Rock Cave Where David Sharp Died on Everest
Thanks for reading.
More on David Sharp
From EverestNews:
We will never know the whole story of who helped David and who did not. We will never know the whole story of his summit attempt and descent where he ended up next to the previously dead climber in the rock cave on Everest. But we do know where he froze to death on Everest. Some of the media reports grow more confused, in other media stories some detail have come out. But we thought we would show you a picture of the location where David died according to some climbers statements: The Rock Cave on Everest. You will note the route to the summit is where the the rope is. You all are smart enough to figure out the rest....
EverestNews.com does not publish pictures of dead climbers, therefore the dead climber has been painted "white" in this photo. In real life the dead climber is NOT covered....
Our thoughts and Prayers go out to the family and friends of David Sharp....
Earlier Report: David Sharp from the UK has died on Everest. To the climber who has been on Everest up there, he is now in the rock cave next to the dead Indian climber. Several climbers saw David in trouble. David at some point froze to death like others before him.
This is old news for those who summited Everest the last few days. We have been waiting to report until the family was notified. We are now told the family has been notified.
Climbers saw David in various states, from standing and walking, to trying to work on his oxygen system, to at one point down on the ground.
David was clearly descending the mountain apparently from the Summit...
This article about the latest disabled climber to summit, Mark Inglis, talks about seeing him on the 15th. Numerous climbers summited on the 14th and 15th reporting him in various states. David attempted Everest by himself. He did not get himself down and therefore he died. Very Sad.
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From MountEverest.net:
Let me tell you what it feels like on 8500 meters, deep in the Death Zone.
It depends...on 3 things:
1. The weather
2. How long you have been up there
3. And if you use (good) oxygen
If the weather is bad, you are out of oxygen (or use a bad system), and you are returning from a summit - chances are you feel like shit. Your brain is a distant blur, your legs hardly move, and you just want to sit down and sleep.
But if the weather is nice, and you have plenty of gas - it's an entirely different ball game. In good conditions, high above 8000 meters, even after a summit, you frolic in the snow, you have tea in the sun, you shoot pictures and video, you chat with fellow climbers - and maybe even call your mom.
On a mountain where all bets are off
I am not a strong climber. I seem to lack the altitude gene some of my lucky mates such as Messner and Viesturs enjoy. And I'm a woman. I have not climbed many Himalayan peaks, but I know Everest well. Ever since it first introduced itself to me, in the fateful year of 1996, Everest has been my special mountain. I returned there for 4 years, determined to show its soul to the world, through the eyes of uncensored, real adventure.
I have seen people fall horrible falls, screaming in the thin air. I have met people telling me they are ok, while they were in fact dying, without even being aware.
I have seen bad oxygen being sold to clueless climbers, and weather reports altered to fool fellow mates. I have seen false heroes hit world headlines and true heroes disappear. I have seen the cheaters, and the lies. I have listened to the Base Camp chatter, and watched the resigned look in some of my fellow climbers' eyes. For 4 years, I watched a battle between good and bad play out on a mountain where all bets are off.
The truth about us
Everest is not about the summit. Everest is just a rock. The top is the hat but the climb is the soul. A miniature of the world with no strings attached, on Everest I have seen the truth about us humans, stripped down to our barest bones.
Ever since it became known that 40 climbers stepped over a dying mate to reach the summit last week (and it's not the first time), I have seen some of my fellow climbers defending the act. Many of them, I knew, only guarding their own agendas. I watched the rest of the world become confused - is it OK to bury people alive - as long as it's on Mount Everest?
The world from a distance
Jochen Hemmleb, perhaps the foremost Everest historian today, wrote in an email today:
"For decades Everest was seen as the epitome of human challenge. In recent years, however, its role has changed. From a testing place it has been transformed into a stage on which human vanities and other habits are put on display. As Everest historian Walt Unsworth once wrote, 'Everest can bring out the best and worst in people.'"
"Mountaineering can act as an escape from society. It can also serve as means to view society from a distance. Seen in this context and keeping in mind the mountain's special role, the current events on Everest are in great part a reflection of what's going on elsewhere in society, and the questions about ethics should not be confined to Everest or climbing circles."
"The events on Everest raise some hard questions about how we, as society, regard and define success. Nowadays Everest history has come round full circle in so far as the summit seems once more to be the only goal - and few care about how it was achieved. Am I the only one who thinks that this speaks volumes, that the attitude behind this spreads beyond the climbing world to other parts of society and culture?" asks Jochen.
Choose our role models
The fact is, that the world celebrates strength unconditionally today. The next step, is to sacrifice the weak. If a climber is part of a "far less professional outfit" and "had no oxygen, and no proper gloves," he deserves to die, we decide.
The Spirit of Adventure is anything but these days. Lawsuits are filed by cheaters trying to bully their way to acceptance of false claims. Explorers with the biggest PR staff get the fame. Commerce hides bodies and damage control becomes an all important task. And it works, too.
But the question is if the problem is isolated to the community of Adventurers - or if it's a dormant cancer lying within us all. We need to talk about that, a lot, and choose our role models with better care.
