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Entries from Carstensz Pyramid
August 7, 2014
Posted by: Alex Van Steen
Categories: Carstensz Pyramid Responsible Climbing
RMI Guide Alex Van Steen recently presented at Sustainable Summits: The International Mountain Conference on Environmental Practices, hosted by the American Alpine Club in Golden, CO. Alex was invited to discuss RMI's partner-building efforts on our Carstensz Pyramid Expedition. Carstensz Pyramid, a steep limestone peak located on the island of New Guinea and one of the world's Seven Summits, is one of the least accessible peaks of the Seven Summits and presents a mix of environmental, cultural, and outfitting challenges. On major expeditions the success and overall experience of the adventure depends largely on the close ties of the team, including with local partners. RMI is very active in creating close-knit relationships with our local partners. To that end, Carstensz also best exemplifies RMI's efforts in creating long-term and sustainable partnerships in leading our adventures and in our dedication to Responsible Climbing.
At the Sustainable Summits Conference, Alex introduced the concept of "Giving Relationship" in developing partnerships to the gathering of land managers, climbers, planners and scientists representing the world's mountainous regions.
"The model that we propose is the model that RMI uses all over the world. The difference here is that Papua is so challenging on so many fronts and the culture is so significantly different than anything we've experienced anywhere else in the world. Our model is a social ethic, a little bit like "Leave no trace," the environmental ethic, or "Do no harm," the medical ethic, but focused in a positive manner: "Giving Relationship" is our social ethic," explained Alex.
To best explain the concept of "Giving Relationship," Alex shared several stories from his time in Papua:
"The essential question when I was speaking with [local Papuans] was, "If you want a partnership, what does partnership look like for you? What do you want?"
"Moses Sondagau works with the local regency government. He and I walked together from one village, Sugapa, to another, Hitadipa, which was about four hours, and we had a significant time to chat. What I learned was that Moses had worked with tour operators for the past decade or so as a porter, and the abuses that he saw toward the porters spurred him to work for the government on behalf of his people.
"Moses now ensures that commercial operators treat their porters well and pay their porters as promised. What he told me was only 75% of the porters had been paid as promised. His task is not an easy one because he is effectively policing both foreign operators as well as the Indonesian operators. That said, he was shocked because I spent so much time chit-chatting with him on the way to Hitadipa. I asked him about his family, I showed him pictures of my own family, and I engaged in what I consider just standard kindnesses that you would show to anybody who you were walking a few hours with, but he told me that no foreigner had ever expressed so much interest in him as a person as I did that day. This really rather shocked me. I told him, "Moses, you are an 'usua me,' you are a good man, you're working on behalf of your people and you're doing a hard job." He sincerely appreciated that.
"In this arena of going into schools and sports clinics and churches, I was invited and took the opportunity to speak at two church services, I assisted with an inter-faith Muslim/Christian soccer camp, and I spoke in two high school classrooms at an international school. One of my most intense experiences came in this arena.
"We'd been hiking through the jungle all day and the rain was just incessantly pouring on us. We were coming into a village called Gamagae and all of a sudden I hear all these men yelling. As I am walking into town I see all these people running toward me and one of them was highly agitated, really waving his arms and yelling loudly. This is how I was introduced to Atan Topani.
"I know a bit about Moni culture - I know that they speak loudly; I know that their language is clipped; I know that they don't smile the same way that we smile, at least not right off the bat – so I was aware of that – but I also didn't see any or didn't hear any of the standard language that let me know that they were welcoming me. They were yelling but I wasn't hearing 'amakanea,' 'amakanenga,' some of the welcoming phrases that I normally hear.
"Atan was really upset because the last tourist group to come through had come into his church and made a mess. They cooked in his church and left garbage in his church and then left the village. Understandably, he was upset. He wants tourists. He really wants tourists. But he needs tourists to behave considerately. Atan and I spent about two hours doing what's called "muna muna" - "men's talk." Together we developed the "Sugapa Route Visitor Protocols" for travelers: what to do or what not to do when you visit these villages.
