Great Ideas, Part 1

Baghdad plans to build giant Ferris wheel
Aug 27 02:42 PM US/Eastern By SAMEER N. YACOUB Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq is calling on companies to submit designs to build a giant Ferris wheel in Baghdad—the latest in a string of lavish proposals painting the capital as a leisure friendly city.

The Ferris wheel, dubbed the Baghdad Eye, will soar more than 650 feet over the city and feature air-conditioned compartments that would each carry up to 30 passengers, Baghdad municipal spokesman Adel al-Ardawi said Wednesday.

Three possible locations in Baghdad have been selected, but officials are waiting to see what proposals are submitted before picking one, al-Ardawi said, declining to give an estimated construction cost or timeline.

"We hope to attract a great number of customers who will be able to see the whole city and enjoy the restaurants and pools on ground below," he told The Associated Press.

Tourism is a tough sell in Iraq, however, because there are still suicide attacks that kill dozens and infrastructure is weak. But since insurgent attacks and sectarian bloodshed have declined over the past year, Iraqis are venturing outside their homes.

Al-Ardawi said the wheel would be taller than the iconic London Eye, which sits on the banks of the River Thames and reaches a height of about 450 feet over the British capital.

The London Eye opened in January 2000 and it took seven years to complete the project, which cost 35 million pounds—about $64.5 million in the current exchange rate. The London Eye has attracted more than 27 million visitors since it opened, according to its Web site.

Officials are also using the downturn in violence to begin promoting tourism. The Ferris wheel and other tourism projects could be built in areas where security is tight and unlikely that suicide attacks would happen. The main city park, Zawra, is adjacent to the Green Zone and home to the Baghdad Zoo.

Families are often seen relaxing at night in parks and children flock to pools. On Monday, tens of thousands of soccer fans cheered on their club in a Baghdad stadium—the largest sports crowd the city saw since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

There are risk-takers despite the possibility of violence. American businessman Robert Kelley announced plans last month to build a luxury hotel in Baghdad's Green Zone, which houses Iraqi government offices and the U.S. military and diplomatic facilities.

Iraq's Tourism Board also is seeking investors to develop a "romantic" island on the Tigris River in Baghdad that was once a popular honeymoon spot for newlywed Iraqis, the U.S. military announced this week.

The project would including a six-star hotel, spa, an 18-hole golf course and a country club, the military said in a statement.

"The city of Baghdad has a depth of history and a cultural legacy that, when applied to the development, can be a basis for attracting and fostering tourism," the statement said, not mentioning the war.

Morning Commute

We are staying out at Estrella del Mar for a few days house/animal sitting for some friends, so I find myself commuting to work, something I have not really had to do in quite a few years! The weather has been in a strange pattern because of Tropical Storm Julio over Baja, and so it has been rainy, pretty much all day, the last couple of days. This morning, on the other hand, was marvelous! When I left the gates of EDM, the sun was ablaze and there were just a few thin bands of clouds. The drive to Hwy 15 was an eruption of dense greenery from all the rain, the sides of the road dotted with cows, horses, and goats getting their breakfast buffet on! When not navigating the constant stream of bikers out of Barron pedaling towards work, I was trying to take in the Sierra Madres, the crisp morning making them very clear,with the dark green of the mountains contrasting against the white, puffy storm clouds barely clearing the tops and the deep, blue sky. I hit highway 15 and joined all the various 18 wheelers and buses heading towards the city. Before Urias, I made the hill and turn and BAM! there is Mazatlan and the port. Quick check--no cruise ships in town today.Once I arrived in Urias, I could see the evidence of people getting ready for the day. Alot were crowding the bus stop, most of the ladies with umbrellas to block the sun, tortillerias in full swing, roosters crowing and the dogs making the morning rounds. Within a few moments I am definately in the city, the traffic heavier with city buses, employee buses from diffrent resorts, trucks with the beds full of workers, bikes and, of course, the ever present mopeds and motorcycles. El Marino is already busy, filling the air with the thick smell of roasted coffee beans. The traffic light shopping this time of day mainly consists of newspapers and freshly squeezed fruit juice, the window washers not appearing until after lunch. Soon, I turned onto Rafael Buelna and was instantly surrounded by only cars and small trucks. In a few more minutes, I was on Camaron Sabalo, and due to the combination of the time of day and the fact that there are not many tourists around right now, it is virtually a ghost town. You can almost hear the snores of the few visitors that are in town, in their margarita induced slumber. I open up the office, get my morning coke from Roberto at the tienda next door and a heads-up that his wife was on the way with chilorio sandwiches. Yes!! (If you have not tried this, you should! It is a Sinaloan dish, basically a pulled pork sandwich with peppers and onions. Way Yum.) Soon as I get settled in at my desk, I look up to see a fully outfitted clown complete with a bunch of ballons walking down the sidewalk in front of the office. What a way to start the day!!

