#Nepal Policemen

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 5.14 (after 1940)

1940 – World War II: Rotterdam, Netherlands is bombed by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany despite a ceasefire, killing about 900 people and destroying the historic city center. 1943 – World War II: A Japanese submarine sinks AHS Centaur off the coast of Queensland. 1948 – Israel is declared to be an independent state and a provisional government is established. Immediately after the declaration, Israel is attacked by the neighboring Arab states, triggering the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. 1951 – Trains run on the Talyllyn Railway in Wales for the first time since preservation, making it the first railway in the world to be operated by volunteers. 1953 – Approximately 7,100 brewery workers in Milwaukee perform a walkout, marking the start of the 1953 Milwaukee brewery strike. 1955 – Cold War: Eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, sign a mutual defense treaty called the Warsaw Pact. 1961 – Civil rights movement: A white mob twice attacks a Freedom Riders bus near Anniston, Alabama, before fire-bombing the bus and attacking the civil rights protesters who flee the burning vehicle. 1970 – Andreas Baader is freed from custody by Ulrike Meinhof, Gudrun Ensslin and others, a pivotal moment in the formation of the Red Army Faction. 1973 – Skylab, the United States' first space station, is launched. 1977 – A Dan-Air Boeing 707 leased to IAS Cargo Airlines crashes on approach to Lusaka International Airport in Lusaka, Zambia, killing six people. 1980 – Salvadoran Civil War: the Sumpul River massacre occurs in Chalatenango, El Salvador. 1987 – Fijian Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by Lieutenant colonel Sitiveni Rabuka. 1988 – Carrollton bus collision: A drunk driver traveling the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky hits a converted school bus carrying a church youth group. Twenty-seven die in the crash and ensuing fire. 2004 – The Constitutional Court of South Korea overturns the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun. 2004 – Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Mary Donaldson are married at Copenhagen Cathedral. 2004 – Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4815 crashes into the Amazon rainforest during approach to Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus, Brazil, killing 33 people. 2008 – Battle of Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester city centre between Zenit supporters and Rangers supporters and the Greater Manchester Police, 39 policemen injured, one police-dog injured and 39 arrested. 2010 – Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on the STS-132 mission to deliver the first shuttle-launched Russian ISS component — Rassvet. This was originally slated to be the final launch of Atlantis, before Congress approved STS-135. 2012 – Agni Air Flight CHT crashes in Nepal after a failed go-around, killing 15 people. 2021 – China successfully lands Zhurong, the country's first Mars rover. 2022 – Ten people are killed in a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York.

[brookston]

Holidays 9.29

Holidays

Amaranth Day (French Republic)

Battle of Boquerón Anniversary Day (a.k.a. Victory of Boquerón Day; Paraguay)

Broadway Musicals Day

Constitution Day (Brunei)

Day of Machine-Building Industry Workers (Russia)

Devil Spits Day

Han’gawi (North Korea)

Hidden Heroes Day (UK)

International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waster (UN)

Inventor's Day (Argentina)

Jitiya Parwa (Nepal)

Leif Erickson Day

MAGS (Memphis Archeological and Geological Society) Day

Make a List of the Top 10 Happiest Days in Your Life Day

Maneki Neko Day (Japan)

Manit Day (Culture Day; Marshall Islands)

Mid-Autumn Festival (Taiwan)

Mutation Day (TMNT)

National Attend Your Grandchild's Birth Day

National Bot Restock Day

National Brave Day

National Carson Day

National Day of Accountability

National Day of Belongingness

National Day of Remembrance for Policemen Killed (Australia)

National Oxygen Day

National Police Remembrance Day (Australia)

National Poisoned Blackberries Day (Scotland)

National Silent Movie Day

Police Remembrance Day (Australia)

Quick Draw Day

Sibling Support Day

Thimphu Drubchoe (Bhutan)

Urban National Wildlife Refuge Day

VFW Day

World Daddy Lumba Day

World Day of Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia

World Heart Day

Xenophobe Understanding Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Biscotti Day

Budweiser National Happy Hour

Happy Goose Day

National Coffee Day (a.k.a. Coffee Lovers Day)

National Dunkin’ Day

National Mocha Day

National Starbucks Day

Swedish Fish Day

5th & Last Friday in September

Ask a Stupid Question Day [Last Weekday]

Butterbrot Day (Germany) [Last Friday]

FSC Friday [Last Friday]

Go Gold Day [Last Friday]

Hug A Vegetarian Day [Last Friday]

Make Way Day [Last Friday]

Monterey Jazz Festival begins (California) [Last Friday thru Sunday]

Save the Koala Day [Last Friday]

Sport Purple For Platelets Day [Last Friday]

Vegan Baking Day [Last Friday]

World's Biggest Coffee Morning (UK) [Last Friday]

Independence Days

Villa Alicia (Declared; 2014) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

All Angels’ Day (Christian)

Caravaggio (Artology)

Confucius Day (Confucianism)

The Daily Double (Church of the SubGenius)

Day of Hestia Tamia (Pagan)

Double Entendre Day (Pastafarian)

Feast of the Ingathering [21 Tishrei] (a.k.a. ... 

Feast of the Tabernacles (Christian)

Festival of Shelters (Christian)

Harvest Home (UK)

Kirn (Scotland)

Mell-Supper (Northern England)

Sukkot (Judaism)

Festival of Tezcatzonctl (Chief Aztec God of Intoxication)

Fielding (Positivist; Saint)

François Boucher (Artology)

Full Moon [10th of the Year] (a.k.a. ... 

Blackberry Moon (Choctaw)

Blood Moon (England, Neo-Pagan, Wicca)

Boun Ok Phansa (Laos; end of Buddhist Lent)

Dying Moon (Alternate)

Freezing Moon (Traditional)

Harvest Moon (Amer. Indian, Celtic, Cherokee, North America)

Hunter’s Moon (Amer. Indian, Colonial , Traditional)

Ice Moon (Traditional)

Kindly Moon (China)

Kojagrat Purnima (Nepal)

Migrating Moon (Traditional)

Seed Moon (South Africa)

Southern Hemisphere: Egg, Fish, Pink, Seed, Waking

Thadingyut Full Moon (Myanmar)

Travel Moon (Alternate)

Vap Full Moon Poya Day (Sri Lanka)

Gwynn ap Nudd’s Fest (Celtic God of the Underworld)

Michael, Gabriel, Raphael (Christian; Angels)

Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto (Artology)

Michaelmas [traditional start of Bavarian lager brewing season]

Moon Festival (a.k.a. Moon Cake Day; China) [15th of 8th Lunar Month]

Quarter Day (England, Ireland & Wales) [3 of 4]

Rhipsime (Christian; Saint)

Telly (Muppetism)

Theodota (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [53 of 71]

Premieres

All the World’s a Stage, by Rush (Live Album; 1976)

Best in Show (Film; 2000)

Big Mouth (Animated TV Series; 2017)

Core, by Stone Temple Pilots (Album; 1992)

The Creator (Film; 2023)

Death on the Nile (Film; 1978)

Deduce, You Say! (WB LT Cartoon; 1956)

Felicity (TV Series; 1998)

Hamlet (Film; 1948)

Inhumans (TV Series; 2017)

MacGyver (TV Series; 1985)

Masters of Sex (TV Series; 2013)

Mickey Plays Papa (Disney Cartoon; 1934)

Moonlight and Valentino (Film; 1995)

Okie from Muskogee, by Merle Haggard (Song; 1969)

Open Season (Animated Film; 2006)

Painted from Memory, by Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach (Album; 1998)

The Prisoner (UK TV Series; 1967)

Remember the Titans (Film; 2000)

Smells Like Teen Spirit, by Nirvana (Music Video; 1991)

A Star is Born (Musical Film; 1954)

The Stranger, by Billy Joel (Album; 1988)

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (WB Animated Film; 2009)

Tall in the Saddle (Film; 1944)

