Facts and Observations

• Usain Bolt's world record time in the men's 100-meter is 9.58 seconds. Impressive? Maybe not. Sarah the Cheetah, from the Cincinatti zoo, ran the same distance in 5.95 seconds.
• Starfish do not have brains. Did you think they did?
• 'Ding zui' is the Chinese term for having another person serve one's prison sentence. It is not legal but is said to be manuevered behind the scenes from time to time. How much would they have to pay you to serve one year of someone else's prison sentence?
• The US has the highest percentage of people in prison of any country (730 of every 100,000). St. Kitts and Nevis is second (649). Russia has a high rate (522). England and China are in the middle (156 and 122). India is toward the low end (30). Comoros and Liechtenstein are tied for lowest (19). Why such high incarceration rates in the US?
• Big dogs are smarter than small dogs. Knew it!
• Humans are the only mammals that can sleep on their backs. Go ahead, try to think of another.
• 'Water Resistant' tents are not 'Water Proof'. Guess you'll just get 'Kinda Wet'.

• The Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo are two different countries. Hmm.
• It's reported that 47 people account for 57% of the $230 million raised by super PACs from individual donors. Just over 1,000 donors giving $10,000 or more were responsible for 94% of the money raised.
• The elephant is the only mammal that can't jump. Did you think they could?
• People with big brains are smarter than people with small brains. People with big heads have bigger brains than people with small heads. Sorry Pinheads!

• The US just landed a high-tech rover on Mars. China plans to send a man to the moon in 2020. India plans to send a satellite to orbit Mars in 2013 and a wheeled rover to the moon in 2014. The US has a goal for astronauts to orbit Mars by the mid-2030s followed by a landing. But sometime before that, the plan is to send astronauts to an asteroid.
• Malaria has killed more people than any other disease in history. The parasaite has been around longer than humans have and it has killed untold millions. Today, 3.3 billion people – half of the world's population – is at risk of contracting malaria. There are 216 million malaria cases annually and 655,000 malaria deaths.

• Cave bears that lived 42,000 years ago were 30% bigger than grizzly bears.
• There are 16 different shooting events in the olympics, 20 if you include archery. There are 22 running events, 26 including relays.
• Micronesians and Tongans are the heaviest people in the world (average weight 193 pounds per adult). Americans are next (181), followed by Somoans (173). Brits are tenth (167). Chinese are 126th (134). Indians are 168th (117). Bandledeshis are the lightest (109). Another cheeseburger please!

• The oldest verified person ever was the Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died at the age of 122 years 164 days. She lived from 2/21/1875 to 8/4/1997. Next best was Sarah Knauss of the US (119 years, 97 days, 9/24/1880 - 12/30/1999). Wonder if they ever met? Would you want to live be 122?
• Jellyfish have been around for 650 million years, which means that they outdate dinosaurs. They kill more people than any other marine creature. And it's thought that they could play large role in ending world hunger.
• The human brain is composed of 75% water. Best not get dehydrated.
• 1.5 trillion dollars are spent on military expenditures worldwide annually. The 5 UN Security Council permanent members are the largest arms dealers. The US is the world's leading arms exporter. India is the world's leading arms importer.
• Life expectancy in Japan is the highest in the world (86 years). Next are Hong Kong and Switzerland (85 and 84). Cuba, Denmark and the US are tied for 36th (81). China is 80th (75). India is 139th (65). Zambia and Angola are low (39). Swaziland is lowest (32).

• The fastest recorded speed of a sailfish is 68 mph. That's faster than a cheetah (61 mph). The next fastest fish is the marlin (50 mph).

UNDEFEATED

Proud of all the guys. First place in their section. Undefeated in league play.

They finish the Spring season as Champions.

They're right to be proud! The Blue Devils won their last 3 games by scores of 6-1, 5-0 and 5-1. They started the season as a highly competitive group that refused to lose. They finished the season as a dominant team. It was really fun watching them become a team while their abilities and confidence grew. Framingham Blue Devils Congratulations guys. You made it a fun season.

