts continue to arrive for the bike project, the latest being a set of "snowflake" wheels which will be cleaned and powder coated to contrast or match the new paint colors... whatever they may be.

Stainless steel hardware is replacing numerous parts that have rusted over the years.

Aluminum parts are being polished to a luster.. lots of time into that.

I am looking into the charging system.. looking to upgrade it to produce enough power to run heated vests and grips for those cold night rides.

Finding a waterproof GPS unit which is the correct size to fit the place I want to put it is a problem. I would love to have the GPS permanently mounted, but I may have to run it in a detachable tank bag, which is really not a big deal.. I'll continue to look..

While not actually bike parts, I am gathering lightweight camping gear which will live in the saddlebags. Can't wait to again do a bike camping trip.

All in all, I'm having a lot of fun in seeing all the components coming together..

Believe your eyes.....

Obama's Unsavory Friends

Investments...

If you had purchased $1000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago you will have $49.00 today.

If you had purchased $1000 of shares in AIG one year ago you will have $33.00 today.

If you had purchased $1000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago you will have $0.00 today.

But if you had purchased $1000 worth of beer one year ago drank all the beer then turned in the aluminum cans for a recycling refund, you will have received $214.00.

Slash 5...

Barney & Bill... Great TV..

Shocking Video Unearthed Democrats in their own words Covering up the Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Scam

SOME FACTS TO PONDER :

(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000.
(B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are 120,000.

(Calculation) Accidental deaths per physician is
0.171

Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health Human Services.

Now think about this:

Guns:

(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000. (Yes, that's 80 million..)
(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500.

(Calculation) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is
.000188

Statistics courtesy of FBI

So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.
(Remember, 'Guns don't kill people, doctors do.')

FACT:
NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR.

Please alert your friends to this alarming threat.
We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand!!!!!

Out of concern for the public at large, I withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention

BMW update..

I am looking for parts now to allow me to ready the fairing to be painted, striped, and fit to the bike. Guages need to be sorted out, electrics run, switched, fused, and mounted. Driving lights will be replacing the directional signals, and new mirrors with directionals found and mounted.

GPS, Sat Radio and it's antenna, the MP3 player need to be obtained and fixed in place.

The oil cooler and horns attach to the original fairing, so mounting options and brackets need to be fabricated for them. The Stainless high pressure hoses need to be sorted out and built up depending on final locations. Brake lines (flexible) also need to be obtained.

All this is pretty straight forward as I know what I want, but setting up the bike to bike radio, passenger intercom, and tying in the radar detection is challenging as I am not yet sure what I want to use for components. Without settling on those parts I have no idea of how much space is needed for each of them, and that stalls the whole process.

The cylinder heads will be coming off and sent to the west coast for machining necessary to install a second spark plug in each combustion chamber. I am doing this (as I did on my last BMW) to allow the use of gasoline with less octane rating without lowering the compression ratio. This is possible because it allows the ignition timing to be retarded with no power loss as there will be two flame fronts in the cylinder upon firing. Result is a smother running engine and no pinging under load. I may do a NOS system sometime (easy horsepower) in the future, and the second plug setup is sure to shine then..

Update..

Leg is hurting pretty badly tonight.. think I pushed it maybe a little too hard yesterday. Actually, It's a good hurting feeling (if that makes any sense) and I am pleased with the flexibility I have this soon after being cut. Therapy towards building back strength starts in earnest tomorrow

Got a funny story to relate to you about this last surgery, but I'll share it as I see you all... I don't want to print it here..

Leg surgery done...

In last Monday and out Thursday... Got a new 16" scar on my thigh and am sore as hell, but not quite as bad as I suspected. Not moving about too easy right now, but a little better each day as the swelling decreases. Got a CPM machine to move my leg constantly through its range. Tip for you I hope you never need to use.. If you ever need to be on one of these things, take it from one who knows.. Deal with the pain and stay on it as much as you can. Use the pain meds.. It will still hurt, and if it stops hurting turn up the range setting because you are not pressing yourself as hard as you should. I slept two nights with it running (48hours straight) and have a lot more flexibility because of it. Regaining the range of motion I had before the surgery is progressing much more quickly than the last time I was on the machine, because I am spending longer using it. So if a nurse tries to take you off it, don't let it happen. This is definitely a case of more pain now is more better in the long run.
I'll be glad when the dressings are gone and I can do strength building both on land and in a pool. Hunting Rangeley is looking like it will happen for me this year. God willing..

Grab handle / small luggage carrier has been found..

Hope this rack will work with the Renolds rack, however, if it won't I will need to find one of these grab bars in the pic below.

They turn up on e-bay from time to time, but they are always way overpriced.

These simple rails always sell for over one hundred dollars, which is on average the same as for the more complex rack above! Go figure...

Update: I now have the alternate grab rail coming to me from a source in New Jersey, so, at this point all the luggage rack problems are covered... I hope!

Front End Parts...

Parts to improve the suspension and handling of the BMW have been on my mind.

My previous BMWs have all had a little too much flex in the upper triple clamp area. When the bike was loaded heavy, you could feel the flex in a fast turn. It was never something that would scare you, but I never liked the feeling. I think this machined aluminum billet part will certainly take care of that...

This is overkill design...

I bet this part is 1000% stronger than the stock upper triple tree, which is only perhaps 3/16" thick. This should also lower the front end of the bike about 3/4" to 1". There will be no flex here!

Tracking in the turns will certainly be improved.

Not sure yet if I will anodize the part in gold, blue, or leave it in natural polished aluminum... I kinda like the way it turned out in natural aluminum.

I will also need to polish the bar backs to the same high gloss finish. Should that prove too difficult, I will just anodize both parts to match.

Although probably not needed, I will also do something to stiffen the lower legs to assure the fork tubes always remain perfectly parallel through all their travel.

This sturdy tubular steel fork brace from San Jose BMW holds fork tubes in precise alignment and exerts a self-aligning torque as cornering forces increase. Provides smoother fork action, sharper steering response and more stable, predictable handling. They are rare and hard to find.