To Die For (Film; 1995)

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Video Game; 1999)

Uptown Girl, by Billy Joel (Song; 1983)

Urban Hymns, by The Verve (Album; 1997)

Today’s Name Days

Gabriel, Gabriela, Michael, Michaela, Rafael, Rafaela (Austria)

Gabrijel, Mihael, Rafael (Croatia)

Michal (Czech Republic)

Michael (Denmark)

Mihkel, Miikael, Mikk, Miko, Miku (Estonia)

Miika, Miikka, Mika, Mikael, Mikaela, Mikko, Miko, Miska (Finland)

Gabriel, Michel, Raphaël (France)

Gabriel, Michael, Raphael (Germany)

Kyriakos (Greece)

Mihály (Hungary)

Gabriele, Michele, Nicolò, Raffaele (Italy)

Ivonna, Mihails, Miķelis, Mikus (Latvia)

Gabrielius, Michalina, Mykolas, Mykolė, Rapolas (Lithuania)

Mikael, Mikal, Mikkel (Norway)

Dadźbog, Franciszek, Michalina (Poland)

Chiriac (Romania)

Ludmila (Russia)

Michaela, Michal (Slovakia)

Gabriel, Miguel, Rafael (Spain)

Mikael, Mikaela (Sweden)

Teofan (Ukraine)

Carmichael, Mia, Micaela, Micah, Michael, Michaela, Micheal, Michele, Micheline, Michelle, Mickey, Miguel, Mikaela, Mikala, Mikayla, Mike, Mikel, Mitch, Mitchel, Mitchell (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 272 of 2024; 93 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 39 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 25 of 28]

Chinese: Month 8 (Xin-You), Day 15 (Geng-Yin)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 14 Tishri 5784

Islamic: 14 Rabi I 1445

J Cal: 2 Shù; Twosday [1 of 30]

Julian: 16 September 2023

Moon: 100%: Full Moon

Positivist: 20 Shakespeare (10th Month) [Fielding]

Runic Half Month: Gyfu (Gift) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 6 of 89)

Zodiac: Libra (Day 6 of 30)

[paraglidingadventuresinnepal]

3/7/2020

We woke up in Fishtail Hospital in Pokhara, Nepal. I was feeling lousy, like really lousy. I was pretty demoralized from the constant delays and miscommunications with our travel insurance and evac team. Sam was hungry, so I ordered her some breakfast; I didn’t order any breakfast for me, because I was feeling a little sick. Sam’s doctor, the one that she’d been seeing for the past 6 days, came in shortly after. Sam was on her side facing the wall, with her back to the rest of the room. The doctor came in, and said, “hello, Samantha,” while simultaneously patting her (not gently at all) on the hip/thigh, where she was feeling very sore. Sam winced, and told him that his pats hurt her, and that she didn’t want him to touch her. After a few questions, the doctor left, and Sam said, “I don’t want to see that doctor ever again.” Sam was so distressed that she decided we needed to take matters into our own hands. It had been 6 days and 6 nights by this point, and we still had NO PLAN for evacuation. So, I did some research. I found a local Nepali helicopter company that does tours and medical evacuation. So I called them, and they said they have a team already in Pokhara; if I give the word, they’ll be on standby, ready to fly us to Kathmandu. I hurried to the nurses’ desk, and tried to explain the situation (I don’t know Nepali, and the nurses were trying their best to understand my English). I ended up just putting the helicopter company on the phone with one of the nurses and let them take care of timing. After the nurses confirmed that Sam could be driven from Fishtail Hospital in Pokhara to the Pokhara airport by ambulance, I ran all around the hospital trying to get Sam discharged. It was 9:30 AM at this point. The nurses said that there are too many things to get done, and that Sam wouldn’t be discharged until 11:00 AM. I had to speak with the doctor that had been seeing her, and get him to approve the discharge. Then I had to run to an ATM to pull out enough cash to pay for the hospital bill (of course you have to pay cash!). Then to the front desk to deliver the 63,400 Rupees (about $600 USD total for inpatient bill). Then I had to run up to the nurses’ desk again and deliver the discharge “PAID” slip, so then they’d let us leave. Then I had to run down to the pharmacy to return the meds we didn’t use, and then buy more meds for Sam to take post-discharge. Whatever. After running around for about 30 minutes, I was able to get Sam discharged.

I called the helicopter company again and told them that Sam was discharged, and that we are both ready at any time to take an ambulance from the hospital to the airport. But by this time, the weather had turned bad. The helicopter company said we’d have to wait maybe an hour or two for the weather to clear up before we could take off. So from about 10:00 AM until noon, we were communicating back and forth with the helicopter team, waiting to receive the call that the weather was good for flying. I packed up the room, checked to make sure we had all our medical documents, and managed to fit everything into Sam’s purple backpacking pack and a small backpack.

We ended up actually leaving Fishtail Hospital at 12:14 PM, in the jankiest ambulance you’ve ever seen. It was a euro van, from probably before the year 2000, making it (I’m guessing) over 20 years old. A few hospital police (no help from nurses or doctors, just untrained non-medical hospital security guards) wheeled Sam in her stretcher down a cobblestone ramp (note for the future: if ever designing a ramp at a hospital, make it smooth, NOT COBBLESTONE!) towards the old-as-f### ambulance. When we were at the bottom of the ramp and at the base of the ambulance, I asked, “we’re lifting the stretcher into the ambulance, right?” And their response was “stretcher stays here, at hospital.” They had no backboard to load Sam into the ambulance, so the policemen decided to lift Sam, with my help, into the ambulance using her bedsheet as the spinal support. With 3 policemen and me, we had enough hands to support all of Sam and lift her, wrapped in a bedsheet, onto a stretcher in the ambulance. One of the policeman said, “hospital bedsheet stay here” and I said, “No, the hospital bedsheet comes with us.” They argued with me for a minute, and said something to the driver in Nepali, which I later found out was “bring the hospital bedsheet back after you drop them off.” Sam and I tried to tell them to strap Sam down, but they slammed the back doors of the ambulance shut, and we drove away. In the ambulance was the driver in the front, and NO ONE ELSE except for me and Sam in the back, Sam not strapped down at all. The ambulance had NO SUSPENSION left in it at all. The driver didn’t speak any English, and I kept yelling at him to “DRIVE SMOOTH!” or “GO GENTLY!” or “NO BUMPS!” but he didn’t understand. Every bump, we could feel, and I could only imagine how painful it was for Sam. Our ambulance driver turned on the sirens, but all the mopeds and scooters and taxis didn’t care; everyone kept driving like usual, but our ambulance driver was swerving in and out of oncoming traffic lanes, slamming on the brakes to avoid hitting decelerating taxis in front of us, and then flooring the gas pedal when he had clearance. It was probably the bumpiest, most uncomfortable ride of my life. The whole time, I tried to hold Sam down, so that she’s not bouncing up and down with the bounces of the suspension-less ambulance, trying to keep her from sliding around on the couch-like stretcher. This ambulance ride was the scariest part of the whole day. I was nervous that the bumps and swerves would worsen Sam’s condition, and my yelling to the driver was doing no good. We finally arrived at the Pokhara Airport after probably only 10 minutes of driving, although it felt like much longer than that.

