Normally, my insecurities, ingrained into my DNA, and giving me an excuse to hate those guys who seem perfect, would not allow me to show any respect or give any praise to the extremely talented and super-nice-guy, Adam Levine.
He is just too cool and seems to be nice to everyone he meets. He covers Prince’s Purple Rain for Howard’s birthday bash and the performance may be his best ever!
Adam Levine, Purple Rain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w2lNpixqOc
One of the most beautiful “covers” ever! It stands on its own as a masterpiece!
“Creep” – Prince at Coachella 2008 (Uploaded via Permission from Radiohead & NPG Music Publishing): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFXZNt4oLkE
More than 500,000 pieces of debris, or “space junk,” are tracked as they orbit the Earth. They all travel at speeds up to 17,500 mph, fast enough for a relatively small piece of orbital debris to damage a satellite or a spacecraft.
In the 50-plus years that humans have been zipping through space more than 6,000 satellites have been launched. While some have made their way back down to Earth, more than 3,600 remain in orbit.
Source: Interactive map shows how much space junk is flying around Earth
Stuff in Space
Stuff in Space is a realtime 3D map of objects in Earth orbit, visualized using WebGL. (Shown above)
The website updates daily with orbit data from Space-Track.org and uses the excellent satellite.js Javascript library to calculate satellite positions.
Stuff in Space on GitHub, by James Yoder.: https://github.com/jeyoder/ThingsInSpace
The US. department of Defense maintains an accurate log of all the objects in the Earth’s orbit that are larger than a softball — and if you’d like to get an idea of what all that might look like, you can — via an interactive map called Orbital Objects. http://www.alexras.info/code/orbital_objects/
The rising population of space debris increases the potential danger to all space vehicles, but especially to the International Space Station, space shuttles and other spacecraft with humans aboard.
NASA takes the threat of collisions with space debris seriously and has a long-standing set of guidelines on how to deal with each potential collision threat. These guidelines, part of a larger body of decision-making aids known as flight rules, specify when the expected proximity of a piece of debris increases the probability of a collision enough that evasive action or other precautions to ensure the safety of the crew are needed.
Space debris encompasses both natural (meteoroid) and artificial (man-made) particles. Meteoroids are in orbit about the sun, while most artificial debris is in orbit about the Earth. Hence, the latter is more commonly referred to as orbital debris.
Orbital debris is any man-made object in orbit about the Earth which no longer serves a useful function. Such debris includes nonfunctional spacecraft, abandoned launch vehicle stages, mission-related debris and fragmentation debris.
There are more than 20,000 pieces of debris larger than a softball orbiting the Earth. They travel at speeds up to 17,500 mph, fast enough for a relatively small piece of orbital debris to damage a satellite or a spacecraft. There are 500,000 pieces of debris the size of a marble or larger. There are many millions of pieces of debris that are so small they can’t be tracked.
Each spring, the Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National draws millions of TV viewers. The unique tournament usually provides challenging competition and athletic drama. The Masters is even more special for those lucky enough to be able to attend the event in person and has been sold out for years. (See more info on this below) Here are some interesting facts about Augusta National that they may not tell you on TV.
Of course, the stories are legend about how long it takes to get a Masters pass—years. Families will them down to generation after generation. Each year the badge has a unique design and artwork. Here is a link which has images of all past Masters Tournament Badges.
Careful with commentary– More than 40 years ago, during one tense moment, CBS commentator Jack Whitaker used the term “mob” to describe the scene around a green. The Masters leadership let his bosses know that he wouldn’t be invited back, and he wasn’t. Of course, there were Gary McCord’s famous lines about “bikini waxes” and “body bags.” It’s been 17 years. He hasn’t been back, either. McCord doesn’t care
Polite fans- They are not fans. They are not a crowd or even a gallery. They are patrons. You’ll hear it often during the CBS broadcast. Also, while on the grounds, patrons are told not to run. Walking only.
Icing the Azaleas- the site founder Bobby Jones selected was a nursery, so the flora is amazing, to say the least. If an early spring comes, grounds crew will put ice under the azaleas to slow down their blossoming. They want everything in full color come Masters week. (Note: They cannot control rain, however. Yet.)
