Everest 2014: Season Summary – A Nepal Tragedy

Posted on May 27, 2017 by mea

If you need a chair at 21,000’, carry your own damn chair. If you paid $100,000 and expect a chair and table at Camp 2, you don’t belong on Everest.

via Everest 2014: Season Summary – A Nepal Tragedy.

The Operators need to stop the silliness associated with attracting clients – no more helicopters for clients in and out of base camp.  Stop the 5 Star European chefs and sushi. Stop telling people it is an “easy climb”. Stop giving so much support. Cut back on the oxygen. Be stricter with whom can be your client. Just because you summited Everest 5 times, doesn’t mean you should accept a client who has only managed a trekking peak. No chairs at Camp 2!

More interesting stories about climbing Mt. Everest here.

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FCC Complaints

Posted on May 9, 2017 by mea

By filing a consumer complaint and telling your story, you contribute to federal enforcement and consumer protection efforts on a national scale and help us identify trends and track the issues that matter most.

via FCC Complaints.

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Chicago airport police attack passenger on Republic Airlines plane

Posted on April 19, 2017 by mea

Major airlines like United want to keep their contractors financially dependent, but don’t want to take on the costs of operating feeder flights with their own higher-paid employees. Contracting out these flights enables airlines to evade their union contracts and create a de facto two-tier wage scale, with contractors’ employees paid less than the union scale for mainline airline employees. United wants Republic to emerge from bankruptcy and keep flying, which probably depends on Republic dodging the bullet of blame for this incident.

via The Practical Nomad blog: Chicago airport police attack passenger on Republic Airlines plane.

The police who responded have police powers but aren’t part of the Chicago Police Department. That’s not as strange as you might think. Many of the people wearing United Airlines uniforms at many airports don’t work for United. Most of the people wearing TSA uniforms at SFO don’t work for the TSA — they work for Covenant Aviation Security. Similarly, many of the people with badges patrolling airports aren’t regular police, or aren’t the ones you would expect.

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‘Extreme vetting’ would require visitors to US to share contacts and passwords

Posted on April 4, 2017 by mea

This could require people to hand over their phones so officials can study their stored contacts and possibly other information. The aim is to “figure out who you are communicating with”, a senior Department of Homeland Security official was quoted as saying. “What you can get on the average person’s phone can be invaluable.”

A second change would ask applicants for their social media handles and passwords, so that officials could see information posted privately in addition to public posts, the Journal said.

via ‘Extreme vetting’ would require visitors to US to share contacts and passwords | US news | The Guardian.

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The Free Fall Research Page: Unplanned Freefall? Some Survival Tips

Posted on March 21, 2017 by mea

Let’s say your jet blows apart at 35,000 feet. You exit the aircraft, and you begin to descend independently. Now what?

via The Free Fall Research Page: Unplanned Freefall? Some Survival Tips by David Carkeet.

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