Off the Mike

• Should I Buy Into This?

  Posted February 26, 2013 by Mike DuBord

  People at high risk for heart attacks, strokes, and death from heart disease can significantly cut their risk if they eat a Mediterranean diet that’s high in fish, nuts, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, and even red wine, according to a major new study published in New England Journal of Medicine.

  This groundbreaking research is the first large, randomized clinical trial to evaluate the diet’s effects on cardiovascular risk, and the results were so dramatic that they amazed experts. In fact, the study was halted early (after 4.8 years) because the benefits of this eating plan were so obvious that it would be unethical to continue.

  The study included 7,447 participants who were randomly assigned to eat one of three diets: a Mediterranean diet including extra virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet including extra nuts, or a low-fat diet.

  The researchers found that eating a Mediterranean diet reduced overall risk for major cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke or death from cardiovascular causes) by 28 to 30 percent, compared to a low-fat diet.

  The researchers reported the following results:

  • Eating a Mediterranean diet reduced overall risk for major cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke or death
  • A Mediterranean diet including extra servings of nuts cut stroke risk by 46 percent.
  • A Mediterranean diet including extra servings of extra virgin olive oil trimmed stroke risk by 33 percent.

  What was particularly impressive was the diet powerfully lowered cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk even though most of those who followed it were already taking statins, ACE inhibitors, diabetes medications, or other drugs to cut their heart disease danger.

  In addition, the study participants were all at very high risk for CVD, due to being diabetic or having at least three major risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, or a family history of developing CVD at an early age. None of the participants had CVD at the start of the study.

  Surprising Heart Attack Risk For Men

  Surprising Finding About Cholesterol

  One of the biggest surprises was that the low-fat diet lowered cholesterol the most, yet proved least effective at preventing heart attacks, strokes, and death from CV causes. “These results will shock many cardiologists, because high cholesterol has traditionally been considered the leading risk factor for arterial disease,” says Bradley Bale, MD, medical director of the Heart Health Program for Grace Clinic in Lubbock, Texas.

  However, new research shows that chronic inflammation—not just high cholesterol—is what drives CVD, adds Dr. Bale. “This explains the puzzle of why many people who have heart attacks or strokes have normal or even optimal cholesterol, while other people with very high cholesterol never suffer these events.”

  Foods in the Mediterranean diet, particularly nuts and olive oil, have been shown in earlier studies to reduce inflammation, offering one explanation of why this diet proved so astonishingly effective even though it didn’t lower cholesterol and the people in the study didn’t lose weight—nor did they receive any instructions about exercise.

  The Best Food to Stave Off Stroke

  Another startling finding was that eating a Mediterranean diet including extra servings of nuts trims stroke risk by a whopping 46 percent, compared to eating a low-fat diet. “That’s a huge risk reduction,”says Dr. Bale. “It’s truly astonishing to see such a powerful effect from one food.”

  The group who ate extra nuts also had a 30 percent lower rate of heart attacks, compared to the low-fat group, but the drop wasn’t large enough to be statistically significant. Overall, both groups who ate a Mediterranean diet had about a 30 percent reduction in major cardiovascular events.

  In earlier studies, nuts have been shown to have several protective powers, adds Dr. Bale. “We known that nuts are particularly effective at reducing high blood pressure, which is the number one risk factor for stroke, and can also improve the health of the endothelium (blood vessel lining),” making arteries more resistant to plaque buildup.

  In addition, nuts have powerful antioxidant properties, adds Dr. Bale.“This study gives a very strong signal that people can significantly reduce stroke risk by eating nuts. The study design is impressive because the researchers controlled for all sorts of cardiovascular risks and also used lab tests to make sure people were eating the assigned diet.”

  23 Diet Plans Reviewed: Do They Work?

  Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  The group who ate a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra servings of extra virgin olive oil had a 34 percent drop in stroke risk, compared to the low-fat group. Heart attack risk fell by about 30 percent in the two groups who ate a Mediterranean diet, but the reduction wasn’t large enough to be statistically significant.

  “Extra virgin olive oil contains a compound called oleocanthal that is both a powerful antioxidant and also has an anti-inflammatory effect similar to NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like aspirin or ibuprofen,” says Dr. Bale. Based on scientific research, the European Food Safety Authority has approved the claim that olive oil protects LDL (bad) cholesterol molecules from oxidative damage.

