The Flickr Game

The Flickr Game

Image by Carly & Art
Thanks to Floofle for bringing this fun meme to my attention.

Flickr game:

the rules:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker).

the questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.


1. Carly inspired, 2. "I, Piórko, like Cheese!", 3. Oliver Ames High School, North Easton, Mass., 4. ♫ YO Yo yo, there's no place like a green penthouse... so i told the genie i wanted to be well hung. ^o^ ♫ nah... wildlife from singapore♫, 5. Hugh Jackman, 6. Kombucha, 7. Flying in Time..., 8. homemade berry ice cream, 9. Kohenet - Tzovah Initiation, 10. Local Kicks Covers the Alexandria Arts Festival, 11. abundance prayer, 12. IMG_7087

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

Marina Bay

Image by Shaojin+AT
Picture: Helix Bridge & Marina Bay Sands
Location: Marina Bay, Singapore

Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. Developed by Las Vegas Sands, it is billed as the world's most expensive standalone casino property at S billion (US.7 billion), including cost of the prime land.[1][2]
With the casino complete, the resort features a 2,560-room hotel, a 120,000 sq.m. convention-exhibition center, The Shoppes mall, an Art & Science museum, two Sands Theatres, six "celebrity chef" restaurants, two floating pavilions, a casino with 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines. The complex is topped by a 340m-long SkyPark with a capacity of 3,900 people and a 150m infinity swimming pool, set on top of the world's largest public cantilevered platform, which overhangs the north tower by 67m.[3][4] The 20-hectare resort was designed by Moshe Safdie Architects. The local architect of record was Aedas Singapore, and engineering was provided by Arup and Parsons Brinkerhoff (MEP).
Originally set to open in 2009, Las Vegas Sands faced delays caused by escalating costs of material and labour shortages from the onset. The severe global financial crisis also pressured the company to delay its projects elsewhere to complete the integrated resort.[5] Although Marina Bay Sands has been compared on scale and development costs to MGM's CityCenter, the latter is a mixed-use development, with condominium properties - comprising three of the seven main structures, being sold off.[6][7]
The resort was officially opened with a two-day celebration on 23 June 2010 at 3.18 pm, after a partial opening earlier in April. It was, however, not finished at the time of the April opening, which was marked by numerous service failures.[8] The museum, theatres and floating pavilions are still being built and are expected to be fully completed by December 2010.

Background



Part of the parcel of land for Marina Bay Sands in the foreground prior to development. The parcel overlooks Singapore's financial district in the background.
Marina Bay Sands is one of two winning proposals for Singapore's first Integrated Resorts, the other being the Resorts World Sentosa, which incorporates a family-friendly Universal Studios Theme Park. The two large-scale resorts were conceived to meet Singapore's economic and tourism objectives for the next decade and they will have 30-year casino licenses, exclusive for the first ten years.
Bidders were assessed based on four criteria:
tourism appeal and contribution
architectural concept and design
development investment
strength of the consortium and partners
On 27 May 2006, Las Vegas Sands (LVS) was declared winner of the Marina Bay site in the prime new business district of Marina South with its business-oriented resort. LVS highlighted its forte in Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions (MICE), of which its founder, Sheldon Adelson, is a pioneer in Las Vegas and the key to his early business success.[9] In the Design Evaluation portion of the tender, a panel of local and international architects commended Sands' design as superior to other bids in terms of pedestrian circulation and layout, and it also fit in with the Marina Bay landscape best. They liked that the hotel towers was set back from the waterfront to open up expansive views of the city and the entire Marina Bay, making the skyline for Singapore's downtown more attractive and distinctive.[10]
Singapore Tourism Board highlighted Sands' line-up of six celebrity chefs, such as Australia's Tetsuya Wakuda and Thomas Keller (Napa Valley, California, USA) and Charlie Trotter (Chicago, USA).
LVS submitted its winning bid on its own. Its original partner City Developments Limited (CDL), with a proposed 15 per cent equity stake, pulled out of the partnership in the second phase of the tender process. CDL's CEO, Kwek Leng Beng said his company's pullout was a combination of factors - such as difficulties in getting numerous companies he owns to comply in time, as well as reluctance of some parties to disclose certain private information in probity checks required by the Singapore government.[11] However, Kwek was retained as an advisor for Sands' bid.
[edit]Investment



