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This Just In...
Breaking news from the mid-Asian region:
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This morning, from a cave somewhere in Pakistan, Taliban Minister of Migration, Mohammed Omar, warned the United States that if military action against Iraq continues, Taliban authorities will cut off America's supply of convenience store managers.
And if this action does not yield sufficient results, cab drivers will be next, followed by Dell and AOL customer service representatives and Motel 6 managers. |
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It's getting REALLY ugly out there people!
Roller Coaster of the Day
In honor of Halloween, today I'm featuring 2 coasters found in the Halloween section of Holiday World amusement park found in Santa Claus, Indiana: The Legend & Raven.
The Legend recreates the terrifying ride Icabod Crane took through the woods of Sleepy Hollow, desperately trying to outrun the dreaded Headless Horseman. Raven gets its name from the famous Edgar Allen Poe poem.
As an added bonus on this night, here are two videos of both rides:
THE LEGEND | RAVEN
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
 
October 31, 2006
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Is This Really The Best Idea?
A new craze hitting fair & festival mid-ways this year...Fried Coke...as in Coca-Cola. I'm sure you're asking yourself the exact same thing I asked myself when I saw this headling....how in the WORLD can someone fry Coke??? Look no further...the answer is HERE.
For those of you that don't want to read the article, here is a brief synopsis. The creator tried nearly 15 different variations before perfecting his batter made of Coke syrup, strawberry syrup and strawberries. The batter balls are then deep-fried and served with Coke syrup drizzled over the ping-pong ball sized nuggets with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry topping the treat off.
And, according to the article, look for fried Sprite and Diet Coke in the near future. I think I speak for all of us when I say, "and I thought fried Snickers was bad for your health!!!
Roller Coaster of the Day
Today's coaster pic comes from the self-proclaimed Roller Coaster Capital of the World - Cedar Point Amusement Park. The 320' tall lift hill leads to a 300' drop topping out at 93mph while going through two tunnels and two other lift hills higher than many other coasters.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
October 30, 2006
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???
Not much to talk about today. You may have noticed that it has been several days since my last post. Well, that's because I was preoccupied with important things this past weekend, namely FOOTBALL! Kayla and I got tickets to the LSU game on Saturday night and spent the day tailgating with my friend Derek and his fiance Ashley.
We had a great time during the day, eating chicken gumbo and many other goodies, and then enjoyed a very good game which the Tigers won 49-0 over the University of Kentucky.
Which brings my to my big ? of the day.....why in the hell are the damn offensive coaches so afraid to open up the playbook against teams like Auburn and Florida...everyone knows how explosive this team can be. Why not USE the explosiveness?!?!
Roller Coaster of the Day
Nothing too spectacular about this coaster...but I always find it interesting to see how the Japanese integrate their theme parks into the urban landscapes with such a high population concentration.
Here is a traditional steel sit down coaster that travels through what appears to be a mall at speeds up to 62mph!
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
October 17, 2006
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On Holiday
 Are you planning your next vacation right now?! Are you trying to decided where to go? Are you tired of the same old boring beach or camping trip? If so....then I have good news for you.
Forbes Magazine has assembled a LIST OF UNIQUE HOTEL EXPERIENCES from around the world. Ever wanted to spend a week in the tree tops above the Amazon River basin? What about a night in the Arakansas Ozarks...literally...in a cave hotel?
From hotels above the Seas to hotels below the ocean - from a Casablanca-themed inn to an ice hotel recreated every winter, you can find an incredibly unique experience for virtually anyone.
Roller Coaster of the Day
Today's picture is a picture of an amusement park in Denmark. That's right, not China...not Japan...Denmark. It's a great picture of the park at dusk that kinda of reminds me of the Japanese and Chinese pavillions in the World Showcase at EPCOT Center.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
October 12, 2006
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Frozen Football - Part 2
Yesterday I introduced you all to the Barrow High School Whalers football team - the world's first football team above the Arctic Circle. Today, ESPN posted PART TWO of this incredible story. Again, make sure you check out the video at the top of the screen. The team won it's first game ever - at home -
which allowed them to celebrate as no other team has before, by taking a dip in the ARCTIC OCEAN.
Roller Coaster of the Day
Today's installment is the 2nd consecutive coaster from our frigid friend - Finland. The ride is truly one of the most unique roller coasters I have ever seen. It's name pretty much sums it all up: Half Pipe. Riders sit in a car that resembles a huge skateboard. On the platform, riders are situated in 2 "pods" of 8 riders. Each person faces outward and, while the ride goes back an forth like a true half pipe, the pods spin. AWESOME!