  More Foods That Reduce Inflammation

  The Healthiest Diet for Your Heart

  In the study, the two groups who ate a Mediterranean diet were given these guidelines, all of which are believed to have contributed to the astonishing reduction in cardiovascular danger observed in this very high risk group:

  • Eat white meat instead of red.
  • Eat fish and legumes (such as beans, lentils and peas) at least 3 times a week.
  • Avoid sweets (such as sugary beverages and baked goods) and limit consumption of dairy products and processed meats.
  • Those who drank alcohol were advised to have at least 7 glasses of red wine with meals per week. Dr. Bale recommends discussing the risks and benefits of wine consumption with your healthcare provider.
  • Eat at least 3 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables daily.
  • The group whose diet was supplemented with extra virgin olive oil was told to use at least 4 tablespoons per day.
  • The group whose diet was supplemented with nuts ate one ounce of mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts) daily

• The Best "Man Gifts" For Your Dude On Valentines Day

  Posted February 13, 2013 by Mike DuBord

   

  9 Things You Can Do For Him On Valentine’s Day

  Take him to see "A Good Day To Die Hard"

  Bacon roses

  A romantic dinner at his favorite wing joint

  Admit you're wrong!

  Buy him a Silver Package to Wrestlemania 29

  Get him Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2

  Pretend it's just February 14th

  Buy him a case of his favorite beer

  Take him to bed and be a little kinky. Wait, make that REALLY kinky.

   

   

• Waitress Fired For Posting "God" Receipt

  Posted January 31, 2013 by Mike DuBord

  

  An Applebee's waitress who posted on the Internet was fired on Wednesday after the pastor
  complained to her manager.

  Chelsea Welch, the waitress, wrote in an
  email to Yahoo News that the pastor (who has since been identified as Alois
  Bell) told Welch's manager at the St. Louis-area Applebee's that the ensuing
  firestorm had "ruined" her reputation.

  "I give God 10%," Bell wrote on the receipt,
  scratching out the automatic tip and scribbling in an emphatic "0" where the
  additional tip would be. "Why do you get 18?" (There were more than eight people
  in Bell's party, triggering the auto-tip.)

  Welch, who snapped a photo of the bill from
  a fellow server and , defended her right to post the receipt. "I
  thought the note was insulting, but also comical," . "And I thought other users would
  find it entertaining.”

  Bell, a pastor at Truth in the World
  Deliverance Ministries Church, was not amused, and she called Welch's manager to
  complain.

  “[It was] a lapse in my character and
  judgment,” Bell , adding she did not expect her easily
  recognizable signature would be, as her friend informed her, “all over Yahoo.
  You went viral!”

  “My heart is really broken,” Bell added.
  “I’ve brought embarrassment to my church and ministry.”

  A spokesman for Applebee’s said it
  apologized to Bell for violating her "right to privacy" and confirmed that Welch
  “is no longer employed by the franchise."

  Welch was surprised that Applebee's fired
  her, "especially because there was nothing specific in the employee handbook
  admonishing this behavior."

  "I had no intention of starting a witch hunt
  or hurting anyone. I just wanted to share a picture I found interesting," she
  said. “I come home exhausted, sore, burnt, dirty and blistered on a good day.
  And after all that, I can be fired for ‘embarrassing’ someone who directly
  insults their server on religious grounds.”

  Welch also isn't buying Bell's
  embarrassment. “If this person wrote the note, obviously they wanted it seen by
  someone," she said. “I’ve been stiffed on tips before, but this is the first
  time I’ve seen the Big Man used as reasoning."

• 5 of the most OUTRAGIOUS donuts. Can i have 2 please?

  Posted January 30, 2013 by Mike DuBord

  5 Of The Most Outrageous Donuts In America from foxnews.com

  Dead Elvis, Psycho Donuts If the King were alive   today, he would almost certainly eat at Psycho Donuts. The shop, which has two   California locations in Campbell and San Jose, features a doughnut called the   Dead Elvis on their wildly inventive menu. Modeled after Presley's sandwich   of choice, the Dead Elvis is a custard-filled doughnut with peanut butter, bananas,   bacon and a swirl of jelly. They also serve "cocktail donuts" like the Strawberry   Margarita, which boasts tequila cream filling, strawberry icing, a lime drizzle,   freeze-dried strawberries and coarse margarita salt.

