Letters to the Editor
SeanBlader
Published Letters: 61 Editor's Choice: 3
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By all means go fast, but do it right
[Read the article: My backroad memorial]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Susan, start here:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=rally+crash+compilation+1
Make sure to notice that most rally crashes occur from cars being in the air.
I too love going fast, but there's definitely a time and place to do it. Being in California, there are a lot of options available to take your speed demoness to the next level. A few hours north you can get to Button Willow Raceway. http://www.buttonwillowraceway.com/ More expensively you can get to Laguna Seca and their official driving school which I think is run by Bob Bondurant. In my opinion for the money take a 2 night 1 day trip up to Thunderhill. They run a High Performance Driving School at least 2 or 3 times a year where they'll teach you to drive YOUR car to it's and your best ability. Granted you may not want to take out the '95 Mercury Villager, but maybe you can replace it for a more performance minded vehicle.
There are numerous benefits to taking some track time. First, if you run with one of the track groups below, it's not expensive, usually less than $250 for 6 to 8 30 minute track sessions. You'll want a hotel room, and you'll NEED an M2005 or SA2005 rated helmet, but they can be had for around $150 and it'll last you 15 years for the certification. Those are your costs, other than gas and wear and tear, which is probably easier on the engine than LA traffic. Second, get your aggressions out and drive safer for yourself, your kids, and the kids that are near the railroad crossing next to school Third, save yourself the extreme amount that a speeding/reckless driving ticket would cost you in a school zone, yikes. Fourth, you become a more skilled driver, understanding the dynamics of tires and pavement, springs and chassis, it's a beautiful thing.
Before I list the open track groups, you should know I don't have any incentive to advertise for them other than to keep the roads safe. I'm not affiliated with them in any way other than me being another customer of theirs.
http://www.team-racing.org/
Very organized, lunch is often catered, prize drawings, if you visit one of their Thunderhill events they have a Photographer that comes out and will take pictures of you on course, very cool. They don't often get out to the big name tracks, Mazda or Infinion Raceway's, but will have events at most other road courses within 300 miles. They have volunteer drivers from the advanced group go out with the novice drivers, no addition charge.
http://www.unlimitedlaps.com/
I haven't run with them yet, but I hear good things. Catered lunches, lots of events, and they'll go to Mazda Raceway as well. Those events are usually more expensive because the racetrack is pricy to rent for the day.
http://www.thunderhill.com/
Usually you can get away with your insurance covering one of their High Performance Driving Schools, because it technically IS a school. They have classroom time, they have different structured events to help you maximize your brakes, your turning technique, etc. Your $235 (currently) gets you lunch, t-shirt, and an all day instructor. The track at Thunderhill is very challenging, and has some great features for a beginning driver.
Again, take advantage of the opportunity to speed when it's safe.
-Sean
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Blah blah blah
[Read the article: Al Gore: Ask not, what semiconductors can do for you]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Just because he uses a lot of electricity, and flies a lot, and didn't invent the internet, doesn't mean he's wrong about the climate change.
And even if he is wrong, is that a gamble that you want to take?
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Mary wins
[Read the article: Harry Potter and the prediction pool]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"And that even if the scars don't heal, they get to the place where they don't hurt anymore."
I love it. I hope dearly this is what happens. Harry gets Cho in the end, Ron and Hermione finally for once save Harry and get to take out Voldemort in the process.
In my heart, I expect Harry to give his life to take out Voldemort and save the world, but still that sucks. Sure it happens, and you can't always win, but that doesn't mean we can't hope for the world to be a better place, and thereby put that in our writings. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the good guy gets the girl in the end, and they ride off into the sunset, happily ever after.
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For those with the inability to delete
[Read the article: Empty thine in-box]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Put stuff in the trash, but don't take out the trash, ever. I have 6 messages in my inbox that I eventually want to do something in regards to them, as another poster said, it's my to-do list. Right now it contains 2 online purchase reciepts that I'm awaiting shipment on, and a note for myself, and 3 from friends, that I'll reply to today. And then in my trash and sent boxes I have email going back to 1999. I expect to have that trash box until I fill up the system drive, fortunately drive capacity is growing faster than I have email coming in.
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Don't be evil
[Read the article: Goodbye, Harry Potter]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Seeing as there's still a few billion people who haven't read it, isn't it probably a good idea to not go and ruin it by putting a questionable headline that will get sent to RSS feeds all over the web? That would save Salon's reputation and probably not disenfranchise most of your readers.