At the airport, the helicopter medical evacuation team was waiting for us. I saw the team, and I thought to myself, “okay, good, we can relax now.” Wrong. The “helicopter medical evacuation team” was nothing more than a tourism helicopter crew. And the helicopter was nothing more than a tourism helicopter. More bad news- the heli evac team had no backboard either. So we were stuck using the bedsheet, again, as spinal support. The helicopter was small, maybe 5’-6” width. There was the pilot and copilot seats in front, and just one bench row behind. There wouldn’t have been enough room for a backboard in there even if we’d had one. The pilot came out to meet us; thankfully she was a New Zealander, which meant she spoke English. We were able to get Sam into the helicopter, trying to support her as best we could, and positioned her lying flat on the bench seat. At this point, the driver of the ambulance climbed up into the helicopter, and attempted to pull the bedsheet out from under Sam. I yelled at him, “STOP!” I said, “we’re keeping the bedsheet.” He tried to argue with me for a few seconds, and I think he realized that the argument wasn’t worth it. So he said, “five-hundred rupees” (about $5 USD), and I said, “fine,” and gave him the money. I climbed into the helicopter as one of the crew members stuffed our bags in the back compartment of the helicopter. I lifted Sam’s legs (when she lied flat across the backseat, she, only 5’-5”, stretched the entire width of the helicopter), and scooted my body under her legs and feet. The ambulance driver wouldn’t let the helicopter take off; he demanded way pay him 1000 rupees for the ambulance ride, and I had enough cash in my pocket, so I paid him the money. I asked for some ear protection for the two of us, and the pilot said, “it’s only forty minutes, you’ll be alright.” The pilot buckled us both in, hopped in the front, got clearance from the air tower to take off, and we were in the air. The helicopter ride was smooth- much smoother than the swervy, bumpy ambulance ride. The views were really pretty, but I was too stressed and worried about Sam to enjoy the ride. I took plenty of photos, though. The noise level inside the helicopter wasn’t too loud. Loud enough that I couldn’t hear Sam speak or hear the pilot speak. After the forty minute flight over the beautifully terraced countryside, we entered Kathmandu, where there was a thick smog. The pilot did a fly-by to check out the helipad on top of the 9-story hospital, banked hard, and then came down so smoothly. It was so smooth, in fact, that Sam didn’t even know that we had landed. The pilot came around to open the doors, and a paramedic team with a proper hospital stretcher and backboard came to meet us on the helipad.

Right away, I realized this hospital was much more equipped to deal with Sam’s spine. The paramedic team brought the backboard into the helicopter, smoothly rolled Sam onto it, and carried her on the backboard to the stretcher. They did a brief interview with Sam on the helipad, writing down some basic medical information about her, and then wheeled her to the elevator. I grabbed our bags, and followed Sam’s stretcher and paramedic team. I was just barely able to squeeze into the elevator with the team and the stretcher. We went to the ER; this ER looked just like a US ER, very different from the jail-cell-like ER at Fishtail Hospital in Pokhara. We arrived in the ER at 1:47 PM. Once Sam was in the ER, I hurriedly paid an advanced deposit, and then Sam was admitted to the hospital. We were still in the ER, though, waiting to be taken up to our hospital room, on the seventh floor. There were several other patients in the ER that needed emergency care, and Sam’s condition wasn’t a life-threatening emergency. So it took a few hours of just waiting in the ER before we were taken to our hospital room. By this point, it was about 6:00 PM, and Sam hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, and I hadn’t eaten anything all day. I was getting hangry and cranky, and I had a headache and was feeling light-headed. As soon as Sam was brought up to her hospital room, I went in search of food. I bought a LOT of food, because I was so hungry. I bought naan, paneer, veggie momos, French fries, and, at the request of Sam, some milk-chocolate-covered biscuits and Cadbury-dipped oreos. I brought all the food back to the hospital room, and Sam and I shared the delicious meal together. With our tummies full, we went to bed early. We needed it and deserved it. Sam fell asleep before 8:00 PM.

[starnews18]

कालापानी को नक्शे में शामिल करने के बाद नेपाल ने की सशस्त्र बलों की तैनाती, चांगरू पोस्ट पर अब तक रहते थे लाठीवाले पुलिसकर्मी

कालापानी को नक्शे में शामिल करने के बाद नेपाल ने की सशस्त्र बलों की तैनाती, चांगरू पोस्ट पर अब तक रहते थे लाठीवाले पुलिसकर्मी

भारतीय इलाकों को अपने नक्शे में शामिल करने के बाद नेपाल ने अब कालापानी के पास सशस्त्र बलों की तैनाती कर दी है। पड़ोसी देश ने कालापानी के पास चांगरू में अपनी सीमा चौकी (बीओपी) को अपग्रेड किया है और इसे स्थायी चौकी बना दिया है जहां सशस्त्र पुलिसकर्मी तैनात होंगे। एक अधिकारी ने गुरुवार को यहां जानकारी दी।

इससे पहले चांगरू सीमा चौकी पर लाठी रखने वाले पुलिसकर्मी तैनात रहते थे। यह चौकी हर साल नवंबर से…

[harpianews]

Former Bihar MLA, arrested near Indo-Nepal border for more than two decades

Former Bihar MLA, arrested near Indo-Nepal border for more than two decades

Police said former Bihar MLA Ranjan Tiwari, who was on the run for over two decades, was arrested in Raxaul near the Indo-Nepal border. He said that the accused wanted in the case of firing on policemen by Uttar Pradesh Police had a reward of Rs 25,000 on his head. A joint team of UP and Bihar police arrested him. “The former MLA of Govindganj assembly seat in East Champaran district of Bihar…

[implexis]

2002

Jan 1  The Open Skies mutual surveillance treaty, created in 1992, goes into effect. Thirty-four nations have signed the treaty, including Russia and the United States. Cuba and China have not.

Jan 4  The US Supreme Court affirms patents on seeds. Farmers will no longer be able to save and share seeds as they have done for millennia. By law they will have to purchase seeds from the patent holder every new planting season. The primary beneficiary of the ruling is Monsanto Corporation.

Jan 9  The US Department of Justice announces that it will investigate the Enron Corporation.

Jan 29  In his State of the Union address, President Bush makes his axis of evil declaration, disparaging the governments of North Korea, Iraq and Iran.

Jan 31  In Pakistan, Daniel Pearl, reporter for the Wall Street Journal, is murdered by his kidnappers.

Feb 10  In Algeria, government forces have been successfully hunting down members of the Islamic Army Group, said to be responsible for the slaughter of more than 100,000 civilians. Today, government forces gun down the group's leader, Antar Zuarbri. The Islamic Army Group is now described as having practically disappeared. But at least a few remain who are not giving up on terrorist tactics, and they are trying to link up with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda.

Feb 12  The United Nations war crimes trial of Yugoslavia's Slobodan Milosević begins at the Hague in Belgium.

Feb 22  In Angola, Jonas Savimbi is killed in a military ambush.

Feb 22  In Nepal, Maoist guerrillas, opposed to the monarchy, kill 32 policemen.

Feb 27  A train carrying Hindus on their way to rebuilding a temple at Ayodhya stops in the town of Godha, which is 40 percent Muslim.  Muslims believe the Ayodhya site is theirs. As the train leaves the station, Muslims set the train on fire, killing 59 including more than a dozen children.

Feb 28  In Ahmedabad, India, Hindu mobs kill more than 60 Muslims in their homes and shops.

Mar 7  In the Antarctic over the past 35 days, Larson B Ice Shelf, over 3,250 square kilometers, has broken apart – to be blamed on global warming.

Mar 11  Tariq Aziz, Saddam Hussein's deputy prime minister, announces that the amount of money given to the families of suicide bombers is increasing from $10,000 to $25,000.

Mar 27  In Netanya, Israel, a suicide bomber kills 28 and wounds 140 at a Passover dinner for the elderly. Hamas claims responsibility.  For the month of March, 135 Israeli citizens have died from suicide bombings.

Apr 2  Intending to arrest terrorists and those who finance them, Israel responds to suicide bombings with Operation Defensive Shield, the largest military operation in the West Bank since the 1967 War.

Apr 11  In front of the ancient Ghriba Synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba, a suicide bomber kills 14 German tourists, 6 Tunisians, a Frenchman and wounds 30 others.

Apr 30  Pakistani voters approve a referendum that grants a five-year presidency for Pervez Musharraf.

