There are challenging issues for riders to look at - there always will be I guess, seems to be the nature of our lifestyle. My heart broke for the widow of a Bracknell England biker.
You see her husband and the father of their three children was killed by a driver who made a right hand turn (the equivalent of a left hand turn here). Although the driver of the Mercedes was charged and convicted with careless driving causing death, all he got was a suspended sentence, 15 months prohibition from driving and 150 hours of community service. The widow, Nicola Hazel, is furious. Her three daughters have to grow up without a dad and she is asking the same question that Shirley Plourde's family in Nova Scotia is asking - is that all a human life is worth? (The driver who killed Shirley got a $160 fine)
I feel frustrated sometimes that there are so many challenging and sometimes painful things that we need to discuss and work through, so I find it refreshing when there are really good and positive things to balance it out with and today we have a few great things to share!
Our good friends at RevZilla have a wonderful contest going on right now. Your chance to win a $500 Gift Card...the rules are really simple:
Entry 1 (Required): Leave a comment to their blog (http://bmwmoarally.com/) about what touring or adventure riding means to you. Keep it short, 2–3 sentences max. Limit 1 comment.
Entry 2: Tweet: “I’ve entered http://bmwmoarally.com/motorcycle-adventure-blog-contest hosted by www.revzilla.com”. (let us know in the comment section you tweeted). Limit 1 tweet.
Entry 3: To gain an additional 10 more entries, write a brief blog post (at least 3 - 5 sentences) that links to http://bmwmoarally.com/motorcycle-adventure-blog-contest and to www.RevZilla.com. (let us know in the comment section you posted). Limit 1 post.
The deadline for entries is Tuesday, October 30th. The winner will be chosen at random using www.random.org and will be announced Monday, October 31st.
If you don't have a blog you can post your comment here to fill requirement 3!
Spend 10 minutes to fulfill the requirements and you could find yourself with $500 to spend on great gear - now that's a pretty good gig if you ask me! I don't know how many of you have ever checked out RevZilla but they really do have a great selection of gear and you can use your gift card towards tires and other accessories!
Today is paper day for many of you, the National Weekly Newspaper, The Busted Knuckle Chronicles get's delivered via the weekly provincial and regional newsletters we send out every Thursday, 48 times a year. The newspaper features stories from across the country, stories submitted by riders just like you and the newsletter has all of the last minute stuff, from your province or region that didn't hit the paper.
In January of 2011 I had set a target of 5,000 registered members & newspaper subscribers on our site by December 31st, 2011.
You see her husband and the father of their three children was killed by a driver who made a right hand turn (the equivalent of a left hand turn here). Although the driver of the Mercedes was charged and convicted with careless driving causing death, all he got was a suspended sentence, 15 months prohibition from driving and 150 hours of community service. The widow, Nicola Hazel, is furious. Her three daughters have to grow up without a dad and she is asking the same question that Shirley Plourde's family in Nova Scotia is asking - is that all a human life is worth? (The driver who killed Shirley got a $160 fine)
And I quote: After sentencing, Nicola, who has three children with Steve, said: “As a family we feel disgusted and outraged that Mr Donne has escaped a prison sentence and only received a 15-month disqualification from driving and 150 hours’ community service.
“Is that all a man’s life is worth?
“As for the 36-week suspended sentence, I see that as nothing.
“We feel a custodial sentence and at the very least a three to four-year driving ban would have acknowledged Nicholas Donne’s complete lack of humanity and remorse, both immediately at the scene of the accident and for the past 15 months of hell he has put us through.
“In court he lied under oath to try and blame a dead man for his own actions – a man who he knew was no longer here to defend himself.” End Quote
So you see folks, these injustices do not just happen here in Canada or in the US - they happen all over the world, it's sad but true that it appears that we riders, our lives and our families are not considered very valuable in the courts eyes - the laws do not really express justice. Civil court is the only place this gal will get any compensation to raise three daughters, I find that so hard to swallow. It appears to me that the "Justice" system is not just broken here, but everywhere. We are not isolated in these occurrences.
I wonder if there are any solutions out there? Is there anything we as riders could do to turn the tides, see some changes happen... What would happen if 600,000 voices united for this one cause? If we all wrote our MLA's, our MP's...They might not listen to one person, but 600,000, I think there is a good chance they'd listen then... I wonder what we could, how much positive change could we effect if we all decided to take ten minutes...
What say you? Join the discussion here or on Facebook, Twitter or our web site! I'd love to hear from you.
“Is that all a man’s life is worth?
“As for the 36-week suspended sentence, I see that as nothing.
“We feel a custodial sentence and at the very least a three to four-year driving ban would have acknowledged Nicholas Donne’s complete lack of humanity and remorse, both immediately at the scene of the accident and for the past 15 months of hell he has put us through.
“In court he lied under oath to try and blame a dead man for his own actions – a man who he knew was no longer here to defend himself.” End Quote
So you see folks, these injustices do not just happen here in Canada or in the US - they happen all over the world, it's sad but true that it appears that we riders, our lives and our families are not considered very valuable in the courts eyes - the laws do not really express justice. Civil court is the only place this gal will get any compensation to raise three daughters, I find that so hard to swallow. It appears to me that the "Justice" system is not just broken here, but everywhere. We are not isolated in these occurrences.
I wonder if there are any solutions out there? Is there anything we as riders could do to turn the tides, see some changes happen... What would happen if 600,000 voices united for this one cause? If we all wrote our MLA's, our MP's...They might not listen to one person, but 600,000, I think there is a good chance they'd listen then... I wonder what we could, how much positive change could we effect if we all decided to take ten minutes...
