Subj : peeves was: Eagle Cam To : Nancy Backus From : Barry Martin Date : Sun Jan 12 2020 17:14:00 Hi Nancy! BM>> Yes - don't recall how the pedestrian portion is integrated into the BM>> new bridge but was a major factor in the design, meaning the pedestrian BM>> had to be somehow part of the bridge. NB>> When you travel the new bridge, you might be able to see how they NB>> did it... unless it's at a different level somehow from the NB>> vehicular traffic.... ;) BM> Nope (!) though a physical barrier. According to BM> https://qctimes.com/news/local/story-bettendorf-elevator-will-take-pede BM> strians-to-new-i-/article_ab903f0e-0a9a-11e9-9745-9bf9d4d7a0b9.html BM> The recreational trail - to be separated by vehicular traffic on the BM> bridge by a six-foot-high concrete and steel barrier, and BM> 12-foot-wide shoulder off the main lanes - will reflect the downward BM> slope of the vehicle off-ramps, down to ground level on both ends of BM> the bridge, she said. NB> Guess you won't be able to view it still... :) But they do seem NB> to have put quite a lot of planning into it all.. :) Yes on the planning. There was a lot of public meetings for ideas for the bridge design: overall appearance as well as the 'little' details like the inclusion of a pathway to connect the Iowa and Illinois trails and bikeways. BM> There will be an 8-story elevator to take people from the trails under BM> the bridge to the bridge trail. NB> And that is fancy.... but probably a safer alternative to other NB> ways that it might have been done.... ;) Like ladders? BM> ...Hopefully KONE created the elevator: they have offices and a test BM> site on the Illinois side. They even had to move because their BM> original offices and test building was in the path of the new bridge. NB> Maybe being part of the project was part of the deal... ;) Possibly; I didn't hear anything but.... BM>>>> And it seems though a modern traffic project the underplanning BM>>>> mentioned previously for the interstate system did occur: for the 53rd BM>>>> St. shopping district the original four lanes had to be increased. BM>>>> The original access to I-74 made sense but with additional traffic BM>>>> caused traffic backups. NB>>>> Such a surprise... ;) But sometimes it is a little difficult to NB>>>> extrapolate sufficiently.... BM>>> Right. I don't think the overall area was planned to be so big: know BM>>> one housing development was a comfortable distance away from the BM>>> original stores to allow for business area expansion but now they're BM>>> surrounded. NB>>> Sounds pretty typical... :) BM>> Yes. It's probably one of those overall design issues where if plan BM>> for the way it turned out it would not have turned out that way. I BM>> don't think it was underplanned. Do the best with what happened. NB>> Some things just don't work out exactly as thought out... always NB>> something not considered, or totally off the horizon until much NB>> later.... :) BM> Right. Guessing from glances of construction landscaping I would BM> guess a little of underplanning and some preplanning. Thinking of one BM> an exit from I-74 to 53rd St (major street of the new shopping/medical BM> development) additional turn lanes were needed but there was plenty of BM> available space. OTOH quite a few blocks away a widening of 53rd St BM> was required and the space between the street and the parking lot below BM> is crowded: tall retaining wall where a grassy slope was. NB> So the one expansion was pretty obviously planned for... but the NB> other, maybe they were just hoping not to have to do it, given NB> the space there at the time.... when it became necessary it was a NB> bigger deal... :) Possibly. Or an earlier attempt to save some money by only constructing half a cloverleaf sort of backfired. The good news is the current higher-volume traffic flows smoothly and is not confusing due to being patched from the original. ...Actually makes more sense as they eliminated a left-hand turn to exit onto the interstate. NB>>> Might be variable with the specific end product... never paid that NB>>> much attention to brewing... or to making wine or spirits, for that NB>>> matter... BM>> Apparently profitable as a lot have popped up over the years, and BM>> continue. ...At the store we has sold an at-home beer brewing kit BM>> during Christmas. Basically a big plastic jug, about the size one BM>> finds on a bottled water dispenser, and soup-can sized containers of BM>> probably a starter 'sludge'. (Hmm: sounds like an overgrown yogurt BM>> maker!) Were popular as always sold out. NB>> Maybe not so much profitable as self-fulfilling... satisfies the NB>> creative urge... and the by-product could be of some profit as well, NB>> if one is making a decent product that others also enjoy... :) BM> A home brewing hobby expanded. And must be somewhat profitable as BM> quite a few microbreweries in the area, some as bars and some as bed BM> and breakfasts. NB> Or at least there are a number of people that decided to give it NB> a try... It is, to be sure, a fashionable thing at the moment... NB> ;) And we may have to put it to the test some time. Right now not