The Great Motorcycle Debate! Helmet Or No Helmet?

The debate rages on....!
In this corner you have the freedom camp! Their anthem is something like: "Don't force your stupid helmet laws on us 'cause you're taking away our freedom to choose! I should have the right to decide these things for myself! There's nothing like feelin' the breeze on the open road!"
In the other corner, are people who are afraid they might have to watch or have watched their sons (or some significant other) suffer and/or die because they weren't wearing a helmet.

One Mother's Story
Not only am I the mother of a motorcycle rider, but I'm also someone who has been a motorcycle fan for most of my adult life. My son comes from a family of motorcycle enthusiasts, racers and even has relatives that have been involved in motorcycle manufacturing so we're not novices to the pros and cons of motorcycle riding and the helmet wearing debate.

The Phone Call
It was Sept 28, 2003 when the call came. You know, the one that every mother dreads might happen someday! Well, my someday had arrived. It was the Orlando Medical Center telling me my son had been seriously injured etc. etc. etc. Your mind goes blank and you temporarily go deaf part way through one of those calls so I didn't get all the details. By the way, I live in Massachusetts to make matters worse and at the time had very little money. I managed to get some money and made it to Florida and will never forget my first sight of my son in the ICU. I'll spare you the gory details.

What To Expect
They always try to minimize the prognosis at first, since he was still unconscious, we had to wait to see the extent of brain damage. Yes, they used those words. He had surgery on both sides of his brain--bilateral hematoma. Don't you just love expanding your vocabulary? The projections ran the gamut of possibilities but we had to wait till he woke up.

"The Miracle"
He woke up! The first few days were quite challenging since his personality was very combative at first. He ended up being a very lucky young man due to many factors which I like to think of as "The Miracle".
First, his accident happened at night as he was entering his condo complex which means he had just entered the gate and was going slow. No-one knows exactly what happened but he apparently lost control right there. The nearest unit with a view of the gate was quite a distance away but that's where the second part of "The Miracle" kicked in literally! The horn got stuck! Someone ended up looking out of their window and calling for help! The third part was that the Life Flight helicopter arrived quickly and delivered him to Orlando Medical Center. Finally, one of the best Neurosurgeons in the state was on call and available when my son was brought in. If any of these factors hadn't occurred, he would have died...alone, in the dark, until someone drove into the condo complex.

Residual Effects
It took a while for his personality to get close to his normal sweet self. (My term, not his!) He lost hearing on one side and lost his sense of taste. His short term memory is still spotty but vastly improved from the first few weeks after the accident. He does get headaches but that could be from the stress of running his own pool building business. Yes, he was able to resume his business after a few weeks. He met a wonderful girl and got married and last year had a beautiful son who, of course is a miracle!

So What About The Helmet Debate
I've always worn a helmet even when there were no helmet laws. My son and some other relatives wore them when required by law but if left to their own choosing didn't always wear a helmet. Florida didn't have a helmet law in 2003 so he wasn't wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Would he wear one now? Yes, if he ever gets another motorcycle.
So what about everyone else? I certainly don't presume to tell the world how to live. I'm writing this to give the "freedom camp" something to think about. My son's accident was not on a highway at high speed but, when getting your head clobbered on the pavement/curb, it doesn't take much speed to break your brain! It's the only brain you have and I've seen a lot of people who weren't as lucky as my son and had much more permanent brain damage.

You Decide
So really, you have a serious decision to make. You could decide it's worth the risk for yourself as an individual because you want to feel the wind (bugs?) blowing through your hair. But, don't forget to ask yourself "How will my mother (fill in the blank with any significant other) feel when she gets that call late one night from an Intensive Care Unit or Emergency Room? Will the first thing she thinks be 'Oh God was he wearing a helmet?' Or will she thank God because she knows you always wear a helmet? Like I said you decide!

Thinking of Learning to Scuba Dive? Nothing to Fear!

Scuba diving is a marvelous adventure. The weightlessness of the water, the surreal world of life, shape and color, and the amazing discoveries that can be had beneath the surface of the water are unequaled anywhere else on the earth. And with 71% of our planet covered with water, there is truly much to explore.

As with all sports, scuba diving does require some preparation, but the rewards are well worth the effort.

Maybe you have been one of those who have thought of learning to scuba, but have been kept from even trying because of hesitations and fears of one sort or another. This phenomenon is fairly common, and also easily remedied.

One of the most common fears is of being close to marine creatures. If you have been one of those feeling hesitant about this, some simple education can help. Many fears of being in close proximity with creatures from below the surface of the sea have come from years of misinformation from television and movies. These fears are usually unwarranted.

For example, a few of the oceans' inhabitants such as the shy octopus, the giant squid, and the gentle orca, have each been portrayed at different times as terrible monsters. In reality, none of these creatures are a real threat to human beings at all.

Even the shark, commonly considered to be the most dreaded of all of the ocean's predators, is not the terror that Hollywood has made it out to be. In fact, your chances of dying from a bee sting are far greater than from being attacked by a shark!

Sharks have often mistaken a surfer or a swimmer for a seal or an injured fish, and then easily follow nature's instincts and bite, thinking they have a meal. Interestingly, humans don't even taste that good to sharks, so they usually let go after biting. As a diver, when you are down in the same water with the shark, they are more likely to perceive you as a neighbor, rather than dinner.

Another type of fish that has been the cause of fear is the barracuda. Simply remember that barracudas are attracted to shiny things, and remove all your jewelry before diving. You will then discover that the barracuda is just another curious fish. As a diver, you will be more likely to receive a peck from the miniscule damselfish than a bite from a barracuda.

