Ted Laturnus is an automotive writer for the Globe and Mail in Toronto, Canada. Compared to the quality of writing on your typical motorcycle forum, his account is very well written, with a wisp of doomsday humour thrown in to break the tension. While I give him no sympathy advantage because he is a journalist, the account of his crash is no less instructive to car drivers and motorcycle riders. GWS, or “Get Well Soon”, as we say to fallen riders. It took over three years for Laturnus to be able to write about his crash, and this from an automotive journalist. A concussion, right knee and calcaneous (heel bone) shattered, permanent limp, recurring vertigo, chronic headaches, and over three months of rehab was what he received. She received a $125 ticket. Do you see the inequity of justice here?

Riders on the more intellectual motorcycle forums welcome crash reports. We pour over and sweat the minute details in order to tease out possible causes and lessons learned. Contrary to popular belief, motorcycle posters are not hellbent and have a death wish for riding a motorcycle. Motorcyclists come from all walks of life and geographic location. Riders are people and cannot be categorized simply because of their choice of transportation.

In a motorcycle crash report many people immediately blame the car driver, but just as many are first to blame the rider, even when they acknowledge that the rider was not at fault and had right of way. The rider’s protective gear is questioned. Was the rider sleep deprived, or stressed due to something emotional happening in his life? Was the rider drinking or doing drugs? Sick and under meds? Pics of the crash scene are welcomed. Photos of the gory aftermath of the crash, both the damaged bike and parts, as well as medical photos of the blood and guts are also welcomed. Motorcycle riders are not so sensitive to the politically correct. Even if there is only a sliver of blame attributed to the rider, s/he will be taken to task. Riders that ride recklessly and have then crashed are told outright they are dangerous riders and need to smarten up or there might not be a next time.

Why do motorcycle riders blame their fellow motorcycle riders who have crashed, even when there is clear agreement that the car driver is at fault? The answer lies in self-preservation. It has been well documented that for motorcycle-another vehicle crashes, well over 80% of the cases are caused by the car encroaching the right of way of the motorcyclist. Even an unintelligent newby rider will find this out very quickly on the road. The car driver makes a mistake, or purposely runs a biker off the road, and the motorcycle rider pays the steep price of recovery from injuries or death. As quoted in David Hough’s Proficient Motorcycling, a father asked a junior rider in hospital, leg broken from a crash with a car, “How could you let a car do this to you”? Ideal crash analysis results in any possible steps a rider could have done to avoid or lessen the incident.

With this perspective in mind, riders seek to understand what strategies they can follow to avoid getting smashed by ignorant drivers. Because a motorcycle is much smaller than a car, riders can take a proactive approach to their own safety. Strategies can include not riding in a driver’s blind spot, wearing reflective gear, using fellow cars to block a threatening left turner, traveling above the average speed of traffic, lane splitting, and so on. The number of strategies seem endless. Some strategies are clearly illegal, but when your health and safety is on the line, any strategy that keeps you safe is better than a legal one that will kill you. This is one of the main benefits of participating in a motorcycle forum: learning and practicing strategies an average rider can use to stay alive.

Riding a motorcycle requires 100% concentration on surrounding drivers, the road surface, the weather, your bike and your state of mind. Always staying alert is very tiring in heavy traffic. Getting stuck in a traffic jam when other drivers start to get mad is quite dangerous. Close to home the danger does not decrease. It is human nature that given sufficient repetition and in a familiar environment, a repetitive task can be done in autopilot. We have all done this before: You get to work or to a grocery store in a fog, not knowing your specific route and not recalling the trip, but you have your car keys in your pocket so you must have driven your car. Do this on a motorcycle while returning to your house and you might miss a car that ran a stop sign and end up severely hurt. This is a common occurrence.

Retribution is also a common topic on any motorcycle forum. It is very difficult to keep a cool head when some has just tried to kill you. Some US riders carry guns in order to protect themselves. Any car can become a weapon to hurt a rider, no matter than the driver is a soccer mom in an SUV, geriatric with fading eyesight, a sleep deprived white collar worker, or the distracted young female that nearly killed Laturnus.

