.:harleyghost:. deal with it

Motorcycle Inspection Stations in Texas

After searching for nearly an hour. I finely found a NON-COMMERCIAL inspection station locator. I thought I would pass along this link ... in case someone else might need it. Of course it has regular inspections for cars and such as well.

Texas DPS Inspection Station Locator

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It's National Sound Week in Mexico?

from this article.

By Chris Hawley, USA TODAY

MEXICO CITY — From the earsplitting whistles of yam vendors to the squeeze horns of bakers delivering bread, Mexico can be a cacophony of strange sounds.

A series of four notes on a pan flute means the scissor-sharpening man is in the neighborhood. A ringing hand bell means the garbage truck is here. In parks on weekends, balloon vendors announce themselves with a buzzing plastic whistle.

The sounds are not just noise, say some. They are part of Mexico's culture, and the government is celebrating them, including "sound walks" through cities, performances of recorded street noise and a contest to choose "The Most Beautiful Sound in Mexico."

"People who come from other countries may be bothered by all this noise, but for Mexicans, these sounds are part of our identity," said Álvaro Hegewisch, director of Mexico's Fonoteca Nacional, or National Audio Archive.

GALLERY: The sounds of Mexico

To capitalize on the street sounds, the government has declared this week to be National Sound Week, which runs through Sunday.

During the week, government-run radio stations will play two-minute segments featuring Mexico's "endangered sounds," such as the tip-tap of cobblers hammering nails into leather or the notoriously out-of-tune organs played by Mexico City's organ grinders.

One spot features the sound of typing on manual typewriters used by public scribes or typists who serve illiterate Mexicans. The scribes fill out legal documents, government forms or take dictation for letters for customers and are found seated behind desks on sidewalks next to government offices and courts. The scribes are becoming fewer in number as literacy rises in Mexico.

Source: USA Today

rest of the story here.

You can sue a "book" by looking at it's url

Image via Wikipedia

I know I kinda of changed up the song there a little bit ... oh, some of you didn't know there was a song called ... You can't judge a book by looking at the cover. It's an old Bo Diddley blues tune.

You can't judge an apple by looking at a tree
You can't judge honey by looking at the bee
You can't judge a daughter by looking at the mother
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover

But ... Facebook is suing a little start up company for using 'book' in it's name and website.

Teachbook.com has two employees and fewer than 20 users signed up for its free Web community. The site has yet to officially launch.

But the Northbrook, Ill.-based company, which provides tools for teachers to manage their classrooms and share lesson plans and other resources, has been thrust into the spotlight by social networking giant Facebook, which sued the start-up for using “book” in its name.

“We’ve been sitting here scratching our heads for the last couple of days,” Teachbook’s managing director, Greg Shrader, told the Tribune on Wednesday. “We’re trying to understand how Facebook, a multibillion-dollar company, feels this small enterprise in Chicago is any type of threat.” [via chicagobreakingbusiness.com]

Facebook argued in the lawsuit. “That would dilute the distinctiveness of the Facebook Marks.”

Are you serious? This is laughable ... maybe Facebook will end up looking dogeared.

American Idiom: Bouched up

I love idioms. An idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made.There are estimated to be at least 25,000 idiomatic expressions in American English. [via wikipedia]

The usage of Bouched Up:

Man, you really bouched up that song tonight.

Meaning of Bouched Up:

Made a mess of, Jacked up, Substandard

The origin of Bouched Up:

Sir Thomas Bouch designed a bridge that was built at the Tay estuary at Dundee in Scotland. It was supposed to be the greatest structure built in Victorian England. The building of the Tay rail bridge culminated in him being knighted. The Tay bridge was nearly two miles long, consisting of 85 spans and at the time (1879) was the longest bridge in the world.
    One stormy night, only 19 months after the bridge was declared safe by the Board of Trade and opened to traffic in the summer of 1878, the wind caused some of its spans to collapse. A train and 6 carriages and 75 souls were lost that night ranking it as the worst accident caused by structural failure in the history of England. Sir Thomas Bouch died only 10 months after the failure. [via American Idioms]

Ah, only in America can we take someones tragedy and make it a common phrase.

Two universities adopt Wii Fit to monitor football concussions

Image via Wikipedia

from this article.

