‘I was kind of numb’: Waukegan Polar Bear Plunge rolls on in subzero weather
January 2, 2018 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
Comments Off
“Freezin’ for a reason.”
That’s how Waukegan spokesman David Motley described the scene at the 19th Annual Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s Day at Municipal Beach, where temperatures were below zero.
It was so cold on Monday that organizers of Lake Michigan plunges in Kenosha and North Avenue Beach in Chicago decided to cancel their events, but in Waukegan, waves of a dozen or so people at a time plunged into the icy water that had been opened up by a backhoe from the public works department earlier that morning.
People raced into the thigh-deep water and gave Waukegan Fire Department divers in cold-water gear a quick high five before dunking themselves completely or running the 30 feet back to the beach and nearby warming tents.
National Weather Service in Chicago issued a wind-chill warning for northeastern Illinois that ran from 9 p.m. New Year’s Eve through noon on Monday, calling for “very cold (to) dangerous levels” of minus 25 degrees to minus 35 on 10- to 15-mph winds out of the west/northwest.
The reported air temperature in Waukegan dipped to minus 7 degrees shortly after the arrival of the new year and improved only slightly to minus 5 for the start of the plunge. According to the weather service, water temperatures along the Chicago end of Lake Michigan stood at 33 degrees.
Julie Schneider, recreation manager for the Waukegan Park District, said organizers had nearly 100 participants pre-register for the 10 a.m. event, and then a steady stream of people signed up during the hour the plunge was held.
“Last year, we had over 300 plungers and raised $7,500. We’ve tried to figure out why the numbers go up and down every year, but there is no reason. Some of the coldest plunges attract the most people,” she said.
Schneider said the Polar Bear Plunge has been raising money for participants in Special Recreation Services of Northern Lake County programs. The fundraiser is a partnership between the Waukegan Park District and the city of Waukegan, and funds also support non-athletic programs like outings to zoos, restaurants and movie theaters for special recreation participants.
Waukegan residents Gerardo Pedraza and Erick Bravo, both 16, came down to the lakefront last year just to watch.
“It’s always been a thing that we say we’re going to do it next year. We decided to do it this year,” said Pedraza. Bravo said he was questioning his decision once they hit the lakefront.
“Should I really be doing this right now? I was cold in my bedroom,” he said.
After they plunged, they raced back into the warming tent. Was it what they expected?
“I was kind of numb,” said Pedraza as he shivered and peeled off his wet clothing.
“Yes,” was all Bravo had to say as he worked to get the wet clothes off.
Nearby, Rich Clay, 55, of Libertyville said this was his eighth trip into the icy waters.
“I just love it, because it’s exhilarating and it’s for a good cause. It’s a great way to raise money,” he said. “I wouldn’t miss it. It’s amazing! I loved it!”
Mayor Sam Cunningham came out to thank the plungers. “This is what Waukegan is all about,” he said, thanking all the various city departments involved and members of the Citizen Police Academy who volunteered to work the event.
Joann Flores-Deter, who grew up in Waukegan but now lives in Evanston, said she has made all 19 plunges and is known as the official Plunge-Meister. She paraded around before the official start with a bright blue bathroom plunger in her hand.
When she told the mayor that no matter where she is at, she always returns for this event, the mayor said he loved her commitment so much he pledged a donation on the spot.
“The mayor is donating $100. If you can do this, then I want to make a donation,” he said.
“Give me a polar bear hug,” Cunningham told her as they embraced at the viewing stage.
Rhonda Avila of Waukegan came down to view the plunge for the first time this year, and her husband, daughter and son had already retreated to the car in the parking lot. But her nieces — Taylor Humphries, 11, and Tahilia Melcher, 8 — were still toughing it out with her near the viewing stand.
“Oh my lord, this is so much fun. This is a great way to start the year off,” Avila said. She added that seven years ago, her daughter was born on New Year’s Day, so she decided to come down to the lakefront to see what the Jan. 1 event was all about.