May 1 In Iran some have continued to press for improving relations with the United States, but the country's Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei (not to be confused with the late Ayatollah Khomeini) has had a change in attitude since President Bush included Iran in an "Axis of Evil." In a Labor Day speech, Khamenei dismisses negotiating with the US and says "The Islamic Republic of Iran will never succumb to America's bullying."

May 5  Jacques Chirac is reelected President of France.

May 20  The people of East Timor celebrate becoming formally independent from Indonesia.

May 20  In Algeria, elections for seats in parliament give legal Islamic parties 20 percent of the vote compared to the 50 percent received by the Islamic Salvation Front in 1991. The government denies the Salvation Front denying their election victory, and this will launch a civil war.

Jun 2  In a speech to the military academy at West Point, President Bush talks about defense that is proactive rather than reactive. He says that in some instances the US must strike first against another state to prevent a potential threat from growing into an actual one.

Jul 1  The UN's new International Criminal Court, located in the Hague, in the Netherlands, becomes a legal force. Not to be confused with the "World Court," it has been founded to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Those states having signed the agreement are 146 in number, well above the sixty required. The United States is among the 45 members of the UN who have not ratified the agreement

Jul 8  At his press conference, President Bush is asked whether it is his "firm intention to get rid of Saddam Hussein." He answers that it is "a stated policy of [his] government to have a regime change. And it hasn't changed. And we'll use all tools at our disposal to do so."

Abu Nidal in 1976. A photo released by Israeli intelligence.

Jonathan S. Landay Journalist

Jul 14  During Bastille Day celebrations an attempt is made to assassinate President Chirac.

Aug 1  Saddam Hussein's administration announces that the UN's chief weapons inspector, Sweden's Hans Blix, is welcome in Baghdad for "technical talks."

Aug 3  President Bush signs into law a bill that authorizes the use of military force to liberate any US citizen or citizen of a US ally being held by the International Criminal Court (ICC), and it "provides for the withdrawal of US military assistance from countries ratifying the ICC treaty."

Aug 16  In an exclusive neighborhood in Baghdad, Abu Nidal is assassinated by Iraqi intelligence.

Aug 20  President Bush says to Bob Woodward: "I'm not a textbook player, I'm a gut player."

Aug 26  In a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, US Vice President Dick Cheney says, "Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. The CIA director, George Tene,t enjoys an insider relationship with the Bush administration and does not want to contradict such claims. (PBS Frontline, "The Dark Side," June 20, 2006)

Sep 5  In Afghanistan a car bomb kills at least 30 in an apparent attempt to assassinate President Hamid Karzai.

Sep 6  Johathan S. Landay, writing for Knight Ridder Newspapers reports that "Senior US officials with access to top-secret intelligence on Iraq say they have detected no alarming increase in the threat that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein poses to American security and Middle East stability."

Sep 8  Vice President Cheney tells Meet the Press that Muhamed Atta, in early 2001 "did apparently travel to Prague" to meet with an Iraqi government official. CIA and FBI attempts to confirm Cheney's allegation place Atta in Florida at the time that the meeting in Prague was supposed to have taken place.

Sep 12  At the United Nations, President Bush speaks of Saddam Hussein's violations of promises made at the close of the Iraq war in 1991 of violating Security Council Resolution 1373 by continuing "to shelter and support terrorist organizations that direct violence against Iran, Israel and Western governments," and of Iraq attempting to assassinate the Emir of Kuwait, a former US President (his father)  and targeting Iraqi dissidents abroad. And he speaks of Iraq having "likely" stockpiles of "weapons of mass destruction."

Sep 14  Scott Ritter, UN weapons inspector and former US. Marine Corps major, tells Time magazine that "no one has backed up any allegations that Iraq has reconstituted WMD capability with anything that remotely resembles substantive fact."

Sep 19 In Cote d'Ivoire, troops scheduled for demobilization rebel and take control of the northern half of the country.

Sep 22  In Cote d'Ivoire the government receives the assistance of French troops, the French describing the presence as protecting their nationals and other foreigners. French troops block a rebel advance southward against the capital.

Sep 26  A Canadian telecommunications engineer, Maher Arar, returns from his vacation with his wife and family in Tunis to his job in Canada. He is intercepted at a stopover at Kennedy Airport in New York. He is not allowed to continue on his flight to Canada and in secret will be sent as a prisoner to his country of birth, Syria, where he will be tortured.

Sep 27 East Timor becomes the 191st member of the United Nations.

Oct 2  The US Congress passes a joint resolution authorizing the president to use the US military as he deems necessary and appropriate against Iraq, provided that the action will not hinder efforts to pursue the al Qaeda terrorist network and that the president declares to Congress that "diplomatic efforts to enforce the U.N. resolutions have failed."

Oct 7  President Bush tells the public that "Iraq has trained Al Qaeda members in bomb making and poisons and gases." This is information provided by a captured al-Qaeda operative, Ibn Sheikh al-Libi, who knew it was false and saw benefit in provoking a war between the US and Iraq.

Oct 8  For Knight Ridder Newspapers, Warren P. Strobel, Jonathan S. Landay and John Walcott write that "a growing number of military officers, intelligence professionals and diplomats in his [President Bush's] own government privately have deep misgivings about the administration's double-time march toward war. These officials charge that administration hawks have exaggerated evidence of the threat that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein poses – including distorting his links to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Oct 12  In a tourist district on the island of Bali, a suicide bomber and a planted car bomb kill 202, 89 of whom are Australian tourists.

Oct 26  Vice President Cheney says to the Veterans of Foreign Wars: "Simply stated, thee is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt that he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies and against us.

Oct 26  Opposition to another war in Iraq is organized into demonstrations in Europe, Latin America, Australia, Japan and the United States. In the US a common theme is that money spent on war could be better spent on social programs. One slogan is "No blood for oil." Most signs call for peace.

Oct 27  President Bush replies that peace is the ultimate goal. "If we remain true and strong and diligent," he tells a crowd in Arizona, "we can achieve peace."

Oct 27  For Knight Ridder Newspapers, Warren P. Strobel, Jonathan S. Landay and John Walcott continue on the subject of Iraq. They write that a "dispute pits hardliners long distrustful of the US intelligence community against professional military and intelligence officers who fear the hawks are shaping intelligence analyses to support their case for invading Iraq."

Oct 28  People including Paul Reynolds of the British Broadcasting Corporation are expressing doubts about a serious link between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. They point to Hussein's secularist background and his hostilities toward the religious extremism of al Qaeda – Hussein's money to families of suicide bombers being for self-promotion in the Arab world. Reynolds writes that Saddam must know that to link with al Qaeda would be fatal for him.

Nov 1  Major General Geoffrey Miller replaces another general, Rick Baccus, as commander of the Guantanamo detention center (Camp X-Ray, Camp Delta and Camp Echo). The Pentagon's expectation is that Miller will toughen interrogation techniques.

Nov 5  In the United States, elections give President Bush's party, the Republicans, gains in both the Senate and House of Representatives, where both already have majority representation.

Nov 8  In the United Nations, US and British influence contribute to the creation of Resolution 1441, urging Iraq to disarm or face "serious consequences." In the fifteen member Security Council the resolution passes unanimously.

Nov 8  United Nations weapons inspectors return to Iraq.

Nov 24  After three days of rioting that results in the killing of 105 persons, the Miss World beauty pageant is moving from Nigeria to Britain. The riots began as a reaction to an article in a local newspaper describing the possibility of the Prophet Muhammad, were he alive, marrying one of the pageant contestants.

Nov 28 Suicide bombers attack Israeli tourists at the Paradise Hotel in Kenya, killing 15 and injuring 40, mostly Kenyans.

Dec 7  Iraq submits a 12,000 page declaration denying that is has weapons banned by the United Nations.