More comfortable seat is here...

Got a more comfortable Corbin Duel Tour seat for the bike. Looking forward to trying this out on a long tour.


Since I now have screws in my hip holding a rod where my femur used to live, every little edge in comfort is much more important.

Although Corbin seats feel firm at first, it is this firmness that allows the seat to support your body over the miles. I'm told it takes a couple thousand miles of use to break them in.

This model is extremely popular on RT models for two-up distance riding. Ergonomically engineered platforms provide deep supportive bucket and long range comfort. It is sculpted to eliminate hot spots and provide better weight distribution for longer riding range.

Luggage Rack Found!

Another key component found.


What did we ever do before e-bay?

This is a Reynolds luggage rack specifically designed to allow the seat used on the R100RT to operate correctly. When I say operate, I mean open to allow access to the battery, tool tray, fuses, and storage areas under the seat.

This rack is not pretty, but it is very well made and heavy. Shipping weight for this thing is 11 1/2 lbs. I have found them to be the most versatile rack you can put on a bike. I am not sure if these are available from Reynolds anymore... How many people are looking for a new luggage rack for an almost 30 year old machine?

I am trying to eliminate all the chrome on this bike project.. Anything shiny will be polished aluminum or stainless steel. I hate to, but I guess this nice chrome part will need to be painted to maintain the look I am after.

Anyway, It was another key part for my bike project, and I got it!

Leg... (updated)

Rescheduled yet again to 9/10.

And yet again... this time to 9/15..

Leg surgery rescheduled...

Surgery that I missed due to food poisoning has been rescheduled for September 2nd. Should still be able to make a hunting trip to Maine this year. Fingers are crossed anyway...

Our national problem is not gun control but lack of intelligence in powerful positions.

The best laid plan...

Was scheduled for leg surgery last Monday, but Sunday I felt not quite right. Monday morning found me with a full blown case of food poisoning. Janel too.. We had a drive up to Manchester for BBQ Saturday... I guess it's better illness showed up before the surgery.

Yesterday was miserable, but today a little better. So surgery will be rescheduled soon.

Raisin McCain

BMW progress...

The fairing mounting bracket problem is solved, (I hope) which means the next issue is the handle bar selection. When the Rabid Transit fairing was designed, some loss of the full steering lock was designed into the mix to allow the fairing to be more narrow. That is acceptable, as the only time full lock is used is when your backing up the bike. You quickly learn the limitation and act accordingly.

With my last bike with the fairing mounted, If I was riding with a packed tank bag and needed to back up the bike, sometimes the starter button would hit the tank bag and engage the starter while the engine was running. That wasn't good..


With this bike I hope to eliminate that problem by moving the bars backward (closer to me) with the use of machined "bar backs" which attach to the triple trees. I have the parts to do this.

New territory here is mounting the oil cooler and front brake lines, both of which I didn't need to deal with on my older bike. I will be replacing the hoses with stainless reinforced high pressure units as much for their look as for their increased strength.

The air horns on this bike are also mounted in the fairing lowers, so some thought as to mounting them elsewhere will be required.

Wiring for the fairing is going to require a plan which I will do next week when I am flat on my ass in the hospital. I'll bring some colored pencils and a lot of paper to draw it out. Doing so will generate yet another list of required switches, relays, lamps, fuses, and other parts to hunt down and acquire.

I think I will lose the BMW clock with the installation of the new fairing and instead use the space to mount a cylinder head temperature gauge. More useful, no constant battery drain, and I wear a wristwatch anyway. In the last bike I mounted a small digital alarm clock I found in an auto parts store. It had a large easy to see display and was on a mount that allowed it to be easy to remove and take into a motel with you when you needed to set a wake up alarm. It was near perfect (only lacked a light). Maybe I can find another one of those, or maybe the GPS in my future will cover that.

Radios are something I need to think through. Massachusetts (as usual) passes laws regarding issues they simply have no knowledge about. Helmet speakers are not legal only in this State. I guess that explains why I see a lot of bikes stopped at traffic lights with loud radios blasting. I will not do that. I will have helmet speakers and perhaps bluetooth the signals to them. Better sound for me and less annoying noise for everyone else.

Two States that I will be traveling through (CT & VA) I understand ban the possession of radar detectors. I guess I'll need to bury mine deep in the fairing so it is not visible, and mount a heads up LED display in my helmet, backed up with a pair of lamps and switching on the dashboard. More wiring to figure out. The effort and cost of installing a detector will be better than paying any "performance awards" that the police love to pass out.

I am going to search for a MP3 player which uses SD cards for expansion. That way I can load the music or books I want to hear and bring a lot of it with me in a much smaller package than if I use a CD player. No moving parts and no worry about screwing up discs as well. The trick will be keeping it dry. I'm thinking that some kayak driver has figured that problem out..

The new Bass Pro store in Foxbough is wonderful! It is out on Rt.1 next to the football stadium I highly recommend you stop there for a couple of hours. All sorts of interesting stuff to be found there. Good food, shooting gallery, waterfalls, huge fish tanks with trout, perch, and bass. This place just blows LL Bean right out of the water. Too bad it isn't open 24 hours.

We stopped by the other day for lunch and I found a couple of low cots that pack down small enough to fit on the bike well. Set up they are only 8" tall, so they will work in a small two person tent. They were inexpensive, about $20. No sleeping on the cold, wet ground for me ever again!
Much to Janel's amusement, I set one up in the living room and tried it out. I did need to modify it a little to make it easier and faster to assemble, but that was no big deal. I found it comfortable even without a sleeping pad on it. With a self inflating Therma-Rest pad on this, a good nights sleep is a sure bet. Maybe next trip to Bass Pro I'll get a pair of them.

I keep remembering things that were in my truck that are now lost. One that comes to mind is my new sleeping bag. After years of buying cheap bags that never packed down small, I found a quality bag that compressed well and bought it. Never got to use it, and now it's gone. Grrrr. Tow company sure lost some nice stuff for me...

