Tournament of Roses Trivia

On Monday, January 2, 2012, millions of television viewers and quite a few in-person, on-the-ground spectators will have a chance to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade, one of the bigger total wastes of time, money and effort in the entire United States.

There will be:
43 floats competing for 24 awards, sponsored by corporations and various California cities
21 marching bands
18 equestrian events involving 400 horses
500 gallons of glue used to attach 18 million flowers to the floats.

The Tournament of Roses is the largest consumer of flowers in the world. One square foot of float covering requires: 20 daisies or 30 roses or 36 marigolds. It takes 60 volunteers working 10 hours a day for 10 days to decorate one float.

And then there is the small matter of dissing God Himself. Which is more beautiful in your eyes? Flowers as they are naturally in a garden or vase or flowers used to construct such as:

A working roller coaster
A car that turns into a spaceship
A group of dinosauers standing around a 20 ft. volcano that spews flames 10 ft. into the air
A nearly 100 ft. tall Twilight Zone of Terror

If you voted for these dubious-sounding floats, you will probably have sufficient time to study them in their infinite detail -- one or more floats always break down, spewing pollutants (and sometimes fire) and wasting gas as any others behind the break-down sit idly, engines on and running.