Monday, December 3, 2012


A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea.  The endpoints where a continental divide meets the coast are not always definite, because the exact border between adjacent bodies of water is usually not clearly defined.  The International Hydrographic Organization's publication Limits of Oceans and Seas defines exact boundaries of oceans, but it is not universally recognized.  Where a continental divide meets an endorheic basin, such as the Great Divide Basin of Wyoming, the continental divide splits and encircles the basin.  See descriptions of major divides at:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_divide   

The Valparaiso Moraine is a terminal moraine that forms an immense U around the Lake Michigan basin in North America.  It is a band of high, hilly terrain made up of glacial till and sand that reaches an elevation of near 300 feet above the level of Lake Michigan at its maximum height (about 800 ft. above sea level) in Indiana and 17 miles wide at its maximum width in Indiana.  It begins near the border of Wisconsin and Illinois and extends south through Lake, McHenry, Cook, DuPage and Will counties in Illinois, and then turns southeast, entering Indiana.  From this point, the moraine curves northeast through Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties of Indiana into Michigan.  It continues into Michigan as far as Montcalm County.  It was formed during the Crown Point Phase of the Wisconsin Glaciation.  At this time the glacier covering the area had grown thin, so it was restrained by the dolomite rock layers of the Lake Michigan basin.  Where the glacier stopped, glacial till and sand was deposited, creating the hills of the moraine.  After the Valparaiso Moraine was formed, the glacier retreated and formed the Tinley Moraine.  Many towns in northwest Indiana and northeast Illinois are named after the Valparaiso Moraine or the Tinley Moraine.  Also, many small creeks or rivers start in the Valparaiso Moraine.  The moraine itself was named after the city of Valparaiso, Indiana, where the moraine is narrower and higher than in other places.  The Valparaiso Moraine forms part of the St. Lawrence Seaway Divide and the Great Lakes Drainage Basin.  Water on one side of the moraine flows into Lake Michigan, through the Great Lakes, and eventually into the Atlantic Ocean, and water on the other side flows into the Kankakee River which flows into the Mississippi River, which eventually flows into the Gulf of Mexico.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valparaiso_Moraine

Just as the Rocky Mountains form the Continental Divide, which separates rivers that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those that drain into the gulf of Mexico, there is also a continental divide running through northern Indiana.   This divide separates the southwestward drainage into the Mississippi from the Great Lakes drainage system to the north and east.  The Valparaiso Moraine marks this divide in Northwest Indiana.  The divide runs along the Valparaiso Moraine from Chicago to Michigan City.  It then turns eastward, cutting through South Bend, then southeast to Fort Wayne and finally into Ohio. The Maumee River, originating in Fort Wayne just east of the divide, flows eastward to empty into Lake Erie.  Unlike the mountainous Continental Divide of the Rockies, Indiana’s divide runs only atop the end moraines left by the Ice Age.  In Chicago, the divide is only 10 feet above the present level of Lake Michigan.  http://oursciencepage.com/Indiana_Glaciers.pdf

Nov. 28, 2012   Online legal documents company LegalZoom.com Inc. is suing one of its rivals Google GOOG +0.42%-backed Rocket Lawyer Inc., over alleged violations of Federal Trade Commission guidelines and what it calls unfair business tactics “for the purpose of injuring LegalZoom.”   The lawsuit, filed last week in federal court in California, comes as Rocket Lawyer is poised to expand into the U.K.  LegalZoom declined to comment on the suit.  A spokesman provided this statement:  “The complaint seeks to stop Rocket Lawyer from misusing the term “free” in its advertisements and promotions.  It is bad for consumers and bad for the industry. . . The FTC has guidelines around the term “free” and we believe RocketLawyer ignores them.”  LegalZoom’s suit says that Rocket Lawyer misleads customers by describing some services—such as incorporating a business—as “free” when users must still pay state filing fees or subscribe to a membership plan in order to access the service.  LegalZoom also accuses its rival of trademark infringement and unfair competition because, among other allegations, Rocket Lawyer allegedly registered internet domain names such as www.legalzoomgadget.com that it says are “confusingly similar” to the company’s trademarks.  Both companies offer low-cost legal services for small business and consumers by providing legal documents for routine transactions and, increasingly, access to local attorneys through pre-paid legal service plans.  Founded 12 years ago, LegalZoom sells personalized legal documents—wills starting at $69, trademark registrations for $169, plus government filing fees—and has filed for an IPO with the SEC that could raise as much as $120 million.  Over the years it has itself been the subject of lawsuits, mainly ones accusing the company of the unauthorized practice of law.  LegalZoom also now offers prepaid legal plans for small businesses and consumers.  Rocket Lawyer opened up shop in 2008 with a slightly different model:  give customers the forms for free and then offer additional legal guidance via pre-paid legal plans that cost anywhere from $9.99 to $39.95 per month.  Jennifer Smith 

