cfc

^It doesn't give them "closure." It gives them money. "Closure" comes with time (if at all).

^It does have sort of a mid-1970s "Godzilla" look to it. But the ride looks like fun.

Agreed re. the cycles, but I did like how they tricked it up with new effects and scenery when they switched to the soapbox racers. Sigh! Riding Steeplechase at BPB (my favorite coaster there) made me miss the Motorcycle Chase even more. Now floorless soapbox cars--that would've been exciting!

^^I admit that I count KBF's old Motorcycle Chase and Wacky Soapbox Racers as two credits, even though they follow the same track layout. I think switching from the "motorcycles" to log-like "soapbox cars" gave the ride a completely different feel. I doubt that I'd do the same for Sheikra, though--I don't think the floorless trains will do much to change the "feel" of that awesome ride.

Hey, give my homepark a break, here!

Double Deckers rule! I'd like to think that Camelot didn't ship all that track to the UK just to let it rust away in a field. Looked like it was a fun ride in Japan.

Congratulations! You can now be tried as an adult. Uh oh! Happy Birthday, Jahan!

I'm afraid to guess what. Let's hope it's nothing that penicillin can't handle.

^^I was thinking of the wooden mouse at BPB, but that spinning mouse over on the pier is pretty high up (that was the scariest part of that ride).

^^Looks like you'll have to surf for lesbian porn elsewhere, Barry. Just let your "fingers do the walking" across your keyboard.

You might want to try working your way up--BTM was a good place to start. An enclosed coaster, such as Space Mountain ad DL or MK, might be a good fit, as you won't have a sense of being up very high. Having a good time is what really counts--what ever floats your boat. I used to be scared of coasters myself, until I rode the old Wild Mouse at Santa Cruz in California; after that, I wasn't afraid of any other coaster. (The Wild Mouse at Blackpool is very much like it.)

From the BPB Web site: Best tagline ever! The name "Infusion" is starting to grow on me a bit, but with all those water effects, why not "Expectoration" or "Ejaculation"?

If you liked Big Thunder, I think you'd like Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom. It's taller and faster (as far as I can tell), but not much more intense than Big Thunder. Disney and Universal are, of course, loaded with rides for those who don't like coasters, and you can find plenty to do at Alton (Duel and Hex come to mind).

^You love beer? Who knew?

You have thoroughly depressed me, Elissa. I shall now go and sulk in a corner, sob myself to sleep, and at least thank god that I'm not a member of ACE. I will no doubt remain in this funk for some time--at least until BGE opens for the season in March.

One of my favorites is that if they ever drain the sub lagoon at Disneyland, the Matterhorn, Innoventions, or both would collapse due to an enormous sinkhole! Yeah, right.

^I think that I was so relieved that the lapbar hadn't cut me in two that I gave the rest of the ride a bit more slack. One of these things was enough for me.

Those are pretty cool. Joe--but the character in the seventh picture from the top is Yogi Bear, not Scooby Doo, you whippersnapper! Yeah, I'm old. Chuck

^True--the restraints were quite painful when I was hanging from the top of that lifthill. The rest of the ride, to me, wasn't particularly rough but just not very interesting. It would've been better without the curved-lifthill gimmick.

^^I prefer to sneak in through the Anaheim sewers. You know, past the vault where Uncle Walt himself is kept on ice, waiting for that cancer cure.

This site actually has a "Manual Flush Toilet Guide." For some reason, this just cracked me up. Yes, if auto-flush toilets scare you or your children, Mouse Planet can guide you to those bathrooms where you still have to dispose of your waste the old-fashioned way. There don't appear to be too many manual-flush toilets at DL anymore. Better line up at City Hall and start complaining now!

The museums of the Smithsonian are amazing--and admission is free. Does your tour include the new Air and Space Museum out by Dulles?

I'd say those are pretty good pics for zipping by on a train, Jeff--thanks. I've been driving down Rt. 60 to check out Busch's progress myself, but I never have my camera with me. You can get a pretty good view of Griffon as you cruise past the France parking lot.

Which is, in a sense, wearing another type of "uniform." There's a great line in an old Firesign Theatre sketch--"High School Madness." Porgy asks his friend Mudhead what he plans to do after graduation: "Find a bunch of guys who dress alike and follow 'em around!"

That really seems to be a bit much--more than you can prove in what should be a brief op-ed piece for a newspaper. You're obviously passionate about the subject, and your self-criticism is on the mark--the piece, as it stands, is rambling and repetitive. Casually flinging around loaded terms such as "socialism" and "communism" isn't helping you much, either. This sentence rates a "huh?" To which "Disney movie" are you referring? Aladdin? Beauty and the Beast? Condorman? In short, tighten, tighten, tighten. You need a clearer focus--perhaps how schools should promote individuality, rather than suppress it. And jettison the loaded rhetoric (such as references to promoting communism).