Peregrine Falcons are the largest hawk in the Americas and seen on pretty much every continent except Antarctica. Their length ranges from 14.2-19.3 inches and their wingspan ranges from 39.4-43.3 inches, however, females are typically larger than males. These birds are probably most well known for their S-E-C speed. National Geographic notes that they are “formidable hunters that prey on other birds and bats in mid-flight. Peregrines hunt from above and, after sighting their prey, drop into a steep, swift dive that can top 200 miles an hour.” These beautiful birds can also fly long distances outside of nesting season with the possibility of flying up to 15,500 miles a year!

On another note, I have noticed some airlines have been offering ‘flights to nowhere’ as a way of boosting sales while the airline industry recovers from the pandemic. It’s not really my cup of tea but it seems like a lot of people are hopping onboard for these adventures because they are getting sold out in Australia (see article below). I just feel like it’s better to paid the same price and end up in a different and hopefully more exciting location.

What are your thoughts on this? Would you consider taking one of these flights in the United States or anywhere else in the world? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.

I will continue the animal of the week feature here so feel free to suggest more animals and who knows...your pick might be selected in the next Thursday Flakes.

That’s all for now...onto Flakes.

Frosted Flakes

Nebraska Picked Last in Big Ten Projections | Basketball | Corn Nation

Believe it or not we have early projections out now for college basketball. Lindy’s Sports released projections for the Big Ten, Andy Katz released his preseason top-36, and Lunardi has the latest bracketology projections. Let’s start off first with the Big Ten projections from Lindy’s.

Mailbag: What One Trait Might Get Nebraska Over the Hump? | Sports | Hail Varsity

Hail Varsity staff members Mike Babcock, Jacob Padilla, Greg Smith, Erin Sorensen and Brandon Vogel tackle your questions about the latest news in Husker Nation.

Division Crown Odds, Passing Over/Unders, Other Husker Prop Bets | Football | Hail Varsity

With football confirmed to be on the horizon in the Big Ten, the oddsmakers at SportsBettingDime.com have put out a ton of Big Ten-related prop bets, odds, and over/unders for the year ahead. Ohio State is the favorite to win the conference. Shocker. But there’s plenty of interesting Husker odds.

McKewon: Big Ten Football is Coming Back. Here Are Some Early Storylines to Watch | Basketball | Omaha World-Herald

For starters: How does each Big Ten program frame this season? What’s the internal focus? Every team wants to win every game, but only a few are equipped to reasonably expect it in a pandemic-shortened season.

Huskers Planning to Hold College Basketball Tournament in Lincoln | Basketball | Omaha World-Herald

Nebraska’s in-season tournament was supposed to be the Myrtle Beach Invitational, an eight-team event held the weekend before Thanksgiving. ESPN, which controls the event, moved it and seven other tournaments to its complex at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, where the NBA and MLS conducted bubbles.

Sipple: Let’s Talk Football — What Exactly is Nebraska Facing in Those First Four Games? | Football | Lincoln Journal Star

Urban Meyer’s analysis of his former team Saturday during Fox’s pregame show surely elicited double-takes all over the college landscape. Did he really say Ohio State’s offense has 11 NFL-caliber players? Yes, he did. Wonder if Nebraska defensive coordinator Erik Chinander heard Meyer say that.

Nebraska Player Akana Finds Volleyball Therapeutic After Twice Having Surgery For Brain Tumors | Volleyball | Lincoln Journal Star

Akana had been healthy before the first brain tumor came out of nowhere, just before her freshman year of high school. The volleyball tryouts at her high school included a 1½-mile run, so Akana was training in the summer to do that when she fainted after a training run. That’s when she was taken to the hospital, and the brain tumor was discovered.

Three Husker Football Players Charged With Misdemeanors For Loud Party | Football | Lincoln Journal Star

Huskers John Bullock, Cooper Jewett and Caden McCormack and their roommate, Carter Durbin, all are set to go to court on the misdemeanors Oct. 13. Lincoln police say they ticketed the four after a neighbor called about a loud party at a home on the northwest edge of town shortly after 11:30 p.m. September 11.

Travel

50 States, 50 Cuisines: The Food Worth Traveling For In Every State | Travel | Conde Nast Traveler

Our goal was to highlight a cuisine worth traveling to each state for, much of which you truly can’t get anywhere else. In some cases, it was so hard to choose that we included an honorable mention.

The Untold Stories of Oklahoma’s Historic Black Towns | Travel | Conde Nast Traveler

Oklahoma was once home to more historical all-Black towns than any other place in the United States. Once totaling more than 50, that number stands at 13 today.

Ellicott City Maryland: Is This The New Main Street, USA? | Travel | BBC

The town’s small historical center is largely white and working class, with a lot of families who have lived here for generations. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows each other, where people deliver homemade casseroles to their neighbors and where you check in on those you didn’t see at church. It is, perhaps, the essence of Americana on a 3,000-person scale.

Finland Using Dogs in Helsinki Airport to Detect Coronavirus | Travel | Forbes

Travelers who agree to the screening will swab their own necks to produce a sweat sample which will be passed to dogs through an opening in a wall in a process that should take less than one minute. Those checked by the dogs will then be encouraged to take a standard test to verify the accuracy of the determination.

