There are always a few injuries sustained while setting up a Christmas tree, but this one takes the cake. A helicopter in Auckland, New Zealand clipped a large structure and crashed while helping set up a large Christmas tree yesterday. According to NYC Aviation, the pilot sustained minor injuries and there is “no word on the condition of the tree.”
Could you be a Papantla Flyer in Mexico?
Do you think you could handle having one leg tied to the top of a shaky 30 meter pole while you hang limply from the top? How about then being quickly spun in circles as you slowly fall to the ground?
The feat is known as the Danza de los Voladores de Papantla, or Dance of the Flyers. The ritual, which is thought to have been used to call on the gods during times of drought, is best associated with the town of Papantla, Veracruz in Mexico, where it still takes place. There are five people who take part in the dance, including four flyers and one person who stands at the top of the tall pole dancing and playing a flute and drum.
We’ve seen the thrill seeking travelers of Fuel TV‘s “Strangers in Danger“, Mike “Rooftop” Escamilla and Zach “Catfish” Yankush eat live octopus in Korea, and tonight we’ll get to watch as they do the Dance of the Flyers, a feat which seems to scare them even more. Check out a clip of what you can expect here or watch the full episode tonight (and every Tuesday) at 10:30 E/P.
The sport you probably haven’t heard of: Rutabaga Curling
While many people use rutabagas as food, there are some that like to use them for sport. Wooden planks make up the “field” for playing the game, with the pitch being around 79 feet and a circular target at the end. The game involves throwing your rutabaga towards the other end of the field and trying to knock opponents vegetables out of the way. And if you’re thinking about using unconventional methods to try to win, think again. In the official rules, it clearly states that “steroids are prohibited and any such use will subject the rutabaga to immediate withdrawal”.
In Ithaca, New York, in particular, Rutabaga Curling is an annual tradition that marks the end of the market season. Since 1996, the town has been playing with rutabagas, although the first official Rutabaga Curl was held in 1998. Why rutabagas? They are just about the only vegetable left in the market that time of year. And, no one wants to eat them.
To see this intense sport for yourself, as well as hear the melodic rutabaga choir, head over to Ithaca on December 17, 2011 and attend the 14th Annual Rutabaga Curling Championship. Or, if you can’t make it in person, check out this video:
Video of the Day: Driving a NYC Subway
It’s always been a dream of mine to shadow a NYC subway conductor for a day. Sure, you could ride the subway all day, but imagine spending a shift with a subway conductor train operator and seeing the tunnels from that perspective. Well, this video might just be the closest we can get to that experience. Now, if only the subway actually moved that quickly…and never got stuck for 20 minutes stretches when I’m running late for a meeting.
Mysterious Shell Grotto open to inquiring public
The mysterious Shell Grotto is an ornate subterranean passageway in Margate, Kent where almost all the surface area of the walls and roof is covered in mosaics created entirely of seashells. Taking up 2,000 square feet of mosaic, or 4.6 million shells, it was discovered in 1835 but its age remains unknown.
A website for the Shell Grotto details the mystery:
“In 1835 Mr James Newlove lowered his young son Joshua into a hole in the ground that had appeared during the digging of a duck pond. Joshua emerged describing tunnels covered with shells. He had discovered the Shell Grotto; 70ft of winding underground passages leading to an oblong chamber, its walls decorated with strange symbols mosaiced in millions of shells. Is it an ancient pagan temple? A meeting place for some secret cult? Nobody can explain who built this amazing place, or why, or when, but since its discovery visitors from all over the world have been intrigued by the beautiful mosaic and the unsolved mystery.”
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The Shell Grotto is on Grotto Hill, Margate, Kent, around five minutes’ walk from the seafront and a 20-minute walk from Margate Station (direct trains from London Victoria, Charing Cross and London Bridge). Open every day from Good Friday to Halloween from 10am-5pm, in the winter The Shell Grotto is open weekends only from 11am-4pm and is closed Christmas and New Year.
Admission prices are £3.00 for adults, £2.50 for seniors and students, £1.50 for children or £8 for a family ticket (two adults and two children). Children aged three and under are free.
Flickr photos by Mr Moss and Ben Sutherland