From the NY Times:
BUFFALO, Minn. — Even after a collision five years ago resulted in surgery and left her with limited mobility in her neck, Missy Weberg said she continued the dangerous habit that caused the accident: tailgating.
But a new
Minnesota initiative using big white dots painted on a state highway is helping Ms. Weberg back away from cars in front of her, she said.
The dots, 94 of them painted on a two-mile stretch of a rural highway about 35 miles northwest of Minneapolis, were unveiled last month in a pilot project that officials hope will teach drivers about safe following distances.
“If they had more dots, I’d probably tailgate a lot less,” Ms. Weberg, 36, said. “I’m guessing it will save a lot of accidents and lives.”
Maryland started a similar project this month on the eastbound span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Annapolis using hot pink panels. Pennsylvania began experimenting with distance dots in 2000, but stopped adding them to roads in 2003 because transportation officials said they were not deterring the worst offenders.
Although many drivers might see tailgating as nothing more than an annoyance, it is a significant factor in many accidents, safety officials said. In Minnesota, rear-end collisions accounted for 28 percent of all crashes last year and resulted in 22 deaths, according to the State Office of Traffic Safety. And the number of rear-end crashes in the state increased to 24,820 last year, from 22,206 in 2002.
“It’s truly dangerous,” said Pat Hackman, executive director of Safe Communities of Wright County, a nonprofit traffic safety organization. “And some people might say, ‘Don’t we have bigger problems than this?’ And we certainly do. But I don’t think you quite understand how this is contributing to the bigger problems that we have.”
The idea of the dots on the highway here, explained on roadside signs, is for drivers to keep a distance of two dots between vehicles. The 225 feet between dots represents a driving interval of three seconds at the speed limit of 55 miles per hour.
Gordy Pehrson, traffic safety coordinator in the Office of Traffic Safety, said he hoped the dots would have a “halo effect,” with drivers taking the lesson to other roads as well.
“This is not intended to be the cure-all for all the tailgating problems,” Mr. Pehrson said. “Obviously we’re not going to paint dots on every road in the state.”
Some area residents said they thought that few drivers would pay attention to the dots without more police enforcement and complained that the $25,000 federal grant to start the program was a waste of money.
Luke Zumbusch, 18, of Buffalo, said he thought some drivers would ignore the dots. Mr. Zumbusch said he would continue trailing as close as a half car length behind slow drivers to try to push them to go faster.
“I think they mean good by it,” he said of transportation officials, “but it’s just going to be pointless.”
State officials chose the stretch of road here that cuts through farms and rolling fields because it has an accident rate that is higher than average. Almost 80 percent of crashes at intersections on the highway are rear-end collisions, officials said.
They recorded speed and following distances before the project began and will continue to do so in its three-month run to measure the effect of the dots, which make the black paved road resemble a long domino.
Mr. Pehrson said state officials were encouraged by the early success in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania project won a National Highway Safety Award in 2001 after a study found that tailgating dropped 60 percent on one dotted stretch of highway.
But a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesman, Rich Kirkpatrick, said the state discontinued the program after a longer-term study showed that although safe drivers increased their following distance, the dots had little effect on aggressive drivers.
“They seemed to just ignore the dots and the safety signs ,” Mr. Kirkpatrick said.
Some drivers here, though, remain enthusiastic about the Minnesota experiment. Matt Graunke, 28, of Buffalo, said people might not realize the difference the dots were making.
“I find myself, when I’m on that section of road, counting them whether I like it or not,” Mr. Graunke said. “If it’s going to keep one person from getting killed, it sounds fine to me.”
Riding in the car has become a lot more fun for Lauren Stenlund’s 4-year-old daughter, Taylor, who loves counting the dots and catching her mother when she is not keeping a proper distance.
“We try to turn it into a game,” said Ms. Stenlund, 25, of Greenfield. “It’s kind of fun for kids because they can tell you if you’re doing it right or wrong.”
And as for Ms. Weberg, who had trouble changing her habits, the dots are a reminder to stay vigilant.
“I’m just an impatient driver,” she said.
Don't Date Him Girl (Cause I'm an Insecure and Weak Woman)
Lately I have been inundated with inquires about profiles that were posted on Don't Date Him Girl.com. I'm not going to link to that site because I am not wanting to promote it. Someone (Tammy Roderick of Clearwater, FL) thought it would be appropriate to meddle with my life, even though we hardly even looked at each other (in other words we didn't date or have any contact with each other, other than a mutual relationship with my girlfriend Iris.)
