The
long-polluted New York rivers are
getting cleaner, but can still be dangerous to swim in. There are
efforts underway to clean up the Bronx River, but that will take years, if not decades. Until then,
signs are posted, warning would-be swimmers, yet people still risk sickness to battle the heat. One current safe solution is
the Floating Pool Lady, a barge that was remade into an 82-foot-long city parks department swimming pool.
She first arrived in the Bronx in 2008, and
she'll return to the Bronx in a week. There's a new Big Idea to bring swimmers back into the rivers:
the +Pool, a floating swimming pool located within a river, designed with a series exterior walls to filter the river water and make it safe to swim in. While that's in the early design stages, you can take a chance and
jump in a swimming hole.
posted by filthy light thief
on Jun 24, 2011 -
26 comments
Shallow diver breaks world record for paddling pool jump. "A US shallow diver has broken his own world record by swan-diving 36ft (11m) into a paddling pool containing just 12in (30.5cm) of water.
Darren Taylor, also known as
Professor Splash, dived into a pool of near-freezing water in Trondheim, Norway, making the jump his 13th Guinness certified record.
Mr Taylor, who is from Colorado in the US, has 25 years' professional high-diving experience and works as a stunt diver."
Via: BBC
posted by Fizz
on Mar 18, 2011 -
37 comments
Inspired by the creative re-use of dumpsters in Athens, Georgia by Curtis Crowe of the band
Pylon, the
Macro|Sea collective have taken the idea further, and have their first
dumpster pool space prototype up and
active in Brooklyn (
via). The group's big idea is to
revitalize strip malls across America. On the smaller scale, British artist Oliver Bishop-Young has "
turned skips into gold," by
refurbishing small skips into little ponds, parks, skate ramps, and micro meeting areas (
more details). On the more personal level, Michel de Broin created "Blue Monochrom," a
dumpster hot tub.
posted by filthy light thief
on Jul 13, 2009 -
9 comments
Fast Eddie Felsen's time has passed. Pool hustlers once traveled the U.S., a nomadic undercover elite who made their living by allowing local players to feel in control - until real money was at stake. Now,
they are no more. The best players became famous on an ill-fated televised
tournament series. They are too recognizable to hustle the locals. “Real hustling — driving to a pool room in another state, walking in, setting the trap, busting the local guy and then heading to a new town — is different. That’s what ain’t there any more.”
posted by Kirth Gerson
on Nov 24, 2007 -
29 comments
The
Pool Hustler. Long an American
icon, pool hustlers have all but disappeared.
They enjoyed a brief resurgence in the 60’s when pool became popular
again, thanks to
“The Hustler”. Interest waned through the 70’s, until
Newman and Cruise made hustling cool again in “
The Color of Money”. Is pool,
and by extension hustling, due for a new renaissance?
posted by cosmicbandito
on Nov 11, 2005 -
46 comments
NYT: CBS's JAG To Explore Terror Military Tribunal
The Pentagon is reportedly very happy with the show. The episode portraying the secret trial of a Saudi-born terrorist will air on April 30. In this week's episode, a character feels stung when his coworkers favor someone else to win a race in a betting pool. (
1,
2)
posted by rschram
on Mar 30, 2002 -
4 comments
