The View-Point

New Freedom Tower Addresses Security

Question: Who would want to work in what will unquestionably be the Number 1 target on the International Terrorists' hit list?

Any replacement for the fallen twin-towers must have security measures such as those outlined in the article. To rebuilt without the extra precautions would be suicidal.

SUMMER = DRIVING = COP!

I want to question the logic of police officers who position themselves on busy stretches of highway during rush hour.

On one particular stretch of roadway in my city known as the Parkway West, Mr. Policeman likes to lurk on the far side of a bend with his window-mounted radar on full-blast. The only problem is that the side of the road he is watching is so congested with rush hour traffic at the time he is there that he would be lucky to catch anyone going over 30mph!

Further down on that same stretch of road, on the opposite side, there is another one of our friends who likes to proudly proclaim his presence, lights flashing in all their Red, White, and Blue glory. He positions himself at the top of a hill that is, again, heavily congested. The problem is that although most drivers are already going rather slow because of the traffic, when they crest the hill and see Mr. Bojangles sitting there, most driver's instinctively slam on the brakes, to the behest of the car(s) behind them.

The point here is that due to the fact that the reaction of most drivers is to slam on the ol' brakes whenever they see Mr. Policeman, whether they're speeding or not, Mr. Policeman's presence actually creates more danger than would his absence.

And who does he hope to catch anyways, in bumper-to-bumper traffic???
[/RANT]

Labels: commentary

SUMMER = MOTORCYCLES = NOISE POLLUTION

This is the first of three observations I had last Friday while driving in my car for 8 hours in 90 degree weather. Two of these pieces will be somewhat trivial in subject matter, and quite deserving of a [RANT] warning. The third, however, I hope will provide a more introspective look at the subject matter it deals with. So, with that in mind...


WARNING: The following is a [RANT]

Could someone out there in Cyberland please explain to me the relationship between the power of a motorcycle engine and the amount of raw noise it puts out? I know that when I was younger and I had my first car, when the exhaust pipe rusted out of the muffler fell off, neither of these things did anything along the lines of increasing the power to my fledgling 4-cylinders.

So why are so many motorcycles so dang loud? Perhaps the explanation is not mechanical in nature, but rather is psychological. In the sense that the bigger the noise, the more attention that is drawn to the motorcycle and thus its rider. The question remains as to what kind of attention this is -- negative attention or positive attention. Certainly the attention that is drawn from me is negative in the strongest fashion. I don't have any problem with motorcycles, but I certainly do have a problem with noise pollution in my neighborhood.

But could the riders of these menacing machines actually believe they are attracting people's admiration and approval? Do they care? Or is it simply a matter of "Look at me, look at me!" irregardless of whether the stares they are receiving are looks of approval or of extreme annoyance...

We'll explore this theme of "Attention for Attention's Sake" in a later article.
[/RANT]

Labels: commentary

COMING SOON:

SUMMER = MOTORCYCLES = NOISE POLLUTION

SUMMER = HOT = ITSY, BITSY, TEENY, WEENIE...EVERYTHING

SUMMER = DRIVING = COP!

WARNING: The following is a [RANT]

TUNNEL RAGE

Why do certain people fear large, dark holes in the side of a mountain? Despite the signs that say "Maintain speed thru tunnel," 90% of the drivers traveling thru the Squirrel Hill tunnel for some inexplicable reason feel the need to slam on the brakes and decelerate from 60mph to 25mph in 5 seconds.

As if this weren't enough, at the very point where the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel is visible, some drivers still feel the need to slow down yet again. Perhaps there is a large monster lurking just outside of the exit-mouth of the tunnel, waiting to pounce on your car as you drive out...

I just don't get it. Seems to me that if you're afraid of tunnels, you'd want to go as fast as possible to get the heck outta there...
[/RANT]

Labels: commentary