According to the April 11, 2009 online edition of the Seattle Times:
"Three Sherpa brothers hoping to set a new record by spending 24 hours at the top of the world set out Sunday for the summit of Mount Everest.
The trio - Pemba Dorje, 31; Nima Gyalzen, 23; and Phurba Tenzing, 20 - boarded a plane in Katmandu, Nepal's capital, and flew to a small airport on the foothills of Everest. They were expected to trek to the base camp with their team, climbing gear and supplies in the next few days.
The brothers plan to reach the 29,035-foot (8,850-meter) summit in May and spend 24 hours at the top, known as "the death zone" because of the extreme weather. Most climbers linger there for only a few minutes, just long enough to take a photograph.
Several friends and supporters of the brothers gathered at the airport to wish them success.
"It is going to be difficult, but we are confident because all of us have reached the Everest summit many times and we are all experienced climbers on the mountain," Dorje told reporters at the airport.
At the summit, they will face extreme cold weather, low air pressure, brain-starving low levels of oxygen, high winds and blizzard conditions.
The last record was set by Babu Chhiri, who spent 21 hours at the summit in 1999. A veteran mountaineer, he died in 2001 during an expedition
The brothers said they planned to pray, take notes of the changing temperatures and the effect they have on human bodies.
Dorje holds the record for the fastest climb of the world's highest mountain, sprinting from a base camp to the summit in just eight hours 10 minutes.
Sherpa tribesmen were mostly yak herders and traders living in the Himalayas until Nepal opened its borders to tourism in 1950. Their stamina and knowledge of the mountains makes them expert guides and porters.
They typically have no family name and are called after the days of the week they are born."
Did they succeed?
Yes and no.
The May 27, 2009 online edition of the NepalMountainNews unfortunately reported:
"Three Sherpa brothers who were eying to set a new world record by staying atop Mt. Everest for 24 hours have abandoned the effort and have returned from Camp 2, their expedition organizer said Tuesday.
Speed climber Pemba Dorje Sherpa, who set the record for the fastest climb of the 8,848-meter peak on May 21, 2004 when he clocked 8 hours and 10 minutes, returned from Camp 2, located at 6,600 meters, on Monday owing to bad weather, said Dambar Parajuli, Chief Executive Officer of Prestige Adventure that organized the expedition.
“They have abandoned the expedition,” Parajuli told myrepublica.com.
Pemba, 31, was vying to stay atop the peak for a full day without supplementary oxygen. He was accompanied by his younger brothers Nima Gyalzen, 23, and Phurba Tenzing, 20, who were also trying to stay the same duration atop the peak, but with supplementary oxygen.
All of them have returned to the Base Camp.
The record for most time atop the peak is currently held by Babu Chiri Sherpa, who spent 20 hours on top in 1999. Babu Chiri died in 2001 in an accident along the slopes of Mt. Everest.
The only new record set this climbing season was by Appa Sherpa, 49, who climbed the peak for the 19th time, breaking his own world record of 18 ascents."
So, "No", they did not succeed in their specific goal.
But, "Yes", they succeeded in many other ways.
- They inspired me, and I hope, you as well.
- They brought publicity to the Sherpas, long overlooked as mere "hired help" in the lore of Mount Everest climbs. The Sherpa's employers used to get all the glory.
- These three young men embarrassed me. The next time I wake up for work and moan about wishing I could sleep longer, I'll think about how my concern paled in comparison to the dangerous concerns these men face on every climb.
- In researching this attempt, I came across another outstanding group of Sherpa climbers. What sets this group apart is that they are all females. I quote from Dawa Yangzi, member of 2000 Nepali Sherpa Women's Climbing Team: "When we were young, my friends and I were in awe of Pasang Lhamu. I remember talking about how it would be great to get a chance to go to Everest. Some friends said women couldn't do it. I insisted that women could." I encourage you to read this account in full. click here to read more
Our world has its problems. Take the time to dream, and put those dreams into action. The Sherpas did. I honor them.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Exploring Sharjah
Sharjah is one of seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The term 'emirate' compares roughly to the old term 'shiekhdom'. It is the sixth of the seven that I have written about. To read about the emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, and Ras Al Khaimah, please see my posts dated February 13, 2009, Bye Bye, Dubai?, March 6, 2009, Exploring Abu Dhabi, April 3, 2009, Exploring Ajman, May 8, 2009, Exploring Fujairah, and June 12,2009 Exploring Ras Al Khaimah.