1980 prices for food and beer: It used to be pimento cheese sandwiches, but now there’s bbq, chicken and others—each for about $3. A beer costs under $3.
Small field of golfers, large maintenance crew- It’s the smallest major field—only 99 competitors compared to the 156 in the other three majors. Following the second round, the low 44 scores, plus ties and any golfer within 10 strokes of the lead advance to play the on the weekend. (making the cut) That means for Saturday and Sunday the field will be anywhere from 44 to 55. Get there early enough you will find more than 60 people working on the course, mowing, raking, edging, etc.
Augusta National bad for golf?- Of note, there are many who think this does the golf industry a disservice by showing a course so luxurious, verdant and immaculate. It’s a standard that any other course cannot meet, much less your local municipal. (Augusta has almost unlimited resources for maintenance and the course is closed half the year.) Article on the topic: HERE
Limited playing time- Augusta National closes in late spring and doesn’t open again until fall. Part of this stems from its origins in the mid-1930s. Jones wanted it to be a “national” club, meaning members live all over the country to play. For business executives from the Northeast, the winter was the best time to play. During that no-play period during the summer, Augusta National undertakes projects to improve the course….. “This club changes something in this course every year, and they never tell you about it.”
Cheap golf- It’s one of the best-kept numbers in sports—the initiation fee to Augusta National. With barons like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, among others, as members it goes without saying that money isn’t the object. And it isn’t. To join is reportedly under $100,000, which might be one-tenth of other high profile clubs in the country. And if you were lucky enough to play the course with a member, you can probably afford it. Guest fees are said to be about $40.
Fine wine Augusta National is presumed to have one of the best private wine cellars in the world, buying the best French, Italian, American and Australian wines on futures. Those glasses of wine that tasted so good during dinner came from bottles that run $1,000 apiece, and more.
The Masters: 10 Things They Don’t Tell You About Augusta National on TV: `
More info and links
Waiting lists for badges: Beginning in 2012, Augusta National Golf Club announced it would begin making a small number of tournament tickets available for purchase through a random drawing following online registration, directly from Augusta National. Each year, a small number of tickets are returned to ANGC following the deaths of longtime ticket holders, or other reasons. Previously, those tickets were simply removed from circulation. But since 2012, fans can register online to take part in a random drawing for those tickets. To do so, golfers much register on the tickets page on Masters.com; registrants receive notification when the ticket application process is opened each year, shortly following each Masters tournament. The number of available tournament tickets is not listed, but rest assured the number is very small and your odds are very, very long. Link for Masters Ticket Info.
Prior to those announcements, tickets to tournament days (rounds one through four) had not been available from the Masters Tournament directly to the general public since 1972. That year, Augusta National Golf Club opened a waiting list, but due to demand the waiting list itself had to be closed in 1978. (Practice-round tickets have been available) Twenty-two years later, in the year 2000, a new waiting list was opened. But it is now also closed.
Augusta National Golf Club- located in Augusta, Georgia, is a famous golf club. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts on the site of a former indigo plantation, the course was designed by Jones and Alister MacKenzie and opened for play in January 1933. Since 1934, it has played host to the annual Masters Tournament, one of the four major championships in men’s professional golf, and the only major played each year at the same course. It was the number one ranked course in Golf Digest’s 2009 list of America’s 100 greatest courses and was the number ten ranked course on Golfweek Magazine’s 2011 list of best classic courses in the United States, in terms of course architecture.
The golf club’s exclusive membership policies have drawn criticism, particularly its refusal to admit black members until 1990, a former policy requiring all caddies to be black and its refusal to allow women to join. In August 2012, it admitted its first two female members – Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore. The golf club has defended the membership policies, stressing that it is a private organization. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta_National_Golf_Club
Patron behavior rules-
Things you will not see at Augusta National:
Links and articles used in this post:
China has launched a lunar rover, only the third country to do so after the United States and the Soviet Union. The rover, named Jade Rabbit (called Yutu in Chinese) is solar-powered, has 6 wheels and four cameras. It also has mechanical arms that can dig soil samples up to 30 meters deep. It can travel up to 200 meters per hour and weighs 120 kg.