Dec 19  Charges against the Central Park Five are dropped. The real culprit, a convicted rapist and murderer, Matias Reyes, has confessed. His story describes details of the rape that were missing in the jumbled and fictitious confessions forced from the wrongly accused. DNA evidense confirms the guilt of the real culprit. Law enforcement will now be seen as negligent in their handling the case. Ken Burns will make a movie about it.

Dec 21 According to the journalist Bob Woodward, in the president's oval office CIA Director George Tenet with his deputy, John McLaughlin, show President Bush their best evidence that Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction. Bush responds: "Nice try, but that isn't gonna sell Joe Public. That isn't gonna convince Joe Public."

Dec 22  In Baghdad an advisor to Hussein, Amir al-Saadi, announces to journalists from around the world that Hussein's government is "ready to answer any questions raised by the United States and Britain on its arms declaration, and would allow the CIA to come and identify suspect sites for weapons inspectors."

Dec 27  In Chechnya a truck-bomb suicide destroys government headquarters, killing 72.

to 2001 | to 2003

[news24fresh]

4 Maoists killed, 2 policemen injured in Bihar encounter

4 Maoists killed, 2 policemen injured in Bihar encounter

[ad_1]

Four Maoists were killed and two policemen injured in the early hours of Friday in an encounter with security forces on the India-Nepal border in Bihar.

District police officials said the operation took place under the Laukariya police station. It was conducted by a joint team of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Special Task Force (STF) of the State police. The STF was led by…

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 9.29

Holidays

Amaranth Day (French Republic)

Battle of Boquerón Anniversary Day (a.k.a. Victory of Boquerón Day; Paraguay)

Broadway Musicals Day

Constitution Day (Brunei)

Day of Machine-Building Industry Workers (Russia)

Devil Spits Day

Han’gawi (North Korea)

Hidden Heroes Day (UK)

International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waster (UN)

Inventor's Day (Argentina)

Jitiya Parwa (Nepal)

Leif Erickson Day

MAGS (Memphis Archeological and Geological Society) Day

Make a List of the Top 10 Happiest Days in Your Life Day

Maneki Neko Day (Japan)

Manit Day (Culture Day; Marshall Islands)

Mid-Autumn Festival (Taiwan)

Mutation Day (TMNT)

National Attend Your Grandchild's Birth Day

National Bot Restock Day

National Brave Day

National Carson Day

National Day of Accountability

National Day of Belongingness

National Day of Remembrance for Policemen Killed (Australia)

National Oxygen Day

National Police Remembrance Day (Australia)

National Poisoned Blackberries Day (Scotland)

National Silent Movie Day

Police Remembrance Day (Australia)

Quick Draw Day

Sibling Support Day

Thimphu Drubchoe (Bhutan)

Urban National Wildlife Refuge Day

VFW Day

World Daddy Lumba Day

World Day of Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia

World Heart Day

Xenophobe Understanding Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Biscotti Day

Budweiser National Happy Hour

Happy Goose Day

National Coffee Day (a.k.a. Coffee Lovers Day)

National Dunkin’ Day

National Mocha Day

National Starbucks Day

Swedish Fish Day

5th & Last Friday in September

Ask a Stupid Question Day [Last Weekday]

Butterbrot Day (Germany) [Last Friday]

FSC Friday [Last Friday]

Go Gold Day [Last Friday]

Hug A Vegetarian Day [Last Friday]

Make Way Day [Last Friday]

Monterey Jazz Festival begins (California) [Last Friday thru Sunday]

Save the Koala Day [Last Friday]

Sport Purple For Platelets Day [Last Friday]

Vegan Baking Day [Last Friday]

World's Biggest Coffee Morning (UK) [Last Friday]

Independence Days

Villa Alicia (Declared; 2014) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

All Angels’ Day (Christian)

Caravaggio (Artology)

Confucius Day (Confucianism)

The Daily Double (Church of the SubGenius)

Day of Hestia Tamia (Pagan)

Double Entendre Day (Pastafarian)

Feast of the Ingathering [21 Tishrei] (a.k.a. ... 

Feast of the Tabernacles (Christian)

Festival of Shelters (Christian)

Harvest Home (UK)

Kirn (Scotland)

Mell-Supper (Northern England)

Sukkot (Judaism)

Festival of Tezcatzonctl (Chief Aztec God of Intoxication)

Fielding (Positivist; Saint)

François Boucher (Artology)

Full Moon [10th of the Year] (a.k.a. ... 

Blackberry Moon (Choctaw)

Blood Moon (England, Neo-Pagan, Wicca)

Boun Ok Phansa (Laos; end of Buddhist Lent)

Dying Moon (Alternate)

Freezing Moon (Traditional)

Harvest Moon (Amer. Indian, Celtic, Cherokee, North America)

Hunter’s Moon (Amer. Indian, Colonial , Traditional)

Ice Moon (Traditional)

Kindly Moon (China)

Kojagrat Purnima (Nepal)

Migrating Moon (Traditional)

Seed Moon (South Africa)

Southern Hemisphere: Egg, Fish, Pink, Seed, Waking

Thadingyut Full Moon (Myanmar)

Travel Moon (Alternate)

Vap Full Moon Poya Day (Sri Lanka)

Gwynn ap Nudd’s Fest (Celtic God of the Underworld)

Michael, Gabriel, Raphael (Christian; Angels)

Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto (Artology)

Michaelmas [traditional start of Bavarian lager brewing season]

Moon Festival (a.k.a. Moon Cake Day; China) [15th of 8th Lunar Month]

Quarter Day (England, Ireland & Wales) [3 of 4]

Rhipsime (Christian; Saint)

Telly (Muppetism)

Theodota (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [53 of 71]

Premieres

All the World’s a Stage, by Rush (Live Album; 1976)

Best in Show (Film; 2000)

Big Mouth (Animated TV Series; 2017)

Core, by Stone Temple Pilots (Album; 1992)

The Creator (Film; 2023)

Death on the Nile (Film; 1978)

Deduce, You Say! (WB LT Cartoon; 1956)

Felicity (TV Series; 1998)

Hamlet (Film; 1948)

Inhumans (TV Series; 2017)

MacGyver (TV Series; 1985)

Masters of Sex (TV Series; 2013)

Mickey Plays Papa (Disney Cartoon; 1934)

Moonlight and Valentino (Film; 1995)

Okie from Muskogee, by Merle Haggard (Song; 1969)

Open Season (Animated Film; 2006)

Painted from Memory, by Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach (Album; 1998)

The Prisoner (UK TV Series; 1967)

Remember the Titans (Film; 2000)

Smells Like Teen Spirit, by Nirvana (Music Video; 1991)

A Star is Born (Musical Film; 1954)

The Stranger, by Billy Joel (Album; 1988)

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (WB Animated Film; 2009)

Tall in the Saddle (Film; 1944)

To Die For (Film; 1995)

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Video Game; 1999)

Uptown Girl, by Billy Joel (Song; 1983)

Urban Hymns, by The Verve (Album; 1997)

Today’s Name Days

Gabriel, Gabriela, Michael, Michaela, Rafael, Rafaela (Austria)

Gabrijel, Mihael, Rafael (Croatia)

Michal (Czech Republic)

Michael (Denmark)

Mihkel, Miikael, Mikk, Miko, Miku (Estonia)

Miika, Miikka, Mika, Mikael, Mikaela, Mikko, Miko, Miska (Finland)

Gabriel, Michel, Raphaël (France)

Gabriel, Michael, Raphael (Germany)

Kyriakos (Greece)

Mihály (Hungary)

Gabriele, Michele, Nicolò, Raffaele (Italy)

Ivonna, Mihails, Miķelis, Mikus (Latvia)

Gabrielius, Michalina, Mykolas, Mykolė, Rapolas (Lithuania)

Mikael, Mikal, Mikkel (Norway)

Dadźbog, Franciszek, Michalina (Poland)

Chiriac (Romania)

Ludmila (Russia)

Michaela, Michal (Slovakia)

Gabriel, Miguel, Rafael (Spain)