Defamation is obviously for those that are weak and/or revengeful. I am not sure why Tammy did this but I do know that time and/or God will straighten her out. I feel sorry for the women in my life that have been blamed for writing these statements on this site Don't Date Him Girl.
Don't Date Him Girl will not remove your profiles or statements that have been made about you and they do not respond to rebuttals. There is a lawsuit pending regarding this. The site is contending that there is no difference between posting words about someone on the internet and overhearing someone talk about someone else at a coffee shop. I don't know about you but when I talk about someone or something in a public place I don't stand up and scream it. Also, I sure the hell don't tell the world false statements about someone else because I am upset with them. I am trusted by this country to have integrity and to do what is morally right.
The internet is a great tool for communication, but as with other tools in life it can be used as a weapon. I will let these statements go by without grief or diminishing my lifestyle. SO.....Here's to you Ms. Revengeful Ex-Friend of My Girlfriend Libeler. (Yes I know libeler is not a word.)
Summing up 30 years
On July 4th I will share my birthday with the United States. One difference: 200 years.
So to this 3rd decade I can summarize my life's quality as better than most. I was brought up by two great parents, who through with all of the bumps in the road, stuck it out and are still together after 30+ years. It is hard to believe that 24 of the last 30 years I was occupied with trying to educate myself in a formal way, and I'm not done.
I share my birthday not only with the USA but with persons such as US President Calvin Coolidge, Spanish bullfighter Manolete (How bad ass are you is you just known as Manolete. His proper name is Manuel Laureano RodrÃguez Sánchez), columnist Ann Landers, actress Eva Marie Saint, and dramatic news reporter Geraldo Rivera.
Ironically both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on this date.
I have a lot to live up to to be as succesful as Thomas Jefferson. Have you heard of anyone in present time to be aagriculturalistsst, horticulturist, architect, etymologist, archaeologist, mathematician, cryptographer, surveyor, paleontologist, author, lawyer, inventor, violinist, and the
founder of the University of Virginia. And to think I was starting to feel bad for working for 3 companies within a two year time period.
You know what makes me feel young? Knowing that I can't even be President until I am 35. Well I guess I better go brush up on my politics and bribery.
FARK IS GOING DOWNHILL
FARK.COM is beginning to get too big for itself. I have been a member for over 3 years and I have always posted what I want, when I want. I was recently banned from posting because I was "berating" admins. Well I guess the fark admins are getting sensitive. Awww well I guess they are turning into the forum "Walmart" and do not really care about the individual. The individual makes up the whole and many organizations forget that. I told the network admins at work to forbid that site on the network and they were actually wondering why it was allowed being that it is a government network. Now this may not have any impact on the site, but at least I will have peace of mind that they will have that many fewer users during the day.
End Date
A cat is said to have nine lives because it is "more tenacious of life than many animals". Nine, a trinity of trinities, is a mystical number often invoked in religion and folklore. The cat was once revered in Egypt, and this is probably where its nine lives began. As cats seem able to escape injury time and time again, this mystical number seemed suited to the cat. Cats are intrepid explorers and fearless acrobats. After all, a creature with nine lives can afford to take risks.
With all the physical aspects of a cat's life it may have nine lives, but a cat cannot escape the tragedy of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell division and the ability of these cells to invade other tissues. In other words cancer.
This is leading to a tough situation yesterday where my girlfriend Iris, the most compassionate and heart warming person that I've ever met, had to tell her cat of 10 years goodbye. It was very tough for her and it was tough to see her in that state. The cat, whose name was Sophie, was euthanized yesterday around 2:30PM. They tried to put the cat to sleep in front of us! They couldn't do the procedure easily so they took her away and we said our goodbyes.
So what does a person do in the situation? You cry, you hurt, you get mad and you question. ARGH! I thought about it when I got home yesterday and pondered why we go through such pain. Today we move on and celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing. We do take it for granted and we know it, we ignore the simple fact that we are alive. Enjoy your day of talking and smelling and being selfish. We are all selfish.
One Provolone With
ENGLISH !!!!
By Jon Hurdle
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A civil rights watchdog agency opened an investigation on Monday into a Philadelphia cheese steak restaurant that posted a sign saying "This is America - when ordering, speak English."
