Big weekend for The Twin Cities

[msslave]

The annual Twin Cities Marathon is this weekend. Several hundred runners will be pounding the pavement some hoping for a good time, maybe a win. Others just want to finish.

It'll be a colorful run with leaves starting to change. Most of the race is on the network of parkways both cities have. Scenic routes.with.lotsnof trees. Parts of the race will be alongside the Mississippi River that divides both cities.

Race starts in downtown Minneapolis and finishes by the State Capitol in St . Paul. Runners have been warned that they will be facing hot humid weather instead of a crisp fall day. Race temps at the start will be in the 70s and humid. Extra water stations are being set up.

I was talking about the race with my daughter yesterday. I started talking about the first marathon in ancient Greece when the Persians were landing. She asked me.if I was talking about the movie Grease. I asked do you mean with John Travolta? Yep 

So I went into Dadsplaining mode. It turned out ok. She found the history lesson informative, and the as glad to know how marathon races started.

[Pornhubby]

I was reminded of this chesnut Bob…

I had a group of my son's friends over here yesterday, and there was a news story on about the Statue of Liberty re-opening for the Fourth.

"Any one know who gave America the Statue of Liberty?"

slience.

"It was the only country who helped us in the Revolutionary War..."

silence... [my son] "England?"

"Well, no.  Who were we fighting in the Revolutionary War?"

"Germany?"

"No we were fighting *England*, so obviously, they did not give us the Statue of Liberty.  Anybody else?  [long silence] It was *France*.  France helped the US in the Revolutionary War.... Another question... when did the US declare it's independence from England?"

[my son's friend]  "1870?"

"No.  Anyone heard of 1776?"

*blank stares*

"OK.  If the US declared it's independence in 1776, and France gave us the Statue of Liberty to celebrate our centennial of independence, in what year did France give us the Statue of Liberty?"

[my son's friend]  "1930?"

WE ARE HOPELESSLY FUCKED.

[msslave]

 

Wait, why am I laughing. You summed it up perfectly in your last line.

WOO for trying to get through the brain blocked youth. You tried.

[msslave]

What a shock. First thing to hit my eyes this morning was the cancellation of the Twin Cities Marathon. What they call black flag conditions due to heat and humidity are the reasons given.

There were 8000 runners signeced up for the marathon with another 12,000 scheduled to run in the 10 mile race. Add to that the thousands of supporters who line the race course from downtown Minneapolis to the State Capitol in St. Paul it's a major cancellation.

Humidity is already high and temps are expected to hit 90 by mid day. Organizers of the race are deeply saddened at having to make this move, but the safety of the runners is utmost.

We live just a few blocks from part of the race course. So as with other events that happen at the park the course runs through our street is always filled with cars of people coming to watch. I've always enjoyed all the activity watching people come and go. It's sad seeing the event cancelled but I'm glad they are putting safety first.

[Writers Bloque]

I was reminded of this chesnut Bob…

I had a group of my son's friends over here yesterday, and there was a news story on about the Statue of Liberty re-opening for the Fourth.

"Any one know who gave America the Statue of Liberty?"

slience.

"It was the only country who helped us in the Revolutionary War..."

silence... [my son] "England?"

"Well, no.  Who were we fighting in the Revolutionary War?"

"Germany?"

"No we were fighting *England*, so obviously, they did not give us the Statue of Liberty.  Anybody else?  [long silence] It was *France*.  France helped the US in the Revolutionary War.... Another question... when did the US declare it's independence from England?"

[my son's friend]  "1870?"

"No.  Anyone heard of 1776?"

*blank stares*

"OK.  If the US declared it's independence in 1776, and France gave us the Statue of Liberty to celebrate our centennial of independence, in what year did France give us the Statue of Liberty?"

[my son's friend]  "1930?"

WE ARE HOPELESSLY FUCKED.

Reminds of that story about that teacher kicking the boy out of class for the Gadsden Flag.

While its true some asshats hijacked it for use in the civil war, it did not originate there.

a three minute google search would have told her the true meaning of the flag and a funny anecdote to share with her history students.

The flag was flown in the revolutionary war, as Benjamin Franklin  and everyone in the colonies got tired of England before the war sending its prisoners to the colonies, so he had an interesting idea, if they send prisoners here, we should send rattlesnakes to the gardens of the nobility over there. Thats where the "Dont tread on me" comes from, as the nobles barely watched where they walked, since there are no rattlesnakes in England.