This was the message Everest wanted to leave with us in 2006, ten years after Into thin air. When you check the timing between the death and miracle of David and Lincoln, it hits you that the MotherGoddess could have spoken no louder. It's not a cute message folks. It's a warning.
Tina Sjogren (born in the Czech rep) is one of the founders of ExplorersWeb. She climbed Everest in 1996 as a member of Henry Todd's outfit, and the next three years in small independent expeditions with her husband Tom (Sweden). The couple summited in 1999 after managing much of the infrastructure on Everest south side with only a team of 5 Sherpas. The expedition became famous when the couple built a wireless network high up on the mountain, and the expedition Sirdar, Babu Shirri Sherpa, camped out on the summit for 20 hours without oxygen, a dream he had long wished to try. Babu perished 2 years later in a crevasse on Everest south side camp 2. Tom and Tina later skied to both the earth's Poles (unsupported), and live in New York today.
Thanks for reading.
Death on Everest and Group Responsibility
Sadly, it is not unusual during a climbing season for climbers to die on Mt. Everest. But for those of you following the various ascents this year, there has been a new wrinkle.
New Zealand climber Mark Inglis, a double-amputee who climbs on prosthetic legs, was one of many who passed British climber David Sharp, 34. Sharp was trying to climb the mountain alone. He died after he apparently ran out of oxygen 300 meters below the summit.
Inglis said his party was the only one among about 40 climbers to stop and help Sharp as he lay in Everest's "death zone", above 8000 meters. He said his group kept climbing after deciding there was nothing they could do to save Sharp.
"He had no oxygen, he had no proper gloves," Inglis said. "He was effectively dead … so we carried on. Trouble is, at 8500 meters it's extremely difficult to keep yourself alive, let alone keep anyone else alive."
Sir Edmund Hillary, who with Tensing Norgay were the first to summit Everest, slammed the behavior of Inglis' group, saying there was a lack of ethics among climbers. Hillary said that his 1953 British team would have abandoned its summit bid if another climber's life had been in danger.
"I think the whole attitude towards climbing Mount Everest has become rather horrifying. The people just want to get to the top. They don't give a damn for anybody else who may be in distress and it doesn't impress me at all that they leave someone lying under a rock to die."
I am certainly no expert in decisions that are made at the top of the world. But in first aid at least, the number one rule is "Don't become a victim yourself." When you jump into a situation attempting to save others, do not put yourself into danger or risk injuring yourself in your attempts to help someone else. As callous as it might sound, it's better to have one victim than two.
But extreme situations sometimes call for extreme action, and there is no more extreme situation than high on Mt. Everest. Granted, just being there is a death-defying act. But when someone is still alive and clearly will not stay alive for long without help, ethically, what type of obligation do others have on the mountain?
Closer to home, last week I attended a training session at my company's corporate office along with sixteen other participants. But while I was 100% engaged and participating and contributing to the group workshops to the best of my ability, it was clear others were not. At the end of the week, two of the participants lost their jobs. And I can't help but wonder how my actions were identical to those climbers on Everest who just climbed on, passing another in clear distress, and letting him die.
At what point, in a group situation, does it become incumbent on you to reach out to other group members in distress? If not a physical distress, then a self-destructive distress that is leading an individual down the path of failure?
I think that it is important that these questions be asked. Not just because it might save a life in an extreme environment such as high on Mt. Everest, but because they are questions that all of us will face at some point in our professional lives.
Thanks for reading.
Dedication Friday: Touched By The Sun
Pick a song, any song, and dedicate it to the one you love...or hate, or despise or admire, or anything at all. Just dedicate a song, give a reason why, publish the song lyrics if you want, and join the autoscript. If you'd like to be included in the Dedication Friday Blogroll, just post a comment on MTMD and I'll add you. Thanks and have fun!
Please, only add your name if you are posting the Dedication Friday Meme on your blog.
This week I would like to dedicate Carly Simon's Touched By The Sun to my new renter, B fron All-Night.Org. B has a pretty detailed description in her bio on her site. I'll just copy it here:
So you wanna know a little about me? You've found the right place. Let's start off with the easy stuff. My name is Barbara but I go by B. One reason is I'm lazy and B is easy to type. Another reason is my 1st and last name combined is way too many letters to sign on anything. I sign my checks and anything else I need to sign with B then my last name. Interesting eh? Not really but oh well. I'm 21 years old and my birthday is December 4th. I'm around 5ft tall, have blue eyes and my natural hair color is dark brown. As of right now it's dyed black. I currently have 2 tattoos and my naval peirced.
I'm from Baltimore, MD where I still live with my parents. This year will be my parents 25th Anniversary. I only have one sister, Angela. She's younger and 17 years old. We all live together along with my dog Wolf. He's an Alaskian Spitz mix. Mixed with what? We have no idea.
I graduted from high school in 2000 and attended a local community college for about 1 1/2 years. My major was going to be Vet Tech but I have a problem with math (I suck at it) and since I had problems passing those classes I couldn't move on in the vet classes. I then switched to English. No, not because I want to be a teacher but because I wanted to be a journalist. Primarly in sports I hope or entertainment. Right now I'm not in school but I work full time as a receptionist at a local area car dealer. I've been there for about 3 years now and love my job.