The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations complaint effectively opens a case against Geno's Steaks of South Philadelphia, said Rachel Lawton, acting executive director of the agency.
The Philadelphia controversy has fed a national debate over immigration in which the U.S. Senate passed a bill that would declare English the national language and politicians have raised objections to a Spanish version of the national anthem.
The sign may violate the city's Fair Practices Ordinance, which bans businesses from discriminating on the basis of nationality or ethnicity, Lawton said.
"The complaint will say that the sign discourages patronage by non-English speakers because of their national origin and/or ancestry," Lawton, whose agency enforces the city's anti-discrimination laws, said before the official filing.
Geno's will be given up to two weeks to respond and, if the agency determines the sign has violated the city ordinance, will be ordered to take the sign down. If the restaurant refuses, it will be subject to a $300 fine, Lawton said.
Geno's owner Joey Vento, the grandson of Italian immigrants, said he has no plans to remove the sign.
"I don't see why I should have to. It's freedom of speech," said Vento, 66, who opened the restaurant 40 years ago.
He said no one is refused service and no one is discriminated against. The sign, which has been displayed for about six months, is meant to encourage immigrants to learn English, he said.
"If you don't speak English, the sign means nothing," he told Reuters.
The restaurant, in a historically Italian neighborhood that seen an influx of Central American immigrants, has angered Latino groups.
Roberto Santiago, executive director of the city's Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations, said he received around 50 "hate" e-mails in response to his criticism of the sign.
One from California said groups like his should be banned for representing "filthy, illegal alien invaders", he said.
"This is dividing this nation," he said. "I'm really saddened by these individuals who are upset by having to be tolerant. I'm glad I'm living in an America where comments like Mr. Vento's are out of order."
Kudos to you Mr. Vento. If I were to travel to Germany, many people already speak English because they want to. If you come to the USA then you know that English is our language; learn it if you want to be here. Now for visitors, different story. You could try the xxxxx language to English dictionary just like I have to use when I go to a foreign country.
Geesh, not this stuff again!
So it's already hurricane season and after the last two years people and the media are beating the worry horse. The weather blogs are in full force with expert amateur meteorologists. So for the next 6 months or so we have to deal with the storms here in Florida and hopefully we don’t get complacent, but with all the “experts” out there it might confuse people. I suggest that you just watch the
Weather Channel and laugh at Jim Cantore getting pumped over a hurricane and chuckle at his adjectives like EXTENSIVE and FRIGHTENING! Well do not be Chicken Little and talk about the end of the world or how you think the hurricane is DEFINITELY heading your way, even if it is heading in the opposite direction.
Well if you read this blog on
WeatherUnderground you will see that everyone is a weather expert according to forecast models and hearsay. On that note, if you read through the before mentioned blog you will notice that everyone is a dooms day promoter. Anyway...
Last night I went to the Royal Pacific resort in Orlando to eat dinner with my girlfriend and her coworkers. We at at Emeril's Tchoup Chop restaurant and the food was wonderful. It was expensive, as you should expect from an Emeril's restaurant but the experience was A+. The name of the restaurant is meant to offer a hint of New Orleans' famous Tchoupitoulas Street, where Emeril's parent restaurant is located, and the word "chop" a bold culinary term. It is now open at Universal Orlando’s newest hotel, the
Royal Pacific Resort. I had the Firecracker: Tempura Fresh Fish served with Steamed Rice, Papaya-Serrano Salsa, Asian Pesto Drizzle and Coconut Lemongrass Sauce. Great presentation but the environment was quite loud and hard to understand the soft-spoken waiter.
"Like never before, navigate the streets of New York City while viewing thousands of pictures, visiting hundreds of stores and reading the city's famous history"I found this site during my daily parusing of Google Maps mashups. Using Google Maps and high quality photos and videos you can browse New York City sipping your coffee in your underwear. The only thing that's missing is the city noise (which would be a really nice add-on.) The site was created by
Taher Baderkhan. He took a lot of time to work on this as he had to take a picture in the middle of the street, run from cars, then move 30ft to take another picture.
Taher has also added a New York City Museums Map using Yahoo maps:
Museum Map.
Enjoy the site!
Hey Dubya, What's that Behind Ya?
Well I'm pretty sure this video has been edited but it's still funny. Look behind him while he ensures that the border is going to be safe and secure. By the way, I don't think those are Mexican's jumping the fence. They are straight people going to gay land.CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO!!!
