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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Calendar: Thursday, Oct. 9 Ashland land use rule review continues Council backs bump in tax to support buses Travel expert touts pot legalization From 'drug house' to spa Education Building + cooking + eating = learning Students to 'Read More For Jack Dorr' Budget committee members needed Fighting back against hackers SOU wants its students to love Ashland Environment Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in the mix Marijuana growers are threat to salmon, biologists conclude Annual tour shows how to live green Taking action here, now on global climate change Garden serves up a feast fit for monarchs Business Ashland land use rule review continues From 'drug house' to spa Universal Rites Tattoo Greg Zyla: 1959 430 V-8 Thunderbird owner seeks information Silvio Calabi: Nissan’s Taxi of Tomorrow Politics and elections Ashland land use rule review continues Council backs bump in tax to support buses Travel expert touts pot legalization Videos of local candidate forums airing now on TV Election officials fine Richardson for late reporting of rent-free home State News Nation - World Obituaries Lester "Les" Nugent No farewells were spoken Death Notices Norman Kenneth Mainwaring Death Notices Sports Latest Stories Ashland eases past Eagle Point again, keeps streak alive Balanced Grizzlies shred Comets in MWL blowout It ain't over 'til it's over in the Pac-12 SOU volleyball team up to No. 11 SOU offense looks to catch up with defense in final home stand High school Ashland eases past Eagle Point again, keeps streak alive Balanced Grizzlies shred Comets in MWL blowout SOU volleyball team up to No. 11 Grizzlies keep rolling in MWL opener Pitcher Guthrie's donation boosts new field fund Southern Oregon University Ashland eases past Eagle Point again, keeps streak alive It ain't over 'til it's over in the Pac-12 SOU volleyball team up to No. 11 SOU offense looks to catch up with defense in final home stand No. 11 SOU heads to Klamath Falls with eyes on first place Opinion Latest Stories Our View: A delicate balance downtown Letters to the Editor, Oct. 9 Into the heart of darkness Letters to the Editor, Oct. 8 Granlund cartoon: Border signs Editorial Our View: A delicate balance downtown Our View: Great public effort makes for great public space Our View: Our View SOU control shifts downstate Our view: SOU reaches out to downtown Letters Letters to the Editor, Oct. 9 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 8 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 7 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 6 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 3 Guest opinions Into the heart of darkness Herb Rothschild: Peace begins at the table City still ignores Plaza suggestions Us versus them Remembering a very prominent local lady Revels Latest Stories Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Works in progress (No heading) Southern Oregon Pride Festival celebrates diversity 'Gone Girl' is a dark, twisting winner Theater Camelot Theatre presents 'Spotlight on Johnny Mercer' Southern Oregon hosts its Lunacy Theatre Festival Friends of Jim Giancarlo remember Ashland theater icon Music Q&A: Band du Pays Swing The Farr Side: Bennett-Gaga collaboration is a cross-generational gem Rogue Valley Symphony opens its 2014-15 season Q&A: Nacosta Muscian's career spins back through Ashland Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Gone Girl' is a dark, twisting winner Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas New script for film ordinance sent back to rewrite Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories 5 Things to Do This Weekend (Oct. 10-12) Lost in Suburbia: Scaring up a good Halloween costume How to create a fashionable painted floor cloth Dear Monty: 7 prepping tips for home showings Dave Ramsey: Should we rehab home to sell it? Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Our View: A delicate balance downtown ... Into the heart of darkness ... Calendar: Oct. 8 ... Our View: A delicate balance downtown ... Into the heart of darkness ... Calendar: Oct. 8 ... Kent Bush: Bubble Boy meets Forrest Gump By Kent Bush More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Oct. 7, 2014 @ 6:40 am By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Oct. 7, 2014 @ 6:40 am » Social News All hope is lost. An Iranian exile who received asylum in the United States was trying his best to restore that hope and raise money for children in need, but he failed. Modern-day “Bubble Boy meets Forrest Gump” Reza Baluchi received asylum in the United States a little more than a decade ago. Since then, he has been doing a lot of interesting things, like extreme distance running. He even ran all the way across Death Valley in 2010. He has run all the way around the perimeter of United States. But the one task he couldn’t complete was running more than 1,000 miles between Miami and Bermuda. Yes, running through the Bermuda Triangle is challenging. Open water and foot traffic just don’t mix. But Baluchi had a plan. He designed a device that was part hamster ball, part paddleboat to help him make it across. I had a hard time imagining someone completing this trek because of little things like having to eat, sleep, breathe and other things our bodies do that you wouldn’t want to do in a hamster ball. But Baluchi’s Hydro Pod had openings on the side that allowed him to jump out when the temperatures in the ball rose over 120 degrees. He could swim in the ocean while tethered to his home away from home. I assume other things happened in the ocean as well that we don’t want details about. The big ball was apparently equipped with a hammock for his morning naps during calm seas. That’s a big ball and must have taken a lot of energy to propel, even with paddles on the outside and soccer balls in the rails to increase its seaworthiness. As for eating, Baluchi said on his website that he is a great fisherman and would catch fish to eat when he became hungry. I can’t see how a campfire could have worked on the pod so I guess we’re talking about sushi. Even as bad as that would be, he couldn’t have had that much success fishing in open waters with severe gear and bait limitations. I’ve gone fishing with a guide on great fishing lakes several times. Only once did I enjoy any real success. This guy is going to shove a makeshift rod out a hole in a bubble in the ocean and hope to catch enough fish to survive. Baluchi brought along a lot of water and homemade protein bars to supplement his sushi intake. Something tells me he was going to need a lot of protein bars. In addition to running enough to make it from Miami to Bermuda, Baluchi was going to have to pump air into his device for an hour a day to stay afloat. Despite the obvious difficulties associated with the trip, Baluchi said he was confident of his ability to make the journey because he had crossed Death Valley in 2010. While planning water breaks and rest stops in a desert is tough, the sand in the Death Valley doesn’t move in the opposite direction and there are no gas stations in the Bermuda Triangle. Baluchi’s folly ended this weekend as the Coast Guard had to come in and rescue him – lost and disoriented only 70 miles and three days into his improbable journey. I hope the needy children served by his charity Plant Unity did better than American taxpayers who footed the bill for rescuers using planes, helicopters and boats that cost thousands of dollars per hour to operate in order to locate and rescue the runner in his hamster ball. This was the second time in his three day tour that the Coast Guard had to contact him. The first time, he turned down their help because he had practiced for two years to complete the task. Two years of practice resulted in three days of futility and failure. Baluchi is upset because he says he wasn’t really disoriented – although he had been spotted on day one asking for directions to Bermuda - and “accidentally” turned on his GPS rescue beacon. He is also worried about his glorified floating hamster ball – which the Coast Guard abandoned because apparently they don’t consider themselves the AAA of the open seas, responsible for towing ridiculous modes of transportation back to shore. That thing is probably making a lot better time now as the strong currents push it to the north. Doing a little math, Bubble Boy made it 70 miles in three days. That isn’t a horrible effort. However, at that pace, he would have reached Bermuda in six weeks. As nice as Thanksgiving would have been in Bermuda, the chances he could have made it that far are slim. He is lucky to have failed sooner rather than later so that at least he could just be embarrassed and not dead. The moral of this story is simple and true. Everything is impossible until someone accomplishes it. Some things are impossible because trying to accomplish them is pointless and reckless. By Kent Bush More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Oct. 7, 2014 @ 6:40 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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