Rubber duckies vs. Nikes

[LBernier at tribune.com]

     Henry M. sez:
     
        Surprised that none of you Chicagoans have mentioned the rubber     
        ducky race on the river, a gov-sanctioned lottery where people bet  
        on which numbered rubber ducky will complete the course first.
     
     Ok, we have this rubber ducky race on the river . . .
     
     It is not "gov-sanctioned" tho, it's for charity.  You buy your ducky 
     for 5 bucks, then, at noon, they dump all the paid-for little guys 
     into to the eerily beautiful Chicago River, the River that modern 
     science and the army corps of engineers hath causeth to run backwards 
     OUT of Lake Michigan, and they bob around, and one eventually crosses 
     the finish line, and then a garbage barge comes and scoops them all 
     up.  I don't know what the prize situation is, or whether people bet 
     on the outcome.  Probably.
     
     It's quite surreal, actually. 
     
     Jean.


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Rubber duckies vs. Nikes
Author:  "Henry M" <gravity at nicom.com> at Internet_tco
Date:    11/25/96 6:57 A
     
On 25 Nov 96 at 3:05, Tod Mahony wrote:
     
> From:          "Tod Mahony" <mahony at halcyon.com> 
> To:            <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Subject:       Re: Rubber duckies vs. Nikes
> Date:          Mon, 25 Nov 1996 03:05:46 -0800
     
> Paul DiFilippo wrote: 
> 
> > Never heard of the ducky flotilla, but can almost swear to the 
> > authenticity of this report (would swear, since I read it
> > somewhere "reliable", such as Scientific American, but have lost
> > the source):  A cargoload of Nike sneakers, in transit from slave- 
> > labor territories to our humble shores went overboard and served
> > same scientific function as duckies:  reports of sneakers coming 
> > ashore around PacRim let scientists analyze currents.
> 
> On the Oregon coast, there were actually parties where people met up 
> to find "mates" for the shoes they'd found on the beach.  Anyway, it 
> was a good excuse for some singles mixers.
> 
> 
     
Keep cool, but care. -- TRP
Aw, what the heck: go bananas. -- HDM
     
http://www.nicom.com/~gravity