"Here again, the essential question was, 'Atan, if you want a partnership, what does a partnership look like?' And Atan says, 'I want visitors, and they are welcome to use our church as shelter, but I want them to be considerate of my community.' When I came home, I translated this document into Bahasa Indonesian, Dutch, German, Spanish, Japanese and Russian, and now they are ready to be posted in different villages along the Sugapa route."
Part of a "Giving Relationship" entails sitting down on equal terms and discussing the desires and needs of both parties. A simple concept, yet not always followed in many outfitting practices.
"In my most recent trip, I spent just under a month and visited about ten communities, going village-to-village and connecting with random individuals.
"One of the other cultural differences that really was striking to me was that even if you enjoy conversation or you consider yourself a patient person, you have nothing on the Moni. The Moni absolutely love to converse and converse. I found that I had to sit for hours and hours and converse, which was really challenging for me. When I would converse with the people, when I would sit in their huts and at their tables and tell them that I was traveling through the land - rather than helicoptering - to meet the people whose lands I wanted to travel with my customers, they were all incredibly receptive. As a matter of fact, one gentleman – said, 'This is good talk. This is good talk.' I won't ever forget that because it means so much for the Moni to say that."
A "Giving Relationship" goes beyond being empathetic and actively listening. It also means contributing the skills and experiences we have to our partners in order to prepare them for future collaborations. During his recent visit to Papua, Alex led a training seminar for local porters to teach the practices and progressions of a climbing expedition.
"I had arranged with our Moni partner for various Moni villages to come together – or the men in those villages to come together – in one place and participate in a seminar where we could teach them how to work with tourists. The training seminar was a raging success. We discussed what was working well in other areas where we operate, like our Peru and our Nepal treks, what wasn't working well, such as porters being mistreated, which we hear a lot about, and what we might need to change, for example, there is no plan at all for human waste in Papua. We discussed how to keep the porters healthy and safe along the trek and in the mountains, we practiced setting up tents, and we concluded by awarding certificates of accomplishment to the porters who participated in the training so that they could show evidence of learning to whatever tour operator might want to hire them; not just our guides, not just us.
"It is difficult to know if this is accurate or not, to be quite honest, but I was told that this was the very first time that a foreigner ever hosted a seminar for indigenous Papuan people; this is the very first time that an indigenous Papuan man was the tour operator rather than an Indonesian or a foreigner. Thirty-five men from varying villages, some were Moni, some were of the Dani tribe, received certificates."
"Giving Relationship" is far more than a simple catch phrase, it's a long and complicated process but one that we feel is the only legitimate way to pursue a sustainable partnership.
"As a biased-toward-action American, I wanted to do more. We all do; we want to do it all. But the truth is that relationship building is an incredibly slow and incredibly lengthy process…I don't immediately even expect others to replicate the couple of years and all the trips of relationship building that I've done there, especially not if you're only going there for a one or two week adventure and maybe once in your life. But in visiting anywhere even once, we can know so much more about this place than simply, 'I need rubber boots because there's a lot of mud!' We can know a lot more than that.
"We believe that this social ethic of "Giving Relationship" does equal access in Papua, not just for the sake of access, but also for the sake of the people and the land there," explains Alex.
In simple terms, this type of relationship building and long term approach to our partnerships and our climbing objectives is the right thing to do.
See the full presentation here…
Alex Van Steen is a Supervisor at RMI with over 240 ascents of Mt. Rainier by way of more than 20 routes. Since 2012, Alex has led RMI's effort to create a sustainable tourism industry and developed RMI's position as the only western commercial guide service to partner with an indigenous Papuan outfitter. He has taken his training and education to Papua and spent time with local community leaders building relationships as well as training and educating porters to work with expeditions. Additionally, Alex has spent more than a decade involving himself in community outreach and education. Locally, he works extensively with at-risk youth as a mentor, pastor, and guardian.
April 1, 2013
Posted by: Alex Van Steen
Categories: Guide News Carstensz Pyramid Responsible Climbing
In February 2013, I spent several weeks in West Papua with the express intention of connecting with villagers who live along the trek followed by our Carstensz Pyramid climbing programs. I traveled with two translators - one a long-time friend who grew up in West Papua and the other a member of the Moni tribe, a man who truly has a good heart for his people.