And in the , "Man, I wish I would have thought of that" news....

Gnome at last: Stolen garden elf is returned after a 7-month adventure around the world

By Beth Hale
Last updated at 10:50 AM on 12th August 2008

If only he could talk there would surely be extraordinary tales to tell.

He's been swimming with turtles off the Great Barrier Reef, scaled a glacier in New Zealand and toured the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat.

Unfortunately the gnome formerly known as Murphy is giving nothing away - save for a singularly enigmatic smile.

Sydney Harbour: Murphy in front of the world famous Opera House

The adventures of Murphy, now Barrington (of which more later), began back in September after the best part of a decade spent in 'quiet reflection' in a simple flower bed in the 'Shire'.

Owners Eve and Derrick Stuart-Kelso were stunned to discover the 10-inch high stone leprechaun they had inherited when they bought their Gloucester home, had disappeared.

The couple, both retired, assumed the gnome had fallen foul of students from a nearby college and would never be seen again.

Taking a dip: Murphy cools off in Thailand

Both keen travellers, the couple never dreamed that the humble green-hatted garden ornament was setting of an around the world jaunt taking in 12 countries and three continents.

And oblivious they would have remained if Murphy had not decided that there really is just no place like home.

The 8lb gnome appeared on the Stuart-Kelso's doorstep on Thursday last week, some 11 months after disappearing.

A little the worse for wear, the traveller was standing next to a mysterious and tightly-wrapped parcel.

Once unwrapped it revealed a leather-bound photo album containing 48 pictures of the gnome's trip around the globe along with a note putting his impromptu world tour down to 'itchy feet'.

The painstakingly compiled album, complete with index, showed their gnome - renamed Barrington by his travel companions - abseiling down a mountain, standing in a shark's mouth, swimming in the sea, and riding a motorbike.

On top of the world: The gnome takes a cable car ride in Singapore

Also with him were immigration stamps for all the shores he had been taken to visit - South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong and Laos.

A witty note, purporting to be from Barrington, referred to his 'travelling companion' only as The Bear, and told the couple how he attracted unwanted attention from customs officials and took up 25 per cent of the party's luggage allocation.

The only clue, however, to the identity of those companions was a photograph of a group of grinning young men.

As for the letter it began:

'Hello! First of all I feel I should explain my prolonged absence. A gnome's life is full of time for reflection, and whilst surveying your garden one summer morning, I began to get itchy feet.

'I came to the conclusion that the world is a big place and there is more to life than watching the daily commuter traffic, and allowing passing cats to urinate on you.

'So I decided to free myself from the doldrums of the Shire and seek adventure. My travels have taken me across three continents, 12 countries and more time zones than I can possibly remember.

New Zealand: Murphy joins some ice-climbers

'There have been high points, low points, and positively terrifying points. But I have survived - small thanks to the companion with whom I have shared all these moments.'

The bizarre crime echoes the French film 'Amelie' starring Audrey Tatou in which a gnome belonging to her father is taken around the world and photographed to show him how much he is missing out on in life.

Last night grandmother-of-three Mrs Stuart-Kelso said: 'The leprechaun went missing many, many months ago and I had forgotten about it.

'Then I opened the door on Thursday and saw he was back. It was such a shock.

'Murphy was quite badly damaged and there was a tightly wrapped parcel next to him. My curiosity eventually overcame my alarm, because I did wonder if it might explode.

