Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Ultraman Hawaii 2011 Live Stream, Kona Triathlon Web Cam Feed, Weather

Ultraman Hawaii 2011 Live Stream, Kona Triathlon Web Cam Feed, Weather

The Ultraman World Championship is a three-day, 320 mile (515-km) annual endurance race held on the Big Island of Hawaii. The race is divided into three stages: The first is a 6.2-mile (10-km) ocean swim from Kailua Bay to Keauhou Bay, followed by a 90-mile (145-km) cross-country bike ride, with vertical climbs that total 6,000 feet. Stage two is a 171.4-mile (276-km) bike ride from Volcanoes National Park to Kohala Village Inn, with total vertical climbs of 4,000 feet. Stage three is a 52.4-mile(84-km) double-marathon, which starts at Hawi and finishes on the beach at the Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area. Each stage must be completed within 12 hours or less. The swim portion of stage one must be completed in 5.5 hours or less. Participants who do not reach the finish lines within the time limits are disqualified.

This event attracts athletes who seek to explore the extreme in physical and mental abilities. The race is limited to 35 athletes on an invitation-only basis and attracts participants from around the world, including Brazil, Canada, Italy, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden, Slovenia and the United States. Racers must have reached their 20th birthday prior to the start of stage one. Each racer must be accompanied by an individual support team of at least two people over the entire course. Many support team members are volunteers from the Big Island community.

The Ultraman Challenge has been held annually since 1983 over Thanksgiving weekend as an extreme offshoot of the Ironman. The Ultraman is a sanctioned triathlon by the Triathlon Federation/USA and takes the components of the Ironman to the limits. The popularity of races such as the Ironman and Ultraman helped to establish the triathlon as an Olympic sport. The Olympic Committee included the triathlon as an event during the 2000 Summer games in Sydney, Australia, in the form of swimming, biking and running.

America's Thanksgiving Parade 2011 Live Stream - Detroit, Michigan, Weather, Webcam Feed

America's Thanksgiving Parade 2011 Live Stream - Detroit, Michigan, Weather, Webcam Feed

America's Thanksgiving Parade, is an annual parade held on Thanksgiving Day in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The tradition started in the city in 1924 by the J.L. Hudson Company department store. It shares the title for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, and is four years younger than the 6abc IKEA Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia.

The parade was suspended in 1943 and 1944 due to material shortages caused by World War II, but Hudson’s resumed the event in 1945 and continued sponsorship of the parade until 1979 when the costs became burdensome. It turned the parade over to the Detroit Renaissance Foundation who produced it for four years. In 1983, Detroit Renaissance turned the parade over to the newly-created Michigan Thanksgiving Parade Foundation and the event became known as The Michigan Thanksgiving Parade.

Since 2006, the parade has taken place on Woodward Avenue, starting near Woodward and Mack Avenues, and ending at Congress Street. This is the route the first parade followed in 1924. The parade travels toward downtown from Mack Avenue, after crossing over I-75 it enters Foxtown, near Detroit's Fox Theatre, the Hockeytown Cafe, and Comerica Park. From Foxtown, the parade passes through Grand Circus Park then into the business district where it then enters the TV coverage area near Grand River and Gratiot Avenues. The route had been displaced from this route for several years during the construction of Campus Martius Park and realignment of Woodward Avenue and other adjacent streets. The construction was completed in 2004.

Macy's Thanksgiving Parade 2011 Live Stream New York, NYC Webcam Feed

Macy's Thanksgiving Parade 2011 Live Stream New York, NYC Webcam Feed

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States, tied with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than the 6abc IKEA Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia. The three-hour event is held in New York City starting at 9:00 a.m. EST on Thanksgiving Day.

In 1924, the inaugural parade (originally known as the Macy's Christmas Parade and later the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Christmas Parade.) was staged by the store. Employees and professional entertainers marched from 145th Street in Harlem to Macy's flagship store on 34th Street dressed in vibrant costumes. There were floats, professional bands and live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. At the end of that first parade, as has been the case with every parade since, Santa Claus was welcomed into Herald Square. At this first parade, however, the Jolly Old Elf was enthroned on the Macy's balcony at the 34th Street store entrance, where he was then "crowned" "King of the Kiddies." With an audience of over a quarter of a million people, the parade was such a success that Macy's declared it would become an annual event.

In addition to the well-known balloons and floats, the Parade also features live music and other performances. College and high school marching bands from across the country participate in the parade, and the television broadcasts feature performances by famous singers and bands. The Radio City Rockettes are a classic performance as well.

On the NBC telecast from in front of the flagship Macy's store on Broadway and 34th Street, the marching bands perform live music but most of the other live acts use pre-recorded music with the performers lip-syncing their singing.