Inside the Marina Bay Sands Hotel
Las Vegas Sands initially committed to invest S.85 billion (about US.85 billion) in the project, not including the fixed S.2 billion (about US8 million) cost of the 6,000,000 square feet (560,000 m2) site itself.[12] With the escalating costs of materials, such as sand and steel, and labour shortages owing to other major infrastructure and property development in the country, Sheldon Adelson place the total cost of the development at S.0 billion (about US.9 billion) as of July 2009.[1][13]
Las Vegas Sands declared the undertaking as "one of the world's most challenging construction projects and certainly the most expensive stand-alone integrated resort property ever built".[14] It expects the casino to generate at least billion in annual profit.[6] Two months after the initial phased opening, the casino attracts around 25,000 visitors daily, about a third being Singaporeans and permanent residents who pay a 0 daily entry levy or ,000 for annual unlimited access.[15] Half a million gamblers passed through the casino in June 2010.[16]
For the economy, Marina Bay Sands is projected to stimulate an addition of .7 billion or 0.8 per cent to Singapore's Gross Domestic Product by 2015, employing 10,000 people directly and 20,000 jobs being created in other industries.[11]
The resort is designed by Moshe Safdie, who says it was initially inspired by card decks. In addition to the casino, other key components of the plan are three hotel towers with 2,500 rooms and suites, a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) Art-Science museum and a convention centre with 1,200,000 square feet (111,000 m2) of space, capable of accommodating up to 45,000 people. The resort's architecture and major design changes along the way were also approved by a number of consultant feng shui masters.[citation needed]
[edit]Opening



During the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics opening ceremony
Marina Bay Sands was originally planned to be completed in a single phase in 2009,[13] but rising construction costs and the financial crisis forced the company to open it in phases. The first phase's preview opening was further delayed until 27 April 2010, and the grand opening was pushed back to 23 June 2010. The rest of the complex remain under construction and will not be completed before 2011.
On 27 April 2010, Marina Bay Sands had the first of a planned 3 to 4 phase openings. The casino, parts of the conference hall, a segment of the Shoppes, 963 hotel rooms and the event plaza were opened at the auspicious time of 3:18 p.m as part of the "preview opening".[17]
The Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) held the first conference at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre on 2–5 May 2010, but the event was marred by uncompleted facilities and a power failure during a speech. IPBA withheld payment of S0,000 and was consequently sued by Marina Bay Sands.[18] In June IPBA counter-sued, describing the venue as a "complete disaster" and that its earlier payments had been imposed by "duress, fear and force".[18] An "amitable settlement" with undisclosed terms was announced in August.[19]
On 23 June 2010, the resort had its official opening with a "2-day celebration"; this includes the Sands SkyPark, the Event Plaza along Marina Bay, more shops, additional dining options and nightlife offerings, and the rest of the hotel rooms. First day events included - a "World Championship Climb" on the glass facade of the building to the SkyPark, with 7 teams of 21 top rock climbers from around the world competing, and an evening concert for 4,000 invited guests and customers, featuring Diana Ross, Kelly Rowland, JJ Lin among others. The SkyPark was opened on the second day at 2 pm,[14] with about 2,000 adult tickets costing S each sold.[20]
[edit]Timeline forecast
In December 2010, the Art-Science Museum, two Sands Theatres and two floating Crystal Pavilions will be completed.
In March 2011, Disney's The Lion King musical production will debut at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre.[21]
[edit]Attractions



View of the CBD skyline, City Hall, and Esplanade from the SkyPark


View of Singapore Flyer from the SkyPark
Marina Bay Sands features three 55-storey hotel towers which were topped out in July 2009. The three towers are connected by a 1 hectare sky terrace on the roof, named Sands SkyPark.
In front of the three towers include a Theatre Block, a Convention and Exhibition Facilities Block, as well as the Casino Block, which have up to 1000 gaming tables and 1400 slot machines. The Art-Science Museum is constructed next to the three blocks and has the shape of a lotus. Its roof will be retractable, providing a waterfall through the roof of collected rainwater when closed in the day and with laser shows when opened at night. The Art-Science Museum opens in December 2010.
The SkyPark is home to the world's longest elevated swimming pool, [22] with a 478-foot (146-meter) vanishing edge, perched 191 meters above the ground. The pools are made up of 422,000 pounds of stainless steel and can hold 376,500 gallons (1424 cubic metres) of water. The SkyPark also boasts rooftop restaurants, nightclubs, gardens hundreds of trees and plants and a public observatory with 360-degree views of the Singapore skyline.
There are four movement joints beneath the main pools, designed to help them withstand the natural motion of the towers, and each joint has a unique range of motion. The total range of motion is 19.68 inches (500 millimetres). In addition to wind, the hotel towers are also subject to settlement in the earth over time, so engineers built and installed custom jack legs to allow for future adjustment at more than 500 points beneath the pool system. This jacking system is important primarily to ensure the infinity edge of the pool continues to function properly.[23]
Moshe Safdie designed an Art Path within the resort, incorporating seven installations by five artists including Sol Lewitt, Antony Gormley and Zheng Chongbin. The pieces are meant to play on environmental influences including light, water and wind, integrating art with architecture.[24]

