Friday 15 June 2012

Nik Wallenda's Tightrope Walk Across Niagara Falls


Nik Wallenda.  Photo Credit:  Fixedgear/flickr
Being from Ontario, Canada, I am very excited about Nik Wallenda's tight rope walk across the Horseshoe Falls this evening at 10:20 p.m. E.T.  Nik will be the first person to ever cross the Horseshoe Falls.  ABC (CTV has the broadcast rights in Canada) is covering this event on television.  In order to get financial support for this walk from ABC, Nik had to agree to wear a tether on this evening's walk across the Falls.  Nik was not very happy about having to wear the tether as he says that it makes his walk more difficult.

"It is definitely a challenge; it's very unique, something I am not used to, and I am very uncomfortable with it," Wallenda said.

There are those that speculate that Nik will "lose" his tether in mid-walk to add excitement--we shall have to wait and see what this born performer does.

Nik comes from, the well-known Wallenda family of daredevil performers who have had previous tragedies in their family:  In 1962 two Wallendas died at the Detroit State Fair and another was paralyzed when a human pyramid collapsed. A sister-in-law and son in-law also died in later accidents.  Nik's great-grandfather died in 1978 during a performance in Puerto Rico.

According to my source The Globe and Mail Nik will be walking across a two-inch thick cable that stretches 540 metres (about the length of five football fields).  This walk is expected to take Nik Wallenda 40 minutes to complete.

For more than 100 years stunts across or in the Falls have been banned.  Previously, people crossed the Niagara River and rolled down the falls in barrells and other capsules and contraptions.


Here's an image just hours before the Nik Wallenda tight rope walk across the Niagara Falls
Photo Credit:  Canadiantourism/flickr

Niagara Falls Canada and U.S. is an extremely popular world-reknowned tourist area.  Nik's walk should attract even more people to the area by kicking off the summer season with his tight-rope walk across the Horseshoe Falls.

Nik Wallenda had to convince the Niagara Parks Commission and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism that this stunt would attract tourists and be economically lucrative for the area.

I am sure that there will be a lot of tourists in the area tonight and peek even more interest in Niagara Falls Canada.

Friday 1 June 2012

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee


Britain is celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee (60 years on the throne) this weekend with four days of celebrations.  We here in Canada will be following right along on television and in the news media throughout this historic event.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Coronation portrait, June 1953, London, England. Credit: Library and Archives Canada/K-0000047
  Here are some events that will be celebrated this weekend as taken from the Official Website of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee:

June 1, 2012

The Princess Royal
Patron, The Jubilee Woods Project, will launch the Woodland Trust National Diamond Jubilee Wood, The National Forest, Normanton Le Heath, Coalville, Leicestershire.

June 2, 2012

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh
will attend the Epsom Derby.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
will attend The Derby at Epsom Racecourse, Epsom Downs, Epsom.

June 3, 2012

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh
will be present at the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex
will attend Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee Water Pageant on board the HAVENGORE.

The Princess Royal
Master, The Corporation of Trinity House, will attend Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee Water Pageant on board No1 Boat Trinity House Vessel.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
will be present at the Thames Diamonond Jubilee Pageant.

The Duke of Kent
will be present at the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

Princess Alexandra
will attend Her Majesty's Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on board the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Vessel "Diamond Jubilee".

June 4, 2012

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh
will be present at the BBC Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace. Afterwards Her Majesty will light the National Beacon to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee.

Canadian Diamond Jubilee Broadcast Schedule:
CTV
CBC