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By Janet Evans
Saturday, Jun 28 2008, 08:35 PM
As I’ve said before, my daughter travels often, and has been to Thailand and China many times. She flies business class and is treated very well on the flights. I know once she did fly in coach on a last minute trip to China and it wasn’t the best experience. The flight, which had very few Americans on it, was very noisy, for one thing.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been trapped on an airplane for a short period of time. I’ve heard those horror stories of people being kept against their will on an aircraft six, seven, ten, twelve hours at our own U.S. airports, under horrible conditions.
When I’ve been stuck it’s been for, at most, forty minutes. That was enough to be panic time for me. There is no air movement because the air doesn’t come on unless the engines are going. It just gets so hot.
I know that’s the time of year I have travelled though because my daughter reported a flight one morning where it was so frigid, with below zero temperatures, and she was on the first flight of the morning. The heat happened to be broken and the flight really should have been cancelled. The passenger’s teeth literally chattered the entire trip.
Anyway, I don’t know what I would do if I was trapped on a flight. No way could I last all those hours without fainting without air.
But on last Friday, on a flight that had about 200 people flying from Beijing to the city of Yantai, China….52 passengers actually refused to leave the plane when they were told to because their flight was cancelled.
First, they spent three hours sitting in the plane because of bad weather. Then when the other passengers left, those 52 decided they were going to stay on that plane.
I know Beijing isn’t that bad of a city that staying on a plane 12 hours was better. Even the airport looks pretty nice.
What’s up with that?
Read the article from Reuters
Passengers Sleep on Plane After Flight Was Cancelled à here
Beijing Capital International Airport
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jun 11 2008, 07:01 PM
Seriously, I think I’ll pass on the vacation to Dubai….
After all, they can’t have their cake (oil) and eat (sell) it too (right).
It might be a nice place to live (oil is cheap and they can wear white shoes all year long).
Poor things though…
I guess we aren’t giving them enough.
Isn’t over $4 a gallon doing it?
They can't seem to complete their newest treasure...the tallest building on the planet...that's right, I said "planet"....the Burj Dubai.
Computer-generated view of Burj Dubai once completed
"Construction of the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai, has been delayed and will be completed only in September next year, the developer was quoted on Tuesday as saying.
The tower, which is expected to reach a final height of 900 metres (2,953 feet), was due for completion in the bustling city state at the end of 2008. "
Ouch....You can read that story from Breitbart ç here
Then, today, this….they're snapping up more real estate in the U.S.
Chrysler Building, NY
"The latest Big Apple trophy being coveted by oil-rich sovereign wealth funds is the landmark Chrysler Building.
Sources say the super-rich Abu Dhabi Investment Council is negotiating an $800 million deal for a 75 percent stake in the Art Deco treasure that has defined the Midtown skyline since 1930. "
Read that in the New York Post ç here
Did I hear that correctly in that video? It only rains a couple times a year?
Hmm…
Nope....somehow I think there might be too much control over my blogging ç here
I'll stick around in Franklin.
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Jun 6 2008, 11:15 AM
Looks like airports are going to be seeing a little more than your underpants, since eventually over 2000 of the nation's airports will be replacing metal detectors with body-scanners that can see through your clothing. You've probably heard of these scanners before...they can see your body parts very clearly.
"Body-scanning machines that show images of people underneath their clothing are being installed in 10 of the nation's busiest airports in one of the biggest public uses of security devices that reveal intimate body parts.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently started using body scans on randomly chosen passengers in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Denver, Albuquerque and at New York's Kennedy airport.
Airports in Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas and Miami will be added this month. Reagan National Airport in Washington starts using a body scanner today. A total of 38 machines will be in use within weeks.
"It's the wave of the future," said James Schear, the TSA security director at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where two body scanners are in use at one checkpoint.
Schear said the scanners could eventually replace metal detectors at the nation's 2,000 airport checkpoints and the pat-downs done on passengers who need extra screening. "We're just scratching the surface of what we can do with whole-body imaging," Schear said."
