.| UrbanNerd |.

From an email I received:

Piaggio USA, makers of Vespa, are planning a rolling parade through the streets of Manhattan on Tuesday, May 10, to celebrate Vespa’s 60th anniversary and the launch of its newest model – the LX.
We’re looking for riders of both new and vintage Vespa models to join in for a trip that will interact with both consumers and members of the media at stops around NYC. We’ll be putting riders up the night of May 9 at a great NYC hotel, and those participating have a chance to take part in other LX launch activities on the 10th.

For those interested, here is my contact info:
Anne Green
anne.green@gmail.com
CooperKatz for Piaggio USA

What in the world are the lawmakers thinking? Smith’s bill would require people under 21 to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle or motorized scooter. Riders 21 and older would only be required to wear eye protection and carry proof that they have completed an approved motorcycle safety course. Smith wants to exempt riders who now have motorcycle licenses who were born before Jan. 1, 1986 from having to complete a safety course. His bill also was amended to make not wearing a helmet a so-called secondary offense, like Nebraska’s seat-belt law.
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This is one of the most irresponsible stories I have read in a while about a scooter driver. He did every single things wrong. No license, no isnurance, and he ran from the scene. Most depressing: A motor-scooter rider who was involved in a fatal collision with a pedal cyclist on Blackfriars Bridge in February 2003 has been jailed for 7 months for failing to stop at the scene and not reporting the collision.
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Yes things have been slow… I should fill you all in. Finals have hit and I am buckling under to get my papers done. In addition to finals as I have mentioned before, I am purchasing a house, which is due to complete next week if all things go well. And, of course, there is the Gotham Rally this weekend! I will be bringing my camera with me and posting Gotham Rally pictures and any particular stories or events that may occur.

So… whats up with this weather in NYC? This better not be another slow to come summer where it never gets all warm and yummy. It’s in the freakin 50′s today… the 50′s!!!!!! And worse: rain is forecast for this coming weekendfor the Gotham Rally. AIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!! Stoopid Gods.

Great article on traveling the backroads of italy while on a 1961 Vespa.
I’ve long had a theory that Vespas are a bit like Italians. They are noisy and inconsiderate yet fun to be around. They are impractical and temperamental yet effortlessly stylish. A mix of things that shouldn’t work but somehow do. So I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when a 1961 Vespa proved to be the perfect host as I spent a summer travelling from Milan to Rome in this maddening, invigorating country.
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Making a movie available electronically prior to its release can now result in a three year sentence, thanks to the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act approved Tuesday by the House. The Senate has already passed its own version, and the final bill is expected to be signed by the President.
The bill also calls for three years in cases where a person is caught recording a movie in a theater with a camcorder – and six years for a second offence. It also indemnifies theater operators against all criminal and civil liabilities arising from detaining suspects “in a reasonable manner.” (Welcome to movie jail.)
Since involuntary manslaughter brings, on average, anywhere from 0 to 36 months’ incarceration, one might well question the morality of going harder on those who trade files than on those who negligently cut short the lives of fellow citizens. But the 109th Congress is about nothing if not morality, and it understands well the essential sacredness of the nation’s ruling cartels.
Need I say more?
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I have spoken about the Motorcycle Safety Foundation before. Taking that course was extremely valuable to me and has saved my life in a few situations.
IRVINE, Calif.–April 21, 2005–In response to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration early estimates of motor vehicle crashes released today (“Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Fatalities and Injuries – 2004 Projections”), the Motorcycle Safety Foundation www.msf-usa.org urged riders and motorists to take steps toward reducing motorcycle accidents and fatalities through motorist awareness, removing alcohol from the riding environment, taking an approved rider training course, and wearing proper protective gear when riding.
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Here is an article about an eccesentric couple getting married in Virginia. They decided to wed in a movie theater and are going to have a Vespa motorcade ride escort to their wedding party.
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At least my accident did not end up like this. A 39 year old woman in Pennsylvannia tragically died in a bizarre scooter accident. While learning to ride her new scooter in an empty parking lot of a shoping center, she lost control and drive into the window of a store, the injuries from the plate glass window killed her. This is just anothe reason for you to take your local motorcycle safety foundation course to learn to ride!
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