Air Canada Offers An Unlimited Flight Pass | Travel | Lonely Planet

Prices start at $2000 per month (excluding taxes), passes are available for one, two or three months. The passes allow for an unlimited number of flights, which can be booked up to one hour prior to the flight, with no blackout dates or booking restrictions, and no change or cancellation fees.

Numerous Airlines Now Offering Flights to Nowhere | Travel | Travel Pulse

The seven-hour scenic flight on Qantas will perform a giant loop taking in Queensland and the Gold Coast, New South Wales and the country’s remote outback heartlands. Fliers should be able to spot famous Aussie attractions including Sydney Harbour and the Great Barrier Reef. The jet will do a low flyover over certain landmarks, including Uluru and Bondi Beach. Special onboard entertainment is promised too, including a surprise celebrity host.

Half of Americans Feel Comfortable Traveling This Fall | Travel | Travel Pulse

Two-thirds of respondents said that they plan on going to visit friends and family, while 58 percent said they’re planning to road-trip somewhere within the U.S. Survey responses made it clear that outdoor activities are preferred amid the pandemic, including visiting national or state parks (33 percent), viewing colorful fall foliage (30 percent) and hiking or biking (28 percent).

Hawaii is the Happiest State of 2020 | Travel | Travel and Leisure

By looking at each of the 50 states with 32 metrics, the results gave top honors to the nation’s 50th state, followed by Utah, Minnesota, New Jersey, Maryland, California, North Dakota, Iowa, Idaho, and Connecticut.

National Park in Thailand Mails Trash Back to Campers Who Littered | Travel | Travel and Leisure

Some campers in Thailand’s Khao Yai National Park are being reminded of their trashy behavior during their visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site, located about 100 miles northeast of Bangkok. Government officials have packaged up the garbage they left behind and mailed it back to them — to stress the importance of not littering in the natural environment.

How Greece Is Rethinking Its Once Bustling Tourism Industry | Travel | National Geographic

Greece is expecting a 70 percent decrease in visitor numbers by the end of this tourist season. Islands such as Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes, which depend on mass tourism and a more international crowd, will be the hardest hit. Whereas islands such as Ikaria, lesser known to foreign tourists, may actually end up faring much better.

Australia’s Forgotten Other ‘Great Reef’ | Travel | BBC

Tasmania’s giant kelp forests formed part of what’s known as the Great Southern Reef, a vast system of temperate rocky reefs stretching some 8,000km from Kalbarri in Western Australia, down and around Australia’s rugged southern coast and Tasmania and up into northern New South Wales. Despite 70% of Australia’s population living within 50km of the Great Southern Reef, most people have never heard of it

Jamaica’s Port Royal: The Wickedest City On Earth? | Travel | BBC

While Port Royal is now a relatively quiet fishing village at the end of a 29km sandbar extending out from Kingston, in the late 17th Century its reputation was so nefarious that it was considered by many to be “the wickedest city on Earth”. Controlled by the Spanish for more than 150 years due to its strategic location, Jamaica was attacked by an English expeditionary force in 1655 and quickly turned into a profitable possession.

Stuff You Should Read

It’s Now Possible to Defect Counterfeit Whiskey Without Opening the Bottle | Spirits | Ars Technica

A 2018 study subjected 55 randomly selected bottles from auctions, private collectors, and retailers to radiocarbon dating and found that 21 of them were either outright fakes or not distilled in the year claimed on the label. Ten of those fakes were supposed to be single-malt scotches from 1900 or earlier.

The Time We Almost Nuked the Moon | History | Digital Trends

The plan, dubbed Project A119 (and kept top-secret until it was revealed by a former NASA executive in 2000), was to detonate a nuclear bomb in a crater on the lunar surface to study the effects of the blast, which would give scientists an idea of the geology of the moon, and in the process, also provide the Soviets with a terrifying demonstration of what America’s weapons could do.

Nanoclay: The Liquid Turning Desert to Farmland | Future | BBC

Much of the research and development of the nanoclay solution has been dedicated to finding a carefully balanced thin liquid formula that can easily percolate through the tiny particles of local soil, but does not drain so fast that it freely seeps out and is lost altogether. The aim is to treat the magic 10-20cm (4-8in) of soil that sits in and below the root zone of standard crops.

Ancient Wolves That Played With Humans Likely Evolved Into Today’s Friendly Dogs | Animals | National Geographic

Tens of thousands of years ago, our ancestors sought out wild canines with a frisky streak that lives on in modern dogs—particularly herding and hunting breeds.

33 Things I Stole From People Smarter Than Me | Life | Medium

Throughout my career, I’ve had the fortune of meeting bestselling authors, successful entrepreneurs, investors, executives, and creative people. They’ve offered me some of their best advice, which I’ve eagerly taken.

The Best Places to Live in America | Life | Money

From burgeoning tech hubs to historic New England hamlets, these towns offer great jobs — and homes you can really afford.

Peregrine Falcons

Last But Not Least