Saturday, June 30, 2012
A Race of Skill and Endurance
Braving the icy wilderness
The Iditarod Trail crosses snowy mountain ranges, frozen rivers, coastal areas, treeless arctic plains, and land with trees so thick it's like going through a tunnel. Temperatures normally range from 20 below zero to 40 below zero, and that doesn't count the wind chill.
One year, temperatures fell as low as 72 degrees below zero. That race was canceled because the dogs were getting frostbite on their paws.
Winds can be so fierce that blowing snow makes it almost impossible to see.
Sometimes ice gets so thick that the water underneath has nowhere to go. Then, water flows over the top of the thick ice and forms a new, thin layer of ice on top of the overflowing water. This can be very dangerous to mushers, because they can fall through the thin ice into the frigid water.
Keeping dry is the most important thing mushers can do. They carry dry clothes for themselves and booties for the dogs.
Checkpoints
Teams must stop at checkpoints throughout the trail. These stopping points are often villages where musheres and their dogs might get a chance to eat and drink.
At each checkpoint, veterinarians look over the dogs. Mushers rub salve, or ointment, on a dog's paws. If a dog is injured or too tired, it might leave the race and be flown home from a checkpoint. The dog's safetyis very important.
Each team can start with a maximum of 16 sled dogs. If dogs have to be sent home, the mushers keep racing with fewer dogs. But they must have at least six dogs at the finish line.
Mushers
Mushers have to be at least 18 years old. Kids from 14 to 18 can compete in the Jr. Iditarod, which is 160 miles long.
Mushers have to study a lot. They learn how to plan strategy, coach the team, keep the different dogs healthy and happy, and provide food. They must be able to handle race hazards such as floods, avalanches and wild animals.
Race Through the Wilderness
The Iditarod
On March 7, about 70 daring mushers, or sled dog racers, and about 1,000 dogs met in Anchorage, Alaska, for the official opening of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The Iditarod (eye-DIT-uh-rahd) is one of the most challenging races in the world.
The Iditarod starts in Anchorage and crosses more than 1,000 miles of Alaskan wilderness, it ends up in Nome.
The newspaper found out more about this exciting race and talked to a long-time Iditarod musher.
Historical transport
The Iditarod follows trails that native Alaskans have used for about 10,000 years. European settlers used the same network of trails to carry mail, supplies and people. Dogsleds could get to places where horses and cars could not go.
Until about 1920, the Iditarod Trail was the main Alaskan winter route. Then the dogsled gave way to the airplane.
Race to save lives
In 1925, a dangerous disease called diphtheria (dif-THIR-ee-uh) threatened the people of Nome. It looked as if no one would be able to get the needed medicine to the sick people there.
But dog teams succeeded in carrying the life -saving medicine from Nenana to Nome. Dog and musher teams raced across about 670 miles over the icy wilderness in less than in five days.
In 1973, Dorthy G. Page and Joe Redington Sr. started the Iditarod race. They wanted to celebrate the many things sled dogs have done for Alaskans. The sled dogs life-saving trip was just one of the services the dogs have provided.
The race
"Iditarod" is the name of a ghost town along the trails. Many experts believe it means "distant place".
The Iditarod begins at Anchorage with a ceremonial start to the race. The race truly begins the next day from Willow.
The Iditarod Trail runs for about 1,049 miles. It varies year by year, because obstacies may arise, forcing mushers to break new trail.
The race keeps going until the last team comes in. The fastest winning time was eight days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and two seconds. The last racers can take nearly three weeks to come in.
Mushers begin training dogs in August, with the dogs pulling four-wheelers. In the spring and early summer, when the snow thaws, the dogs get a vacation.
On March 7, about 70 daring mushers, or sled dog racers, and about 1,000 dogs met in Anchorage, Alaska, for the official opening of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The Iditarod (eye-DIT-uh-rahd) is one of the most challenging races in the world.
The Iditarod starts in Anchorage and crosses more than 1,000 miles of Alaskan wilderness, it ends up in Nome.
The newspaper found out more about this exciting race and talked to a long-time Iditarod musher.
Historical transport
The Iditarod follows trails that native Alaskans have used for about 10,000 years. European settlers used the same network of trails to carry mail, supplies and people. Dogsleds could get to places where horses and cars could not go.
Until about 1920, the Iditarod Trail was the main Alaskan winter route. Then the dogsled gave way to the airplane.
Race to save lives
In 1925, a dangerous disease called diphtheria (dif-THIR-ee-uh) threatened the people of Nome. It looked as if no one would be able to get the needed medicine to the sick people there.