Yatu’s mission is to explore the moon’s surface and look for natural resources. The rover was able to send photos of itself back to Earth. A rover “selfie.” Link
Mars One first mission planned for 2018: Mars One will establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. Unmanned missions will prepare a habitable living environment. Crews of four will depart every two years, starting in 2023 or 2024. Our first unmanned spacecraft will land on Mars in 2018. Mars One website: http://www.mars-one.com/en/
Can I apply to become an astronaut?-It is currently not possible to apply. The closing date of this first online astronaut application round was 31 August 2013. Mars One will start new selection programs regularly, so you will have the possibility to apply for subsequent astronaut selection programs.
If you want to stay up to date, you can sign up for the Mars One Newsletter, and receive all Mars One updates.
View these application videos: https://applicants.mars-one.com/
Best Applications for a one-way trip to Mars: National Geographic’s Picks
Mars One will conduct a global search to find the best candidates for the first human mission to Mars. The combined skill set of each astronaut team member must cover a very wide range of disciplines. The astronauts must be intelligent, creative, psychologically stable and physically healthy. On this page, Mars One offers a brief introduction to the basics of our astronaut selection process.
Five Key Characteristics of an Astronaut:
Age requirements , physical and medical requirements, country of origin and language (English will be official language) area all part of the selection process.
Source: http://www.mars-one.com/en/faq-en/21-faq-selection/251-do-i-qualify-to-apply
Here is a list of Frequently Asked Questions
Rivalry Weekend: Each year in late November, rivalry weekend brings upsets, bragging rights, huge crowds, office jokes, family feuds and much, much more. Here are some of the games that make the Pac-12 special:
The Apple Cup- The Apple Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of an American college football rivalry game played annually by the teams of the two largest public universities in the U.S. state of Washington: the University of Washington (UW) Huskies and the Washington State University (WSU) Cougars. More
The Civil War- an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Oregon Ducks football team of the University of Oregon and Oregon State Beavers football team of Oregon State University. First played in 1894, it is the seventh most played college football rivalry game in the United States. MORE
The Territorial Cup- The Arizona–Arizona State football rivalry, sometimes known as the Duel in the Desert, is a college football rivalry between the University of Arizona Wildcats and the Arizona State University Sun Devils. The winner receives the Territorial Cup, the oldest trophy in college football. The two schools first played in 1899, and the game now continues annually as a Pacific-12 Conference match-up. It is part of the wider Arizona–Arizona State rivalry, which crosses all sports. More
Territorial: The History of the Duel in the Desert
UCLA–USC Rivalry- The UCLA–USC rivalry is the American college rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles and USC Trojans sports teams of the University of Southern California.
Both universities are located in Los Angeles. The rivalry between the two is among the more unusual in NCAA Division I sports because the campuses are only 12 miles (19 km) apart, and both are located within the same city. The close proximity of both alumni and students, and the likelihood of encountering each other and interacting on a daily basis make this one of the most intense college rivalries in the United States. MORE
The Big Game- The Big Game is an American college football rivalry game played by the California Golden Bears football team of the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford Cardinal football team of Stanford University. It is typically played in late November or early December and the rivalry. First played in 1892, it is the ninth most played college football rivalry game in the United States. MORE
The Play- The Play refers to a last-second kickoff return during a college football game between the University of California Golden Bears and the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday, November 20, 1982. Given the circumstances and rivalry, the wild game that preceded it, the very unusual way in which The Play unfolded, and its lingering aftermath on players and fans, it is recognized as one of the most memorable plays in college football history and among the most memorable in American sports. More on The Play Video of “The Play”
I posted about this already, a few posts back. However, it came up in the media again and it is worth revisiting. A fascinating concept. The numbers are there, major college football coaches punt too much and take a very conservative approach, even though they might coach a wide-open offensive game. Job security seems to big too much of a deterrent for coaches to use all 4 downs, and instead stay with the “status quo” and use “3 downs and punt.”
