The Fisher Family

In 2002 "Six Feet Under" led the way with 23 Emmy nominations. 

JUST KIDDING . . .

 

NEW BRIDGE SPANS OLD RECORD

Hundreds of people filled an eight-lane highway on Saturday to dedicate the $632-million Ravenel Bridge over the Cooper River, the longest cable-stayed span in North America. The bridge's 1,546-foot main span is supported by cables stretching down from the tops of a pair of diamond-shaped, 570-foot-tall towers. Unlike suspension bridges such as San Francisco's Golden Gate, where the deck is suspended beneath two hefty main cables that connect the towers in a lengthy curve, the Ravenel cables extend directly from the towers to the deck. The eight-lane bridge which serves as a connection between Charleston and Mount Pleasant, South Carolina took four years to build. The Ravenel's main span is 20 feet longer than the Alex Fraser Bridge in Vancouver, Canada, which had been the longest on the continent. 

THAT WAS THEN AND THIS IS NOW

Major League Baseball has been doing the hokey pokey with pitchers and their sleight of hand for more than 100 years. The latest to be caught red-handed was Brendan Donnelly, the Angel reliever who was thrown out of a game for having pine tar on his glove. The Angels are asking whether or not pine tar should be illegal for pitchers. That invokes years of tradition. In yesteryears the spitball was a legal pitch through the 1919 season. Teams facing known spitball pitchers sometimes would apply manure to the ball to keep them from licking it. The last legal spitball pitcher was Burleigh Grimes of the Brooklyn Dodgers who retired after the 1934 season, but the spitball has never really gone away. Pine tar, or mud, or scuff marks or anything that alters the smooth surface of the ball, including the stitches, reduces drag the way dimples reduce drag on a golf ball. 

HOW MANY HOT DOGS CAN YOU EAT ??

Takeru Kobayashi captured the Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest on Coney Island, gobbling 49 hot dogs in 12 minutes. He was a little short of the world record of 53 1/2 hot dogs, which he set last year at the Fourth of July competition. Kobayashi, of Nagano, Japan, weighs 144 pounds and is 27 years old. The runner-up ate 37 hot dogs. 

THE FINE ART OF THE SOUTHBAY

Southern California 

We will not forget . . . 

GIANT POPSICLE TURNS INTO A DISASTER

An attempt to raise a record-setting ice pop in New York as part of a promotion ended with a scene straight out of a disaster film--but much stickier. The 25-foot tall, 17 1/2-ton treat of frozen Snapple juice melted faster than expected, flooding Union Square in downtown Manhattan with kiwi-strawberry-flavored fluid. Firefighters closed off several streets and used hoses to wash away the sugary goo.

THAT WAS THEN AND THIS IS NOW

Some differences between present day baseball rules and 1886 rules:

Now: Pitcher may pitch to a batter however he pleases.
Then: Batter, through the umpire, calls for high or low pitches, or both.

Now: Four balls is a walk.
Then: Seven balls is a walk.

Now: Hit batter is awarded first base.
Then: A pitch that hits the batter is counted only as one ball.

Now: Foul tip caught by catcher is an out only on the third strike.
Then: Caught foul tip is an out any time.

Now: Foul ball is an out if caught on the fly.
Then: Foul ball is an out if caught on the fly or on the first bounce.

Now: Pitcher pitches from rubber on mound.
Then: Pitcher pitches from a flat 4 by 6-foot hurler's box.

Now: Pitcher must wait until batter is ready before pitching.
Then: Pitcher may pitch any time he is in his hurler's box.

Now: Pitcher must have ball if he puts foot on the rubber.
Then: Pitcher may be in his box without ball (thus the "hiddenball trick").

MT. EVEREST PROVIDES A HIGHPOINT IN THE ULTIMATE SEARCH FOR EXCITEMENT

Flying a two-cockpit aircraft, Royal Air Force Pilot David McIntyre and the Scottish marquess of Clydesdale became the first to fly over the summit of 29,035-foot Mt. Everest, the highest point in the world. This happened in 1933 and world climbers did not reach that point until 1953. And now a French helicopter has landed on the summit of Mt. Everest and then took off, twice. Helicopters are far more limited than airplanes at high altitudes because they depend on the bite of the rotors for their lift, a difficult feat in such thin air. The Eurocopter Ecureuil AS350 B3 used in the record-setting landing is described on a website promoting sightseeing flights in the Himalayas as "the sports car of the rotor world." The landing feat may be celebrated as a technical achievement. It also signals another likely diminishment of the ultimate wild spot of the world. 

