'Jetman' Yves Rossy takes wing over Grand Canyon--at 190 mph

Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/26765/jetman%20yves%20rossy%20takes%20wing%20over%20grand%20canyon--at%20190%20mph/

Yves "Jetman" Rossy has experienced a Grand Canyon tour as only someone who calls himself Jetman can: with a rocket-powered winged suit fastened to his back -- at speeds up to 190 mph.

The Swiss adventurer, who had already flown his "jet wing" over the Alps and across the English Channel, had intended to make his Grand Canyon thrill ride -- his first-ever U.S. flight -- Friday before a large media gathering. He postponed that excursion, though, because of delays in obtaining permission from the FAA.

Rossy explained to the Swissinfo news site that after the FAA gave its approval Friday, it was too late because he had not had time to practice and had become nervous in front of the large crowd. "This is a very challenging place," he said. "Big air currents, steep walls. Without training I don't want to take the risk of presenting something unprofessional."

Instead he made the eight-minute flight Saturday, after the FAA had granted him permission, before a small number of witnesses and his support team, which recorded the video and revealed the details Tuesday.

Rossy, an airline pilot who in 2004 became the first person to fly a jet-powered wing, launched from a helicopter 8,000 feet above the canyon floor and soared like Superman amid the canyon splendor. After the flight he deployed his parachute and floated like a giant black-and-yellow moth to sweet earth.

"My first flight in the U.S. is sure to be one of the most memorable experiences in my life," he said in a news release. "Not only for the sheer beauty of the Grand Canyon but the honor to fly in sacred Native American lands. Thank you Mother Nature and the Hualapai Tribe for making my lifelong dreams come true."

The Hualapai tribe, which occupies the Grand Canyon West region in northern Arizona, agreed to allow the daredevil mission from its reservation west of Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona.

The Grand Canyon Goes Egyptian

"Is there, within the Grand Canyon, an enigmatic system of tunnels that is evidence of an ancient Egyptian voyage to America? Is it all bogus? Or is the truth most likely somewhere in between?

On April 5, 1909, a front page story in the Arizona Gazette reported on an archaeological expedition in the heart of the Grand Canyon funded by the Smithsonian Institute, which had resulted in the discovery of Egyptian artefacts. April 5 is close to April 1 – but then not quite… so perhaps the story could be true?

Nothing since has been heard of this discovery. Today, over five million tourists visit the Grand Canyon each year. You would thus expect that if anything was hidden in the canyons, it would thus since long have been uncovered. However, most tourists only spend around 3 hours of time at the canyon, usually visiting the legendary South Rim view around mile 89, where most of the best and oldest tourist facilities are located. Furthermore, some have said that the entire discovery has since become the centre of a major cover-up, apparently in an effort to maintain the old status quo, which is that the ancient Egyptians never ventured outside of the tranquil waters of the river Nile."

Canyonitis: Seeing evidence of ancient Egypt in the Grand Canyon
Philip Coppens
http://www.philipcoppens.com/egyptiancanyon.html

Uranium Mining just outside the Grand Canyon

When the Bush administration was pushing for uranium mining just outside the Grand Canyon, far sighted folks in Congress moved quickly to protect the land - placing one million acres around the canyon off limits.

Uranium mining would severely jeopardize the ecology of the canyon. Between the blasting to build the mine and the toxic waste being dumped into the waterways, it would wreck one of the earth's greatest environmental treasures.

What's shocking is that Sec. of the Interior Ken Salazar is allowing the Bureau of Land Management to move forward with Bush-era plans to mine just outside the canyon.

Take a minute right now, and tell Sec. Salazar to put the breaks on this plan:

http://www.environmental-action.org/no-mining-near-grand-canyon? id4=ES

In this new Administration based on hope and change, and where the President has pledge to be a friend to the environment, we're shocked to see the new Sec. of the Interior clinging to the ways of the past.

We believe with a loud enough voice, we can help stop this plan, so please send Salazar a message today asking him to halt this move and keep the Grand Canyon pristine:

http://www.environmental-action.org/no-mining-near-grand-canyon? id4=ES

Then help out further by passing this message along to your friends and family - and thanks for your work!