But dog teams succeeded in carrying the life -saving medicine from Nenana to Nome. Dog and musher teams raced across about 670 miles over the icy wilderness in less than in five days.
In 1973, Dorthy G. Page and Joe Redington Sr. started the Iditarod race. They wanted to celebrate the many things sled dogs have done for Alaskans. The sled dogs life-saving trip was just one of the services the dogs have provided.
The race
"Iditarod" is the name of a ghost town along the trails. Many experts believe it means "distant place".
The Iditarod begins at Anchorage with a ceremonial start to the race. The race truly begins the next day from Willow.
The Iditarod Trail runs for about 1,049 miles. It varies year by year, because obstacies may arise, forcing mushers to break new trail.
The race keeps going until the last team comes in. The fastest winning time was eight days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and two seconds. The last racers can take nearly three weeks to come in.
Mushers begin training dogs in August, with the dogs pulling four-wheelers. In the spring and early summer, when the snow thaws, the dogs get a vacation.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Korean shamanism finds new life in modern era
Colorful flags snapped in the sea breeze as more than a dozen Korean shamans, dressed in bright colors, danced and chanted prayers in front of a huge cow's head stuck to a trident.
The ceremony on a ship was designed to exorcise demons that threaten fishermen and bring good luck to everybody on board. The presence of several hundred spectators underlined how the ages-old trance rituals were going strong again, having been shunned as recently as 30 years ago.
"People are trying to understand more, learn more, and see more. They are very interested in this," said Kim Keum-hwa, one of South Korea's most famous shamans, who led the ceremony.
Though an ancient practice, Korean shamanism - in which singing and dancing are used in trance rituals addressed to specific gods, often to get an answer to specific questions - had long been suppressed in Asia's second most Christian nation.
In leaping from poverty to rapid modernization, the county's dictatorship in the 1970s tried to eliminate shamanism, claiming that shamans deluded the world, while some Christian missionaries demonized them and their followers.
But today, visiting a mudang - shaman priest or priestess - is so common that politicians consult them seeking answers to questions such as whether they should relocate their ancestors' remains to ensure good luck in the next election. Shaman characters have also featured in popular television shows.
"Public perception towards shamanism has improved a lot, with popular TV dramas contributing to shifting these views," said Park Heung-ju, an authority on mudang at the Kut Research Institute in Seoul."You can find repose by meeting with mudang."
Much of this is due to the pressures of modern life in South Korea's high-stress society, said Shin Kwang-yeong, a sociology professor at Chung-Ang University in Seoul.
"Nowadays, many Koreans feel strong uncertainties and life seems unstable in many ways, so they want to find something that can give them a sense of security," he said. "The same things have also created a dramatic increase in the number of people who follow religions here in Korea."
EXORCISING SPIRITS
To start the on-board ceremony, the shamans light a bundle of straw and float it on the water with offerings of food to exorcise evil spirits.
Later they go into a trance, speaking directly to spectators to wish them good luck and good health to the accompaniment of lively music from pipes, flutes and drums.
At the end, shamans and spectators mingle as one group, dancing in a circle to the fast-paced music.
"Shunning shamanism is not right. Today's event is meant to be for praying for the sake of families," said Lee Sung-soo, who said he was a Buddhist but danced with the group nonetheless.
In one sign of how mainstream shamanism has become, one mudang shaking bells in front of the laden altar was Hendrikje Lange from Switzerland, who credits shamanism with lifting her out of a debilitating depression.
Lange, 45, encountered shamanism as part of her studies of Korean percussion instruments, but resisted actually taking part in a possession ritual until several accidents and visions convinced her she needed to change her life.
Now, she is one of dozens of shamans initiated by Kim, including a handful of foreigners.
"All I can say is that something is happening with energy. I feel that the longer it keeps going, the stronger the energy is," she said.
Shin, the sociologist, said an additional part of the mudang's appeal was the sense that it was personal.
"People may have faith in other religions, but those religions seem vague and not tailored to them personally," he said. "People go to see shamans because they all believe their stories and situations are unique."
Jung Mi-soon, a participant in the ceremony, said that shamanism spoke to her directly.
"I felt something from my heart. This ritual has everything in there - happiness, sadness, anger and fun," said the 46-year-old housewife who has had more than 10 surgeries which she attributes to spiritual sickness.
"Sometimes tears pour out from my heart. Sometimes it's just fun when everyone is dancing and bowing. And, it's healing."
The ceremony on a ship was designed to exorcise demons that threaten fishermen and bring good luck to everybody on board. The presence of several hundred spectators underlined how the ages-old trance rituals were going strong again, having been shunned as recently as 30 years ago.
