Thursday, August 07, 2008

'Dead' Man Awakens Before Autopsy

Shocks Doctors by Asking for Glass of Water

An Indian man who was knocked unconscious during a stampede of thousands of religious pilgrims on a steep Himalayan mountain path woke up as doctors were preparing to perform his autopsy, the Times of India reported.


Mange Ram, 19, lost consciousness in the stampede that killed 150 people and was triggered by rumors of a landslide leading to a Hindu temple devoted to the goddess Naina Devi.

Ram awoke in the hospital morgue Sunday in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

"When I woke up, I was in the middle of a row of bodies waiting for post mortem," he told the Times. "My throat was parched and I asked for water. Towering over me the doctors and nursing staff at Anandpur Sahib Civil Hospital looked dazed. They must have been surprised to see a dead man come alive like that."

Sat Pal Aggarwal, a doctor on the pilgrimage, said little was done to see if victims of the stampede were still alive.

"People were dumped quite haphazardly into trucks without following any procedure or checking if they were alive," he told the Times.

Despite the huge loss of life, the pilgrimage continued only hours after the corpses had been cleared, according to the newspaper.

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

The A-B-C-D-E of Travel Photography

Ever glanced in exasperation at travel photographs wondering why yours taken of the same landscapes or subjects never turn out as stunning? Great travel photographs share a few similarities even though their subjects may be as different as a sweeping landscape or a brooding portrait.

Sunday, August 03, 2008

5 Things You Must Know About Sleep

You're tired. You could put your head down on a desk right now and fall asleep immediately. You went to bed late last night, had trouble falling asleep and woke up too early. And let's not kid ourselves: Tonight will be the same unless ... well, read on.

This is the classic not-so-shut-eye experience of many Americans who think they are sleep-deprived and possibly need pills or other treatment to fix their insomnia, teeth grinding, jet lag, restless or jerky legs, snoring, sleepwalking and so forth.

Reality is quite different

145 Killed in India Temple Stampede

NEW DELHI — Thousands of panicked pilgrims stampeded Sunday at a remote mountaintop temple in northern India during celebrations to honor a Hindu goddess, sending dozens of people plummeting to their deaths and trampling scores more. Police said 145 people were killed.

Rumors of a landslide apparently started the panic at the shrine in the foothills of the Himalayas, said C.P. Verma, a senior government official in the Bilaspur district.

Pilgrims already at the Naina Devi Temple began running down the narrow path leading from the peak. There, they collided with devotees winding their way up.

With a concrete wall on one side and a precipice on the other, there was nowhere to escape and they were crushed. At one point a guard rail broke and dozens of people fell to their deaths.

Pool Buzzing Crop Duster Crashes

Back in mid June I posted a story about a crop duster that buzzed the pool and put on quite a show while spraying a field across the street. Well, I arrive home to read a news story about a plane that crashed on July 29th, and sure enough... it's the same plane. The photo below is one that Deb took when the plane was preforming near misses over our fence and low level passes over the back yard. The video is the news story covering the crash. We compared the tale numbers, they match.



News Video


07/29/08

A pilot of a crop-dusting plane was transported to a hospital Tuesday morning after his plane hit some power lines about 6:45 a.m. near Lewis Lane and Riverside Road south of Lake Lowell in rural Canyon County.

Frankie Amen, 44, a pilot with Valley Air Service of Caldwell, clipped a power line on his approach heading south over Lewis Lane. His plane crashed about 100 yards off the road, and the front end caught fire, according to Canyon County Sheriff's deputy Mark Link.

Home

I arrived back in Boise last night at 5:15pm. I gorged on cheese sandwiches and an ice cream bar, showered and then passed out at 7. Here I am now, 4:00am, wide awake and ready to eat again!

The White House is Briefed: Phoenix About to Announce "Potential For Life" on Mars

It would appear that the US President has been briefed by Phoenix scientists about the discovery of something more "provocative" than the discovery of water existing on the Martian surface. This news comes just as the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) confirmed experimental evidence for the existence of water in the Mars regolith on Thursday. Whilst NASA scientists are not claiming that life once existed on the Red Planet's surface, new data appears to indicate the "potential for life" more conclusively than the TEGA water results. Apparently these new results are being kept under wraps until further, more detailed analysis can be carried out, but we are assured that this announcement will be huge

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Travel Tools - Issue #4

Item: Imodium A-D

Countries Used: China, India, Vietnam

Uses: Take medication as needed to reduce unexpected bathroom stops.

Other Names: S.Y.B.U., The Magic Banana and Cheese Pill.

Example of Use: You've spent more time in the bathroom than sleeping... you take a pill. If someone five feet from you hears your stomach gurgle and asks if you are okay... you take a pill. If you ask the driver how much further while dabbing sweat from your brow and he says, "Just 2 more hours!"... you take a pill.

Friday, August 01, 2008

Travel Tools - Issue #3


Item: Body Glide

Countries Used: India, China, Vietnam, Anywhere hot and humid

Uses: Apply liberally to body to prevent heat rash and chaffing.

Other Names: Thigh Tamer.

Example of Use: This product is applied right after deodorant to any body part needing a vapor barrier. Makes riding in a van for 9 hours, in 90 percent humidity with a sketchy air conditioner possible!

This Time It's Personal!


Another Unforgettable Toilet

I know, you're starting to wonder about me, but this is the last one I promise. Come on, have you ever seen a lid built like this? And is that a 10 inch pipe coming out the back? Who are they making these things for?

Uh, Okay


People










Heading Home In The Morning!

We are done! Found some great items for next summer and now it is time to head home.