Shipwrecks get protection in Lake Michigan

 

I just recently read about this new National Marine Sanctuary along the Wisconsin coast.  It isn't official yet, but it will be soon.  And as you can read in the short article, the reason for it is not the reason for many other marine sanctuaries, i.e., to preserve natural underwater habitat -- in this case, it's because the area has a lot of shipwrecks.   Now, I do know that the wreck of the USS Monitor from the Civil War is also a NMS, so there is precedent for such an action, but it still isn't common.

NOAA designates part of Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan as sanctuary for shipwrecks

Officially:

Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary

Here's the map of the new shipwreck saving shoreline.

One of the wrecks is the schooner Home, which has an interesting history too.  It sank in 1858 and is 170 feet of water.  This picture (taken from the Wisconsin Shipwrecks page about the Home) shows how well-preserved it is -- one of the reasons for the establishment of the sanctuary.

Yes, that's just bullsh*t

 

I rarely use profanity, here blogging or in real life, but when I saw this Daily Mail headline, the first word that came to mind, and to my lips, was the epithet associated with bovine excrement.

Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and officials slam 'political' lawsuit over their voting rights bill and Trump says it's more proof the 'radical left' is 'politicizing the DOJ'

There's a reason that Major League Baseball moved the All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver.  There's a reason that major corporation boards and heads have been denouncing the law.  There's a reason civil rights groups are suing Georgia over the bill.

The reason is that the bill is discriminatory and seeks to limit, restrict, and make more difficult voting by groups defined by race and social strata as traditionally Democratic.  The groups that voted by mail and in long lines and turned the state on its head by getting President Joe Biden more votes than his opponent.

The reason that the DOJ has filed a lawsuit against the bill is about politics - the dirty kind that the Georgia Republicans are playing because they can't accept that a fair vote didn't go their way.  The way to change minds and votes is to listen to the voters and try to do what they want - that's called representative government.   Georgia Republicans, apparently, want only to represent a certain subset of the Georgia electorate.

And that's bullsh*t in this country.  And that's what Georgia Republicans smell like, because they're swimming in it.

Michelle Keegan reps something new

 

To her credit, British actress Michelle Keegan, one of the absolute most beautiful women in the world (which I've said before and which has been recognized in many venues and media before), has maintained a classy image when representing products.  To this point, she has mainly repped clothing brands, featuring her own lines.  

Now she has branched out to cosmetics.   I will provide a link to them.  But mainly this provides me the opportunity to post more pictures of Michelle.

Spectrum Collections - Michelle Keegan

The Keegan products come in five different colors and "flavors".  See if you can guess what they are.

Still hoping Rhian gets preggo

 

British glamour model Rhian Sugden has revealed, more than once, that she's been trying to get pregnant with her husband.  And so far, it hasn't worked, and that's not easy to deal with.  Meanwhile, she has to pay the bills.  But as the article notes, there are some things she won't do for money (not that I would expect her to). 

'Feeling bra-vellous!' Rhian Sugden sends temperatures soaring in plunging semi-sheer underwear

No, I didn't include a picture.  They are not difficult to find, I assure you.  She got married in 2018, and she did a lot of very nice posing before that.  

The playroom in Cara's house

 

Supermodel Cara Delevingne (who apparently is the highest-paid model based in the UK), recently gave a tour of her house in LA.

You can read the article at that link, or search for many other's similar to it.  Basically, it's a nice house, well-furnished, colorful, but it has its quirks and perks.

This is one of them.  It's clearly a place designed for ... Nerf football?

Well, maybe if you play naked.   (She says she plays her white piano with its transparent top naked.)

A bit more about Cara:

'When you start talking about it, people find it uncomfortable': Cara Delevingne admits she's 'taken pride' in her enjoyment of sex and vows to 'take away the stigma' around orgasms

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Cara Delevingne puts on a racy display as she poses naked and discusses her love for her vagina in intimate digital artwork to be auctioned off for charity

Basically, she says its hers, and she can do what she wants with it.  Especially in her Nerf football room.

By the way, I really like Cara.  She's her own person, she has power, and she does what she wants.  Because she can.

Plus, she's gorgeous.

If Lindsey Graham's for it, we should all be against it

 

A few days ago, Senator and bottom-feeder Lindsey Graham (South Carolina), said this about the voting rights bill put forth on the Senate floor, before it was filibustered.  However, there are still ways that what's necessary will get passed, or at least the Republican anti-democratic intransigence will become increasingly clear.