Alphabet Soup

CYO YMCA TBA. Kids' Basketball wrapped up this weekend. Lotta abbreviations; lotta pizza.


Our Marian A CYO team finished on a roll this year. We had a great team of 6th and 7th graders with a wide range of size and skills. The league was strong this year, but we were strong too. All of the guys were aggressive competitors who practiced hard. In particular, they seemed to enjoy competing against the Marian B squad in scrimmages. We started the regular season losing two games by a total of three points to a couple of teams that ended up having very good records. Then we lost a couple more games by larger margins; one to the team with league's best player and the other in a game in which we played poorly. But then we started to win. First we beat a pretty good Blue Devils team. And then we beat our cross town rivals at Saint Tarcisius. We put it all together in that game. They were a big team and it was close at the half, but then we went on a scoring spree they couldn't stop. We won by 18. We finished the season strong, though we did lose a couple more close ones to the top teams in the league. But we were competitive. All twelve of our guys played key roles down the stretch; some with offense, some with defense and rebounding.


When the playoffs started we were ready. We took down a tough Bearcat squad from Wellesley on the road in our first round playoff game. We won by four in a game that was close throughout. All the players contributed mightily. I was really proud to see our guys come together and play their best when it counted. In the quarterfinals we took on the undefeated regular season champs, the Eagles. But we weren't intimidated. We played them tough all the way. The Eagles ended up winning by 9, but it was a close game. Our guys fought hard 'til the end. We wrapped up the season with a pizza party Saturday evening. Good times. Kudos to my assistant Skip and to all the parents for their time and effort. We've been going since early November. I'll bet we had 35 to 40 practices, scrimmages and games -- a lot of ball. We played in school gyms, church gyms, in an athletic club beside a swimming pool, and even at a college. I really enjoyed coaching this group of kids. I hope all the guys had as good a time as I did.


Then Mariana had her YMCA Red Rockets end-of-season pizza banquet Sunday afternoon. She was in a 2nd and 3rd grade developmental league. They have practices and games but they don't keep score. The emphasis is on learning and being good teammates. There are even rules to make sure kids pass the ball. Every effort is made to make sure all the girls are involved. Her coach was a nice lady who helped all the kids have a good time. At this age, having fun is the priority. I think most of the girls will be back at it next year - a little bit bigger and ready to compete some more - and to claim more trophies and eat more pizza.



And lastly Franciso had his TBA Final Four on Sunday. This was a 5th and 6th grade developmental league. This was a good league for him to be one of the leaders on his team, since he's one of the younger players in the other league. It turned out to be a fun time. They played man-to-man defense, which kept the pace of the games fast. There were ten teams and the games were 40 minutes, which is long for kids' games and allows for lots of playing time for all the kids. Francisco's Orange team had a great season. They finished the regular season in first place with a record of 7-1. Then came the playoffs. They were the top seed. They got through their first round and semi-final games challenged but unscathed. Then they met their match in the Finals (played at the high school and broadcast on local TV). They played the Blue team they'd beaten earlier in the season by only 2 points.





This time around they fell behind early and had to fight their way back. Finally in the third quarter they got their first lead. After that the lead went back and forth several times. In the last couple of minutes the Blues made the key plays and earned a 4 point victory to claim the tournament championship. Naturally the championship game was followed by a pizza banquet.

Basketball is my favorite sport and I enjoy passing on my love for the game to my kids and others who are interested. We'll see you all next season!

Now I'm a Soccer Coach?

Rewind to last spring. My son decided not to play baseball. He said baseball was too boring. Hard to disagree with that -- so much standing around. Instead he wanted to play spring soccer. The only catch was that there weren't enough kids registered to have a U12 town league. So they put him on a travel team. There were two practices a week and we'd have to travel to other towns for games. No problem. He had a great coach and he enjoyed it a lot.

