Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Brain Buckets / Novelty Helmets
First of all, I believe helmets do save lives. I also believe in personal autonomy to chose whether to wear them or not. With that said let me voice my opinion about some helmets and the need to wear one.
Secondly, this post is not for the weak of stomach or those who live in a fantasy world. Graphics are graphic.
Novelty helmets are just that ~ Novelty. Merriam Webster defines "novelty" as follows:
nov÷el÷ty
Pronunciation: 'nä-v&l-tE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
Etymology: Middle English novelte, from Anglo-Frennoveltyelté, from novel
1 : something new or unusual
2 : the quality or state of being novel : NEWNESS
3 : a small manufactured article intended mainly for personal or household adornment -- usually used in plural
4 : something (as a song or food item) that provides often fleeting amusement and is often based on a theme -- often used attributively
Let's focus on definitions 1 & 3 . Novelty helmets do tend to be "unusual" and are "small", intended for personal use and adornment. Novelty helmets have the overt inclination to be eye catching, personality projection and anti-establishment. I think they are fun and, and, well, . . . . . novel.
It truly concerns me,however, that bikers wear novelties thinking 1) they meet the helmet laws of states and 2) are safe.
Safety expert and motorcycle rider, William Roberson states the following:
In regards to "novelty" helmets, which usually refers to "beanie" type or just small, more form-fitting helmets, I will refer you to the old saying:
"Got a $10 head? Then get a $10 helmet."
Beyond witty sayisms, there's a reason novelty helmets are not DOT certified: they don't pass DOT impact and shock absorption tests. As to whether they provide "some sort" of protection, I'm sure the case can be made that they do provide a minimal amount of protection against best-possible crash scenarios. Depending on what kind of crash you are in, a non-DOT helmet (say, a beanie or thin half-shell) may prevent an abrasion injury to the top of the head in a "sliding" type of crash, but that is about the rarest type of injury a motorcyclists head receives in an accident.
Far more common, and far more deadly, is the Blunt Force Trauma injury. What a DOT helmet does is spread out the energy aimed at your head (the Blunt Force part). That way you can avoid the Trauma part, which usually results in full or partial paralysis, loss of memory, disfigurement, drooling, life-long use of diapers, full-time care by family or state institutions, or at worst, brain death and fatality.
Even DOT and Snell approved helmets are only enhanced "protection". Hit your head hard enough, and you're still either dead or have severe problems. Now degrade that protection with a novelty helmet, and you really only get a protection level a bit above a Red Sox baseball cap.
I know that helmets are big, bulky, dorky looking and somewhat uncool for some kinds of riders. But wearing one is a tiny, tiny price to pay against the results of a crash without one or with a crappy one. I, like most riders, wish someone could develop a more form-fitting, lighter weight, more stylish and less wonky helmet, but for the moment, if you are serious about living through a motorcycle accident, you need to wear a full-face DOT approved helmet.
Wonky helmet? Ummm . . . ?
Neverless, not all helmets are created equal. Also true is that not all heads hold intelligent brains. Your head and all that is within is irreplaceable. Regardless how smart you think you are, your skull is not strong enough, your reflexes are not quick enough and your bike is not big enough to out wit, out respond or protect you from the cage(car ) coming at you.
I have worked in trauma facilities for over 20 years. I have not seen anyone, not one person survive an encounter with the pavement or another vehicle in an moving bike accident. Standing still and tipping over on a bike is one thing. Its another to be in motion and lose control because of an imperfectionrfection in the road, an animal darting out, a strong gust of wind or the inevitable cage (car) driver not paying attention.
No helmet equals no protection. Novelty helmets mean no protection and provide a good source of foreign material to penetrate the skull and violate the brain. That's called schrapnel.
So let me get this straight? For $25 you can get a helmet that is not only not-DOT approved nor Snell approved-- covers your head about as thoroughly as a plastic yamulke would-- but hey, it looks "so cool" and you think you're slick when you ride by the cops with a smug look on your face 'cause you've got a helmet with a phony DOT sticker on the back-- you showed them for making it a LAW to wear a helmet, right?
$25 or $200. If you're in an accident, which will highly likely include head-impact, it doesn't matter how "rad" the helmet looks. Let's think about how un-"rad" your face and your head are gonna look after the collision.