“The mother of all power grabs is going to fail,” said Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who like most of his colleagues denounced the legislation as a transparent attempt by Democrats to gain advantage in elections and permanently install themselves in power.

 Joe Manchin and the Magic 50th Vote for Democrats’ Voting Rights Bill

Here's another excerpt from this NY Times article.

"Mr. [Arsehole] McConnell angered Mr. Manchin by employing the filibuster against the proposal to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the Capitol riot. Now, he is promising to use the tactic against what could become Mr. Manchin’s voting measure."

It's not over until Mitch McConnell cries.

Highway 41: End-to-end Streetview trek -- Neenah Neenah

 

We're still on Highway 41 in the Fox River Valley region of Wisconsin, but in this section the trek will go on a short side trip to explore some local hydrography.

Crossing over Winneconne Avenue

Now, leaving Highway 41 and taking Winneconne Avenue east, it becomes Commercial Street, which crosses the Fox River. This is the same Fox River that went into Lake Winnebago at Oshkosh. As noted back then, the Upper Fox River flows into the lake, and the Lower Fox River flows out of the lake (after that, it's just called the Fox River). So here's the river under Commercial Street.

Here's where the river actually flows out of the lake, at Kimberly Point. This is the Neenah Channel; it also flows out of the lake at the Menasha Channel just north. We'll skip that.

If Kimberly sounds familiar, that's because this is the home of the Kimberly-Clark corporation, which makes Scott Tissue and Kleenex, among many other paper products. Neenah is also the location of the Neenah Foundry, which makes lots of iron things, notably manhole and storm sewer covers. Right here on Byrd Avenue (about 800 meters from Highway 41), if you do a 360 around the Streetview, you can see both of them.



Now the trek heads north again.

Lighthouse of the Week, June 20-26, 2021: Îlot des Singes (Stora), Algeria

 

I cast about in my mind for a country with a coast that I had not visited before to find a Lighthouse of the Week, and came up with Algeria.  I was surprised to find out that it had several working (and scenic) lighthouses.  So I think I'll turn this into a short series.

The series starts with Îlot des Singes, on a little island and apparently part of a small castle, in the Skikda harbor region.  I'll let the Lighthouse Directory take it from here:

"1847. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); continuous light, white or green depending on direction. 9 m (30 ft) square stone tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on the platform of a former medieval fort. ... This picturesque and historic lighthouse is one of the best known tourist attractions of the Skikda area. Located on a small island just offshore on the north side of Stora; the island is connected to the mainland by an arched stone bridge."

Let's see how picturesque it is.

 

Yet another argument for better (real) gun control

 

As I have noted before, if you have a gun, it is a constant temptation to use it, especially under trying emotional circumstances.  So events that would otherwise just be emotionally difficult are turned into something worse ---

much worse ---

when emotion and anger have a gun available.

Here's the latest case of that.  While, I say "latest", but it's the latest one I've read.  Since I read it a couple of hours ago, there has very likely been another (or more than that) crime of passion resulting in a fatality that involves a gun.

The U.S. needs better gun control.  Now.

Man, 64, 'shot dead his Air Force veteran ex-wife, 48, days after she remarried because he hated her new 'hillbilly' husband'

"Civil court records show that Lauri, a medically-retired disabled veteran who served her country in the early 1990s, finalized a divorce with McCloud about three years ago. She married fellow Air Force veteran Billy Deatherage on June 13 - which was also her 48th birthday - and the couple was in the process of moving to Arkansas. 

On June 18, McCloud allegedly traveled to Lauri's home armed with a gun. He later told police that he was standing over his ex-wife while she was lying on a bed and when she reached for the phone, he shot her because he thought she was going to call 911."

How do advocates of personal gun ownership justify this?

 

OK, so now I know

 

My previous post was about the stratospheric balloon rides that will be taking off from Florida in the surprisingly near future.  In that post, I speculated on the ticket prices.

Well, now I know.  Just slightly less than a weekly pass to a DisneyWorld resort, the ride will require a mere $125K.    I guess if you've got it, you might as well spend it, right?

Tickets go on sale for giant 'spaceballoon' which will take eight people at a time to the stratosphere for $125,000 per person - starting in 2024

A thrill ride that's a bit more than what Disney offers

 

The Daily Mail had an article about a new tourism startup in Florida that is going to offer balloon rides.

Very HIGH balloon rides.

The article does not mention the ticket price.

