Bizarre weather all across Canada and Tragedy in QC.

Today is Day 22 of my Bikers United Conga and so far it's went very well.  Sure there's been a few challenges along the way but I'm having a wonderful time meeting up with old friends and making new, taking in breath-taking scenery, each day a new adventure.  

That said, I'm troubled by the news coverage I watch at night before I hit the hay.  My heart goes out to all those who are suffering this summer from the bizarre weather, those folks in Calgary, High River and other flood ravaged areas, now including Toronto!  The sudden hail-storms in Airdrie and Cochrane.  The 19 brave firefighters that lost their lives in Arizona.  My thoughts and prayers go out to to the victims and their families of the town of Lac-Megantic.  Their recent train disaster, such a terrible tragedy, the scope of which is still unfolding. 

Thoughts from the Road - 

Belt Drive Betty

Sad news out of Quebec + the era of the Bionic man?

There is news out of Drummondville QC that a badly decomposed body has been found just off of highway 55. According to the article in the Montreal Gazette:
"The body was found close to exit 88 in Richmond on the rural road and nearby was a smashed-up motorcycle, the SQ said. Investigators from the SQ were on site Tuesday to try to ascertain the circumstances of the death."

It is suspected that the remains are that of Erick Lachapelle, 35, who was last seen at 1 a.m. on July 19 leaving a bar in Windsor on his motorcycle. The bar is 20 kilometres away from where the remains were found.

I feel for his family and friends, but perhaps this mystery is now over and they will get some closure.

The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago will be testing it's ground breaking bionic leg Sunday when Zac Vawter attempts to climb 103 flights of stairs to the top of Chicago's Willis Tower, one of the world's tallest skyscrapers.

According to the article in the Ottawa Citizen, Zac Vawter considers himself a test pilot. After losing his right leg in a motorcycle accident, the 31-year-old software engineer signed up to become a research subject, helping to test a trail-blazing prosthetic leg that's controlled by his thoughts.

It will be a huge boon to those who loose limbs in crashes and through illness!

Now for something straight out of the bizarre files... a Saudi Sheikh is causing a huge controversy because he was caught riding on a motorcycle

Apparently there are those who think this Sheikh should not be riding on a motorcycle and are attempting to put that theory to the test by asking if the Koran would approve... Well, I am not sure how  the prophet Mohammed would have viewed this behaviour but I for one don't see it as an issue, but then again I don't live in Saudi Arabia..what are your thoughts?

I'd love to hear them!

There is a ton of news in the feeds today that just might affect your day or life as a rider, visit www.beltdrivebetty.com where our work is keeping You informed!

Today we kick off a special contest - Belt Drive Betty & Johnny Pag Motorcycles have a secret.

If you guess what that secret is you could win some wonderful swag from Johnny Pag and Belt Drive Betty!  It's a simple and easy contest - you just log in at www.beltdrivebetty.com and go to the contest page - type your guess into the comments box and wait until December 13th when we reveal our big secret and announce the winners of the swag!

We are also sponsoring the BikerGeo contest.

Lots of ways to grab your BDB Swag including buying it at our store: www.bdbstore.com 

It's Thursday, which means it is paper day!  The Busted Knuckle Chronicles is filled with wonderful articles from the CMDRA, travel stories and a special feature on a lady rider that intends to light the USA up with a passionate fire! Joan Krenning from Design Wraps Brands (Riders Wraps) has an incredible story to share! Read all about it in this weeks paper! If you don't get the Busted Knuckle Chronicles, you are missing out on some great news and stories! You could wait until next week to read the stories on line OR you could get our newspaper delivered to you and read it while it's still news! Why not subscribe today?

Have a fabulous day and stay safe, warm and dry....

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Utterly Disgraceful...

An article today in the Chronicle Herald tells us how the Parti Quebecois removed the Canadian flag from its spot in the legislature: Begin Quote -
as mem­bers of the pro-independence Parti Quebecois took the oath of office Monday.

The removal of the Maple Leaf was part of a long-standing see­saw ritual: it had been long ab­sent in the legislature but was restored nine years ago when Jean Charest’s Liberals took office and placed it next to the Quebec flag at the Speaker’s chair in the building’s cere­monial chamber.

It was gone again Monday as the PQ’s 54-member caucus took the oath of office in the ornate old upper chamber, known as the Red Room, where the Quebec Fleur-de-lis was once again standing alone. End Quote...

As much as I love this country, as much as I have family ties to Quebec, as much as I want to see our country united, perhaps it is time that the rest of Canada vote on whether or not we want to keep Quebec as a part of Canada.

In so many ways Canada would be better off without the bully that is the PQ. We would be poorer for loosing the beauty that is Quebec but the nasty politics of that province do so much to hurt our pride and unity that perhaps it is time to give up the dream of a united Canada...

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this topic...

Should the rest of Canada ask Quebec to either join us properly in being Canadian or simply ask them to leave?

No transfer payments - get your own currency...what say you?

In other news:

In BC, a rider is in serious condition after a crash that closed the Massey Tunnel

In Manitoba, no charges will be laid in a crash that killed a rider near Shoal Lake

In Ontario, a 38 year old Brampton man is dead after a crash in Caledon

In St Louis Mo, the Ride of the Century had some serious troubles

In Australia, they are considering legalizing lane splitting or filtering to ease congestion

There is a ton of news in the feeds today that may affect your day or life as a rider, to see what's happening around the block or around the world visit www.beltdrivebetty.com where our work is keeping You informed...

I leave you with a few giggles shared with me by friends on Facebook and via email and after the PQ's latest stunt I think we all need a giggle...

