Reid Stowe arrives in NYC today after his “odyssey at sea.” (previous posts) The homecoming is broadcasting live by UStream below at about 11AM EST on Thursday June 17, 2010 with an expected flotilla arrival between 1-3PM at Pier 81.
EDIT: Might be 1152 days … although I thought my count was accurate?
This past January, Stowe reached his original goal of remaining at sea for 1,000 days (2 years, 7 months and 4 days) without re-supply or touching land, in the process setting or breaking 4 world records.
However, since Day 1,000 (16 January, 2010) of Stowe’s challenging voyage would put his return to NY harbor in the middle of winter when the storms of the North Atlantic were at their peak, Stowe decided to sail with the variable winds and currents of the Atlantic doldrums, planning to return instead on Thursday, 17 June, 2010 at which time he will have passed 3 years and will end up at 1,151 days total.
Stowe left port on April 21, 2007 and was accompanied by his girlfriend and first mate, Soanya Ahmad. Together they sailed from the Hudson towards the Atlantic on a ship laden with three years worth of food, solar panels for energy, large tarps to catch rainwater, a laptop, an iridium satellite telephone, and a Metocean tracking unit that would verify the path of the 1000 days voyage.
I ordered a couple books for summer reading on Tuesday, although I might hold one back for vacation. First, the new “thriller” called The Overton Window by Glenn Beck was just released and it is sure to be a best seller. Thankfully this mass marketed hardcover is priced right at several online booksellers … which tempted me to add a second book by one of m favorite authors Steven Coonts – The Disciple.
A third book that I’d like to read was also released today is from Ohio candidate for governor John Kasich – Every Other Monday.
After dipping below the 10,000 mark for early June, the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 213.88 points, or 2.10%, to 10404.77 today breaking out of the closely watched 200-day moving average. The S&P 500 was also up 2.35% seeing every sector moving in the up direction. The biggest gains 2.76% were over at the Nasdaq, where positive earnings from Best Buy citing notebook computer sales were strong. Unfortunately the good news for the overall market wasn’t good enough news for Best Buy shareholders as trader expectations were for even better sales, hence BBY shares tumbled 6.1% to 38.56. There’s a good reason the trader saying, “buy on the rumor and sell on the news.” (POLL BELOW or on TwtPoll)
For the year, the S&P has inched into positive territory by 0.13 point, whereas the Dow moved to within 24 points of its 2009 year end finish. For those long in the market, we need the recession to confidently be over … is it?
With so many video embedding options, I wanted to see how well the established Brightcove video works in my WordPress install. The clip below is from Rasmussen Reports which gathered opinions on buying alternative fuel cars and dealing with our insatiable appetite for petroleum. Interesting results.
The strong storms which passed through southwestern Ohio Monday evening dumped heavy rain and lightning all around our home (see video clip from Palm Pre at bottom). The pool is full to overflowing and the water retention area overflowed the driveway and patio areas. Thankfully our two sump pumps worked well to keep our basement dry. Other homes and areas were not so fortunate.
Lightning also took its toll on a prominent landmark in front of the Solid Rock Church in Monroe Ohio which turned the heads of many a passersby along interstate 75 between Dayton and Cincinnati. The statue, King of Kings, “was” a 62-foot high sculpture of Jesus with His hands raised; it was commonly referred to as “Touchdown Jesus” or dubbed “Big Butter Jesus” by comedian Heywood Banks. The fire started after the statue was allegedly struck by a “thunderbolt from the heavens,” (social networking sites enjoyed posting updates) andthe statue constructed of wood and styrofoam surfaced in fiberglass erupted into a fireball. The thick smoke, according to reports, also did damage to the Lawrence Bishop Music Theater east of the statue. The fire department arrived before midnight and extinguished the flames in about an hours leaving only the skeletal steel beams standing.
At dawn, commuters gawked as they drove by … including my wife and friend Tim who snapped a photo (thanks … but next time without the sign post please). 😉
If you use standard tap water in your windshield washer fluid reservoir instead of a cleaner, you may have effectively turned your vehicle into a biological weapon. Sure, that sounds cool and all, but according to BBC News, the only person you’re going to be hurting is yourself. As it turns out, using plain water can cause the washer fluid system to become a breeding ground for Legionella bacterium – the same nastiness that causes Legionaires’ Disease and pneumonia. Spray your windshield and the bacteria becomes airborne, allowing it to easily enter your lungs and wreak havoc with your immune system.
Researchers discovered the hive of scum and villainy lurking under the hood by attempting to discern why professional drivers were five times more likely to become ill than their amateur counterparts. After a little scientific sleuthing, the lab coats unearthed the bacteria. So do the world a favor and top off your windshield washer fluid reservoir with some sort of purpose-built cleaner. The stuff will kill the infection-causing bacteria and will keep the fluid from freezing in the winter. Not bad for 99 cents a gallon. Thanks for the tip, Kris!
BP’s CEO Tony Hayward can’t win for losing … no matter how he handles the aftermath of the oil spill (particularly since the oil is still spewing). Like it or not, Mr. Hayward is the face of the spill and the face of BP. He will continue to rightly shoulder the blame, the frustration and the anger of those his company harmed.
BP took questionable shortcuts which lead to the oil rig accident and the fault is squarely on those “hired” to manage the company … starting with the CEO. I’d love to point fingers at the bureaucrats that are charged with oversight, but frankly the fingers need to be pointed at the company, its decision-makers and shareholders who caused the disaster. I’m not an advocate to run BP bankrupt or boycott their product as doing so would mean another taxpayer bailout of the Gulf Coast … but BP dollars/pounds needs to take care of those it harms before paying dividends to the company owners (shareholders). Besides the disaster and deaths associated with the rig explosion, BP and its management deserve the blame for lax follow up and damage to the environment and the people of the Gulf Coast – the Obama administration hasn’t been stellar in this regard either.
So, voluntarily do the right thing BP and accept the criticism no matter how heavy handed it seems … and take care of your mess before any hefty salaries, bonuses or dividends are paid (see Bloomberg/Businessweek).
Fully redesigned 2011 Volkswagen Jetta is set to go on sale in October.
Volkswagen says pricing will start around $16,000. It features best-in-class rear legroom thanks to a longer wheelbase.
From Insideline.com:
HERNDON, Virginia — Information and pictures of the fully redesigned 2011 Volkswagen Jetta leaked onto the Internet today ahead of the car’s official premiere set for tomorrow in New York City.
According to Volkswagen, the new Jetta measures 182.7 inches long, 57.1 inches tall and 70.1 inches wide. The overall length is 3.5 inches longer than the current model, which results in an unspecified increase in the Jetta’s wheelbase.
The engine lineup will remain largely unchanged. For now, Volkswagen has only confirmed the 2.0-liter TSI and 2.0-liter TDI engines that are currently used in the Jetta. Manual transmissions will be standard across the board and a six-speed DSG will be optional on the 2.0-liter engines.
There will be five versions of the Jetta in the U.S. — S, SE, SEL, TDI and GLI. Sales are expected to begin in October, with pricing set to start around $16,000, according to Volkswagen. http://www.insideline.com:80/volkswagen/jetta/2011/2011-volkswagen-jetta-revealed.html