  Maple Bacon Donut, Nickel Diner Nickel Diner only   serves five varieties of doughnut, but each is more unique than the last. Their   most popular, and a must-have for anyone who walks through the door, is their   Bacon Maple Donut. It's exactly what it sounds like — a doughnut dipped in maple   glaze and chopped bacon — but the whole is so much greater than the sum of its   parts. Customers at this Los Angeles eatery can also choose to try one of their   other creations, such as the Nutella Donut (made with Nutella and chopped nuts)   or the Irish Car Bomb Donut (made with Guinness, Baileys Irish Cream and Jameson   whiskey).

  Molasses Guinness Pear, Dynamo Donut & Coffee Beer   drinkers won't want to pass up the Molasses Guinness Pear at Dynamo Donut &   Coffee in San Francisco. This molasses doughnut is made with golden raisins,   bits of crystallized ginger and Guinness-poached pears — and then it's topped   with sticky Guinness glaze. Not a beer drinker? Try their Lemon Sichuan doughnut   with lemon curd and fiery Sichuan spice, or their Monte Cristo doughnut with   ham, Gruyere, powdered sugar and homemade plum jelly.

  The Devil's Death Dance, Hypnotic Donuts You know   what's missing from most doughnuts? An extreme burning sensation. At least that's   what they believe at Hypnotic Donuts in Dallas, where they bake up the Devil's   Death Dance for customers with an affinity for sweets with heat. Billed as the   world's spiciest doughnut, the Devil's Death Dance features fresh jalapeño,   serrano and habanero slices along with icing made from ghost peppers (the hottest   in the world) and a sprinkle of cayenne. Some of their less intense doughnuts   include their Poppin Berry, with strawberry frosting and crushed Pop-Tarts,   and their S'more doughnut, featuring chocolate, marshmallows and crushed graham   crackers.

  The Voodoo Doughnut, Voodoo Doughnut Voodoo Doughnut   in Portland, Oregon, is perhaps the most unique doughnut shop in America. In   addition to wacky doughnuts such as the Mango Tango (a frosted doughnut filled   with mango jelly and topped with orange Tang) and the Marshall Mathers (a vanilla-frosted   doughnut dipped in M&Ms), they proudly serve their signature item, the Voodoo   Doughnut. It's shaped like a voodoo doll, filled with raspberry jelly and frosted   with chocolate icing. It also comes with a pretzel stick "stake" if you should   feel the need to release your aggressions on the edible effigy

• Having To Ask For Ketchup is One thing, but...Toilet Paper?

  Posted January 29, 2013 by Mike DuBord

  Paper Trail: Male students at Pennsylvania's Mahanoy Area High School   must request toilet paper. Principal Thomas Smith says, "We've had serious   destruction to our bathrooms for the past two years. We have a case pending   with the police where a bathroom down by our gymnasium was absolutely destroyed.   I'm sure Mr. (Robert) Pastucha (district facilities director) could tell you   the times that our toilets have been jammed with toilet paper and other papers.   And after we took the toilet tissue out of there, people were throwing books.   It was our way to try to curb the destruction in the bathrooms. Our policy is   that if you need toilet paper, you would come to the office. We're not refusing   anyone toilet paper. You would sign out and then sign back in. I randomly go   in to check if anything is going on. Since we've done that, we've cut down on   the destruction." Some parents disapprove of the policy saying it's embarrassing

• Yes, That Legal Notice From Facebook Is Real

  Posted January 28, 2013 by Mike DuBord

  If you’re a Facebook () user, there’s a good chance you got an email over the last
  48 hours with the subject: “Re: LEGAL NOTICE OF SETTLEMENT OF CLASS ACTION.”
  It’s not of the Nigerian riches variety. For one, it’s only offering you up to
  $10. For another, it’s legit.
  