Space tourism startup test flies its gigantic balloon 20 miles over Florida that is on track to carry explorers to the stratosphere in 2024

Congratulations to the new addition of the Woz family

 

Caroline Wozniacki has moved on from winning tennis titles to being a mother.  Congratulations to the family on their new addition.

'Family of three!' Caroline Wozniacki reveals she has given birth to a baby girl named Olivia - her first child with NBA star husband David Lee - and posts first picture with their daughter

Highway 41 crosses some bridges

Now that the Highway 41 Streetview trek has left Oshkosh, the next scenic highlights are lakes and waterways in the Fox River / Lake Winnebago system.   So let's take a look at the next set of views.

Approach to the Lake Butte des Morts bridge. Lake Butte des Morts is a relatively small lake west of Lake Winnebago, connected via the Fox River to Lake Winnebago, and also connected the bifurcated Lake Winneconne and Lake Poygan. Weirdly and confusingly, there are two Fox Rivers in this region; this is where the Upper Fox River flows into Lake Winnebago. The Lower Fox River flows out of the lake further to the north, and flows to Green Bay (an extension of Lake Michigan).

On the Lake Butte des Morts bridge. This is actually looking north on the southbound side, because the northbound Streetview was partially blocked by a couple of big trucks.

The Valley Popcorn Company (Fox Valley, that is).

This is the Neenah-Menasha area; and that's the Menasha Corporation headquarters.

Next, a closer look at the famous domicile of Neenah, Wisconsin.

Room with a view? Actually ...

 

While hotels and resorts may advertise rooms with a view (usually of something scenic), in this case, it's a view into a room.  And it's a very inviting view, courtesy of model Myriam Danna.

What an absolute ass

 

I speak in the title of this post, as one might easily surmise, of the accursed current Senate minority leader and enemy to U.S democracy, Mitch McConnell.   Why do I say this now (noting that I have said many deservedly derogatory words about Miserable Mitchy in the past)? 

This is why:

Mitch McConnell says he will BLOCK any Biden Supreme Court nomination during the 2024 election year if he becomes Senate majority leader

Mitch probably knows that this is not the way the Founding Fathers envisioned the democratic institution of the American government operating.

But he doesn't care.

"Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday if he has the Senate majority he'll block President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominees in 2024, the year of the next presidential election.

'I think it's highly unlikely - in fact, no, I don't think either party, if it were different from the president, would confirm a Supreme Court nominee in the middle of an election,' McConnell said on Hugh Hewitt's radio show."

Yet McConnell is clearly stretching the meaning of "in the middle of an election", as he did with Merrick Garland.  And he clearly didn't have a problem completing the nomination and voting on a SCOTUS judge while the last election for President was actually underway (early voting had already started).

Ass is a gentle word for what Mitch is.

 

Did you ever wonder where Anne Boleyn is buried?

 

Suddenly, for no apparent reason, I did.  Now, Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, has a very nice place of eternal repose, which Henry picked for her.  It's in Peterborough Cathedral (link goes to a video), which is about 70 miles north of London.

Mary Queen of Scots used to be there too (which you'll see in the video), but now she lies in Westminster Abbey in a very fancy tomb.

But... this isn't about them. It's about Anne Boleyn, who was the 2nd wife of Henry VIII, and known as Anne of a Thousand Days, because that's about how long she had the title of Queen.  She got enough done then, though, as she was the mother of Elizabeth I.

As you may well know, Anne was beheaded after Henry moved on, still seeking a male heir.  She was accused of things she probably didn't do, but still, the King made those decisions.  But after her execution, what happened?  Well, she was quietly and quickly interred at the Royal Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, which is not very far from the Tower of London, where the execution took place.

More about that here:  Where is Anne Boleyn buried?

This article indicates that it isn't certain Anne is under the decorative plaque that supposedly marks her grave.  At least she's close to it.

There are other notables in this chapel, foremost among them Thomas More, and also Lady Jane Grey, who was queen for a much shorter time than Anne Boleyn.   Also, Anne's marker is next to one for Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth wife, not quite as famous as Anne, and also with a shorter reign which ended the same way.

The plaques:

Here is the Royal Chapel.  In front of it is a recently-installed memorial fountain dedicated to all of those unfortunate souls who were executed at the Tower.

The memorial fountain:

 

Lighthouse of the Week, June 13-19, 2021: Butler Flats, New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA

 

I'm never sure how to find a lighthouse for Lighthouse of the Week. So this week I typed in "flat lighthouse" in the search box, and the search returned a number of lighthouses on flats (shallow shoals in the water, of course).  These tend to occur in rivers and near harbors.

