显示标签为“channel”的博文。显示所有博文
显示标签为“channel”的博文。显示所有博文

2011年4月8日星期五

SURFs up in the Panama channel

Gary-Saavedra-Takes-The-Pan

This is no April fools joke. Panamanian surf champion Gary Saavedra found the perfect place for his surf endurance test: the Panama channel.

Large image: biggest solar-powered boat unveiled

The world record for the longest time and distance open water breaks surfed, Saavedra managed to out his legs from buckling under him for 3 hours 55 minutes and 2 seconds, while driving a shaft for 41.3 km.

Panama_Canal_Rough_Diagram

There about 50 km long, the Panama channel, where more than 14,000 ships a year cross, the perfect racing conditions to maximize the long-distance surf behind a wake-boarding boat is available. Or not. The chop from other boats on the Canal for a restless and almost his Board during the critical first hour and 6 minutes-cut off the previous record holding time Saavedra.

"After the third hour, my body was very tired," Saavedra told reporters. "I was almost eight times." In the first hour I worked very hard and used all my energy. The weather was tough... "I had never trained to under these conditions."

But then no one had. Saavedra is the first person of the Panama Canal Authority has ever allowed surfing access on the channel, and then only on the day of the race.

The Team Red Bull sponsorship Saavedra came with him in the early hours of the morning on Lake Gatun. Travel East, he was surfing behind the boat 2-foot wave until a cramp forced him from his Board.

"This record incredible feeling," said Saavedra, once back on dry land. "I had never faced these conditions, and all of these challenges and its two Guinness world records the most famous achievement is the my career so far."

Check out this video for some cool Saavedra's moves on the more traditional waves:

Figure 1: Panama's surfing champion Gary Saavedra rides one wave for Red Bull channel cross as he destroyed by the Panama channel in Panama City. Saavedra drove a wave created by wake surfing boat for 3: 55: 02 hours, over a distance of 41.3 km through the choppy water. Credit: Red Bull content pool.

Figure 2: map of the Panama channel (Wikimedia Commons).





View the original article here

2011年4月4日星期一

AfPak channel: The dead of the Mazar - foreign policy

It sounds like chaos theory: a fringe extremist religious leaders in the Florida boondocks holds a trial version of the Quran for his role in the 9 / 11, inspiring it sentenced to death and have someone else do it through burn - and on the other side of the world, angry Muslims, might be storm instigated by the preaching of hatred, a combination of "Foreigners" and in the words of the UN spokesman in the BBC television yesterday evening, "hunt" and seven of them to kill. Who would have thought that something like this could be possible after the Nazis were auto-da fé in Berlin 1933 put it the works of Jewish, Marxist and pacifist - short "undeutschen" - authors such as Kurt Tucholsky from climbing, Heinrich Mann, Erich Maria Remarque Erich K?stner, Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx.

What makes so angry people in Afghanistan that she would attack random foreigners, UN staff have to do anything with this fringe Pastor Act?

First, we must consider that most Afghans are very religious. Burning is really the biggest provocation, one from presenting their holy book. Pastor Jones, which seems to be very religious - on his way, too, must this understood his have when he mock trial provocation.

Secondly if demonstrations in Afghanistan are organized, easy to use it for all people in the present circumstances, to infiltrate is and they want to go where they them. It does not mean that the protest and subsequent bloodshed necessarily the work of the Taliban. In fact, the Taliban have rejected any involvement in the murders, while at the same time praised the murderers. But given their atrocities, they are a simple scapegoat. The statements of some Afghan officials the Taliban participation in yesterday's incidents - both the Governors of Kandahar and Balkh - show seem his examples for this kind of finger-pointing. But it is with regard to who the demonstrators who stormed the connection were still too early to conclusions.

One of the reasons why it is so easy to edit real outpourings of popular anger here is for the Afghan general atmosphere at the moment. We see a polarization of parties in this conflict - armed the diverse foreign and insurgent forces - also affect the civilian population of the immediate. There are a lot of trouble after years in which Western a collection of civilian casualties caused military operations. Afghans are admission that something may have gone wrong and then excuses tired of repeated initial denials, then. Compensation may be a nice touch, but it can to not everyone bring back to life.

Moreover, in the last few weeks have such cases seemed unusually often: three cases in Kunar province alone, went more in Helmand and probably a number, the unreported. Then came the pics of the "kill team", US soldiers at forward operating base ramrod province of Helmand, which apparently conspired to have completely innocent passers-by, some of the perpetrators driven by feelings of hatred, to kill revenge and prejudice against Afghans in General. Although the involved are certainly only a small Division of here soldiers deployed (and we should not forget that they are currently trying, and calls a participant already guilty and sentenced were in the prison) I can't help, but from, that this is what war is too young, inexperienced people, who have before for other cultures was made available and in the middle of a conflict they do not understand raised with people they will not understand. But I have a categorization of all Afghans as potential enemies under European, more experienced and well-trained officers, as well as.

This categorization of the "other" is by radical preacher at Afghan mosques, the lump together all "Foreigners" and "Unbelievers" (unbelievers), regardless of what they actually in - whether compared father, son and holy spirit, could believe Shiva Parvati et al, because of likely killed Nepali protects at the UN compound. or "only" the values of the humanitarian work abroad. I'm personally always these conditions tired. Yes, I am a "kafir" and an alien - but I'm also quite different from many others in the category assigned to me.

Outrageous acts have been committed to both the Afghan and "foreign" page, but responsibility is not rest with all groups or categories of people, but instead with individuals. I would like to that Pastor Jones and some of the imams in Mazar and Kandahar would look if their books have something to say about individual responsibility.

Also, I understand that many Afghans all organisations are just sick and tired in their country, of special operations soldiers analysts, none of which they believe really their lives for the better ever changed in Afghanistan. But while the anger of all those involved in this sad story is understandable, the manipulation of this anger is not. And it should not everyone from before its duties free.

Afghan police arrested some of the demonstrators have taken part in the violence in the Mazar - and I hope they pick people not only by chance (the cycle of damage on innocent, turn more would a cycle that created much anger). And since Pastor Jones provocation, which, if not have directly economic dynamism violence seems be protected by the first amendment, nor hope that, despite his public denials of incitement, his dreams are are visited by the pictures of the killed Mazar and, to the present, Kandahar.

Thomas Ruttig is co-director of network analysts Afghanistan, where a version of this post was originally published. He speaks Pashto, and Dari.


View the original article here