Your head is like a watermelon and it can be laid open quicker than you can say, "Freedom". The only freedom you can experience by not wearing a certified helmet is freedom from life.
Secondly, this post is not for the weak of stomach or those who live in a fantasy world. Graphics are graphic.
Novelty helmets are just that ~ Novelty. Merriam Webster defines "novelty" as follows:nov÷el÷ty
Pronunciation: 'nä-v&l-tE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
Etymology: Middle English novelte, from Anglo-Frennoveltyelté, from novel
1 : something new or unusual
2 : the quality or state of being novel : NEWNESS
3 : a small manufactured article intended mainly for personal or household adornment -- usually used in plural
4 : something (as a song or food item) that provides often fleeting amusement and is often based on a theme -- often used attributively
Let's focus on definitions 1 & 3 . Novelty helmets do tend to be "unusual" and are "small", intended for personal use and adornment. Novelty helmets have the overt inclination to be eye catching, personality projection and anti-establishment. I think they are fun and, and, well, . . . . . novel.
It truly concerns me,however, that bikers wear novelties thinking 1) they meet the helmet laws of states and 2) are safe.
Safety expert and motorcycle rider, William Roberson states the following:
In regards to "novelty" helmets, which usually refers to "beanie" type or just small, more form-fitting helmets, I will refer you to the old saying:
"Got a $10 head? Then get a $10 helmet."
Beyond witty sayisms, there's a reason novelty helmets are not DOT certified: they don't pass DOT impact and shock absorption tests. As to whether they provide "some sort" of protection, I'm sure the case can be made that they do provide a minimal amount of protection against best-possible crash scenarios. Depending on what kind of crash you are in, a non-DOT helmet (say, a beanie or thin half-shell) may prevent an abrasion injury to the top of the head in a "sliding" type of crash, but that is about the rarest type of injury a motorcyclists head receives in an accident.
Far more common, and far more deadly, is the Blunt Force Trauma injury. What a DOT helmet does is spread out the energy aimed at your head (the Blunt Force part). That way you can avoid the Trauma part, which usually results in full or partial paralysis, loss of memory, disfigurement, drooling, life-long use of diapers, full-time care by family or state institutions, or at worst, brain death and fatality.
Even DOT and Snell approved helmets are only enhanced "protection". Hit your head hard enough, and you're still either dead or have severe problems. Now degrade that protection with a novelty helmet, and you really only get a protection level a bit above a Red Sox baseball cap.
I know that helmets are big, bulky, dorky looking and somewhat uncool for some kinds of riders. But wearing one is a tiny, tiny price to pay against the results of a crash without one or with a crappy one. I, like most riders, wish someone could develop a more form-fitting, lighter weight, more stylish and less wonky helmet, but for the moment, if you are serious about living through a motorcycle accident, you need to wear a full-face DOT approved helmet.
Wonky helmet? Ummm . . . ?
Neverless, not all helmets are created equal. Also true is that not all heads hold intelligent brains. Your head and all that is within is irreplaceable. Regardless how smart you think you are, your skull is not strong enough, your reflexes are not quick enough and your bike is not big enough to out wit, out respond or protect you from the cage(car ) coming at you.
I have worked in trauma facilities for over 20 years. I have not seen anyone, not one person survive an encounter with the pavement or another vehicle in an moving bike accident. Standing still and tipping over on a bike is one thing. Its another to be in motion and lose control because of an imperfectionrfection in the road, an animal darting out, a strong gust of wind or the inevitable cage (car) driver not paying attention.
No helmet equals no protection. Novelty helmets mean no protection and provide a good source of foreign material to penetrate the skull and violate the brain. That's called schrapnel.
So let me get this straight? For $25 you can get a helmet that is not only not-DOT approved nor Snell approved-- covers your head about as thoroughly as a plastic yamulke would-- but hey, it looks "so cool" and you think you're slick when you ride by the cops with a smug look on your face 'cause you've got a helmet with a phony DOT sticker on the back-- you showed them for making it a LAW to wear a helmet, right?