For fun I enjoy sports, concerts and traveling. My favorite teams are the Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens of course. Gotta support the home teams. I watch NASCAR too and every Sunday I can be found rooting on Dale Earnhardt Jr. I've been to one NASCAR race thus far and numerous baseball games. I've only attended one football game. I love attending concerts. Those for me are my nights out. You can find a list of all the concerts I've attended in this section. I try and go to one or two a year but it all depends on who's touring. I don't go just to go. I've seen groups like Nsync and country artists like Kenny Chesney. I try to cover the music spectrum. I enjoy traveling too. I've really started to travel more the last couple years. I've been to Orlando, Chicago and Miami twice along with New York City. My dream would be to one day to visit Australia.
The thing about B's blog, however, is that it runs the gamut from news stories regarding animal cruelty to personal items such as lasik surgery. Eclectic, yes. Well-written, absolutely. Interesting? Always.
So click on the link on the top of the sidebar and visit B. And B, here's your dedication:
Touched By The Sun
If you want to be brave
And reach for the top of the sky
And the farthest point on the horizon
Do you know who you'll meet there
Great soldiers and seafarers,
Artists and dreamers
Who need to be close, close to the light
They need to be in danger of burning by fire
And I, I want to get there
I, I want to be one
One who is touched by the sun,
One who is touched by the sun
Often I want to walk
The safe side of the street
And lull myself to sleep
And dull my pain
But deep down inside I know
I've got to learn from the greats,
Earn my right to be living,
Let my wings of desire
Soar over the night
I need to let them say
"She must have been mad"
And I, I want to get there
I, I want to be one
One who is touched by the sun,
One who is touched by the sun
I've got to learn from the greats,
Earn my right to be living,
With every breath that I take,
Every heartbeat
And I, I want to get there
I, I want to be one, One who is touched by the sun,
One who is touched by the sun.
Thanks for reading.
BEST PERSONAL AD EVER!
SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I'm a very good girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me. Call (404) 875-6420 and ask for Daisy, I'll be waiting....
SCROLL DOWN
Over 15,000 men found themselves talking to the Atlanta Humane Society about an 8-week-old black Labrador retriever.
Thanks for reading.
Egg Economics
A man eats two eggs each morning for breakfast. When he goes to the grocery store he pays .60 cents a dozen. Since a dozen eggs won't last a week he normally buys two dozens at a time.
One day while buying eggs he notices that the price has risen to 72 cents. The next time he buys groceries, eggs are .76 cents a dozen. When asked to explain the price of eggs the store owner says, "the price has gone up and I have to raise my price accordingly".
This store buys 100 dozen eggs a day. I checked around for a better price and all the distributors have raised their prices. The distributors have begun to buy from the huge egg farms. The small egg farms have been driven out of business.
The huge egg farms sells 100,000 dozen eggs a day to distributors. With no competition, they can set the price as they see fit. The distributors then have to raise their prices to the grocery stores. And on and on and on. As the man kept buying eggs the price kept going up. He saw the big egg trucks delivering 100 dozen eggs each day. Nothing changed there.
He checked out the huge egg farms and found they were selling 100,000 dozen eggs to the distributors daily. Nothing had changed but the price of eggs.
Then week before Thanksgiving the price of eggs shot up to $1.00 a dozen. Again he asked the grocery owner why and was told, "cakes and baking for the holiday". The huge egg farmers know there will be a lot of baking going on and more eggs will be used. Hence, the price of eggs goes up. Expect the same thing at Christmas and other times when family cooking, baking, etc. happen.
This pattern continues until the price of eggs is 2.00 a dozen. The man says,"there must be something we can do about the price of eggs".
He starts talking to all the people in his town and they decide to stop buying eggs. This didn't work because everyone needed eggs. Finally, the man suggested only buying what you need.
He ate 2 eggs a day. On the way home from work he would stop at the grocery and buy two eggs. Everyone in town started buying 2 or 3 eggs a day.
The grocery store owner began complaining that he had too many eggs in his cooler. He told the distributor that he didn't need any eggs. Maybe wouldn't need any all week.
The distributor had eggs piling up at his warehouse. He told the huge egg farms that he didn't have any room for eggs and would not need any for at least two weeks.
At the egg farm, the chickens just kept on laying eggs.
To relieve the pressure, the huge egg farm told the distributor that they could buy the eggs at a lower price. The distributor said, " I don't have the room for the eggs even if they were free".
The distributor told the grocery store owner that he would lower the price of the eggs if the store would start buying again. The grocery store owner said, "I don't have room for more eggs. The customers are only buying 2 or 3 eggs at a time". "Now if you were to drop the price of eggs back down to the original price, the customers would start buying by the dozen again".
The distributors sent that proposal to the huge egg farmers They liked the price they were getting for their eggs but, them chickens just kept on laying.
Finally, the egg farmers lowered the price of their eggs. But only a few cents. The customers still bought 2 or 3 eggs at a time. They said, "when the price of eggs gets down to where it was before, we will start buying by the dozen."
Slowly the price of eggs started dropping. The distributors had to slash their prices to make room for the eggs coming from the egg farmers. The egg farmers cut their prices because the distributors wouldn't buy at a higher price than they were selling eggs for.
