If it's to loud
BY FRANK LOMBARDI
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, December 11th 2008, 2:18 AM
Vroooom that noisy motorcycle once too often and the city could own it.
In a new bid to stem motorcycle noise, the City Council is set to pass a bill requiring all bikes to sport tags certifying approval by the Environmental Protection Agency.
No EPA tag, you get a ticket, without the officials having to prove the bike exceeded the 80-decibel limit set by the city's noise code.
"Today we go a long way toward taking the squeal out of the hogs," said Peter Vallone (D-Queens), chairing a final bill hearing Wednesday in the Public Safety Committee.
Under the bill, expected to pass the full Council Dec. 18, a first conviction carries a maximum $1,000 fine and temporary confiscation until the penalty is paid.
A second conviction hikes the maximum fine to $2,500 and imposes permanent forfeiture.
NYPD Lt. Daniel Albano testified that existing laws require cops to catch noisy motorcyclists in the act, which is difficult and can entail potentially hazardous chases.
The new measure would let single officers on foot patrol - or other city agents - ticket parked motorcycles, he said.
It gives police "an extra tool to get at what is truly a serious problem," said Councilman Alan Gerson (D-Manhattan), who crafted the bill based on a law in use in Denver.
But biker Bill Ferraro, president of the Union Ironworkers Motorcycle Club, Local 580, testified that "it's unsafe for us to ride when the pipes are too low."
He also said the city can't close its budget gap "with confiscation of bikes and seizure."
flombardi@nydailynews.com
Florida Supreme Court takes more parental rights
Story from the Tally Democrat. Erudite (yes we know ego is a terrible thing, but hell if ya ain't got nothing else......) comments by us.
Parents can't sign away their minor child's right to sue businesses, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday, a decision that threatens the ability of kids to participate in risky pursuits like motocross or scuba diving, according to one lawyer.
Before 14-year-old Christopher Jones was killed in 2003 at the now-defunct Thunder Cross Motor Park in Okeechobee, his father signed a waiver barring a lawsuit in the event of injury.
Jones's mother sued, saying the course let her son ride a motorcycle that was too big and powerful for children younger than 16. The lawsuit was thrown out by a lower court, saying the waiver blocked it.
The Supreme Court, however, in a 4-1 decision, ruled otherwise in a decision it limited to commercial operations. A concurring opinion said school and non-profit activities — like football or cheerleading — were not part of the court's ruling.
"We find that public policy concerns cannot allow parents to execute pre-injury releases on behalf of minor children," wrote Chief Justice Peggy Quince, for the majority. "It cannot be presumed that a parent who has decided to voluntarily risk a minor child's physical well-being is acting in the child's best interest."
That's bad news not just for business, but also for kids, said Richard Lee Barrett, an Orlando attorney who represented the former park manager where Jones died and a half dozen motocross parks across the state.
"It's going to have a devastating effect not only on their businesses, but children's ability to participate in motocross," Barrett said.
Businesses will respond by excluding children from risky activities that previously required waivers. Barrett mentioned scuba diving and horseback riding as examples.
"It's just going to shut these kids out," Barrett said.
Justice Charles Wells, in his dissent, said the majority's ruling was more properly a matter for the Legislature decide.
"I conclude that the questions presented by this case demonstrate a need for the Court to exercise judicial restraint, recognize that the Legislature is the policy-making branch of government, and defer to the Legislature by respecting the Legislature's non-action to date," Wells wrote.
Barrett said that's where the issue will likely show up next, as the full ramifications become evident to all businesses that require liability waivers for children.
"I imagine Disney World is already on the phone to its lobbyist," Barrett said.
Parents can't sign away their minor child's right to sue businesses, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday, a decision that threatens the ability of kids to participate in risky pursuits like motocross or scuba diving, according to one lawyer.
Had I only known at the tender age of .......... I could sue. There was this girl............ ah now that is another story
Before 14-year-old Christopher Jones was killed in 2003 at the now-defunct Thunder Cross Motor Park in Okeechobee, his father signed a waiver barring a lawsuit in the event of injury.
Jones's mother sued, saying the course let her son ride a motorcycle that was too big and powerful for children younger than 16. The lawsuit was thrown out by a lower court, saying the waiver blocked it.
The Supreme Court, however, in a 4-1 decision, ruled otherwise in a decision it limited to commercial operations. A concurring opinion said school and non-profit activities — like football or cheerleading — were not part of the court's ruling.
And here we can not help but wonder at the logic of our esteemed justices. Like is a death from a for profit activity more dead than a not for profit activity? Does this mean that as a parent you can be stupid and and decide to allow a high school football or cheerleading coach to stupidly kill your kid?People who run Not for Profit activities are deemed more capable of knowing whats best for your kids than YOU? Is your baby sitter for profit or not for profit?