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
October 11, 2006
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Frozen Football
I know that many of you do not care about football or sports in general; however, I think that this story is so interesting that most of you will want to read it.
ESPN.com is running a 2 PART STORY on the creation of the country's northern-most football program as well as the northern-most football game ever played. Three-hundred-thirty miles north of the Arctic Circle...a place where grass and trees can't grow...a place with free-roaming polar bears...a place with sub-freezing temperatures in August...a place where the sun doesn't set for months in a row, then doesn't rise for months after that...the oil-boom city of Barrow, Alaska is looking for a way to keep its young out of trouble.
The story details the creation of a football team at the request of the students and the three week preparation period before its first game. It's a GREAT story, very interesting to learn what other people in the country deal with every day. Also, when you open the link...before scrolling down to read the story...watch the video that loads at the top of the page - it's worth it.
Roller Coaster of the Day
Today's pictures is one that I just found very interesting - something you don't see everyday - a coaster surrounded by snow. This ride was recently opened this past April in Finland.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
October 10, 2006
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Recovery
The topic of Friday's post proved more true than I could have imagined. It was an up-and-down weekend. First, Hahnville falls to mighty ESJ (as expected); secondly, Auburn is the victim of a BIG-TIME upset when the University of Arkansas went into Alabama and handed the Tigers their first loss of the season. This seemed to be a HUGE break for LSU as they needed 2 Auburn losses to have a shot at the SEC-Western Division title.
Just 3 hours and a COMPLETE LSU meltdown later, LSU fans found themselves dumbfounded by a complete lack of competitiveness against Florida. Luckily, however, the Saints and their golden-boy Reggie Bush, were able to pull out a HUGE victory at home. I'm not really sure whether I should be happy or frustrated!?
Roller Coaster of the Day
Nothing particularly special about today's coaster other than the name of the ride: Ragin' Cajun. The ride is a typical "Wild Mouse" style coaster that features spinning cars. Also, I find it interesting that people in the midwest associate cajuns with spotted alligators wearing crowns?!
........we ALL know that spotted gators like to wear fedoras....NOT crowns!
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
October 9, 2006
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Big Time Weekend
This weekend features do or die games for several local teams. From Friday night to Sunday afternoon, there are 4 specific teams that I'll be following:
Hahnville High: Tonight, the Tigers face what has become one of its biggest rivals in the East St. John Wildcats. In some aspects, the series has become even more heated than the yearly Hahnville/Destrehan matchup. Last season, the 2 teams faced off an unprecedented 3 times - with Hahnville winning the non-district game at the season's beginning as well as the state quarterfinal matchup in the playoffs. East St. John won the district match in Laplace on its way to the District 5-5A title, its first in 20 years.
As for this week, both teams come in undefeated and ranked among the top-10 5A teams in the state - ESJ #3; HHS #6. This is the first district game of the season for both teams. ESJ has scored a lot of points this season (as expected) but received a scare from Rummel 2 weeks ago at home. Hahnville has had to rely on its defense in most games as the offense is still working out the kinks. It will be a good game, but I think that ESJ has too much firepower on offense (which HHS is lacking) - I'm picking ESJ 31 HHS 17.
LSU: Tomorrow afternoon, LSU takes on the Florida Gators in the Swamp on CBS at 2:30pm. LSU has had difficulties running the ball this year (which is no secret) while Florida will be without its starting tailback. Look for a LOT of passing between the two teams. Based on that, I think LSU's defense is much better suited for defending the pass with arguably the best secondary in the country. At best, I think Florida gets two scores - maybe two touchdowns, more likely a TD and a field goal. I predict LSU winning by 7 to 14 points. My score prediction is LSU 24 Florida 14.
Nicholls State: The Colonels celebrate their homecoming tomorrow night against their new-old rival Southeastern Louisiana. The rivalry, which had been known as the Riverbell Classic, was rekindled last year with Nicholls winning 38-28. That game featured 1,000 yards of offense between the two teams and Nicholls State holds an 8-7 edge in the series. Both teams are coming off of tough losses but NSU has had a week to recover. At home, I have to pick the Colonels by a touchdown - NSU 31 SLU 24.
New Orleans Saints: This is a crucial game for the team, more than the prior two games. A loss to the Bucaneers, at home, will probably cause the Saints to lose any respect they gained over the past two weeks. The team is expected to win this game and (as much as I hate to use this term so early in the season) it is a MUST-WIN game. I think that the Superdome will be rocking come Sunday at noon and the Saints will not disappoint - Saints 23 Bucs 10.
