Two people who are "FAMILY" to me.
I wish them the very best.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Betty speaks on RAGBRAI
I spoke with Betty at the Miller/Moody/Copley Reunion on Sunday.
She said everything went perfectly as RAGBRAI overnighted in Chariton.
Nola's Bar did more in sales than they had all year...
Betty may have made a few sales...
and everyone is accounted for...
like it or not.
RAGBRAI overnighted in GC back in '83 when there was only about 7,000 riders. I cannot imagine triple that amount today. It takes a tough infra-structure to accommodate 20,000+ riders and crew. As a matter of fact, Betty said the court house in Chariton shut off all electricity for a while to help with the influx of electrical usage during the day.
About ten years ago when RAGBRAI went through Cedar Falls, we got some fallout in GC. Enough that our sewage system couldn't keep up with the 'traffic'. I doubt if we will host this event in the near future. I think the county fair is as big as we are going to get...
Friday, July 24, 2009
RAGBRAI heading to Chariton
Wednesday -
Needing fog lights, the bikers head to Chariton.
We are waiting for an on scene account of the madness...if anyone survived...
See ragbrai.com for more pictures. Also a cool map of past overnight towns since the ride began - 1973.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Happy 47th Birthday, Nancy
Happy 47th Birthday, Nancy
Hope you have a wonderful day.
Don't celebrate tooooo much.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Chinese Heat Wave
Thousands of people pack swimming pools and beaches in China to escape heatwave.
Look at these crowds! This is what Chariton will look like when RAGBRAI goes through town...
Monday, July 20, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Ah, Paradise!
On the beaches of Big Major Spot Island, the Bahamas, a family of brown and pink boars and piglets live freely on the sandy white beaches and swim in the tropical surf--for real!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Floating Arctic Blob
Something big and strange is floating through the Chukchi Sea between Wainwright and Barrow, Alaska.
Hunters from Wainwright first started noticing the stuff sometime probably early last week. It's thick and dark and "gooey" and is drifting for miles in the cold Arctic waters.
A North Slope team in a borough helicopter spotted a long strand of the stuff and followed it for about 15 miles, shooting video from the air.
The next day the floating substance arrived offshore from Barrow, about 90 miles east of Wainwright.
The stuff is "gooey" and looks dark against the bright white ice floating in the Arctic Ocean.
"From the air it looks brownish with some sheen, but when you get close and put it up on the ice and in the bucket, it's kind of blackish stuff ... (and) has hairy strands on it."
Hunters from Wainwright first started noticing the stuff sometime probably early last week. It's thick and dark and "gooey" and is drifting for miles in the cold Arctic waters.
A North Slope team in a borough helicopter spotted a long strand of the stuff and followed it for about 15 miles, shooting video from the air.
The next day the floating substance arrived offshore from Barrow, about 90 miles east of Wainwright.
The stuff is "gooey" and looks dark against the bright white ice floating in the Arctic Ocean.
"From the air it looks brownish with some sheen, but when you get close and put it up on the ice and in the bucket, it's kind of blackish stuff ... (and) has hairy strands on it."
No more Sears Tower?
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- Sears Tower is history. As of Thursday, the iconic Chicago, Illinois, skyscraper is now named Willis Tower.
At least that's what the owners of the 110-story skyscraper now call it after its new main tenant, the London, England-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings. However, there are plenty of people who refuse to call it that.
More than 90,000 people have joined the group "People Against the Sears Tower Name Change," on the social networking Web site Facebook.
At least that's what the owners of the 110-story skyscraper now call it after its new main tenant, the London, England-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings. However, there are plenty of people who refuse to call it that.
More than 90,000 people have joined the group "People Against the Sears Tower Name Change," on the social networking Web site Facebook.
Sure enough, I went to www.searstower.com and up came
"Willis Tower."
I think I will just use "the Old Sears Tower" because at some point, it will probably be the WalMart Tower anyway--as will be Mt Walden (Mt. Rushmore), Sam's River (the Mississippi), and Wally's Dam (Hoover Dam), etc.
A rose is a rose. By any other name, a rose would still be a rose.
-Gertrude Stein or Shakespeare or both
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Farm boys
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Origami City
This ain't no 'snowflake'
Mr Ito, 25, started building his 'Castle on the Ocean' when he became bored during his university entrance exams.