Source from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Bay_Sands

Bob Woodward (after Watergate)

Image by dbking
Home of:
Bob Woodward (Journalist, Author)
Located: 3027 Q Street NW

Robert Upshur "Bob" Woodward (born March 26, 1943) is one of the best-known journalists in the United States, thanks largely to his work in helping uncover the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation, in a historical partnership with Carl Bernstein, while working as a reporter for The Washington Post. He has written twelve best-selling nonfiction books and has twice contributed reporting to efforts that collectively earned the Post and its National Reporting staff a Pulitzer Prize.

Woodward was discharged from the Navy in August 1970. He had applied to several law schools, but had also applied for a job as a reporter for the Washington Post. Harry Rosenfeld, the paper's metropolitan editor, hired him on a two-week trial basis, a tryout that failed because of his complete lack of experience as a journalist. Still interested in becoming a reporter, he got a job with the Montgomery Sentinel. A year after his on-the-job training at the Sentinel, he left that paper and joined The Washington Post in August 1971.

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein / Watergate
He and Carl Bernstein were assigned to investigate the June 17, 1972 burglary of the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in a Washington, D.C. office building called Watergate. Their work, under editor Ben Bradlee, led to the uncovering of a large number of political "dirty tricks" used by the Nixon re-election committee during his campaign for reelection. Their book about the scandal, All the President's Men, became a #1 best-seller and was later turned into a movie. The 1976 film, starring Robert Redford as Woodward and Dustin Hoffman as Bernstein, transformed the reporters into celebrities and inspired a wave of interest in investigative journalism. The book and movie also led to one of Washington D.C.'s most famous mysteries: the identity of Woodward's secret Watergate informant known as Deep Throat, a reference to the title of a popular pornographic movie at the time. Woodward said he would protect Deep Throat's identity until the man died or allowed his name to be revealed. For over 30 years, only Woodward, Bernstein, and a handful of others knew the informant's identity until he revealed himself to Vanity Fair magazine as former FBI Associate Director W. Mark Felt in May 2005. Woodward has confirmed his identity and published a book, titled The Secret Man, which detailed his relationship with Felt.

George W. Bush Administration
Woodward has spent the most time of any journalist with President George W. Bush, interviewing him four times for more than seven hours total. Woodward's most recent two books, Bush at War (2002) and Plan of Attack (2004), are detailed accounts of the Bush presidency, including the response to the September 11 terrorist attacks and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Woodward is at work on another book about Bush's second administration.

In a series of articles published in January 2002, he and Dan Balz described the events at Camp David in the aftermath of September 11. In these articles, they mention the Worldwide Attack Matrix.

Woodward has been accused by some critics of being too close to the Bush administration, and some say his relationship with the current administration is in stark contrast to his investigative role in Watergate. Others disagree, however. In 2004 both the Bush campaign and the Kerry-Edwards campaign recommended his book Plan of Attack, and The New York Times said the book contained “convincing accounts of White House failures... presented alongside genial encounters with the president.”

Involvement in the Plame scandal
On November 14, 2005 Woodward gave a two-hour deposition to Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald. He testified that a senior administration official told him in June 2003 that Iraq war critic, Joe Wilson’s wife (later identified as Valerie Plame), worked for the CIA. Woodward therefore appears to have been the first reporter to learn about her employment from a government source. The deposition was reported in The Washington Post on November 16, 2005, and was the first time Woodward revealed publicly that he had any special knowledge about the case. Woodward testified the information was given to him in a “casual” and “offhand” manner, and said that he does not believe it was part of any coordinated effort to “out” Plame as a CIA employee.

Woodward said the revelation came at the end of a long, confidential background interview for his 2004 book Plan of Attack. He did not reveal the official’s disclosure at the time because it did not strike him as important. Later, he kept it to himself because it came as part of a confidential conversation with a source. He said he did not want to be subpoenaed by Fitzgerald, who by then was threatening journalists who did not reveal confidential sources with civil contempt.

Woodward said he testified after his source contacted Fitzgerald and requested Woodward to cooperate. However, the source did not agree to modify the confidentiality agreement to allow Woodward to identify the source publicly.

In his deposition, Woodward also said that he had conversations with Scooter Libby after the June 2003 conversation with his confidential administration source, and testified that it is possible that he might have asked Libby further questions about Joe Wilson’s wife before her employment at the CIA and her identity were publicly known.

Woodward’s revelation was controversial because he had not told his editor at the Post about the conversation for more than two years, and also because he had publicly criticized the investigation. He had referred to Fitzgerald as a “junkyard dog prosecutor” on Larry King’s television show, and said he believed that when “all of the facts come out in this case, it's going to be laughable because the consequences are not that great.". On another occasion, he said of the investigation that he thought there was “nothing to it,” and that Fitzgerald’s behavior had been “disgraceful.” In later interviews after his deposition, Woodward said he had meant by his “junkyard dog” comment to suggest colorfully that Fitzgerald was a tenacious prosecutor, and that the “disgraceful” comment concerned the tactic of putting journalists in prison to coerce them to reveal their confidential sources.

Woodward apologized to Leonard Downie, the editor of The Washington Post for not informing him earlier of the June 2003 conversation. News of his deposition sparked the latest round of debate about his status at the Post. One reporter described Woodward on an internal Post message board as the “800-pound elephant among us,” adding: “I admire the hell out of Bob, but this looks awful.”

Other professional activities
Woodward has continued to write books and report stories for The Washington Post, and serves as an assistant managing editor at the paper. He focuses on the presidency, intelligence, and Washington institutions such as the U.S. Supreme Court, The Pentagon, and the Federal Reserve. He has also written Wired, about the Hollywood drug culture and the death of comic John Belushi.

Awards and recognitions
Woodward has twice contributed to collective journalistic efforts that were awarded the Pulitzer Prize. In 1973, The Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Though the Prize was awarded to the entire Post staff, the citation specifically named his and Bernstein's reporting on Watergate as exemplary work. In addition, Woodward was the lead reporter for the Post's articles on the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks that won the National Reporting Pulitzer in 2002. He also was awarded the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency in 2003.

Woodward is widely regarded as one of the top reporters of the last half-century, and has earned trust and accolades from government officials and journalists of all political persuasions. In 2003, Al Hunt of The Wall Street Journal called Woodward "the most celebrated journalist of our age." The Weekly Standard called him "the best pure reporter of his generation, perhaps ever." In 2004, Bob Schieffer of CBS News said "Woodward has established himself as the best reporter of our time. He may be the best reporter of all time."

Style and commentary
In writing his books, Woodward collects detailed records, including interviews, documents, transcripts, and recordings. He then uses them to describe events as a story with an omniscient narrator, present tense and dialogue. His books read somewhat like fiction, and are often very visually descriptive.

While this style may have earned Woodward commercial success, many literary critics consider his prose awkward and his approach inappropriate for his subject matter. Nicholas von Hoffman complained that "the arrestingly irrelevant detail is [often] used" while Michael Massing thinks the books are "filled with long, at times tedious passages with no evident direction." Joan Didion said Woodward finds "[nothing] too insignificant for inclusion," including such details as shirts worn and food eaten in unimportant situations.

The narrative, reporting-driven style of Woodward's books also draws criticism for rarely making conclusions or passing judgment on the characters and actions that he recounts in such detail. Didion concluded that Woodward writes "books in which measurable cerebral activity is virtually absent," and finds the books marked by "a scrupulous passivity, an agreement to cover the story not as it is occurring but as it is presented, which is to say as it is manufactured."

Some of Woodward's critics accuse him of abandoning critical inquiry to maintain his access to high-profile political actors. Anthony Lewis called the style "a trade in which the great grant access in return for glory." and Christopher Hitchens has accused both Woodward and George F. Will of acting as "stenographer[s] to the rich and powerful."