$25 or $200. If you're in an accident, which will highly likely include head-impact, it doesn't matter how "rad" the helmet looks. Let's think about how un-"rad" your face and your head are gonna look after the collision.
Your head is like a watermelon and it can be laid open quicker than you can say, "Freedom". The only freedom you can experience by not wearing a certified helmet is freedom from life.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Dog: The Bounty Hunter
September 14, 2006
Duane "Dog" Chapman has been arrested for crimes committed in Mexico for the sake of justice in the United States. This is a sad commentary for the justice system of America and the hard hand of politics that will damage and possible ruin the life of a man and his family.
U.S. Attorney Bob Barr of Atlanta, GA writes:
Common sense would suggest the Bush administration would issue a sincere "Thank you!" to Chapman for having done its dirty work in discovering the whereabouts in Mexico of Max Factor heir Andrew Luster, who fled south of the border during his rape trial in 2003. On the contrary, in this Bizarro World in which we live, the guy who risked his life to bring a multiple rapist to justice is instead rewarded by the U.S. Justice Department with an arrest warrant. It's not as if our federal law enforcement agencies had been sitting around with nothing to do regarding our southern neighbor. Millions of Mexicans illegally cross from their country to ours each year; the vast majority never are even questioned by U.S. authorities. Mexico remains a key smuggling point into our country for massive amounts of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methampheta- mines. Corruption is so pervasive and systemic in Mexico that often our law enforcement personnel assigned to diplomatic posts in Mexico feel they have more to fear from corrupt officials than from the civilian criminals. Yet, the Mexican government gets its pantaloons in a wad because it doesn't like gringos coming into its territory to locate fugitives so they can be brought back to our country where, unlike in Mexico, there actually is a functioning court system. Mexico considers bounty hunting a "deprivation of liberty" and ever sensitive to challenges to their sovereignty, the authorities in Mexico City saw Dog's actions as an "affront" to their sensibilities. President Bush's good friend, Mexican President Vicente Fox, therefore demanded that his U.S. counterpart arrest and send Dog Chapman back to Mexico. So far, Bush has complied.
Dog, by his and Beth's own admission are guilty of the charges in Mexico. They did, according to Mexican law, unlawfully detain Luster. And they did not report to court July 15, 2003 and forfeited their bond. By all rights the Mexican Government legally has the right to request his presence for skipping bail. The very work Dog and his pack do for a living. But as most people know, much that is legal is rarely just.
Justice is to fly the middle finger of sovereignty at Mexico and give Chapman a medal for bravery and service. However, the law will give Chapman the finger and have awarded Social Security benefits (that we pay) for the 19 million +/- illegal Mexicans. They who do not deserve now have a piece of the American pie
Go finger, uh, figure
Duane "Dog" Chapman has been arrested for crimes committed in Mexico for the sake of justice in the United States. This is a sad commentary for the justice system of America and the hard hand of politics that will damage and possible ruin the life of a man and his family.
U.S. Attorney Bob Barr of Atlanta, GA writes:
Common sense would suggest the Bush administration would issue a sincere "Thank you!" to Chapman for having done its dirty work in discovering the whereabouts in Mexico of Max Factor heir Andrew Luster, who fled south of the border during his rape trial in 2003. On the contrary, in this Bizarro World in which we live, the guy who risked his life to bring a multiple rapist to justice is instead rewarded by the U.S. Justice Department with an arrest warrant. It's not as if our federal law enforcement agencies had been sitting around with nothing to do regarding our southern neighbor. Millions of Mexicans illegally cross from their country to ours each year; the vast majority never are even questioned by U.S. authorities. Mexico remains a key smuggling point into our country for massive amounts of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methampheta- mines. Corruption is so pervasive and systemic in Mexico that often our law enforcement personnel assigned to diplomatic posts in Mexico feel they have more to fear from corrupt officials than from the civilian criminals. Yet, the Mexican government gets its pantaloons in a wad because it doesn't like gringos coming into its territory to locate fugitives so they can be brought back to our country where, unlike in Mexico, there actually is a functioning court system. Mexico considers bounty hunting a "deprivation of liberty" and ever sensitive to challenges to their sovereignty, the authorities in Mexico City saw Dog's actions as an "affront" to their sensibilities. President Bush's good friend, Mexican President Vicente Fox, therefore demanded that his U.S. counterpart arrest and send Dog Chapman back to Mexico. So far, Bush has complied.
