Random Trivia

And now it's time for some useless, but interesting trivia...



Pisa, Italy is six miles from the coast of the Mediterranean now, but that sea rises and falls over the ages and Pisa was a port city in the 5th century B.C. A couple of years ago excavators found 15 ships with antique cargoes intact buried in the clay under Pisa where it was left by withdrawing waters.

• The most populated city in the world is Shangai in China.

• In Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, it is customary for the streets to be blocked off on Christmas eve so that the people can rollerskate to church.

• Using satellite-surveying techniques, scientists have determined that Los Angeles, California is moving east. At a rate estimated to be about one-fifth on an inch per year, the city is moving closer to the San Gabriel Mountains.

• The Vatican city, as well as being the smallest city in the world, is also one of the only countries within another country (it is inside Italy) The other is San Marino, also inside Italy.

• A building in Belgium was taxed if there was a street light on it...unless a statue of the Virgin Mary were placed above it. Hence, there are no buildings in the city without a statue of the Virgin Mary.

• The longest official city name in the world is: Krungthep Mahanakhon Amorn Rattanakosin Mahintara Yudthaya Mahadilok Pohp Noparat Rajathanee Bureerom Udomrajniwes Mahasatarn Amorn Pimarn Avaltarnsatit Sakatattiya Visanukram Prasit. It is the official name of Bangkok, Thailand.

• In Chester, England, you can only legally shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow inside the city walls and after midnight. The only trouble is finding one ;o)

• The first city in modern history to reach 1 million people was London in 1811.

• We usually think of Montreal, Canada as a cold weather city, and Paris, France as a much warmer city than Montreal, but the fact is that Montreal is south of Paris.

Superbowl Shuffle

The Bears are going to the Superbowl! I didn't think they would get there because of how inconsistent they have been lately. But they stepped up in the second half and pulled through. As soon as they won today, I was instantly taken back to my childhood when they went to the superbowl in 1986. And of course the superbowl shuffle popped into my head also. Here's some fun trivia I found out on the shuffle.


Bears defensive end Dan Hampton declined involvement in the shuffle because he felt it was too cocky

Payton and McMahon were unable to attend the original filming of the song's music video, so they were spliced in later with help of a chroma key.

The music video for the song was filmed at the Park West, a venue in Lincoln Park, in Chicago.

A female referee, played by Julia Kallish, Richard E. Meyer's wife, was also on hand for the radio and television edit of the song. She whistled and threw a penalty flag to censor the word "ass" in the lyrics.

I've been accepted into The WPJA!

Wow. The new year has been very busy so far! Work is busy and planning out some of the last minute details of our wedding continues to suck up a lot of time. This past week I learned that I was officially accepted into the WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association). I'm really excited about being accepted. Here's some additional information on what the organization stands for.

THE WEDDING PHOTOJOURNALIST ASSOCIATION
Leading the way in Wedding Photojournalism, WPJA represents the most discriminating talent around the world technically, creatively and visually. Qualified members hold industry-leading standards, skills and business integrity. The WPJA sponsors educational programs including seminars, conventions and workshops geared toward wedding photojournalism. We also host wedding photojournalism contests, judged by top working photojournalists and news photo editors actively in the photojournalism industry. The purpose of these contests is to celebrate the photographers who document and record the found moment.

WPJA MISSION STATEMENT
The Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA), an International, membership-based organization, represents professional photographers skilled in the documentation of weddings and events in a candid, unobtrusive style. The WPJA was founded to uphold excellence in the area of wedding photojournalism.

Happy New Year!

Carolyn and I had a great time celebrating new years. We drove down to visit some friends in Indianapolis along with a bunch of other folks from Chicago. When we got back today, I noticed there wasn't a cloud in the sky, so I thought it was a a perfect time to go out for soms sunset pictures. Plus, it was in the high 40's, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Here's a couple of the pictures I took which I will upload to my new website. They will all be available for purchase in multiple sizes. If you haven't already seen the new website, make sure to check it out. Click on the link on the homepage which says Chicago prints.

Steve.