"We find that public policy concerns cannot allow parents to execute pre-injury releases on behalf of minor children," wrote Chief Justice Peggy Quince, for the majority. "It cannot be presumed that a parent who has decided to voluntarily risk a minor child's physical well-being is acting in the child's best interest."
Unless of course they have "decided to voluntarily risk a minor child's physical well-being" of that child in a "Not for Profit" manner?????
That's bad news not just for business, but also for kids, said Richard Lee Barrett, an Orlando attorney who represented the former park manager where Jones died and a half dozen motocross parks across the state.
"It's going to have a devastating effect not only on their businesses, but children's ability to participate in motocross," Barrett said.
Businesses will respond by excluding children from risky activities that previously required waivers. Barrett mentioned scuba diving and horseback riding as examples.
"It's just going to shut these kids out," Barrett said.
Justice Charles Wells, in his dissent, said the majority's ruling was more properly a matter for the Legislature decide.
Whoa now wait a second Justice Charles Wells. Although we are glad for your dissent we are a bit concerned that you didn't say something like, "it is the parents province to make the decision!"
"I conclude that the questions presented by this case demonstrate a need for the Court to exercise judicial restraint, recognize that the Legislature is the policy-making branch of government, and defer to the Legislature by respecting the Legislature's non-action to date," Wells wrote.
Yes sir Mr. Wells, (note that we have abandoned the "justice" title since the Judge apparently does not understand the term "justice") the "legislature is" the policy making branch of the "government". However the "legislature is not" the policy making branch of the "Family"!!!
Barrett said that's where the issue will likely show up next, as the full ramifications become evident to all businesses that require liability waivers for children.
"I imagine Disney World is already on the phone to its lobbyist," Barrett said.
Here's the gig. The world is full of stupid people. Many of them are parents. And many of them are probably to stupid to be parents. But we allow them to vote, drive, buy guns, operate chainsaws, and all sorts of fun stuff. Hell, smart, successful people make stupider decisions re their kids than stupid people. They try and be friends with their kids, they buy them cell phones and let them text and drive, they give them money without having to work for it, etc.
Hell smart people are the ones that turn out to vote for the people that got this country in the mess that it is currently in. It just may be that Smart people are Stupider that Stupid people!!!So whats the answer if you want to live in a free society? Because the last thing we need is a legislative approach to family form and function. Them folk live in Disney World!Add to Technorati Favorites
And how far will states go with gang legislation???
Ask Texas. THe following paragraph comes from:
SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND HOMELAND SECURITY
REPORT TO THE 81ST LEGISLATURE
DECEMBER 2008
PDF 112 pages:
www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/
Thats right compadres . No need to break a law to get in a "gov'ment" database. But then we new that already didn't we? I guess the question is going to become, how many databases can one individual manage to get on???Add to Technorati Favorites
SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND HOMELAND SECURITY
REPORT TO THE 81ST LEGISLATURE
DECEMBER 2008
PDF 112 pages:
www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/
Page 6-9:
RECOMMENDATIONS
Amend state law to require the Department of Public Safety to track
information on convicted gang members and to provide information to the
National Crime Information Center database so that information on
convicted gang members can be shared with law enforcement departments
throughout the nation. Without infringing on constitutionally guaranteed liberties and
protections, amend state law to allow the establishment of a statewide database on all gang members, including those who have not been convicted of a crime, and to require DPS to work with local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to develop criteria and time limitsfor the placing of an individual in the system.
Thats right compadres . No need to break a law to get in a "gov'ment" database. But then we new that already didn't we? I guess the question is going to become, how many databases can one individual manage to get on???Add to Technorati Favorites
Are the Hells Angels and the Mongols at war?
Or is the story below sensationalism? We don't know. We do know there are times to show your tattoos and times to cover them!
Expert links shooting suspects to Mongols motorcycle gang
Sean Garmire/The Times-Standard
Article Launched: 12/17/2008 01:30:42 AM PST
An expert on outlaw motorcycle gangs testified in court Tuesday,
explaining that three of four men implicated in the non-fatal shooting
of a suspected Hells Angels member appear to be patch-wearing Mongols
gang members.
Chris Cervantes, a Montebello police detective and ATF investigator, was
brought from the Los Angeles area to provide expert testimony at a
preliminary hearing for the men suspected of shooting 43-year-old Robert
Thompson.
Authorities have seized the men's property, including clothing
reportedly emblazoned with the gang's logo and an application to join
the Mongols Motorcycle Club -- an outlaw motorcycle gang the U.S. Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has labeled as the most “violent and
dangerous” in the nation.
On Nov. 8, authorities responded to shots fired on Third Street in
downtown Eureka. There, police found Thompson lying in an intersection,
bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds.
Later that night, authorities located a dark-colored van, similar to one
witnesses saw at the scene, and arrested Eric Gunner Lundin, 28, Dustin
Christopher Liebes, 36, Brad Lee Miller, 26, and Redding resident Eric
Dean Garcia, 28.
