| HiWheel bicyclist puzzles police, but no tickets
Martin Krieg makes people smile when they see him riding his HiWheel bicycle, but police are often confounded. The bike Krieg rides is an antique with a 52-inch diameter front wheel. Krieg, who lives in south Palo Alto, has been stopped three times recently by police officers who wonder if his bike is legal. But he hasn't been ticketed yet. "I've been stopped three times in the last few months on my HiWheel for theoretically not being able to brake properly (I cannot reach the ground with my feet), for not stopping long enough and for not having proper lighting," he told friends in an e-mail. But, as he explains, the HiWheel is legal because it falls outside the California vehicle code definition of a bicycle that is chain, gear or belt driven.
Dublin police to ride three-wheeled scooter
DUBLIN Police will soon be patrolling the city's busiest shopping center on a three-wheeled, clean-energy scooter. The T3 scooter, which has a top speed of 25 mph, looks like a beefier version of a Segway. It runs on batteries that need recharging every 30 miles. The police department now uses patrol cars and bicycles to navigate the shopping center on Hacienda Drive and Dublin Boulevard. The scooter, which was donated by center businesses, will give officers a good option, said Dublin police Lt. Glenn Moon. Patrol cars have more visibility, a good deterrent to bad behavior, but they are harder to use in crowded areas, Moon said, while bikes can be used when officers don't necessarily want to be seen. The motorized scooter is the best of both worlds, he said. "It has the (visible) deterrent of a patrol car, but somewhat of the stealth" of a bike, Moon said.
Wheelchair bomber eludes detection, blows himself up inside Iraqi ...
A man in a wheelchair laden with explosives persuaded security guards to push him into an Iraqi operations center, where he blew himself up in an attack that killed the center's deputy commander. The infiltration, along with a U.S. report that insurgents used an adolescent to carry out a suicide attack against a mosque last week, was the latest indication that al-Qaida in Iraq is expanding its tactics to avoid detection before a bombing. The Iraqi military indefinitely banned all motorcycles, bicycles and hand-pushed and horse-drawn carts from Baghdad's streets on Sunday, two days after a bomb hidden under a horse-drawn cart killed three civilians. U.S. Embassy spokesman Philip Reeker said that while al-Qaida in Iraq has been "severely damaged," it remains a "dangerous threat." .
Pluckemin Inn tops list of best restaurants for 2007
Who can remember what's available if more than one or two items are reeled off verbally? With a computer, it's a quick job to print up an addition to the regular menu. The restaurant business is volatile, but the mark of a truly fine establishment is consistency. The places on this year's top-10 list are so professional that when you have dinner there, you should enjoy the same fine food and service that I experienced. In 2007, the trend of informal elegance continued. Fine dining today usually means an atmosphere geared toward comfort with a relaxed dress code, but high-style food and service. In that regard, the Pluckemin Inn (359 Route 202-206 South, Bedminster; (908) 658-9292, www.pluckemininn.com), has hit new heights after an auspicious beginning several years ago.
Goodbye Lycra, hello street cred
For the past few years, we have been told that cycling is becoming fashionable, in the sense that more people are doing it. But next month, it will become truly fashionable – as in the "Milan, darling" sense – when Chanel launches a limited-edition, eight-gear bicycle complete with leather saddle and quilted panniers, adorned with the trademark interlinked Cs, of course. But at £6,200, it's probably not a good idea to leave it chained to the railings outside the local pub. .
TV Today
Taylor (Kyle Chandler) struggles with jealousy when an old flame of Tami's (Connie Britton) visits. Late Show With David Letterman (11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m., CBS3) - Actor Colin Farrell; actress Blake Lively; Lenny Kravitz performs. The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (12:35-1:35 a.m., CBS3) - Actress Jessica Alba; actress Mo'Nique; Dierks Bentley performs. .
Obama's Double Bubble Trouble
Tom Snyder, R.I.P.: When my book came out in the early 1990s, I went on a highly ... er, selective media tour that included a stop at the Cahuenga Pass studio of Tom Snyder's radio show. For whatever reasons--Snyder understood what I was trying to do with the book, or he drew easily on his life experiences, or he was a warm personality or just a good questioner--it was the best interview I did. After a disastrous stillborn conversation with All Things Considered, it was heartening to know I could get on someone 's wavelength. Even if Snyder was faking it--especially if he was faking it--I'm grateful. But he didn't seem to be. ... 2:34 P.M. ___________________________ Doing Pinch's Job**: Emailer X has an idea for replacing the hated TimesSelect paywall while making Pinch Sulzberger's New York Times some extra money.
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