Forward to August. He had such a good time in the spring that he wanted to play travel soccer again in the fall. He liked the competitive atmosphere, playing on better fields and having "real" referees. But there was a problem -- There were 15 kids registered and assigned to a team, but there was no coach. The league reached out to the 30 parents. One stepped up as Team Manager. Another stepped up as Assistant Coach. But still there was no Head Coach. It wasn't clear what would happen if no one stepped forward. Would the team be dismembered? Would the kids get to play at all? Weeks went by and nothing was resolved. So I stepped forward.

I had never coached soccer before. I've coached other sports, and I know the rules to soccer, but I don't pretend to know anything about the game. The whole reason I volunteered was to make sure the kids had a soccer season. I figured 90% of the job was to organize practices and get the ball rolling. We'd figure out the rest as we went along. And so we did.

I successfully recruited a second assistant and we began practicing in mid August. The initial practices were a bit rough. I found drills on the web. My assistants brought forth their own activities. We scrimmaged amongst ourselves. And we ran and ran to get in shape. We had a team.

But when the season started we still weren't ready. Some of the teams we'd be playing had been practicing since August 1. Some had played in Labor Day tournaments -- they'd have three or four games under their belts. Plus they had "real" soccer coaches to get them ready. We dropped our first game 4-1. We weren't competitive. How bad were we?



Since we began practicing I'd sought scrimmage partners. Every kid alive would rather scrimmage than practice drills. And the whole reason the kids play is to have fun. On top of that our biggest problem was spacing. The kids were clustering too close together, making passing impossible, making themselves too easy to defend, and getting themselves out of position on defense. We needed to practice 8 on 8 to work on that. So I reached out further for scrimmage partners.

In the coming weeks we scrimmaged against anybody and everybody we could find. We squared off against two U-12 intramural teams, an advanced U-10 travel team, and even a girls U-12 team. We kept practicing two times a week. We had a couple of clinics by a referee. And we had a weekly skills clinic with a former marine turned high school coach. The team got better. As it turned out our schedule was front loaded. We played a tough schedule the first half. Four of our first 5 games were against top teams. At the half way point we had won 1, lost two and tied 2.

Then came the Columbus Day Tournament. This was when I'd hoped we'd come together. This would allow the kids to spend some time together. A scheduling snafu meant we'd have to play 3 games on 1 day. And it was HOT out! And again we ran into tough competition. There was a good team from Watertown, and an upper tier host Natick squad. We dropped the first two in competitive games, but got it all together for the third. We beat a good Sharon team; both teams on tired legs. And we took that momentum with us back into League play.



We opened the second half of the season against the league leading Arlington team that had beat us easily the first game of the season. They were 5-0 and their confidence showed. But our kids were up to the challenge. We played a very strong game and beat them 3-1. And we kept winning. Our only loss in our last five games was 5-4 heartbreaker to the eventual league champion, Weston. And even in that one we carried the play. Unfortunately for us the game was played in a cold driving rain that would later turn into the first October snow storm in many years in Massachusetts. After falling behind early we were coming back strong when the game was ended early due to the conditions. No matter, the kids had a great second half to the season. We went 4-1 those last 5 games and the guys can be proud of that.

The last two games we used to try to get goals for some of the guys who hadn't scored. One of the greatest feelings was watching one of our primary goalies capitalize on his chance to score. A couple other guys who had played mostly defense came real close too. By the end, 12 out the 14 kids had scored goals. It was great to see the kids who were used to scoring trying their hardest to set up their unsung teammates for scoring chances.

Kids sports isn't about winning and losing. It's about a group of kids coming together and creating a team. It's about learning and working hard to make the whole greater than the individual parts. And it's about having fun. We did that!

Framingham Blue Devils

Zoo Review

There are lots of great zoos out there and I've only been to a few. Here is what I think about the ones that I've visited; listed in order of distance from my house, with a 5-Star Rating System.

One Star : Not so hot

Two Star : Just Ok

Three Star : Pretty Good

Four Star : Very nice

Five Star : Knock your socks off outstanding

Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, MA - Not that good. It's in a big park, but there aren't enough animals (or visitors). We visit once every three years or so. It's getting better, but it's still below average. The best feature is the gorilla exhibit, which is excellent. People feel unsafe coming to Frankin Park. It's in a bad part of the city. Significant funding for the zoo is diverted to a small suburban zoo in Stoneham.