On January 6, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a speech that shaped this nation, now known as the Four Freedoms speech.  He looked forward to a world founded on four human freedoms:  freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.  View video of speech at:  http://www.fdrfourfreedomspark.org/pages/the-four-freedoms

In the late 1960s, during a period of national urban renewal, New York City Mayor John Lindsay proposed to reinvent Roosevelt Island (then called Welfare Island) into a vibrant, residential community.  The New York Times championed renaming the island for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and constructing a memorial to him, remarking:  "It has long seemed to us that an ideal place for a memorial to FDR would be on Welfare Island, which...could be easily renamed in his honor... It would face the sea he loved, the Atlantic he bridged, the Europe he helped to save, the United Nations he inspired."  The man chosen to give shape to this idea was the architect Louis I. Kahn, one of the masters of 20th century architecture.  Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Mayor Lindsay announced the project in 1973 and the appointment of Louis Kahn as its architect.  In short order, the Governor became Vice President of the United States, Louis Kahn finished his work and died unexpectedly, and the City of New York approached bankruptcy.  It required patience, memory and determination - on March 29, 2010, 38 years after its announcement, construction of Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park began.  http://www.fdrfourfreedomspark.org/pages/about-the-park      

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Ohio
Many of the mounds at the park have been excavated in historic times.  Although earthworks were mapped in the 1810s by Caleb Atwater, mound excavations formally begun in the 1840s by Ephraim Squier and Edwin Davis, both Chillicothe residents.  Additional mound excavations occurred at the close of the nineteenth century and into the first quarter of the twentieth century by Warren Moorehead, William Mills, and Henry Shetrone.  Chillicothe (chil-akoth-E) is the town where the park is located.  The name derives from a Shawnee word for principal town.  The Scioto (sei-O-tuh) River flows past the Mound City Group unit.  The name derives from a Shawnee word for deer.  http://www.nps.gov/hocu/faqs.htm   Find directions to the park, operating hours and more at:  http://www.nps.gov/hocu/index.htm

Tamarindo is a town and distrito located on the Northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica in the Province of Guanacaste.  The district has a population of 3,525, although the town itself is about 500.  But it can swell to 5,000 people or more during the tourist season and during special holidays.  The main attractions are surfing and eco-tourism.  Playa Tamarindo is a long beach, with excellent waves near the mouth of the estuary.  Currents can be strong, especially on a falling tide.  Tamarindo has two main breaks for advanced surfers:  Pico Pequeño a rocky point in front of the Hotel Tamarindo Diriá and the excellent river mouth break across from Cabinas Tsunami called El Estero.  The rest of the beach breaks are perfect for learning.  The biggest waves can get up to 12 feet, although only during November and December.  Playa Grande beach is also where the Leatherback Turtle comes to lay its eggs.  The leatherbacks take over the beach from November to April, digging their nests up to one meter deep, lay their eggs and cover the pit with sand, and return once again to the sea.  After 60 to 90 days, the hatchlings emerge and immediately make their way to the water.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarindo,_Costa_Rica

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