Sincerely,

Dan Stafford
Environmental Action Organizer
DanS@environmental-action.org
http://www.environmental-action.org

7 Wonders of Nature

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hAQ2Fuh7cF1b-B-1bom23X4KGMNAD95I09RG0

Grand Canyon, Loch Ness compete as nature wonders
By ELIANE ENGELER
1-6-9

GENEVA (AP) — The Grand Canyon, Mount Everest and Loch Ness will vie with more than 200 other spectacular places in the next phase of the global competition for the New 7 Wonders of Nature, organizers said Wednesday. The 261 nominees from 222 countries include some of the most famous mountain peaks, lakes, and other attractions, such as the Great Barrier Reef and Niagara Falls.

Over a billion people are expected to join in Internet voting that will nominate 77 semifinalists for the top natural wonders, which will share in the glory already enjoyed by the seven man-made wonders chosen 18 months ago.

"We are calling on people all over the world to actively show their appreciation for our ... natural world by joining together to celebrate the most extraordinary sites on our planet," said Tia Viering, spokeswoman of the New 7 Wonders campaign.

The Swiss-based nonprofit foundation collected 441 nominations over the Internet since it opened the selection process in 2007.

The foundation then chose the top vote-getter from each country, making a list of 222 sites. The overall list rose to 261 with the inclusion of sites shared by two or more countries — such as Niagara Falls and Lake Superior between Canada and the United States, and the Matterhorn, between Switzerland and Italy.

Votes can be cast until July 7. Registration on the Web site aims to prevent people from voting twice.

The quarterfinalists include some lesser known sites, such as Yasur Volcano on the south Pacific island of Vanuatu or Nigeria's Zuma Rock, a giant monolith in the middle of the African country.

A panel of experts in nature, chaired by Federico Mayor, former chief of UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, will reduce the list to 21 finalists in July.

The seven winners will then be chosen in another round of public voting lasting until 2011, this time by Internet, telephone and text messages.

Around 100 million people voted in the selection of the seven man-made wonders. The winners were the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt; the Colosseum, Italy; the Great Wall of China; the Taj Mahal, India; Petra, Jordan; Christ the Redeemer Statue, Brazil; Machu Picchu, Peru; and the Pyramid at Chichen Itza, Mexico.

"The enthusiasm for the campaign, which brought culture out of dusty corners and back to life on front pages, TV screens and computers everywhere, crossed all social and economic lines," said Viering. "Everyone from schoolchildren to entrepreneurs eagerly participated."

Choosing world wonders has been a continuing fascination over the centuries. UNESCO keeps updating its list of World Heritage Sites, which now totals 878 places.

The New 7 Wonders campaign led by Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber aims to promote cultural diversity by supporting, preserving and restoring monuments and natural sites. It relies on private donations and revenue from selling broadcasting rights.

Full list of nominees on: http://www.new7wonders.com

'Seven Wonders of America'

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080519/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_gma7_wonders

'Good Morning America' names 'Seven Wonders of America'
Mon May 19, 2008

New York City, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and South Dakota's Badlands were named to a list of seven U.S. wonders featured on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Also on the list were the Grand Canyon, Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Preserve, Washington D.C.'s National Mall, and the Saturn V moon rocket at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration in Huntsville, Ala. Huntsville is nicknamed Rocket City because the U.S. space exploration program began there in the late 1940s.

The show assembled a panel of experts to choose the seven destinations, which included manmade as well as natural wonders. The places were announced one at a time over seven shows, with the final one airing May 14.

The experts who chose the wonders were Annie Griffith Belt, a photographer for the National Geographic Society; Brent D. Glass, director of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History; Michael Roberts, executive editor of Outside Magazine; Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History; Patricia Schultz, author of "1,000 Places to See Before You Die," and the travel guidebook writer and editor Pauline Frommer.

Viewers chose Yellowstone National Park as an eighth wonder in an online vote.

Details at http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/7WondersofAmerica/.

Manmade Flood Coming to Grand Canyon

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/05/AR2008030501219.html

Manmade Flood Coming to Grand Canyon
The Associated Press
Wednesday, March 5, 2008

PAGE, Ariz. -- Federal agencies are gearing up to release a manmade flood aimed at refreshing the ecosystem of the Grand Canyon.

A three-day torrent of water will be released from Glen Canyon Dam on the Arizona-Utah state line beginning Wednesday morning.

The Colorado River in the Grand Canyon downstream from the dam used to be warm and muddy. But the dam now traps silt and the river runs cold and clear through the canyon. The shift has helped speed the extinction of four fish species.

The agencies including the Interior Department and Park Service hope the flooding will redistribute sediment in the canyon.