Friends of Cameron Park

I Should Never Have Gone Ziplining

The residents around Cameron Park in Waco, Texas have organized a group to oppose the installation of a zipline in the park.  The City of Waco is considering authorizing the installation of a 50ft. tower at Lawson's Point to carry "adventure tourists" across the Brazos River to a ropes activity course.  The park has enjoyed a Renaissance in the past 10 years, culminating the in the 100 Anniversary Celebration of the Dedication of the Park in 2010.  The residents around the park fervently oppose the zipline project because it is commercial, for-profit enterprise that would violate the deed restrictions for the park and would further destroy the natural beauty of the park setting.  For more information, or to voice your concerns about the zipline project, visit the Friends of Cameron Park website.
www.FriendsofCameronPark.com

For a humorous parody of Ziplining, see South Park, season 16, episode 6, "I Should Never Have Gone Ziplining."

9831 Miles South of Svalbard: Puerto Williams, Chile

Puerto Williams, Chile

Puerto Williams claims the title of Southern most town in the world.  As Arctic adventurers travel to Longyearbyen, Antarctic tourists visit Puerto Williams before setting off to Cape Horn and the Antarctic.  Puerto Williams is also a popular way-point for sailors.  The annual Glorias Navales Regata attracts 300 participants from all over the world.

The town of PW is located on the South bank of the Beagle Channel.  The Beagle Channel, named for the HMS Beagle, was established as the border between Argentina and Chile after the Boundary Treaty of 1881.

As with many an international border, tensions remained between the two nations even in this remote location.  Why?  The waters off Cape Horn ("The Sea of Fear") have claimed the lives of many a sailor.  Charles Darwin wrote in The Voyage of the Beagle that "One sight of such a coast is enough to make a landsman dream for a week about shipwrecks, peril, and death; and with this sight we bade farewell for ever to Tierra del Fuego."  Until the Panama Canal, all ship traffic from the Atlantic to the Pacific sides of South America had to pass through the fjords and channels of Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia. The country in control of these routes received the passage fees.

The "Beagle Conflict" began in 1904 when Argentina claimed control of some islands traditionally under Chilean control.  Litigation arose as to the interpretation of 1881 treaty, in particular the Islands Clause aka Article III.  The Islands Clause established the Beagle Channel as the border, but added the clause that "to Chile shall belong all the islands to the south of Beagle Channel up to Cape Horn, and those there may be to the west of Tierra del Fuego."  Argentina received the islands "of the eastern coast of Patagonia."  Well, this seems straight forward, until you look at a map which shows that Tierra del Fuego is east of Patagonia and Patagonia is west of Tierra del Fuego. Thus litigation arose as to the meaning of "Patagonia" and "Tierra del Fuego." 

1884

The Beagle Conflict simmered and stewed through three quarters of the 20th century until January 25, 1978 when Argentina sent a naval squadron to the Beagle Channel in an effort to claim full control of the channel.  Chile responded in kind and the two nations prepared for war.  Pope John Paul II intervened, sending letter to both presidents.  The Vatican conducted a series of meditations which staved off military conflict, but tensions remained high.  On May 2, 1985, the Nations signed a treaty at the Vatican acknowledging Chile's ownership of the islands and Argentina's right to maritime passage (perhaps control) of some Chilean waters.

Real Madrid Starts New Tradition

Seconds before the 35 year old silver
Copa Del Rey goes under the bus.

Ending an 18 year span of not winning the Spanish national soccer championship, Copa Del Rey, the Madrid team celebrated the momentous occasion by throwing the enormous trophy into the street and driving over it with a large white bus.  "Barcelona, that'll be you next year," shouted an unidentified (and perhaps non-existent) Real Madrid fan.

Running at the Edge

If you are looking for a little International recognition as a long distance runner, you might have to step up your game.  Competitors at the 2011 Virgin London Marathon set a number of new World records.  Here are a few:

• Fastest marathon in an animal costume
• Fastest marathon dressed as a book character
• Fastest marathon dressed as a fairy (male & female)
• Fastest marathon dressed as a nun
• Fastest marathon wearing a gas mask
• Most rubik's cubes solved while running a marathon

Obscure Sport Day: Ulama

The sport of Ulama, played in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, is the oldest, continuously played sport using a rubber ball.  Ulama traces its roots back to the ancient ballgame sport and ritual played by the Olmec.  "Olmec" loosely translates to "the rubber people'" referring to the technology they developed for making balls used in the ballgame.  One of the earliest ballgame courts is found at Paso de la Amada.  About 20 of the balls used in the game have been found near the Olmec site of San Lorenzo.

Rubber Ball found at El Manatí

How was the ancient ballgame played?  That is unclear.  Perhaps we can use the modern example of Ulama as a clue.  The objective is to keep the ball in play.  You strike the ball with your hips (although there are variations where you use your arms).  The scoring is rather complex, but the simple story is that the first to eight wins.  A game can last as long as eight days or as short as a few minutes.

Preakness goes FREAKness with KEGasus

KEGasus, 2011 Preakness Ad.

Horses are not all that are being abused at the Pimlico Race Course.  With the introduction on KEGasus, the "Lord of the Infield Fest," Greek mythology takes a harsh whipping, Pop-Culture style.  The Maryland Jockey Club has abandoned its "Get Your Preak On" campaign for a "highbrow" advertisement targeting the youth-crowd who have not patronized the royal sport of horse racing.  According to the MJC, the proper rituals have been performed to bring the "manimal" to life.  We can expect visits from KEGasus at the Orioles opening home game.  If you are wondering why KEGasus is not KEGtar or centLAGER, the answer is not clear... You can ask KEGasus on twitter.

2010 Preakness Ads

The Real March Madness is in Oman

Basketball may be exciting and interesting if you take the time to watch it, but it is an outdated, 20th century sport. The 21st century is the age of Extreme Sports. Today, my eyes are on Oman for the final day of the first round of the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series.  For the uninterested uninitiated, Extreme Sailing kicks it up a notch.  USA 17, the boat that won the 33rd America's Cup in 2010, reached a top speed of 17 mph in the competition.  An Extreme Sailboat can reach speeds of 28mph on a good race day with 17mph winds.  The courses are short, the winds are tricky, the sailing is grueling.  Extreme sailing is Formula 1 on the high seas... without a motor and about 10 times slower and, today, in Muscat, Oman.  For those ready to jump onboard, the tack-by-tack coverage is streamed live online.

UPDATE: French team Groupe Edmond de Rothschild won Act 1 of the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series. 

Get your aquavit and fire up the sauna, it is time for Reindeer Racing

I have made a commitment to being a better colleague at work.  One area on which I need improvement is lunch-time conversation.   I am strong on topics such as the inquisition, German Expressionism, and prison architecture, but I am weak on anything related to sports.  In an effort to improve my knowledge of sports, I periodically research sports.  In case you have not been following it, the Reindeer Racing season is getting ready to kick off in Finland.  Ski-jouring is the most common variant of the sport.  A ski-jourer, wearing cross-country skis, holds onto a rope which is lashed to a frightened and angry reindeer.   This usually happens on a frozen lake and the races are run in groups of 4-6.  The fastest time wins.