Anyway, they had full warehouses and wouldn't need eggs for quite a while.
And them chickens kept on laying.
Eventually, the egg farmers cut their prices because they were throwing away eggs they couldn't sell. The distributors started buying again because the eggs were priced to where the stores could afford to sell them at the lower price.
And the customers starting buying by the dozen again.
Now, transpose this analogy to the gasoline industry.
What if everyone only bought $20.00 worth of gas each time they pulled to the pump. The dealers tanks would stay semi full all the time. The dealers wouldn't have room for the gas coming from the huge tank farms. The tank farms wouldn't have room for the gas coming from the refining plants. And the refining plants wouldn't have room for the oil being off loaded from the huge tankers coming from the Middle East.
Just $20.00 each time you buy gas. Don't fill it up. You may have to stop for gas twice a week but, the price should come down. Be sure to put it on your credit card to add to their cost.
Think about it.
As an added note...When I buy $20.00 worth of gas,that leaves my tank a little under half full. The way prices are jumping around, you can buy gas for $2.95 a gallon and then the next morning it can be $2.65. If you have your tank full of $2.95 gas you don't have room for the $2.65 gas. You might not understand the economics of only buying two eggs at a time but, you can't buy cheaper gas if your tank is full of the high priced stuff.
Also, don't buy anything else at the gas station, don't give them any more of your hard earned money than what you spend on gas, until the prices come down.
Thanks for reading.
Wordless Wednesday
The Mackinac Bridge in Michigan in all it's sunset splendor.
(please only list your name if you have a recent Wordless Wednesday post)
Thanks for reading!
Ten Thoughts To Ponder This Week
Number 10 - Life is sexually transmitted.
Number 9 - Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
Number 8 - Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich.
Number 7 - Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.
Number 6 - Some people are like a Slinky...not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.
Number 5 - Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
Number 4 - All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no at tention to criticism.
Number 3 - Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut save you thirty cents?
Number 2 - In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
AND THE NUMBER 1 THOUGHT
We know exactly where one cow with mad-cow-disease is located among the millions and millions of cows in America but we haven't got a clue as to where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are located. Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in charge of immigration.
Thanks for reading.
The Legend of Mr. Linky
As some of you may have noticed, I just created a Friday Meme: Dedicated To The One I Love...or hate...or admire...or...or...whatever! In any case, in searching for the code to make it work, I finally was referred to Mr. Linky. But alas, Mr. Linky's code did not work on my Black Template of Death. So I beseeched Mr. Linky to alter his code for me so that it would display nice and pretty on Stephanie Davies' creation. And lo and behold, he did! There IS a God, and his name is Linky.
In return I promised Mr. Linky I would put his button on my sidebar, write a post advertising his site and services, and send him money. I'm kind of broke right now and Mr. Linky doesn't work for Blog Explosion credits, so he's been kind enough to wait for the cash while collecting interest. Lots of interest. Mafia kind of interest. No, I'm just kidding!
In any case, Mr. Linky has all kinds of levels of membership, and with each one comes additional linky functionality. I recommend you check out his site and see how you can utilize linkys in your blogs, and in the meantime, read Mr. Linky's own account of his origin below!
I was a quiet child. I always did well in school. What? Not that beginning?
Well, OK. Mister Linky was born out of my overwhelming laziness. Yes, it's true! I would go visiting around to other Thursday Thirteeners and they'd come back and visit me and they'd want to get linked up. That's how it works, after all! And I would dutifully spend an hour or more -- oh yes, no kidding! -- clicking through Blogger profiles and finding the links and editing my HTML... that is, if Blogger was even speaking to me!
Feh, enough. Well what if there was a way to add everybody's links automatically? Well necessity met invention and the rest is history.
And so I started using it myself and I think it was KDubs who first asked if she could use it, and then a bunch of other people joined in and then it just started spreading on its own. Made it a little difficult to make sure people were getting the code right, but it all seems to be working so far.
And here we are. I want to thank everyone who has made a donation. It really does help to make sure there is plenty of bandwidth to go around, that the lights keep shining on the database, and that the code keeps rolling along. Thank you!
Thanks for reading.
DEDICATION FRIDAY: A NEW MEME
Pick a song, any song, and dedicate it to the one you love...or hate, or despise or admire, or anything at all. Just dedicate a song, give a reason why, publish the song lyrics if you want, and join the autoscript. If you'd like to be included in the Dedication Friday Blogroll, just post a comment on MTMD and I'll add you. Thanks and have fun!
The song I'm dedicating today is "Soldiers" by ABBA. This song was written in 1981 in reference to the real fear of the Cold War escalating into a major world conflict. That scenario did not come to pass, and yet 25 years later, it seems we're still on the brink.
To the leaders of the world and to the US soldiers serving in Iraq, Soldiers is dedicated to you.