Read the full story on USA Today
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, May 25 2008, 06:24 PM
Beginning June 15th, American Airlines will charge $15 for your first checked bag each way….
I guess it’s time to start dressing in layers when you go on a flight.
But before you know it, maybe they will start charging passengers by their weight.
So wearing layers might backfire.
And wearing layers might make that possible strip search take much longer.
You just can’t win.
Maybe it’s just better to say home.
Which is what may start happening more often the way things are going.
Somehow it doesn't seem right that those with baggage should shoulder the whole burden for the higher cost of gas. Why not just raise the price of the tickets and be done with it?
All I know is, if I have a choice between American and another airline, I won't fly American.
Read the story from the Seattle Times ç here
SCOTT OLSON—GETTY IMAGES
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By Janet Evans
Saturday, May 17 2008, 06:25 AM
Antique "Mobilgas" gas pumps at Cannondale Crossing antiques
shopping center in the Cannondale section of Wilton, Connecticut.
Manufactured by "Zokheim" of Fort Wayne, Indiana
$4.00 È
So, what’s your limit?
What's your limit before you start to seriously alter your lifestyle?
Have you reached it yet?
Is it the $4.00 mark?
Is it higher than that?
Was it lower?
When, and, if that time arrives...
What changes will you make?
Cut down on trips to the store?
No eating out?
Drop your weekend activities and stay close to home?
No vacations?
Would you consider getting rid of one of your cars?
What will you do?
Watch a video of what some people in Michigan are doing....
High gas prices forcing drastic lifestyle changes à here
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, May 7 2008, 07:03 AM
The Red Car Myth
"Studies have shown that red cars are involved in more accidents than their blue, green, or gold counterparts, and it is a fact that, on average, drivers of red cars pay higher car insurance rates.
But it’s also a fact that car insurance companies do not take a car’s paint color into account when determining premiums.
How can both statements be true?
Well, it isn’t the color of the car that matters, but the driver of the car.
Some people are perfectly safe drivers of perfectly safe red cars.
These people pay low car insurance rates.
Others are perfectly safe drivers of not-so-perfectly safe red sports cars.
They pay the same car insurance rates as equally safe drivers of blue or gold sports cars.
Then, of course, there are the not-so-perfectly safe drivers of red sports cars - these people pay the highest rates.
The issue isn’t the color of the car, it’s the type of car (a greater percentage of sports cars are red than any other color), and the type of driver (aggressive drivers are more likely to prefer red).
So it’s true that if you compared the car insurance rates of every red car driver and every blue car driver, the red car drivers would be paying more.
But it’s also true that if you wanted to drive either a red or a blue car, the cost of insuring them would be the same."
And let's not forget that young men under the age of 25 have higher insurance rates.
That's simply because they have more accidents.
So where is this taking you?
VROOM Ã here
At least he was alive to make the call.
Insurance info quoted from carinsuranceurbanlegends
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Apr 7 2008, 06:15 PM
 A woman grills rats at Dinh Bang village,
nearly 13 miles outside Hanoi.
Kham / Reuters file
No...I won't...
Maybe my brave daughter would have tried grilled rat though.
She travels all over the world in her job and has been to Vietnam.
The last time she was in Thailand there was a fruit called Durian, a whitish-green colored fruit about the size of a head of lettuce with spikes all over it.
It’s one of the biggest exports from the area.
But there are signs up all over the place saying it is banned from places like her hotel.
Why? It’s the smell.
It smells like rotting flesh with a touch of rotting onions and/or pungent cheese.
She was brave and did try it…she said it wasn’t too bad.
Are you a traveler?
If so, do you always try new foods when you are in a new country?
Or do you look for a McDonalds as soon as you get off of the plane?
Check out a story from MSNBC
The Cultural Resonance of Food í here
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Apr 1 2008, 07:05 PM
Just in time for the Summer Olympics…or that summer trip.... "Imagine yourself half way around the world, let's say, in Beijing, sitting in a luxurious restaurant, viewing the menu, choosing your delights and simply ordering them in English from the menu without saying one word in Chinese. Even the prices are converted in Dollars. A dream? A mirage? Not if are you using foodJoker.com.
