First off, I don't ride a bike regularly. I think the last time I did was over a decade ago. Anyway, to my point.

I don't have a problem with people who ride bikes for transportation. However, as a motorist I do see a problem with a "new" trend that I've seen around the Provo area.

What's the deal with bicyclists riding in car lanes. The most ludicrous scene is that of a bicyclist turning left in a left turn lane. I could be wrong, but I believe a bike cannot accelerate from a stationary position as fast as most cars.

Frankly I find this behavior annoying and dangerous. I'd like to hear other thoughts on this topic.

Peace out...

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=157&sid=4129266

Looks like Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska has been tapped as McCain's VP nominee.

So, now that we know who to expect on the ticket come November, what are your thoughts on Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin?

Article here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-budget24-2008jul24,0,2620443.story

Some of you may remember me writing about California's budget woes previously on the Pulse. California, as it stands, has a 15-16 billion dollar deficit. States and municipalities are feeling the pinch too, as property values decline and middle-class and upper-class taxpayers flee to other Western states. Several California municipalities have declared bankrupty.

The Governor's/Republican's solution: Cut everyone's salary until a balanced budget is passed, then give back pay to the state workers.

Democrat's Solution: Keep spending at current levels, and raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

California, as it stands, is already one of the least friendly states in which to do business. The last time a tax hike was passed on the wealthy (people making more than a million a year), a fifth of them left the state.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/1117409,elexpoll082008.article

In the latest Zogby poll, McCain is leading Obama by 5 points. McCain has lead in several polls of "likely voters" (a mathematically determined weighting system applied to demographic information in general polls), but this marks the first time he's lead in a general poll.

Good news for Provo residents. On the cover of the Daily Herald today, were the bold words, "Provo Leads Nation in Volunteerism.” I was happy when I saw this so I read more. There were some very cool figures in the article.

For example: “63.8 % of local residents over 16 give service each year, more than double the national average of 27.2 %." The second best city was Iowa City with a rate of 45.1 %. Provo was 18.7 % above the second highest city in the nation. Way higher than number two!

The volunteer hours per resident were 132.4 while the national average was 36.1. Los Angeles was even lower in the twenties. The article suggested that the college might play some role in the high hours of service. It also stated that many of the hours were religious.

Salt Lake City was also one of the most generous cities and Utah was listed as the most generous state.

I would say this is a very favorable sign for Utahans and members of the LDS church.

Aaron Shamy has made his own bucketlist, before bucketlists were even popular.

Among over 200 items on the list is Aaron's goal to get a college degree. He has entered a YouTube competition which has the prize of a full-ride scholarship. Finalists are chosen by the number of YouTube views their application video has received and also its YouTube rating.

Shamy has already crossed off over 100 items from his bucket list including winning a gold medal for the U.S., climbing the Matterhorn, performing with Cirque Du Soleil, knitting a sweater, and getting married in the temple!

Please check out his video and leave a 5 star rating if you think it's deserving.

Click here to vote on YouTube (youtube account required to vote)

This is very important. We are counseled to stay out of debt; however, I think that many college students don't realize how important a credit card is.

Here are three solid reasons why every college student should get a credit card.

1. You need to start building your own personal credit. I worked in the mortgage industry for a few years. When the day comes that you are ready to buy a house or condo, you will need at least three trade-lines in good standing. That means you will need to have had three lines of credit against your name (probably for about two years). Get a credit card as one of them.