Soldiers
Do I hear what I think I’m hearing
do I see the signs I think I see
or is this just fantasy
is it true that the beast is waking
stirring in his restless sleep tonight
in the pale moonlight
in the grip of this cold December
you and I have reason to remember
Soldiers write the songs
that soldiers sing
the songs that you and I don’t sing
they blow their horns
and march along
they drum their drums
and look so strong
you’d think that nothing
in the world was wrong
soldiers write the songs
that soldiers sing
the songs that you and I won’t sing
let’s not look the other way
taking a chance
’cause if the bugler starts to play
we too must dance
What’s that sound
what’s that dreadful rumble
won’t somebody tell me what I hear
in the distance but drawing near
is it only a storm approaching
all that thunder and the blinding light
in the winter night
in the grip of this cold December
you and I have reason to remember
Soldiers write the songs
that soldiers sing
the songs that you and I don’t sing
they blow their horns
and march along
they drum their drums
and look so strong
you’d think that nothing
in the world was wrong
soldiers write the songs
that soldiers sing
the songs that you and I won’t sing
let’s not look the other way
taking a chance
’cause if the bugler starts to play
we too must dance
© Copyright 1981 for the world by Universal/Union Songs AB, Stockholm, Sweden. All rights reserved.
Thanks for reading.
Missing Kona Coffee
I just figured out what's wrong with me! (Well, one of the things that's wrong with me, anyway.) I am suffering from Kona Coffee withdrawal. That's right, you heard me. Kona Coffee Withdrawal.
"Kona coffee has a richer flavor than any other, be it grown where it may and call it by what name you please."
Mark Twain, 1866
In 1997 I went to Hawaii for the first time and stayed on the Big Island for a week. During this time, I really fell in love with coffee. But not just any coffee. Kona Coffee.
The first time I tasted Kona Coffee was on the flight from Honolulu to Hilo. It was an early morning flight after an exhausting flight to Oahu from Detroit the previous day. I was worn out from travel and suffering from jet lag in a major way. And then the most miraculous thing happened, the flight attendants started serving 100% Kona Coffee to everyone on the plane. Never have I tasted such a smooth, rich, and invigorating cup of coffee.
Well I became addicted. Everywhere I went on the Big Island, I drank Kona Coffee. When I returned home I was spoiled for life. Most of the coffee I drink now is just swill. It doesn't matter if it's Starbucks, Caribou, Panera, Einstein Brothers, or Speedway. It's just swill. And if I don't add copious amounts of cream and sugar, it's just not palatable at all.
But Kona Coffee! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. It's the only coffee I can drink black. If you've never tried 100% pure Kona Coffee, you are missing out.
Have you perked up a bit reading this? Are you intrigued? Then I recommend that you visit the following sites and ordering a sample of the one, the only, the 100% pure: Kona Coffee. But I warn you: Once you've reveled in the light, there is no going back.
Aikane Kona Coffee
Coffee Times
Gevalia Kaffe
Kona Blue Sky Coffee
Kona Coffee.Com
Kona Coffee Cultural Festival
Holualoa Kona Coffee Company
Kona Coffee Council
Langenstein Farms
Maui Coffee Company
Sugai Coffee
Want to know more? The following article regarding the history of Kona Coffee was written by Les Drent and is reprinted from the Coffee Times Website.
"It has been many years since Reverend Samuel Ruggles brought the first coffee plant cuttings to Kealakekua-Kona, Hawaii. The cuttings were taken from plants growing at the home of chief boki, governor of Oahu, who with help from agriculturalist, John Wilkinson, brought back several young plants acquired in Rio de Janeiro during a royal British voyage taken in 1825.
Even though coffee was in Kona in 1828 it was not immediately seen as a viable agricultural commodity. However, the particular conditions in Kona's climate and soil turned out to be some of the best known in the world for growing coffee. The sheltered and fertile western slopes of Mauna Loa and Mt. Hualalai along with sunny mornings and gentle afternoon rains helped the coffee plant thrive in its new environment. Soon enough coffee caught on in Kona, and its distinguished flavor became known throughout the world. In July of 1866 Mark Twain stated, in his "Letters From Hawaii", Kona coffee has a richer flavor than any other, be it grown where it may and call it by what name you please."
It was not until the late 1800's, the period following the California gold rush, that the coffee industry in Kona saw its first boom. In 1898 the Kona hillsides were consumed by coffee trees; over three million of them spread out over six thousand acres.
In the late 1800's and early 1900's the initial steps involved with processing the coffee were in most cases undertaken by the independent farmers themselves. This involved hand-powered pulpers, a sixteen hour soaking period and drying the beans under "false" pitched roofs that rolled back to receive the warm sunlight. Local mills in Kona then removed the final parchment membranes and loaded the grated beans into sacks before being carried down the mountain in mule powered freight wagons. The last leg of the journey began at either Kailua or Napoopoo piers where the coffee was shuttled by boats out ot waiting steamships bound for San Francisco.
Today, very little has changed from the coffee culture in Kona as many of its farms continue to be owned and operated by independent families. There are now mills in the area that fully process the raw coffee cherries for brew guaranteeing that the hand picked beans get the full flavored roast they deserve, right here in Kona, Hawaii.
All of our beans at Coffee Times are hand picked, sun dried and undergo stringent grading standards to uphold the gourmet reputation and quality in every cup of coffee. And, unlike some of our competitors we only roast to order, so if it's freshness you seek it's freshness you will receive.
The true taste of 100% pure Kona Coffee now awaits you, so from my Coffee Times to your coffee times enjoy Kona's very best."