Southwick's Zoo, Mendon, MA - A good private zoo way out west of 495. Been here a bunch of times. A really cool 'deer park' where visitors can walk through a sizeable forest area and feed deer. They've also recently installed a chair lift over the park. Why no bears? I love bears.

Roger Williams Zoo, Providence, RI - A nice, walkable zoo in a very pleasant park. Very well organized. We've been here several times. They have most of the animals you expect to see. Nothing particularly special about it, but it's a nice zoo.


York's Wild Kingdom Zoo and Fun Park - York, Maine - Visited here just once. Nothing special here. It's a small zoo for kids in a tourist area. Also has a small amusement park.

Bronx Zoo, Bronx, NY - My favorite zoo so far. Really good! Every animal you can imagine and unique presentations. They have one arrangement called the 'Wild Asia Monorail' where visitors sit in a 4 or 5 row open air 'theatre car' and are scooted over around the park to view the animals exhibits. The cool part is that seats all face the exhibits. There's also a chairlift to get from one part of the zoo to the next. Great energy here! Accessible by subway. Admission is waved on Wednesdays (contributions accepted).

Granby Zoo, Granby, Quebec - Visited this one a while back with college friends. I don't remember it too well. The highlight for us was seeing the birth of an elk. First and last time I've see that happen.

Smithsonian National Zoological Park (National Zoo), Washington, DC - A terrific zoo! Every animal you can imagine. Well organized. In a nice part of the city. And FREE! We especially enjoyed the orangutangs, which have fenceless access OVER the public walkways via rope 'walkways' (watch out, they may pee on your head!). And of course there are the pandas. I've been here a couple of times, but never manage to see it all.


Toronto Zoo, Toronto, Ontario - Vast. A huge place with a tremendous number of animals. We visited here just a couple of weeks ago. The displays in Toronto are often indoor/outdoor to accomodate the long cold winters. The result is a good zoo for viewing the animals in a comfortable setting. But it takes a few miles walking and long time to see it all though. And the Canada exhibit is way too spread out. We enjoyed the Toronto Zoo -- especially this Polar Bear!

[Updated October 2012]
 Animal Kingdom, Orlando, FL - We had way high expectations for this one.  It's rated everywhere as one of the best zoos in the world.  But instead of being a zoo with some Disney attractions, it turned out to be a Disney amusement park with some animal attractions.  To be fair the Kilamanjaro Safari was the best single zoo attraction I've been to.  You're in a four wheel drive truck cruising across a very realistic African savanah.  There are large animals all around you.  Amazing.  Also the tigers and bats on the Majarajah Jungle Trek are sensational.  And and the gorillas in the Pangani Forest Trail are wonderful.  It's a great park to be sure.  But is it a great zoo?

 
Caribbean Gardens, Naples, FL - Pleasantly surprised at this one. Took the kids here while visiting grandma. It's a good zoo. Highlights were the alligator feeding, the African dogs and the monkeys. They have small lake with some islands. You take a boat tour and see different primates on each island. There's no need for fencing or cages 'cuz the monkeys won't cross water.

Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, LA - Visited this place a while ago, but I remember being impressed and thinking that it was a great zoo. It's set in a great park with beautiful trees. You get there via the streetcar. I was most impressed with the big cats; all present and accounted for. And active! This was the only place I've seen where the lions are up and moving around. There was an impressive Flamingo exhibit as well as a "Louisiana Swamp" area. It can get warm in New Orleans, but there is a lot of shade and air conditioned buildings.

[Updated September 2017]
Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia, PA - The first zoo in the United States. Often ranked in the Top Ten American zoos. It's relatively small but has a lot of animals. There are several trails for animals to cross over the paved visitor walkways. The primate reserve was great, with active gorillas and gibbons. The lions, tigers and bears were in small enclosures. The reptile and aviary houses contained species we hadn't seen before. There was no direct public transportation to our hotel downtown, but there was a trolley that connected to a bus.

