Harry P.

I've tried earlier. I've tried later. I don't get caught every time, but often enough that it got pretty annoying. What I question is the fact that the driver keeps the flashing lights and Stop sign active the whole time, even when the kid is nowhere to be seen. I've sat behind that bus for 5-10 minutes at a stretch. Seems ridiculous to hold up traffic like that while the kid is still in the house getting ready. And this particular stop is only for that specific kid. No others get on or off the bus there. It's the "special bus" that makes personalized pickups/dropoffs. I don't blame the mom or the kid for constantly making the bus wait so much as I blame the driver for holding up traffic for no good reason.

From the website of a law firm that specializes in pedestrian accident claims: Pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks. Most intersections have a pedestrian crosswalk whether or not lines are painted on the street. Most crosswalks are located at corners, but they can also be located in the middle of the block. If you are a pedestrian and crossing the street not in the crosswalk, you could be considered the at fault party if an accident occurs.

Not true. At least not in Illinois. Excerpted from Illinois Legal Aid: Pedestrians in a crosswalk have the right of way, so drivers must yield. Pedestrians not yet in a crosswalk must yield to drivers until it’s safe to enter the crosswalk. Pedestrians do not have an unlimited right to barge into a crosswalk whenever and however they like. Chapter 11 of the Illinois Vehicle Code is our official “Rules of the Road.” Article X of that chapter covers “Pedestrians’ Rights and Duties.” At crosswalks with stoplights, cars and pedestrians must each obey their signal. If there’s no specific pedestrian signal, pedestrians can only enter a crosswalk when they have the green light. At crosswalks with stop signs, cars must stop and yield to pedestrians as they would to other cars (i.e., to cars/pedestrians in the intersection). Crosswalks with no stop light or sign are mostly going to be marked crosswalks in the middle of the block (“elsewhere”). There, the law gets specific. Cars must yield to pedestrians actually in that kind of crosswalk. And then, only to pedestrians on “the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling,” or “approaching so closely from the opposite half of the roadway as to be in danger.” Then, the pedestrian has the right of way, and cars must stop—not just slow down. When a car stops to yield that right of way, it’s illegal for other cars to pass. So, in those middle-of-the block marked crosswalks, cars must stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk, on or close to the car’s half of the street. They don't have to stop for pedestrians approaching or waiting at the curb. Pedestrians don’t have a right of way to enter the crosswalk whenever they want. That’s specified in the law, which says that pedestrians shall not “suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a moving vehicle.” So a pedestrian can't just walk into the street any time they want to and expect the cars to stop.

Dead at 96. Is he #3? Robin Williams Lauren Bacall Don Pardo?

I don't believe that a person can literally back into a school bus and not realize it. That's impossible.

This isn't a main street with traffic whizzing by, it's a suburban residential side street in a small subdivision with almost no vehicle traffic in the morning when the bus typically sits there..

And speaking of unexpected, Keith Urban. Yeah, he's a "country singer," but he can play! He and John Mayer get into it pretty good in the second half of this song...

Yes, I think so. But that doesn't explain the bus driver keeping her lights and Stop sign on and stopping traffic the whole time she's sitting there waiting.

What "service?" I went there and picked up my own order! If anyone deserves a tip, it would be me!

Check out the listings for Pocher parts. Crazy.

I don't particularly care for guitarists who are technically good and and do all that fancy fretwork, but their sound is just... annoying. They may be good as far as technique, but I don't like the sound. I'm talking about mostly the heavy metal types–you know the kind I mean... guys like Yngwe Malmstein (sp?)–whose fingers are flying all over the frets and they're producing all sorts of sounds... but not a sound I like. To me, technical ability isn't the main qualification. It's the end result that counts. A few of my favorites (in no particular order, and leaving off a lot, but just the few that come to mind first): Jimi Hendrix Stevie Ray Vaughan Jimmy Page Roger McGuinn David Gilmour Mike Campbell Joe Walsh

Ok, good to know it's not just me.

I like "Taxi." "She said, how are you, Harry? And I said, How are you, Sue?"

After I read this post I looked him up. Didn't really know anything about him aside from his name and his music. It turns out he was quite a humanitarian and worked hard for some excellent causes. I never knew. But now I do.

That's what I like about Jay. He's a huge star, but he acts like a normal guy. And I think it's not an act... he's just a real honest-to-goodness nice guy–without the ego that many celebs have.