Thanks for reading.
Pillow Rock Meets Titanic
This was an exciting day on the Upper Gauley...As you can see, we're going down, we're going down fast, and we're going deep.
MTMD Welcomes "Southern Expressions"
Southern Expresssions blogger Andrea Allison is my current Blog Explosion Landlord and I am most gratified and proud to welcome her as my current tenant here at MTMD.
In her own words, "Andrea Allison was born in Texarkana, a small town in Texas. She spent most of her teen years after her parents divorce in Redwater, Texas. She currently lives in Collinsville, Oklahoma. She began writing at a young age, winning a few essay contests. Currently, she has been published three times. Her poem A Dark Sunset and short stories Time Wasted and Blood Diary were published at Runesmag.com. She is a member of several writing communities including Writers4Writers and Absolute Write. She is also the leader of a critique group called Inspiration Cafe.
I think Andrea is just starting out on the path of a brilliant career as a writer. Not just because her poem and stories show a lot of promise by evoking strong emotions and images; but because Andrea is truly dedicated to her writing. Southern Expresssions is a blog focused on writing and contains numerous posts devoted to writing technique, word usage, and contests. If you are serious about becoming a writer, Southern Expresssions is a great blog to add to your resource list.
In addition to Southern Expresssions, Andrea also authors the blog Ghost Stories which is a truly fascinating entry into the paranormal. Posts run the gamut from info regarding pagan holidays such as Walpurgis Night to the history of haunted lighthouses, movie reviews, and stories of hauntings at various homes and locations far and wide.
Without a doubt, Andrea Allison is going places, and I am most proud to welcome her as my tenant this week. So what are you waiting for? Head on over to Southern Expresssions and tell her Matt sent ya. I know you'll be impressed.
_________________________
In related news, NYC Watchdog over at A Pile of Dog Bones has just released his study of Blog Explosion Landlords. Thankfully, I seem to have acquitted myself pretty well in the Watchdog's eyes:
"These guys are able to provide you with a non-leaky roof over your head and 3 square. What more can you ask for?
1. Meltwater, Torrents, Meandering, Delta- A 55 credit rental, 3 mentions, and 19 out of 29 Clicks were Uniques, gave me a 180% return on the river."
One criteria the Watchdog missed in his calculations were thumbnail placement in the blog. Some blogs that you rent from have you way down at the bottom of their sidebars. I think thumbnail placement at the top of the sidebar should count for something. But you tell me...if you have rented from me in the past or present, how have I done? Is there anything you would like to see from me as a landlord? Is there anything else I can do to help you promote your blog? Let me know, I am here for you.
Thanks for reading.
111 Must See Movies
There's a common thread running through several blogs at the moment concerning The 100 Greatest Movies, or the 100 Highest Grossing Movies, or the 100 Favorite Movies. Most recently commented on by Karolczak.com, this is a list that has gone around forever, been updated forever, and discussed frequently at every Oscar Party ever thrown.
I find it interesting that we, as human beings, enjoy compiling lists. AFI, the American Film Institute compiles a 100 Greatest List seemingly every few months. So, from the jumping on the bandwagon department, the following is my current list of the 111 Films that every one must see at some time in their lifetime. In alphabetical order:
A History of Violence
A River Runs Through It
ABBA: The Movie--the first movie by Lasse Hallstrom
African Queen
Airplane
Alien
American Beauty
American History X
Batman Begins
Ben Hur
Braveheart
Bull Durham
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Casablanca
Chicago
Chocolat
Cinderella Man
Contact
Dances With Wolves
Dead Poets Society
Die Hard
Dirty Dancing
Dogma
Election
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Excalibur
Fame
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Finding Nemo
Forbidden Planet
Fried Green Tomatoes
G.I. Jane
Ghost
Gladiator
Glory
Good Morning Vietnam
Good Will Hunting
Grease
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Heaven Can Wait
Hoosiers
Iris
Jaws
Kill Bill V.1
Kill Bill V.2
Kramer vs. Kramer
Leaving Las Vegas
Life Is Beautiful
March of the Penguins
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Moulin Rouge
Mulan
Munich
Muriel’s Wedding
Music of the Heart
Mutiny on the Bounty
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Norma Rae
North Country
Philadelphia
Pirates of the Carribean
Platoon
Private Benjamin
Psycho
Purple Rain
Quills
Rudy
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler's List
Shakespeare In Love
Silence of the Lambs
Silkwood
Somewhere In Time
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
Star Wars
Stepmom
Superman
The Cider House Rules
The Empire Strikes Back
The English Patient
The Fabulous Baker Boys
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Graduate
The Horse Whisperer
The Incredibles
The Lion King
The Parent Trap—Lindsay Lohan
The Return of the King
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rose
The Shining
The Sixth Sense
The Sound of Music
The Ten Commandments
The Thin Red Line
The Two Towers
The Usual Suspects
The Witches of Eastwick
The Wizard of Oz
There’s Something About Mary
Titanic
To Die For
Top Gun
Toy Story
Varsity Blues
Wedding Crashers
White Palace
Wuthering Heights
Yours, Mine, and Ours—Lucille Ball
Thanks for reading.