So, my choice was the Butler Flats lighthouse, outside New Bedford, Massachusetts.   This is where, geographically.  It's a "sparkplug" lighthouse, on a platform projecting from the water surface.

Here's a bit of information about it:

It was established and built in 1898, and automated in 1978.  It was equipped with a 5th-order Fresnel lens, but now it has an LED light.  The tower is 53 feet high.  The lighthouse is now privately owned.

More information from New England Lighthouses:

Butler Flats Lighthouse

Butler Flats Lighthouse History

Lighthouse Friends:  Butler Flats, MA

There's also a Butler Flats Double IPA (beer).

Pictures of the lighthouse (and the beer label).

I'd like to meet these Pleiades

 

The Pleiades of myth were seven lovely sisters.  And this picture captures their mythical attractiveness quite well.

"The Pleiades were the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas and the nymph Pleione. They were in the service of goddess Artemis. They were Maia, mother of Hermes; Electra, mother of Dardanus, founder of Troy; Taygete; Alcyone; Celaeno; Sterope; and Merope. When their father was given the fate of carrying the heavens on his shoulders, Orion started pursuing the Pleiades; Zeus then transformed them into stars to help them evade him. According to other myths, the Pleiades committed suicide after learning the fate of their father, but Zeus decided to immortalise them by transforming them into stars."

Blueberry fields -- maybe not forever?

 

Climate change touches many places, and many people.

Maine’s beloved blueberry fields warming faster than rest of state, study finds

"The scientists analyzed 40 years of data and found that the state experienced a 1.1 degrees Celsius (1.98 degrees Fahrenheit) increase in average temperature, but the blueberry fields of Down East Maine experienced an increase of 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.34 degrees Fahrenheit).

That seemingly small difference is significant because rising temperatures could lead to water deficits that put the blueberries at risk, said Rafa Tasnim, a doctoral candidate in ecology and environmental science at the University of Maine and the study’s lead author. Lack of water could result in smaller crop sizes and blueberries that are less likely to survive to be harvested."

So, make more pies now!

Highway 41 goes where the aircraft fly in

 

Back on the western shore of Lake Winnebago, heading to one of the most notably known and named small metropolises in this area.

Looking toward the Experimental Aircraft Association headquarters outside Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Entrance to the EAA Aviation Museum. Streetview has many interior pictures of the museum.

View of Pioneer Airport, one of the two airports that is used for the EAA Fly-Ins.

 

Wittman Regional Airport, the other airport that participates in the Fly-Ins.

Next time, a lot more water.

Lighthouse of the Week, June 6-12, 2021: Vestre Vabeinan, Svolvaer, Norway

I noted two lighthouses ago, when I featured the Eggum lighthouse as the LoTW, in Norway's Lofoten archipelago, that I would return with an unusual one.  This is it -- the Vestre Vabeinan lighthouse, or light structure, which is topped with a statue called the Fiskerkona (one of several spellings available, apparently), which means "fishwife" or "fisherman's wife".  Basically she's waiting for her fisherman husband to come home from the sea. The statue was sculpted by Per Ung.

It's located in Svolvaer harbor, which is here.  Zoom out to get a better idea of where "here" is.

There's not a lot else about this one, despite the unusual aspect of being a statue.  So this is what we can gather from the Lighthouse Directory.

"1999. Active; focal plane 11.5 m (38 ft); green light, 1 s on, 1 s off; the structure is also floodlit. This unusual beacon consists of a sculpture by Per Ung called Fiskerkone (The Fisherman's Wife), mounted on a round pedestal with a broadly conical base. The pedestal is white and the base is red."

So, let's see some pictures.  There are many available.

Dana Milbank makes a lot of sense

 

Note:  Before I composed this post, I found out that Clueless Joe Manchin, which is what I'll refer to him now everytime I use his name, had come out in an op-ed saying he would not support the "For the People" act, which would protect some of the voting rights that are being taken away by Republicans in states across the land.  And somehow Manchin can say that Democrats are "politicizing" voting rights.  Well, it Democrats are politicizing them, then Republicans are weaponizing them.

In any case, before Clueless Joe's statement, Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank wrote a very smart column suggesting that if Republicans filibuster the "For the People" Act, then the Democrats should bring up its provisions one at a time and see if the Republicans will filibuster/vote against all of them, even the popular ones.  And now we can find out where Clueless Joe stands, too.

