Saturday, September 17, 2016

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:



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:


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.

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