Upon searching the van, investigators reportedly located a disassembled
semi-automatic hand gun.
The four have pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, assault
with a firearm and participating in a criminal street gang.
Three of the suspects bear tattoos, which Cervantes said linked them to
the gang.
Lundin, Liebes and Garcia all have diamond-shaped “1%” tattoos inked on
their necks. Called the “one-percenter” tattoo, Cervantes said, it has
been adopted by the Mongols and refers to the traditional concept that
99 percent of motorcyclists are law-abiding citizens.
Lundin has the letters “MFFM” -- or Mongols Forever Forever Mongols --
tattooed on his knuckles, and has the traditional Mongol head on his
chest and right arm.
The Mongol head, a Genghis Khan look-alike wearing sunglasses, is also
tattooed on Garcia's forearm.
The letters “RFFN” -- Respect Fear Fear Nothing -- are displayed across
Liebes' chest.
Cervantes said that tattoo can only be worn if the member has committed
violent acts against Hells Angels members.
As the story goes, the Mongols were formed in the 1970s by a small group
of Latinos who were denied entry to the Hells Angels due to their
ethnicity, he testified. There are now between 500 and 600 members in
chapters throughout the United States, including California, Oregon,
Nevada and Florida.
The Mongols Web site declares the organization's support of a new
chapter that has opened in Italy.
Although the Mongols' regional presence is not strong enough to warrant
a Humboldt chapter, Cervantes testified there is a Northern California
chapter. No matter where the chapters are, they are governed by the
“Mother Chapter” which hands down orders, many of which are based on the
gang's constitution.
The long-standing rivalry between the Hells Angels and the Mongols began
early on, emanating from similarities between patches worn by the two
gangs, he said. The violence escalated over time into a bloody gang war,
with the Mongols perpetrating the majority of the attacks.
”This is a war. These guys are trying to kill each other, and the
Mongols are winning,” Cervantes said. “There are a lot of (Hells Angels)
dying at the hands of (Mongols') knives and guns.”
On Oct. 22, a U.S. District Court judge granted an injunction banning
gang members, family and any associate from wearing, licensing or
distributing the Mongols' logo.
With the banning of the Mongols' trademark, officers have ordered
members to stop wearing the logo, Cervantes testified.
However, during a search of a storage unit rented by one of the
suspects, authorities located Mongols paraphernalia, including a T-shirt
with “prospect,” which is worn by someone intending to be initiated into
the gang, and a gang application, he said.
The application had been mailed to “The Mayor,” which Cervantes said is
Lundin's moniker, leading him to believe “Lundin is the president of
this Northern California chapter.”
During recorded interviews taken at the jail, Lundin reportedly told
officials he would be willing to give up his patch as a “bargaining
chip,” Cervantes said.
”I have a really hard time believing he would be giving up his patch if
he didn't have a patch,” he said.
(NOTE: have a hard time he would be willing to give up his patch and bargain if jail was in the cards)
All the suspects were returned to the Humboldt County jail, where they
remain on $500,000 bail. Their preliminary hearing is expected to end
today.
Sean Garmire can be reached at 441-0514 or sgarmire@times-standard.comAdd to Technorati Favorites.
Expert links shooting suspects to Mongols motorcycle gang
Sean Garmire/The Times-Standard
Article Launched: 12/17/2008 01:30:42 AM PST
An expert on outlaw motorcycle gangs testified in court Tuesday,
explaining that three of four men implicated in the non-fatal shooting
of a suspected Hells Angels member appear to be patch-wearing Mongols
gang members.
Chris Cervantes, a Montebello police detective and ATF investigator, was
brought from the Los Angeles area to provide expert testimony at a
preliminary hearing for the men suspected of shooting 43-year-old Robert
Thompson.
Authorities have seized the men's property, including clothing
reportedly emblazoned with the gang's logo and an application to join
the Mongols Motorcycle Club -- an outlaw motorcycle gang the U.S. Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has labeled as the most “violent and
dangerous” in the nation.
On Nov. 8, authorities responded to shots fired on Third Street in
downtown Eureka. There, police found Thompson lying in an intersection,
bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds.
Later that night, authorities located a dark-colored van, similar to one
witnesses saw at the scene, and arrested Eric Gunner Lundin, 28, Dustin
Christopher Liebes, 36, Brad Lee Miller, 26, and Redding resident Eric
Dean Garcia, 28.
Upon searching the van, investigators reportedly located a disassembled
semi-automatic hand gun.
The four have pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, assault
with a firearm and participating in a criminal street gang.
Three of the suspects bear tattoos, which Cervantes said linked them to
the gang.
Lundin, Liebes and Garcia all have diamond-shaped “1%” tattoos inked on
their necks. Called the “one-percenter” tattoo, Cervantes said, it has
been adopted by the Mongols and refers to the traditional concept that
99 percent of motorcyclists are law-abiding citizens.