Well, the sun is out and I want to get in it while I can, so will add more later...

Next Monday...

It's looking like next Monday (2:30 pm) will be the day I have a leg surgery to remove some bone from my leg. It will be at least a three day stay at Boston Med Center.. No clue yet as to what happens from there, but my guess is it won't feel good. I hope recovery time is short..

I'm not looking forward to this, but I can't continue to deal with the daily pain in my thigh. My guess is that this will effectively end my summer as there is sure to be weeks of recovery. The up side is that I may be in good enough shape to go to Maine to hunt this fall..

If I make it to Rangeley, I surely won't be climbing to the top of spotted mountain as I have done in years past, but I might be able to get a hundred yards or so off the road... I suppose the odds of seeing deer there is as good as anywhere else. It's not like I'm going to shoot one anyway...

After this go around the arm and elbow will be my biggest problem. I reluctantly have to concede that I will never be able to again draw a bow, so I have lost archery seasons. I had bought a new bow which I never got to shoot. I have checked into an elbow replacement, and am told there would be a lifetime weight limit of 5 lbs. with that option. That is no longer an option. Maybe I'll look into hunting with a crossbow.

The fairing has arrived!

I picked up the Rabid Transit fairing at FedEx today. It was nicely crated and has no damage. Looks like it did in 1978 when it was new. I doubt it has ever been mounted on a bike. I'm lucky to have found this 30 year old part!

There are a few scratches here and there, but nothing that will be seen when painted. No instruments have ever been installed in the dashboard, nor any mirrors ever mounted, so there are no holes to fill.

Half of the mount brackets came with it, but those which are there are the important parts.. The rest should be easy..

Electrical connections for the headlamp and directional signals/running lamps are another issue.. I will need to find a good waterproof cannon plug which will be proper to deal with all the electronics I plan to install.. just another thing to explore.. Also the search is on for good looking weather-proof switches to turn things on and off..

Proper mirrors are on the search list now as well.. something in line with the overall shape of the entire fairing.

The fairing in the photo below has a high windscreen installed, instruments mounted, and a too large pair of ugly mirrors installed. I added the photo simply to show the fairing interior.

Pictures of an unmolested fairing in a few days...

My plan is to install Sat Radio, CD player, GPS, bike to bike intercom, a hidden radar detector, and passenger intercom. Maybe a bluetooth telephone set-up as well. Lots of figuring to do to bring that package all together, but I got a leg surgery upcoming in the next couple of weeks, so will have plenty of time to think it through in the weeks when I'm recovering.

For those interested, the link below is to a bio of Don Vesco, (interesting guy)
who was the designer of this fairing.

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/hofbiopage.asp?id=288

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When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane

Sports Authority Recalls Aluminum Water Bottles

This recall involves the Alpine Design aluminum water bottles sold at Sports Authority. The water bottles are sold in different colors and measure between six and 10 ½ inches tall. The water bottles are silver, blue, red, blue with pink flowers, red with the depiction of a mouse, or blue with the depiction of a zebra. “Alpine Design” is painted on the water bottle.

Here is a link to more info...
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08011.html

Fairing update.... I found one!

Lost out on the last Rabid Transit, but luck was with me this time. I have a "never used" Rabid Transit fairing coming to me from the south. This one is in better shape (nothing has ever been mounted in the dashboard, so no holes to fill) and it has the proper low windscreen. I got it for about half of what I bid on the last one.

Now the bad part.. no mounting bracket or mirrors come with this one, so I hope my memory is working when it is time to fabricate the mounting bracketry...










If not I know of a guy who may have some photos of the bracket.. Anyway, I'm excited.. I'll be again watching e-bay and other sources for a set of clubman handlebars, or perhaps a set of BMW RS bars to work with this fairing.

Anyway, I will be mounting it to the bike one way or another.. I'll figure it out all these little details..


This replacement will allow me to e-bay the stock R100RT fairing "(which are seldom seen in a complete configuration). The parts for RT fairings are going for crazy money, so perhaps the profit for it will be used to get some Lester wheels, which are the next item needed to get to the bike I envision.

Below is a pic of a very nice BMW R90S with a stock RS fairing and Lester wheels. I really like the aggressive look. The advantage of Lesters wheels is they allow the use of tubeless tires, which are a lot less trouble to fix in the event of a flat tire. They also have a better wheel bearing set than the stock wheel. If I find them, (Lesters are rare) I will powdercoat the spokes in a color to enhance the appearance of the bike.


The whole process of finding correct components is fun..

Twin baby moose in lawn sprinkler

The front fell off...

Great Italian Motorbike Display - For more amazing video clips, click here

Subject: Now you know

Many of you will recall that on July 8, 1947, a little
over 60 years ago, witnesses claim that an unidentified
flying object (UFO) with five aliens aboard, crashed
onto a sheep and cattle ranch just outside  Roswell,
New Mexico.
This is a well known incident that many say has  long
been covered up by the U.S. Air Force and other
federal agencies and organizations.

However, what you may NOT know is that in the month
of April 1948, nine months after that historic day,
the following people were born:

Albert A. Gore, Jr.
Hillary Rodham
John F. Kerry  
William J. Clinton    
Howard Dean   
Nancy Pelosi   
Dianne Feinstein    
Charles E. Schumer    
Barbara Boxer

See what happens when aliens breed with sheep?

I certainly hope this bit of information clears
up a lot of things for  you. It did for me.

No wonder They support the bill to help illegal aliens!

Now You Know.
Making the world a better place one message at a time. 

Far away is far away only if you don't go there. - Part 3 (Part 1 & 2 are posted below)

It was about 9:30 when I left my camp headed towards the Cape Breton Highlands National Park .

Along the way from Trurro, the road construction crews were out and repaving sections of highway. They would shut down half of the road and allow traffic to pass in one direction, and then reverse the traffic flow for some time. The sun was hot when I was sitting still, and it seemed that I was always going in the direction that had to wait. It was not enjoyable at all. I certainly would not cover the distance to the Canso Causeway in anything near a normal travel time.

