GRANT PARK

Friday gave me enough time to take a long urban hike which included passing two famous iconic spots in Grant Park, the Christopher Columbus Statue and Buckingham Fountain.  In the days before 'lefties' in America started re-writing history and creating 'research' that proved that our Founding Fathers were nothing but a bunch of 'old white slaveholders' without any other merit, we used to celebrate accomplishment. Christopher Columbus has been a 'victim' of this re-write of history. Instead of celebrating his accomplishments of discovering a new world, whether or not he actually thought he was in India, he is more likely to be considered a criminal by leftist wackos teaching in American Universities these days. Long before lefty lunatics took control of our universities, achievement used to be celebrated. Today I passed by a beautiful statue of Christopher Columbus in Chicago's Grant Park. I predict there will be calls for this statue to be removed in the future. It is inevitable. That is, if we don't make America Great Again. And for that to happen will require more than the election of Mr. Donald Trump, it will require the defeat of leftist thought (an oxymoron if there ever was one)

The other site I passed during my urban hike was Buckingham Fountain. I believe that this is a completely apolitical tourist attraction.  Something that lefties and conservatives alike can enjoy. Who knows? I am sure there must be something about this gorgeous fountain that offends someone. There always is.

SATURDAY WEIGHT
This morning I weighed 220.7 lbs
I did gain one pound this week.
Considering how poorly I ate, way too much unhealthy chocolate... I was pleased.
220.7 lbs.
Still down 88.3 pounds from where I started nearly two years ago.

Your Food Diary For:

Friday, September 16, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Roundys - Creamy Wheat - Enriched Farina	480	100	0	16	340	4
Quaker - Chewy Granola	450	95	10	5	400	35
Honey	240	68	0	0	0	64
	1,170	263	10	21	740	103
L U N C H
Homemade Stuffed Shells	410	57	11	20	545	12
	410	57	11	20	545	12
D I N N E R
Homemade Stuffed Shells	820	114	22	40	1,090	24
	820	114	22	40	1,090	24
S N A C K S
Oreos	480	75	21	3	420	42
	480	75	21	3	420	42
Totals	2,880	509	64	84	2,795	181
Your Daily Goal	5,079	635	169	254	2,300	190
Remaining	2,199	126	105	170	-495	9
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 3,149 extra calories from exercise today

       Your Exercise Diary for:

Friday, September 16, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking 18 MILES	255	3,265
Daily Total / Goal	255 / 30	3,265 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	697 / 210	9,114 / 4,130

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BUCKINGHAM FOUNTAIN
from wikipedia...

Buckingham Fountain is a Chicago landmark in the center of Grant Park. Dedicated in 1927, it is one of the largest fountains in the world. Built in a rococo wedding cake style and inspired by the Latona Fountain at the Palace of Versailles, it is meant to allegorically represent Lake Michigan. It operates from April to October, with regular water shows and evening color-light shows. During the winter, the fountain is decorated with festival lights.

The fountain is considered Chicago's front door, since it resides in Grant Park, the city's front yard near the intersection of Columbus Drive and Congress Parkway. The fountain itself represents Lake Michigan, with four sets of sea horses (two per set) symbolizing the four states—Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana—that border the lake. The fountain was designed by beaux arts architect Edward H. Bennett. The statues were created by the French sculptor Marcel F. Loyau. The design of the fountain was inspired by the Bassin de Latome and modeled after Latona Fountain at Versailles.

The fountain was donated to the city by Kate Buckingham in memory of her brother, Clarence Buckingham, and was constructed at a cost of $750,000.

Many tourists and Chicagoans visit the fountain each year. The fountain operates daily 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. from mid-April through mid-October. Water shows occur every hour on-the-hour and last 20 minutes. During shows, the center jet shoots up vertically to 150 feet (46 m), and after dusk shows are choreographed with lights and music. The last show begins at 10:00 p.m. nightly.^[1]

The fountain is constructed of Georgia pink marble and contains 1,500,000 U.S. gallons (5,700,000 l) of water. During a display, more than 14,000 U.S. gallons per minute (0.88 m³/s) are pushed through its 193 jets. The bottom pool of the fountain is 280 ft (85 m) in diameter, the lower basin is 103 ft (31 m), the middle basin is 60 ft (18 m) and the upper basin is 24 ft (7.3 m). The lip of the upper basin is 25 ft (7.6 m) above the water in the lower basin.

The fountain's pumps are controlled by a Honeywell computer which was previously located in Atlanta, Georgia until the 1994 renovation when it was moved to the pump house of the fountain. The fountain's security system is monitored from Arlington Heights (a Chicago suburb).

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
from wikipedia...

Christopher Columbus is a bronze statue in Grant Park, in Chicago. It was created by the Milanese born sculptor Carlo Brioschi, and installed in 1933. It is set on an exedra and pedestal designed with the help of architect Clarence H. Johnson.

In 1933, Chicago celebrated its 100th anniversary with the Century of Progress World's Fair. In conjunction with the fair, Chicago's Italian-American community raised funds and donated the statue of the Genoese navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus. It was placed at the south end of Grant Park, near the site of the fair, and is located east of S. Columbus Drive and north of E. Roosevelt Road.

The bronze, beaux arts statue shows Columbus standing and gesturing into the distance with one hand. In his other hand, he holds a scrolled map at his side. On the sides of the statue's art deco pedestal are carved depictions of: one of Columbus' ships, the Santa Maria; astronomer and mathematician, Paolo Toscanelli, who plotted the course to the "New World;" the explorer, Amerigo Vespucci; and the seal of the City of Genoa. In the four corners of the pedestal are busts allegorically representing, Faith, Courage, Freedom, and Strength. Brioschhi's son made a point of saying that, despite appearances, the figure representing Strength was not a portrait of Benito Mussolini.