Humphries said “it’s really awesome that these people are taking the time to do good things for other people.” Asked if she would join them some day, she said, “That’s crazy. Ah, no.”
Melcher was impressed.
“I think it’s amazing how people could do this in the cold water,” she said. “No,” was her quick response when asked if she would join them.
This year’s biggest donor was Eric Romero, a Metra conductor from Waukegan who raised $2,020 and was still expecting another $100 to come in on Tuesday from co-workers.
“My biggest donation came from Local 281 SMART United Transportation Union,” Romero said. “I wanted my kids (Alex, 8, and Daniel, 2) to see people doing things for other people. I think too many kids can be selfish.”
Romero recounted how he was $2 from hitting the $2,000 mark at Christmas, and his son Alex decided to donate the $2 he won on a lottery scratch-off ticket he got for the holiday.
“We’re proud of these guys,” said Romero’s wife, Denice.
Back on the beach, Lupe Nunez and Magda Parado, both of Waukegan, surveyed the water.
“It’s a beautiful view, actually. This is gorgeous,” said Nunez as a light steam floated up off the water, and ice and clouds were scattered on the horizon.
“This is becoming our tradition,” said Prado. “It’s an exciting way to start the New Year.”
Share and Enjoy
As Iranian Protesters Dig In, Officials Warn of Harsher Response
January 2, 2018 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
Comments Off
On Monday, a crackdown by the government and security services was building, and riot police officers with water cannons were out in full force in Tehran, the capital.
The death toll from the clashes was up to at least 12, and in the central province of Esfahan, one police officer was reported killed and three wounded in a gunfight. “An agitator exploited the current situation, and using a hunting rifle, opened fire on police forces,” state television reported.
In all, about 200 people have so far been arrested in Tehran alone since the protests began Thursday, one security official told Iran’s ISNA news agency. There were arrests in provincial towns as well.
Mr. Rouhani has urged demonstrators to avoid violence but defended their right to protest. He did so again on Monday on Twitter.
“People want to talk about economic problems, corruption and lack of transparency in the function of some of the organs and want the atmosphere to be more open,” he wrote. “The requests and demands of the people should be taken note of.”
The protests are not just the largest in Iran since 2009. They also suggest a rejiggering of some traditional divisions.
People who live in rural provinces long viewed as supporters of the authorities are now leading most of the demonstrations. And while people in Tehran have also taken to the street, the capital is not the epicenter of the protests, as it was during the so-called Green Movement in 2009. In Tehran, many middle-class Iranians share the discontent but also fear insecurity.
Credit
Iranian Presidency, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The frustrations that led to the protests also appear different from the sentiments in 2009.
That year, a wave of demonstrations broke out after the contested election of a hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and then turned into a wider protest movement against Iran’s leaders.
Advertisement
Continue reading the main story
This time, it is the failure of President Rouhani, a moderate, to deliver greater political changes and economic opportunity, despite the lifting of some of the sanctions against Iran as part of the nuclear deal. Young people are especially angry. The average age of those arrested is under 25, one official said.
The poor economy especially affects Iran’s young people — more than 50 percent of the population is under 30, according to official statistics. Officially, youth unemployment is near 20 percent, but experts say it is really closer to 40 percent.
When the protests started last Thursday in the city of Mashhad, demonstrators chanted slogans about the weak economy.
But as the protests spread, they have taken on a far more political cast. Increasingly, they are being directed at Iran’s entire political establishment. Some demonstrators have even called for the death of Mr. Rouhani and of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The strength and volatility of the protests have caught Iranian politicians by surprise. Some have denounced them as “riots,” while others have acknowledged that the widespread frustrations at their root can no longer be ignored.
On Monday in Tehran, the atmosphere was tense and security forces were out in large numbers. Protest occurred sporadically, with people shouting slogans and leaving. The day before, protesters in provincial towns tried to storm police stations, military and installations, and also attacked a seminary, state television reported, showing footage of burned cars and fires.
