h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Watching Mysteries at the Museum...

Museum, The Cabildo in New Orleans, been there.

What do you choose to discuss? Voodoo and Mardi Gras with video of Katrina.

But, the main attraction is the gold coins washed ashore during Katrina. Pirate gold.

If you have no idea what I'm on about, look up Jean Lafite and Barataria Bay. .

There's a national historical park dedicated to Jean Lafitte. The headquarters for the park are in New Orleans, but there are sites in Chalmette, Marrero, Lafayette, Eunice, and Thibodaux. Not that I've been to any of them. It seems as though the Lafittes were deemed rather significant.

The guy that does 'Destination Truth' went to Barataria to search for the main hideout of Jean Lafite. They found some significant relics, coins, weapons and such.

Lafite was quite popular in New Orleans, mostly for his untaxed trading. Which made him a hero to people and a criminal to the government.

There is a place named Lafite's Landing. Also a Whiskey Bay.

Reminds me of the Cap'n Crunch character 'Jean La Foot'. Most kids in my class were fond of the crunch berry beast. I liked the pirate ship stories on the Saturday commercials, back when they were stories. The same production company did Bullwinkle and the early Quisp and similar cereal commercials.

And, in that same time frame, I hated the 'Laff a lympics'. In fact, Mike and I had a conversation that went:

Mike: Hey the laff a lympics is on, (thirty year old re runs and we are adults)

Me: I'll be in the other room.

Mike: You'll miss it.

Me: I hope so.

Mike: You watched the Olympics.

Me: Those aren't fixed.

They may not be fixed, but they sometimes come close enough to scandal to be broken.

The earliest olympics I remember watching at length was when Nadia Comaneci was competing, 1976. 1980, again we watched gymnastics. Kurt Thomas, or was he in the next round of olympics?

Scott Hamilton was the reason we began watching the ice skating. Yes, the backflips on skates. And, he did not use the 'conventional' music.

I remember the olympics where swimming almost eclipsed the gymnastics. I think that was 1984.

After the Harding/Kerrigan nonsense. We sorta quit watching. Because of the stunning lack of sportsmanship in those two, yes both of them. Harding for the attack and lack of class all the way around. Kerrigan for the snide comments about Oksana Baiul. Not to mention her comments about Disney while participating in the parade Disney was paying her to attend.

A lot of sports have serious ups and downs.

Steroid use among baseball players and Tour de France Cyclists. Brain trauma among Football players. We've even had Boston Marathon runners who tried to cheat by riding the trolleys part way .

Ice hockey has so much scrapping that Woody Allen once quipped that he attended a fight, and a hockey game broke out.

One of the basketball games that I attended had some serious fouls that had to be penalized.

Saying 'I can't believe I'm doing something so cheesey while she was still on the Disney float in the parade that she was paid in endorsements for, is really low class. Or, as my friend, Robert said 'That mouse is her boss. Don't mock the mouse that pays you.'.

Baton Rouge had a hockey team (the Kingfish) for exactly two years. We attended most of the home games. The half time entertainment was 'weiner dog races' . People would bring their pets and the pets were put on the ice for about ten minutes.

The Soccer team (the bombers) only played one season.

I liked neither Harding nor Kerrigan. I know that the ice skating competitions are popular with Olympic viewers, but I'd rather watch the swimmers.

After that, we quit watching the skating. Scott Hamilton retired. I did see the return of Ekaterina Gordeeva. And that's about it.

Michael Phelps is one I like. I'll never be able to swim as fast as he does, but I like him as a role model for young people.

All kids need to know how to swim. Too many still drown.

I agree with you, but I don't swim. My parents didn't feel it was necessary. My older siblings swam. I didn't grow up in that neighborhood and no pool near where I grew up.

I think that you have sense enough not to get in over your head.

I have gone sailing, life jackets are required. I have been on the riverboats even when they sailed, lifejackets not required. We went to Gulf Shores and even waded in the water. It was spring break 1988 and a lot colder than we expected.