The guy who was attempting to help me out in the first store I visited was dumbfounded that I would even think they would stock brakes for inline skates, but offered to go into the service area and try and make one for me. What? Are you kidding me?

My point is that sure my brake wore out, but I naturally thought that because I could easily find them for my previous skates, I would be able to find them again for an even more popular brand. I didn’t even consider that I may have to order them online and that I should have done that before it wore out so I wouldn’t be stuck not being able to skate. Now, I have had to order them online and wait for delivery all the while setting the blades aside.

This to me doesn’t make any sense. I can see that if the skate failed in some way like a rivet broke or even the break housing snapped, then maybe you would have to order those parts, but a part that is assumed to wear out and definitely needs to be replaced is something that should be stocked in a store specializing in this.

Yes, the end result of my futile travels was to order a brake online. No, not one but 4. This way I won’t have to worry about it for a long time.

Here’s another one I file under Just Dumb

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The photo appeared in it’s original state on Microsoft’s US site, but it’s Polish site showed the altered version. Poland’s population is over 90% white and in what is speculated as that they were just attempting to show what is normal in Poland. Since that time Microsoft says the persons responsible for the altered photo have left the company (hmm).

Reactions to this image are coming in fast and furious now forcing Microsoft to apologize for the ‘intentional’ error’ and it’s only a matter of time before anti racial groups jump on the bandwaggon asking for heads to roll at Microsoft. Fact is, this happens all the time. I have seen it before and read about it before and before writing this I did a few searches on the topic of racial photo altering and it’s pretty rampant.

“We apologize and are in the process of pulling down the image,”

Later, a spokeswoman for Microsoft in Poland said that the doctoring was a “simple mistake” and was not racially motivated.

Was it a simple mistake? No it wasn’t. As I said, Poland has a very very small black population and are depicting what is normal in their society. Depicting racism probably wasn’t on their mind, but it is clear that not a lot of thought towards what the repercussions might be was done before doctoring the image. This type of thing isn’t acceptable and for a spokeswoman to call it a simple mistake is once again publicly denying responsibility.

By the way, what kind of laptop does he have? Isn’t that a MacBook with the logo photoshoped out?

I file this under Just Dumb

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A horrific tragedy took place as hurricane Bill passed by off the Maine coastline when a large group of people gathered at Acadia National Park to take in the spectacle. The crowd was too close and when a large and powerful wave crashed in, it took a number of people including a family of 3 out to sea. Unfortunately a 7 year old girl was pulled out of the water dead by the US Coastguard. Her mother and father were rescued alive, mother sustaining injuries she will recover fully from.

It’s always a huge tragedy when a child is killed, and an even bigger tragedy when it is entirely and easily avoidable. Acadia National Park has 15 miles of coastline and signs warning of dangerous surf were posted and Sand beach along with Thunder Hole were blocked off. This only served to push people further along and into undeveloped areas that were not patrolled. When officials state things like this it makes me cringe because it gives the feel of excuses. A hurricane was forecast to move past the area off shore and with it create some huge waves. This is something that was known in advance and park rangers as well as police should have patrolled the area on foot to prevent anyone from entering the area. In countries that have experience with hurricanes this is done regularly and with great success, so why not here. My experience with Hurricane Wilma was quite the learning experience. I spent the 2 days prior to landfall of the hurricane watching how the Mexican authorities, resort staff, police, and military put an extensive emergency plan into action. It was flawless and the safety of every tourist was first and foremost. The miles of beach were completely off limits 12 hours before landfall and guarded by police and military wherever you looked.

The US has a history of poor hurricane emergency management and the resulting large number of related deaths have been headline news for years. Maybe it would be a good thing to look to countries like Mexico and the Caribbean countries for assistance.

I file this one under Just Dumb.

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I follow the rules of crosswalks and traffic lights by slowing right down, looking over my shoulder to see who might be planning a turn from behind me, I look to the left out onto the main road to see who may be coming through and I look down the road I’m crossing to see if anyone is coming from that way. If it is a red light for me, I stop and wait for it to go green before I cross and continue on my way. I skate pretty fast and am very proficient on the blades, but as you can see when it comes to cars, I play if very safe and play by the rules. I wear ear phones and listen to my iPod, but the volume is low enough that I can hear the traffic and not get caught up in my music. Once again, I play it safe. I wish I could say the same for the majority, yes majority of drivers I meet when crossing the roads.

