GOOD

A Sport Invented Just For Halloween

It’s like Soap Box Derby—for the dead

 Jon Baum
10.28.16

Creepy and bizarre sights are commonplace on Halloween weekend, but the town of Manitou Springs, Colorado—which boasts an elevation (6,412 feet) greater than its population (around 5,000)—adds elements of sport and celebration to the macabre mix. Combine trick-or-treating, a funeral procession, and a Soap Box Derby, and you have Saturday’s annual Emma Crawford Coffin Race & Parade.

That’s right. A coffin race—which looks all sorts of awesome.

Legend has it that Emma Crawford, a young woman from Massachusetts, came to Manitou Springs, which sits aside the towering Pike’s Peak just outside Colorado Springs, hoping the healing nature of the springs would ease her tuberculosis symptoms. But Crawford died in 1891 at age 28, and as per her wishes, was buried atop nearby Red Mountain. But her coffin was moved to the southwest slope of the mountain in 1912 due to construction of a railroad track incline.

In 1929, the coffin, dislodged by heavy rains and erosion, slid down the mountain and into the canyon where it was found by a couple of young boys. Crawford eventually was reburied in a cemetery in town.

Today, teams of five honor that journey every year around Halloween. Each team consists of one “Emma”—riding in a custom-built coffin—and four costumed runners racing the coffin down the Manitou Avenue course.

The decorated coffins must be at least 2 feet wide by 5 feet long and no larger than 3 feet, 10 inches wide by 8 feet long (with no height restriction, a team could theoretically race a very narrow 11-story coffin down a street in central Colorado). The runners (or pushers) guide the coffin using four handles or push-pull bars on the front and rear of the coffin as they race the 585-foot course in sets of two-team heats

Approximately 10,000 people will gather to watch 70 teams participate in Saturday’s festivities, which have grown dramatically since the event’s first running in 1995.

“They started with eight coffins,” Brittany Tafoya of the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau told The Gazette. “It’s really just a local thing they didn’t expect to go boom.”

And while the event is part of an overall celebration, complete with a hearse parade, costumes, prizes, and the like, it’s still a competition. And thus, there are rules—some of which are included here (along with our own comments):

•At least three of the four runners must remain in contact with the coffin at all times until the coffin has come to a complete stop after crossing the finish line. Nobody wants a runaway coffin.

•Functional steering mechanisms are prohibited, giving a distinct advantage to Google’s self-driving coffin.

•No team substitutions are allowed between heats, though race officials have the authority to allow a sub in the case of injury. Being struck by a fast-moving coffin does seem reasonable grounds for legal substitution.

•Each team must provide its own “Emma.” Each Emma must wear a helmet while in her coffin. After all, coffin mortality rates typically are high.

•Teams are responsible for transporting their coffins to and from the race. Teams must also participate in the parade of coffins portion of the celebration. It's unclear whether they must keep their hazard lights on.

•Protests must be made within 10 minutes of the end of the heat. Ties may or may not be described as “dead heats.”

•Participants must conduct themselves to the highest standards of behavior and sportsmanship. This is a coffin race, after all.

•Coffin race officials may disqualify any coffin they believe is dangerous. Further, all participants must sign waivers before the event. This is coffin racing, after all!

Race winners earn trophies, and awards are also given for Best Emma, Best Entourage, and Best Coffin. The festivities kick off at noon MT on Saturday.

Sports

A Kenyan inventor's niece was born deaf so he made a glove that turns sign language into speech

via Honor Africans / Twitter

The problem with American Sign Language (ASL) is that over 500,000 people in the U.S. use it, but the country has over 330 million people.

So for those with hearing loss, the chances of coming into contact with someone who uses the language are rare. Especially outside of the deaf community.

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Bill Gates explaining the internet to a smug David Letterman in 1995 is hilarious in hindsight

Looking back, the year 1995 seems like such an innocent time. America was in the midst of its longest streak of peace and prosperity. September 11, 2001 was six years away, and the internet didn't seem like much more than a passing fad.

Twenty-four years ago, 18 million U.S. homes had modem-equipped computers, 7 million more than the year before. Most logged in through America Online where they got their email or communicated with random strangers in chat rooms.

According to a Pew Research study that year, only 32% of those who go online say they would miss it "a lot" if no longer available.

Imagine what those poll numbers would look like if the question was asked today.

RELATED: Bill and Melinda Gates had a surprising answer when asked about a 70 percent tax on the wealthiest Americans

"Few see online activities as essential to them, and no single online feature, with the exception of E-Mail, is used with any regularity," the Pew article said. "Consumers have yet to begin purchasing goods and services online, and there is little indication that online news features are changing traditional news consumption patterns."

"Late Night" host David Letterman had Microsoft founder and, at that time the richest man in the world, on his show for an interview in '95 to discuss the "the big new thing."

During the interview Letterman chided Gates about the usefulness of the new technology, comparing it to radio and tape recorders.

Gates seems excited by the internet because it will soon allow people to listen to a baseball game on their computer. To which Letterman smugly replies, "Does radio ring a bell?" to laughter from the crowd.

But Gates presses Letterman saying that the new technology allows you to listen to the game "whenever you want," to which Letterman responds, "Do tape recorders ring a bell?"

Gates then tells Letterman he can keep up with the latest in his favorite hobbies such as cigar smoking or race cars through the internet. Letterman shuts him down saying that he reads about his interests in magazines.

RELATED: Bill Gates has five books he thinks you should read this summer.

The discussion ends with the two laughing over meeting like-minded people in "troubled loner chat room on the internet."

The clip brings to mind a 1994 segment on "The Today Show" where host Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric have a similar discussion.

"What is internet anyway?" an exasperated Gumball asks. "What do you write to it like mail?"

"It's a computer billboard but it's nationwide and it's several universities all joined together and it's getting bigger and bigger all the time," a producer explains from off-stage.





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Culture

We're finally starting to take climate change seriously, survey finds

Photo by Li-An Lim on Unsplash

The future generations will have to live on this Earth for years to come, and, not surprisingly, they're very concerned about the fate of our planet. We've seen a rise in youth activists, such as Greta Thunberg, who are raising awareness for climate change. A recent survey indicates that those efforts are working, as more and more Americans (especially young Americans) feel concerned about climate change.

A new CBS News poll found that 70% of Americans between 18 and 29 feel climate change is a crisis or a serious problem, while 58% of Americans over the age of 65 share those beliefs. Additionally, younger generations are more likely to feel like it's their personal responsibility to address climate change, as well as think that transitioning to 100% renewable energy is viable. Overall, 25% of Americans feel that climate change is a "crisis," and 35% feel it is a "serious problem." 10% of Americans said they think climate change is a minor problem, and 16% of Americans feel it is not a problem that worries them.

The poll found that concern for the environment isn't a partisan issue – or at least when it comes to younger generations. Two-thirds of Republicans under the age of 45 feel that addressing climate change is their duty, sentiments shared by only 38% of Republicans over the age of 45.

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