Grand Rapids

I heard on the news the other day that former First Lady Betty Ford had died at the age of 93. She became famous as the wife of former U.S. President Gerald Ford, who served in the White House from 1974 to 1977. Subsequently, she helped establish the Betty Ford Center here in California. She was also known for her advocacy for breast cancer awareness and women's rights. But more germane to my theme for today, she grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

While I've had a couple of friends from Grand Rapids, the city also now has another claim to fame: They now hold the world record for Lipdub videos. This was shot in May of this year, and runs nearly ten minutes and has 5,000 people on the song "American Pie" by Don McLean. Even if you don't care for the song, you still have to marvel at the organization and choreography required to make this happen; they deserve a world record!

Royals Arrive

The newly-wed Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in LA yesterday, courtesy of the Royal Canadian Airforce. They were met by California Governor Jerry Brown and LA Mayor Antonio Villaragaiosa. The Duke and Duchess are expected to spend a few days in Southern California, attending a polo match and a variety of other social functions, as well as visiting some local charities.

The local TV stations were out in force; some on the ground . . .

. . . and some in the air. They're kind of hard to see, but there are four news helicopters hovering just north of the airport in this photo.

A couple of hours later, the RCAF Airbus headed back home:

This one shot best shows the color and markings of this aircraft; a dark gray airplane does not photograph well in LA haze and afternoon sun

Stuff from around the web (revised)

This is a smattering of interesting stuff I've seen lately on the web. Revised because I left out this first item:

We'll start with a link to an LA Times article about LAX improvements:

LA Times: LAX hopes to dominate western skies

Next, a related graphic showing changes at LAX:

LA Times: LAX's Next Generation


LAX led the nation last year in aircraft being hit by lasers. The LAPD have been working with us for some time to get this malicious and hazardous activity under control:

MSNBC: Laser Pointer Sting Nabs Two


And now, for some unhappy news from the Chicago Tribune:



More, from the LA Times


Fortunately, all onboard got out safely. To try and end on a less serious note: