You Will Go to the Moon!

A favorite book from my childhood.

The future is a long way from what it used to be.

Farthest Point In the Lower 48 from Any McDonald's

This time, credit blogger Stephen Von Worley for finding this week's Geographic oddity. And once again, South Dakota is the winner. Between Meadow and Glad Valley, South Dakota lies the spot in the lower 48 states farthest from any McDonald's Restaurant : 107 miles , as the crow flies, and 145 miles by car.

View Larger Map

She wore a Green Dress

I was four years old when my parents took me to a Peter, Paul and Mary concert. This was in Birmingham, Alabama in the turbulent year of 1963. I was far to young to understand what was happening in that troubled city at the time or the significance of what they were singing about. But I do remember that Mary wore a green dress and they sang "Puff the Magic Dragon". Goodby Mary.

Censure Tougher than Rep. Wilson Expects

If Wilson doesn't apologize on the House Floor, we're sending over the Mitchell kid for a visit.

Farthest Point in U.S. from any Ocean - Part 2

Previously, I speculated that the farthest point in the United States from any ocean (Including Hudson's Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, but excluding the Great Lakes), might be the Red Lobster in Sioux Falls, SD. Further research has provided a more accurate answer. It turns out that the Red Lobster in Rapid City, SD is farther away from any coastline:

View Larger Map

I also found out that there is a geographic term for the place on a land mass that is farthest from the ocean: "The Continental Pole of Inaccessibility".

In North America, the continental pole of inaccessibility is in southwest South Dakota. Due to uncertainties in the definition of coastlines, there have been two spots documented (43°26′N 102°23′W - located 1024 miles from the nearest coastline) and (43.36°N 101.97°W.). Roughly between these two coordinates, is the town of Kyle, South Dakota:

View Larger Map

Part - 3

I mentioned to my wife that someday we should go to Rapid City and eat at the Red Lobster just to say we did it... Her response:

"We have a coupon!"

We've Heard It Before

Little Rock, 1959

Desegregation, Social Security, Medicare, Healthcare Reform... Same clueless song every time.

Phaser Shmazer

When it comes to dealing with hoards of cyborgs, Romulans or other hostile entities, there's nothing quite like a steady dose of good old kinetic energy.