Driver distractions are deadly to a motorcyclist on the road. Cell phone talking drivers are especially dangerous to riders, yet surprisingly there is often no consensus to this on a motorcycle forum. As stated before, motorcyclists are people too, and also drive cars. While riders acknowledge that cell-phone talking drivers are plentiful, are a threat to them on the road and can kill them, many riders believe they are better than the average driver and can easily multitask and talk on the phone while they are at the wheel. Ironic is it not? Do as I say and not as I do. The attitude of motorcycle riders can be as selfish and self-serving as a typical driver because they are a typical driver, but with better driving skills and not necessarily better multitasking skills. Even more asinine is that some motorcycle riders ask how they can use their cellphones while riding their motorcycles. As we say on motorcycle forums, these are future Darwin candidates that will remove themselves from the gene pool.

Now that Ontario, Canada has banned mobile devices in cars I have sen a marked improvement in driving. This is better for motorcycle riders as well as everyone else on the road. Yes, there are still scofflaws that flaunt the law and they still drive badly and dangerously. Vigilance and enforcement is still required.

Most troubling is the fact that drivers that maim and kill motorcycle riders state “I did not see him”. Driving requires you concentrate on what you are doing so that you do not inadvertently hurt others.

All this because an empty-headed young female driver was too distracted to notice a motorcyclist. She swears she didn’t see me. I’m pretty sick of hearing this pathetic excuse. She saw me, clear enough, but decided that, somehow, it would be OK to cut me off, that nothing would happen if she completely ignored me. How could you not see a bright purple and chrome, 400-kilogram motorcycle with three driving lights?

While you might think that a motorcycle forum can be brutally truthful to the crashed rider, and it is, there is also lots of support. Medical advice that deals with surgeries, rehab and recovery, first-aid is also provided. Legal advice in order to sue the driver, and dealing with police unwilling to charge the driver, is also given. Offers of how to repair bikes, how much, where to get spare parts are also provided. Brutal honesty aside, forums do help fallen riders build themselves up again.

Once a rider has crashed there is always the hesitation to ride again. On this topic the riding community is divided, most leaving the decision up to the fallen rider. We all know that riding a motorcycle carries a much higher danger factor than driving a car, but the benefits of riding a motorcycle also far outweigh simply sitting in a car. Each rider makes their own decision, or “Ride your own ride”.

Motorcycle riders are have the knowledge to be safer drivers than the average Joe. They hone their skills on the streets, where a lax moment daydreaming might mean a trip to the hospital. Still, riders are human and humans are not perfect.

To all the car drivers in the world, and especially in Scarborough and Toronto, Canada, pay attention to your driving. Do not run over nice people like Tad Laturnus because you were daydreaming. Ditto for young kids at crosswalks, cyclists and pedestrians. In-car distractions are becoming more prevalent while human physiology has not markedly improved. Rather it has regressed. I see proof daily in Scarborough and Toronto.

I read economic reports and can get around their doublespeak. The fact is that Canada is very dependent on the US, and “When the US sneezes, Canada catches a cold”. Trade has not changed all that much. I am also aware enough that if the consumer market does not pep up, the economy is doomed. I believe both these factors are at work here in Toronto, Canada. How the present Government if Canada can say that the near future will be better, I have no clue. I believe that they are also clueless.

An article in today’s Globe and Mail, Recession over? Not in Toronto Area by Tavia Grant, is more accurate of what I see in Toronto. Toronto is in deep trouble. The unemployment rate is by far higher than what any politicians dare to admit, and there’s very little being done about correcting the problem.

Some of the article quotes hit me pretty hard.

Bankruptcies in Toronto are nearly triple the national average. Higher-paying manufacturing jobs are disappearing while lower-paying service-sector jobs are being created. More people are waiting for social housing. Welfare rates are the highest in more than a decade.

The unemployment rate for the census metropolitan area has risen to 9.2 per cent, well above the national average, and an analysis to be released on Friday predicts it will remain elevated for two more years…

Cripes. The last two years were economically strangling, I cannot imagine how people can survive for another two years.