Mikael, Mikaela (Sweden)

Teofan (Ukraine)

Carmichael, Mia, Micaela, Micah, Michael, Michaela, Micheal, Michele, Micheline, Michelle, Mickey, Miguel, Mikaela, Mikala, Mikayla, Mike, Mikel, Mitch, Mitchel, Mitchell (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 272 of 2024; 93 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 39 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 25 of 28]

Chinese: Month 8 (Xin-You), Day 15 (Geng-Yin)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 14 Tishri 5784

Islamic: 14 Rabi I 1445

J Cal: 2 Shù; Twosday [1 of 30]

Julian: 16 September 2023

Moon: 100%: Full Moon

Positivist: 20 Shakespeare (10th Month) [Fielding]

Runic Half Month: Gyfu (Gift) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 6 of 89)

Zodiac: Libra (Day 6 of 30)

[brookston]

Holidays 9.29

Holidays

Broadway Musicals Day

Constitution Day (Brunei)

Day of Machine-Building Industry Workers (Russia)

Goose Day

International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waster (UN)

Inventor's Day (Argentina)

Jitiya Parwa (Nepal)

Leif Erickson Day

Make a List of the Top 10 Happiest Days in Your Life Day

Maneki Neko Day (Japan)

Mutation Day (TMNT)

National Attend Your Grandchild's Birth Day

National Day of Accountability

National Day of Belongingness

National Day of Remembrance for Policemen Killed (Australia)

National Oxygen Day

National Poisoned Blackberries Day (Scotland)

National Silent Movie Day

Police Remembrance Day (Australia)

Quick Draw Day

Thimphu Drubchen (Bhutan)

VFW Day

Victory of Boquerón Day (Paraguay)

World Heart Day

Xenophobe Understanding Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Biscotti Day

Budweiser National Happy Hour

National Coffee Day

National Mocha Day

4th & Last Thursday in September

World Maritime Day [Last Thursday]

Feast Days

All Angels’ Day (Christian)

The Daily Double (Church of the SubGenius)

Double Entendre Day (Pastafarian)

Festival of Tezcatzonctl (Chief Aztec God of Intoxication)

Fielding (Positivist; Saint)

Gwynn ap Nudd’s Fest (Celtic God of the Underworld)

Michael, Gabriel, Raphael (Christian; Angels)

Michaelmas [traditional start of Bavarian lager brewing season]

Quarter Day (England, Ireland & Wales) [3 of 4]

Rhipsime (Christian; Saint)

Telly (Muppetism)

Theodota (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Lucky Day (Philippines) [53 of 71]

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

All the World’s a Stage, by Rush (Live Album; 1976)

Big Mouth (Animated TV Series; 2017)

Core, by Stone Temple Pilots (Album; 1992)

Death on the Nile (Film; 1978)

Felicity (TV Series; 1998)

Hamlet (Film; 1948)

MacGyver (TV Series; 1985)

Masters of Sex (TV Series; 2013)

Open Season (Animated Film; 2006)

Painted from Memory, by Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach (Album; 1998)

The Prisoner (UK TV Series; 1967)

A Star is Born (Musical Film; 1954)

The Stranger, by Billy Joel (Album; 1988)

Uptown Girl, by Billy Joel (Song; 1983)

Today’s Name Days

Gabriel, Michael (Austria)

Gabrijel, Mihael, Rafael (Croatia)

Michal (Czech Republic)

Michael (Denmark)

Mihkel, Miikael, Mikk, Miko, Miku (Estonia)

Miika, Miikka, Mika, Mikael, Mikaela, Mikko, Miko, Miska (Finland)

Gabriel, Michel, Raphaël (France)

Gabriel, Michael, Raphael (Germany)

Kyriakos (Greece)

Mihály (Hungary)

Gabriele, Michele, Nicolò, Raffaele (Italy)

Ivonna, Mihails, Miķelis, Mikus (Latvia)

Gabrielius, Michalina, Mykolas, Mykolė, Rapolas (Lithuania)

Mikael, Mikal, Mikkel (Norway)

Dadźbog, Franciszek, Michalina (Poland)

Ludmila (Russia)

Michaela, Michal (Slovakia)

Gabriel, Miguel, Rafael (Spain)

Mikael, Mikaela (Sweden)

teofan (Ukraine)

Carmichael, Mia, Micaela, Micah, Michael, Michaela, Micheal, Michele, Micheline, Michelle, Mickey, Miguel, Mikaela, Mikala, Mikayla, Mike, Mikel, Mitch, Mitchel, Mitchell (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 272 of 2022; 93 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 39 of 2022

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 27 of 28]

Chinese: Month 9 (Júyuè), Day 4 (Yi-You)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 4 Tishri 5783

Islamic: 3 Rabi I 1444

J Cal: 2 Shù; Oneday [2 of 30]

Julian: 16 September 2022

Moon: 16%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 20 Shakespeare (10th Month) [Fielding]

Runic Half Month: Gyfu (Gift) [Day 4 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 7 of 90)

Zodiac: Libra (Day 5 of 30)

[vsplusonline]

Covid-19: Fear and anxiety worry inmates of Pune shelter homes - Times of India

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/covid-19-fear-and-anxiety-worry-inmates-of-pune-shelter-homes-times-of-india/

Covid-19: Fear and anxiety worry inmates of Pune shelter homes - Times of India

PUNE: Kailash Saha, one of the 1,300 homeless people rounded up by the police from Pune railway station and lodged in a shelter home in the city, claims to be an MBBS doctor from West Bengal. He also says he has a double BA in science. But he has no document to buttress his claims.

Saha is among those sheltered in 15 civic schools and four homes run by the social welfare department. Separated from their families by hundreds of miles with no one to call their own, many of them live in a state of delirium.

Coronavirus lockdown: Latest updates With the authorities confining them in shelter homes to contain the spread of coronavirus, they are scared and confused.

Rukmani Harijan was on her way to Nagpur on foot when she along with others in her group were picked up by the police. “I was put in a vehicle and brought here. There were six more people with me. I don’t know where they are now. We lived in Shindewadi and are daily wage labourers. Will we be allowed to go to Shindewadi? How long will I have to stay here?” asked Rukmani in a mix of Hindi and Marathi.

More on Covid-19

Most people stuck in shelter homes have the same questions. What will happen to them? When will they be released. Some don’t even know where they have been kept.

When the lockdown was announced, Suresh Chavan and his family were walking towards their home town in Karnataka from Walekarwadi.

“Some policemen came and started beating us. They said we can’t go. We have our family back in Karnataka. Can you tell us where we have been kept? What is this area called? When will the train services resume,” asked Chavan, with his wife, sister and daughter beside him.

People lodged in shelters are all from different states and even from neighbouring countries, such as Nepal. “Not everyone has documents with them as many are homeless. They have been registered with just their name and whatever address they could provide. The administration is also not making registration of addresses compulsory as the main aim is to keep them quarantined,” said Manorama Aware, a PMC official.

“There are 1300 people in these shelters. The numbers may increase and, hence, we are trying to find out the private contractors for whom they worked, so that they can be told to come and provide them with necessary accommodation and food. This will free up space. Secondly, we know that many of them suffer from skin diseases, or other diseases and need psychological help. Medical checkups from local health facilities is being provided and people showing any symptoms are being kept separate from others. We will also be taking the help of counsellors.

People who need professional help will be shifted to mental institutions. Since many of them are not used to being confined, small arguments and fights are taking place, but we are increasing security at these shelters,” said Madhav Jagtap, nodal officer for shelter homes in the city.

Source link

[svguavajelly]

Chimborazo

On Sunday evening, Riki and I had the opportunity to attempt to summit the volcano Chimborazo, Ecuador’s tallest volcano at 20,534 feet. The summit of Chimborazo is also actually the closest point to the sun (closer than the summit of Everest), because of the bulge at the Earth’s equator.