a "yeah - let's go!". ...Another 15-20 years might be looking for a Bed & Breakfast & Booze & Bingo! BM>>>> Waiting to be added to the couple minute interview years and years BM>>>> ago when I was booking a flight to visit my parents. NB>>>> Oh, in that case, you've already had your time in the sun... BM>>> So nothing to look forward to? NB>>> Dunno... I guess some people do get more than just one chance... ;) BM>> Not sure if that's helpful or not: I've been on TV twice. NB>> Ah... experience.... Maybe that will help your chances... ;) BM> Then I'll have to join the Screen Actors Guild! ...Follow in the BM> steps of Ronald Reagan? He was on-air at WOC-AM here. NB> Was that before he became an actor....? :) Yes. From https://www.thoughtco.com/ronald-reagans-radio-career-2843361 Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. President was many things, including a radio broadcaster. More specifically, he was a sportscaster for several stations between 1932 and 1937 including WOC-AM and WHO-AM. You may not have heard the details, so here are some highlights: WOC AM 1420 in Davenport was the first commercial radio station west of the Mississippi River and [in 1932] [BJM: at age 21] first to hire Ronald Reagan. WOC, needed an announcer to broadcast University of Iowa games. Reagan's first assignment was the University of Iowa's homecoming game against Minnesota. After WOC consolidated with WHO in Des Moines, WHO, an NBC affiliate gave Reagan national media exposure. [BJM: not quite sure on the 'consolidated' as WHO and WOC were both owned by the Palmer family until about 20 years ago.] "Dutch" (a childhood nickname because of his "Dutch boy" haircut) gained national media exposure recreating Chicago Cubs baseball games from the studio. One of his responsibilities was to give accounts of Chicago Cubs baseball games via telegraph. During one game between the Cubs and their arch-rivals the St. Louis Cardinals that were tied 0-0 in the 9th inning, the telegraph went dead: An often-repeated tale of Reagan's radio days recounts how he delivered "play-by-play broadcasts" of Chicago Cubs baseball games he had never seen. His flawless recitations were based solely on telegraph accounts of games in progress. Once in 1934, during the ninth inning of a Cubs - St. Louis Cardinals game, the wire went dead. Reagan smoothly improvised a fictional play- by-play (in which hitters on both teams gained a superhuman ability to foul off pitches) until the wire was restored. Reagan said: "There were several other stations broadcasting that game and I knew I'd lose my audience if I told them we'd lost our telegraph connections so I took a chance. I had (Billy) Jurges hit another foul. Then I had him foul one that only missed being a home run by a foot. I had him foul one back in the stands and took up some time describing the two lads that got in a fight over the ball. I kept on having him foul balls until I was setting a record for a ballplayer hitting successive foul balls and I was getting more than a little scared. Just then my operator started typing. When he passed me the paper I started to giggle - it said: `Jurges popped out on the first ball pitched.'" [BJM: I've directly heard locals telling this account so appears true.] Did you know that less than six months after President Ronald Reagan left the office he attended an All-Star Game and did some more broadcasting? His political career started through the presidency of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He gained political stature through radio broadcasts and speaking tours sponsored by the General Electric company. BM>>> There's a commercial for a local retirement/light nursing care BM>>> facility; the usual 'happy shots' of the residents playfully BM>>> exercising, small hobby meetings, etc., etc. One shot of an older BM>>> couple: (he) "I like because" statement. (she) "No, it's because of BM>>> the shopping trips!" (he, annoyed) "Have it your way!" (off-camera BM>>> laughter). Not sure if this is a goof/outtake they decided to use but BM>>> it is rather good. :) NB>>> Might well have been scripted that way... ;) BM>> Possibly. More memorable because appears to be a spur-of-the-moment BM>> comment. NB>> And makes them seem more like a real couple that live there rather NB>> than just actors brought in for the commercial.... ;) BM> I'm thinking they are actual residents. Of course, the actors would BM> want to make the viewer think so! NB> They probably are actual residents... but still could have been NB> slightly scripted to make sure that viewers would see them that NB> way... :) More than possible. NB>> ... Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it NB>> himself. BM> Snap those fingers and the job is magically done! NB> Or at least he expects that to be the case.... ... ...So much for magical powers! ¯ ® ¯ Barry_Martin_3@ ® ¯ @Q.COM ® ¯ ® .... "I'm tired of working in a dynamite factory!" Tom exploded. --- MultiMail/Win32 v0.47 þ wcECHO 4.2 ÷ ILink: The Safe BBS þ Bettendorf, IA --- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462 * Origin: ILink: CFBBS | cfbbs.no-ip.com | 856-933-7096 (454:1/1) .