"People are trying to understand more, learn more, and see more. They are very interested in this," said Kim Keum-hwa, one of South Korea's most famous shamans, who led the ceremony.
Though an ancient practice, Korean shamanism - in which singing and dancing are used in trance rituals addressed to specific gods, often to get an answer to specific questions - had long been suppressed in Asia's second most Christian nation.
In leaping from poverty to rapid modernization, the county's dictatorship in the 1970s tried to eliminate shamanism, claiming that shamans deluded the world, while some Christian missionaries demonized them and their followers.
But today, visiting a mudang - shaman priest or priestess - is so common that politicians consult them seeking answers to questions such as whether they should relocate their ancestors' remains to ensure good luck in the next election. Shaman characters have also featured in popular television shows.
"Public perception towards shamanism has improved a lot, with popular TV dramas contributing to shifting these views," said Park Heung-ju, an authority on mudang at the Kut Research Institute in Seoul."You can find repose by meeting with mudang."
Much of this is due to the pressures of modern life in South Korea's high-stress society, said Shin Kwang-yeong, a sociology professor at Chung-Ang University in Seoul.
"Nowadays, many Koreans feel strong uncertainties and life seems unstable in many ways, so they want to find something that can give them a sense of security," he said. "The same things have also created a dramatic increase in the number of people who follow religions here in Korea."
EXORCISING SPIRITS
To start the on-board ceremony, the shamans light a bundle of straw and float it on the water with offerings of food to exorcise evil spirits.
Later they go into a trance, speaking directly to spectators to wish them good luck and good health to the accompaniment of lively music from pipes, flutes and drums.
At the end, shamans and spectators mingle as one group, dancing in a circle to the fast-paced music.
"Shunning shamanism is not right. Today's event is meant to be for praying for the sake of families," said Lee Sung-soo, who said he was a Buddhist but danced with the group nonetheless.
In one sign of how mainstream shamanism has become, one mudang shaking bells in front of the laden altar was Hendrikje Lange from Switzerland, who credits shamanism with lifting her out of a debilitating depression.
Lange, 45, encountered shamanism as part of her studies of Korean percussion instruments, but resisted actually taking part in a possession ritual until several accidents and visions convinced her she needed to change her life.
Now, she is one of dozens of shamans initiated by Kim, including a handful of foreigners.
"All I can say is that something is happening with energy. I feel that the longer it keeps going, the stronger the energy is," she said.
Shin, the sociologist, said an additional part of the mudang's appeal was the sense that it was personal.
"People may have faith in other religions, but those religions seem vague and not tailored to them personally," he said. "People go to see shamans because they all believe their stories and situations are unique."
Jung Mi-soon, a participant in the ceremony, said that shamanism spoke to her directly.
"I felt something from my heart. This ritual has everything in there - happiness, sadness, anger and fun," said the 46-year-old housewife who has had more than 10 surgeries which she attributes to spiritual sickness.
"Sometimes tears pour out from my heart. Sometimes it's just fun when everyone is dancing and bowing. And, it's healing."
Fed-up Lebanese protest against protests
If you can't beat them, join them.
Dozens of Lebanese, exasperated by rampant tire-burning protests across the country, rolled out tires and stopped traffic in the capital Beirut on Thursday.
Police armed with automatic rifles quickly deployed down the street, looking baffled at the small crowd raising the banner "We are tired", and blocking traffic with colorfully decorated tires. Angry motorists honked their horns.
Lebanon, politically fragile after a 1975-1990 civil war, has been plagued for weeks by almost daily demonstrations using burning tires to cut off main highways in to protest everything from political disputes to electricity cuts.
Laughing as the group quickly dispersed, the police officer in charge said: "I won't give them a ticket. We're all sick of this problem. And their tires are pretty."
Dozens of Lebanese, exasperated by rampant tire-burning protests across the country, rolled out tires and stopped traffic in the capital Beirut on Thursday.
Police armed with automatic rifles quickly deployed down the street, looking baffled at the small crowd raising the banner "We are tired", and blocking traffic with colorfully decorated tires. Angry motorists honked their horns.
Lebanon, politically fragile after a 1975-1990 civil war, has been plagued for weeks by almost daily demonstrations using burning tires to cut off main highways in to protest everything from political disputes to electricity cuts.
Laughing as the group quickly dispersed, the police officer in charge said: "I won't give them a ticket. We're all sick of this problem. And their tires are pretty."
