Edition 2-13-06

 

 Florida highway safety officials have dropped a proposal that would have dramatically increased the medical insurance required of those who ride while not wearing a helmet from $10,000 to $50,000.
Discovering that the insurance policies could be difficult, if not impossible, to find and exorbitantly expensive -- and after getting a cool reception from Gov. Jeb Bush and the state Cabinet -- the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles scrapped the idea.
But officials are proposing another change that they say could help increase motorcycle safety. That change would require all new motorcyclists to complete a rider training course. Currently, Florida requires only riders under the age of 21 to complete the course.
While the concept may sound good, Florida would be hard-pressed to meet the logistical challenges of such a mandate. The dramatic increase in training demand combined with an insufficient number of instructors, equipment, and training sites could result in lengthy delays and actually push new riders to avoid training and licensing altogether.
While the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) strongly supports and encourages riders to take advantage of rider education opportunities, the Association maintains a position against making such programs mandatory. 
Our full position statement on compulsory rider education can be found at http://www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/positions/ridered.asp.

Wisconsin legislation would help protect motorcyclists. The Roadway Users Responsibility Act, SB 528 introduced in the Wisconsin state Senate and based on model legislation that's part of the Justice for All campaign, takes a multi-pronged approach to protecting motorcyclists.
With assistance from AMA and ABATE of Wisconsin, the measure was introduced by state Sen. David Zien (R-Chippewa Falls), an 18-year AMA member, and seeks to increase penalties for drivers who kill or injure motorcyclists or other vulnerable road users.
The bill would increase the penalties for right-of-way violations that result in injuries or death to others. In many cases across the country, inattentive drivers have killed or maimed motorcyclists and been punished with fines as small as $70, because state laws treat these serious crashes as minor traffic infractions. 
Zien's bill would also include motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian awareness information in driver education programs. And it includes a provision that would allow motorcyclists to proceed through a red light when the traffic sensor doesn't detect the motorcycle and conditions make it safe to proceed.

Too Much Suds? 
Too much soap in your washing machine and it's over- flowing? Pour in a capful of fabric softener to eliminate the suds. 
Cabinet Shelf Liner: 
It is very easy to line cabinet shelves with peel and stick floor tile. At some time or other these tiles go on sale. I have have known a lot of people who lined all their cabinets and closet shelves with them. The tiles cut very easily with a scissors and clean up with a damp cloth or sponge 
Evaluate your living situation. Your housing costs should be no more than 33 percent of your household income, including mortgage payments, property tax and both property and homeowners insurance. You can shop around for lower insurance rates, refinance your home mortgage and look for more economical utility plans . 
January 24, 2006 

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Tuvalu is a South Pacific island nation consisting of four reef islands and five atolls. A self governing member of the British Commonwealth, Tuvalu has a parliamentary system of government. Read the Department of State Background Notes on Tuvalu for additional information. 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: A passport, onward/return ticket, and proof of sufficient funds for the stay in Tuvalu are required. Visitor permits valid for up to three months are issued upon arrival. For further information about entry requirements, travelers may wish to contact the Tuvalu Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, Suite 400 B, 800 2nd Avenue, NY 10017, tel: (212) 490-0534, fax: (212) 808-4975. This is particularly true for those persons planning to enter by sea. See our Foreign Entry Requirements brochure for more information on Tuvalu and other countries. 
TUESDAY, -- People infected with a specific subtype of HIV, called subtype D, have shorter survival than those with the A subtype, a new U.S. study finds. 

The study of more than 300 HIV patients in Uganda found that 10 percent of the people infected with subtype D died within three years, while none of the people with subtype A died within that period of time. 

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said 203 people were infected with subtype D, 53 were infected with subtype A, and 70 people were infected with a recombinant version of both HIV subtypes. 
Hells Angels get $990 K for dead dogs 
Guard dogs shot during 1998 police raids SAN JOSE, California (AP) -- 
A California county will pay nearly $1 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club after police shot and killed three guard dogs during raids of the group's headquarters and suspected members' homes.

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved the $990,000 settlement in a closed session Monday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The decision came two months after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the county's arguments that sheriff's deputies should be immune from liability in the case.

The San Jose Police Department also was named in the suit because its officers shot the dogs, but the city hasn't worked out an agreement with club members. City Attorney Rick Doyle told the paper the case may go to trial.

Lower court judges ruled that actions of the deputies and San Jose police officers during the January 1998 were unreasonable, most of the evidence obtained was unnecessary and the officers did nothing to avoid killing the animals.

A lawyer for club members says a lot of property was destroyed in the raids and some evidence was kept for more than a year.

Ninety officers raided the club's San Jose headquarters and nine homes of suspected members to gather evidence against suspected member Steve Tausan who was being held on murder charges in connection with an August 1997 killing at a strip club.

Tausan was acquitted of all counts in 1999 after arguing the killing was in self-defense.

The settlement with the county includes $530,000 in attorney's fees and $460,000 to be divided among 15 people including eight current or former Hells Angels members, six spouses or significant others and one friend of a member.

Officers from the cities of Santa Clara and Gilroy also were involved in the raids, and those cities settled their cases several years ago for a total of less than $50,000, the plaintiffs' lawyer told the Chronicle.

jubilate \JOO-buh-layt\ verb

: rejoice

Example sentence:
When Heather's basketball team finally won a game after nine straight losses, they jubilated as if they'd won the state championship.

Did you know?
When things are going your way, you may want to shout for joy. "Jubilate" testifies to the fact that people have had the urge to give (loud) voice to their happiness for centuries. Although "jubilate" first appeared in print around the middle of the 17th century, its connection to vocal joy goes back much farther; it is derived from the Latin verb "jubilare," which means "to shout for joy." "Jubilare" has also played a role in the development of a few other closely related joyful English words, including "jubilant" (the earliest meaning was "making a joyful noise," though it is now most often used to mean simply "exultant") and "jubilation" ("an act of rejoicing").

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

Drug free since 1-01-87
 Young riders pick a destination and go. 
Old riders pick a direction and go.