I visited about ten villages and had numerous trailside chats. I spent many hours chatting (as well as eating, and playing soccer & table tennis!) and had opportunities to share our vision with various folks: government officials, village elders, tribal chiefs, pastors and school teachers.
The constant thread throughout the conversations involved villagers expressing frustration with tourists who came to "take photographs" and "take summits" but who did not (as it was described to me) "give relationship." It is understandable that folks were upset when they weren't paid as promised by unscrupulous outfitters or when they felt unsafe being asked to porter into the high country (the tribal peoples have not traditionally traveled above the jungles, see story below), but it truly resonated with me that when they felt most disrespected was when they were treated as if they were nothing more than pack animals. Quite frankly, they explained, why should they leave their tribal community and upset their daily lives only to be mistreated or underpaid?
|The Moni name for Carstensz is Mbai Ngela. It means "Forbidden Egg." The story is that in years gone by when the mountain was snow covered, it resembled an egg, and the fore-fathers forbade their people from going there because it was the hunting grounds of evil spirits and those spirits always killed those who ventured there. Even today, villagers have a very difficult time understanding the science of hypothermia and often will point to and tell of places along the way where the spirits have killed a poor wayfarer!
I knew that in order to eat this elephant, I would need to take it one bite at a time, so I started with small bites of "giving relationship." I found that when I played soccer (which I am convinced is the lingua franca of relationship) with the local men and boys on village airstrips, that we had laughs to share (mostly at me tripping on the uneven surface!); when I offered to show folks photos of my family, they showed me their village (!); and for all my "otherness" (some folks, I was told, had never seen white-skinned people), I was never denied the hospitality of a meal or a hut as respite from the rain.
Another small bite was the creation of the protocols (below) to be posted in a church along our route. The pastor in this village of twenty people, a good man named Atan, had initially wanted to run me off. I agreed to keep walking, but in deepening the conversation as to why, I learned that an earlier group of tourists had – in his word – "desecrated" the church by leaving garbage there. I whole-heartedly agreed that such practices were unacceptable, and offered to create protocols to instruct tourists how to behave. Through my translators I was able to build a simple list of what it would take for his village to feel respected. They fully wanted tourists to stop for the night but they also needed tourists to respect that privilege.
As I look forward to my next trip, I hope to take a few more bites of the elephant!
This church serves an important role in the community. Guests are welcomed to find refuge here and are asked respect the following requests. This will help ensure use of the building for future travelers.
• Please stay off of the raised area which surrounds the altar. This area is for local religious personnel only and it is considered offensive if others trespass there.
• Please keep hot water, stoves & cookware out of the building. This helps keep the area clean.
• Please hang a trash bag just outside the building to collect your garbage. Villagers will burn your trash for you.
• Because of the importance of Sunday worship, travelers should not expect access to the building on Saturday evenings or Sundays.
• Please do not use the church grounds or property for toilet needs. Ask the Pastor of the church where it is appropriate to wash and use the bathroom.
• Please offer a donation for your use of the church. This is an appropriate and considerate way of expressing thanks.
Download a multi-lingual copy of the Sugapa Route Visitor Protocols here.
Hi Alex, Glad to see you are still at it and your spine is still in good enough
shape to climb the big ones! Not sure if you remember me, but I was your
chiropractor in Federal Way, and we ran into each other on Rainier in '95.
Hope all is well with you and yours. Drop me an e-mail if you have a chance.
P.S. gourds on the unit are the custom in Papau!
Posted by: Chris Mallory on 7/28/2013 at 7:59 pm
March 20, 2013
Posted by: Alex Van Steen
Categories: Guide News Carstensz Pyramid Responsible Climbing
In every part of the world where we travel, some RMI individual is tasked with developing & maintaining the quality program presented on the web. Whatever their role, that individual typically has a personal attachment, investment and history with the lands, mountains or peoples visited during the program. Their effort includes much more than simply creating an appealing itinerary and a glitzy web presence. The behind-the-scenes work includes addressing RMI's environmental responsibilities, social responsibilities, and the development of solid logistical support, from understanding local customs to establishing a safety net. Most importantly, this effort involves building relationships with the local community, helping to ensure that we operate as partners wherever we travel with whomever we work. For Carstensz Pyramid in Papua, New Guinea, I get to be that individual.