Dog, by his and Beth's own admission are guilty of the charges in Mexico. They did, according to Mexican law, unlawfully detain Luster. And they did not report to court July 15, 2003 and forfeited their bond. By all rights the Mexican Government legally has the right to request his presence for skipping bail. The very work Dog and his pack do for a living. But as most people know, much that is legal is rarely just.
Justice is to fly the middle finger of sovereignty at Mexico and give Chapman a medal for bravery and service. However, the law will give Chapman the finger and have awarded Social Security benefits (that we pay) for the 19 million +/- illegal Mexicans. They who do not deserve now have a piece of the American pie
Go finger, uh, figure
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
For The Country We Love......
For The Country We Love......
Our old Heros
This picture of the truck has been around a lot, keep scrolling and read the rest of the blog, much of which I did not know.
With the advent of World War II many of our actors went to fight rather than stand and rant against this country we all love. They gave up their wealth, position and fame to become service men & women, many as simple "enlisted men."
This page lists but a few, but from this group of only 18 men came over 70 medals in honor of their valor, spanning from Bronze Stars, Silver Stars, Distinguish Service Cross', Purple Hearts and one Congressional Medal of Honor. Most of these brave men have since passed on.
Real Hollywood Heroes
Alec Guinness (Star Wars~Bridge over the River Kwai) operated a British Royal Navy landing craft on D-Day.
Donald Pleasance (The Great Escape) really was an R. A. F. pilot who was shot down, held prisoner and tortured by the Germans.
James Doohan ("Scotty" on Star Trek) landed in Normandy with the U. S. Army on D-Day.
Clark Gable (Mega-Movie Star when war broke out) Although he was beyond the draft age at the time the U.S. entered WW II Clark Gable enlisted as a private in the AAF on Aug. 12, 1942 at Los Angeles. He attended the Officers' Candidate School at Miami Beach, Fla. and graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct. 28, 1942. He then attended aerial gunnery school and in Feb. 1943 he was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group at Polebrook where flew operational missions over Europe in B-17s. Capt. Gable returned to the U.S. in Oct. 1943 and was relieved from active duty as a major on Jun. 12, 1944 at his own request, since he was over-age for combat.
Charlton Heston was an Army Air Corps Sergeant in Kodiak.
Earnest Borgnine was a U. S. Navy Gunners Mate 1935-1945.
Charles Durning was a U. S. Army Ranger at Normandy earning a Silver Star and awarded the Purple Heart.
George C. Scott was a decorated U. S. Marine.
Eddie Albert (Green Acres TV) was awarded a Bronze Star for his heroic action as a U. S. Naval officer aiding Marines at the horrific battle on the island of Tarawa in the Pacific Nov. 1943.
Brian Keith served as a U.S. Marine rear gunner in several actions against the Japanese on Rabaul in the Pacific.
Lee Marvin was a U.S. Marine on Saipan during the Marianas campaign when he was wounded earning the Purple Heart.
John Russell: In 1942, he enlisted in the Marine Corps where he received a battlefield commission and was wounded and highly decorated for valor at Guadalcanal.
Charles Bronson was a tail gunner in the Army Air Corps, more specifically on B-29s in the 20th Air Force out of Guam, Tinian, and Saipan.
Tyrone Power (an established movie star when Pearl Harbor was bombed) joined the US. Marines, was a pilot flying supplies into, and wounded Marines out of, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Audie Murphy, little 5'5" tall 110 pound guy from Bay City, Texas who played cowboy parts? Most decorated serviceman of WWII and earned: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, 2 Silver Star Medals, Legion of Merit, 2 Bronze Star Medals with "V", 2 Purple Hearts, U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, 2 Distinguished Unit Emblems, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France) World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar, Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar, French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre, French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier, French Croix de Guerre With Silver Star, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Medal of Liberated France, Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm.
So how do you feel the real heroes of the silver screen acted when compared to the hollywonks today who spray out anti-American drivel as they bite the hand that feeds them? Can you imagine these stars of yesteryear saying they hate our flag, making anti-war speeches, marching in anti-American parades and saying they hate our president?