  The email stems from a lawsuit we’ve been
  covering exhaustively here at the Not-So Private Parts. “Fraley vs. Facebook”
  stems from Facebook’s decision in 2011 to put users in “Sponsored Story” ads
  based on things that they had “Liked.” The ads didn’t always reflect the context
  in which someone “Liked” something, as the dude who famously wound up promoting
  a 55-gallon drum of sexual lubricant last Valentine’s Day can attest, and there
  was no way of opting out (beyond not Liking anything).
  
  
  
  Within three months of the
  announcement, an enterprising group of plaintiffs led by seamstress Angel Fraley
  sued Facebook in California saying the company had violated
  the law by using their names and likenesses in ads without their permission and
  without paying them. (Lead plaintiff Fraley later dropped out of the suit citing
  Facebook lawyers’ aggressive tactics, which basically consisted of digging up
  embarrassing material about her from her Facebook account.)
  
  Facebook and
  the plaintiffs settled the suit in December to the tune of $20 million. That $20
  million is covering the class action lawyers’ fees; the rest is potentially
  going to be divvied up among Facebook users who appeared in Sponsored Stories
  ads — which is why you got that legal notice inviting you to claim your
  up-to-$10 share — or, if the demand is too great, the money will instead go
  to a bunch of non-profits that work on privacy issues. If the amount of money
  divided by the number of claimants comes out to less than $4.99 each, the money
  goes to the non-profits.
  ]
  
  According to Social
  Bakers, Facebook has nearly 165 million American users; court filings
  suggest about 125 million of them got this notice. If they all wanted a piece of
  the full $20 million pie, they’d get 16 cent slices. If more than 4 million
  people claim their share, that would mean less than $5 each. And we can assume
  that the actual amount of money to be divvied up is going to be significantly
  reduced by the plaintiff’s class action lawyers taking a cut. In the website
  about the settlement, the lawyers suggest the amount left over after their fees
  is going
  to be $12 million. If 3 million people — or 2.4% of those that received the
  notice — apply for a piece of that amount, it’ll take the per-person payment
  below the $4.99 each threshold. Given that, it seems fairly likely this money is
  going to be split among non-profits — including the Center for Democracy and
  Technology, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Berkman Center for
  Internet and Society (full list here) — rather than by users, meaning those 14
  non-profits will get almost a $1 million each. That’s assuming that 99% of
  people who receive the email don’t just delete it as spam.
  
  
  But even if you don’t get paid, there is an upside from the
  settlement. Facebook has to give all users “additional information about and
  control over the use of their names and profile pictures in Sponsored Stories.”
  Maybe that means Facebook will give you a better way to control this than
  currently exists.

• This Cop...Just Made My Day

  Posted January 25, 2013 by Mike DuBord

  I have a 23 yr. old Autistic son. This Cop...Just Made My Day.

  A Louisiana police officer has gone above and beyond the call of duty by making a mentally disabled and autistic boy's dream come true.

  Blaize Richard's life dream has been to be a police officer, said his mother, Angie Richard, so for his 18 th birthday on July 28, 2012, she coordinated a visit from one of the Jennings, La., Police Department's officers, who presented Blaize with his own police uniform. Several weeks later, Blaize also was able to visit to the department.

  After word of Blaize's dream spread within the department, Officer Mike Hill took the boy under his wing - visiting him often and even coming by the family home when Hill received a new squad car.

  "He calls Blaize his back-up," said Richard. "He just comes and checks on him. It really makes Blaize's day. I think Mike enjoys it just as much as Blaize does."

  Hill has shied away from media attention.

  "He's kind of overwhelmed," said his boss, Jennings Police Chief Todd D'Albor, who spoke with pride about Hill making Blaize feel like a part of the police department.

  "Police officers sometimes get a bad rap for the things that go wrong, but people don't generally see that they [police officers] do have compassionate hearts and they do care about making a difference, and Mike Hill exemplifies that."

  D'Albor said Hill was one of many outstanding officers in his force.

  "He's one of the highly respected officers in my department because of the things that he does, and he goes above and beyond," D'Albor said.

  That commitment earned Hill an "Officer of the Year" award last year.

  The attention the story has drawn to this small town that sits 40 miles west of Lafayette, La., has taken Angie Richard by surprise. It began when Richard recently uploaded photos of Blaize and Officer Hill to her Facebook wall. From that point on, the story went viral, drawing attention from all over the world, Richard said.