The description of our program strikingly claims that we are the only outfit in the Western Hemisphere to partner exclusively with indigenous Papuans. Does it make you wonder how that came to pass?
Papua's somewhat notorious reputation extends beyond the daily rain, and slick mud and logs of the jungle trek, and beyond the remote nature, sharp rock, and high altitude of the actual climb. And that's already a lot! Truthfully, for those who research their objectives carefully, Papua's reputation extends even beyond the uncertainty and flexibility required to visit an area where political tensions and security concerns exists. Shouldn't you choose your outfitter most carefully?
In February I spent approximately three weeks in New Guinea's "interior" with the intention not just to climb Carstensz Pyramid again, having guided a recent trip, but, as I enjoy saying, "I went to meet people." Most of my time was spent among the Moni and Dani tribes of the highlands, but I also had the opportunity to shake hands with Indonesian government officials, Papuan regency representatives, folks with the Freeport mine, school teachers, pastors and missionaries, both Indonesian and expat, village elders, and even folks who were likely associated with the freedom movement (though that was difficult to tell because it seemed like politics was on everyone's lips.)
I met a lot of people, explained what I was up to, and had many discussions with many people (with both tribal and Bahasa Indonesia translators helping me). Some folks expressed utter amazement that I was walking through their lands. This is predominantly because I was off the beaten path, i.e., not on the traditional, historical routes which have seen a good bit of use (and abuse). My presence also elicited appreciation (something I didn't necessarily expect) because I was choosing to walk through the land rather than helicopter over it. Very practically speaking, people explained, flying over their lands excludes them from the benefits tourism can bring. I was already convinced that the model for sustainable tourism needed to include the indigenous peoples who inhabited the lands we wish to travel though en route to Carstensz, and spending all these weeks on the ground emphasized my sense for following socially responsible practices.
RMI's commitment to Responsible Climbing pursues environmentally and socially responsible practices. This is simple enough to say, but a significant investment of time, energy & money is required to make good on those words. I have been told by many of the people with whom I connected in Papua, that my "relationship building" excursion (which included porter and trekking guide training, as well as discussions regarding tourist behaviors and expectations for each of the villages along the trek) was the first of its kind by a Western outfitter.
Sadly, the people of Papua (whether indigenous or Indonesian) have become accustomed to transactions which center solely around the exchange of money. I would suggest that for a tribal culture, where community is highly valued, to encounter trekkers & climbers with expectations to "take" home interesting stories, photographs and a summit, who repeatedly fail to "give" relationships, virtually guarantees a poor experience for both sides. I'm not trying to paint too broad of a picture because the truth is that each individual Papuan also wants what is best for his/her own person, family or tribe, just as we do in the West. I do, however, suggest that our social responsibility must encompass more than just paying porters well for work done well. Failure to build strong relationships will lead further down the present path experienced by many Western outfitters: where porters feel poorly treated and are sometimes not paid, and where tourists feel exploited and are sometimes extorted. Looking further down that path, do you wonder what it might look like? It looks just like the tensions which closed the route through Beoga years ago after hostages were taken. It looks just like the tensions which are currently threatening the Illaga route following a hostage/extortion situation in July 2012, or the abandonment and subsequent death of a sick Danish climber by a highly experienced outfitter. It looks just like an increasing number of operators who no longer have the option to peaceably travel through tribal lands and now offer helicopter transit up and over "tribal tensions." And honestly, with some of the political and societal tensions which exist, unless outfitters work to develop relationships which are in line with indigenous tribal cultures, tourists will have no options other than to hire armed police or military to escort them through tribal lands. Wouldn't it be more culturally and socially responsible to build relationships with the native peoples in which both parties collaborated to build a sustainable model of tourism?