Using just a knife and glue, the art student built up an entire cityscape over four years by cutting and folding hundreds of pages of craft paper.
The finished piece is now being displayed for the first time at an exhibition on the artificial island of Umihotaru, near Tokyo.
Using just a knife and glue, the art student built up an entire cityscape over four years by cutting and folding hundreds of pages of craft paper.
The finished piece is now being displayed for the first time at an exhibition on the artificial island of Umihotaru, near Tokyo.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Capuchino kills man in Spain
For a bull, this one was on the smallish side, at just over a ton. And its name, Capuchino, sounded harmless enough, like coffee with frothy milk.
Friday, July 10, 2009. A man was gored to death Friday at Pamplona's running of the bulls, the first such fatality in nearly 15 years. Nine others were injured in a particularly messy and dangerous chapter of the tradition.
But of the things that can go wrong when hordes of humans sprint with thundering beasts at Spain's most storied fiesta, the light brown bull did one of the most dangerous on Friday, straying from the pack, spooking and charging at anything that moved.
The rogue bull gored a young Spaniard in the neck, the first fatality in nearly 15 years at Pamplona's running of the bulls. The victim was killed almost instantly as he scurried for cover under a wooden barrier, sliding under it feet-first.
Had he dived headfirst, the experienced bull runner and son of a Pamplona native would probably still be alive.
The party went on despite the death, the 15th since record keeping began in 1924. The running of the bulls — made famous by Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Sun Also Rises" — has never been suspended just because someone has died in the mad, half mile (850-meter) dash from a holding pen to the city's bull ring.
There, the same six bulls that run in the cool of the morning over cobblestone streets face off against matadors and the prospect of almost certain death in the afternoon. Ironically, on Friday, Capuchino was scheduled to go first.
A minute of silence was to be observed in memory of the late Spaniard, identified as Daniel Jimeno Romero, 27, from Alcala de Henares, a town outside Madrid. On the social networking site Netlog, where condolences were being posted Friday, he described himself as a glassmaker who loves soccer and snowboarding.
Friday, July 10, 2009. A man was gored to death Friday at Pamplona's running of the bulls, the first such fatality in nearly 15 years. Nine others were injured in a particularly messy and dangerous chapter of the tradition.
But of the things that can go wrong when hordes of humans sprint with thundering beasts at Spain's most storied fiesta, the light brown bull did one of the most dangerous on Friday, straying from the pack, spooking and charging at anything that moved.
The rogue bull gored a young Spaniard in the neck, the first fatality in nearly 15 years at Pamplona's running of the bulls. The victim was killed almost instantly as he scurried for cover under a wooden barrier, sliding under it feet-first.
Had he dived headfirst, the experienced bull runner and son of a Pamplona native would probably still be alive.
The party went on despite the death, the 15th since record keeping began in 1924. The running of the bulls — made famous by Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Sun Also Rises" — has never been suspended just because someone has died in the mad, half mile (850-meter) dash from a holding pen to the city's bull ring.
There, the same six bulls that run in the cool of the morning over cobblestone streets face off against matadors and the prospect of almost certain death in the afternoon. Ironically, on Friday, Capuchino was scheduled to go first.
A minute of silence was to be observed in memory of the late Spaniard, identified as Daniel Jimeno Romero, 27, from Alcala de Henares, a town outside Madrid. On the social networking site Netlog, where condolences were being posted Friday, he described himself as a glassmaker who loves soccer and snowboarding.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Spoilers
I guess it's not all fun being a running bull, either:
Despite all the excitement around San Fermin, there are those who oppose the Running of the Bulls. It’s common for the protesters to be nude and wearing banderillas or barbed darts that are stabbed in the bulls’ necks during bullfights.
In the photo above taken by Alexandra Browning, animals rights protesters affiliated with PETA and AnimaNaturalis, and hailing from 23 different countries, participate in the annual protest against treatment of bulls during San Fermin on July 5. Participants were called on throughout the protest to hold signs in their countries’ languages at the front of the group.
In the photo above taken by Alexandra Browning, animals rights protesters affiliated with PETA and AnimaNaturalis, and hailing from 23 different countries, participate in the annual protest against treatment of bulls during San Fermin on July 5. Participants were called on throughout the protest to hold signs in their countries’ languages at the front of the group.
Drunks and Nudes
who could ask for anything more?