  "Since I posted the story, it's been kind of crazy," she said. "So many good things are happening."

  With the all attention Blaize is receiving, it will be hard to keep secret D'Albor's plan to commission the 18-year-old as an honorary Jennings police officer on Feb. 2.

  "My police officers embrace what it's about, which is to serve the community, not just protect it," D'Albor said. "When you touch a life, that's what it's all about."

  Richard is looking forward to the day.

  "My little boy doesn't know they are going to do that, but ever since he was a little boy he's wanted to go to the police academy," she said. "It's going to be awesome

• Mother Is Shocked After Daughter's Trip To The Dentist

  Posted January 16, 2013 by Mike DuBord

  Most of us have a fear of the dentist. For
  the rest of her life, young Savannah White is likely to be terrified.

  Savannah's mom, Alecia White, took her
  daughter to have some routine dental work. The dentist informed White that her
  daughter had four cavities. White consented to have them filled. The dentist
  sedated 4-year-old Savannah, while White sat in the waiting room. When the
  procedure was done, the Whites went home, Savannah still feeling groggy.

  A short time later, White looked into her
  daughter's mouth. She was, to put it mildly, shocked. Her daughter's teeth
  (every single one of them) were capped with silver crowns. Savannah looked a bit
  like the infamous James Bond villain "Jaws."

  White contacted 3
  On Your Side, a consumer rights segment from KTVK-TV in Phoenix. "I didn't
  expect for her entire mouth to be covered in silver," White explained. "We went
  in to have a couple of cavities done. ... On a daily basis [Savannah] says,
  'Mommy, I don't like my teeth. I don't like my teeth.' And it's really kind of
  hard to hear every single day."

  Investigative reporter Gary Harper
  contacted Dr. Richard Chaet, president of the Arizona Academy of Pediatric
  Dentistry. Chaet explained that while Savannah's dental work is shocking to look
  at, it was probably necessary. "This is a child who is obviously very high risk
  for decay," he said, noting that crowns will save other teeth from
  deteriorating.

  The story does have a happy ending, of
  sorts. Another dentist saw Savannah and volunteered to put white veneers on
  Savannah's crowns free of charge. Here's hoping her future trips to the dentist
  are a lot less traumatic.

• The Future of The Ford F-Series...NICE!

  Posted January 15, 2013 by Mike DuBord

   

  MIKEY LIKEs It!!!

   

   

  

  This was supposed to be the Detroit auto show where General Motors put a
  spotlight on the forthcoming refresh of the Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra pickups,
  and Ram touted its win as North American Truck of the Year. Instead, their
  thunder has been hauled away by the show's surprise, the Ford Atlas concept —
  highlighting where Ford will likely take the next F-Series pickups, and what it
  will take to meet future fuel economy standards.With a
  new F-Series pickup, Ford's most profitable and best-selling vehicle, not due
  for a redesign until the 2015 model year, the Atlas was short of key details,
  like specific engine designs or output. But the trend lines show where Ford has
  to go: producing more power while burning less fuel, and to that end the Atlas
  prepares F-Series buyers for a world where every piece of the truck plays some
  role in higher mileage.

  Take the wheels. If they seem a bit busy, it's because they contain shutters
  that close at higher speeds, improving aerodynamics. There's also air dams that
  deploy in front of the wheels and behind the massive chrome grille for the same
  reason. Ford chief engineer Raj Nair said the new truck will need to lose up to
  700 lbs. in order to meet the U.S. fuel economy standards rising between now and
  2025, including some "funky" things like aluminum frames.

  "It's always getting harder. The rate of fuel economy improvement that needed
  is ever increasing, both from customer demand and regulatory requirement," Nair
  says.

  

  Ford has successfully shown truck buyers will choose something other than a
  V-8 engine if given a practical alternative; some 43 percent of F-150 buyers
  pick a twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6, and some version of that engine powers the
  Atlas. The concept had a start-stop engine system; Nair said Ford was still
  exploring a potential deal with Toyota to jointly design and build a hybrid
  system for pickups and larger vehicles.

