Chalk this one down in the I-wasn’t-really-watching column. It appears that the Olympic nativist controversy this time is concentrated on the Russians and their Aboriginal costumes/dance in the Ice Dance. In comparison, the Americans have gotten good reviews from India on their costumes/dance. Who are the culturally blind ones now, eh?
PM has a nifty article on the 18 most interesting airports in the world. I’ve been into number 13 (good luck!) a ton of times…
Near the center of Honduras’ capital city, Tegucigalpa, is the notorious Toncontin International Airport, which has been the subject of scrutiny following several accidents, including a 2008 crash that killed five. The airport opened in 1934, an era when planes were less powerful and didn’t require such lengthy runways.Why It’s Unique:
Toncontin’s runway is just over 7000 feet long and situated in a valley surrounded by mountains. Despite the stubby runway, planes as large as Boeing’s 757 routinely land at the airport. Schreckengast tells PM that “Seven thousand feet is awfully short for 747s,” let alone anything larger, and says that planes are forced to land and take off in the same direction because they won’t be able to clear the mountains otherwise. “There’s one way in and one way out,” he says. Honduran officials have launched an initiative to reroute commercial traffic to the safer Soto Cano Air Base.
Only two more days until I can talk in public about what I’ve known since last Friday. It’s pretty big, and I need to talk to some folks about what I want to do with it. It’ll change a lot of stuff…
There are a few places that I will always remember from my time at the Academy. One of them is the hill behind the chapel, where I spent many hours sacrificing tears, sweat, and blood with 11 of the finest people I have ever known. Now, it looks like they’ve made a church out of it:
The Air Force Academy has set aside an outdoor worship area for Pagans, Wiccans, Druids and other Earth-centered believers, school officials said Monday.A double circle of stones atop a hill on the campus near Colorado Springs has been designated for the group, which previously met indoors.
h/t to Dan Reihl. Going off of the description, I am pretty sure that it’s the same place, but it’ll have to wait until I can go back for a visit to be sure. The more things change…