Lundin has the letters “MFFM” -- or Mongols Forever Forever Mongols --
tattooed on his knuckles, and has the traditional Mongol head on his
chest and right arm.
The Mongol head, a Genghis Khan look-alike wearing sunglasses, is also
tattooed on Garcia's forearm.
The letters “RFFN” -- Respect Fear Fear Nothing -- are displayed across
Liebes' chest.
Cervantes said that tattoo can only be worn if the member has committed
violent acts against Hells Angels members.
As the story goes, the Mongols were formed in the 1970s by a small group
of Latinos who were denied entry to the Hells Angels due to their
ethnicity, he testified. There are now between 500 and 600 members in
chapters throughout the United States, including California, Oregon,
Nevada and Florida.
The Mongols Web site declares the organization's support of a new
chapter that has opened in Italy.
Although the Mongols' regional presence is not strong enough to warrant
a Humboldt chapter, Cervantes testified there is a Northern California
chapter. No matter where the chapters are, they are governed by the
“Mother Chapter” which hands down orders, many of which are based on the
gang's constitution.
The long-standing rivalry between the Hells Angels and the Mongols began
early on, emanating from similarities between patches worn by the two
gangs, he said. The violence escalated over time into a bloody gang war,
with the Mongols perpetrating the majority of the attacks.
”This is a war. These guys are trying to kill each other, and the
Mongols are winning,” Cervantes said. “There are a lot of (Hells Angels)
dying at the hands of (Mongols') knives and guns.”
On Oct. 22, a U.S. District Court judge granted an injunction banning
gang members, family and any associate from wearing, licensing or
distributing the Mongols' logo.
With the banning of the Mongols' trademark, officers have ordered
members to stop wearing the logo, Cervantes testified.
However, during a search of a storage unit rented by one of the
suspects, authorities located Mongols paraphernalia, including a T-shirt
with “prospect,” which is worn by someone intending to be initiated into
the gang, and a gang application, he said.
The application had been mailed to “The Mayor,” which Cervantes said is
Lundin's moniker, leading him to believe “Lundin is the president of
this Northern California chapter.”
During recorded interviews taken at the jail, Lundin reportedly told
officials he would be willing to give up his patch as a “bargaining
chip,” Cervantes said.
”I have a really hard time believing he would be giving up his patch if
he didn't have a patch,” he said.
(NOTE: have a hard time he would be willing to give up his patch and bargain if jail was in the cards)
All the suspects were returned to the Humboldt County jail, where they
remain on $500,000 bail. Their preliminary hearing is expected to end
today.
Sean Garmire can be reached at 441-0514 or sgarmire@times-standard.comAdd to Technorati Favorites.
Hells Angel Guilty of Assault
Hells Angel guilty of assaultBrawl took place at bar in Newbury Park
By Raul Hernandez (Contact) Wednesday, December 17, 2008
A Ventura County Superior Court jury on Tuesday found a member of the
Hells Angels Motorcycle Club guilty of assault with a deadly weapon
likely to cause great bodily injury in connection with a bar brawl in
Newbury Park.
Judge Kevin DeNoce set sentencing for Brandon Thomas Mundell for Jan.
28.
Mundell, 28, a San Fernando Valley resident, is facing nine years and
four months in prison when he is sentenced, according to prosecutor
Derek Malan.
Mundell, who was out on $180,000 bail, was taken into custody after the
verdicts were read.
Jurors also found Mundell committed the crime for the benefit of, in
association with, and at the direction of the Hells Angels. Jurors also
found true that the Hells Angels are a criminal street organization.
Malan said that as far as he knows, this is only the second time that a
California jury has found the Hells Angels were a criminal organization.
He said the first time was in King County, where the Hells Angels'
Fresno Chapter was accused of assaulting with deadly weapons another
motorcycle club in that city.
Malan said in an interview that the gang-related finding against the
Hells Angels by jurors is something that happens only infrequently
because witnesses are afraid to testify against the club. In Mundell's
trial, Malan said one witness recanted his testimony and said he didn't
recall a single thing about the bar fight.
The prosecutor credited the testimony of sheriff's deputy and gang
expert Jeremy Paris for convincing the jury that the Hells Angels were a
criminal street gang.
The jury found Mundell guilty of driving while intoxicated after the
2006 bar brawl and injuring a Ventura County sheriff's deputy. Jurors
also said Mundell's blood-alcohol level was higher than .08 percent,
which is the benchmark for legal intoxication.
Mundell was found not guilty of three counts of exhibiting a weapon, a
knife. Malan said in an interview that he had told the jurors during the
trial to find Mundell not guilty because he believed there wasn't enough
evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.
Mundell is a member of the Hells Angels' San Fernando Valley chapter,
and he and two other bikers went to the now-closed Take Five Bar and got
into a fight with patrons at 1:40 a.m. Jan. 19, 2006.