Will Republicans filibuster all of this?

"After the "For the People" Act fails, the Senate should bring up its popular and unobjectionable provisions, one at a time. If by some miracle Manchin succeeds in getting Republicans to support their passage, all the better. In the likely event he fails, it will be obvious to America, and hopefully to him, that Republicans have no interest in cooperation."

 Here's one of his examples.

"The bill requires states to alert each other when voters apply for a driver’s license in a new state, to avoid duplicate voter registrations. Will Republicans filibuster this?"

Yeah, that's a threat to secure elections, right?  I sure would like to see if the GOP would filibuster that;  and if Clueless Joe Manchin would support them.  And I'd like to hear his explanation, too.

 

A key to the Republican mindset -- and mindlessness

 

Disturbing article in the Washington Post a few days ago.

The really scary reason Republicans don’t want to face the truth about Jan. 6

Excerpts below:

"That was another way of saying that he [Scummy traitorous Senator McConnell] would prefer that voters not be reminded of Trump’s own culpability for inciting his supporters to smash their way into the Capitol two weeks before he was due to be evicted from the White House — and for doing little to stop a rampaging mob that Trump subsequently described as “very special” people.

The more dangerous truth is that a not-insignificant portion of the GOP’s Trumpian base actually appears to believe that the violent mob was justified in its effort to disrupt Congress as it conducted its pro forma tally of the electoral votes that made Joe Biden the 46th president.

Even more worrisome were the 15 percent overall — and, again, 28 percent of Republicans — who were of the opinion that because “things have gotten so off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.” "

I hope this doesn't surprise you.  It certainly doesn't surprise me.

 

 

The state of the state in Florida

 

Trying to keep up with everything that happens in Florida is really difficult.  Politically, at least, it's a complete farce.  The Goobernor is continuing to do things that primarily benefit him, and his political party, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's good for most of the people in the state, the state itself, or the rest of the country.

So here's what we've got now:

Florida Republicans are trampling on the wishes of locals in a rush to consolidate power

"The legislature and governor have also meddled with local control in health emergencies. Let’s be clear: Without mask mandates, shutdowns and strict social distancing policies enacted by South Florida’s local governments — defying the governor’s laissez-faire approach — the state almost certainly would have been a bigger covid casualty, and DeSantis wouldn’t have morphed into a national GOP darling. Local governments in big cities helped save Florida. So of course Republicans have now moved to make it easier to overrule local mandates such as these."

Does that make sense?  Very little does in Florida.

 

Catch of the day

 

I've seen most of the trilogy of Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and I've seen parts of Pirates of the Caribbean:  On Stranger Tides.  I never paid attention to the next one.  

Well, I accidentally happened to see the music video below, and I couldn't stop watching.  Originally and briefly, I thought the fetching blonde mermaid was played by actress Amanda Seyfried, but I didn't think she'd be just a mermaid in a movie. The blonde fishgirl, who turns out to have quite an appetite, was actually Australian model Gemma Ward, who I should have been paying more attention to, I think.  

So here's what I'm going to do.  Below is a still from the movie of Gemma, and then the video, entitled "Siren".  And soon after this, I'll do a bit more on Gemma Ward, who's now 33 and the mother of one.

You'd jump in after her too, wouldn't you?

Might not be the best idea.

Meanwhile, in other soccer news

 

Soccer news comes fast and furious these days.  After Manchester City finished up the Premier League title, and then Leicester City defeated Chelsea for the FA Cup, Manchester City and Chelsea faced each other for the UEFA Champions League championship (which sounds a little redundant).  Chelsea won that 1-0, and the USA's own Christian Pulisic came real close to making it 2-0.  Ah well.

Since then, the USA with all the stars they could finally get on the roster just barely defeated Honduras in the Nations Cup, and (hmm ... let me check ...) yes, will play Mexico in the final on Sunday, June 6.  That's unfortunate, as the USA rarely does well against the Mexicans.  Hope they have a good day.

But I did miss the news that the Brentford Bees, after numerous almost-made-its, finally qualified to get into the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Swansea City.  They are the kind of team I root for -- one that has suffered bad luck and bad results many times, which finally triumphs.  

They'll probably get trounced in the Premier League, but here's hoping they avoid relegation next season.

Brentford 2-0 Swansea: Brentford are promoted to the Premier League and return to the top flight for the first time since 1947

"[ Manager Thomas ] Frank always insisted he was not superstitious, that he saw no symbolism in Brentford's nine failed play-off attempts – an English record – or the strange curse of red-and-white that had seen sides in their colours go 32 campaigns – and 16 finals – without promotion."