The Department of Seaports & Customs of the Government of Sharjah web site provides the following overview of Sharjah's commercial offerings:
"The Emirate of Sharjah has been associated with maritime trading in the Gulf for centuries. Today, that proud tradition is maintained through its three modern sea ports – Port Khalid and Hamriyah on the west coast on the Arabian Gulf and Khor Fakkan on the east coast on the Gulf of Oman.
The Emirate’s unique position enables it to benefit from these three maritime access points which are owned and managed by the Sharjah Government’s Department of Seaports & Customs.
The management team reports directly to His Highness the Ruler who takes an active interest in the ports’ development resulting in their modern construction, having been upgraded and improved constantly in line with increasing trade.
We handle all types of vessels with cargoes ranging from break-bulk to timber, logs, refrigerated, vehicles, Ro Ro, heavy lifts and containers for which the terminals are equipped with the latest ship-shore gantries and modern yard equipment. Two cold stores of 10,000 tons capacity are located at Port Khalid, where passenger ships call periodically and a regular passenger service operates to Iranian ports.
Our employees are especially trained and customer focused and port users receive personal and dedicated attention throughout our 24 hour operation."
The current world economic downturn made me imagine that such an energenic series of port facilities, with their associated support services, stores, maintenance, homes, et cetera would provide numerous well-paying jobs, leading to positive and prosperous career futures for Sharjah's citizens.
A Sharjah travel web site adds some history and cultural details:
"The Sharjah city is located on the west coast of United Arab Emirates. However, the Sharjah Emirate has been connected with both sides, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The city of Sharjah is renowned for its commitment to art, culture and the city has preserved the local heritage. In 1998, the city was rewarded as the ‘Cultural Capital of the Arab World’ by the UNESCO.
The history of Sharjah dates back to 5000 years when it was one of the wealthiest towns in the gulf region. At that time, the population of the city was very low and the income sources were associated with the economic activities such as trade, farming, hunting, fishing and peal (editor's note: probably 'pearl') farming.
In the 16th century, the town became little unstable as the Portuguese conquered area of the east coast in order to control the spice trade. The fort at Khor Fakkan, Kalba and Dibba were built during their command. After that Dutch tried to dominate the area for the same reason.
The 17th century was the turning point of city as British arrived in the region and started trading with Qawasim, the forefathers of present Sharjah ruling family. The area of Gulf and Red sea was preferred by Europeans for linking principal routes of communication between the Mediterranean and India.
In the early of 18th century, ruling Qawasim turned out to be a stronger marine power in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaima. In 1804, Sultan bin Saqr bin Rashid Al Qasimi became the Sheikh of Sharjah. This forefather of present ruler governed Sharjah for over 50 years.
At the end of 18th century, the relationships between Qawasim and British deteriorated as they blamed each other for attacks and misbehavior.
In 1809, the initial land based attacks by British were stopped. In the year 1820, the first of other peace treaties was signed assuring maritime peace, security and protection of British against any attacks for 150 years. Then the coast was known as Oman Peaceful Coast and Sheikhdoms of Oman as reconciled countries. Until the formation of United Arab Emirates in 1971, these names were attached to the relevant regions."
Would you expect a nation in the Middle East to promote vehicles that run on natural gas rather than on gasoline? Probably not. However, on July 1, 2009, the following article, entitled 'Street cleaning vehicles in Sharjah now run on natural gas', appeared on the Gulfnews web site:
Sharjah: Street sweeping vehicles in Sharjah are now using compressed natural gas in order to promote a healthier environment in the emirate.