The prosecutor said the men went to the bar — allegedly frequented by
members of a rival group, the Mongols — to challenge them to a fight.
The Mongols, who are said to have a chapter in Camarillo, were
apparently not at the bar that night.
Mundell's lawyer, Dino Inumerable, declined to comment.
Inumerable, however, argued during closing arguments in the trial that
it was Mundell who defended himself against the bar patrons because he
feared for his life.
Inumerable told jurors the prosecution wanted them to believe that his
client used a four-inch knife to take over an entire bar that could have
been "potentially infested" with rival gang members and that he set out
to do it with the help of two bikers who weren't even Hells Angels.
Malan said Mundell is still facing similar assault with a deadly weapon
charges stemming from a bar fight in Simi Valley in 2007. He said a
person was stabbed and Mundell was with two Hells Angels associates.
Does this mean that the "Hells Angels" may be next to suffer the fate of the "Mongols" at the hands of the courts? Having their trademarks seized by the government? We have posted often on gang/criminal street organization legislation sweeping the country. Were thinking most people think that legislation is aimed at street commandos. Not so folk. IT is aimed at everybody.
Click here to see more posts related to "gangs"Add to Technorati Favorites
By Raul Hernandez (Contact) Wednesday, December 17, 2008
A Ventura County Superior Court jury on Tuesday found a member of the
Hells Angels Motorcycle Club guilty of assault with a deadly weapon
likely to cause great bodily injury in connection with a bar brawl in
Newbury Park.
Judge Kevin DeNoce set sentencing for Brandon Thomas Mundell for Jan.
28.
Mundell, 28, a San Fernando Valley resident, is facing nine years and
four months in prison when he is sentenced, according to prosecutor
Derek Malan.
Mundell, who was out on $180,000 bail, was taken into custody after the
verdicts were read.
Jurors also found Mundell committed the crime for the benefit of, in
association with, and at the direction of the Hells Angels. Jurors also
found true that the Hells Angels are a criminal street organization.
Malan said that as far as he knows, this is only the second time that a
California jury has found the Hells Angels were a criminal organization.
He said the first time was in King County, where the Hells Angels'
Fresno Chapter was accused of assaulting with deadly weapons another
motorcycle club in that city.
Malan said in an interview that the gang-related finding against the
Hells Angels by jurors is something that happens only infrequently
because witnesses are afraid to testify against the club. In Mundell's
trial, Malan said one witness recanted his testimony and said he didn't
recall a single thing about the bar fight.
The prosecutor credited the testimony of sheriff's deputy and gang
expert Jeremy Paris for convincing the jury that the Hells Angels were a
criminal street gang.
The jury found Mundell guilty of driving while intoxicated after the
2006 bar brawl and injuring a Ventura County sheriff's deputy. Jurors
also said Mundell's blood-alcohol level was higher than .08 percent,
which is the benchmark for legal intoxication.
Mundell was found not guilty of three counts of exhibiting a weapon, a
knife. Malan said in an interview that he had told the jurors during the
trial to find Mundell not guilty because he believed there wasn't enough
evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.
Mundell is a member of the Hells Angels' San Fernando Valley chapter,
and he and two other bikers went to the now-closed Take Five Bar and got
into a fight with patrons at 1:40 a.m. Jan. 19, 2006.
The prosecutor said the men went to the bar — allegedly frequented by
members of a rival group, the Mongols — to challenge them to a fight.
The Mongols, who are said to have a chapter in Camarillo, were
apparently not at the bar that night.
Mundell's lawyer, Dino Inumerable, declined to comment.
Inumerable, however, argued during closing arguments in the trial that
it was Mundell who defended himself against the bar patrons because he
feared for his life.
Inumerable told jurors the prosecution wanted them to believe that his
client used a four-inch knife to take over an entire bar that could have
been "potentially infested" with rival gang members and that he set out
to do it with the help of two bikers who weren't even Hells Angels.
Malan said Mundell is still facing similar assault with a deadly weapon
charges stemming from a bar fight in Simi Valley in 2007. He said a
person was stabbed and Mundell was with two Hells Angels associates.
Does this mean that the "Hells Angels" may be next to suffer the fate of the "Mongols" at the hands of the courts? Having their trademarks seized by the government? We have posted often on gang/criminal street organization legislation sweeping the country. Were thinking most people think that legislation is aimed at street commandos. Not so folk. IT is aimed at everybody.
Click here to see more posts related to "gangs"Add to Technorati Favorites
We are not the only ones hollering wake up!
In 3 separate conversations with a bikers rights activist/friend, a christian friend, and a riding friend we found that we are currently afflicted with the some common Demons. Notably,
A. Lack of Money (However we have much company in that arena), and
B. Extreme frustration over the general public's ability to shove their heads up their asses while the Government/Corporate alliance (I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I'm not a conspiracy theorist, ...........) collaborates on turning all into chattel (i.e. slaves).