Do you know what edaphon is?

 

So, that's the question.  Do you know what edaphon is?

When I encountered the word, I didn't either.  I thought it might be like edamame, but that's not from the same language. So being endowed with unending curiosity, I looked it up.  

It turns out that it's the soil equivalent of plankton. I.e., with plankton being the things that float and swim in the sea, from bacteria to diatoms to dinoflagellates and euphausiids and salps and such, 

then edaphon is the bacteria and worms and springtails, mites, nematodes, earthworms, ants, and other kinds of insects and such.

So now you know.  Would you like to see a picture?  Of course you do.  So here's a picture.  I hadn't thought of cicada nymphs as edaphon, but for 17 years while they're growing in the ground, they are.

One more from Jocelyn B. in Maxim-France

 

For more, scroll (stroll?) back in time a few days.  Or search on "Jocelyn".  There's only one here.

Lighthouse of the Week, May 30 - June 5, 2021: Cap Formentor, Mallorca, Spain

 

I've been doing this Lighthouse of the Week feature for several years now, and I strive to find new places with lighthouses before I repeat visit (but of course I've repeated many countries and locations, because some places have a lot of lighthouses and other places don't).   I was casting around mentally for a new place, and though it isn't a new country, it is a new island.  And this island has several lighthouses, so many and some centuries old, that I think I'll make it a short series.   

I'll start with the Cap Formentor, because of its outstanding location at the top of a high oceanside cliff.  It's easy to find this one on a map.

As one would expect, I went to the Lighthouse Directory for the relevant information, which is edited for length below.

"1863. Active; focal plane 210 m (689 ft); four white flashes every 20 s. 22 m (72 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and double gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white; lantern is gray metallic. This lighthouse marks the northernmost tip of Mallorca and the entrance to the Badia de Pollença; it is accessible at the end of a very crooked road about 25 km (15 mi) northeast of Port de Pollença. There is a café and gift shop at the lighthouse."

 Pictures below from near to close, and an impressive video.

Highway 41 end-to-end Streetview trek - The Bottom of the Lake lakefront

 

As promised, now the Streetview trek visits Fond du Lac's lakefront, which has a couple of mild surprises.  So let's look around.

"Mouth" of the Fond du Lac River on Lake Winnebago.

Since I do Lighthouses of the Week, here's the Fond du Lac lighthouse, on the other side of Lakeside Park. 

 

On the other side of the Fond Du Lac River mouth, there's a little marsh called Supple Marsh.

So endeth our short visit to Fond du Lac. Now, by gosh, we're headed north again.

North of Fond du Lac, a typical view of the flat part of Wisconsin (there's a lot of that).



Onward through Wisconsin (don't forget to look for my Easter eggs).

So how did West Ham United qualify for the Europa League?

 

A couple of weeks ago, I was counting out West Ham United's chances to make it into the UEFA Europa League next year.  If you don't follow soccer/football but you do follow this blog and therefore you wonder what that is, it's the second-tier club tournament in Europe (as the UEFA Champions League is the top tier). 

So I thought that in the Premier League the top four qualify for the Champions League, and the fifth-place team goes to the Europa League, and that's it. So I was right about the Champions League top-four rule, but it turns out there's an exception. If the winner of the FA Cup (and a couple of other cups) is in the top five, then the sixth-place PL team also qualifies for the Europa League. And that would have happened if either Chelsea or Leicester City made it into the Champions League (which it turns out was Chelsea, who lost on the last day, but Leicester City lost as well, to Tottenham Hotspur, so Chelsea exceeded them by a point).

So the Hammers are in the Europa League. The PL commentators, notably ex-USA goalkeeper Tim Howard, said that for them to be successful next year, they're going to have to increase team depth, because the grind of playing both PL and Europa Cup (and the other cups, FA, Carabao) can wear down a team over the full season.

So they've got their chance. Now, how do they make the most of it?

At least for next season, I'll probably follow both Crystal Palace and West Ham.

A note: last season, the Spurs got into the Europa League because Manchester City won the EFL Cup, also known as the Carabao Cup.

From Wikipedia: "Since the winners of the 2019–20 EFL Cup, Manchester City, qualified for the Champions League group stage by league position, the spot given to the EFL Cup winners (Europa League second qualifying round) was passed down to the sixth-placed team."