Some gutsy coaches will take advantage of this strange mindset and reap the rewards in the form of first downs, scoring and ultimately in wins. It is just a matter of time. Who would have thought the game would turn into such a passing frenzy with points adding up so fast that even the powerhouse programs who dominated college football for decades had to abandon their consistent but reliable ground game in order to keep up? We may see a similar morph and coaches will reluctantly abandon their old ways of giving the ball back to the opponent one down too early. Maybe I will put together a resume and just apply as the “punting coach” or at least have a consulting firm persuading coaches to use all four downs they are allowed under the rules of football.
As it turns out, going for it on fourth and one from anywhere on the field makes statistical sense. Teams convert a fourth and one — which includes situations ranging from fourth-and-inches to fourth-and-a-yard-and-a-half — around 74 percent of the time. Football Statistics Suggest Teams Should Go For It On Fourth Down
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…if Alaska were divided into two states of equal area, Texas would be our 3rd largest state, even if it included Louisiana. –Dave Imus
Russia had acquired Alaska in the mid-18th century and wanted to sell the vast territory. In 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward, after very intense negotiations, was able to help the USA to buy Alaska from Russia, for $7.2 million. This worked out to a cost of roughly two cents an acre, which is an amazing price, even back then. However, the Alaskan purchase was ridiculed in Congress and in the press as “Seward’s folly,” and “Seward’s icebox,” and it was ratified by the U.S. Senate by a margin of just one vote! Of course nobody could predict the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896, or the wealth of the oil fields and other resources abundant in Alaska, making the purchase one of the best deals in history. More info: HERE
This map and info on Alaska is from a FaceBook post put out by the company that makes these maps, Imus Geographics. (I have nothing to do with the company, I’m just sharing a great map/company) My father-in-law bought me a copy of The Essential Geography of the USA,, made by company founder and owner, cartographer Dave Imus. It is the best map I have ever seen! I absolutely love geography and this map is at the very top of the list! Read all about the map and even order one of your own at the website below.
“Until the publication of the Essential Geography of the USA, Americans lacked the most basic tool of geographic understanding, a general map of the place we call “home.” By allowing us to visualize the basic layout of our country, the Essential Geography, the first and only general map of the United States, has the power to increase awareness and understanding of basic US geography, and help start a new tradition of geographic literacy in America.”
Thank you,
David Imus, Cartographer
The best map ever made of the USA: http://www.imusgeographics.com/map-of-the-usa
Links to various maps of states and regions in the USA: http://www.imusgeographics.com/maps-of-the-states-of-the-usa
Website: The Essential Geography of the United States of America: LINK
This unique phenomenon takes place in March and April, in Yosemite National Park, as a slurry of slushy, watery, snow pushes down Yosemite Creek and into the Yosemite Valley. A giant snow cone is formed under the falls and pieces of ice fall off the cliff onto the cone. (watch at about 4:30 for the snow cone)
“Horsetail Fall looks like a glowing fire fall in February” (6:53) See additional video below
“The Snowcone, at the base of Upper Yosemite Fall” (7:00)
Frazil Ice
Horsetail Fall – At about 4:00 watch people push coals over the edge to put on a show for spectaors below
Get ready for an amazing IMAX film!
Stephen Van Vuuren is a self-described musician, photographer, ubergeek and filmmaker whose diverse background includes growing up in Johannesburg, South Africa and Knoxville, Tennessee. Like most filmmaker’s, Van Vuuren has a current film project, but the movie he wants to make is a bit unique. He wants to personally take hundreds of thousands of still photographs from NASA‘s Cassini-Huygens Mission and turn them into an animated IMAX film. The film called Outside In has been profiled previously, but a recent posting about Van Vuuren and his movie on io9.com has giving his project new life since his video with scenes from the movie have gone viral. More on Geek.com
The risk of Icelanders accidentally sleeping with a relative is apparently high enough to justify a smartphone app to help prevent it.
Link (Video included): http://www.newsy.com/videos/new-app-helps-icelanders-avoid-accidental-incest/
Sight is a short futuristic film, which may not be that far-fetched.
In fact, Google Glass has many similarities to what is shown in Sight.
Boston showed the world how to overcome a tragedy, by joining together and refusing to be victims. There is a lot of pain, but the people of Boston showed why they and their city are so special and they made us all proud!