Some of us have taken to watching the financial channel CNBC, not because we have massive stock portfolio's, but because you often find the truth of things bubbles to the top much quicker when money is involved. Money is not left wing or right wing, liberal or conservative and neither are most people in truth.
Ideologies quickly fall by the wayside when one is faced with decisions on how to feed their children for a day. The streets have a wonderful way of tempering political argument.
So we ran across this site "Seeking Alpha" and found the following article (reposted below), "Is the Second Great Depression Imminent?" The last sentence is a refrain we use often, "WAKE UP!!!" (we might add they have some interesting financial reading if your into that sort of thing).
"The world is currently facing the most serious financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression of 1929. How have countries responded to the crisis? Well as we know it, by lending huge amounts of money through bailouts and other tax cuts. So while the current crisis was caused by excessive lending, such as the subprimes, the only answer our governments and financial elites found was lending even more and making money out of nothing.
All of these measures will have an impact on economies, no doubt on that. Before the end of 2009 an –artificial- recovery will take place. Good news you may think? Not at all…
In parallel to the recovery, global oil demand will increase next year as mentioned recently by the IEA. This is where the collapse will occur. Global oil production is about to decline, as major oil fields in Mexico and the North Sea have passed their peak… the rate of decline is staggering (check the latest IEA annual report).
Additional energies and non-conventional oils which should have been here do not exist; why? Very simple to understand, with the financial crisis and oil prices back to the low 40s, major energy investments are either cancelled or postponed (they no longer look profitable). In short, when the demand will go up, oil production will be declining; logically prices will explode. Dr. Faith Birol, IEA’s Chief-Economist, well aware of the seriousness of the situation declared on Peak Oil:
Here is the “recipe” for the greatest disaster ever. What cheap and abundant oil created, Peak Oil will destroy; our failure to invest in alternatives 10 or 20 years ago is about to fall on us. Michael Meacher, a former British Environment Minister and current Labour MP similarly declared on what is coming:
The process has started and once again Europe will face its old demons, fuelled by populism, unemployment and incompetence from mainstream leaders. As mentioned in a recent Newsweek article, un-favourable views on Jews have climbed from 20% in 2004 to 25% today in Germany, in France from 11% to 20% and in Spain from nearly 21% in 2005 to about 50% today. Yet the worst of the crisis is just a few years away and nobody seems to perceive the seriousness of the situation. In fact, the current crisis will soon be seen as no more than a gentle prelude or the “good old days”. Denis MacShane the author of the Newsweek article similarly observed that “the BNP was now the fastest growing political party in Britain”.
Wake up!"
The problem with scenarios such as the one above, is that without "eternal vigilance" they can happen faster than one might think. Ride Free While You can!Add to Technorati Favorites
A. Lack of Money (However we have much company in that arena), and
B. Extreme frustration over the general public's ability to shove their heads up their asses while the Government/Corporate alliance (I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I'm not a conspiracy theorist, ...........) collaborates on turning all into chattel (i.e. slaves).
Some of us have taken to watching the financial channel CNBC, not because we have massive stock portfolio's, but because you often find the truth of things bubbles to the top much quicker when money is involved. Money is not left wing or right wing, liberal or conservative and neither are most people in truth.
Ideologies quickly fall by the wayside when one is faced with decisions on how to feed their children for a day. The streets have a wonderful way of tempering political argument.
So we ran across this site "Seeking Alpha" and found the following article (reposted below), "Is the Second Great Depression Imminent?" The last sentence is a refrain we use often, "WAKE UP!!!" (we might add they have some interesting financial reading if your into that sort of thing).
"The world is currently facing the most serious financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression of 1929. How have countries responded to the crisis? Well as we know it, by lending huge amounts of money through bailouts and other tax cuts. So while the current crisis was caused by excessive lending, such as the subprimes, the only answer our governments and financial elites found was lending even more and making money out of nothing.
All of these measures will have an impact on economies, no doubt on that. Before the end of 2009 an –artificial- recovery will take place. Good news you may think? Not at all…
In parallel to the recovery, global oil demand will increase next year as mentioned recently by the IEA. This is where the collapse will occur. Global oil production is about to decline, as major oil fields in Mexico and the North Sea have passed their peak… the rate of decline is staggering (check the latest IEA annual report).