Some varieties of marine creatures can be hazardous to your health, such as the jellyfish, the Portuguese Man-O-War, the lionfish, scorpionfish, and the rockfish. Learn to identify these creatures so you can keep your distance, and they will gladly avoid you. Then be watchful so you don't happen to get caught up in jellyfish tendrils (with painful, though not fatal, stinging cells), and avoid brushing up against a rockfish with its poisonous spines.

Getting qualified diving instruction will go a long way to allaying any fears. A good instructor will assist you in preparing physically and mentally for an enjoyable diving experience. Then, as you dive more often, you will find yourself getting more comfortable in the water, your air consumption rate will drop because your breathing will relax more and more, and you will find yourself wondering what took you so long to start!

The art of fly fishing

When it comes to fly fishing, tying a knot is not is not the most glamorous of subjects. As any experienced lover of fishing knows, the type of fly makes all the difference when it comes to catching fish. For sports-fishermen, the highest art of fishing is to fly fish.

Normally it takes years of studying these fish, trial and error with different fly patterns, different fishing techniques, different innovation designs and methods with the right focus to get to a place where you understanding these creatures adequately for outstanding results we normally only see the Pro's achieving. Fortunately, with the right focus, we can now be achieving much greater success in much shorter time frames by understanding and taking advantage of these 'Recognition keys', combined with other behavioral patterns of the trout species we are targeting and just some basic skills of fly fishing.

That approach has been enhanced by the use of innovative strategies, tactics and trout fly construction, which have dramatically raised the bar on fly construction, which have dramatically raised the bar on fly fishing success rates. Most reviews about fly fishing gears will help you The Internet offers lots of sites containing reviews of different angling and fly fishing gear as well. As fly fishing experts write most reviews, you can rely on the information.

one of the most passionate sports among anglers, there are two forms of fly-fishing - dry fly fishing and wet fly fishing. There are some steps that should be taken when one is buying fly fishing gear that make it easier to choose among the thousands of products offered. There are a lot of factors to be taken into consideration when choosing a fly fishing rod.

The making of flies to be used in fly fishing really has developed into something of specialized art form. The art of fly fishing will get in go your blood and you will peruse the quite of the streams or the solitude of the ocean beaches to capture you prey. If your group is flying into a remote outpost or lodge, ask the pilot to do a "fly over" of the lake(s) you will be fishing.

Finding the right spot to fly fish needs load of patience; as there are many fly fishing spots all over the world, you need to carefully choose which best suit you. Choosing the right fishing fly may very well make the difference in the quantity and quality of fish you catch on your next trip.

Lessons learned on the stream are the best tips you can acquire anywhere in your quest for learning fly fishing reel, as a poor reel can frustrate even the most talented fly fisher. The fly reel is very important because it dictates how much control the fisher will have over the line.

Generally, when shopping for fly fishing equipment, it is important that you check all the components including ball bearings, precision, etc. With that said and when all is said and done, a family interested in fly fishing does not need to plan a grand holiday to enjoy the sport. But, a fly fishing vacation is also an outdoor sport that needs careful planning; there are number of things to consider.

South Fork Snake River is a wonderful spot for the fly fishing vacation that you are planning. Yellowstone River make the best of a fly fishing vacation. Armed with the stuff I read,I went about to experience Fly Fishing without even going near a body of water.

Hollywood: How the American Movie Industry Was Born

Say "Hollywood" and the words film and television are the first to be associated with the place. A district in Los Angeles in the western United States, Hollywood pretty much encompasses what the American film and television industry is all about. Probably all functions that are required to make a film product can be found in this one location. This includes filming in studios, film editing, post-production and even casting of actors.

Hollywood is every actor's dream. It has given fame and fortune to many names and faces for almost a century. The place has produced hundreds of hit movies, making it the movie capital of the world. This is one of the reasons why many aspiring actors across America try their luck out in Hollywood. They gain quite a decent living off of acting for films and various television shows that are produced there.

The name Hollywood was already existent long before it became synonymous to being a movie powerhouse. In fact, Hollywood wouldn't be what it is if it wasn't for a small troop of actors that ventured into it in 1910. The place was a small village just north of Los Angeles. The very first movie to be filmed there was In Old California. After rumors spread out that California was such a great place to shoot movies, directors from all over America began to bring their projects out west into Hollywood. This is how the American Movie Industry was born.

Today, most motion picture productions still happen in and about Hollywood. But major picture houses have had to build their properties in other place surrounding Hollywood because of the lack of real estate. At present, the only studio left within the limits of Hollywood is Paramount Studios. Other landmarks that can be found are the Kodak Theater and the Hollywood Hotel, which is now home to the famous Oscars. The famous Hollywood Walk of Fame can also be found there. Honorees receive a star based on their lifetime as actors and that star is placed into the ground on the walkway. It forever immortalizes them as key contributors to the success of the film industry.

Aside from being the film industry's powerhouse in movie making and television programming, Hollywood is also home to many venues and theaters that host award shows like the Academy Awards. It is popular among tourists and is known to have one of the best nightlife recreation facilities in the world. For the tourists, they also make their way around the area hoping just to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars that are more than likely to appear on the streets. Music studios have also set up their businesses in Hollywood. One of the most famous companies is Capitol Records on Vine Street. So aside from the growing number of actors and actresses, there is also room for musicians to make their mark in entertainment. And entertainment is what Hollywood is all about.