Last summer I coasted out of my driveway and onto the road in my quiet subdivision, crossed to the other side of the road and turned left on my way to the track which is just a couple of hundred metres up the road. When I left my driveway I had checked both directions to see if any cars were coming first and seeing on one at all I was on my way. I stayed on the left hand side of the road and skated along. Soon I heard a car coming up from behind me and checked over my shoulder. I assumed the car would go by me as I was hugging the curb and not out in the lane. Well, that didn’t happen. The next thing I know I am hit from behind and thrown onto the road in front of the car. Ouch, that hurt, but I got to my knees and looked directly in the eyes of the driver who was a 20 something girl with her cell phone on and in her hand. I was furious! I screamed at her as I got up to see if I was ok and then with adrenaline flowing continued on my way. My left knee hurt, but at that time, not enough to stop skating which is what I wanted to do. I also just wanted to get away from that sniveling woman with the cell phone still in her hand. No I didn’t stay and call the police which I don’t regret to this day. I skated in pain for another 4k until I had to give up and go home. By the next day I was unable to walk and after a visit to the ER I found out I had fractured my leg. That ended my rollerblading for the rest of that year.

I was careful before the accident, but now I am extremely aware of the cars I come in contact with and am astounded each time I go out at the complete disregard for safety and common sense from most of them. Each and every day I see example after example of drivers who simply don’t care and consider themselves as ‘owning the road’. I see women doing makeup, drivers constantly on their cell phone, drivers texting, and eating. Even if a driver is not doing any of these things I watch time and time again as they pull up to the intersection, look down the street and pull right up onto the crosswalk without looking to see if a walker, cyclist, jogger, or rollerblader is there.

People, a crosswalk isn’t for parking your car on, it’s for pedestrians and pedestrians only. I shouldn’t have to slow to a crawl and almost come to a stop in the middle of the crosswalk because I cannot trust a car to stop before the crosswalk. I have to so there is a problem. Give this a try, stop before the crosswalk and look down the road you want to turn onto. Then when you are sure there is no pedestrians around, pull forward and onto the crosswalk and look down the road once again. Chances are the view is just the same as when you stopped before the crosswalk.

When I approach my crossing point and I see someone blatantly stop on the crosswalk, I try and do a little education. I usually point to the crosswalk and look at them. Seems harmless and something I have every right to to. Not according to these drivers. I have been sworn at, spit at and honked at with no provocation on my part. I simply do not have to go around you and out into the intersection just to cross the road; the law says so.

Keep in mind that if you hit someone crossing the road on a crosswalk, it is you and not the pedestrian who will be in trouble. You may injure them or even kill them and then face the law you so blatently thumbed your nose at.

I will then get the last laugh.

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There are two parts to this that once again have me shaking my head. Firstly, ‘rednecks‘ come to mind. The guys are standing at the side of a pond shooting helpless ducks for a thrill and having the time of their lives all the while thinking what a ‘blast‘ to put it up on YouTube where everyone else will get a good laugh.

Where do I start with this one? I’m not a hunter and I don’t own a gun, but I do know people who do hunt and I can live with that, but this? This is ugly. These guys are seriously short upstairs to have fun doing this and then to put it on the web. Are you shaking your head too?

The update is that they have had their day in court and pleaded guilty after being charged with 15 counts of violating federal and provincial wildlife protection laws. Two of them were fined $5000 and the other $6000 and all have been given a 3 year hunting license ban. Their guns were also confiscated.

I can live with the penalties they received, but for me the word euthanasia comes to mind.

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Anyone can be driving wherever and minding their own business and suddenly one of these cars just blows by you. You know it because all you had time to do is gasp “holy f&*%”!

It’s a mentality spreading like a virus that enters the body instantly when guys get together and talk fast cars, then transforms the brain much like an addictive narcotic does, giving the driver the name of their favorite race car driver. Astonishing isn’t it! Now, I’m certainly not making a joke of something I find totally outlandish so don’t take my sarcasm in any other way than that.

How about reality. The street racing law as we have it in Ontario comes into effect when you are caught 50k/h (30 miles/h) over the posted speed limit. Some say that that’s not really that much for a street racing law, but if I say driving 50k/h over the limit in a 50k/h (30 miles/h) zone, a zone very popular in and around residential areas, areas with a lot of pedestrians, areas with a lot of traffic lights and you now find yourself at highway speed.

Recently there was a 20 something guy clocked at 210k/h in a 80k/h zone (130miles/hr in a 50mile/hr zone). Does this make any sense? Does he know how far you travel ever 2 seconds? If he did the math maybe he would think, something he and all the others clearly don’t do too often. Do they know what they will do to another car if they hit it at that speed? Maybe I’ll answer that question with another. Do they care?

Watch NASCAR or F1 (I prefer F1) and look at the facts. They drive very fast indeed, but they have trained for this for a long long time. They drive cars meant to drive that fast. They drive on controlled tracks where the only other drivers on the track are professional race car drivers. They have more in the way of safety regulations than you can shake a stick at.

To those who do this ‘dumb’ and criminal behavior I hope you are fully prepared for all of the very harsh consequences when you kill someone. If you kill yourself, oh well.

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