As a revolutionary restaurant guide written in English, and 9 additional languages, foodJoker.com presents global dining in 21st century the way it should be: simple, enjoyable and full of informative content."
Read the article and check out FoodJoker.com on News Blaze
Waiter, Do you speak English?
A Restaurant Search Engine to Service the World! í Here
What a great idea!
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Mar 28 2008, 11:45 AM
It’s just a fact since 9-11…
And everyone who travels by air should know it by now.
The rules are more strict.
Some metal detectors are set higher than others.
You must remove your jewelry before passing through metal detectors.
TSA workers are not always consistent.
But here’s a warning for you…especially for women.
If you are planning on traveling by way of Lubbock, TX, and you have nipple rings….
Remove them at home.
Read about what one woman went through in Texas when she was required to remove her nipple rings in order to board a flight, including having to use pliers to do so, on MSNBC
Nipple Rings Cause Airport Security Issue í here
Oh, boo hoo
You know what?
I don't feel too sorry for Mandi Hamlin.
If she's got some medical reason she can't remove her freak jewelry before she comes to the airport, maybe she can come with a doctor's release.
I know what I can take and what I can't when I go.
Yes, it's strict.
But with the metal left on her body, it could, in a rare case be masking something else that could be hidden on her.
I know that's reaching...but who knows who that one terrorist will be?
And if you are on a plane, do you want TSA to take a chance?
Should they apologize, if that's all she is asking for?
Well, if they were in fact laughing at her, or rude, then yes.
But not for making her remove the jewelry.
And you've got to hand it to Attorney Gloria Allred...she sure can pick the cases.
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Mar 27 2008, 06:30 AM
DHS Begins Collecting 10 Fingerprints from International Visitors at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport
Release Date: March 25, 2008
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: US-VISIT Public Affairs, 202-298-5200
CBP Public Affairs 212-514-8324
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that it has begun collecting additional fingerprints from international visitors arriving at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The change is part of the department’s upgrade from two- to 10-fingerprint collection to enhance security and facilitate legitimate travel by more accurately and efficiently establishing and verifying visitors’ identities.
“Biometrics have revolutionized our ability to prevent dangerous people from entering the United States since 2004. Our upgrade to 10‑fingerprint collection builds on our success, enabling us to focus more attention on stopping potential security risks,” US‑VISIT Director Robert Mocny said.
For more than four years, U.S. Department of State (DOS) consular officers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have been collecting biometrics—digital fingerprints and a photograph—from all non-U.S. citizens between the ages of 14 and 79, with some exceptions, when they apply for visas or arrive at U.S. ports of entry.
“Quite simply, this change gives our officers a more accurate idea of who is in front of them. For legitimate visitors, the process becomes more efficient and their identities are better protected from theft. For those who may pose a risk, we will have greater insight into who they are,” added Paul Morris, Executive Director of Admissibility and Passenger Programs, Office of Field Operations, CBP.
The department’s US-VISIT program currently checks a visitor’s fingerprints against DHS records of immigration violators and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) records of wanted persons and known or suspected terrorists. Checking biometrics against the watch list helps officers make visa determinations and admissibility decisions. Collecting 10 fingerprints also improves fingerprint matching accuracy and the department’s ability to compare a visitor’s fingerprints against latent fingerprints collected by Department of Defense (DOD) and the FBI from known and unknown terrorists all over the world. Additionally, visitors’ fingerprints are checked against the FBI’s Criminal Master File.
On an average day at JFK, almost 14,400 international visitors complete US‑VISIT biometric procedures. Visitors from Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France and Japan comprise the largest numbers of international visitors arriving at JFK.
JFK is the tenth port of entry to begin collecting 10 fingerprints from international visitors. Washington Dulles International Airport began 10-fingerprint collection on
November 29, 2007. Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Miami International Airport, Orlando International Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport have also begun 10-fingerprint collection.