"At present, we are supplying the gas to 300 of our vehicles and 20 vehicles that belong to other companies," said Tareq Rashid Deemas, Head of the Directorate of Gas at the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa).
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is the cleanest burning fuel, requires less vehicle maintenance and supports a longer engine life.
"Through this initiative we hope that it will encourage other companies to take on the responsibility of using environmentally friendly fuel, which will in turn make Sharjah a greener emirate."
CNG is the most suitable alternative to petrol as it does not release carbon dioxide, which in turn prevents further global warming.
He pointed out that Sewa is also planning to convert 85 per cent of its fleet to natural gas vehicles. CNG vehicles produce the fewest emissions of any fuel.
"We have set up the first natural gas station in the region with the intention of eliminating car emissions in the emirate, but this can only be done with the cooperation of all companies, whether private or publicly owned," said Deemas.
Sewa launched the first CNG station in the Halwan area, near the Sharjah Co-operative Society, in 2005 and initially only vehicles of Sewa were fitted with the converters to run on gas.
Converting a petrol engine to gas takes about a day and a half, and one canister lasts for about 140 kilometres."
Frankly, I was impressed. Aren't you?
I fear that many Americans see countries like the UAE as socially very conservative and not much fun for its inhabitants. Wrong! In researching Sharjah, I learned about various festivals and entertainment that put that stereotype to rest. Here is but a sampling:
- Sharjah Water Festival: The Sharjah water festival offers several activities that include sand sculpture competitions, water skiing, fireworks display and many more activities.
- Sharjah Arts Biennial: Since 1993, the Department of Culture and Information of Sharjah organizes international Art Biennial event in the city. This event is organized to encourage contacts between artists and art institutions of Arab countries. This event gives great opportunity to Arab artists to share their ideas, art with the artists coming from all around the world. The event is held in the months of April and June.
- The international book fair: The city of Sharjah hosts annual international book fair which is a popular event among the tourists. It takes place in beautifully landscaped Expo centre of Sharjah. The Emir of Sharjah personally takes interest in annual book fair event. Hundreds of publishers from all over the world come here to join this event.
- Sharjah Spring Festival: Every year, thousands of tourists visit Sharjah Spring Festival takes place in the month of January. The event is participated by over 1700 outlets selling variety of things. The promotions in the spring festival include special discounts, offers, fun and entertainment events and activities aimed at highlighting the tourism scene of Sharjah.
Besides these events, I counted 21 different sports that have events for the public in Sharjah - everything from cricket, bowling, and hockey, to snorkeling, powerboat racing, and wind surfing. I got winded just reading about the variety of entertainment available in Sharjah.
The best thing about the preceding information is that it will hopefully put to rest many negative stereotypes about countries like the United Arab Emirates.
The many that are good eclipses the few that are bad. Let's ALL keep that in mind.
The Department of Seaports & Customs of the Government of Sharjah web site provides the following overview of Sharjah's commercial offerings:
"The Emirate of Sharjah has been associated with maritime trading in the Gulf for centuries. Today, that proud tradition is maintained through its three modern sea ports – Port Khalid and Hamriyah on the west coast on the Arabian Gulf and Khor Fakkan on the east coast on the Gulf of Oman.
The Emirate’s unique position enables it to benefit from these three maritime access points which are owned and managed by the Sharjah Government’s Department of Seaports & Customs.
The management team reports directly to His Highness the Ruler who takes an active interest in the ports’ development resulting in their modern construction, having been upgraded and improved constantly in line with increasing trade.
We handle all types of vessels with cargoes ranging from break-bulk to timber, logs, refrigerated, vehicles, Ro Ro, heavy lifts and containers for which the terminals are equipped with the latest ship-shore gantries and modern yard equipment. Two cold stores of 10,000 tons capacity are located at Port Khalid, where passenger ships call periodically and a regular passenger service operates to Iranian ports.
Our employees are especially trained and customer focused and port users receive personal and dedicated attention throughout our 24 hour operation."