On a rainy Sunday in Augusta, Georgia, Australian Adam Scott, 32, captured his first green jacket by winning Augusta National’s Masters Tournament. Argentinian Angel Cabrera,43, who was the 2009 champ, was trying to earn his second green jacket and came close with a clutch birdie putt on the 18th, forcing a playoff with Scott, who had finished a group ahead. They tied on the first playoff hole, # 18, when each scored a birdie, then went to the 10th, where both had similar drives and approach shots. When Cabrerra’s birdie putt came painfully close, Scott made an amazing putt to take the title. No Masters sudden-death playoff has gone past 2 playoff holes since the current system was adopted in 1976. (Replacing the 10-hole playoff) Cabrerra had been there before, winning his title in a 3-way playoff with Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell. Overall, this was the 17th playoff at Augusta. (See link below)
Winning the Masters is huge. Champions get a life time exemption to The Masters, a 5 year exemption on the PGA Tour and a 5 year exemption to the other 3 majors. They get their name on the Masters trophy, access to the Masters Champions Locker Room, over $1.3 million in prize money, and they are awarded the coveted green jacket. (although after one year, they must give the jacket back) Champions also get to host the following year’s Champions Dinner. HERE
Who gets invited?- The Masters invites the smallest field of the majors, generally under 100 players.
Masters Playoff History: HERE.
Historical Records and Stats and Past Masters Champions: HERE
Megafloods of the Ice Age: About 15,000 years ago, in the waning millennia of the Ice Age, a vast lake known as Glacial Lake Missoula suddenly burst through the ice dam that plugged it at one end. In the space of just 48 hours, geologists believe, the collapse sent 500 cubic miles of water cascading across the Pacific Northwest, creating overnight such unusual landscapes as the scablands of eastern Washington State. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/megafloods-of-the-ice-age.html
The Hero: A geologist named J. Harlen Bretz, proposed in the 1920s that the topography of eastern Washington State was the result of a massive catastrophic flood. He named this area of eastern Washington the Channeled Scablands. The idea that sites such as the Palouse Falls Gorge were the results of floods was thought to be outrageous, and described by some as near lunacy since the area receives very little rainfall today. It took many decades for Harlen Bretz to finally receive the credit he deserved. In fact, it was not until the area was observed from the air that many of the Scabland features were accepted as flood deposits, such as the giant ripples in the Misoulla Valley, which are up to 30 feet high and 250 feet apart.
Almost fifty years following his original proposal, Bretz was hailed as a hero, and in 1979, at the age of 96, he was given geology’s highest honor — the Penrose Medal, which rewards one researcher each year for exceptional contributions to geology. The Channeled Scablands have now been dedicated to Harlen Bretz, and it is commonly known that this area was destroyed by a massive flood catastrophe. Source: http://www.nwcreation.net/scablands.html
Links:http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/geology/publications/inf/72-2/contents.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channeled_Scablands
Interesting stie with interactive and a video: http://hugefloods.com/Scablands.html
NOVA interactive website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/explore-the-scablands.html
Channeled Scablands; Scientific Bias Against Catastrophism: http://www.nwcreation.net/scablands.html
Ice Age Floods (YouTube video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Na-yPW-52I
Weird, fascinating and tragic for those living under the oppressive regime.
Here is an interesting link:
http://kimjongunlookingatthings.tumblr.com/
and this one (his dad, who died last year): http://kimjongillookingatthings.tumblr.com/
About these links: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/12/20/kim-jong-il-looking-at-things-has-a-tumblr-successor/
10 Things you might not know about Kim Jong Un (Current Great Leader of North Korea): http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/12/19/kim-jong-un-10-things-you-might-not-know-about-north-koreas-new-leader/
Mind boggling facts about Kim Jong Il (The current leader’s dad, and previous Great Leader, who died in Dec 2011): http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/from-fashion-icon-to-golf-pro-mind-boggling-facts-about-kim-jong-il/story-e6frf7lf-1226226100974
Jeff Bezos and Amazon.com get a patent for “airbag-like technology” that would protect smartphones and other devices, if dropped.
The technology “….would use a phone’s motion sensors to detect when it’s in a freefall and deploy what is described in the patent applications as an airbag.”