US‑VISIT is evaluating 10‑fingerprint collection at these airports. It will use the results to inform the deployment of the technology to the remaining air, sea and land border ports of entry that will transition to collecting 10 fingerprints by December 2008.
Since US‑VISIT began in 2004, DHS has used biometric identifiers to prevent the use of fraudulent documents, protect visitors from identity theft, and stop thousands of criminals and immigration violators from entering the country. US‑VISIT, in cooperation with CBP, is leading the transition to a 10-fingerprint collection standard. This upgrade is the result of an interagency partnership among DHS, FBI, DOD and DOS.
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This page was last reviewed/modified on March 25, 2008.
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By Janet Evans
Saturday, Mar 22 2008, 01:00 PM
Let’s put it this way….
It will cut down on the long lines.
"Among all the protests, pollution concerns and talk of boycotts surrounding the Beijing Olympics, a more basic problem has arisen for organizers: the toilets."
"At the more than 30 test events held by organizers, the presence of squat toilets at many of the new and renovated venues has drawn frequent complaints."
"We have asked the venues to improve on this, to increase the number to sit-down toilets," YaoHui, deputy director of venue management for the Beijing organizers, said Wednesday. "Many people have raised the question of toilets."
"The issue came up again over the weekend when the San Diego Padres played the Los Angeles Dodgers at the new Olympic baseball venue. The portable toilets trucked in were of the style used widely in Asia, but rarely in the West. "
My daughter has been to China several times, and is going again in May.
Her report of "squat toilets" was not the most positive.
And for those not accustomed to these facilities...well, let's just say, it takes some practice.
Read the rest of the article from MSNBC
Olympics flush with problems - squat toilets ç here
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Feb 3 2008, 08:55 AM
During the era I was born, there was such optimism regarding the future.
Especially with travel...here on Earth and in space.
You have to wonder, with the increased population since that time, where has that vision gone?
We have crowded highways, pollution, we're all in a hurry.
Why are we stagnant?
What happened to this?
Magic Highway USA Disney-1958
Witness an artifact from a time where the future was greeted with optimism.
I guess we'll just have to be happy with the "Information Highway,"
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Jan 13 2008, 08:25 PM
The 2008 Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, in China, is home to the largest snow sculpture ever created.
The sculpture is called Romantic Feelings and is is 115 ft high and 656 ft long.
 
2008 Harbin Ice and Snow festival, China “Romantic Feelings”
"Romantic Feelings" was made by joining together 15ft square blocks of natural ice and snow, taken from the nearby Songhua River, which have been compressed to withstand blows from hatchets, saws and shovels.
600 sculptors from 40 countries have used 120,000 cubic feet of snow and ice to create the Olympic themed landscape - a vista of Russian churches, French cathedrals, Chinese palaces and, an ice Acropolis.
Many of the sculptures are melting rapidly in the midday sun and emergency repairs have already been carried out to stop them collapsing completely.
Read the article from The Daily Mail
The Ice Maiden: China unveils largest snow sculpture ever created ä here
Snow sculpture of Napoleon
Snow sculpture of the "Thinker"
Ice sculpture of the Tiananmen gate
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Jan 7 2008, 06:35 AM
When I lived in Florida, back in the 70's and would go on trips by plane, while sitting in Miami International Airport, or Ft. Lauderdale Airport, the thought and fear of a hijack to Cuba would always be in the back of my mind. Hijacking seemed quite frequent back then (once in your local airport was enough).
After 9-11 we all accepted the TSA airport security requirements. While inconveniences, they became a somewhat normal part of travel. What might have been a 2-4 hour ordeal in travel was now expanded by at least two hours.
We still keep accepting each new security requirement as it comes along. We grumble. But we do our part. There's a reason for this madness, isn't there? We can't forget those lives that were lost and sacrificed on 9-11.