Going in this direction on the highway sucks even if you can do it in normal time. It is relatively flat here, and there is nothing of interest to see. There is nothing to stop for. It is just simply boring. When you have to stop and sit still in the heat with the aroma of hot tar and diesel fuel for ten minutes at a time every 20 minutes or so, it adds up to wishing there was another way to get to where you were going.

Finally made it to the Canso Causeway, paid a toll and was again rolling north-east. It was time to think about how to do the trail. It is essentially a loop. Both ends of the loop cross the road I was now on. Should I do the loop in a clockwise direction, which would keep me on the side of the road closest to the hills, or go in a counter-clockwise direction which would keep me on the side closer to the water? I chose to do it CCW, as it would mean not having to make a left turn across an oncoming lane of traffic when I wanted to stop at any of the overlooks which look out over the Northumberland Straits.

I was very surprised at the altitude of the road. It was not really high, but in comparison to the rest of N.S. It is unexpectedly high. As you can see in the photo on the right, it is a superb motorcycle road! It winds through an (at the time) "unimproved" National Park. While it was free then, I understand that there is now a fee to travel over this road.

Upon crossing the causeway, I began to see signs advertising a Alexander G. Bell museum located in Baddeck . I had never realized that Bell had ties to the area. Seems like after making money on the telephone invention, he spent many years here working on a many projects, including some for the army.

He built some large kites and tested them here. The kites were set up to strap a passenger to. The idea was to fly a person high enough to serve as a observer on battlefields. It was Lieutenant Thomas. E. Selfridge , who actually volunteered to fly on this kite.. brave guy. who made the first controlled man-flight, in one of Bell's kites in 1907. The same man died seven months later while flying as a passenger of Orville Wright. He became the first person to die in the history of powered flight.

An incident happened this day that remains vivid in my memory. I had found a turn-off observation area with a stunning view over the Northumberland Strait.. There was a weather bent tree that offered a shady spot to sit and watch the whales which were doing their thing a half mile from where I sat and watched. The birds were singing in the trees and hopping from limb to limb. Thistle and dandilions was blooming the section of a guard rail that was in place to prevent people from falling over the edge and onto the rocky shoreline several hundred feet below. It was a very tranquil place, and the cooling breeze off the sea felt refreshing on your skin.

I had been sitting there for perhaps 20 minutes when I heard another bike downshifting and turning off the road to where I was. It was another BMW. Seeing me sitting there the solitary rider stopped beside my BMW and sat on his idling machine for a minute,, and then killed his engine. Without a word he removed his helmet, took off his leather jacket, and reached into his trunk. With two cans of cold apple juice he walked in my direction and handed me one. In return I offered him some potato chips from a large bag. We talked quietly for a few minutes, exchanging info on where we had come from, where we were headed, and about stuff we had seen along the way. He was doing the trail in the opposite direction, and tipped me off to watch the road for falling rock along a section of "Trunk 19" (Route 19) which had been loosened by the rainstorm a few days before.

Soon, the conversation lulled, and we just sat and looked out over the sea. About ten or fifteen minutes past, and suddenly a Winnabago style camper rolled to a stop beside our bikes. Alberta license plate. This rig had a huge sliding, screened window (probably 3 X 5 foot) pushed back wide open on the drivers side, and was piloted by a guy who looked like he was resigned to the fact that his vacation was sucking life from him. We could hear his wife bitching at him about something, and his teen-age daughter whining about how she wanted to go back to “the place with the pool”.

The back door on the passenger side of the motorhome slams open and out jumps a fifteen year old boy with a big friggen boom box. This thing is huge and has four speakers, two about 8” and two more about 6”.

Now remember, this was the 80s, and Michael Jackson was the hot thing with his just released “Thriller” album. The kid cranks the volume up to the threshold of pain. The birds fly off, and the rythimic crash of the surf below is no longer heard. The kid starts to practice his “moon walk”.

My new rider aquaintance puts down his juice can and is on his feet in less than two minutes walking in the kids direction. I'm sitting leaning back against the tree, watching the reaction of the driver. He shifts in his seat sitting up straighter, and leans forward resting his forearms on the wheel, and is watching a situation develop. He looks a little nervious.

Rider says “hi” to the kid in a friendly manner.

Kid says “hi” and turns down the music a touch.

Rider says “nice boom box”

Kid: “yeah”.

Driver and his now quiet wife watch intently through the windshield.

Rider to kid - “how much a radio like that cost?”

Kid says “$105.-”

Rider says “Canadian money?”

Kid: “yeah”

Rider: “may I see it?”

Kid hands rider the boom box..

I hear Drivers wife saying “Harry.......” as they both are starting to look real uncomfortable.

Rider says to kid in a friendly tone: “wow... this is heavy, got a lot of batteries in it.”

Kid: “yeah, holds like eight.”

Rider lifts boom box over his head, turns to the cliff and tosses it over with a grunt..

I'm sitting there stunned alternately watching this thing sailing through the air and the reaction of the driver, his wife, and the kid.

The boom box made a graceful arc and fell about half way to the sea when it struck the first rock outcropping, with a sharp crack, it unleashed an explosion of D cell batteries, cassett tape, and flyying plastic parts, before continuing its plumet to the water below. Silence returns.

About 30 seconds pass, and no one has moved or uttered a sound.

Rider calmly reaches for his back pocket and pulls out a wad of cash, counts out $125., and hands it to the stunned kid whose jaw is slack.

I look at the driver, who is now breaking out in a large grin. His wife looking in stunned disbelief.

The rider turns and walks back in my direction looking very amused.. He returns to where he was sitting minutes before, and picks up apple juice can.

Kid runs back to motorhome.

Driver who looks absolutly gleeful starts engine as wife starts yelling at kid to “get in here”

Driver trying not to laugh, begins backing out of parking area while looking at us and giving a thumbs-up.

For months, no, make that years later, whenever I heard Thriller I just broke up in laughter.