The current world economic downturn made me imagine that such an energenic series of port facilities, with their associated support services, stores, maintenance, homes, et cetera would provide numerous well-paying jobs, leading to positive and prosperous career futures for Sharjah's citizens.
A Sharjah travel web site adds some history and cultural details:
"The Sharjah city is located on the west coast of United Arab Emirates. However, the Sharjah Emirate has been connected with both sides, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The city of Sharjah is renowned for its commitment to art, culture and the city has preserved the local heritage. In 1998, the city was rewarded as the ‘Cultural Capital of the Arab World’ by the UNESCO.
The history of Sharjah dates back to 5000 years when it was one of the wealthiest towns in the gulf region. At that time, the population of the city was very low and the income sources were associated with the economic activities such as trade, farming, hunting, fishing and peal (editor's note: probably 'pearl') farming.
In the 16th century, the town became little unstable as the Portuguese conquered area of the east coast in order to control the spice trade. The fort at Khor Fakkan, Kalba and Dibba were built during their command. After that Dutch tried to dominate the area for the same reason.
The 17th century was the turning point of city as British arrived in the region and started trading with Qawasim, the forefathers of present Sharjah ruling family. The area of Gulf and Red sea was preferred by Europeans for linking principal routes of communication between the Mediterranean and India.
In the early of 18th century, ruling Qawasim turned out to be a stronger marine power in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaima. In 1804, Sultan bin Saqr bin Rashid Al Qasimi became the Sheikh of Sharjah. This forefather of present ruler governed Sharjah for over 50 years.
At the end of 18th century, the relationships between Qawasim and British deteriorated as they blamed each other for attacks and misbehavior.
In 1809, the initial land based attacks by British were stopped. In the year 1820, the first of other peace treaties was signed assuring maritime peace, security and protection of British against any attacks for 150 years. Then the coast was known as Oman Peaceful Coast and Sheikhdoms of Oman as reconciled countries. Until the formation of United Arab Emirates in 1971, these names were attached to the relevant regions."
Would you expect a nation in the Middle East to promote vehicles that run on natural gas rather than on gasoline? Probably not. However, on July 1, 2009, the following article, entitled 'Street cleaning vehicles in Sharjah now run on natural gas', appeared on the Gulfnews web site:
Sharjah: Street sweeping vehicles in Sharjah are now using compressed natural gas in order to promote a healthier environment in the emirate.
"At present, we are supplying the gas to 300 of our vehicles and 20 vehicles that belong to other companies," said Tareq Rashid Deemas, Head of the Directorate of Gas at the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa).
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is the cleanest burning fuel, requires less vehicle maintenance and supports a longer engine life.
"Through this initiative we hope that it will encourage other companies to take on the responsibility of using environmentally friendly fuel, which will in turn make Sharjah a greener emirate."
CNG is the most suitable alternative to petrol as it does not release carbon dioxide, which in turn prevents further global warming.
He pointed out that Sewa is also planning to convert 85 per cent of its fleet to natural gas vehicles. CNG vehicles produce the fewest emissions of any fuel.
"We have set up the first natural gas station in the region with the intention of eliminating car emissions in the emirate, but this can only be done with the cooperation of all companies, whether private or publicly owned," said Deemas.
Sewa launched the first CNG station in the Halwan area, near the Sharjah Co-operative Society, in 2005 and initially only vehicles of Sewa were fitted with the converters to run on gas.
Converting a petrol engine to gas takes about a day and a half, and one canister lasts for about 140 kilometres."
Frankly, I was impressed. Aren't you?
I fear that many Americans see countries like the UAE as socially very conservative and not much fun for its inhabitants. Wrong! In researching Sharjah, I learned about various festivals and entertainment that put that stereotype to rest. Here is but a sampling:
- Sharjah Water Festival: The Sharjah water festival offers several activities that include sand sculpture competitions, water skiing, fireworks display and many more activities.
- Sharjah Arts Biennial: Since 1993, the Department of Culture and Information of Sharjah organizes international Art Biennial event in the city. This event is organized to encourage contacts between artists and art institutions of Arab countries. This event gives great opportunity to Arab artists to share their ideas, art with the artists coming from all around the world. The event is held in the months of April and June.