I will never forget those lives lost. But my views on our current security system have changed since I read an article by a commercial airline pilot, Patrick Smith. He says the following:
"In years past, a takeover meant hostage negotiations and standoffs; crews were trained in the concept of “passive resistance.” All of that changed forever the instant American Airlines Flight 11 collided with the north tower. What weapons the 19 men possessed mattered little; the success of their plan relied fundamentally on the element of surprise. And in this respect, their scheme was all but guaranteed not to fail."
"For several reasons — particularly the awareness of passengers and crew — just the opposite is true today. Any hijacker would face a planeload of angry and frightened people ready to fight back. Say what you want of terrorists, they cannot afford to waste time and resources on schemes with a high probability of failure. And thus the September 11th template is all but useless to potential hijackers".
Read Patrick Smith's full article on the NY Times, Jet Lagged
The Airport Security Follies ◄ here
While I have doubted the training and experience of the TSA employees in many airports, I had never really thought good and hard before about the airport security program and its future. Patrick Smith shows there is nothing but failure on the horizon for the program.
Homeland Security needs to rethink what our priorities are in our airports.
What do you think after reading the article?
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Dec 6 2007, 12:05 AM
That's right! Spirit Airlines actually has a "promotion" out there featuring the "Urban Slang" "M.I.L.F."
What? MILFs for sale? If you go to their website, there it is spelled nice and big for you, M.I.L.F.(Many Islands Low Fares). Is this an attempt to be clever and comical, or are they that uninformed?
The email attracted a bit of media coverage, and now Spirit is claiming that they have no idea (wink, wink) what a MILF is, and that the executive that approved the promotion is British. (Apparently, British people don't have movie theaters or internet connections, the poor things) . Asked whether or not the airline knew the acronym was offensive, Juan Arbelaez, the director of communications for the company's Latin American market, told ABC News:
"The most obscene thing we've noticed," Arbelaez said, "is what other carriers have charged to fly the Caribbean before Spirit's $9 fares."
Cute.
Read the full story here Spirit Airlines MILF Sale Kicks Off
Easy enough to be "Unglued" about.
There are many "Mother's I'd Like to" F ind and tell them to speak out and let me know
whether they are offended by this.
Men too ....
Anyone think this is Okay?
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Dec 5 2007, 08:55 PM
Dustier and, at times, more scenic than snow- or sand-boarding,
volcano surfing is the sport of choice for adventurers eager to hang
ten on a steep mountainside of ash and cinder.
Worlds Scariest Sports
| Volcano Surfing |
|
Chili & Nicaragua |
| Running of the Bulls |
|
Pamplona, Spain |
| Elephant Polo |
|
South East Asia |
| Cliff Diving |
|
Acapulco |
| White Water Rafting |
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South America |
Volcano Surfing
Chile, with its geographical and climatic extremes, is ideally suited to extreme sports of all kinds; and it is the self-anointed “birthplace of sand skiing.” This sport, which originated in the country’s Atacama Desert, takes place on sand dunes instead of ski slopes, and in 100-degree heat instead of below-zero chill.
Nicaragua, country of countless volcanoes, has recently one-upped Chile with a new, highly specialized activity known as “volcano surfing” or “ash boarding.” Participants spend an hour hiking to the summit of the 1200-foot Cerro Negro; then they soar down on a “sandboard” — a snowboard that has been adapted for the ash, sand and cinder surface of the volcano.
“The slope of the mountainside is 40 degrees — perfect for a good speed,” says Pierre Gedeon of Nicaragua Adventures, who was among the first to introduce volcano surfing to the public. Gedeon originally tried to navigate the rocky drops with skis, but switched to the adapted board because he found it easier for casual athletes to manage.
“The maximum speed is 25 miles an hour,” he says, “and we have even done it in the active crater. But we can’t seem to bring people — it’s too dangerous.”
For now. By 2009, it may be a whole different story — that is, if the new breed of thrill-seeking travelers has anything to say about it.