Sounds just like Jay.

This kid isn't hearing impaired, though. Seems to me that there is a schedule in play, and the bus pretty much comes at the same time every day. There's no excuse to be late to the bus all the time. IMO the mom ought to have the kid ready to go before the bus arrives... and when the bus does arrive, get the kid out there and on the bus–without all the theatrics. I have three kids, all of whom rode the bus to school. My kids were out there, on time, every morning. The bus never had to wait for them to make an elaborate appearance. If I was able to get three kids off on time every morning, this woman can get one kid out on time.

Big scale models have always been a niche product. Probably always will be, and as such, with limited profit potential, the number of new large scale kits is never going to amount to much. There's just not enough market demand out there, as Andy alluded to. I'm a big-scale modeler myself, so I would love an explosion of new large scale kits... but I know it's not going to happen.

Gotta love Jay and Jay Leno's Garage! I only saw my very first episode just a couple of weeks ago. (I know, where have I been, right?) But now that I've seen about 15-20 episodes, I can say that JLG is a very well-done program. Jay knows his stuff, but he never overdoes the gearhead act. He tells the viewers enough technical stuff without going totally into gearhead land... I think he strikes just the right balance. And of course, he seems like the nicest, most down-to-earth guy you could ever meet, not one of those affected, self-important, egotistical tattooed jerks like on so many other "reality" car shows. Great show, great host, cool cars.

That's a beauty. And nice to see it in a "different" color. Pretty cool...

In my neighborhood we have a "special needs" kid that rides the school bus every day. And I've been caught by that school bus more times than I can remember. What happens is that the bus driver pulls up in front of the house and turns on the red flashers and the Stop sign... then sits and waits... and waits......... and waits................. for the mom to bring out the kid. They are always late. And to make matters worse, the mom walks the kid into the bus, says her elaborate goodbyes, and then only after a few minutes of doing God-knows-what in that bus, she finally comes out so the bus can leave. And all this time... from the bus sitting there waiting, to the mom and kid finally making their appearance, to the long, drawn-out onboard goodbye... the driver has the dang flashers and Stop sign going the whole time. Why can't she just sit there at the curb and wait for the kid without turning on the flashers and sign? Why can't she just turn them on when the kid finally appears in the driveway, and not the whole time she's waiting? I have been stuck sitting behind this bus, waiting, more times than I can remember. In fact, several times the driver has apparently seen me sitting there and she turned off the flashing lights so that I could pass. So again I have to ask, why turn them on before the kid ever comes out of the house???

Very nicely done! You have quite an imagination... The canopy really looks sharp. So did you wind up dipping it in Future?

Another close call with another clueless driver. This sort of thing is happening to me every 2-3 days now... I'm beginning to think there's a huge target painted on my car that clueless wonders can see, but I can't. Here's the situation: I'm coming up to an intersection where I'm going to want to turn left. The light is red as I approach and swing into the left turn lane and come to a stop. I'm sitting at the red light, eastbound, in the left turn lane, first in line, waiting for my green arrow. The cross traffic gets their red and stops, I get my arrow... so me and the guys across the intersection, facing me (east bound) in their left turn lane, begin to make our turns. And as I'm turning left, the idiot across the intersection, eastbound, who had been sitting at the light in the regular lane (not the turning lane) starts driving! Thank God I was able to finish my left as this maniac was coming right at me! I couldn't stop... he would have rammed right into me, and/or the guy turning left behind me would have wound up in my trunk. My only "defense" was to hit the gas and finish that left turn fast, before he hits me. He was maybe a foot from my car as I swept past right in front of him. Once I had finished my turn, I looked in the rearview mirror to see what was happening. The clown had stopped and was sitting there, in the middle of the intersection, not moving, and blocking everyone else who had been behind me from making their left turns. Then I saw him slowly back up to where he had been in the first place. At that point I stopped looking. Sheesh...

You didn't like Harry Morgan? Everyone likes Harry Morgan!

I'm not willing to pay five bucks for a cup of coffee. To me that's insane. And I don't like those fancy shmancy latte-shmatte things. Large coffee at the McD drive-thru does the job for me. I guess I'm old school when it comes to coffee. I want coffee. Not an espresso latte double shot mocha whip with sprinkles on top...