What say you? Join the discussion here or on Facebook, Twitter or our web site! I'd love to hear from you.
I feel frustrated sometimes that there are so many challenging and sometimes painful things that we need to discuss and work through, so I find it refreshing when there are really good and positive things to balance it out with and today we have a few great things to share!
Our good friends at RevZilla have a wonderful contest going on right now. Your chance to win a $500 Gift Card...the rules are really simple:
Entry 1 (Required): Leave a comment to their blog (http://bmwmoarally.com/) about what touring or adventure riding means to you. Keep it short, 2–3 sentences max. Limit 1 comment.
Entry 2: Tweet: “I’ve entered http://bmwmoarally.com/motorcycle-adventure-blog-contest hosted by www.revzilla.com”. (let us know in the comment section you tweeted). Limit 1 tweet.
Entry 3: To gain an additional 10 more entries, write a brief blog post (at least 3 - 5 sentences) that links to http://bmwmoarally.com/motorcycle-adventure-blog-contest and to www.RevZilla.com. (let us know in the comment section you posted). Limit 1 post.
The deadline for entries is Tuesday, October 30th. The winner will be chosen at random using www.random.org and will be announced Monday, October 31st.
If you don't have a blog you can post your comment here to fill requirement 3!
Spend 10 minutes to fulfill the requirements and you could find yourself with $500 to spend on great gear - now that's a pretty good gig if you ask me! I don't know how many of you have ever checked out RevZilla but they really do have a great selection of gear and you can use your gift card towards tires and other accessories!
Today is paper day for many of you, the National Weekly Newspaper, The Busted Knuckle Chronicles get's delivered via the weekly provincial and regional newsletters we send out every Thursday, 48 times a year. The newspaper features stories from across the country, stories submitted by riders just like you and the newsletter has all of the last minute stuff, from your province or region that didn't hit the paper.
In January of 2011 I had set a target of 5,000 registered members & newspaper subscribers on our site by December 31st, 2011.
We are at 4,330 members! SOOO close! Ali and I have been offering free newspaper subscriptions & membership at www.beltdrivebetty.com for every rider who joins our Canadian Riders Support Network. The support network is all about making your information available for fellow riders to contact you if they get jammed up while on the road. We have helped a few riders through this network and think you'll find it's comforting to know that no matter where you travel in this great and vast land, there is a good chance we can find you some help along the way.
Our wonderful sponsors - Intercon Messaging man a 24 hour rider support line (1-866-765-6718) that can assist you finding some support & if you like they can also track you during your travels - just so someone knows where you are and can send help if you don't check in. There are travel specials and other great informational tools for our members and we can even help you find the events you want to travel to and check out. Heck - we even have fantastic special pricing on Roadside Assistance for our members!
So - if you think being part of a support network is something you could do, that you might find valuable - we say thank you by adding you to our web site membership so that you can take advantage of the free classified ads we offer, the daily news feeds, the jokes, all of the other great information our web site has and all of the benefits like the Never Ride Alone Program, the Discounts PLUS the free newspaper and newsletter that is delivered in one tidy email every Thursday.
Join us as we continue on the path to greater information, communication and a bigger sense of community right across this fair land. It's free - just register at: http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/index.php/canadian-riders/apply-to-be-a-canadian-rider
Our wonderful sponsors - Intercon Messaging man a 24 hour rider support line (1-866-765-6718) that can assist you finding some support & if you like they can also track you during your travels - just so someone knows where you are and can send help if you don't check in. There are travel specials and other great informational tools for our members and we can even help you find the events you want to travel to and check out. Heck - we even have fantastic special pricing on Roadside Assistance for our members!
So - if you think being part of a support network is something you could do, that you might find valuable - we say thank you by adding you to our web site membership so that you can take advantage of the free classified ads we offer, the daily news feeds, the jokes, all of the other great information our web site has and all of the benefits like the Never Ride Alone Program, the Discounts PLUS the free newspaper and newsletter that is delivered in one tidy email every Thursday.
Join us as we continue on the path to greater information, communication and a bigger sense of community right across this fair land. It's free - just register at: http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/index.php/canadian-riders/apply-to-be-a-canadian-rider
In other news:
Polaris has bought a minority stake in Brammo Inc - the Electric Motorcycle Company.
An American Barber goes on a Spirit Ride every September...it's truly a wonderful story about giving and paying it forward that I encourage you to read!
Michigan is one step closer to a new helmet law
A 1894 Roper Motorcycle is expected to set a world record for its selling price when it goes to auction in January - there is only one other known Roper and it is on display at the Smithsonian!
H-D Shares are up on unconfirmed talk that Harley-Davidson might be the subject of a leveraged buyout
I wish you a wondrous day...
Polaris has bought a minority stake in Brammo Inc - the Electric Motorcycle Company.
An American Barber goes on a Spirit Ride every September...it's truly a wonderful story about giving and paying it forward that I encourage you to read!
Michigan is one step closer to a new helmet law
A 1894 Roper Motorcycle is expected to set a world record for its selling price when it goes to auction in January - there is only one other known Roper and it is on display at the Smithsonian!
H-D Shares are up on unconfirmed talk that Harley-Davidson might be the subject of a leveraged buyout
I wish you a wondrous day...
Until tomorrow,
Belt Drive Betty
Rider & Editor
Belt Drive Betty
Rider & Editor
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