Matt, I've never ridden the DR400, but my brother has the 650. With standard gearing, it's a great street bike and a white knuckle terror off road. Gear it down, and it buzzes on the freeway. And even then, it's way too easy to kill in tight going - not enough flywheel. That's why the wide ratio six speed is such a big deal to me. Any current dual sport would be more versatile with another gear and a wider spread. To me, that's the most critical need. However, if you want to actually go anywhere, like Alaska or Colorado or Baja, you need to carry some gear and you need some way to perform maintenance, and so far only KTM and BMW take those needs seriously. If I had a fabrication skills I would design a suicide center stand -- a skid plate with a removable pin in front that would rotate on a rear hinge and double as a center stand. I'm sure no manufactuer would touch it for liability reasons, but it could certainly be made to work nicely without the weight and ground clearance concerns of conventional center stands. Just the thing for the car wash after 75 miles of axle deep mud on the Cassiar.

I travelled up the Oregon Coast not long ago. Being a sailor I was poking around some of the yacht harbors and such and found a grated area near where the fishing boats were docked. I poked around looking for things to photograph, and found a HUGE pile of fish remains with flies buzzing around and slime coming from the bottom. I asked the fisherman what the pile was being used for, since I am also a gardener I figured the remains would be used for that. He said they sell to pet food companies. I will never forget that. So - that is what I mean by junk fish. As far as human grade food - I dont mean a nice piece of filet mignon, although I am certain your dog would love that. I mean food that is not just extras body parts thrown in a heated bin and made into a soup and processed into dog food. As far as human grade food Im talking about meat which is regularly tested for pesticides, herbicides, and other contaminants. As far as high protein goes, I know from working at a vet that you add dog biscuits or something crunchy - not for the teeth of the dogs but to help them process all that meat, I know high protein diets can slow the digestive process and I also know that dogs and other wild animals supplement their diet naturally ie:BARF type diets. Even zoo's give their charges food they would not normally get in the wild, cantelope and watermelon to bears and tigers etc....Those are my concerns, that any pet get a good quality food and not junk food, and that food is tested for contaminants. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

I've had several that I liked. My blue Formula Firebird was my favorite. A tree had fallen on my previous car so I bought my Firebird after work getting only one brief look with a flashlight while shopping after dark. I thought I was buying a 4 cylinder transportation special because I never even looked under the hood. Only after I went to pick it up and actually test drove it that it began to sink in that I owned a real sports car. Because I thought I was dealing on a just a cheap set of used wheels I had offered the dealership half the asking price and they accepted so I pretty much stole the car from them. Much of the engine had been modified for even more power and the tires were burned off the back so it looked like a risky deal. It cost me a couple thousand to put new tires, brakes, battery, shocks, and a muffler on it but that put it in in great shape. After getting 11 mpg for a couple months I had some of the performance parts taken out of the engine and mileage jumped to 20 mpg... not bad for a car that go from stopped to over 100 mph in less then 10 seconds. It was frightening to step on the gas as the whole car would twist out of shape as the engine roared to life causing it to head for the ditch if you didn't have both hands on the wheel. I was a bit younger then and totally enjoyed the thrill... good thing I live in cow country or I would have been ticketed to death. I drove it up till 3-4 years ago when it developed some minor mechanical problems. I parked it in the driveway one day and started driving my Bravada truck to work and there it still sits. For a couple thousand I can fix it up with a new paint job and probably drive it for a few more years... if I ever get around to it. The Bravada was a very close tie for favorite with All Wheel Drive and four doors. It was a much better truck then my current Blazer. : ) michael

I think much of the problem here is the way one looks at any horse, in particular a Thoroughbred race horse. Are they livestock or are they a pet? They're actually a bit of both! They are livestock though, and how one views livestock is quite different than the family pet. When livestock outlive their usefulness to a farmer, they are sent to a slaughter house or put down and the knacker is called to take away their bodies. We don't do that with our domestic pets - that would be considered appalling and it would be. But what would one do with race horses that are now too old to race? Keeping a racehorse involved stabling, exercise and food - all costly things. One cannot run a business and have a stable full of horses that are not pulling their weight Harsh? Well, it depends on if they are pets or livestock. Could I send a horse to a slaughter lot or have him euthanized and his body hauled off? No, but then I would have a very hard time sending cattle to be slaughtered, either, even though I do eat meat. I remember when my grandmother would decide that an old hen she had had quit laying for her - that old hen was going in the stock/stew pot without a 2nd thought. It was hard for me to watch her kill a chicken that was going on the table for dinner at noon that day. But I sure did enjoy her fried chicken. Call me a hypocrite - I might well be as I just couldn't do it but I'm not a vegetarian or vegan. The "good" people in any industry, whether it involves animals or not, are ethical. Others are not. People at the high end of the Thoroughbred industry ARE ethical, but there are bottom feeders who are right up there with horse thieves. I'm involved in my dogs' breed club - they are purebred dogs. I can promise you that the "best" breeders are ethical. Now, being "best" does not necessarily mean those who win a LOT - some are, some aren't. But "best" on my list are highly ethical and ALWAYS put the well-being of the dogs above their own personal gain. Others do not. My friend, the equine vet, graduated from the Univ of PA Veterinary School, one of the top vet schools in the country, is a member of the Jockey Club and has been a Jockey Club Steward, has served on the Board of Overseers for the Univ of PA Vet School, and was named Warner Jones Horseman of the Year. One would be hard pressed to find a nicer, more ethical man. He bred Thoroughbred horses for many years. His father was the Racing Secretary at two major racetracks, and both his sons are in various aspects of the industry. I believe this man. Of course, money is involved - it must be - it's a VERY expensive sport. Now if you are a card-caring PETA member, you will tell me I should not own a purebred dog, eat meat, wear leather, and that horse racing is no different than dog fighting. Not much room for discussion there, is there?