I wasn’t too sure about our chances, seeing as we hadn’t trained at all. The points in our favor: we live at 8,500 feet so are a little bit acclimatized; Riki rides his bike a lot; I play Ultimate Frisbee once a week; Riki summited Cotopaxi, at 19,350 feet in 2007; I have some mountaineering experience having summited Rainer twice. My previous highest altitude was 17,800’ at Thorong La pass in Nepal, and I didn’t feel very good that day. I had a headache, came back down & vomited, and decided to descend further in order to escape the malaise I felt.  The points against us: Riki was sick the week before, he had gotten a blister on his bunion on his right foot during our hike in Cajas the weekend before, Riki’s shoulder is still recovering from his reconstruction surgery, and I am pretty out of shape.

My mom is visiting right now, and she volunteered to watch the kids so Riki and I could do the three day Chimborazo trip. She managed to get all the kids to Tomu’s soccer game, take Tomu & Jade to school and pick them up Monday, and even take Luz to her child development class at my friend Lore’s on Monday morning. Tomu & Jade spent Saturday night at a friends, and Luz wouldn’t let my mom pick her up out of the crib Sunday morning when she realized that Po Po was the only one there. She kept asking: mama? Papi? Momu? Jade?

We booked a guide and a tour online. The tour included 3 meals, one night’s stay in the hut in the National Park, and all the gear needed for climbing (ice ax, crampons, helmet, headlamp, balaclava, mountaineering boots, gaiters, harness, etc.).

Saturday morning we left at 8:30 am on a bus to Riobamba. All the buses in Ecuador seem to play violent action movies at either super loud volume, or too low volume to hear. This bus ride Wolverine was playing. The road is so windy, and the bus drivers take the curves so fast that your body rocks back and forth in the seat, so you have no chance of sleeping.

We got to Riobamba & took a cab up to Chakana Mountain Temple, our first night’s lodging. The tour company recommended that we stay there to begin the acclimatization process. Our cab driver was so interesting. I asked him how the strike had gone, and he said, “bastante bien” (pretty well). He told me that Chimborazo province has the most indigenous people in all of Ecuador, and that they were really strong during the strike. He said he was a strike leader, and they had captured 16 of the Ecuadorian policemen and held them hostage for 6 days until they would admit that the policemen had killed two protesters. Then he told me how 200 buses left from Riobamba, a city of about 500,000 people for Quito to protest. The military blocked their way with tanks, and they burned the tanks and kept going. Man! Talk about badass. The taxi driver caught me up on the current talks with the government, and said he didn’t think there would be any more strikes because elections are coming up in 2021, and if President Moreno continues to try to implement these economic measures, there will be more strikes and it won’t be good for his re-election.

We arrived at Chakana, at 13,780’, and it immediately began to downpour. So we sat by the fire in the dining room, played cribbage, drank coca tea & ate popcorn. Riki won—I think I’ve beaten him perhaps once in my life at crib. We listened to an episode of The Moth Story Hour, and they talked about having a Pitch Line, where you could pitch your story in two minutes. Riki asked me for my story pitch, and I began talking about my aunt Evi. Do I start with her being lost at sea on the Niña? Maybe that grabs the listeners’ attention best. Or do I start with a million other stories that show what a unique, trailblazing person she was? I just talked, and ended up crying of course.

I had to pump milk in order to keep my milk supply going for Luz. It’s so convenient to be able to help her sleep while traveling by breastfeeding, and we have a few long trips coming up. While pumping, I felt so grateful that I haven’t had to do this every day since Luz was born, as I had to when Jade was a baby, while working full-time. This was my first night sleeping away from Luz since she was born.

On Sunday morning we took a twenty minute walk into this gorgeous canyon where about 15 people were rock climbing! It was a tight canyon, with green grass & a waterfall at one end. Most of the routes were sport routes, and it was cool to meet Ecuadorian climbers. I saw the same light and joy in Matias’ eyes that I know shines in mine when I’m climbing, or thinking about climbing, or talking about climbing.

Unbeknownst to us, our lodging sat on the rim of the canyon above the climbing wall. Chakana lodge is the red roofed building. Surprise!

At noon Sunday our guide Patricio, whose nickname is Pato (duck) or Don Patito (Mr. Duckling), showed up right on time to take us into the National Park. He was a short bald man, 51 years old, with huge calf muscles. I asked him how many times he had summited Chimborazo, and he said he had lost count. He began climbing mountains at age eleven. I figured that was a good sign. In this week alone he was guiding Chimborazo Sunday, another mountain nearby Monday, Cotopaxi Tuesday, and Chimborazo again on Friday.

We made it up to the Carrel refugio, elevation 15,750’, around 1:30 pm and began trying on mountaineering boots and sorting the rest of the gear. Pato made us a light lunch of guacamole, bread, tomato, and cheese, then sent us off on an acclimatization hike to the Whymper refugio, 650’ further up the mountain.

Chimborazo graveyard

We had dinner at 4 pm, and laid down to rest at 5 pm, with our alarms set at 9 pm. I had a slight headache, and took an ibuprofen before going to sleep. I fell right asleep, but Riki didn’t sleep at all (maybe 15 minutes!). In contrast to Cotopaxi, which often has 20 parties attempting to summit on a given day, there was only one other party attempting to summit with us. Pato said that Cotopaxi is more popular because the summit is lower and therefore more accessible, and it is not as steep.

After eating a banana, we filled our thermoses with coco tea, donned our gear, and set off at 10 pm. While we rested, there had a been a storm, with lightning, which dumped about a foot of new snow. Another party who were planning to sleep in tents at the High Camp, at 17,390’, had to abandon their plan and hike out because of the storm. But the sky was mostly clear, with some clouds. A gibbous moon shone down on us. Riki said to me soon after we began: “Sabes qué? Te amo.” Do you know what? I love you. I felt like hell for the first 1,300’ or so, until we stopped to rest. I still had a slight headache, and I felt nauseous, and the snow kept balling up under my left boot, which was annoying me. I had my headlamp on also, which made me focus on the bit of illuminated snow in front of me, and prevented me from taking in the beauty of our surroundings.

After a short rest, some coca tea, and a piece of dried mango, I remarkably felt a lot better. My headache and my nausea went away. I turned off my headlamp and the beauty of climbing above the clouds, by moonlight and starlight, really helped me and gave me strength. We kept on through the fresh snow, heading up. We roped up & put crampons on just before traversing beneath a jagged rock band called The Castle on steep snow. Pato led the rope team, I was in the middle, and Riki last. On top of the Castle the views were amazing, just vast openness, rocks jutting up from the cloud layer. We passed the other party, who were headed down because one of their party was sick. As we got higher, I had to really concentrate on doing the rest step, and exhaling audibly and forcefully, which in turn makes you take deep breaths in. To me it was so interesting how your world can shrink to just putting one foot in front of the other, just keeping up with the rope leader. Riki later asked me what I was thinking about, and said he was thinking about so many things, about sailing, about other hard things he had done in his life. I can’t remember what I thought about, I just felt present in the moment, happy to be in such a beautiful place, and hoping I could keep going and make it to the top. Riki said to me at some point, “I”m going to remember this forever. Te amo.”

We reached a short, steep snow section that was pretty sketchy because of the snow conditions being so soft and unconsolidated. We stopped, and Pato went up to set up some protection. I was nervous for him! Then it was my turn, and I was nervous for me, even though I was on belay. I used the pick of my ice ax to dig in the snow, my crampon toes to dig in the snow, and my hand to grab rocks on the left hand side. Riki seemed to come up the scary part with ease.