Another Part to follow soon...

Obama: 'Make Sure Your Child Can Speak Spanish'

Far away is far away only if you don't go there. - Part 2 (Part 1 posted below)

Making good time I continued to ride north.

A stop for fuel and a cold drink of Gatorade brought an interesting conversation with a young teen age group. They were curious about my destination, and eager to talk about my bike. I don't think they quite grasped the concept of riding long distances on bikes as they kept talking about rice rocket bikes. One thing that amused me, is their referring to a friends GP zed. I couldn't figure out what it was until I realized that the letter Z is called ZED in that neck of the woods..

I continued on my way past Peggy's Cove (very unusual rocks in that area) and reached the lights of Halifax. As it was a weekend, traffic was light across the MacDonald Bridge. About 40 miles up the road is Shubenacadie, and Trurro maybe another 15. Between the two is a motel made of stone. It was late now, and I was happy to be able to check in and stay at the Stone house. After checking in I continued into Trurro for dinner.

Update:

Back then, the Stonehouse was well run and clean. Sadly, things have changed, and this motel has expanded, and now gets horrible reviews. It's too bad that this is the case, as the location is very central, and was a nice place to call home base when in Nova Scotia.

I know some of you are aware of this, but for those who have never been there I'll say it now. There is no such thing as good food in Nova Scotia. If you want good food be prepared to cook it for yourself. If your thinking of throwing a slab of beef on a charcoal grill, your gonna find that Canadian beef is different than what you hope for. I don't know why this is, but it is just the way it is.

Dinner was interesting.. Most places were already closed by the time I got there... Very limited choice of food, but I figured it is gonna be not so good anyway, so why not try something different. I went to perhaps the only Chinese restaurant in Nova Scotia. I'll just leave that to your imagination.

On the return trip to the motel, half way around the entrance ramp onto Rt. 2, a large owl in flight, and I on the bike almost collided. I ducked behind the fairing and somehow we missed one another. I don't know which of us was more startled.

I slept very well that night.. unusual for me, as I never seem to sleep well in a strange place on the first night of a trip such as this. Down the road a bit was a Tim Horton which is the Canadian equivalent of Dunkin Donuts. Started by a famous hockey player from the 70s, they continue to expand and now can be found in Maine as well.

With good coffee and a restful sleep I was ready to get back on the bike and explore. I put off the Cabot trail for a day and opted to just ride to places I had never been. It was a good decision. Rain had passed through the night before and I had slept through it. As I met people throughout the day they would speak of how violent the weather had been. I guess I had been more tired than I thought!

The humidity of the previous day was gone, and the temperature was in the low 80s. Perfect riding weather. As I rode along I stopped frequently when I saw things of interest. I watched a fisherman land a salmon, watched a man making jewelry from rocks he had collected and polished, watched another drying Dulce, and tasted some of that seaweed.

I stopped mid day at a beach and went for a swim in the warm sea. Because of the course of the Gulf Stream, the ocean beaches are much warmer there than here.

That evening, I rode over to the river. Shubenacadie N.S. is the head of what is known as the tidal bore. It's an interesting thing to see and worth the effort if you are in the area and the timing is right for you.

Because of the high tides in the Bay of Fundy, and due to the shape of the coast, when the tide rises the water flows into the river from the bay. As the river continues to narrow, the inrush of water creates a wave. This wave builds and continues to travel for miles upstream. At Shubenacadie, the river begins to shallow quickly, and the wave builds in hight. You can indeed hear it coming. In seconds what was a river twenty feet wide becomes a body of water half a mile wide. It happens so quickly that horses have been known to be caught by the wave and drown. If you go to see this, ask the locals for directions to the best vantage point, and they can also tell you when to be there. Don't be late, as mother nature will not wait for you.

Back at the stone house for a second night, I parked the bike and went to the bar for a few hours. I met a two couples on Gold Wings who had just arrived for their first trip to N.S. One couple was from Toronto, the other from West Virginia, and somehow they knew each other. They had driven around the Bay of Fundy and were headed south to Yarmouth to get the ferry to Maine. They were interested in what I had to tell them about my trip so far, and what I thought they would like to see on their way south. Nice people.. if they stayed on their schedule, we determined they hit the ferry at low tide and would not be dealing with the steep slippery ramp.

I decided to push back the Cabot trail yet another day and spend a day in Halifax. Do the tour on Citadel Hill (pic on right) and to visit the then new Titanic museum. That way the weekend would be over and that would mean less traffic on the Cabot. The two couples on the Honda s and I rode to Halifax where we parted company.. they were on their way to Peggy's Cove and then onward to Yarmouth.

In Halifax after the tours I found a air conditioned billiard room where a game I didn't really understand is played on huge (probably 8' x 16') tables with multiple sized balls. Back then I was playing a hell of a lot of eight ball as their was a table in my house, so I played a respectable game although I really didn't understand the strategy of the game.

With the heat of the day gone and a lot of daylight left, I rode to Gays River where I would camp that night. I had been here many times...I owned this piece of property. I bought it because it had belonged to my Grandfather Douglas (who I never met) years before. Earl, the dairy farmer who I bought it from knew the story of how it was lost to my family, when my Grandmother sold off land after my Grandfather Doug died.

Earl knew I loved to trout fish in the stream which bisected it. At that time the water in the stream was pure and I had many times just scooped it up in my hands and drank it with no ill effect. Something I would not dare to try today.

Shortly after I acquired this stream I had the good fortune of a large and very tall, old pine tree on the stream edge blowing over, or perhaps falling over under the weight of winter ice. I'm not sure how it happened, but the result was now a shallow pool caused by the lifting of the tree root system in the now much wider stream. The tall old tree was lying in the meadow and would be a problem come hay making time for my friend. We worked out a deal at his request. He removed the tree and used it for fire wood. I had him cut the trunk and leave the root system standing, and when he did, the roots fell back a little to shade the stream. While he was in there with a backhoe i had him dig the stream deeper (about six feet) and he used the dirt to fill and level the "bridge" which is really just a corrugated pipe that the stream flows through. On my next trip there I visited some of the local farmers and managed to get several old tractor tires at no cost. Those tires were sunk into the deepened pool. Any time I camped on that spot from then on there was no shortage of trout to be had, as they were always to be found resting in the walls of the tires. Drop a worm in the center and you had instant breakfast.