  As for the Atlas' style, the ideas seem less far out than close to
  production. The massive chrome grille will look familiar to anyone who's seen a
  Super Duty. High-end versions of the F-Series trucks are already luxury
  vehicles, so lux-world touches like LED headlamps and on-board WiFi don't seem
  surprising. Other technology aimed at helping drivers -- a 360-degree roof
  camera, a cargo cradle built into the tailgate for additional storage -- also
  seem well within reach.

  While Chevy played conservative with the new Silverado, the Atlas suggests
  Ford will be willing to take more risks when its turn comes — and stealing the
  spotlight back will be more difficult.

• $12K Painting Found At Goodwill. I GOTTA Start Shopping There More Often.

  Posted January 14, 2013 by Mike DuBord

   

   

   

   

  

  
  painting that was dropped off at a Goodwill store in Virginia may soon sell
  for nearly $20,000—with the proceeds going to a good cause.

  The painting, an original work by
  19th-century artist Giovanni
  Batista Torriglia, is currently up for auction
  on Goodwill’s website, with the sale expected to be completed on
  Wednesday.

  Goodwill employee Maria Rivera found the
  painting in a donation bin in November, but she set the item aside on a hunch
  that it might be of value. “I didn’t know how much at the time, but I knew we
  had some money here,” Rivera told a local NBC
  affiliate last week.

  In fact, Rivera said she based her opinion
  of the painting on a memory of having recently seen a similar work at a
  museum.

  The painting, which depicts an elderly
  woman drinking a cup of tea, was then taken to an appraiser, who said it's worth
  between $12,000 and $18,000.

  Of course, Goodwill officials say they
  won’t be surprised if someone, or even multiple people, come forward claiming to
  be the accidental donor of the Torriglia painting. However, because there was no
  proof of ownership left with the painting at the time, Goodwill officials say
  it’s unlikely an individual could take ownership.

  Goodwill adds that it will use the proceeds
  for its job-training program.

  The unusual discovery is actually part of a
  larger trend of people making accidental art donations to Goodwill in recent
  months.

  In November, a donation center. As with the
  Torriglia, the Dali work was put up for auction on the store’s website. And a
  few months before that, a piece of pottery found at a New York Goodwill store
  turned out to be a from a Native American burial site in Oklahoma.

  The strange donations extend beyond the
  world of art.

  Also in November, a , which were
  stuffed inside a pair of donated shoes. However, the store found the cash and
  set it aside, allowing the family to retrieve the money a few days later.

  Other donations have proven to be more
  mysterious. For example, in May a St. Louis Goodwill donation center discovered
  about $14,000 in cash in a box of Christmas tree decorations.

• Ticket Advice From a Retired Cop

  Posted January 3, 2013 by Mike DuBord

   

  Thirty-five years ago, middle school-age Mike Brucks realized he wanted to be a police officer. After graduating from high school he joined the army and became a military traffic cop on the million-acre Fort Bliss in western Texas and New Mexico. "It was a small-scale community, with slow speeds, and we would investigate accidents on- and off-post, in Colorado, New Mexico, and as far as Corpus Christi, anywhere a serviceman was injured or killed," Brucks says. After six years in the Army he joined the El Paso Police Department as a traffic cop. He retired last May after 22 years and almost 40,000 tickets, by his estimation, most of which he issued while riding Kawasaki and Harley-Davidson big-motor touring bikes. Here are some of his stories from the road and tips for motorists looking to avoid a ticket.
  
  

   

  Besides speeding, which is the reason for most tickets, what's most likely to get a traffic cop's attention?
  
  Seatbelts, cell phones, red lights, and stop signs. I concentrate on all the things that can cause an accident. There are some cops who write tickets for expired plates, for having no insurance or registration, but you're not going to crash because of any of that. I focused on safety issues—that's what I like to do.
  
  Motorcycle or car—which is better for catching speeders?
  
  Motorcycles accelerate so much faster and can maneuver around traffic better. When I'm in a car, it's harder to get it turned around. I grew up riding dirt bikes as a kid. I've always been riding. I teach riding with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation; I have a BMW RT1150 as a personal bike.
  
  Do traffic cops think it's cheating to hide behind billboards?
  
  No. You've got a radar detector; you know where we hide. If you are thinking we are hiding somewhere, it's because you're speeding.
  
  Do you have favorite hiding places?
  