I encourage you to follow my blog at http://climbcarstensz.wordpress.com as I continue to share stories of what I have learned and of what we seek to build over time.
Enjoyed this post. One of the primary reasons I like to climb is the opportunity to explore and understand other cultures. Reaching a summit is obviously awesome. However everything that leads up to a summit push, as well as after, is really what it's all about. For me anyway, 'tagging summits' (not that I've tagged that many) is just as much about learning about other cultures as it is reaching the summit.
Posted by: Jon Morton on 3/20/2013 at 8:30 pm
July 19, 2012
Posted by: Alex Van Steen
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Carstensz Pyramid
As we descended the path leading to the Moni tribal village Ugimba, two men - wearing only traditional kotekas (penis gourds) and tribal markings and wielding large bow and arrow sets - stepped out of the bush and onto the path, raising their weapons toward us as they did so. Our hearts stopped, but just for a breath. A moment later two pairs of young women also stepped into our path. Equally modestly dressed in grass skirts and colorful jog bras – I guess that's what I should call their tops – also with a variety of facial paintings and tribal markings, the women began a series of repetitive calls that sounded very much like an old style emergency alert siren. The sound that issued from them rang amazingly loud and clear and others, further toward the village, responded in kind, setting up a sort of path of sonic bread crumbs for us to follow. We were being treated to an entirely genuine and traditional village welcome ceremony, complete with dance and song.
The welcome committee, now growing rapidly as additional warriors, women and children joined in, guided us patiently toward Ugimba. Running ahead about fifty feet, then stopping to dance as we caught up, and all the while calling out, the six of us were soon engulfed in a small sea of Moni tribes-peoples. In the distance, even from entirely across the valley and opening meadows, we could see all eyes on us.
I asked Sara, one of the two teens on our trip - and a stalwart kid at that! - if she would like to lead. I was afraid that perhaps she was not able to see some of the traditional welcome ceremony as I was walking in front and blocking her view. I wanted for her to experience this as fully as possible since this was by far a most unexpected and exceptional experience. She responded, a bit reservedly, "Oh, I'm experiencing this!" And we were.
What a fantastic climax to our day of trekking through the heat, humidity and wetness of the jungle. We knew we had a lot to look forward to on this trip as we were engaged on an excellent adventure via a route that has seen few western travelers, with a two-fold goal: first, safely reach and return from the summit of Carstensz Pyramid and second, build relationships with indigenous people which would respectfully balance our visit with their way of life. This excursion represented our inaugural effort and we were full of hope that we might attain our goals.
The village of Ugimba lies in the heart of Moni land in Papua, deep in the jungles of New Guinea. It is the deepest of the tribal villages; only immensely dense jungle and the high marshes and limestone plateau's of the Sudirman mountain range lie further afield. We would travel this road less traveled en route to Carstensz Pyramid, the jutting high point of the Australasian continental mass (or the high point of Oceania as some call it.)
Six days of arduous trekking eventually led us to our Carstensz Base Camp at 13,900 feet alongside a pair of sky blue alpine lakes known as the Peacock Pools. Rising all around and above camp, amazing rock ridges and towers fought for our attention. If this were the U.S. Rockies or Cascades, the place would be inundated with routes. Here, however, only the most significant line of weakness on the highest peak – the original route – remained the solitary choice for climbers. (Sadly, we knew others had travelled here as plenty of garbage had been left strewn about Base Camp. We have since begun an initiative to help clean this beautiful area, and look forward to working cooperatively with locals and visiting climbers in the future.)
The climbing of Carstensz Pyramid is rather spectacular, with rock that just won't let you go, even when it runs with rain water (and it rains every day.) The route initially climbs a series of 4th and low 5th class rock gullies before traversing along the narrow summit ridge and over several small notches, toward the summit. The climbing involves mostly scrambling, with dramatic exposure and a few short sections of mid 5th class climbing. Fixed lines and a Tyrolean traverse bypass many of the difficulties. Even with rain, fog and a bit of snowfall, and the altitude, it remains an imminently do-able adventure.