I had no problem with him making hay from the field on it and for years after the sale he continued to do so. In return he kept a small bridge over the stream in good repair so as to allow his tractor towing his hay wagon access to the field. The spread of thick alder growth was held in check, and all continued as it had for years. I always had a place to camp.

I set up my tent on the edge of the field under my old tree, and gathered wood for a small fire. Those tasks out of the way, and with a now empty saddlebag, I headed for the general store down the road for some necessary food items and some bug repellent which I knew I would need along about sundown. There was another reason for stopping there.. I knew word would spread quickly that I was in the area, so smoke from my campfire would not be alarming.

The store had been there as long as I could remember.. I remember when the road was dirt, and there were kerosene lamps for lighting. Now the road was paved, but other than the addition of electric power the store had changed little. Chicken feed in 50 lb. burlap sacks could still be bought, as could be fishing line, hooks, and ammo for a hunters rifle or shotgun. Often you could find pies baked by some local housewife, and now with refrigeration, ice cream was to be had if you wanted.

Back then the owner of the store knew me from the time I was an infant. Catching up on the local gossip was fun. I remember his store well.. It was attached to his house and a bell on the door would announce you arrival. The screen door had a yellow push bar on it with an advertisement for Sussex beverages. Just inside was a curved glass display case where the candy was kept, my favorite was a candy bar called "5 star".. Although even to this day, I look for them every time I am in a general store, I never saw them anywhere else but in this little Canadian general store. There were other items in the place also thrilled the kid from Boston...on on the back shelf, high up was fireworks! I remember when I was a kid a package of "Black Cats" was a nickel.

With a can Dinty Moore beef stew, a pound of bacon, three eggs, a stick of butter, and a loaf of fresh baked bread loaded in a cardboard box bungee corded to the luggage carrier, and a six pack of Coke in the saddlebag, I headed back to my tent.

The beef stew heated with a backpackers stove tasted wonderful, and after dinner I put the items which needed to be cool in a plastic zip lock bag along with a rock for weight and set in in the stream. I hoped it would be fine, but I had lost food before to raccoons of porcupines this way.. I selected a straight alder and striped it to serve as a fishing pole, attached a line and hook, and set it aside.. An old WWII trench shovel with a shortened handle to allow a fit in a saddlebag, bought at a yard sale years ago, was used to dig a few worms. This hole in the ground would also serve another purpose and then be filled over when camp was broken. Breakfast would be bacon, eggs, and a trout, or maybe just the trout if the critters got into my stuff...

It was warm and a fire was not really necessary but I lit one anyway. Just seemed like the thing to do, and I figured it would help keep the bugs away.

I felt decompression setting in. The rush was over.. I had days to do whatever felt right and no place I had to be or anything I needed to get done. Tomorrow I would make the easy ride to the Cabot trail, or maybe not.. Maybe I would just ride the road to Sheet Harbor, get on the road that runs along the coast and turn north. This was a part of N.S. I had never seen. I elected to decide in the morning, and fell asleep looking up at the stars.

Part 3 to follow...

Far away is far away only if you don't go there. - Part one....

The following is what I remember of a totally spur of the moment motorcycle trip I made to the Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia and beyond, back in the 80s. I had nine days off and had not made any plan.. The weather was perfect so on Saturday morning the idea to camp out a few days just hit me.

The saddlebags were already mostly packed with camping gear as I had never unpacked them since a trip down to Virgina some weeks before. I threw some clothing and a camera in a one gallon zip-lock bag into my tank bag, A stop at the bank where I bought some travelers checks, a fuel stop where I checked the oil and tire pressures, and started north. Boston traffic was light and I crossed the Mystic River bridge and ran the gauntlet of Rt 1 through Sagus in no time. Moving north along 95 towards Portsmouth, I weigh the options of driving around the Bay of Fundy or to take the ferry across to Nova Scotia.

The weather was hot and humid and I figured there would be thunder showers later in the day.. Through Portsmouth, over the middle bridge and aiming in the general direction of Bangor, I passed a group of six Harley riders on bikes which made so much noise I wondered how they could stand riding them.

As the hours passed the sky filled with thunder head clouds.. I opted to head for Bar Harbor to meet the ferry.. My thought was I might reduce my chance of riding in the rain that way. Time was a factor... I needed to make some time to get to the boat so I picked up my pace.. I got to the ferry 20 minutes past its scheduled departure time, but caught a break as it was 30 minutes late.. That worked out well.

That evening the change of the boats engines from their steady drone awoke me.. Through a light fog the southern most point of Nova Scotia materialized. My arrival in Yarmouth found me somewhat more rested than when I left Bar Harbor. Rather than drop money into the slot machines, I opted to settle into a deck chair and doze for a "power-nap". I knew that I would need to ride a few hours north from Yarmouth to find a motel which would not have a "no vacancy" sign displayed. There are no "biker friendly" motels in Yarmouth, and if you were to find one, you can count on paying a high fee..

There are two main routes north from there, The "Lighthouse Trail" on the Atlantic side, and the "Evangeline Trail" on the Bay of Fundy side. There is little chance of finding anywhere to stay on ether route between Yarmouth and Halifax, which is a couple of hours away. My plan was to ride the shorter lighthouse trail through and past Halifax and continue past Shubenacadie to Stewieack or maybe as far as Trurro to find a spot to stay the night. Both routes are two lane and I was to be well ahead of the crowd of car tourists who would be in competition for places to stay the night.

Announcement was made over the intercom that the stairways to below deck were now open, and those of us who were on motorcycles should go below and prepare to off load. (Bikes are first on and first off).