Many of the country’s 1.5 million unemployed are seeing sluggish hiring. Rony Sehayek, a former IT specialist at Nortel Networks Corp., is one of them. The 50-year-old father of two has been out of work for more than a year. He has had to cash in RRSPs and can no longer afford his son’s karate lessons, or maintenance on his car…

The Concordia University commerce graduate spent much of the past year doing all the right things – taking night courses, networking, polishing his resumé, upgrading his skills, applying for jobs. No luck. “It’s very difficult,” he said. “Companies are looking for more specific requirements. And there are a lot more candidates applying.”

Good luck with that. My situation is near the same. Maybe I should just change my name to Rony Sehayek. Not only in the article, but many comments that were submitted to the G&M echoed Rony’s lack of employment.

The fastest-growing population at food banks are single males from 45 to 60 years old who were typically employed in manufacturing, lost their jobs, exhausted unemployment benefits and have liquidated their assets, said executive director Gail Nyberg… “As citizens of this city and province and country, we need to figure out what to do. Many will never work again.”

These are atypical times, but I cannot help wondering if those decimated, including myself, will be able to pull ourselves out of the muck, and more importantly, how will our kids fare in such a harsh economic environment.

Comments from the G&M are very telling. I will try to summarize some of the sentiments:

• Stop new immigrants from settling in Toronto: This is not even close to racist, but a reflection of reality. Toronto has insufficient jobs to support those that are already here, much less adding new people to the problem.
• Government in Federal, Ontario and Toronto waste money and enact policies that economically hurt the common worker: Radical change is required. People are mad and will vote to change the status quo and kick out those that continue the problem.
• The recession is still here, and getting worse: We don’t believe the rosy views of politicians, who after a couple more months then change their views to more pessimistic. Come on, show some professionalism. We pay you to lead the country, to forecast properly and accurately.
• Social services and food banks are tapped out. Many people are struggling and are on the thin edge of living

For sure there has been a marked change in spending philosophy of the average Joe. Rampant and runaway consumerism has been beaten down. I believe this is a good thing. Many families are cutting back to only the basics, doing things like entertainment that does not cost a lot of money. We shall see if the Christmas season will bode well for Canadian retailers, but I fear not.

One area the G&M article did not touch on is the psychological collateral damage of unemployment for those that have education, skills and work experience, who have previously had no problems getting gainful employment. There is telling the kids we have no extra cash, so they cannot do this or that club. There is the self doubt where none existed previously. There is the stress of wondering how will the family survive and possibly thrive. This impact weighs heavily on many of these people, myself included. We are the backbone of our families, and when we crumble so do our families. The psychological stress weighs heavily on many, and will result in long term mental illness. Maybe this will matter little when we are out on the street begging.

I have included some of the more relevant comments from the G&M article. They cut through the rhetoric of our politicians. They are the voice of a frustrated electorate. I do hope someone is listening.

Another example from Ottawa. Good position & salary with big company, lots of skills, international, successful mid-career, laid-off, no stable job for 13 month. High competition for a few positions. Got part time for 5 month, 50% previous salary, then back in the street. Spouse keeps housing afloat, reduced spending budget to min. Former colleagues in Montreal, USA, Europe in similar situation. (Olivier1)

This news is disappointing but not unexpected. Over the past 20 years we have outsourced a number of good paying jobs in the name of “wealth generation”. Don’t be naive, they weren’t just manufacturing jobs. They were IT development, payroll administration, accounting and others. Our business and political leadership have so far ignored the issue but the fact is societies’ desire for good numbers – whether in investment grow or cheaper products – has driven our future off-shore and undercut our ability to control our own economy. We can’t generate jobs and produce material anymore. We just sell and sell-out our natural resources.
The only solution is to demand domestically produced products. Force businesses and their leadership to stop thinking about quarterly earning and shareholder value and return to the idea of actually producing something with a sustainable approach that benefits the markets they serve. We have a local food craze, now its time for a buy local products craze. Set a personal priority to buy Canadian products first, then North American and finally off-shore (if you must). Control of our future needs to be returned and the consumer is best place to start. (Dig Deeper)