Whatever Happened to the Breakup Song?
I logged on to AOL about an hour ago and, to my dismay, Nick Lachey's face was plastered over the welcome screen. I mean, will it never end? Nick and Jessica; Tom and Nicole; Brad and Jennifer....the list goes on and on and on of celeberity break-ups being used to sell gossip magazines and earn ratings for TV infotainment.
I do feel a lot of sympathy for anyone who has to endure a painful ending to a relationship; and I can't imagine how embarrassing or humiliating it might be to experience one in the public spotlight. But sometimes, you know, you kind of ask for what you get.
Case in point: Nick Lachey.
Personally, I think Nick Lachey has an incredible voice. But I also thing he has wasted it recording mediocre material. Which brings me back to the AOL Welcome Screen.
Today on AOL, Nick Lachey's new album: What's Left of Me is featured on AOL's listening party. I don't know how AOL gets around the RIAA, however, you can listen to the entire album for free on AOL. I really don't know what possessed me to press play, (who knows what possesses anyone to do anything in sleep-deprived insomnia episodes in the midnight hour anyway) but I'm glad I did. It probably saved me ten bucks for the CD. Like I said, I think Nick Lachey has a great voice. However, on this album of undifferentiated sonic creations; it's quite clear all he does is whine and moan about his breakup with Jessica Simpson. Unfortunately, he does so without any of the soul he demonstrated as a singer with 98 Degrees. And it leads me to wonder: "Whatever Happened to the Breakup Song?"
In the not too distant past, breakup songs were created with art and passion and raw emotion; and sometimes, as with Fleetwood Mac's Rumours; that theme was carried over into an entire album resulting in a massive emotional connection with a generation.
"Go Your Own Way" and "Dreams" still dominate classic rock and Pop/AC airwaves almost thirty years after Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks first belted out these rock classics. Will any of Nick Lachey's songs be remembered in this way? Considering that I can't distinguish one from the other in this homogenous mess of his album, I would argue that no one will remember any of these songs next year.
What Fleetwood Mac went through in 1977, ABBA soon followed in 1980: two more couples of an insanely popular group went splitsville. Suddenly gone were the happy go-lucky carefree melodies of "Dancing Queen" and "Take A Chance On Me"; only to be replaced by the darkness of "The Winner Takes It All." which returned ABBA to the Top 10 and dominated AC airwaves in 1980, 1981, and 1982--peaking at #1 for two weeks and staying on the Billboard Hot 100 for 29 weeks and the AC charts for 67 weeks.
Ironically, it took two ABBA divorces to add depth to their songwriting; but the divorces strained their working relationship to the point where they could no longer work together and after 1982's magnificent "The Visitors," ABBA was over. Contrast that with Fleetwood Mac, who have continued to record to the present day although Christine McVie has finally called it quits.
Fleetwood Mac's and ABBA's music has stood the test of time. Will Nick Lachey's? Honestly, I can't imgagine how. I love this guy's talent, but c'mon:
"I want you to beg, I want you to crawl, give more than you take and smile through it all, and know that everything you do, I do it for you." really doesn't convey the clarity of point of view and emotion of:
"You can go your own way, you call it another lonely day" or
"Thunder only happens when it's raining" or "The Gods may thrown the dice, their minds as cold as ice, and someone way down here loses someone dear."
Whatever happened to the breakup song? Does anyone else have any ideas?
Thanks for reading.
Cussing 101
Cussing 101
A 6 year old and a 4 year old are upstairs in their bedroom.
"You know what?" says the 6 year old. "I think it's about time we started cussing."
The 4 year old nods his head in approval. The 6 year old continues, "When we go downstairs for breakfast, I'm gonna say something with 'hell' and you say something with 'ass'. The 4 year old agrees with enthusiasm.
When their mother walks into the kitchen and asks the 6 year old what he wants for breakfast, he replies, "Aw, hell, Mom, I guess I'll have some Cheerios."
WHACK! He flies out of his chair, tumbles across the kitchen floor, gets up, and runs upst airs crying his eyes out, with his mother in hot pursuit, slapping his rear with every step.
His Mom locks him in his room and shouts, "You can just stay there until I let you out!"
She then comes back downstairs, looks at the 4 year old and asks with a stern voice, "And what do YOU want for breakfast, young man?"
"I don't know," he blubbers, "but you can bet your fat ass it won't be Cheerios!"
Thanks for reading.
Dedicated To The One I Love...
Do you remember when you could call into radio stations and dedicate a song to your loved ones, family, or friends? Well I've got a song to dedicate. Today's contest is simple. Read the lyrics below. Figure out which blogger this song is dedicated to. The first one to do so, as posted in the comments of this post, will receive 100 Blog Explosion Credits.
There was a time when I was in a hurry as you are
I was like you
There was a day when I just had to tell my point of view
I was like you
Now I don't mean to make you frown
No, I just want you to slow down
Have you never been mellow?
Have you never tried to find a comfort from inside you?
Have you never been happy just to hear your song?
Have you never let someone else be strong?
Running around as you do with your head up in the clouds
I was like you
Never had time to lay back, kick your shoes off, close your eyes
I was like you
Now you're not hard to understand
You need someone to hold your hand
Have you never been mellow?