I undid the lashings I had used to secure my bike to the green painted pipe rail, unlocked my saddlebags to speed my trip through customs, and observed a truly bizarre spectacle, It is really something one must see first hand to appreciate. To understand you need to be in the cargo bay of the ferry on a night when approximately 150 motorcycles are being cranked over or kick started all at once, packed together in a steel room about the size of a small gymnasium and lighted by a dim row of 40 watt light bulbs.

The ear splitting confusion of shrieking Japanese import high-revving unmuffled twin, four, and six cylinder rice-rockets, the general chest-pounding thunder of Ducati 900s, Norton 850s and 750s, Harleys, Triumphs, BSAs, BMWs, and piston slapping British 500 singles... all the sound of it bouncing off the painted steel walls in an incredible rising and falling wail.

The sight of several hundred leather-clad people flipping down face shields and punching starter buttons, with others in the mob of bikes heaving up and down on kick starters like erratic pistons in some kind of insane noisy smoke machine, headlights flaring on to make a blanket of brilliance and flashing chrome at the bottom layer of the smoke cloud. Red tail and flashing brake lights add color to all in sight, making for the look of vehicles at a disaster scene.

Eager riders on bikes launching themselves row by row up to the ramp into the dark night, people spinning their tires on the oil slick steel deck or catching traction in half-controlled wheelies. What no film could capture is the mixed smell of Castrol R, several dozen brands of two-stroke oil and all the other choking thick exhaust fumes, or the instant, furnace-like heat given off by hundreds of motorcycles lighting their engines in a confined space.

I recall thinking that if one wanted to capture this all on film, you would have to film it through the distorted star-burst pattern of a really scratched yellow face shield, just to get the last effect of profound unreality...

My turn came and the dragonfly (the name of my BMW R75/5 - see previous post for explanation) slithered up to the ramp with a wave of other bikes. The Bay of Fundy tides are the highest in the world, and as luck would have it we arrived at high tide. This meant the ramp was steep and scary.. Riding a loaded touring bike down a wet, oily, perforated, 100 foot steel ramp, observed by half the residents of Yarmouth who probably wager on how many bikes will be dropped to slide in disgrace down the ramp sideways into Canada, is not something that is for the faint of heart.. There are riders who take a look at the ramp and just stay on board.. they buy a return ticket and forget Canada.. Less confident riders who plan to do this ride will do well to check the tide schedule and plan their trip accordingly...

The trick to the ramp is to stop at the top, be sure the rider in front of you makes the end and is out of your way (some crew member is sure to be yelling at you to move at this point.. screw that, just ignore him) Shift to Second gear early, and ride the brakes lightly and early in the descent being careful to not allow ether wheel to lock, and about half way down ease up on both to pick up speed.. When you land on Canada don't grab the brakes too quickly as the pavement at the foot of the ramp is sure to be oil slick.. While you are doing this decent, you hope that the rider behind you is waiting for you to hit the bottom before he starts, as there is little chance of him stopping on the ramp and not hitting you should you drop your bike.

I landed on the docks upright and in control at about thirty mph, and the white gloves of a row of otherwise nearly invisible policemen directed us over to Customs. Tonight I lucked out.. the customs crew just waved me through, and in five minutes I was heading north from Yarmouth on the two lane Lighthouse route. Five minutes later I heard what sounded like a pair of chain saws in the distance, and in seconds three neon colored rice rockets blasted by me... I caught a look at the license plates as the flew by.. New Hampshire. This was perfect.. I wanted to make time and these guys would tie up any mounties in my way, so now it was just watch for deer and ride at a good pace.

Part two to follow...

Gravity Hill - Greenfield, Massachusetts

This is an odd place...

Travel westerly from Colrain Rd. up Shelburne Rd. in Greenfield. Stop at the Route 2 underpass and turn your car around so it is facing easterly. Move forward approximately 200 feet and shut off the car and put it in neutral. The car will roll uphill.

Address:
Shelburne Road, Greenfield, MA
Directions:
Go to Rt 2 West, then right on Colrain Rd and then immediately take a left on Shelburne Road. As you go under the Rt. 2 bridge, do a U-turn and park across from the white road marker on the left side of the road (approx 150 ft east of the bridge).
Hours:
Public road. Hazard flashers recommended. Use at your own risk.

Jumping into a 7,964 mile deep hole - 42 min.

Subject: Obama's "Not Exactlys"

OBAMA'S "NOT EXACTLYS"

1.) Selma Got Me Born - NOT EXACTLY, your parents felt safe enough to have you in 1961 - Selma had no effect on your birth, as Selma was in 1965. (Google 'Obama Selma' for his full March 4, 2007 speech and articles about its various untruths.)

2.) Father Was A Goat Herder - NOT EXACTLY, he was a privileged, well educated youth, who went on to work with the Kenyan Government.

3.) Father Was A Proud Freedom Fighter - NOT EXACTLY, he was part of one of the most corrupt and violent governments Kenya has ever had.

4.) My Family Has Strong Ties To African Freedom - NOT EXACTLY, your cousin Raila Odinga has created mass violence in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya. It is the first widespread violence in decades. The current government is pro-American but Odinga wants to overthrow it and establish Muslim Sharia law. Your half-brother, Abongo Obama, is Odinga's follower. You interrupted your New Hampshire campaigning to speak to Odinga on the phone. Check out the following link for verification of that....and for more.
Obama's cousin Odinga in Kenya ran for president and tried to get Sharia muslim law in place there. When Odinga lost the elections, his followers have burned Christians' homes and then burned men, women and children alive in a Christian church where they took shelter.. Obama SUPPORTED his cousin before the election process here started. Google Obama and Odinga and see what you get. No one wants to know the truth.

5.) My Grandmother Has Always Been A Christian - NOT EXACTLY, she does her daily Salat prayers at 5am according to her own interviews. Not to mention, Christianity wouldn't allow her to have been one of 14 wives to 1 man.