Here come the Bulls
Yes, it is that time of the year again, rivaling the Felix Grundy Festival:
The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain
The following could be said of both festivals:
A major reason why there are so many injuries is that people often run whilst incredibly drunk.
Your biggest fear should be not of the bulls but of other people around you falling on top of you or tripping in front of you. With the vast numbers of people, running this happens a lot. Even if you think you can outrun a bull, take into account that when five people fall in front of you, it is going to be difficult to take evasive action.
Your biggest fear should be not of the bulls but of other people around you falling on top of you or tripping in front of you. With the vast numbers of people, running this happens a lot. Even if you think you can outrun a bull, take into account that when five people fall in front of you, it is going to be difficult to take evasive action.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Strange Sunsets
While waiting for the fireworks to start, did you notice the strange clouds in the sky? If so, it was caused by swirling sulfur dioxide:
A massive plume of ash and sulfur dioxide expelled by Russia's Sarychev Peak volcano on June 12th is swirling through the stratosphere over the northern hemisphere.
A massive plume of ash and sulfur dioxide expelled by Russia's Sarychev Peak volcano on June 12th is swirling through the stratosphere over the northern hemisphere.
Sarychev's emissions are causing some beautiful sunsets. Here's what to look for: When the sun goes down, delicate ripples of white appear over the western horizon. The ripples are volcanic aerosols--a mixture of ash and sulfur compounds. Then, as twilight deepens, the sky turns a lovely shade of "volcanic lavender." Lavender is what you get when you mix blue light scattered by fine aerosols with ordinary red sunset rays.
Is a plume passing over your area tonight? Keep an eye on the western sky for Sarychev sunsets.
You have to be pretty far north to see these sunsets. Visit www.spaceweather.com for more information. This site will also help you prepare for the large solar flares expected next week.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Mini Horse
A horse that weighs just 22 kilos and stands 63 cm tall is a serious bid for a Guinness World Record.
The little horse called Sandy was born at a farm in Yekaterinburg, Russia, three month ago and has not gained a single pound of weight since, Life.ru writes.
“She is not just small, she is super-small!” the horse’s owner Elena Alexeyeva says.
“In three months she hasn’t grown a gram heavier. Zoologists say she will always remain a mini-horse.”
Sandy has a great appetite and veterinarians pronounce her to be in good health, albeit extremely small.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the world’s smallest horse, Thumbellina, is 43 cm high and weighs 27 kilos. Sandy is taller, but significantly slighter.
The little horse called Sandy was born at a farm in Yekaterinburg, Russia, three month ago and has not gained a single pound of weight since, Life.ru writes.
“She is not just small, she is super-small!” the horse’s owner Elena Alexeyeva says.
“In three months she hasn’t grown a gram heavier. Zoologists say she will always remain a mini-horse.”
Sandy has a great appetite and veterinarians pronounce her to be in good health, albeit extremely small.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the world’s smallest horse, Thumbellina, is 43 cm high and weighs 27 kilos. Sandy is taller, but significantly slighter.
My garage calves are now out at the farm.
I'd like a couple of these little horsies, though, to take their place.
Where do I sign up?
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Sushi Masters
Yum Yum. A must watch for us Sushi eaters. Wish I had audio - can someone tell me what they are saying?
Backyard full of elephants
Gavin Hogg painstakingly carved out seven adult elephants and three babies from his hedgerow.
It took two days to craft the herd with a trimmer, shears – and a pair of scissors for the fiddly bits.
The result is a striking 100ft-long trail of green elephants that stretches around the corner of his family home outside Brecon in Mid Wales.
It took two days to craft the herd with a trimmer, shears – and a pair of scissors for the fiddly bits.
The result is a striking 100ft-long trail of green elephants that stretches around the corner of his family home outside Brecon in Mid Wales.
So cute!!! I have the perfect overgrown hedge just waiting to be carved out. When mosquito season is over, I will see what I can do.
Sears Tower Ledge Opens
OPEN STARTING ON JULY 2 @ 9am!
The Ledge Experience
The Ledge brings an exhilarating new experience to the Skydeck. At 1,353 feet up, The Ledge’s glass boxes extend out 4.3 feet from the skyscraper’s Skydeck on the 103rd floor, providing never-before-seen views of the city.
My stomach turns just looking at this but would be a good place to view fireworks...you'd probably have to look down to see them!
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