- The international book fair: The city of Sharjah hosts annual international book fair which is a popular event among the tourists. It takes place in beautifully landscaped Expo centre of Sharjah. The Emir of Sharjah personally takes interest in annual book fair event. Hundreds of publishers from all over the world come here to join this event.
- Sharjah Spring Festival: Every year, thousands of tourists visit Sharjah Spring Festival takes place in the month of January. The event is participated by over 1700 outlets selling variety of things. The promotions in the spring festival include special discounts, offers, fun and entertainment events and activities aimed at highlighting the tourism scene of Sharjah.
Besides these events, I counted 21 different sports that have events for the public in Sharjah - everything from cricket, bowling, and hockey, to snorkeling, powerboat racing, and wind surfing. I got winded just reading about the variety of entertainment available in Sharjah.
The best thing about the preceding information is that it will hopefully put to rest many negative stereotypes about countries like the United Arab Emirates.
The many that are good eclipses the few that are bad. Let's ALL keep that in mind.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Governor Palin Quits. Say It Ain't So!
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today announced that (1) She will not run for a second term as Governor of Alaska, and (2) She would resign on July 26, 2009, far short of the four year term's end in 2010.
Her announcement (speech part 1 of 2) (speech part 2 of 2) was poorly timed. The Friday before a holiday ranks amongst the lowest ratings for news. Had she sincerely wanted maximum exposure, today was not the day.
Her speech was poorly written. She began by providing a history lesson on Alaska: "We were purchased as a territory because a member of President Abe Lincoln's cabinet, William Seward, providentially saw in this great land, vast riches, beauty, strategic placement on the globe, and opportunity." Oops. Wrong President. I guess since she's only a proud Alaskan and the state's Governor, she would not know that while Seward was appointed Secretary of State by President Lincoln, it wasn't until after Lincoln's assassination, during President Andrew Johnson's administration in 1867, that Secretary Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia.
She proceeded to state the accomplishments of her administration. It was an impressive list. The ones that I really cheered for were, "And we made common sense conservative choices to eliminate personal luxuries like the jet, the chef, the junkets... the entourage. And the Lt. Governor and I said "no" to our pay raises." I must say that I didn't realize that such choices were "conservative." If so, I guess I'm more conservative that I realized!
As I watched, I expected to hear her follow up with an announcement of an exploratory committee for the 2012 Presidential campaign. Or perhaps an announcement of her candidacy for Alaska's Senate seat in 2010. So when she said she was not running for reelection as Governor, it did not come as much of a surprise.
Then she became a quitter. Resigned her office. But not before making this interesting statement, "Life is too short to compromise time and resources... it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "Sit down and shut up", but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out."
So she quit rather than take the hard road - stay in her job and fight back against those who demanded that she "Sit down and shut up". Didn't show much backbone and Alaskan pluck by quitting, did she?
Well, I guess she couldn't take the heat, so she got out of the kitchen. Alaska will be better off without a Governor like that.
Her plans? "I WILL support others who seek to serve, in or out of office, for the RIGHT reasons, and I don't care what party they're in or no party at all. Inside Alaska - or Outside Alaska."
It's good that she recognized her considerable limitations. But she'll support others who have the guts to serve in ways she obviously could not.
Palin stated, "With this announcement that I am not seeking re-election... I've determined it's best to transfer the authority of governor to Lieutenant Governor Parnell; and I am willing to do so, so that this administration - with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future - can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success."
"And we will be in the capable hands of our Lieutenant Governor, Sean Parnell."
Interesting. During the 2008 Presidential race, she refused to temporarily turn over the responsibilities of the Governor's office to Sean Parnell. Now she will be turning over the entire Governor's office to him. What changed her mind about Parnell's ability to run the state?
Palin stated, "Let me go back to a comfortable analogy for me - sports... basketball. I use it because you're naïve if you don't see the national full-court press picking away right now:..."
