Knowledge is Power

In the four weeks or so I’ve been tromping around Indiana, I’ve gotten quite an education. Averaging a little over four hours a day wandering the back roads has given me time to listen to quite a few podcasts, and it’s amazing what you can pick up listening to the likes of NPR, MSNBC, Fox News, ESPN, etc. I’ve also had a lot of down time at night and have used it to do a lot of reading. I’ve found a lot of this stuff rather interesting, and since I’m running out of pithy observations as we head for the final week of the walk, I thought I’d take the lazy way out and use this blog to share some of the more interesting things I’ve learned.

EDITOR’s NOTE: This blog is not responsible for the accuracy of anything written below. Just because something is posted on the Internet, stated in a podcast, or spewed out on television doesn’t make it accurate. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean it’s not interesting. And, by the way, that editor’s note comes from me. There is no editor on this blog, but I thought that EDITOR’s NOTE in capital letters seemed sort of authoritative.

According to the website mostpopularsports.net, soccer is the most popular sport in the world. No surprise there, but based on estimated number of fans, American football ranks no higher than tenth, behind such thrilling sports as cricket and field hockey.

The African bull elephant is considered the toughest land animal in some circles. It can fight off a pride of lions, is extremely intelligent, has enormous tusks that gore attackers, and can easily smash an opponent flat. Sounds a bit like Dick Butkus in his prime.

The top speed man has run is about 25 miles per hour, the fastest dog (greyhound) can reach 40 miles per hour, racehorses have been known to gallop 50 miles per hour, and antelopes can go close to 60 miles per hour. But no creature on earth (with the possible exception of Usain Bolt) can match the cheetah’s 70-mile per hour capabilities.

The average IQ in the United States is 98. According to the website rlynn.co.uk/pages/article_intelligence/t4.asp, there are at least 17 countries with highers average IQ’s than ours. Either that website is wrong, or we’re in trouble. I fear it’s the latter; how else to explain a country in which Sarah Palin is anything other than a punch line or a cartoon character?

According to the website foodbycountry.com, New Englanders consume more ice cream than any other region in the country. I don’t know why I find that interesting, but I do.

I rarely recommend authors, but I will make an exception in the case of Lee Child. Child has written a series of novels centered around a drifter named Jack Reacher, and they’re terrific.  I may be biased here, because I suspect I’d be a drifter had I not been able to con the Pacers into keeping me employed all these years.

After spending significant time listening to MSNBC podcasts, I’ve concluded that George W. Bush may be the only US President with degrees from both Harvard and Yale, but he is a borderline imbecile (I’m starting to suspect that MSNBC has a liberal agenda).

After sampling various Fox News podcasts, I’ve concluded that that President Obama is a terrorist (I’m starting to suspect Fox News has a conservative agenda).

Speaking of which, I submit that it might be a good idea for Keith Olbermann, Glen Beck, and Sean Hannity to join the rest of us on Planet Earth.

As of September 12^th, the oldest verified living person ever was Jeanne Calment, who lived in France and passed away in 1997 at the age of 122 years, 164 days. If Brett Favre makes it to the end of the season in Minnesota, he will replace Ms. Calment in this category.

The best radio sports talk program in America belongs to Dan LeBatard on 790 The Ticket out of Miami. No documentation here, just personal opinion.

The best sports columnist in America is Jason Whitlock, the former All State offensive tackle from Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, who now writes for  FOX Sports. No documentation here, either, just more personal opinion.

Off topic, but worth mentioning, I’m still posting pictures on my Facebook page (Mark Joseph Boyle), but the volume is down. To be perfectly candid, I’ve never really been into photos, but one of the behind the scenes types on this project was adamant that I supplement this blog with pictures. I felt that those reading this blog were adults, and that the written word would be enough, while he apparently thinks that all of you have the intellect and attention span of six year olds and required photographic supplementation to hold your interest. I have no idea which viewpoint is accurate, but I do know that you should count on very few pictures the rest of the way, unless I see a) Jesus rising from the dead, b) Michael Jordan hitchhiking on US 231, or c) The Pope conducting mass somewhere between here and Lebanon.

Tuesday’s Journey: Raccoon to Crawfordsville

Distance: 15.2 miles (Arian Foster would have to play 115.8 games against the Colts to rush for 15.2 miles)

On the iPhone: Nothing. Who would listen to music when they could converse with Kevin Lee? Kevin will walk with me Tuesday, and while I’m looking forward to that, I am not unaware that he’s been plotting to move into the play-by-play role on Pacer broadcasts for a number of years. I will be watching my back while we chat.