Additional energies and non-conventional oils which should have been here do not exist; why? Very simple to understand, with the financial crisis and oil prices back to the low 40s, major energy investments are either cancelled or postponed (they no longer look profitable). In short, when the demand will go up, oil production will be declining; logically prices will explode. Dr. Faith Birol, IEA’s Chief-Economist, well aware of the seriousness of the situation declared on Peak Oil:
What I can tell you is that one day global conventional oil will peak… I think it is going to peak very soon. The main problem here is that the existing fields, many mature fields, are declining.While you may have found this explanation shaky or over-pessimistic, as early as 2005 the geologist Dr. Colin Campbell (founder of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil-ASPO) declared:
Expansion becomes impossible without abundant cheap energy. So I think that the debt of the world is going bad. That speaks of a financial crisis, unseen, probably equalling the Great Depression of 1930; it’s probable we face the Second Great Depression. It would be a chain reaction, one bank would fail, and another one would fail, industries will close…What is commonly known as Peak Oil, a decline in global oil production is about to happen: you can ignore it, fight it, but to be sure, you will not escape from it. I will not enter into the details of the Peak Oil debate, an endless one. Nevertheless, here are statements on Peak Oil held by some of the most authoritative groups:
Peak oil is at hand with low availability growth for the next 5 to 10 years. Once worldwide petroleum production peaks, geopolitics and market economics will result in even more significant price increases and security risks. To guess where this is all going to take us is would be too speculative.
The end-of-the-fossil-hydrocarbons scenario is not a doom-and-gloom picture painted by pessimistic end-of-the-world prophets, but a view of scarcity in the coming years and decades that must be taken seriously.More recently, a British Industry Taskforce (e.g. Shell (RDS.A), Yahoo (YHOO), Virgin, and Solarcentury) conducted a vast study on oil production. They concluded that, “peak oil is more of an immediate threat to the economy and people’s lives than climate change, grave as that threat is too” and added “the risks to UK society from peak oil are far greater than those that tend to occupy the Government’s risk-thinking, including terrorism” before asking the government to urgently take action.
Here is the “recipe” for the greatest disaster ever. What cheap and abundant oil created, Peak Oil will destroy; our failure to invest in alternatives 10 or 20 years ago is about to fall on us. Michael Meacher, a former British Environment Minister and current Labour MP similarly declared on what is coming:
This is an apocalyptic scenario. In terms of industrial production, in terms of the food supply but above all in the terms of the transportation sector, we cannot continue as we now are.Like in 1929, this Second Great Depression, caused by hyperinflation (within 3 years) will have dramatic political consequences:
As oil prices rise, it will be millions who suffer, millions of ordinary people who are just trying to get on with their lives, millions of ordinary decent people will be forced into states of anxiety, depression, fear and anger.The British National Party and its leader Nick Griffin are well aware of the seriousness of the coming crisis, yet for them it is seen as a unique opportunity. History is here to remind us that dramatic changes can happen so fast that we don’t even see them until they have happened. Nick Griffin, who is passionate about Peak Oil as one of the BNP permanent staff members told me, is also a racist, holocaust denier. Make no mistake, in a post-Peak Oil world Mr. Griffin and his look-a-likes throughout the world will do all they can to apply their heinous political agenda.
Voters take to new ideas, even radically new ideas when the system that they have trusted, worked with, admired and felt comfortable with falls apart.
Peak Oil may well be an important catalyst that helps us to win political power because we are the ones talking about it now.
The process has started and once again Europe will face its old demons, fuelled by populism, unemployment and incompetence from mainstream leaders. As mentioned in a recent Newsweek article, un-favourable views on Jews have climbed from 20% in 2004 to 25% today in Germany, in France from 11% to 20% and in Spain from nearly 21% in 2005 to about 50% today. Yet the worst of the crisis is just a few years away and nobody seems to perceive the seriousness of the situation. In fact, the current crisis will soon be seen as no more than a gentle prelude or the “good old days”. Denis MacShane the author of the Newsweek article similarly observed that “the BNP was now the fastest growing political party in Britain”.
Wake up!"
The problem with scenarios such as the one above, is that without "eternal vigilance" they can happen faster than one might think. Ride Free While You can!Add to Technorati Favorites
The evidence against cell phone use while driving mounts
From REUTER"S Monday, December 1, 2008 8:12 AM
Mobile Phones Distract Drivers More Than Passengers
Mobile phone calls distract drivers far more than even the chattiest passenger, causing drivers to follow too closely and miss exits, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
Using a hands-free device does not make things better and the researchers believe they know why -- passengers act as a second set of eyes, shutting up or sometimes even helping when they see the driver needs to make a maneuver.
The research, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, adds to a growing body of evidence that mobile phones can make driving dangerous.
Lee Strayer of the University of Utah and colleagues have found in a series of experiments using driving simulators that hands-free mobile phones are just as distracting as handheld models.
They have demonstrated that chatting on a cell phone can slow the reaction times of young adult drivers to levels seen among senior citizens, and shown that drivers using mobile telephones are as impaired as drivers who are legally drunk.
For the latest study, also using a simulator, Strayer's team showed that drivers using a hands-free device drifted out of their lanes and missed exits more frequently than drivers talking to a passenger. They tested 96 adults aged 18 to 49.
"The passenger adds a second set of eyes, and helps the driver navigate and reminds them where to go," Strayer said in a statement.