Have you never tried to find a comfort from inside you?
Have you never been happy just to hear your song?
Have you never let someone else be strong?
Thanks for reading.
Bearly Converted
A priest, a Pentecostal preacher, and a Rabbi, all served as chaplains to the students of Northern Michigan University in Marquette. They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop.
One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One thing led to another and they decided to do an experiment. They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it.
Seven days later, they're all together to discuss the experience.
Father Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has various bandages, goes first. "Well," he says, "I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became as gentle a lamb. The bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation."
Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, with an arm and both legs in casts, and an IV drip. In his best fire and brimstone oratory he claimed, " WELL brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So I quick DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus."
They both looked down at the rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast, and traction, with IV's and monitors running in and out of him. He was in bad shape.
The rabbi looks up and says, "Looking back on it, circumcision may not have been the best way to start."
Thanks for reading.
MTMD Welcomes "Voicing My Thoughts"
This week we have a new Blog Explosion Tenant that I hope all of you will check out by clicking on the thumbnail over on the left sidebar: Voicing My Thoughts.
Noi is, in her own words, just a simple person with BIG dreams! She believes in the law of sow and reap and whatever you do you will get it back. So if you do good, good will come to you if not..u know what will come to you. She believes in helping people, and making a positive difference in people's lives. Even if she only makes a difference in 1 person in 10 years, its still worth it. There is power in people. There is truth all around us. When you realize and accept the truth about life, it will set you free.
It's a beautiful sentiment and one that I agree with also. It's especially appropriate this week as I have learned how truly important it is to have a sense of humor and to be able to laugh at oneself. Even when it seems as if the whole world is turning against you it's critical not to lose that sense of humor. Noi understands this, and Noi is among the few this week to recognize truth and to call a spade a spade.
On Tuesday, Noi attended a leadership seminar. She writes about it on her blog, and I am excerpting it as the perfect introduction to Noi, her perspective, and my belief as to what makes her special:
"He talks about several things that touches me deep inside but there are certain things he said which totally changed how I view situations now. There is a reason behind everything that happened in the past. You are where you are for a reason. He was particularly focusing on situations in life. Now, everything that we planned in life will happen according to plan. Life will get in the way. There will be situations. There will be challengers. There will be emergencies. We cant help, thats just the way it is. What was more important is to not let situations get to you. Have a clarity of your own thought process. A lot of times, people are confused with what they are really here for. They get distracted by life. And slowly they will lose sight of the big picture that was meant to be. All we need is faith, focus and determination to succeed.
He also touches on failure. Be willing to fail. Failure is an event not an individual. There will be failure on your road to success, there is no need to be upset about it. Throughout this time, it feels as though he was speaking just to me. There are times that I feel like a complete failure. I fail to realise that part of success is failure and that everyone on their way to success will pass by that. I just have to build myself up really strong so the next time I pass by this storm, I will not be flown away. I will rise above the storm."
I truly believe everything does happen for a reason. I truly believe there's a reason why I have discovered Noi's blog at this time. And I truly believe each and every one of you should click on Noi's blog and get another perspective as to what is important in life.
Welcome to "Meltwater. Torrents. Meanderings. Delta." Noi! I'm proud to have you here.
Thanks for reading.
Perfect Post Awards
It's time again for the Perfect Post Awards!
For those of you who missed the Perfect Post Awards last month, this is what they are all about: MommaK at Petroville and Lucinda wanted to give a little recognition to bloggers out there who've written something extra special during the month of April. With that in mind, they launched the Perfect Post Awards.
On the first day of each month, all participants will give out the award to their favorite post written by another blogger during the preceding month. The "winners" will receive a cool Perfect Post button for that month, which they can put on their sites if they wish. MommaK and Lucinda will link on each award day to everyone who's giving out a Perfect Post award.
This is a chance to read some of the best posts written each month- and to spread a little warm fuzziness, too. If you'd like to present an award yourself next month, e-mail Lucinda or MommaK and they'll send you the latest award button code a few days before June 1st, so that you can participate in next month's awards!
And now without further adieu, my Perfect Post Award goes to....
NYC Watchdog at A Pile of Dogbones for his post, "My One Reason"
NYC Watchdog is an paramedic living in New York City. This post is about the son of a fellow paramedic NYC Watchdog met while on a Hurricane Relief Mission last year. The paramedic's son, Liam, suffers from a rare blood disorder. After six months with a disease that usually runs its course in one-two months, Liam is now transfusion dependent in his battle against anemia. The story is heartbreaking, but it's also an inspiration to give blood. So many people depend on blood donors just for daily survival. It is incumbent on all of us who can, to give blood as often as possible. Donating blood truly is giving the gift of life. NYC Watchdog's heart is clearly in the right place, and this post of his moved me beyond words.
Please stop by and comment "My One Reason" if you get a chance and remember to e-mail Lucinda if you'd like to give out a Perfect Post Award next month. The more the merrier!
To find out more about Lucinda and the Perfect Post Awards, please visit Lucinda at Suburban Turmoil, and tell her that Matt at Meltwater, Torrents, Meanderings, Delta sent you!
Thanks for reading.
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