Cliffs Riffs - Stuph n Nonsense

Have you ever seen someone shooting over the surface of the water only to hit a wave and go 20 feet or more up into the air before landing again? Does the idea of participating in an exciting wind powered sport connect with your internal circuitry? If you have never experienced the sport of kite surfing in person, then you might want to wander out to the beach at Pere Marquette Park in Muskegon for a closer look. Seeing kite surfing on television is great, but it is nothing compared to a live demonstration. We went out to the kite festival in Grand Haven last month and discovered that the winds were too powerful on the last day for the kites to fly. While the wind was too much for stunt kite teams, there was a group of wet suit clad people making the most of it over by the pier. Hudsonville resident Brad Knoth was putting on a show that day that left us slack jawed in amazement. He is known in kite boarding circles as “BK” or by the moniker “Big Air” and he was living up to the latter...

(You can listen to music by clicking here.) One of the best things about reporting on athletes like Rockford’s Pat Besta and Nicole Seif from Caledonia is the opportunity to learn. Pat and Nicole are both involved in wheelchair tennis and they practice on the courts at Calvin College’s Gainey Center every Monday evening from 6 to 8pm. Thirteen year old Nicole is involved in the juniors program and Pat plays in the adult league which is open to players over 18. We went out to the courts to learn more about wheelchair tennis and the people involved in the sport. Did you know that tennis players from all over the United States and from as far away as Canada, France, and Mongolia will be coming to play in a tournament in West Michigan July 18-20? It’s true; MVP in Rockford will be hosting the Midwest Indoor Championships and we learned that more than 70 wheelchair tennis players from all over the world will be competing in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) sanctioned event...

May 29, 2011 - This post has been up since June 2008. I am amazed at the number of people who read it. There are several hundred page views every month. Please take the time to read the various comments after my post. In addition to some success stories, I have been diligent to put up comments from people who don't agree with my thinking and/or experience on this matter. My purpose in writing this was NOT to try to convince others to do what I did, but rather to share my experience. Anyway - since doing this I have not had any further issues with gallstones or pain (knock on wood, toss salt over my shoulder, etc. etc.). I am not trying to replace a visit to the doctor, just sharing what I did and inviting others to share their experience - even when it does not line up with mine. January 8, 2012 - the comments and readers keep coming. I thought I should mention one more thing. If you take the time to read all the comments you will find some variations on the recipe I followed. I...

Okay. I just learned the definition of the word "vista". A fellow Rounder posted some fantastic pictures from a ride in the Rockie Mountains today and he used a wide angle camera. The first word that came to my mine was "vista" and I was going to post the definition of the word and tell him that his pictures defined the definition, becase I THOUGHT vista meant something like "wide open space or view". Nope, it is quite the opposite. vis·ta /ˈvɪstə/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation [vis-tuh] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun 1. a view or prospect, esp. one seen through a long, narrow avenue or passage, as between rows of trees or houses. 2. such an avenue or passage, esp. when formally planned. 3. a far-reaching mental view: vistas of the future. Hmm, guess I will have to revise my use of the word "vista" in future. Which then makes me wonder how many other words I think I know and I don't? On the way to looking ...

This is a vintage Riff that was never published. I wrote it in March of 2005 and my editor said - nope, can't publish that Cliff. I was cleaning my computer today and came across it and decided I still agree with every word I wrote three years ago: When did high school sports get so serious? How have we let it happen? Who is more to blame, the coaches or parents? I’m not talking about good competitive rivalry here, but I would like to address the emphasis on winning at all costs. One of the latest examples to come to light in this neck of the woods is the possibility that a “parent and sports booster” gave rent free homes as an inducement to get some talented high school athletes into the school district for which he is a “sports booster”. I am very much in favor of sports programs for kids. Sports can and do teach young people a lot of very important life lessons and skills. What exactly are the kids learning in the current win-at-all-costs atmosphere that prevails? In the past fe...

Wow - I was sort of napping on the couch yesterday when I listened to This American Life on NPR. They did a show called The Giant Pool of Money (you can listen to it here: http://www.thislife.org/ ). What an eye-opener. It gave a real behind the scenes look at how so many people and institutions got in such financial hot water. Lending institutions were telling people to lie on their applications while at the same time mortgage apps were asking for less and less information, or at least verifiable information. They interviewed one guy whose mortgage app had him earning over 16,000 a month! The poor guy had no idea - because he actually made around 38k a year. If you care at all about the housing crisis - listen to this show.

What the heck - why bitch about gas prices? Shell et al are laughing all the way to the bank. I say we ought to embrace high fuel prices. Why? Because that seems like the only way we Americans are going to quit guzzlin' gas like there is no tomorrow. I am not pointing my finger at other people - Julie and I bought a Mustang GT a couple years ago which is a long way from a Toyota Prius for sure. However, our collective appetite for fossil fuel has got to be slowed down and 4 or 5 bucks a gallon is going to help. Another positive outcome is now that fuel prices are going up so high there is justification and motivation to finally explore alternatives. Without a motivator - which usually has to come in the form of some kind of financial threat (be it real or imagined) - we tend to leave things as they are. Now with pump prices climbing like crazy and heating costs going nuts we are scrambling to find new ways. Frankly I have every confidence that we will prevail and will find new ways...