I would have never guessed that there was so much sex going on in Olympic Village. 150,000 condoms? Wow! Where is the focus? Call me old school, but as a coach, if my athletes were sub-par, I would look for any decent excuse and promiscuous activity with the Latvians would be at the top of my list!
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/08/sport/olympics-village-sex-party-athletes/index.html
“(Sex) is all part of the Olympic spirit. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) wouldn’t say that, but it is, you can’t shy away from it. Why do you think they give away so many condoms?”
This is an interesting situation. The actual headline/link title to this story was – “Serial ‘picnic table stacker’ on the loose in Spokane park” (click on the title for a link to the story)
There has been enough interest in this to bring about a Facebook page called Spokane Serial Stackers and also a Twitter account, hashtag #serialStackers
A photographer used a smart phone app to predict the trajectory of the moon and timed this photograph perfectly. The Olympic Rings have been hung off London’s Tower Bridge to celebrate London Olympiad 2012. http://tinyurl.com/c6bawkm
The gigantic rings cost about $100,000 to install, and not without controversy. http://tinyurl.com/9slgvx8
US athletes are going to have to pay thousands of dollars in taxes by wining medals. It breaks down like this.
The big taxes kick in as a result of the U.S. Olympic Organizing Committee awarding London champions $25,000 for a gold medal, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bringing home a bronze. (Reuters) At a 35 percent income tax rate, bronze medalists will owe the IRS a total of $3,500, silver medalists will owe $5,250 and gold medalists will be liable for $8,750, according to Americans for Tax Reform. Of course, many high-profile athletes will also come home to lucrative sponsorships offers, also all taxable.
Other countries also compensate their medal-winning athletes. Read this article for more info: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/01/olympians-owe-irs-taxes-medals-cash-bonuses_n_1729486.html
Where in the World Quiz. (Very interesting and fun) http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/quiz/quiz.pl?
Advance to next picture by clicking “Click to Refresh” near top of page. This took me awhile to figure out.
The Gateway to Astronaut Photographs: This is a great link for any one who has a passion for geography, space, etc… http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/
This is a video of the International Space Station flyover of Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/Videos/CrewEarthObservationsVideos/#issborealis_iss_20120423
Earth Observatory: http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/Coll/EarthObservatory/PostedSort.htm
Photos by map search: http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/clickmap/
Cities of the World: http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/cities/
Pictured above: Puget Sound, WA, USA. Seattle is near center.
Interesting twist with the number 12, and I’ll Have Another draws number 11!
The following is taken from the link below:
History could be made Saturday when Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I’ll Have Another attempts to become only the 12th Triple Crown winner in racing history. Curiously, he also is the 12th horse to attempt to win all three Triple Crown races since Affirmed last turned the trick in 1978. Will the 12th time be the charm? Too bad I’ll Have Another drew post 11. Post 12 would have been more fitting, don’t you think?
Approaching this race we must remember that the Triple Crown is very, very difficult to win. That’s not a scoop, but sometimes we get caught up in the emotion of moment and forget that some tremendous horses have failed to win the third leg of the Triple Crown.
Check out the following link for a Belmont Stakes analysis and information on each horse: Link: http://xpressbet.com/ReadOnTrack?id=4261
This tree has grown around the bike. This located in….
We export more oil than we import? Do most Americans realize this? http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=US+oil+exports+US+oil+imports
USA Today article 2/29/12 on US oil exports: http://tinyurl.com/7bk4ddu
Kim Jong Il recently passed away, but lives on forever! Check out this link, and find many pictures of the Great Leader looking at various things!
Link: http://kimjongillookingatthings.tumblr.com/
Come on, this has to be some kind of joke! This candidacy is just an attempt to pull attention away from reality. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2011/oct/25/herman-cain-smoking-ad-video?newsfeed=true
Walked down an alley in Everett, WA and smoke was pouring out of this little, wooden shack. A wooden sign on it said “Smoke house.” Every other year, the Pink Salmon (Humpy) runs are incredible in the Pacific Northwest, as the fish head back to their birthplace to spawn and keep the cycle going. Some get caught along the way, cleaned, and hung in cool little shacks like this to be cured with smoke, a tasty way to preserve and enjoy the fish!
This guy is tough! He had no takers, so he had to switch species and take on an elephant!