When you have a job, live on only what you need and not what you want. Save your money for a rainy day. You don’t need beer, take-out food, trips to Vegas, I-pods and video games for your kids. We spend money needlessly on recreation and then cry when the jobs disappear and the money stops flowing. I see it amongst the people I know as well as my own kids. Learn to enjoy walks in the park, playing an instrument, throwing frisbee or playing catch with your kids. Keep it simple and save your cash. (Manologic)

The economy has officially left the recession and the stats show all the jobs lost have now been recovered.
I think this writer is dreaming if he says the recession is over for clearly he has taken up the mantra of the current finance minister and his crystal ball predictions. One only has to look south of the border to see what the future beholds for Canadians, for the second shoe has yet to drop on the Canadian economy. As a major trading partner the American consumer has reduced his purchasing habits and is withdrawing from the malls and shopping centres because of their failing economy which is having a direct effect on Canadian exports. Further with forty million Americans on government assistance added to that double digit unemployment among American workers hard times will continue for some time to come for many Canadians who are dependent on trade related jobs. (Masdar)

A couple years ago I was out of work after being laid off by a bank. I have 13 years experience and was unemployed for over a year. When the package and EI ran out I had to go on welfare for a month. I’m now making six figures….crazy world. (wordguy2009)

Short of a revolution nothing is going to change. Canadians need to rethink their daily lives, act more cooperatively and be able to be less dependent on corporate derived income. Locally we have reduced our costs substantially by getting as far from big business and as close to local producers as possible. We save bundles by buying responsibly produced raw materials from the people who produce it. (I have been tracking our expenses for five years and our costs are way down, not up as reports would have it.) Buying a few flakes of corn or wheat remnants in pretty packaging covered with hype about health is expensive nonsense. We cook – real food. Like any hobby it takes a little time, is very rewarding and sharing amongst neighbors is far better than television. Our neighbor helps fix my car, I help fix his computer. It is very simple and the benefits are tax free. If you are 100% beholden to the corporate oligarchy for your health, food, entertainment and family, times may become very bleak unless you are on the board of directors. (Jim Brennan)

Statisticians can say the recession is over because they have jobs and some money to spend. On the other had, I am one of the 45-60 year old males who was laid off, exhausted all savings and now am on welfare.

Until all people like me have jobs, the recession can not be declared to be over. (Ernie Richards)

Increase prices on everything, because those suffering need company. I am 50+, and this has been the toughest two years in terms of keeping up with regular bills. I say increase all taxes, monopoly services, monopoly energy, and what everelse the goverments feel will have them say “this turkey is done, stick in the fork and carve him up” (JoseManZune)

60 Minutes Scott Pelley, in 99 Weeks: When Unemployment Benefits Run Out

Addendum: I just recently watched a 60 Minutes segment this Sunday titled “99 Weeks: When Unemployment Benefits Run Out” that interviewed many IT professionals in Silicon Valley, many who have been out of work for near two years, have exhausted their savings and are about to lose their houses. Many rely on the food bank to make ends meet. A recurrent theme is that most are university educated, between 45 and 60, had good jobs, never expected to be unemployed for so long, and have run out of savings and options.

Rola Bola graphic in Globe and Mail used to show sensibilty, practicality and balance

Not really, but when I saw the graphic they posted all I could think of was to get on my rola bola. Too bad the article in the Globe and Mail discusses house mortgages and interest rates. Still, the intent of the rola graphic is to show the right balance, the tipping point, between a house mortgage and interest rates. This the rola bola does very well. Without balance, you’ll quickly fall off.

We all strive for a balance in our lives, and sometimes we attain this nirvana state. At least on a rola I can control my situation and keep upright for as long as I can tolerate. In real life I seem to get pushed off regularly and more frequently than I would like. May you strive to achieve balance in your life.