We continued up until we got to the glacier, at 18,810’. Pato dug a snow pit to check the snow for avalanche conditions. He didn’t like it, saying that we could potentially get up the glacier, but it would be too dangerous coming down, and would likely avalanche. At this point it was 3:30 am and we had been climbing for 5 1/2 hours. He said that we were in good physical condition, we were making good time, and that had it not been for the snow condition, we would have made it to the top. I guess you never know…but the summit was still 1, 700 feet away! That’s a lot of rest steps and deep exhales. I was bummed that we had to turn around, but also a tiny bit relieved that the decision to turn around was made NOT because I (or Riki) wasn’t able to keep going. :)

On the way down, I went first on the rope, then Riki, then Pato. It seemed to take forever to get down, plunge stepping on the steeper parts, and following our tracks from the way up the whole way. That steep section was scarier going down, though I was on belay. We needed our headlamps now, because the moon had been covered by clouds. We finally got back to the hut at 6:15 am, and I had nothing left. I collapsed on my bed to sleep for a few hours before beginning the journey back home to Cuenca. We had some gorgeous views as we neared the refuge again in the dawn light, but we were too tired to stop and take a picture. It looked like we could see to the Pacific Ocean, though I’m sure that’s not true…just layers and layers of blue mountains sticking out above the clouds.

We packed up our stuff, had breakfast, and headed out. Then we had to wait for 90 minutes at the park entrance for the agency’s truck to come get us. That was pretty annoying, when we just wanted to get home, and we knew we had a long bus ride ahead of us. Finally the truck came and took us to a town outside Riobamba where we could catch a bus to Cuenca. The bus to Cuenca came within 5 minutes…and it was the exact same bus we had taken 2 days before. Same driver, same ayudante, and yep, Wolverine was playing again. This time I was so exhausted I did sleep for a few hours. We got home at 5 pm, and it was pretty sweet to see the kids again. A huge thanks to my mom for watching the kids so we could have a 3 day mountain adventure!!

[acharya123himal]

4,000 security personnel infected with Corona, concern over security

4,000 security personnel infected with Corona, concern over security

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August 24, Kathmandu. 2,317 Nepal Police personnel and officers responsible for maintaining daily peace and security in Nepal have been infected with Covid-19 (Corona) virus.

Around 800 policemen, including two Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), who command a security unit in the Kathmandu Valley, are infected. It is speculated that this may present a security challenge. Currently,…

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 9.29

Holidays

Broadway Musicals Day

Constitution Day (Brunei)

Day of Machine-Building Industry Workers (Russia)

Goose Day

International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waster (UN)

Inventor's Day (Argentina)

Jitiya Parwa (Nepal)

Leif Erickson Day

Make a List of the Top 10 Happiest Days in Your Life Day

Maneki Neko Day (Japan)

Mutation Day (TMNT)

National Attend Your Grandchild's Birth Day

National Day of Accountability

National Day of Belongingness

National Day of Remembrance for Policemen Killed (Australia)

National Oxygen Day

National Poisoned Blackberries Day (Scotland)

National Silent Movie Day

Police Remembrance Day (Australia)

Quick Draw Day

Thimphu Drubchen (Bhutan)

VFW Day

Victory of Boquerón Day (Paraguay)

World Heart Day

Xenophobe Understanding Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Biscotti Day

Budweiser National Happy Hour

National Coffee Day

National Mocha Day

4th & Last Thursday in September

World Maritime Day [Last Thursday]

Feast Days

All Angels’ Day (Christian)

The Daily Double (Church of the SubGenius)

Double Entendre Day (Pastafarian)

Festival of Tezcatzonctl (Chief Aztec God of Intoxication)

Fielding (Positivist; Saint)

Gwynn ap Nudd’s Fest (Celtic God of the Underworld)

Michael, Gabriel, Raphael (Christian; Angels)

Michaelmas [traditional start of Bavarian lager brewing season]

Quarter Day (England, Ireland & Wales) [3 of 4]

Rhipsime (Christian; Saint)

Telly (Muppetism)

Theodota (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Lucky Day (Philippines) [53 of 71]

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

All the World’s a Stage, by Rush (Live Album; 1976)

Big Mouth (Animated TV Series; 2017)

Core, by Stone Temple Pilots (Album; 1992)

Death on the Nile (Film; 1978)

Felicity (TV Series; 1998)

Hamlet (Film; 1948)

MacGyver (TV Series; 1985)

Masters of Sex (TV Series; 2013)

Open Season (Animated Film; 2006)

Painted from Memory, by Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach (Album; 1998)

The Prisoner (UK TV Series; 1967)

A Star is Born (Musical Film; 1954)

The Stranger, by Billy Joel (Album; 1988)

Uptown Girl, by Billy Joel (Song; 1983)

Today’s Name Days

Gabriel, Michael (Austria)

Gabrijel, Mihael, Rafael (Croatia)

Michal (Czech Republic)

Michael (Denmark)

Mihkel, Miikael, Mikk, Miko, Miku (Estonia)

Miika, Miikka, Mika, Mikael, Mikaela, Mikko, Miko, Miska (Finland)

Gabriel, Michel, Raphaël (France)

Gabriel, Michael, Raphael (Germany)

Kyriakos (Greece)

Mihály (Hungary)

Gabriele, Michele, Nicolò, Raffaele (Italy)

Ivonna, Mihails, Miķelis, Mikus (Latvia)

Gabrielius, Michalina, Mykolas, Mykolė, Rapolas (Lithuania)

Mikael, Mikal, Mikkel (Norway)

Dadźbog, Franciszek, Michalina (Poland)

Ludmila (Russia)

Michaela, Michal (Slovakia)

Gabriel, Miguel, Rafael (Spain)

Mikael, Mikaela (Sweden)

teofan (Ukraine)

Carmichael, Mia, Micaela, Micah, Michael, Michaela, Micheal, Michele, Micheline, Michelle, Mickey, Miguel, Mikaela, Mikala, Mikayla, Mike, Mikel, Mitch, Mitchel, Mitchell (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 272 of 2022; 93 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 39 of 2022

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 27 of 28]

Chinese: Month 9 (Júyuè), Day 4 (Yi-You)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 4 Tishri 5783

Islamic: 3 Rabi I 1444

J Cal: 2 Shù; Oneday [2 of 30]

Julian: 16 September 2022

Moon: 16%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 20 Shakespeare (10th Month) [Fielding]

Runic Half Month: Gyfu (Gift) [Day 4 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 7 of 90)

Zodiac: Libra (Day 5 of 30)

[brookston]

Holidays 9.29

Holidays

Biscotti Day

Broadway Musicals Day

Budweiser National Happy Hour

Confucius Day

Constitution Day (Brunei)

Day of Machine-Building Industry Workers (Russia)

Festival of Tezcatzonctl (Chief Aztec God of Intoxication)

Goose Day

Gwynn ap Nudd’s Fest (Celtic God of the Underworld)

International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waster (UN)

Inventor's Day (Argentina)

Jitiya Parwa (Nepal)

Leif Erickson Day

Make a List of the Top 10 Happiest Days in Your Life Day

Maneki Neko Day (Japan)

Maple Leaf Day (Canada) [Last Wednesday]

Michaelmas (traditional start of Bavarian lager brewing season)

Mutation Day (TMNT)

National Attend Your Grandchild's Birth Day

National Coffee Day

National Day of Accountability

National ay of Remembrance for Policemen Killed (Australia)

National Mocha Day

National Oxygen Day

National Poisoned Blackberries Day (Scotland)

National Silent Movie Day

National Women's Health and Fitness Day [Last Wednesday]

Quarter Day (England, Ireland & Wales) [3 of 4]

Quick Draw Day

Simhat Torah (ends at sundown; Judaism)

Thimphu Drubchen (Bhutan)

VFW Day

Victory of Boquerón Day (Paraguay)

World Heart Day

World School Milk Day [Last Wednesday]

Xenophobe Understanding Day

Christian Feast Days

Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and All Angels’ Day

Rhipsime

Theodota

[sohanbir]

Co-pilot, 2 policemen killed in plane crash in Nepal http://bit.ly/2KQh8Jt