If anything, the "full court press" occurred during the 2008 Presidential campaign, not now. Where has she been?
"And I know when it's time to pass the ball - for victory." Huh?
So why did I title this week's blog, "Governor Palin Quits. Say It Ain't So!"?
It seems that Palin has made a disastrous career decision that will negatively impact her chances in 2012. Had she either been re-elected Governor, or been elected Senator, her candidacy in 2012 would have been strong, and would have caused the Republican Party base to further shrink. Had she won the 2012 Republican nomination, the ensuing Palin versus Obama campaign, debates, and interviews would have been an amazing contrast of skill sets and abilities.
So I entreat, "Sarah, say it ain't so!"
Her announcement (speech part 1 of 2) (speech part 2 of 2) was poorly timed. The Friday before a holiday ranks amongst the lowest ratings for news. Had she sincerely wanted maximum exposure, today was not the day.
Her speech was poorly written. She began by providing a history lesson on Alaska: "We were purchased as a territory because a member of President Abe Lincoln's cabinet, William Seward, providentially saw in this great land, vast riches, beauty, strategic placement on the globe, and opportunity." Oops. Wrong President. I guess since she's only a proud Alaskan and the state's Governor, she would not know that while Seward was appointed Secretary of State by President Lincoln, it wasn't until after Lincoln's assassination, during President Andrew Johnson's administration in 1867, that Secretary Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia.
She proceeded to state the accomplishments of her administration. It was an impressive list. The ones that I really cheered for were, "And we made common sense conservative choices to eliminate personal luxuries like the jet, the chef, the junkets... the entourage. And the Lt. Governor and I said "no" to our pay raises." I must say that I didn't realize that such choices were "conservative." If so, I guess I'm more conservative that I realized!
As I watched, I expected to hear her follow up with an announcement of an exploratory committee for the 2012 Presidential campaign. Or perhaps an announcement of her candidacy for Alaska's Senate seat in 2010. So when she said she was not running for reelection as Governor, it did not come as much of a surprise.
Then she became a quitter. Resigned her office. But not before making this interesting statement, "Life is too short to compromise time and resources... it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "Sit down and shut up", but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out."
So she quit rather than take the hard road - stay in her job and fight back against those who demanded that she "Sit down and shut up". Didn't show much backbone and Alaskan pluck by quitting, did she?
Well, I guess she couldn't take the heat, so she got out of the kitchen. Alaska will be better off without a Governor like that.
Her plans? "I WILL support others who seek to serve, in or out of office, for the RIGHT reasons, and I don't care what party they're in or no party at all. Inside Alaska - or Outside Alaska."
It's good that she recognized her considerable limitations. But she'll support others who have the guts to serve in ways she obviously could not.
Palin stated, "With this announcement that I am not seeking re-election... I've determined it's best to transfer the authority of governor to Lieutenant Governor Parnell; and I am willing to do so, so that this administration - with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future - can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success."
"And we will be in the capable hands of our Lieutenant Governor, Sean Parnell."
Interesting. During the 2008 Presidential race, she refused to temporarily turn over the responsibilities of the Governor's office to Sean Parnell. Now she will be turning over the entire Governor's office to him. What changed her mind about Parnell's ability to run the state?
Palin stated, "Let me go back to a comfortable analogy for me - sports... basketball. I use it because you're naïve if you don't see the national full-court press picking away right now:..."
If anything, the "full court press" occurred during the 2008 Presidential campaign, not now. Where has she been?
"And I know when it's time to pass the ball - for victory." Huh?
So why did I title this week's blog, "Governor Palin Quits. Say It Ain't So!"?
It seems that Palin has made a disastrous career decision that will negatively impact her chances in 2012. Had she either been re-elected Governor, or been elected Senator, her candidacy in 2012 would have been strong, and would have caused the Republican Party base to further shrink. Had she won the 2012 Republican nomination, the ensuing Palin versus Obama campaign, debates, and interviews would have been an amazing contrast of skill sets and abilities.
So I entreat, "Sarah, say it ain't so!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
