Friday 7 August 2009

Looking Back - Chilly Swim Thaws Cold War Relations


On this day in 1987, an American woman became the first person to swim from the United States to the Soviet Union.
Lynne Cox, 30, took two hours and six minutes to cross the Bering Strait which separates the Arctic and pacific oceans - and the two superpowers.
She swam the 2.7 miles (4.3 km) from Alaska to Siberia in a bathing suit despite warnings the temperature of the water - which is frozen for most of the year - was dangerously low at around five degrees centigrade.
Experts believe she succeeded because of a combination of determination and her own body fat which insulated her like a seal. Ms Cox who weighs 13 stone, has about 36% body fat compared to the average for women of between 18-25%.
After completing the crossing Ms Cox said she was thrilled by the help she had received from the USSR.
"It's the best, it's more than I ever imagined - to have them open their door and let us land on their shore. Having that support from the Soviets and having them help us get into shore and meeting us was wonderful," she said.
The crossing was the latest in a series of endurance swims undertaken by Lynne Cox. At the age of 14 she swam the 31-mile-wide (49 km) Catalonia Channel in southern California. In 1957 she became the first woman to swim the 14-mile (23 km) Cook Straits in New Zealand in a time just over 12 hours.
After her arduous swim Lynne Cox became famous throughout the Soviet Union. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev praised her later that year during the signing of a nuclear weapons treaty in Washington DC. "She proved by her courage how closely to each other our people live," Mr Gorbachev said. But though she became a heroine in the Soviet Union her swim did not make that much of an impact at home - US President Ronald Reagan allegedly had no idea to whom Mr Gorbachev was referring.
Lynne Cox returned to the Soviet Union in 1988 to swim across Lake Baikal.

Invisibles


Brainteaser

Today's brainteaser is a tough word puzzle. Study the ten clues below and work out a one word answer for each clue.

01 Extremely caustic, sharply stinging, or bitter.
02 A person employed at a carnival.
03 Utterly senseless or foolish behaviour.
04 A small mountain pool.
05 A piece of metal stamped and issued for use as money.
06 A daily, usually private, record of a persons thoughts and/or experiences.
07 Having a rank, stale smell or taste.
08 Any positively charged atom or atoms.
09 A confection made with sugar or syrup, often combined with nuts or chocolate.
10 A black and white predatory whale.

The best of luck with these questions!

Why Boys Need Parents


Church Bulletins



Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
**********
Weight Watcher's will meet at 7 p.m. Please use the double door at the side entrance.
**********
The eighth graders will be presenting Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' in the church basement on Friday at 7 p.m.. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
**********
The Rev. Adams spoke briefly, much to the delight of his audience.
**********
Tuesday at 4 p.m. there will be an ice cream social. All ladies giving milk please come early.

Pavement Art - Julian Beever

Julian Beever is an English artist who's famous for
his art on the pavements of England, France,
Germany, USA, Australia and Belgium.
Beever gives his drawings an amazing 3D effect.

Don't miss seeing Julian Beever on top of the bottle!

You Vant Sunshine Not Vet Veather


German flag carrier Lufthansa is offering holidaymakers compensation if their hoped -for-sun-drenched summer holiday is washed out, the company said on Wednesday.
Sun worshippers can claim 20 euros (29 dollars) for every rainy day, up to a maximum of 200 euros, the firm said.
Lufthansa defines a rainy day as one during which at least five millimetres (o.2 inches) of rain per square metre falls.
"If the sunny stay hoped for by many is spoiled by rain, maybe 20 euros compensation will brighten the mood," said the airline in a statement.
The offer applies to 36 European and worldwide destinations, including Barcelona, Istanbul, Madrid, Rome, Dubai, Cairo, New York, Tel Aviv and Washington.
The deal came days after Lufthansa posted a weak set of results, with passenger numbers down nearly five percent on the previous year as airlines globally struggle in the teeth of the financial crisis.