Protests have taken place in at least half a dozen cities, including Karaj, Qazvin, Qaemshahr, Dorud and Tuyserkan, it said.
Newsletter Sign Up
Continue reading the main story
Thank you for subscribing.
An error has occurred. Please try again later.
You are already subscribed to this email.
Access to the Telegram messaging app and the Instagram photo and video sharing app continued to be blocked by the authorities, cutting of the main communication tool for protesters. Special software used to circumvent the government filters could still be downloaded easily. And on Monday, as on other days, there were calls for protests online and on foreign-based Persian-language satellite channels.
Advertisement
Continue reading the main story
Some residents said they were determined to continue the demonstrations, and several hundred gathered at central squares.
While the numbers of protesters in Tehran was small on Monday, the discontent was widespread. Many people on the streets complained about high prices, corruption and lack of change.
“We need to improve our economy, and the people’s voices must be heard,” said a 28-year-old woman, a piano teacher in Tehran, who asked not to be named out of fear of repercussions. “I’ll go out tonight again.”
Many youths in larger cities enthusiastically voted for Mr. Rouhani when he was re-elected in May, raising expectations among many in the reform camp. But since then even many of the president’s supporters say he has failed to fulfill his promises for improving an economy sorely hobbled by years of sanctions, corruption and mismanagement.
Credit
Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Even the lifting of economic sanctions under Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with large foreign powers including the United States has not unleashed the growth Mr. Rouhani had hoped for, as key sectors of the economy remain under the thumb of obscure powers, including religious foundations and the country’s Revolutionary Guards. There is mismanagement and widespread corruption in all levels of the state apparatus.
Beyond that, the United States has continued other sanctions, making it still harder for Mr. Rouhani to make gains.
The economic frustrations do not appear to have been offset by the greater social freedoms that the president has granted young people. Under Mr. Rouhani, strict Islamic rules have been somewhat relaxed. Concerts have been allowed, and the morals police are largely off the streets. Illegal parties are usually no longer raided, although there have been exceptions.
But there is a wide gap between Iran’s changing and modernizing society and Iranian leaders who insist on keeping up their anti-Western policies and the state interpretation of Islam.
Advertisement
Continue reading the main story
Mr. Rouhani’s decision not to include any women in his cabinet and his failure to put the relaxation of the rules into law have made many bitter.
The president has complained that power centers dominated by hard-liners have blocked many of his plans and decisions. Now, some protesters are venting their frustrations at the political and clerical establishment.
In Takestan, west of Tehran, several people were arrested after attacking a seminary, the Iranian news media reported. In Karaj, also close to Tehran, a gas station was burned, a witness reported.
Earlier on Monday, the semiofficial ILNA news agency quoted Hedayatollah Khademi, a representative for the town of Izeh, in Iran’s oil-rich but poor Khuzestan region, as saying two people had died there on Sunday night. He said the cause of death was not immediately known.
State television announced that 10 people had died on Sunday, but did not provide a location. “Some armed protesters tried to take over some police stations and military bases but faced serious resistance from security forces,” a presenter said.
“Illegal protests continued last night in several cities with less protesters participating, but they were as violent and turbulent, making residents of these cities concerned about their and their businesses’ security,” the state television report said.
The videos showed burned cars, fires and wreckage on the pavement. The report also showed a fire-brigade vehicle that was said to have been seized by protesters in Dorud, Lorestan Province.
By Monday evening, riot police officers belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps waited in an alley near Tehran’s city theater for a potential protest to start, as men and women anxiously walked the sidewalks. Others, families and couples, cruised around the area in cars. Many were young people.
“They want to start, but there is too many police,” one taxi driver said, looking at hundreds of people, and even more security forces. Plainclothes officers on motorcycles zipped by. Buses stood ready to take potential troublemakers into custody.
Continue reading the main story