6.) My Name is African Swahili - NOT EXACTLY, your name is Arabic and 'Baraka' (from which Barack came) means 'blessed' in that language. Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.
Barack Hussein Obama is not half black. If elected, he would be the first Arab-American President, not the first black President. Barack Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side. While Barack Hussein Obama's father was from Kenya, his father's family was mainly Arabs.. Barack Hussein Obama's father was only 12.5% African Negro and 87.5% Arab (his father's birth certificate even states he's Arab, not African Negro). From....and for more....go to.....
http://www.arcadeathome.com/newsboy.phtml?Barack_Hussein_Obama_-_Arab-American,_only_6.25%25_African

7.) I Never Practiced Islam - NOT EXACTLY, you practiced it daily at school, where you were registered as a Muslim and kept that faith for 31 years, until your wife made you change, so you could run for office.
4-3-08 Article "Obama was 'quite religious in islam'" http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60559<http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60559>;

8.) My School In Indonesia Was Christian - NOT EXACTLY, you were registered as Muslim there and got in trouble in Koranic Studies for making faces (check your own book).
February 28, 2008. Kristoff from the New York Times a year ago: Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it'll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as "one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset." This is just one example of what Pamela is talking about when she says "Obama's narrative is being altered, enhanced and manipulated to whitewash troubling facts."

9.) I Was Fluent In Indonesian - NOT EXACTLY, not one teacher says you could speak the language.

10.) Because I Lived In Indonesia, I Have More Foreign Experience - NOT EXACTLY, you were there from the ages of 6 to 10, and couldn't even speak the language. What did you learn, ....... how to study the Koran and watch cartoons.

11.) I Am Stronger On Foreign Affairs - NOT EXACTLY, except for Africa (surprise) and the Middle East (bigger surprise), you have never been anywhere else on the planet and thus have NO experience with our closest allies.

12.) I Blame My Early Drug Use On Ethnic Confusion - NOT EXACTLY, you were quite content in high school to be Barry Obama, no mention of Kenya and no mention of struggle to identify - your classmates said you were just fine.

13.) An Ebony Article Moved Me To Run For Office - NOT EXACTLY, Ebony has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn't, and never did, exist.

14.) A Life Magazine Article Changed My Outlook On Life - NOT EXACTLY, Life has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn't, and never did, exist.

15.) I Won't Run On A National Ticket In '08 - NOT EXACTLY, here you are, despite saying, live on TV, that you would not have enough experience by then, and you are all about having experience first.

16.) Voting "Present" is Common In Illinois Senate - NOT EXACTLY, they are common for YOU, but not many others have 130 NO VOTES.

17.) Oops, I Misvoted - NOT EXACTLY, only when caught by church groups and Democrats, did you beg to change your misvote.

18.) I Was A Professor Of Law - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.

19.) I Was A Constitutional Lawyer - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.

20.) Without Me, There Would Be No Ethics Bill - NOT EXACTLY, you didn't write it, introduce it, change it, or create it.

21.) The Ethics Bill Was Hard To Pass - NOT EXACTLY, it took just 14 days from start to finish.

22.) I Wrote A Tough Nuclear Bill - NOT EXACTLY, your bill was rejected by your own party for its pandering and lack of all regulation - mainly because of your Nuclear donor, Exelon, from which David Axelrod came.

23.) I Have Released My State Records - NOT EXACTLY, as of March, 2008, state bills you sponsored or voted for have yet to be released, exposing all the special interests pork hidden within.

24.) I Took On The Asbestos Altgeld Gardens Mess - NOT EXACTLY, you were part of a large group of people who remedied AltgeldGardens. You failed to mention anyone else but yourself, in your books.

25.) My Economics Bill Will Help America - NOT EXACTLY, your 111 economic policies were just combined into a proposal which lost 99-0, and even YOU voted against your own bill.

26.) I Have Been A Bold Leader In Illinois - NOT EXACTLY, even your own supporters claim to have not seen BOLD action on your part.

27.) I Passed 26 Of My Own Bills In One Year - NOT EXACTLY, they were not YOUR bills, but rather handed to you, after their creation by a fellow Senator, to assist you in a future bid for higher office.

28.) No One on my campaign contacted Canada about NAFTA - NOT EXACTLY, the Canadian Government issued the names and a memo of the conversation your campaign had with them.

29.) I Am Tough On Terrorism - NOT EXACTLY, you missed the Iran Resolution vote on terrorism and your good friend Ali Abunimah supports the destruction off Israel.

30.) I Want All Votes To Count - NOT EXACTLY, you said let the delegates decide.

31.) I Want Americans To Decide - NOT EXACTLY, you prefer caucuses that limit the vote, confuse the voters, force a public vote, and only operate during small windows of time.

32.) I passed 900 Bills in the State Senate - NOT EXACTLY, you passed 26, most of which you didn't write yourself.

33.) I Believe In Fairness, Not Tactics - NOT EXACTLY, you used tactics to eliminate Alice Palmer from running against you.

34.) I Don't Take PAC Money - NOT EXACTLY, you take loads of it.

35.) I don't Have Lobbysists - NOT EXACTLY, you have over 47 lobbyists, and counting.

36.) My Campaign Had Nothing To Do With The 1984 Ad - NOT EXACTLY, your own campaign worker made the ad on his Apple in one afternoon.

37.) I Have Always Been Against Iraq - NOT EXACTLY, you weren't in office to vote against it AND you have voted to fund it every single time.

38.) I Have Always Supported Universal Health Care - NOT EXACTLY, your plan leaves us all to pay for the 15,000,000 who don't have to b uy it.


Just today Fox News stated that Barack Obama had made the statement, in a speech, that his uncle had help liberate the Jews from Auschwitz Concentration Camp at the end of WWII. NOT EXACTLY: Obama does not have an uncle, as his mother, who is white, had no brothers. His father's people are not Americans. And Auschwitz Concentration Camp was liberated by the Russians, not the Americans, as Auschwitz is in Poland and American troops were never there. (This hasn't been carried in the general media which is overlooking Obama's "misstatements.")