Seattle PI Globe, AP Photo/ Elaine Thompson

It is with deep regret that today, March 17 2009, the Seattle Post-Intellingencer has written its own obituary and ceased production of its paper version. In business from 1863-2009, the 146-year old Seattle newspaper served more than 117,600 weekday readers. While the online version will continue, the PI has layed off 90% of its reporters, whittling its staff down to 20 reporters, a shadow if its former self. The PI will certainly be missed.

___Just to disclose that I have no affiliation to the Seattle PI. In fact, I do not recall reading any of their articles, nor referencing the newspaper in online posts or research. Still, one must regret the passing of such an old newspaper that has stood the test of time. Until today.

___My regret is also brought on by my a worry that many other newspapers are also on the brink of collapse, particularly here in Canada. I note that while Canada’s Toronto Star and Globe and Mail circulation numbers are higher than the Seattle PI, looking at circulation by population, they are very much the same. With a population of 528,000 people, the Seattle PI was delivered to 33.6% of Seattle residents. With a population of 2.6m, the Toronto Star weekend edition is delivered to 24% of Torontonians. While you can argue the statistics, suffice it to say that circulation numbers between the newspapers are comparable.

The most widely read paper in the country is the Toronto Star, which, as of the six-month period ending on March 31, 2007, averaged 634,886 copies sold on Saturday, 436,694 Monday to Friday, and 442,265 on Sunday. The second most widely read paper is Toronto-based national newspaper The Globe and Mail, which averaged 410,285 copies on Saturdays, and 322,807 Monday to Friday.

___Perhaps they were simply an organization that lost touch with their readership and deserved to die, dinosaurs in an era of the electronic word. Maybe Seattleites simply do not read news as much as they used to, though I do doubt that. It seems the transition to electronic format somehow went awry for the Seattle PI.

___I can only comment about my own reading habits. I acknowledge that my reading habits are different between online and print newspapers. I use and enjoy both, but they serve me in different ways. Internet news is quick, succinct, efficient, global and targeted to knowledge acquisition. Print newspapers are leisurely, curious, playful, local and mind expanding. One cannot supplant the other.

___I read the vast majority of my news on the internet, though I rarely hit the front page of any newspaper site. I also read widely and internationally. Using the internet I am no longer restricted to regional news. Worthy news is international. When reading with such breadth one can easily get a low signal to noise ratio, or more crudely put, you need to wade through too much crap out there in order to find the news jewels worthy of your time.

___In reading internationally I depend on internet tools to help me find my daily fix of news. I take my top 50 world-wide newspaper sites, filter by keyword, aggregate, sort by reverse date, categorize and serve up my news du jour. With my reading list I can scan the article title and summary. Most articles I leave unread. My browser automatically removes advertising, though global advertising is pretty much useless to me anyway.

___In reading print newspapers I am much more leisurely. Glancing at each page I let my mind wander. Whatever tickles my fancy I read. I entertain divergent opinions and scan topics I would never think about filtering online. You could say that I’m a news window shopper.

___On top of reading from 50 global newspapers I also read over 100 global blogs. Blogs can be entertaining but their signal to noise ratio is much lower than that of global newspapers. While blogs can be entertaining, one quickly realizes that quality writing is a rare skill. The number of blogs I read on a regular basis amounts to a grand total of 5. You really need some pretty sharp internet tools to whittle down the noise out there in the blogosphere, for their sheer weight can literally bury you. To stay on top and search for quality blogs is a constant battle. The ones you find are true gems.

___With the demise of the Seattle PI I worry about the overall content quality of news on the internet. Investigative reporting is so valuable to quality news. Though many blogs try to follow suit, the vast majority simply do not have the talent, resources, connections nor infrastructure to do a good job; not even a good enough job. Good bloggers cite newspapers to bolster their arguments, leaning on them as a reliable news source as well as the inspiration for their blog posting. Real investigative reporting needs real professionals, journalists, like the journalists that just got laid off at the Seattle PI.

___Without journalists internet news would be of much lower quality than it is today. There must evolve a way to reward journalists for their work while evolving news dissemination in electronic format. How this will work remains to be discovered.