I don't think so.
More movie stars and patriotism coming to a blog near you soon.
Our old Heros
This picture of the truck has been around a lot, keep scrolling and read the rest of the blog, much of which I did not know.
With the advent of World War II many of our actors went to fight rather than stand and rant against this country we all love. They gave up their wealth, position and fame to become service men & women, many as simple "enlisted men."
This page lists but a few, but from this group of only 18 men came over 70 medals in honor of their valor, spanning from Bronze Stars, Silver Stars, Distinguish Service Cross', Purple Hearts and one Congressional Medal of Honor. Most of these brave men have since passed on.
Real Hollywood Heroes
Alec Guinness (Star Wars~Bridge over the River Kwai) operated a British Royal Navy landing craft on D-Day.
Donald Pleasance (The Great Escape) really was an R. A. F. pilot who was shot down, held prisoner and tortured by the Germans.
David Niven was a Sandhurst graduate and Lt. Colonel of the British Commandos in Normandy.
James Stewart Entered the Army Air Force as a private and worked his way to the rank of Colonel. During World War II, Stewart served as a bomber pilot, his service record crediting him with leading more than 20 missions over Germany, and taking part in hundreds of air strikes during his tour of duty. Stewart earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, France's Croix de Guerre,and 7 Battle Stars during World War II. In peace time, Stewart continued to be an active member of the Air Force as a reservist, reaching the rank of Brigadier General before retiring in the late 1950's.
James Doohan ("Scotty" on Star Trek) landed in Normandy with the U. S. Army on D-Day.
Clark Gable (Mega-Movie Star when war broke out) Although he was beyond the draft age at the time the U.S. entered WW II Clark Gable enlisted as a private in the AAF on Aug. 12, 1942 at Los Angeles. He attended the Officers' Candidate School at Miami Beach, Fla. and graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct. 28, 1942. He then attended aerial gunnery school and in Feb. 1943 he was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group at Polebrook where flew operational missions over Europe in B-17s. Capt. Gable returned to the U.S. in Oct. 1943 and was relieved from active duty as a major on Jun. 12, 1944 at his own request, since he was over-age for combat.
Charlton Heston was an Army Air Corps Sergeant in Kodiak.
Earnest Borgnine was a U. S. Navy Gunners Mate 1935-1945.
Charles Durning was a U. S. Army Ranger at Normandy earning a Silver Star and awarded the Purple Heart.
George C. Scott was a decorated U. S. Marine.
Eddie Albert (Green Acres TV) was awarded a Bronze Star for his heroic action as a U. S. Naval officer aiding Marines at the horrific battle on the island of Tarawa in the Pacific Nov. 1943.
Brian Keith served as a U.S. Marine rear gunner in several actions against the Japanese on Rabaul in the Pacific.
Lee Marvin was a U.S. Marine on Saipan during the Marianas campaign when he was wounded earning the Purple Heart.
John Russell: In 1942, he enlisted in the Marine Corps where he received a battlefield commission and was wounded and highly decorated for valor at Guadalcanal.
Charles Bronson was a tail gunner in the Army Air Corps, more specifically on B-29s in the 20th Air Force out of Guam, Tinian, and Saipan.
Tyrone Power (an established movie star when Pearl Harbor was bombed) joined the US. Marines, was a pilot flying supplies into, and wounded Marines out of, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Audie Murphy, little 5'5" tall 110 pound guy from Bay City, Texas who played cowboy parts? Most decorated serviceman of WWII and earned: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, 2 Silver Star Medals, Legion of Merit, 2 Bronze Star Medals with "V", 2 Purple Hearts, U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, 2 Distinguished Unit Emblems, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France) World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar, Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar, French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre, French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier, French Croix de Guerre With Silver Star, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Medal of Liberated France, Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm.
So how do you feel the real heroes of the silver screen acted when compared to the hollywonks today who spray out anti-American drivel as they bite the hand that feeds them? Can you imagine these stars of yesteryear saying they hate our flag, making anti-war speeches, marching in anti-American parades and saying they hate our president?
I don't think so.
More movie stars and patriotism coming to a blog near you soon.
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