October 1st... Quick note before we get into the meat of the post... We had some help building a quick press release about the blog, the dream, et al... (many thanks, Tony!) and have posted it here... it's on the right hand side... near the top of the sidebar (Editor's Note: Recently removed to unclutter the sidebar...) just below the quick description of the blog in Word Doc and PDF formats. Have a read if you have some time...

...yeah, he used "ghost hunter", but hey, it's the media... I do remind loyal readers that we do not actually stalk and kill ghosts... I mean, taxidermy would be problematic at best!

Top Eleven Questions That People SEEM To Be Looking For Answers To Here...

A while back, I did a post about weird searches that found this blog... it's a posting idea that caught on like wildfire... but I can hardly say I was the "original"... Heck, I remember similar things found on websites when everyone and their pets had webpages through Geocities!

Anyway, the same searches pop up time and time again... so for those folks who keep "finding" us, here's the top-eleven most popular search phrases/questions that come to this blog...

#11: What is the height of a double-decker bus?

If you say, "A little over fourteen-feet as an average.", you'd be right...

The popular Routemaster and RT we both about 14ft. 5in. tall...

Of course, this is an average... 'cuz there are exceptions to every rule... For example, the Regent Low Height (the bus we're interested in saving via this blog,) is only 13ft. 4in. in height... and a Lodekka is (roughly) 13ft. 6in.

#10: What is a Baker Rifle, where can I get one, and how much should I be expected to pay?

A Baker Rifle is a muzzle-loading, black-powder, flintlock weapon used during the Napoleonic wars. (Think "musket" with a rifled barrel.) They were the first accepted standard issue rifle in the British army. (Although the "Brown Bess" or standard, smooth-bore musket was far more prevalent in the British army of the time...)

First produced in Whitechapel by Ezekiel Baker in 1800, the rifle saw extensive use until 1841 (the last time there's records of the rifles being issued to British army personnel.)

Not only British armies in Waterloo carried them, but there's historical records of Baker's in Canada during the War of 1812 and even used by Mexican forces during the battle of the Alamo.

They have been made popular in modern times thanks to the Sharpe series of books and movies...

You can purchase working replicas from The Discriminating General, Coghlin and Upton, Loyalist Arms, and other "replica gunsmiths".

Expect to spend between $800 to $6000 or £400 to £3000 (the high end being specially built for you... and GORGEOUS!) for one.

#9: Where can I find nude pictures of Newling-Sama or Yinling-Sama online?

Try the search engine again... I don't have any.

#8: What's the best cure for a kidney stone?

As a frequent sufferer due to a kidney ailment, my best advice is cranberry juice... two litres per day... and ask your doctor about a procedure called lithotripsy.

Other than this, avoid antacids (like Tums and Rolaids), cut down on meats and other proteins, avoid citrus juices (they contains calcium), and stay away from "dark" pop (like colas).

#7: What is the most haunted house in Toronto?

We don't honestly know... and if we did, we'd probably have to keep it under wraps thanks to the Ontario Privacy Act of March 2004 which forbids us to release any information without express consent from the home's owner... not that we would anyway unless they went "public".

Still, I can share the top three places in Toronto that are "public" that we get the most reports from... Old Fort York, The Keg Mansion, and The Former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital (now Humber College Lakeshore Campus).

#6: Where's the cool Bas Rutten video from YouTube where he says "Bangada, bangada, bang!"

Sadly, the "original edit" seems to have been removed by the person that put it up originally... still there's some FUN Bas Rutten stuff available via YouTube... Click Here to see what I mean...

#5: Is Razor Ramon Hard Gay straight and married?

Yup. Haado Gei is an "act"... a "gimmick"... kayfabe in wrestling terms. Sumitani Masaki (Razor Ramon's "creator" and alter-ego) is married to Anna Suzuki, a former member of the Miniskirt Police.

#4: How do I get rid of a ghost in my house?

It would take too long to re-write my recommendations... so here's two links that might help you...

Article I wrote for a local newspaper...
Sue's article on her website...

So far, these articles have had a 99.99999% success rate... and the information and whatnot in them cost ZERO to accomplish.

#3: How can I convert a bus into a mobile home?

There's a SPECTACULAR resource page available by clicking here... and if you want something "already done" in terms of a double-decker, try contacting Double Decker Living

#2: How do I make a tonne of money online?

Well, our goal is NOT to make a crudload of money through this... just enough to help us save Regent Low Height 3 which is $20,000.00 USD.

Although some have made a fortune from online ventures, we've been less than successful (so far) in our endeavours... so you're probably better off finding another resource.

BEWARE the "quick fix", however... ideas like "The Million Dollar Homepage" and "One Red Paper Clip" succeeded because they were original... copies rarely do as well...

Try to be original... try to be unique... try to figure out something that no one's tried before... and publicise it. Be prepared to work hard and really believe in your goal... and don't be afraid to TRY.... If you fear failure, you'll never succeed.

Oh, and don't use "us" (here) as a benchmark... we're only interested in acquiring the bus... not a house, not a million dollars, not tonnes of fame... we're pretty low rent in that area and really, we see our "success" not coming from this, but other things we're working on... this is all about RLH 3 in it's purest form.

#1: Do video games/music/horror movies make people violent?

Sadly, there's studies that say yes... happily, there's an equal number of studies that say no.

Effectively, the "best science" (tests done with proper controls, an appropriate amount of data sample, and generally more than a skewed "make this true because I want this to be true" methodology) says that no, they do not entice people to violent behaviour... but to those already predisposed to a violent persona, they do act as an outlet and therefore, it's a natural that they will engage in activities that revolve around these things.

Millions upon millions of people listen to "evil" music, play "evil" video games, and take up other "evil" activities... and yet are not acting them out in violent reality. It's a "select few" that do...

There were times when jazz, Elvis Presley, Dungeons and Dragons, and even comic books were touted as things that would bring about the effective destruction of society... that didn't come to pass... but "experts" and "scientists" said they would...

Well, here we are again... and this time, it's "goth", "metal", and "video games"...

I wouldn't put too much stock into it.

I'd say it's a lack of parental teaching of value and empathy that's the cause... but no one likes to hear that THEIR parenting skills are in doubt... but it's true...

If everyone had a basic understanding of the value of life and empathy towards living people (without giving up on personal security) then we'd have a lot less violence. I doubt any "scientist" or the like would argue this...

BUT...

It's a lot easier for the pundits to blame everything on a pop-cultural thing.

So, there we go... I hope that some "surfers" had their questions answered here! I've hit the main "searching points" that people seem to be using... of course, in a few days, this post will be buried and someone looking for information on Japanese wrestling organisation Hustle will wonder why on EARTH they ended up on a blog about buses... but at least I can say I tried!

The standard last note on the old blog... PLEASE SUPPORT THE DREAM!

This blog is here to help promote a dream that an entire family shares... that dream is to rescue an old London Double-Decker bus.

Please, if you have a few minutes, take some time to find out more about this bus and the kooky dream by clicking here.

This bus is VERY special to myself and the whole family, and any help any person can lend us would be most gratefully accepted.

If you or someone you know might be interested, there's our pixel ad site, HelpCoverTheBus.Com and a PayPal donation button (see the upper-right hand side of the blog) and, of course, a Cafe Press shop for T-Shirts and shtuff!
(...and who doesn't need some shtuff!)

Please help us make this dream a reality and save a piece of history!

We thank you for your support!

Please Note: We are also hoping for help from a public relations/marketing standpoint... If you might be able to assist OR know someone who might be willing to, please click here and read this entry...