In order to ski down K2 in the Himalayas, at 28,251 feet elevation the second highest mountain in the world, you first have to climb it. On July 22, 2018 Polish climber Andrzej Bargiel reached the peak at about 1130am. By 730pm he had skied down its slopes to reach base camp. You can watch some of his journey below. I cannot imagine what his physical conditioning must be like.
K2 is a much more dangerous climb than Everest, with about 20% of climbers dying in the attempt. The only 25,000+ feet peak exceeding this death toll is Annapurna on which about 1 in 4 climbers die.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Today
Marty Balin, who passed away on Thursday, was, along with Grace Slick, one of the lead singers for Jefferson Airplane, a band I liked before they became a parody of themselves. I saw them in '68 at Fillmore East, at Woodstock in '69, and at the U of Wisconsin in '70. Marty could really deliver a ballad. This is Today from Surrealistic Pillow (1967).
Friday, September 28, 2018
The Lost Doggerland
Beneath the English Channel and North Sea is a lost world that may reveal new information on the spread of homo sapiens in northern Europe.
The area in yellow and orange below was dry land during the last Ice Age when sea levels were much lower worldwide.
As you can see ,what is now England, Wales, and Scotland was connected to Ireland, the Hebrides, and the Orkneys and all had a land connection with France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Denmark. The extent boundaries varied with sea levels from 20,000 years ago until about 6500 BC when the ocean finally swept away the land connections.
Doggerland takes it name from the Dogger Banks, shallow shoals in the North Sea and renowned fishing grounds, named by the Dutch in the 17th century. The Dogger Banks were also the location of a bizarre incident in October 1904 when the Russian Fleet, proceeding from St Petersburg to the Pacific, believed itself under attack by the Japanese Navy and opened fire on what turned out to be British fishing boats, killing three fishermen and almost triggering a war between Russia and England. The Russian fleet eventually completed its epic voyage and was promptly sunk by the Japanese Navy off the coast of Korea at the Battle of Tsushima. So there.
The ancient Doggerland was an expanse of low grasslands, meadows, rivers, and swamps and home to many Neolithic human settlements. Recent university explorations, with the assistance of the oil companies active in the North Sea, are revealing more about early human activities, with the prospect of much more information coming to light in the future.
The area in yellow and orange below was dry land during the last Ice Age when sea levels were much lower worldwide.
As you can see ,what is now England, Wales, and Scotland was connected to Ireland, the Hebrides, and the Orkneys and all had a land connection with France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Denmark. The extent boundaries varied with sea levels from 20,000 years ago until about 6500 BC when the ocean finally swept away the land connections.Doggerland takes it name from the Dogger Banks, shallow shoals in the North Sea and renowned fishing grounds, named by the Dutch in the 17th century. The Dogger Banks were also the location of a bizarre incident in October 1904 when the Russian Fleet, proceeding from St Petersburg to the Pacific, believed itself under attack by the Japanese Navy and opened fire on what turned out to be British fishing boats, killing three fishermen and almost triggering a war between Russia and England. The Russian fleet eventually completed its epic voyage and was promptly sunk by the Japanese Navy off the coast of Korea at the Battle of Tsushima. So there.
The ancient Doggerland was an expanse of low grasslands, meadows, rivers, and swamps and home to many Neolithic human settlements. Recent university explorations, with the assistance of the oil companies active in the North Sea, are revealing more about early human activities, with the prospect of much more information coming to light in the future.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Remaking Mecca
Startling photos via Martin Kramer documenting the transformation of Mecca. For more photos and background go here.
To start with some of us may have difficulty getting to see it ourselves:
The old Mecca:
The new Mecca:
To start with some of us may have difficulty getting to see it ourselves:
The old Mecca:
The new Mecca:
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
True Social Justice
United States Justice System To Close All Brick-And-Mortar Locations, Operate Exclusively On Twitterhttps://t.co/TkKeRTBUD5 pic.twitter.com/HX5dlWMtht— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) September 25, 2018
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