Read the complete article and the rest of the Worlds Scariest Sports ◄ here
See a Slide Show here ► Slide Show of the World's Scariest Sports
Me?
I'd love to try the Volcano surfing!
My daughter and fiance saw the Running of the Bulls this fall while on a tour of Spanish wineries and had a great time. It's one non-stop, crazy party.
Which would YOU like to try?
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Dec 3 2007, 01:15 PM
The Department of Homeland Security plans to replace the current two-fingerprint scanners with new 10‑fingerprint scanners at all U.S. ports of entry over the next year.
On November 29, 2007, Homeland Security began the initial transition at Washington Dulles International Airport. In early 2008, nine U.S. airports will also collect additional fingerprints from international visitors. They include:
- Boston Logan International Airport (Boston, Mass.)
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (Chicago, Ill.)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (Detroit, Mich.)
- Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Atlanta, Ga.)
- George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport (Houston, Texas)
- Miami International Airport (Miami, Fla.)
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York, N.Y.)
- Orlando International Airport (Orlando, Fla.)
- San Francisco International Airport. (San Francisco, Calif.)
The Department of State currently uses 10‑fingerprint scanners at most of its visa‑issuing posts and will complete deployment worldwide by the end of 2007.
The transition from collecting two digital fingerprints to collecting 10 fingerprints from international visitors is one of the department’s top priorities because it furthers the department's ability to keep dangerous people out of the United States, while making legitimate travel more efficient.
______________________________
I think this is a great idea!
I’m sure there will be much outrage about this from international travelers.
But again, so what?
U.S. travelers go through all types of hassles entering and leaving other countries.
Let them be “unglued.”
Let’s hope the systems are tested and the officials manning them are proficient in how to use them.
Is that too much to ask?
Your thoughts?
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Nov 21 2007, 05:45 AM
 
Name: Beijing Olympic Stadium
Scheduled inauguration: 2008 Building costs: $500 million
Capacity: 80,000 seats (100,000 during the Olympic games) Why? Because we're not Beijing . . . .
We're Franklin, Wisconsin . . ..
We can't have all the structures and buildings that other cities have,
nor should we . . . .
Maybe we need to stop comparing Franklin to every other city and stop
trying to be a WANNABE ....
and instead just be WHAT WE NEED TO BE!
In the meantime .... Beijing National Stadium or Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium .... is pretty cool, huh?
Maybe we could model a new Franklin High School football stadium after it ....
Nah .... too many taxpayers would be "unglued" .... (I hope)!
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Nov 20 2007, 06:00 AM
America the Unwelcoming
Dr. Fareed Zakaria, an immigrant, and Editor of Newsweek International, accuses the United States of being UNWELCOMING to foreign travelers. We're the ONLY country that is so hard on those that want to enter, even just for business purposes.
He says:
"Every American who has a friend abroad has heard some story about the absurd hassle and humiliation of entering or exiting the United States. But these pale in comparison to the experience of foreigners who commit minor infractions. A tourist from New Zealand, Rick Giles, mistakenly overstayed his visa in America by a few days and found himself summarily arrested for six weeks earlier this fall. Treaty obligations say his country's embassy should have been informed of the arrest, but it wasn't. A German visitor, Valeria Vinnikova, overstayed her visa by a couple of days and tried to remedy the situation—so that she could spend more time with her fianc[e], the Dartmouth College squash coach. Instead she was handcuffed and had her feet shackled, then was carted off to be imprisoned. She now faces deportation and a 10-year ban on entering the United States. (Thanks to AndrewSullivan .com for drawing attention to these.)"
____________________________
Extreme cases .... perhaps?
If not, so what? Why shouldn't we be suspect of each and every foreign visitor who enters our country if they commit an infraction, even if it is MINOR?
Why must we always make exceptions for those who can't conform to OUR laws?
Why are we ALWAYS the bad guys?
Read America the Unwelcoming and make your own decision.
This is a huge BUMP for me.