'Then I saw it was a beautifully bound photo album and opened it up.

His feet were missing, but that's no real surprise given that he was sent abseiling down a mountain.'

Stunned: Grandmother Eve Stuart-Kelso found her gnome on her doorstep, with a letter and photo album of his travels

She said while strange, the gift had sent the family into fits of laughter.

She said her grandchildren, Sophie, 14, Ellie, 13, and Piers, 13, would be thrilled to hear of the gnome's adventures. The trio give the green-hatted gnome a fresh coat of paint every year.

Gloucestershire police took a less amused view of the adventure.

A spokesman said: 'Any theft of a person's property, even if it is carried out as a joke, will be treated as a crime by police.'

As for Murphy, his wanderlust satisfied he is now back in the flower bed where he belongs - only this time he's out of temptation's way in the back garden.

Future Events

I thought I would post about a couple of events coming up in Mazatlan worth mentioning. First, on Saturday, August 30 2008, the city is planning a memorial to Angela Peralta, the "Mexican Nightingale", on the 125th anniversary her death. The morning of Aug. 30, 2008, the mayor will place a wreath at the graveyard where Peralta was buried, and another wreath at theatre. He will then inaugurate an exposition of Peralta memorabilia in the upstairs gallery of the theater. In the evening at 8:00 p.m., the story of the life of this famous diva will be presented at the theater, with a prize-winning soprano and a Cuban pianist performing and some readings from a book on Peralta's life by the author.

Then for all you bird watchers, the first Mazatlan Bird Festival is happening January 16-19 2009. They are having birding tours, exhibits, speakers, all kinds of stuff:
http://www.mazatlanbirdfestival.com/

You may have heard about it, but in the last two days in the U.S., a body of a bigfoot in was found in Georgia AND a live chupacabra was taped in Texas. Not to be outdone, I got a picture of the Loch Ness monster, apparently it was vacationing here in Mazatlan!!

jus' 'cause

Something reminded me of this today and I am posting it solely for me and a couple of my friend's amusement......I apologize to anyone else who might stumble across this......

"We don't got no rocks......." .....bartender, Conroe,Texas, June 2004, name unknown
(I keep saying this is worthy of a t-shirt)

No se.

I am posting, well, just because I have not posted in a long time. I really don't have too much to say! My summer started with some really close friends from Galveston that were in town for 6 weeks. Shout out to the Pappous Family!! They own a condo at EDM where David works, so we spent ALOT of that period staying out there and just hanging with them. It was a nice, lazy time! David and I then had a "quick" trip to Baja ( it was supposed to be 2 nights, ended up being a week, and an overall nightmare ) The ferry was actually a surprisingly, cool adventure! I was expecting the chicken bus version, and it was really nice! I very much recommend spending the extra pesos and getting a cabin, it is worth it solely for the bathroom factor! To sum it up, compare it to using your own toilet, to one on the malecon about 5:30 am during Carnaval. Yea. Ick. Anyway, quite frankly, I have never really liked anywhere I had been in Baja previously, and this trip did not change my mind *EXCEPT* for La Paz. We both really enjoyed that place alot. It was almost a Mini-Mazatlan, plus more heat, minus the rain and waves. Beautiful malecon with alot of statues, excellent food, friendly people, interesting history, nice arts/music community for such a small town...... One BIG difference was, in La Paz, when you try to cross the street, traffic comes to a grinding halt on both sides! Apparently, pedestrians are king there! Here, in Mazatlan....the best way I can think of describing how to try and cross the street is a human version of the video-game, "Frogger". (And my parents thought all those hours I spent playing video games would do me no good! Ha!) After that, I had a last minute trip to Virginia that got extended for a few days. I did manage to load up on bras and books! Then, I arrived home to start working full-time, baby-sitting a puppy, and begining to think about packing for our move to El Centro ( I hate moving - I would rather lick a bathroom floor). I would elaborate on the work thing a bit more, but I think that I better see if I make an ass of myself before I start to really put it out there! Anyway, once I get settled into some sort of a routine, I'll ramble on a bit more. Until then, to quote a good friend of mine, Cindy;
"Peace and chicken grease!"