Alipore Zoological Gardens, Calcutta, India - India's largest zoo. Exactly as you'd expect; a sad place. Magnificent bengal tigers in cement cages with iron bars, an Indian Elephant on a cement platform chained to a stake. Lots of great local animals; all treated poorly. Why did I go here?


Someday I'd love to see the San Diego Zoo. That's been on my list for a long time. I've heard great things about the Columbus Zoo as well. And the Singapore Zoo is supposed to be extrordinary.

Yeah, I too wrestle with the question over whether zoos are good or bad. So far I’ve been able to ignore the negatives and focus on the positives. In time? .. I dunno ..

Don't feed the animals. 

Welcome to Niagara!

I took the kids to Niagara and Toronto a week ago. Toronto is a great city; as nice as any other I can think of. But Niagara is truly magnificent. The power of the falls is amazing. So much water... WOW!

We approached first from the New York side. It's a really long drive from Framingham and we were all anxious to reach the falls after a stop over in Rochester. As we got close we began to see signs for the falls and the Canadian border. "What is THAT?" asked Francisco pointing to a plume of mist visible high over the trees and buildings a few miles away. Could the mist from the impact of the water rise that high? Wow! We followed the signs to the falls and parked. We heard them before we saw them; a constant rumbling. "Are those sprinklers or is it raining?" asked Mariana as we followed the walkway to the falls. "It's the mist from the falls" I answered. And there they were, right below us. We marveled at their magnificence. Just amazing. You drive right up and there they are. "Look, a rainbow!" Mariana exclaimed, and there was a giant rainbow.


We were amazed at the sheer size of the falls, and the volume of water. Everybody says the Canadian side is better. I dunno. The American side is more natural. You see the falls from a state park (trees, grass, etc.) You walk out to Goat Island and you see the rapids of the Niagara River. It's very cool. The big attractions are "Cave of the Winds" and "Maid of the Mist". We enjoyed "Cave of the Winds". You take an elevator 200 feet down to the floor of the gorge and see American falls from a series of wooden decks. The highlight is the "Hurricane Deck" which puts you closest to the bottom of the falls. The water is crashing down and it's so loud you can't hear each other. They provide you with a rain poncho and sandals, but you get soaked anyway. It's pretty great.

We went on to Toronto and had a nice stay there. It's a great city. We liked the Royal Ontario Museum and the Metro Zoo. We also saw a major league baseball game at Sky Dome -- tickets cost $11 and we sat about 14 rows behind third base! (that's not gonna happen at Fenway!).

On our way back, we hit the Canadian side of the falls. Horseshoe Falls is awesome. Water coming from every direction! There are many more attractions on this side. It's much more touristy. Clifton Hill is a fun place. There are wax museums, miniature golf, Ripley's and Guiness 'museums'. We had the wits scared out of us in a haunted house. We had a blast!


We had "Adventure Passes" for the big attractions. "Niagara's Fury" is a 4D Movie that explains how he falls were created. Rather than a boring geology lesson, you're surrounded by images of the falls in an Imax like theatre. You feel silly standing in a theatre in a rain poncho until you are doused with spray from the 'falls'! It was our first 4D experience and we enjoyed it. "Journey Behind the Falls" takes you down an elevator to a deck close to Horsehoe falls and into tunnels and portals behind the falls. We took a "People Mover" bus a few miles down river to "White Water Walk". There's a walkway along the amazingly powerful Great Gorge rapids -- Class VI; said to be the most dangerous in the world!


The highlight of the trip was "Maid of the Mist". You can do this from either side. You board a big ferry type boat and head right into Horseshoe Falls. There's water crashing everywhere. Mist all around you. The noise is so loud. You feel the boats motor straining against the current. There's nothing like "Maid of the Mist" .. nothing comes close.


Go to Niagara. You'll have a blast!