From The Associated Press
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – A second man has been charged over damage to a geyser area at Yellowstone National Park, accused of not stopping a friend who drove his truck in circles on the geyser’s fragile soil before getting stuck.
Austin B. Olsen, 19, of Battle Ground, Wash., was charged Wednesday with aiding and abetting Adam R. Elford, 22, of Vancouver, Wash., in the Oct. 10 incident. Workers have spent more than 80 hours trying to repair the damage.
From the Detroit Free Press
Granted, Ohio and Michigan haven’t always acted neighborly.
They almost went to war over Toledo. Two men — one a University of Michigan student, the other a Detroiter — assassinated two presidents from Ohio, James Garfield and William McKinley, respectively. Ohioans — may we call you Ohioans? — derisively refer to Michigan as “that state up north.”
Despite this occasional animosity, the day of the 100th game between U-M and Ohio State and the end of Ohio’s bicentennial year seems like a suitable time to salute our neighbors downwind of the Fermi II nuclear plant in the land of smooth roads, vigilant troopers and a catchy jingle (“What’s ‘HI’ in the middle and round on the ends? O-HI-O”)….
The final word goes to Baptist minister Bill Kisseberth, 69, who has the best of both worlds. Kisseberth’s house is in Toledo, but most of his 48-acre property is in Michigan.
Asked if he notices any differences between the two states, Kisseberth quipped: “Only at this time of year.”
While Kisseberth’s house, horse barn and other animal pens are in Toledo, about 39 acres sits in Michigan. The state line is just behind a swing set.
For kicks, Kisseberth straddles the imaginary line, shaking his right fist and chanting “Michigan” then shaking his left fist and chanting “Ohio.”
“I love both places,” he said, as he stepped back into Ohio. “I love living in Toledo. Been here my whole life.”
He then walked across the border. “I also enjoy my time in Michigan,” he said. “It’s beautiful here.”
Kisseberth then took one step back, placing his left foot in Ohio.
“They’re both special places, neither better than the other.”
Winged Victory, a 16-foot high weather vane, adorns the dome of the Arizona Capitol. With a purchase price of $160 the weather vane was less expensive than a traditional statue. She was designed after the Greek statue Nike of Samothrace with arms and head added. Her right hand holds the torch of liberty and her left hand presents a victory wreath. In the 1950s the legislature had her immobilized to face the front of the Capitol. Once restoration was completed in 1981, the Winged Victory was set free to turn in the wind once again.
was designated a national monument on this date in 1925.
was established on this date in 1919.
On Sunday the Sophisticated Traveler in The New York Times celebrated its 20th Anniversary Issue: Our Own Anthology. Among articles listed and linked are Bruce Chatwin in China, N. Scott Momaday on the Great Plains, Jonathan Raban on Hawaii and David Guterson among the San Juans. A number of well-known writers contribute a few sentences or a paragraph — Barbara Kingsolver, Saul Bellow, Paul Theroux, Caroline Alexander, Salman Rushdie.
James Lileks visited Las Vegas and yesterday’s, today’s and, we’re told, tommorow’s Bleat are about the fun and games. Pretty good so far, including this paragraph about the Bellagio fountain.
Water pressure + computers + well-timed lights + Italian aria = tears of joy. One day I’ll go back and film the faces lined up along the balustrade; everyone was rapt, their faces frozen in the posture of ecstatic gratitude. So secure was the fountain’s grasp on the crowd that a bunch of drunks could stumble down the walkway laughing, drop a bag full of bottles, shout FUCK THAT WAS MY FUCKIN BEER, FUCK! and no one was dislodged from the moment at all. Vegas may be high-gloss philistinism all the way, but in the center of it resides this spectacular work of art. Four times an hour. Free for all.
“The monument, a large granite sculpture of a color bearer and flag on a granite pedestal, was severely damaged, breaking into several pieces. Initial National Park Service estimates for the repair of the monument are between $15,000 and $20,000.
Veterans and survivors of the Battle of Gettysburg dedicated the monument in 1888.”
was designated a national monument on this date in 1988.
…became a state on this date in 1907.
The official song and anthem of the State of Oklahoma is “Oklahoma,” composed and written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.
Brand new state, Brand new state, gonna treat you great!
Gonna give you barley, carrots and pertaters,
Pasture fer the cattle, Spinach and Termayters!
Flowers on the prairie where the June bugs zoom,
Plen’y of air and plen’y of room,
Plen’y of room to swing a rope!
Plen’y of heart and plen’y of hope!
Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain,
And the wavin’ wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain.
Oklahoma, ev’ry night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk makin’ lazy circles in the sky.
We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say – Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!
We’re only sayin’ You’re doin’ fine, Oklahoma! Oklahoma – O.K.
was designated a national monument in 1907.
From Wired News
Jeb Bush, Comedian
San Francisco, with its liberal politics and freewheeling ways, is a favorite target for conservative America. The latest pot shot comes from Jeb Bush, who “joked” that San Franciscans may be an endangered species and “that’s probably good news for the country.” The Florida governor made his remark during a meeting of state cabinet officials, who chuckled appreciatively at their boss’ wit. “Did I just say that out loud?” Bush continued, eliciting more guffaws. San Francisco’s official reaction was sort of a collective shrug. You get used to these yokels after a while.
The title for this item is a paraphrase of something Mayor Alioto once said.
Great Plains Restoration Council – The Buffalo Commons: “The Buffalo Commons will be a restored and reconnected area from Mexico to Canada, where we humans learn to work together across borders that were artificial in the first place. The Buffalo Commons means the day when the fences come down. The buffalo will migrate freely across a restored sea of grass, like wild salmon flow from the rivers to the oceans and back. Settled areas can –like they do in Kenya– fence the animals out, not fence them in.”
was designated a national park on this date in 1971. It had been designated a national monument in 1929.
was designated a Natiional Historic Site on this date in 1996.
was designated a national park on this date in 1978. It had been designated a national memorial park in 1947.
was designated a national park on this date in 1978. It had been designated a national monument in 1939.
was established on this date in 2000.
“On November 29, 1864, Colonel John M. Chivington led approximately 700 U.S. volunteer soldiers to a village of about 500 Cheyenne and Arapaho people camped along the banks of Big Sandy Creek in southeastern Colorado. Although the Cheyenne and Arapaho people believed they were under the protection of the U.S. Army, Chivington’s troops attacked and killed about 150 people, mainly women, children, and the elderly.”
“The silhouettes of saguaro cactus…at sunset and the ochre light on the faces of the mountains remind visitors that Tucson is an urban oasis in a vast desert basin.”
Debate Is On Over New Air Passenger Device
“Goldman invented the Knee Defender, a beeper-sized block of plastic that lets passengers prevent the seat in front of them from reclining.
The gadget, which went on sale about a month ago on the Internet for $10, has sparked heated debate in online chat rooms, and aviation officials worry about the disagreements that will be generated at 30,000 feet.”
The Los Angeles Times has extensive coverage. Note that the emergency vehicle in the photo above isn’t driving through the woods. That’s a paved street with curbs and a left turn lane.
was established on this date in 1992.