Have a safe and happy Tuesday,

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Cycle Logic owner, Johnny Newcome charged

Police have charged Johnny Newcome of Cycle Logic with "with numerous offences related to the possession and trafficking of stolen property" according to the Vancouver Sun

The article claims that members of the Throttle Lockers, The Kingpin Crew and the Hells Angels are also accused of trafficking in stolen vehicles.

According to an article from the CBC:

"Insp. Rick Flewelling said the RCMP allege that the man, and perhaps others, targeted high-end vehicles that were pre-ordered by customers.

"Somebody's put an order in for it. They've gone out, They've stolen it, brought it in,'re-VINned' it and then sold it off," he said.

In other cases, the garage apparently processed vehicles that were reported stolen by the Hells Angels themselves, police said.

In one instance, police allege the president of the Kelowna Hells Angels chapter reported two vehicles as stolen, and the vehicles were later processed at the garage.

Police also recovered three stolen vehicles that were allegedly in the possession of the Calgary-based Southland Hells Angels chapter.

In total, police recovered about $750,000 worth of stolen vehicles and machinery as part of the investigation."

It's a sad thing to hear, because this used to be a shop with a great reputation - if proved to be true, then it's over, if not true - the shop will probably never recover it's once good name...I guess time will tell us some semblance of the truth...

Now to a non motorcycle related issue - that of the elections in Quebec...
What are your thoughts on PQ Leader Pauline Marois and her minority mandate.
How do you think this is going to affect Canadian Politics? What is this going to do to the unity in our country?

In my mind, the worst thing to happen in this country was the Parti Quebecois.  The theme of separatism is one I find hard to deal with.

I grew up in a household where my father, who had once attempted to learn French, was firmly against anyone speaking a language he could not understand.
He had had a cruel joke played on him, and his efforts to please his wife had him thrown out of the hospital room she was in - for whatever it was he was taught to say by a supposed friend.

His mistrust was earned by experience - he could have chosen to go to school and learn the language properly but chose instead to hold on to his fear and distrust.  It was hard for my family, as my mother was an Acadian and many of her family had moved to Quebec.  They all spoke French as their first language.

It concerns me deeply, as a member of a French and English blended family and as a proud Canadian that many in Quebec want to separate from Canada.

This country is so beautiful, it is so magnificent and the very thought of it being pulled apart is like tearing my family apart.

AND YET...

I feel very strongly that it is wrong on so many levels that they have their French language law that discriminates against the English & Others from different ethnic backgrounds of their province.

I think it is wrong to divide our country in this fashion - the French VS the English, French VS Jewish etc. - can't we ever get to a point in this country where we are all Canadians first?

If you are a citizen of this country, couldn't we all speak the Universal Language of English for our jobs and speak whatever language, be it French, Italian, German, Ukrainian etc at home and with our friends?  Couldn't our Governments simply offer translation services for those just learning or who have had a tough time mastering English instead of having two official languages?   And laws that force the point?

Did the Japanese, the Ukrainians, the Polish, the Irish, the Scots and all of the immigrants before and since not offer something to the growth of this country?  Why are they discriminated against by virtue of this language "barrier"?

We ALL came from somewhere else be it through hundreds of years of ancestry or today's immigration system.  Even the "Natives" the First Nations people came from somewhere else to settle here in the country we call Canada.

So why, why can't we all use one common language to work from and to celebrate our chosen heritage and celebrate our familial heritage in our various local communities and in our families as we see fit to do or not to do?

Why do we have to order people to speak French and English to work for the Federal Government? Why can't it be English and Dutch? OR English and ANY other language?

Quebec is a beautiful province and there are some damned fine people who live and work there...I find this situation to be painful to my heart and the pride and love I feel for this country.

I am a confused human being who only wants her country to be a place where everyone who chooses to live in Canada feels they belong here more than anywhere else in the world and let that be the reason they choose to live here - because the values and morals, the acceptance and tolerance of differences are something to be celebrated,  let these reasons to be Canadian, resonate in their hearts.

If you were born in this country like I was, how do you feel about this situation?
Your family, no doubt has an ethnic background - was it something you held on to with pride?
Were the customs and traditions of your family heritage ignored or celebrated?
Did you feel ostracized, different?

I am a Heinz 57.

I have French, French Canadian, Scots, Polish, English and Irish blood running in my veins.  I have no definable heritage other than being Canadian - I know a little bit about the traditions of these ethnicities but they were never deeply ingrained into me. We made our own traditions and rituals if you will, with little bits of the past and the heritage of all of our blended bloods and mixed them into new ones...ones that celebrated where our ancestors came from but honoured the fact that they and we had CHOSEN to be Canadians.

As a human being, I have the right to choose to live anywhere in this world - provided I meet the requirements of the country I want to immigrate to. No one forces me to live here. I choose to live here.

I guess I am thick - because seriously - I just don't get it - why do we have to have such divisions?

Personally, I don't care who you are, what colour you are - what ethnicity - what I care about is how you treat me and how I treat you.

We all want to feel loved, accepted - we all want to enjoy the fruits of our labours and our love.
We all need food, shelter and clothing...we all have challenges and issues and we all have strengths and weaknesses...we are humans, sharing a magnificent country...in my mind, the operative word here is SHARING...

I'd love your thoughts on this tender topic...

There is a ton of information in the news feeds this morning that may affect your day or life as a rider...check it out at www.beltdrivebetty.com where our work is keeping YOU informed.

I leave you with a few funnies, shared with me by friends on Facebook and through Emails...

Have a fantastic hump day everyone...

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider