Reminder: live updates at http://twitter.com/decouto
On Tuesday we got up late and took the bus to Valencia's old town, a charming district of old buildings, churches, squares, and yes, tapas bars. We walked up into the tower of the cathedral, which treated us to a magnificent view of the city, straight to the ocean. We could see the wing of the BMW/Oracl boat looming over the top of the container port's derricks. It's bloody big!
Another highlight was the central market, full of gorgeous looking fresh produce, cheeses, and of course, the ubiquitous jamon hanging everywhere. We strolled the aisles of the fish section: live eels & lobsters crawling around, fish, squid, whatever you wanted, all laid out on ice. I only felt a little queasy...
It was a beautiful crisp days under a clear blue sky with a fresh breeze, so after lunch we walked back down the old river bed. At some point they diverted the river around the city, and created a park with trails, trees, and sports fields in the old river bed. It's a little warmer than the street as it is sunk down out of the breeze, with the old walls of the river banks forming the sides, and criss-crossed with traffic and pedestrian bridges. The park ends at the palace of arts and science, a stunning collection of way-out buildings rising out of cool blue pools and covered in shiny white tiles. The future is now! Claudio's apartment's balcony looks out over the park, and I am looking at the Opera House all lit up as I write this.
Tomorrow's start is delayed by at least two hours until noon due to weather, so we'll get a little more sleep tonight.
Stay tuned!
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09 February 2010
Valencia Progress Report Day 1
Reminder: get live updates (sort of) at http://twitter.com/decouto
What do tax attorneys, NASCAR, and stunt planes have to do with each other?
The answer is, of course, the America's Cup.
It's been a long two days since Somers and I arrived in Valencia, and despite the lack of racing it's been eventful nonetheless.
We woke up at 5am on Monday to watch the BMW/Oracle boat leave the dock, and participate in a bit of a pump-up ceremony. Loud rock music, floodlights, and air-horns all at 6.30 in the morning: bra bra brap braaaaaaaaaaa...... I am not sure the boat's crew appreciated all the excitement as they might have wished to build up to their 10am start more slowly. But the 'Family and Friends' spectators enjoyed it, as long as they didn't get an airhorn in the ear.
From there we bused back to the base in the AC harbour, and then another short bus ride to get on the fast ferry that served as the spectator boat at around 8.30am. However, due to the lack of wind and the delayed start, we sat at the dock until around 9.30. We finally left and went about 20 miles out to the start line, where Alinghi and BMW/Oracle were drifting around. The oat driver did a good job of maneuvering the ferry so everyone got a chance to view the boats up close from either side, as there wasn't a lot of external deck. We even got a 'drift by' from Oracle, so everyone was whipping out their cameras. And of course, Larry's big boat was out there along with a flotilla of very wicked looking RIBs tooling around full of very fashionably dressed crew and support. Apparently this season the fashionable AC crew are wearing all white. Not my first choice in foul weather gear colour, but I guess they can just get new kit if it gets dirty.
At 2pm racing was cancelled for the day and we all raced back to the dock. By this point Somers and I had already been getting familiar with the Coronas, and back at the base there was more open bar to be had, including Mojitos. Many of them. I met a few interesting people, including the team's tax attorney. Apparently he was instrumental in helping them save a lot of money on sales tax when they had their boat built in the US. I also met a NASCAR technician -- he knows nothing about sailing, but was brought in to build the wiring harnesses. I asked him what the difference between NASCAR and the boat was, he said nothing... it's all aviation technology brought to other applications.
After a few more mojitos, it was off for tapas down the street. The bar was empty except for two Kiwi gentleman. We eventually started talking with then and it turns out they were Sir Michael Fay, and his partner from the 1980s Kiwi 'big boat' campaign against Dennis Conner's cat. So we had quite an interesting conversation with him -- he was the financier and motivation behind that campaign, I enjoyed his perspective. He referred to himself as a farmer... Many people knock the America's cup since it is so different from normal sailing, wiht all the drama, legal hijinks, loads of money, and the chase for technology. But as Fay said, if you want a regatta, go to a regatta... this is the America's Cup, and is its own beast. Remember that it predates the modern organization of sailboat races by many years.
Finally off to another tapas bar, where we crashed a birthday party ('Pimps and Hos') full of AC people and hangers-on. And lots of good food! They had a vat of sangria, and a 1-metre diameter paella dish that sits on its own propane-powered burner. Wicked good food, wicked good drink.
And stunt planes? That's some guy I met at the last bar, he comes from stunt planes and worked on the film that covers the wing. He was pretty passionate about it. Or maybe just drunk....?
What do tax attorneys, NASCAR, and stunt planes have to do with each other?
The answer is, of course, the America's Cup.
It's been a long two days since Somers and I arrived in Valencia, and despite the lack of racing it's been eventful nonetheless.
We woke up at 5am on Monday to watch the BMW/Oracle boat leave the dock, and participate in a bit of a pump-up ceremony. Loud rock music, floodlights, and air-horns all at 6.30 in the morning: bra bra brap braaaaaaaaaaa...... I am not sure the boat's crew appreciated all the excitement as they might have wished to build up to their 10am start more slowly. But the 'Family and Friends' spectators enjoyed it, as long as they didn't get an airhorn in the ear.
From there we bused back to the base in the AC harbour, and then another short bus ride to get on the fast ferry that served as the spectator boat at around 8.30am. However, due to the lack of wind and the delayed start, we sat at the dock until around 9.30. We finally left and went about 20 miles out to the start line, where Alinghi and BMW/Oracle were drifting around. The oat driver did a good job of maneuvering the ferry so everyone got a chance to view the boats up close from either side, as there wasn't a lot of external deck. We even got a 'drift by' from Oracle, so everyone was whipping out their cameras. And of course, Larry's big boat was out there along with a flotilla of very wicked looking RIBs tooling around full of very fashionably dressed crew and support. Apparently this season the fashionable AC crew are wearing all white. Not my first choice in foul weather gear colour, but I guess they can just get new kit if it gets dirty.
At 2pm racing was cancelled for the day and we all raced back to the dock. By this point Somers and I had already been getting familiar with the Coronas, and back at the base there was more open bar to be had, including Mojitos. Many of them. I met a few interesting people, including the team's tax attorney. Apparently he was instrumental in helping them save a lot of money on sales tax when they had their boat built in the US. I also met a NASCAR technician -- he knows nothing about sailing, but was brought in to build the wiring harnesses. I asked him what the difference between NASCAR and the boat was, he said nothing... it's all aviation technology brought to other applications.
After a few more mojitos, it was off for tapas down the street. The bar was empty except for two Kiwi gentleman. We eventually started talking with then and it turns out they were Sir Michael Fay, and his partner from the 1980s Kiwi 'big boat' campaign against Dennis Conner's cat. So we had quite an interesting conversation with him -- he was the financier and motivation behind that campaign, I enjoyed his perspective. He referred to himself as a farmer... Many people knock the America's cup since it is so different from normal sailing, wiht all the drama, legal hijinks, loads of money, and the chase for technology. But as Fay said, if you want a regatta, go to a regatta... this is the America's Cup, and is its own beast. Remember that it predates the modern organization of sailboat races by many years.
Finally off to another tapas bar, where we crashed a birthday party ('Pimps and Hos') full of AC people and hangers-on. And lots of good food! They had a vat of sangria, and a 1-metre diameter paella dish that sits on its own propane-powered burner. Wicked good food, wicked good drink.
And stunt planes? That's some guy I met at the last bar, he comes from stunt planes and worked on the film that covers the wing. He was pretty passionate about it. Or maybe just drunk....?
07 February 2010
BMW Oracle getting ready
BMW/Oracle getting ready for tomorrow's first America's Cup race. They are changing up their daggerboards. Go USA!
Location:Valencia
06 February 2010
26 January 2010
Bermuda and the Next Millennium: a view from the past!
Another addition to the Bermuda Library:
Bermuda and the Next Millenium, by Kit Astwood (1997)
A think piece by J. Christopher "Kit" Astwood, OBE, JP. He lays out questions about the future of Bermuda, using a few bits of data to provoke thought. It's interesting to see how many of today's issues were starting to take root in 1997. View the accompanying data in a spreadsheet. He also wrote a follow-up piece in 2000: The Mid-Atantic Economic Miracle: Bermuda. Both documents Copyright J. Christopher Astwood and posted with his permission.
24 January 2010
Browse Bermuda Election Results On-line
I've just finished the first version of a simple website which lets you browse Bermuda election results on-line, by election, constituency, or candidate. Visit the website at http://webapp.decouto.bm/elections, and let me know what you think.
(This is a newer version of something I did year before last: old blog post)
From the 'about' page:
About this site
This site was created by Douglas De Couto to make available historical Bermuda election data. It uses data pulled from the Bermuda Parliamentary Registrar, which has then been cleaned up and cross-referenced (e.g. the same candidate sometimes appears in multiple elections but under slightly different names).
It was created using Django
How you can help
If you like this site and would like to contribute, I welcome collaboration in the following areas:
- Getting pictures for more candidates.
- Biographies for candidates.
- Catching any errors in names, dates, etc.
- Finding and entering election results from before 1989.
- Site design... as you can see I am not much of a designer.
If you'd like to help, or just make a comment, contact me by emailing decouto -at- alum.mit.edu. (substitute '@' for '-at-')
Thank you to the Registrar for making the original data available online.
Reporting problems
If you see a problem in the website or with the data such as a misspelling or incorrect election result, please email me.
16 January 2010
From the "Bad Ideas" Category
In today's New York Times:
Creams Offering Lighter Skin May Bring Risks: For years, Allison Ross rubbed in skin-lightening creams with names like Hyprogel and Fair & White. She said she wanted to even out and brighten the tone of her face, neck and hands. Mrs. Ross, 45, who lives in Brooklyn, also said that she used the lightening creams “to be more accepted in society.” After months of twice-a-day applications, her skin was not only fairer, it had become so thin that a touch would bruise her face. Her capillaries became visible, and she developed stubborn acne. A doctor told her that all three were side effects of prescription-strength steroids in some of the creams, which she had bought over the counter in beauty supply stores..... I'm sorry for her, but doesn't this seem like a bad idea just by thinking about it? - A Gangland Bus Tour, With Lunch and a Waiver: LOS ANGELES — The tour organizer received assurances, he says, from four gangs that they would not harass the bus when it passed through their turf. Paying customers must sign releases warning of potential danger. And after careful consideration, it was decided not to have residents shoot water guns at the bus and sell “I Got Shot in South Central” T-shirts..... Sign me up!
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