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The company that makes Bubble Wrap is offering a $10,000 savings bond to the young inventor who comes up with the the most ingenious use of the box-filler. The semi-finalists have shown lots of creativity. 13 year-old Nicolette Mann of Christiansburg, VA made a kit for constructing multiple types of flying kites out of bubble wrap.
Only one day after a kitesurfing tragedy in Malta another kitesurfer has been killed in the States! What is the reason for this? - Lack of training? Over-confidence? Or poor kite design? Here is an extract from the local paper:
A missing kite surfer from Illinois was found dead on the southeast side of Lake Koshkonong early today. Jeffrey S. Meissner, 40, of Huntley, Ill., was pronounced dead at the scene by Jefferson County Coroner Pat Theder. The Rock County Sheriff’s Department described the death as a drowning, but an autopsy is planned. Authorities received a call at 8:12 p.m. Monday reporting Meissner missing. Using coordinates provided by the victim’s cell phone provider, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department found the victim’s vehicle about 30 minutes later. Meissner’s green Saturn was parked near W8717 White Crow Road, east of Caracajou Road, on the north central part of Lake Koshkonong. A witness reported that he last saw the kite surfer on the lake off Carcajou Point about 4:30 p.m., according to the Rock County Sheriff’s Department. The Lake Mills, Fort Atkinson and Milton fire departments responded with boats, equipment and search teams. The Jefferson County and Rock County boat patrols were also activated. At 11:15 p.m., teams using thermal imaging devices and spotlights began searching the lake. At 1:25 a.m., they found the sail and board on the southeast side of the lake. Meissner’s body was found an estimated 30 minutes later in the water near Koshkonong Mounds Golf Course.
Source: Janesville Gazette
After trawling through some sites I came across the following site: horvath.ch where some excellent innovations are being dreamed up! The site is home to a range of single line kites called ‘Synergistic Kites’. These are single line freestyle kites that at first appear to be based on Indian fighter kites. On closer examination it is clear that they are a lot more than that. The underlying design of the kites is based on hang gliders.
After yesterdays post where I said we need to be more careful to protect the public it looks that this is a sad reminder that some of us need protecting from ourselves!
A 29-year-old man was killed in an unfortunate kite surfing accident in a bay near Torri l-Abjad in Armier yesterday.
Police said the man, a Bulgarian who lives in Malta, was preparing to practise his sport at about 3 p.m. when a gust of wind caught his kite and slammed him into a nearby tree.
He barely had time to recover from that impact when he was picked up again by the strong wind and was slammed onto the metal roof of a nearby room.
An ambulance rushed to the site but sources said he had lost a lot of blood in the accident. He underwent surgery immediately but died during the operation.
Source: Times of Malta
In a similar move to that already seen at a number of sites in the UK - kite buggying has been banned at West Wittering. It seems this kind of accident is happening all too often! Something is needed to help protect the public from the dangers of kiting. There are far too many who get into the sport and are not in control of the massive kites they fly. This type of accident reiterates the need for proper training. Also - greedy retailers need to take responsibility and not sell unsuitable kites to newbies or even experienced kiters who do not have a proven record! The best thing is for kiters to only buggy or surf in quiet areas away from the general public. Most will say this is not possible, but at a lot of locations 5 minutes more walking gets you away from the small areas where the public venture from the car parks! I’ve seen a number of other sites in the NW where a serious kiting accidents will almost definitely occur - Fleetwood. This is a small crowded beach where the local kiters ‘rule’ the beach. We need to be careful - otherwise we will have to emigrate to enjoy our sport!! Below is an extract from the Chichester Observer: Read the rest of this entry »
Pakistan Information and Cultural Organization (PICO) will have its 6th Annual Basant Mela (Kite Flying Festival) on Saturday, March 22, 2008 from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM at the Freestone Park located at 1045 E. Juniper Road, Gilbert, Arizona. Admission to the event is free, and it’s open to the public. Read the rest of this entry »
November 1st is the Day of the Dead in Mexico. As part of the ceremonies in Guatamala, kites are flown to raise the souls of the dead to heaven and to turn away evil spirits. Apparently, the kite flying takes place in graveyards as well! The photo above shows a traditional kite that is flown. The kites are constructed with fabric, paper and bamboo rods and often feature religious graphics. Its a long way from the fields of happy inflatable line junk on display at the UK kite festivals - no funny crabs here!