The Durango & Silverton Railroad - Part 1

The Durango & Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad runs between the two places after which it was named, and is a remnant of a larger rail system called the Denver & Rio Grande.  Originally built to carry supplies to miners in Silverton, the D&S is now used mainly for tourism.  It generally follows the course of the Animas River, but in some places where it flows through a gorge, the railroad runs up to several hundred feet above it.  The D&S was built between 1881 and 1882, and as our one of the conductors warned us, "It feels like it."

Here's the steam locomotive, ready to pull the train out of Durango.

The back of the locomotive and the coal tender:

One of the coaches, with a mountain ridge behind it:

The passengers boarding another coach:

While heading north of Durango, on our left was this house on a hill, with some larger hills behind it.

Further along the way was the Iron Horse Inn and a multicolored mountain.

Looking down into the Animas River gorge:

Some rapids along the Animas, looking north and upstream:

And finally, some more rapids in the Animas, seen while going over a bridge, the shadow of which is clearly recognizable:

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The Second Siege Of Constantinople In 717-718 AD

In the annals of history, Constantinople is known for being the second capitol of the Roman Empire, established by Emperor Constantine in a city which had been known as Byzantium, becoming the capitol of the Byzantine Empire after Rome fell, and for falling to the Ottoman Turks over 1,100 years later, who gave the city its third name, Istanbul.  What is less well known is that conquering Constantinople was a goal of Muslim Arabs in the seventh and eight centuries after they had expanded out of the Arabian peninsula, roughly three centuries before Christians in Europe launched the Crusades.  In 674, the Arabs besieged Constantinople for the first time.  This first siege lasted about four years.

In 717, the caliph Suleiman, who ruled in Damascus, sent 120,000 warriors across Asia Minor and 80,000 more fighting men by sea, with the goal of meeting at Constantinople and laying siege.  He put his brother Maslama in charge of his forces, giving him the command, "Stay there until you conquer it or I recall you."  During the siege, Suleiman died and was replaced by Omar II, who recalled Maslama and called off the siege about a year after it began.

Read the story at National Review.  Some more information may be found at Byzantine Battles and Graphic Firing Table.

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New Animal Species Found In South America

A new species of mammal living in the cloud forests of South American's Andes Mountains has been identified, and given the name "olinguito".  The name is derived from that of another species, "olingo", due to its similar appearance and smaller size.  Olinguitos also differ from olingos in fur color and natural habitat, living at elevations ranging from 5,000 to 9,000 feet above sea level.  Weighing about two pounds, the olinguito is smallest known member of the raccoon family.

Read more at the Washington Post, ABC News, the Chicago Tribune, National Geographic and Smithsonian(dot)com.

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Riddle Me This #4

This one comes from CNS News via Blogs For Victory.

I've heard of "new math", but this might give term new meaning.  How is it that the federal government ran a $98 billion deficit in July, but the overall federal debt stayed exactly the same for the entire month?  According to the CNS News link above:

The FMS said that the deficit went up $98 billion ($97,594,000,000) in the Monthly Treasury Statment for July, which it released on Monday. 

At the same time, the FMS said the debt stayed at exactly $16,699,396,000,000 in its Daily Treasury Statements, which are published every business day. The Daily Treasury Statements show the daily value of the federal government debt that is subject to a legal limit set by Congress.

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Are You Ready For The Michelle Obama Rap Album?

Yes, the First Lady is putting out a rap album, to be entitled Songs For A Healthier America.  No, she will not be singing (a term used loosely whenever applied to rap), but will only make cameo appearances in the videos of the songs.

Read more at The Daily Beast, the Rolling Stone, Spin and Grantland.

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Another Monday Links Post

It looks like Monday is once again a good day for directing readers to stories recently in the news.  So without further ado, here we go:

From the Daily Mail, India has launched her first aircraft carrier.

From BBC News, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has won the presidential election in Mali.

Also from BBC News, gunmen in Nigeria have killed 44 people in a mosque.

From Fox News, if you're a man who likes to swim, and you live in or plan to visit the coastal areas of Denmark or Sweden, skinny dipping is not a good idea.

From Yahoo TV, racial discrimination claims in the lawsuit against Paula Deen have been dismissed.

From KABC, a rodeo clown has been permanently banned from the Missouri State Fair for wearing an Obama mask.

From Bizpac Review, a kid prays to the president.  Yes, that's right, to him, not for him.

From CNN, a sinkhole swallows part of a resort in Clermont, Florida.

From The Hill, the State Department has criticized Israel for approving the construction of new settlement homes.

From the Washington Post, Attorney General Eric Holder has announced that "low-level, nonviolent drug offenders with no ties to gangs or large-scale drug organizations" will no longer face mandatory minimum sentences.

From Today News, a Dutch prince has died after being in coma which resulted from being buried in an avalanche while skiing.

From NBC News, a federal judge has ruled that the New York City police department's practice of "stop and frisk" is unconstitutional.

From the Daily Caller, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has signed an election reform law that includes a photo ID requirement.

And from the News Observer, on August 15, the Carolina Mudcats will put on Carlos Danger Night.  For that game, anyone with a mustache, either real or fake, will be sold a box seat for just $5.  So if you're in or near Zebulon, North Carolina, get out that mustache and enjoy some Minor League baseball.

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Drone Delivers Beer

I'm not a big fan of having drones fly around our spacious skies that we have here in America, but I think I've found a drone that I could get used to.  Fans at an outdoor rock concert in South Africa were served beer, dropped by parachute from a flying robot, after placing their orders via a smartphone app.

Read the story at France24.

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