"When you take a look at the data, it turns out that a driver conversing with a passenger is not as impaired a driver talking on a cell phone," he added.
Passengers also simplify conversation when driving conditions change, the researchers wrote.
"The difference between a cell phone conversation and passenger conversation is due to the fact that the passenger is in the vehicle and knows what the traffic conditions are like, and they help the driver by reminding them of where to take an exit and pointing out hazards," Strayer said.
Strayer's team has videos showing drivers missing exits while on mobile phone headsets and showing that passengers interrupt conversations to help drivers exit correctly at www.psych.utah.edu/~strayer/cellphone.wmv and www.psych.utah.edu/~strayer/passenger.wmv.Add to Technorati Favorites
Mobile Phones Distract Drivers More Than Passengers
Mobile phone calls distract drivers far more than even the chattiest passenger, causing drivers to follow too closely and miss exits, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
Using a hands-free device does not make things better and the researchers believe they know why -- passengers act as a second set of eyes, shutting up or sometimes even helping when they see the driver needs to make a maneuver.
The research, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, adds to a growing body of evidence that mobile phones can make driving dangerous.
Lee Strayer of the University of Utah and colleagues have found in a series of experiments using driving simulators that hands-free mobile phones are just as distracting as handheld models.
They have demonstrated that chatting on a cell phone can slow the reaction times of young adult drivers to levels seen among senior citizens, and shown that drivers using mobile telephones are as impaired as drivers who are legally drunk.
For the latest study, also using a simulator, Strayer's team showed that drivers using a hands-free device drifted out of their lanes and missed exits more frequently than drivers talking to a passenger. They tested 96 adults aged 18 to 49.
"The passenger adds a second set of eyes, and helps the driver navigate and reminds them where to go," Strayer said in a statement.
"When you take a look at the data, it turns out that a driver conversing with a passenger is not as impaired a driver talking on a cell phone," he added.
Passengers also simplify conversation when driving conditions change, the researchers wrote.
"The difference between a cell phone conversation and passenger conversation is due to the fact that the passenger is in the vehicle and knows what the traffic conditions are like, and they help the driver by reminding them of where to take an exit and pointing out hazards," Strayer said.
Strayer's team has videos showing drivers missing exits while on mobile phone headsets and showing that passengers interrupt conversations to help drivers exit correctly at www.psych.utah.edu/~strayer/cellphone.wmv and www.psych.utah.edu/~strayer/passenger.wmv.Add to Technorati Favorites
Florida Cell phone bills introduced. Once agin "Bogus"
SB172 - Prohibits the use of a cellular telephone while operating a motor vehicle except when using a headset or hands-free device. Provides exemptions. Provides a penalty. Provides for enforcement only as a secondary offense.-Wilson wilson.frederica.web@flsenate.gov
And as we know hands on or hands free makes no difference in the the degree of impairment caused by cell phone use when driving.
112 - Prohibits the use of a cellular telephone while operating a motor vehicle in a school zone. Provides an enhanced penalty.- Bullard bullard.larcenia.web@flsenate.gov
If operating a cell phone in a school zone is dangerous, then would it not be dangerous else where?
212 - Prohibits certain persons from using an electronic wireless communications device while operating a motor vehicle. Provides for enforcement and penalties. Provides for a point assessment against the driver's license.- Baker baker.carey.web@flsenate.gov
Somebody smarter than I needs to interpret this one! Whoever wrote damn sure got an A in creative writing class. Motorcycles are mentioned, points on your drivers license are mentioned as is a lot of verbiage having to do with what you can or can not do with one ear? Read the whole bill here:
We will be writing the above Senators with our thoughts about the band aid feel good inadequacy of the above legislation. Might we suggest some others do the same.
Click here for more of our posts on cell phone use while operating a motor vehicle.Add to Technorati Favorites
And as we know hands on or hands free makes no difference in the the degree of impairment caused by cell phone use when driving.
112 - Prohibits the use of a cellular telephone while operating a motor vehicle in a school zone. Provides an enhanced penalty.- Bullard bullard.larcenia.web@flsenate.gov
If operating a cell phone in a school zone is dangerous, then would it not be dangerous else where?
212 - Prohibits certain persons from using an electronic wireless communications device while operating a motor vehicle. Provides for enforcement and penalties. Provides for a point assessment against the driver's license.- Baker baker.carey.web@flsenate.gov
Somebody smarter than I needs to interpret this one! Whoever wrote damn sure got an A in creative writing class. Motorcycles are mentioned, points on your drivers license are mentioned as is a lot of verbiage having to do with what you can or can not do with one ear? Read the whole bill here:
We will be writing the above Senators with our thoughts about the band aid feel good inadequacy of the above legislation. Might we suggest some others do the same.
Click here for more of our posts on cell phone use while operating a motor vehicle.Add to Technorati Favorites
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