Roller Coaster of the Day
Today's ride is a Tomb Raider themed flying steel coaster. The coaster inverts riders 2 times with a top speed of 25.7mph. The coaster also features a spiral lift - seen in the picture.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
October 6, 2006
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I'm Spent
Nothing really to talk about today. There were no big news stories (or weird stories) that caught my attention today. Plus, I have an appointment to watch four more episodes of LOST.
Roller Coaster of the Day
Today's coaster is named SheiKra after an African hawk species of the same name known to dive straight down at its prey. Probably not coincidentally, the steel sit down coaster dives straight down from a 200ft lift hill, then again from a 138ft tall hill at speeds up to 70mph.
The picture below is the riders' view as the ride crests the first hill. The second drop can be see to the left of the picture.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
October 4, 2006
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Tales of Revenge
 Nearly 9 months ago, something happenned to Kayla and myself that changed our lives forever. No, I'm not talking about the wedding - I'm talking about the POST-WEDDING FUN. Otherwise known as multitudes of people deciding to roll and paint our SUV.
It was about the time that I found myself scrubbing the truck with a dish towel and bucket (the DAY AFTER THE WEDDING) that Kayla and I vowed revenge.
Well ladies and gentlemen, what you see to the right of the screen is the culmination of months of plotting in our heads - although mother nature sorta put a "damper" on our ideal outcome. Yes, that is Heather's Honda Fit - AKA the Duracell - wearing a flattering combination of Wal-Mart's cheapest 1-ply toilet paper and car chalk (in multiple colors).
The car is also sporting a fancy license plate that reads, "DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT!" And finally, it would be a shame if I didn't mention the one of a kind sign adorning the car with its new name.
Roller Coaster of the Day
Today's coaster is truly a classic wooden ride. Built in 1927 in Brooklyn, NY, the ride operated continuously through 1969. It was closed from 1970 to 1975 and was reopened to the public July 3, 1975. In the spring of 1972 the Cyclone was in danger of being demolished to make way for a proposed expansion of aquarium just east of the Cyclone. Thanks to the efforts of the "Save the Cyclone" campaign, Astroland park, just to the west, leased the land and reopened the Cyclone.
The coaster was named a National Historical Landmark on 6/26/91 -- its 64th birthday.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
October 3, 2006
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New & Improved
 Saturday evening, a group of us made the 20 minute drive into the city to get our first look at the new & improved Louisiana Superdome. Dad, Heather, Will, Tiff, Nick, Kayla and myself decided to take in the Tulane Green Wave take on the SMU Mustangs out of Dallas.
The kickoff for these 2 Conference USA foes was set for 6:30pm and the game was broadcast nationally on College Sports Television...a national network owned by CBS carried on satelite and cable networks across the country - except for Cox with all its INFINITE wisdom.
Anyway, we got to the Dome and parked in a small fenced-in lot in between the New Orleans Arena and the New Orleans Centre parking garage after the cops told us that the Dome parking was full....which we noticed was NOT the case as we saw cars lining up to enter garage as we crossed the footbridge over the road. We walked around the exterior of the stadium to find the ticket windows and were able to see the tailgating set-up for the fans to enjoy.
 We made our way into the Dome about 20 minutes before kickoff and noticed right away that "newness" of the facility. Freshly painted walls, new lighting and improved concession stands are just some of the things that stand out when you first enter. After getting to our seats, the new lights, soundsystem and video boards greatly improve a fan's experience watching a game.
As for the game itself, I wish I could report that the outcome was favorable for our side; however, it was not meant to be. Tulane made many mistakes in the first half of the game resulting in a halftime deficit that the team eventually overcame, taking a 21-20 lead. SMU returned the ensuing kickoff 102 yards to go back on top for good.
Overall, it was a very entertaining game for fans. I think it's safe to say that the Superdome is back and better than ever.
Roller Coaster of the Day
Today's coaster pic is a really cool look at another "bobsled" coaster. There is actually a pretty neat theme to the ride. The story is set during the stone age before man walked on two feet. One day a caveman learns to walk on two feet and excitedly runs down a hill shouting "Hourra" (Hurray) to tell his friends of his discovery.
The roller coasters' course is the path of the caveman as he weaves between rocks. The track is painted brown to represent the trail. This unique theme is the reason the Trace du Hourra is not painted white with a bobsled theme as all other bobsled roller coasters are.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
October 2, 2006
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