  I stay on the freeway mostly. That's where there are more speeders. I'll park under overpasses, on bridges. I need to be able to start the bike and accelerate to go after someone. If there are a lot of exits, I can miss [a speeder] who can maybe get off at an exit, and then it's too late to catch him.
  
  How much leeway do you give someone before writing them a speeding ticket?
  
  The speed limit in Texas used to be 60 mph, [and] well, out on the clear road where there's a lot of visibility I give people leeway. I wouldn't write tickets until they got to 80 mph. I've never worked an area where the speed limit drops a lot without warning, what I call a trap. If there's a new speed limit that's lower, it [takes] time for people to get used to it and I don't write tickets there.
  
  What can a driver say to get out of a ticket?
  
  When someone tells me that a family member has just been sent to the hospital and they're on their way, how can I ticket them for that? I tell them that they're not being safe, that they need to slow down and stay safe. That's about it.
  
  I think now it's much more of a rat-race world than it was 30 years ago. The workforce has generated that. People have to be at work on time or risk getting fired, kids have to be picked up and taken places—it's just citizens in a hurry. Ninety-eight percent of the people I stop are law-abiding good citizens, and they say they have no reason to speed. That's an easy ticket. They're not happy, but I could go months without any problems, without anyone cussing me out. I wrote a lot of warnings, too, but it all depends on the situation, if they were being safe.
  
  What different kinds of speeders do you find?
  
  Monday through Friday, they're all trying to get to work; they go 70 to 75 mph in a 60 mph zone. On Saturdays and Sundays, there is less traffic, no rush hour, and they go 85 to 90 mph. On the [Woodrow Bean] Transmountain Road, there is a "100 Miles per Hour" club, and a lot of motorcyclists run it on the weekends. When I first started, I worked night shifts, and there are a lot of bad people out there at night. So I liked days, and I would try to work as early as possible before it got hot, because I was on a motorcycle.
  
  Are speed limits too low?
  
  No, the traffic engineers, at least in Texas, are pretty good. It's not that some parts of the highway are safer for speeding, it's that drivers aren't always paying attention. People die on lonely deserted stretches of road too. There are a lot of times drivers aren't concentrating. They need to understand you're going 100 feet per second on the highway. Above 75 mph things just happen so fast, [whether it's] a flat tire, a coyote, wind, dirt, or rocks. It's not that much better now that cars are safer; reaction times are still the same.
  
  What's the toughest ticket you've had to write?
  
  I clocked a woman coming down from New Mexico on Highway 54 at 111 mph. She had just been stopped for going 90 mph 15 minutes [earlier] in New Mexico. Everybody has a reason, and I want to know it. I always ask why someone was speeding, and that's just to open things up. I want to know what they're thinking, if they need my help for something. She had been crying, and the tears didn't just start—they'd been going on a long time, you can tell. She was on her way to a motel in El Paso to catch her husband who was shacked up with another woman there, cheating. How do you write a ticket for that?
  
  Who's the craziest speeder you've seen?
  
  I stopped a guy going 136 mph. I caught him mostly because he thought he lost me. I came up beside him and blocked his front wheel on the curb. The hardest part after that was now I have to be courteous and respectful, although he could have killed someone, and that makes me angry. It's really too bad, he was a good kid, never been in trouble, but now he had to go to jail for felonious evading, and that's really going to wreck his life.
  
  When do you not chase a speeder?
  
  I clocked a guy on a crotch-rocket bike doing 189 mph. Just let him go. Since police departments began to get sued for chasing speeders, around 1995, there's a fine line. You have to determine if you can catch him, if chasing him will cause an accident for him, for you, for the public. There's no way to catch anyone like that

• 8 Gifts Guys Really Want, No Shopping Required

  Posted December 21, 2012 by Mike DuBord

  8 Presents Guys Really Want--No Shopping Required! from glamour.com

  #1 To never be forced to watch The Hills (or   any reality-TV show) again

  #2 For you to make him nachos when his favorite   team is playing

  #3 For you to stop referring to Justin Timberlake   as your husband

  #4 To play his Xbox as much as he wants (without   any mocking from you)

  #5 For you to stop dropping hints about marriage,   kids…the future

  #6 A guys’ night out, no questions asked

  #7 For you to never ask him if you look fat in   that again

  #8 You, wearing only a Santa hat