This first link, from History.com, has volume and the commentary is good! http://www.history.com/videos/elephant-wrestling#elephant-wrestling
The Wisconsin State Fair has some interesting culinary creations, most of them deep-fried. I would like to try one of those weird, deep-fried items, but this doesn’t even look or sound good. Maybe I’m missing the boat.
Nice information on United States Government by Administration
http://developer.wolframalpha.com/widgets/gallery/view.jsp?id=ab77f065607841db59736aa77a08453b
Wolfram/Alpha Widgets: (These things are awesome)
This guy got a DWI on his motorized chair: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/1022091lazboy1.html
Now the city is selling it on eBay;
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/4/2009/10/500x_lazboy.jpg
1960 and 2009. Clam digging in Ocean Shores, Washington. Very cool!
Amazingly, sometimes parachutes fail to open and the skydiver survives. They are like bumbles, they bounce!
I’m going for it, but I do have a concern about the 5 day soak in the buttermilk. That seems 2 or 3 days over the top with raw chicken.
http://josotherblog.comluv.com/tag/google-staff-recipe-for-buttermilk-chicken/
An amazing story!
There were billions of Passenger Piegons in the 1800’s. The sky would darken as they flew over towns, famers could knock them down with shovels and brooms. They were all gone by 1914:
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/090520-space-urine.html
Amazing! Hammer stones are meteorites that have hit man-made objects, which increases their value.
Awhile back, in the 90’s, a family in suburban Seattle had what they thought was a meteorite crash through their roof and land in their living room. It was green and started melting before authorities could arrive. Turns out it was a backed up toilet, leaking sewage on the outside of an airliner descending into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. As the mass warmed up, it started to emit a foul smell. These folks thought they had a hammer-stone meteorite, but actually had a chunk of frozen, jetliner, toilet water. But hey, we are still talking about them!
His record still stands, Secretariat ran the fastest Kentucky Derby ever, in 1973. Second fastest ever was Sham, who took 2nd that year to Secretariat. This is one record that I hope will never fall.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_(horse)
Read through the above link for some amazing facts. His huge heart, his burial, he was listed 35th on ESPN’s top 100 athletes of the 20th century. His 31 length victory in the Belmont is still a record in G-1 races.
In the 1973 Kentucky Derby, on his way to a still-standing track record (1:59 2/5), he ran each quarter-mile segment faster than the one before it. The successive quarter-mile times were: 25 1/5, 24, 23 4/5, 23 2/5, and 23. This means he was still accelerating as of the final quarter-mile of the race. It would be 28 years before any other horse would win the Derby in less than 2 minutes (Monarchos in 2001).
Secretariat was mourned by millions and buried at Clairborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, given the rare honor of being buried whole; usually only the head, heart and hooves of a winning race horse are buried, the rest cremated. Post-mortem exam showed that his heart weighed 22 pounds, the largest ever recorded for a racehorse.
Here’s to you Big Red!
This is a streaming video camera of a family of Bald Eagles in a nest, in Sydney, BC, Vancouver Island, Canada.
There is a pair of eagles and a baby in the nest. Sometimes you can see them feeding the baby.
http://www.hancockwildlifechannel.org/staticpages/index.php/20090302200021473
Check out this story, future Disney movie. I heard the dog was spotted near Boise. It “may” be working its way home to Kelso. This story may or may not have happened:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30198427/’
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_041309_news_kelso_husky_crash.d034832a.html
And this dog story from Australia: (fell off a sailboat, swam to an island and survived by eating goats) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30088069/
Until 2001 the public celebration of Nowruz was banned by the ruling Taliban.
Present-day celebrations of Nowruz in Afghanistan feature tournaments of buzkashi, a game in which horseback riders play a polo-like game with a headless goat carcass.
http://blog.top10fame.com/2009/01/naked-skier-loses-his-pants-on-vail-ski.html
I know this is all over the blogs, but it is worth posting. Poor guy. I lost my shorts in a canoe capsize situation, and it wasn’t fun. No blogs back then. I give my buddy Donny Ray full credit for this one!
You may have already seen this, but it is quite impressive. The amount of vegatation change is amazing!
Shadybrook 