Woodward has said that his books "really are self portraits, because I go to people and I say — I check them and I double check them but — but who are you? What are you doing? Where do you fit in? What did you say? What did you feel?" Critics complain that this style allows the biases and beliefs of his sources to steer the narrative and that those who talk to Woodward are painted more favorably than those who don't. The Brethren, for example, painted a picture of the Supreme Court based on the comments of its clerks; some believe that, as a result, the book suggests that the Supreme Court Justices do little of the actual work. Brad DeLong says that accounts of the evolution of Clinton's economic policy in Woodward's books The Agenda (presented from Clinton's point of view) and Maestro (presented from Alan Greenspan's) are so inconsistent that the reader will "collapse to the floor in helpless laughter".

Woodward's dual role as journalist and author has opened him up to occasional criticism for sitting on information for publication in a book, rather than presenting it sooner when it might affect the events at hand. In The Commanders (1991), for instance, he indicated that Colin Powell had opposed Operation Desert Storm, yet Woodward did not publish this information before Congress voted on a war resolution, when it may have made a difference. And in Veil, he indicates that former CIA Director William Casey personally knew of arms sales to the Contras, but he did not reveal this until after the Congressional investigation.

Woodward has also been accused of exaggeration and fabrication by other journalists, most notably regarding "Deep Throat", his famous Watergate informant. Before he was revealed to be W. Mark Felt, some contended that Deep Throat was a composite character based on more than one Watergate source. Martin Dardis, the chief investigator for the Dade County State Attorney, who in 1972 discovered that the money found on the Watergate burglars came from the Committee to Re-elect the President, has complained that All the President's Men misrepresented him. Woodward was also accused of fabricating his deathbed interview with Casey, as described in Veil; critics say the interview simply could not have taken place as written in the book. Finally, an investigation by the New York Review of Books found that Woodward fabricated a sensational story about Justice William J. Brennan in The Brethren, among other issues.

Despite these criticisms and challenges, Woodward has been praised as an authoritative and balanced journalist. The New York Times Book Review said in 2004 that "No reporter has more talent for getting Washington’s inside story and telling it cogently." The publication of a Woodward book, perhaps more than any other contemporary author's, is treated as a major political event that dominates national news for days.

Personal
Woodward was born in Geneva, Illinois to Alfred Woodward, a judge. He was brought up in nearby Wheaton. He now lives in the Georgetown section of Washington. He is married to Elsa Walsh, a writer for The New Yorker, and has two daughters, one with Elsa and one with his first wife.

Books
Woodward has co-authored or authored ten #1 national best-selling non-fiction books, more than any other contemporary American writer. They are:

All the President's Men (1974) about the Watergate scandal;
The Final Days (1976) about Nixon's resignation;
The Brethren (1979) about the Supreme Court in the Warren Burger years;
Wired (1984) on the death of John Belushi and the Hollywood drug culture;
Veil (1987) about the CIA's "secret wars" during the reign of William J. Casey;
The Commanders (1991) on The Pentagon, the first Bush administration and the Gulf War;
The Agenda (1994) about Bill Clinton's first term
Shadow (1999) on the legacy of Watergate and the scandals that faced later Presidential administrations;
Bush at War (2002) about the path to war with Afghanistan following September 11;
Plan of Attack (2004) about how and why President George W. Bush decided to go to war with Iraq.
Other books, which have also been best-sellers but not #1, are:

The Choice (1996) about Clinton's re-election bid
Maestro (2000) about Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan
The Secret Man (2005) about Mark Felt's disclosure, after more than thirty years, that he was Deep Throat. The book was written before Felt admitted his title, as he was sickly and Bob expected that someway or another, it would come out. Since he still had some finishing to do, the book was done 10 days after.
Newsweek has excerpted five of Woodward's books in cover stories; 60 Minutes has done segments on five; and three have been made into movies.

Pop Culture References
On The Simpsons episode Whacking Day in the fourth season, Bart reads a book called "The Truth About Whacking Day", written by Bob Woodward.

In the movie The Skulls, starring Joshua Jackson as Lucas McNamera, Lucas' best friend Will Beckford (played by Hill Harper) tries to compare himself to the great Bob Woodward while reading the publication of his column in the school newspaper. Will was subsequently killed for pursuing his journalistic curiosities.

In the movie Dick, which is about Watergate, Woodward is played by actor/comedian Will Ferrell. In the film Woodward and Carl Bernstein, are depicted as two petty, bickering, childish near-incompetents who are small-mindedly competitive with each other.

