Undangerous Prediction doesn't work for Woz

I tried to help Caroline Wozniacki this year with an Undangerous Prediction that she would make the semifinals in at least one Grand Slam tournament this year.

With her loss in the second round at the U.S. Open (and she had four match points to boot), she didn't make this Undangerous Prediction come true.  Better luck next year, Caro.  I think that you've still got a Grand Slam title in your future.   It would help if Serena Williams reaches the end of her career soon.

Meanwhile, back at the U.S. Open, I am hoping that Simona Halep plays another match of her life in the finals -- against Serena.  She did this once before when she walloped Serena 6-0, 6-2 in the group round of the WTA last year -- and only a couple of weeks ago went to 7-6 (i.e. in a tiebreaker) in the second set of the Western and Southern Open.  So at times Halep is capable of giving Serena trouble.  If Halep makes the finals against Serena, that would be a great time to give her a LOAD of trouble.

Equal population states?

I found out about the map at the link below from this Washington Post article:

How so many of the world's people live in so little of its space

The map of interest, totally speculative, was a map in which each of the 50 states has the same population.   I wish I could see a closeup of the East Coast;  I can't figure out where Washington, Baltimore, and the Washington/Baltimore suburban areas shake out.   The names of the states are pretty cool. (But from whence deriveth "Firelands"?  It says historical/ecological regions.)

Electoral college reform (fifty states with equal population)

Sequel to a legend

Found out there's going to be a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, coming out in December.  I checked out IMdB's page on it:

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The Green Legend

Interesting casting tidbits here:  Michelle Yeoh returns in the same role she played in the first movie.  And Jason Scott Lee, who acted as both Bruce Lee and Mowgli, and who for awhile was living a somewhat hermetic life on the Big Island of Hawaii, is also in it.

MK magic

I realized the other day that three of the world's current most outstanding beauties (Caucasian category) all have the initials "MK".

That would be:

- Michelle Keegan

- Miranda Kerr

- Minka Kelly  (see here for more on her recently)

So I contemplated other "MKs" that might support this particular set of initials as being particularly noteworthy.  Now, I also realized that this particular exercise could be done with just about any set of initials, but because the aforementioned trio are three of my favorites, I'm going with MK.

Here's some others:


Mollie King
Most famous for being a member of the group The Saturdays.   And a looker.

www.mollieking.com

Mila Kunis

Actress, hottie, married to Ashton Kutcher, they had a child together recently.

Maria Kirilenko (https://twitter.com/mkirilenko)
Pretty good tennis player, was Alex Ovechkin's girlfriend, but they broke up, she got married, just had a baby.  Also in Sports Illustrated as an athlete in a swimsuit.

Mia Kirshner

Canadian actress:  L Word, Vampire Diaries, 24, Defiance

Megyn Kelly

Fox News anchorwoman.  I don't agree with her politics and certainly not those of her network, but she is pretty.

Addendum: I checked to see if there were any Playboy Playmates with the initials "MK". My assessment didn't find any. There were two high quality ones with the initials "KM" -- Kym Malin and Kelly Monaco. Also, some fine MJs: Marketa Janska, Mardi Jacquet, Marlene Janssen;  and a few MLs, like Marilyn Lange, Monica Leigh, and Mei-Ling Lam.

And there were several with the initials MC, which made me wonder what the most common (ha) set of Playmate initials is.  That's a bit of research I'll have to save for later.

But no MKs.  Strange.

Deal set for new UK nuke plant

According to Nuclear Power Daily, the French nuclear energy company EDF is set for a $25 billion dollar deal to build a new nuclear power station in the UK.

That's a good chunk of money.  But it is essentially a long-term investment, and an important one, as the world moves toward a low-carbon, then a no-carbon, energy generating future.


EDF deal for new UK nuclear plant to be signed in October: press

"Britain's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has reached an agreement with EDF to develop the Hinkley nuclear power plant in southwest England, and politicians are set to approve the deal when parliament reconvenes in September, according to The Guardian."

China is going to have about a 40% stake in the plant, and it's set to generate about 7% of Britain's total electricity requirements (which is impressive).

OK, now just get into the semis

Caroline Wozniacki looks great in her new fashion/glamor shoot, and yes, she and her fellow women tennis players do deserve to play on the big courts more often.

Now, Caro, just get into the semi-finals at this year's U.S. Open so I can get another Undangerous Prediction right!


Tennis pro Caroline Wozniacki details her fight against sexism in sport - and her battle to beat her friend and fiercest rival Serena Williams - as she stars in stunning shoot

New scenery to me

I literally just found out this place existed yesterday.  Spectacular geology.  This is the "Schrammsteine" in the Elbe Mountains of Germany.

Spectacular in winter, too.