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Philadelphia Phillies
"There is no question that this current run of five, six years is the strongest baseball era in Phillies history." A quote from the great Mike Schmidt, the best third baseman in major league history, and former Philadelphia Phillie. A man who is arguably the greatest player in this storied franchise's history was stating that this time period was better than his own star-studded, championship rosters of the Phillies of the 80s. I'm not one to argue with a legend, I am agreeing with what he said, however with the recent string of injuries and the Phillies becoming one of the older teams in the league raises the question, is this the end of an era? The team that won the World Series in 2008 and ended the drought of Philadelphia not having a championship are no longer young superstars, but are now aging veteran players.
Lets take a look at what changed this franchise around, I decided to start this new era with the hiring of Charlie Manuel back in 2005. The Phillies had become a perennial doormat in the National League East and were desperately looking for a manager to help right the ship in Philadelphia. Known to the fans as Uncle Charlie, Manuel has built the Phillies into one of the premier teams in major league baseball on top of bolstering his resume. Ryan Howard was a big part of that, winning the rookie of the year in 2005 and becoming the NL MVP in 2006. Since being hired with the exception of losing 3 more games from 2005 to 2006 the Phillies have the best record in baseball in 2011 with 102 wins.
In 2007 the Phillies won the NL East and made the playoffs for the first time since 1993. Despite being swept in the NLDS to the Colorado Rockies Philadelphia got the taste of October baseball I had missed and haven't looked back since. Jimmy Rollins was named the MVP the second consecutive year a Phillies player had won an MVP.
In 2008 the Phillies won the division again with the help of newly acquired closer Brad Lidge was perfect in save opportunities that year going 41 for 41 and 7 for 7 in the playoffs en route to the Phillies winning the World Series in 5 games against the Tampa Bay Rays. Pat Gillick was named executive of the year, and Manuel was named manager of the year while the Phillies celebrated down Broad Street before Utley's infamous speech.
In 2009 the Phillies looked to defend the title and become the first NL team to repeat as World Series champions since the Big Red Machine in Cincinnati in the 70s. The Phillies gained former Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee at the trade deadline to help power the Phillies back to the World Series. The Phillies lost to the Yankees in 6 games bringing home their 27th title.
Lets take a look at what changed this franchise around, I decided to start this new era with the hiring of Charlie Manuel back in 2005. The Phillies had become a perennial doormat in the National League East and were desperately looking for a manager to help right the ship in Philadelphia. Known to the fans as Uncle Charlie, Manuel has built the Phillies into one of the premier teams in major league baseball on top of bolstering his resume. Ryan Howard was a big part of that, winning the rookie of the year in 2005 and becoming the NL MVP in 2006. Since being hired with the exception of losing 3 more games from 2005 to 2006 the Phillies have the best record in baseball in 2011 with 102 wins.
In 2007 the Phillies won the NL East and made the playoffs for the first time since 1993. Despite being swept in the NLDS to the Colorado Rockies Philadelphia got the taste of October baseball I had missed and haven't looked back since. Jimmy Rollins was named the MVP the second consecutive year a Phillies player had won an MVP.
In 2008 the Phillies won the division again with the help of newly acquired closer Brad Lidge was perfect in save opportunities that year going 41 for 41 and 7 for 7 in the playoffs en route to the Phillies winning the World Series in 5 games against the Tampa Bay Rays. Pat Gillick was named executive of the year, and Manuel was named manager of the year while the Phillies celebrated down Broad Street before Utley's infamous speech.
In 2009 the Phillies looked to defend the title and become the first NL team to repeat as World Series champions since the Big Red Machine in Cincinnati in the 70s. The Phillies gained former Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee at the trade deadline to help power the Phillies back to the World Series. The Phillies lost to the Yankees in 6 games bringing home their 27th title.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
F. Y. I.
Still on the Books
In Arkansas, school teachers who bob their hair will not get a raise.
State Stats
The typewriter was invented in Milwaukee in 1867.
Back Then
In ancient Greece, throwing an apple to a woman was considered a marriage proposal.
No Kidding
A strand from the web of a golden spider is as strong as a steel wire of the same size.
Actually Said
by Gib Lewis, former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
"I cannot tell you how grateful I am --- I am filled with humidity."
Top Breed
At 5 feet, the whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America.
In Arkansas, school teachers who bob their hair will not get a raise.
State Stats
The typewriter was invented in Milwaukee in 1867.
Back Then
In ancient Greece, throwing an apple to a woman was considered a marriage proposal.
No Kidding
A strand from the web of a golden spider is as strong as a steel wire of the same size.
Actually Said
by Gib Lewis, former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
"I cannot tell you how grateful I am --- I am filled with humidity."
Top Breed
At 5 feet, the whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America.
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