As it turns out, there are quite a few uses for a $100 off-the-shelf computerized scale, above and beyond getting fit -- Nintendo's Wii Balance Board is now providing a mechanism by which college football teams at Ohio State University and the University of Maryland can cheaply determine whether players are suffering from concussions. Taking the place of force plate machines that can cost tens of thousands of dollars, the white plastic boards measure students' balance (using yoga poses) and coordination (in Table Tilt) before a game, to provide a frame of reference against which trainers can measure whether athletes are fit to keep playing. Though some scholars found Wii Fit didn't stack up favorably against the expensive force plates, the universities trialing the system called it "pretty decent," so the question is whether Nintendo's peripheral offers a reasonable enough benchmark for the price. We suppose the American Heart Association liked it well enough.

Source: Engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/23/two-universities-adopt-wii-fit-to-monitor-football-concussions/

Toddler walks two blocks to reach medical help for her father

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

from this article.

(CNN) -- Alesaundra Tafoya's parents have been teaching their daughter about safety in their Northern California community, pointing out such safe havens as fire stations if she ever finds herself in trouble.

They weren't, however, expecting 3-year-old Alesaundra to call upon those lessons when one of them needed help -- but that's exactly what she did Friday when her father collapsed in their Manteca, California, home.

Frank Tafoya told CNN affiliate KOVR that he "took a mixture of medication I wasn't supposed to at the time -- a bed-time dose -- and I guess I collapsed."

Alesaundra did exactly what she was taught -- walking two blocks to reach Fire Station 243, a firehouse the family passes daily.

Once there, she told firefighters that her dad was "frozen" and wouldn't wake up, according to KOVR.

"I've been here over 20 years," Capt. Robert Villalovoz said. "It's the first time I've had a 3-year-old walk up to the fire station."

Alesaundra then escorted rescuers back to her house, where her father was "sitting in the living room, needing medical care," Villalovoz said.

Doctors told KOVR that without the prompt medical attention, Frank Tafoya would have died.

"She's been listening," her mother said Saturday. "What we've been teaching her she's been listening and that's good."

Source: CNN

Bike Covered Building in Berlin

from this article.

Christian Petersen is the creative genius behind this bicycle-covered bike shop. This German bike shop is covered with over 100 bicycles, drawing attention and business at the same time.

The bike-covered building is quite a sight to see. How Christian Petersen managed to get those bikes up there is a mystery to me. Check out the gallery to see the bicycle-covered building. If you want to see the building in real life, you’ll have to travel to Berlin. Better book your ticket now.

Source: Trend Hunter
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/christian-petersen

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Vince Vaughn and his Mom jump out of plane at Chicago Air show

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

from this article.

Vince Vaughn soars during a tandem jump with the Golden Knights at the Chicago Air and Water Show Saturday, August 14, 2010. (William DeShazer/Chicago Tribune)

Vince Vaughn was told he could have a guest join him for his skydiving stunt during the 52nd annual Chicago Air and Water show on Saturday, so the 40-year-old actor and Lake Forest native brought his Mom -- naturally.

The Vaughns and the Golden Knights, the Army’s parachute team, jumped from an estimated 12,500 feet shortly before 11 a.m. and touched down onto the sand at North Avenue Beach.

As was the case when fellow actor Bill Murray took the plunge with the Golden Knights in 2008, the mother and son, decked out in yellow and black, "Kill Bill"-like jumpsuits, were each strapped to a Golden Knights parachutist for the tandem jump.

More on this ...

Source: Chicago Tribune
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/about-last-night/2010/08/vince-vaughn-jumps-out-of-plane-at-chicago-air-and-water-show.html

Betty White Nabs Emmy

Image by greginhollywood via Flickr

from this article.
She won for being naughty on the subject of muffins, and he won – twice – for singing and dancing.

Betty White's Facebook-generated Saturday Night Live hosting gig and Neil Patrick Harris's turns as Tonys host and special guest star on Glee landed both veteran TV stars in the winners' circle at Saturday night's Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.

Though White, 88, was not at the Nokia Theater to collect her prize (her Snickers ad was also up for TV's highest honor), presenters John Lithgow and Clyde Phillips accepted on her behalf.

more on this ...

Source: People

He's Back

Well, after being off the harleyghost typepad site for a long time ... I have returned. I am amazed that it is still up! It's not that I have not been blogging ... just not here. But, when I found through a google search ... I paid my $42. a year ... noticed that everyone else is paying a lot more these days ... but typepad honored what I got in for years ago. My stats were still in place ... and well ... I missed these types of blog posts ... it will probably take me a bit to get around the dashboard. But you can expect some interesting stuff coming your way. With that said ... we will see you soon.

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