"Anyone can be a fool,
"And do things which are wrong,
"But fools find out when it's too late
"That they don't live so long."

-- Jiminy Cricket

Man, this is funny -- pseudoscience refuted with non-science!

"...the development that should cause all Bible-believing Christians to take notice and be concerned is the construction of his (Erich von Däniken) 'Mysteries of the World' theme park, set amongst the beautiful Alps in Interlaken, Switzerland...

"This worrisome transformation of 'fantasy into fact' has occurred while we blindly assumed these 'way out' ideas would fade away. I ask you to take action. There are all sorts of steps we can take to be informed and make a stand. But one of the most exciting is a unique project taking place in the USA. Although I live in Australia and conduct much of my UFO research there, I enthusiastically endorse the work of my Christian brothers and sisters in the USA who have a vision to build a unique Creation Museum (within a one-day drive of two-thirds of the US population) that will challenge popular errors and shout the truth about God’s history of the world... The museum will even address UFOs and aliens, countering errant ET beliefs."

SAN PASQUAL VALLEY – A series of mechanical failures trapped more than 400 people on the San Diego Wild Animal Park's monorail for several hours last week.

With nighttime temperatures in the 40s and stiff winds blowing, it was what Kristina Dei described as an "ugly situation" for those involved. Dei, who lives in Scripps Ranch, said she doesn't plan to go back to the park despite receiving a year's membership from someone as a gift.

"I got hypothermia and my kids have bronchitis," she said.

Can you even GET hypothermia from temperatures in the 40s?

Still, last week's mishap is seen as a symptom of what's wrong with the monorail, an iconic symbol of the park since it opened in 1972. Park officials plan to begin dismantling the monorail in a few months...

Built for $2.7 million by New Jersey-based Westinghouse Air Brake Co., the Wgasa Bush Line Railway has been the park's main attraction since its inception. The hour-long, five-mile tour winds through much of the 1,800-acre park, showcasing thousands of animals from Africa and Asia.

I'll be sad to see it go. There's a little story behind the name of this train -- "Wgasa" isn't a real Swahili word. They named everything else in the park, but couldn't think up a name for the monorail, so someone said, "Who Gives A Shit, Anyway?"

Must be true, Snopes says so!

Walt Disney World designed Epcot's Mission: Space ride to rocket tourists on a fake journey to Mars. During the stomach-churning attraction's first eight months, though, it sent more people on a real trip to the emergency room than any other ride in Orlando.

That dubious distinction now appears on the wane.

After six people were hospitalized for more than a day from the August 2003 "soft opening" to March, only one person was sent for an extended stay in the six months that followed, according to state ride safety data.

State ride safety officials said there has been no change in the way Disney, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando report accidents to the state. The major parks are exempt from state ride safety regulations. Since 2001, they have voluntarily reported injuries that result in a hospital stay of more than 24 hours.

Mission: Space could still be sending people to the hospital, albeit for shorter stays.

More here. (If you don't want to register with the Orlando Sentinel, log on as "dannysland" and use the password "goldenticket".)

Imagineering is always looking for innovative new ride vehicles, but this goes a little too far...



(Via http://xo.typepad.com)

From the Sun-Sentinel:

A federal investigation of illegal gun sales led to the arrest Wednesday of a Walt Disney World security guard in a murder-for-hire plot.

Parl Dicks, the Disney employee, admitted late Wednesday that he sought to have his wife's ex-husband killed for $4,000 to settle a child-custody dispute, Ivey said.

The arrest was made at Disney's Fort Wilderness campground by members of FDLE; the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, with the assistance of Disney security.