This is my country. I'm inconvenienced in many ways since 9-11, especially at airports, all government buildings, schools and more. Don't whine to me because you, a foreigner, have to be inconvenienced because you have a MINOR INFRACTION when I have committed none and am willing to make concessions daily in order to keep my fellow American citizens safe!
Yes, I AM UNGLUED. Every American should be, as well.
So Thursday I will give thanks that I live in America.
I will give thanks for the fact that I am FREE.
I thank god for the day my grandfather traveled here from Latvia by himself, not speaking a word of English, got off a ship with just a tag around his neck, with his name on it.
A "peasant" is what he was classified on his passport.
He came here LEGALLY.
He followed the SYSTEM.
He LEARNED the LANGUAGE.
He became a CITIZEN
He WORKED hard.
He was proud to be an AMERICAN.
I am proud to be an American!
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Nov 13 2007, 11:53 AM
Team "PumpkinHammer" watch their trebuchet as it launches in the Punkin Chunkin 2006 World Championship in Millsboro, Del. This year, the World Championship Punkin Chunkin contest takes place the first weekend in Nov. in Bridgeville, Del. The event began in 1986 and bills itself as the oldest and largest competition of its type.
What can you do with pumpkins?
The list is not all that long.
You can make pumpkin pies and breads, carve jack o'lanterns or use them to decorate your front porch. Or you can send them hurling into the autumn sky at 400 mph with a 30,000-pound cannon.
It's pumpkin-chunkin' season!
Well, actually, we just missed it. But it sure looks like it was SMASHING!
Pumpkin chunkin'
Pumpkin chunking (or Punkin' Chunkin' or pumpkin chucking) is hurling a pumpkin by mechanical means over great heights and distances in an attempt to hurl the pumpkin the farthest. In order of increasing effectiveness, the devices include compound slingshots, catapults, trebuchets, and pneumatic air cannons. The range achieved by loads greatly depends on their mass, shape, and size; the yield limits, stiffnesses, pitch, and elevation of the hurler; and the wind speed. The better pumpkin chunkers specially grow dwarf, regular, firm pumpkins ideal for use as a cannon projectile, assabots are prohibited in competitions. Such competitions disallow self- or ground-powered pumpkins by chemical reactions. Another rule is that the pumpkin must be whole after leaving the device for the chunking to count, which limits the forces in the cannon barrel (pumpkins that do not leave the barrel intact are referred to as "pumpkin pie in the sky"). Outside of lengthening the barrel, the limit is on the pumpkin which, as a corollary, of course must be natural. The special pumpkins grown by some are thus not suitable for eating. The latest record for a chunked pumpkin is about 4800 feet.
Maybe you can catch one of the festivals next year ...
The World Championship Punkin Chunkin contest takes place Nov. 2-4 in Bridgeville, Del., about 30 miles from Lewes and 90 miles from Washington. The event began in 1986 and bills itself as the oldest and largest competition of its type. Last year over 50,000 spectators turned out to watch 100 teams compete, organizers said.
Pumpkin Chuckin in Moab, Utah, last weekend Oct. on Old Airport Runway, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Bristol Pumpkin Festival, Bristol, Conn., last weekend Oct. noon-2 p.m., at Roberts Orchards on Hill Street. Contestants are invited to power their pumpkins with "springs, rubber bands, air, muscle, centrifugal force, brute strength, power architecture and bicycles."
Pumpkin-chucking weekend, first weekend Nov. in Ellicott City, Md., at Clark's Elioak Farm, 10500 Clarksville Pike.
Pumpkin Chuck, first weekend Nov. in Cincinnati's Stanbery Park on Oxford Avenue, noon-5 p.m. Buy a pumpkin on site or bring one from home for the "Two Buck Chuck," where for $2 you can launch your gourd sky-high from a trebuchet.
Since 2004 there has also been an European Championship in Bikschote, Belgium. The European record is 305 meters.
I'm just "unglued" about the fact that we don't have a Pumpkin Chunkin' festival in Wisconsin!
 '>
So, what do you think about all of this? Cool, huh?
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