Quotes
"I called my father and said I'm not going to law school, but have this job at a newspaper he had never heard of. And my father said probably the severest thing he has ever said to me. He said, 'You're crazy.' So he didn't think it was a good idea."
"You won't achieve understanding of a person or an issue in a day. Take your time, dig, go back."

“Battleship” dazzles Soldiers

Image by U.S. Army Korea (Historical Image Archive)
By Pfc. Lee Hyo-kang
hyokang.lee.fm@mail.mil

YONGSAN GARRISON - It is the girl you have seen in magazines and the man you’ve seen on the big screen. American film director Peter Berg and the main characters of his latest movie “Battleship,” Taylor Kitsch and Brooklyn Decker premiered their movie at the COEX on April 5 and visited U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan for an autograph session, April 6.

Fifty lucky Soldiers from USAG Yongsan were among the crowd of 1,200 people who seized the opportunity to be the first ones to watch one of the biggest science fiction movies of 2012.

Right before the movie premiere, the three celebrities
walked the red carpet and greeted cheering fans by signing autographs and taking pictures together. Amid the chaos of a hundred camera flashes and a thousand fans shouting, they did not forget to stop by where U.S. Soldiers were gathered to chat for a while.

Sgt. Michael Huebner from Marine Forces Korea was glad to be invited to the movie premiere, receiving such care and support outside of the states. “It feels great to be out here tonight and I really appreciate how my country appreciates what we are doing.”

The following day, despite their busy schedule, the Battleship director and actors visited Yongsan Garrison and held an autograph session at R&R Bar and Grill to encourage and thank those who are serving our country.

Brooklyn Decker was asked for autographs the most among the three since she was the only actress at the session. She stars as Samantha, the daughter of Liam Neeson’s character Admiral Shane in the movie and she is also a fashion model best known for appearances in Sports Illustrated and Victoria’s Secret.

“Thank you for having us here today and we hope we make you guys proud,” said Decker.

The autograph session lasted for an hour and people were happy to go back to their homes with autographs and pictures in their hands.

“Battleship” is a science fiction naval war film based on the children’s game. In the Hawaiian Islands, an international naval fleet at Pearl Harbor engages in a dynamic and intense battle against an alien species known as “The Regents”. The film was released in Korea on April 11, and is the hottest movie that is overwhelming other movies in audience counts.

Week 3, 52 Weeks: The Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge is just a few days off - with Flickr notes!

Image by Earl - What I Saw 2.0
Maybe it will be this warm? This Saturday I'll be doing my third one - and it's great! So far over 0,000.00 has been raised this year for Maryland Special Olympics, and that doesn't count what all of us will bring in with our sponsorship envelopes to check-in on Saturday.

Last year - the 10th anniversary plunge - was the highest amount donated in one day to Special Olympics. It was something I had talked about doing for a long time, but in 2005 I decided to put my body in the Chesapeake Bay for the cause.

A group of my friends and I go in together, and we all go all the way under the water. The first year I did it the water was 28 degrees and the air was 32. They had rescue divers break up the ice so we could go in. It was like going into a bay-sized slurpee! Last year wasn't nearly that cold, and I'm not sure what this Saturday will be like, but there's snow on the ground now, so it will definitely be interesting.

It's a day-long event - bands, costume contests, free lunch for the plungers, and as many, if not more, spectators come out to see it. It is right at the Annapolis side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Last year I had fractured my shoulder in two places and cracked a few ribs just over a month before the plunge, and it was the first week I had my sling off. This year looks to be a lot easier! Last year, my friends were great. They stuck close so I didn't get bumped in the rush, and they helped me change into dry clothes, too. Good friends wll do that kind of stuff for you.

The tag is one that corporate event sponsors get. One of our friends is a corporate sponsor again, and he mailed us this extra pass for my wife, Debbie to use, which was really nice. She'll get to go into the celebrity tent and meet all of the VIP's. Pretty cool!

I'm still wearing my LiveSTRONG bracelet - I bought them for all of our group the first year, and I haven't taken mine off for 15 months now - they even let me wear it when I had surgery, which I thought was really nice. I wear it for my mom, who had cancer before she died, for my father-in-law who we lost to cancer in 2006, and for my good friend, Larry, who is undergoing treatments for multiple myeloma right now, and for everyone who is fighting cancer and for their friends and families, too. Stay strong and keep fighting your cancer, all of you - a lot of people care and love you.

I'll post some pictures next week after the plunge. Please think about ways you can help support Special Olympics where you, live, too - you will make a difference!

52 Weeks - Week 3.