TOILETS CAN BE A BLAST

A West Virginia man who says he was severely burned when a portable toilet exploded after he sat down and lighted a cigarette is suing a contractor and a coal company, accusing them of negligence. The cigarette ignited methane gas leaking from a pipe underneath the toilet unit. Perhaps the man would have preferred using the facilities shown below:

These facilities have a mirror-like exterior

Here's the outside view of the Toilet . . . but wait, take a look at how it appears from inside . . . 

Here's the view from the inside . . .

. . . it's made entirely out of one-way glass. No one can see you when you are inside but it feels like you're sitting in a clear glass box. 

THE FIREFALL: THERE'S NEVER BEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT . . .

Yosemite's Firefall: At 9 p.m. each evening in Camp Curry, the crowd which had gathered for the nightly campfire program, would fall silent and the call would go out to Glacier Point, high above: "Let the fire fall", and a faint reply could be heard from the top of the mountain, about a mile above. Then a great bonfire of Red Fir bark would be pushed evenly over the edge of the cliff, appearing to the onlooker below as a glowing waterfall of sparks and fire. This spectacle was the Yosemite Firefall, a nightly tradition in Yosemite National Park for some 88 years. The early history of the Firefall dates back to the late nineteenth century, and has been credited to an Irishman by the name of James McCauley. Glacier Point's Mountain House had been completed in 1873 and its guests were able to enjoy its stunning views of Half Dome and the High Sierras beyond. How McCauley wound up pushing that first campfire over the edge of the cliff is not clear, but those who witnessed the spectacle from the valley floor were delighted and amazed, and James McCauley had a hit on his hands. For many years each night at 9 p.m. the resounding command could be heard: "Let the fire fall." During the 1960's I worked in the park and the Firefall was a nightly event. The "after-firefall" traffic exiting the park was like the freeway at rush-hour. Attracting such large crowds is probably the main factor responsible for doing this extravaganza in. In 1968 the Park Service Director decided that the Firefall tradition should come to an end. He reasoned that since it was just a man-made attraction, and one which caused a great congestion in the park, as well as damage to the meadows from the trampling by onlookers, that it should be ended. A pale scar remains to this day, where the fire burned away the cliff's lichen. Someday that scar will heal, and after that, all those who remember the Firefall will also pass, and this colorful oddly magical tradition will remain only in the pages of history. 

HERE'S SOMETHING THAT WILL GIVE YOU THAT FEELING OF BEING "ON TOP OF THE WORLD"

The view from atop Mt. Hoffman is unforgettable. Situated near the geographical center of Yosemite National Park it is truly the highpoint and affords you magnificent views in all directions. In this picture taken at the summit you can view Halfdome in faraway Yosemite Valley. 

For spectacular and inspiring views, try May Lake and then on up the trail to towering Mt. Hoffman. 

From atop Mt. Hoffman you overlook beautiful Lake Tenaya and the High Sierras 

Why some people just don't get it

Scientists have discovered comedy central in the brain--specific tissue regulating the ability to understand sarcasm. In sarcasm, the literal meaning is different from the true meaning, and some people just don't understand that difference. Sarcasm is used in social situations as an indirect way of expressing criticism. The network that regulates one's ability to appreciate sarcasm begins with an understanding of the meaning of the sentence, which is carried out by the left frontal lobe. Then the right frontal lobe helps put it into a social context. Finally the right frontal lobe must be able to differentiate between the literal meaning and what is really meant. People with damage to the right frontal lobe, right behind the eyes, are unable to appreciate this kind of humor. Perhaps even subtle differences in the "wiring" of this region can leave people unable to empathize, and it is this lack of ascertaining another's emotional state that may be responsible for the inability to understand sarcasm.

Magnesium may help lower blood pressure, and may help prevent diabetes

Magnesium is sometimes called "nature's calcium channel blocker" because like that class of heart drugs, the mineral blocks calcium from entering cells, relaxing blood vessels and lowering blood pressure. The mineral is abundant in dark leafy greens, such as spinach, and in nuts, whole grains and beans. Most doctors--and the government--recommend 400 milligrams a day. Many people in the U.S. get less than 200 milligrams a day.

"Da Vinci Code" to be filmed at the LOUVRE

Scenes for the bestselling novel "The Da Vinci Code" are to be shot on location at the Louvre, the famed museum in Paris. Filming is expected to start in June with Oscar-winner Ron Howard directing. Tom Hanks, also an Oscar winner will play Robert Langdon, a symbologist in a race to solve the murder of an elderly member of an ancient society that has protected dark secrets since the early years of Christianity. "The Da Vinci Code" is a mix of code breaking, art history, secret societies, religion and lore. Several other books question its contentious allegations--including that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and sired a bloodline.