After a long day of effort, two of us - including 17-year old Sara - reached the summit, and all of us returned tired but unscathed. Still some distance from the summit, with the lateness of hour and deteriorating weather on our shoulders, Tuck and I, as guides, made the choice to split the team: Sara and I headed for the summit, with the expectation that we would catch the remainder of the team just before the Tyrolean, and rejoin to complete the descent. Even with more than two hundred high altitude peaks between the two of us, guiding thousands of climbers on hundreds and hundreds of climbs, decisions like this remind us that professional mountain guiding is a most serious profession.
Sara's dad, Bill (who climbed phenomenally well), and I plan to return to Ugimba in the following six months to help the Ugimba Moni explore options for healthy community development. Bill and I were both strongly and positively impacted by the Ugimba people who helped make this adventure a reality for our team. As we continue to support the development of local enterprise and promote the rights of indigenous peoples both to develop tourism and maintain their traditional lifestyles and customs, we invite you to follow us. I will be posting monthly at http://climbcarstensz.wordpress.com.
RMI Guide Alex Van Steen
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Posted by: Climb Carstensz Pyramid on 5/16/2014 at 4:26 am
July 7, 2012
Posted by: Alex Van Steen, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Carstensz Pyramid
Hello All,
We have just finished a fun dinner after returning to Timika late this afternoon. Admittedly though, the dinner, as delicious as it was, paled in comparison to a shower after all these days in the humid & muddy jungle!
This trip has been demanding in so many ways that the whole adventure is just that much sweeter now that it has ended. Mark Tucker and I are off to Bali for a day of body surfing (oh how I hate my job!) and then back to the U.S.
Thanks for following along.
All the best,
RMI Guide Alex Van Steen
On The Map
Mark Tucker, good to hear that you've completed the summit list! I can recall hearing you talk about Aconcagua and my daughter, Erin, still has the small chip from the biggest "hill", from when we lived next to you on Dagny Circle. Congrats! I'll complete my seventh continent, and 110th country, in March 2013! Les.
Posted by: Leslie Kelly on 7/13/2012 at 7:19 pm
McGahan clan… congrats to all of you! Sooo proud! I can't wait to hear all about it! Love y'al, Coach/Mrs. Eubanks
P.S. Katie… Are you keeping your backpack as neat as your PE Locker???? :)
Posted by: Amy Eubanks on 7/8/2012 at 7:48 pm
July 5, 2012
Posted by: Alex Van Steen, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Carstensz Pyramid
Elevation: 16,023'
Good morning, this is Alex Van Steen from the Carstensz Expedition. And my oh my, what a day we had yesterday. And here is the great word: RMI has summitted Carstensz Pyramid! We had a long day but everybody, despite being exhausted, did, really, really well. We all have a little bit of an altitude hack and the desire to head the other direction, but we are just loving this experience. I wish I could send photos via this dispatch, but they will be posted later. We've got lots of photos, and lots more stories. Stay tuned. Thanks, good-bye.
RMI Guide Alex Van Steen with the Carstensz summit news.
On The Map
Alex, I'm so proud of you!!! Good job. Love, your cousin-in-law!!! ;-)
Posted by: Lynnette Rutledge on 7/6/2012 at 7:53 pm
Hey guys!! So incredibly proud of all of you! To celebrate your achievements today, Sophie and Kasey slept til noon!!!!You guys are all amazing. Can't wait to see the pics and hear the stories. Get home safe!
Posted by: Uncle Martin on 7/6/2012 at 4:51 pm
July 4, 2012
Posted by: Alex Van Steen, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Carstensz Pyramid
Elevation: 13,900'
Mark Tucker checking in from the Carstensz Pyramid Expedition. All is well. We had a great training day today. We climbed a portion of the route just trying to familiarize ourselves with the terrain and technique. Our team is doing very well. We were pleasantly surprised at the abilities of our group here.
So, of course, it had to starting raining. We did start out in some clear weather but the spicket turned on and it is raining right now. We are going to take a look at the weather starting about midnight tonight. And at some point we'll pull the trigger and give it our best shot. Safety is our number one priority but we are going to push it hard and hope that we get a chance to make the summit.
We look forward to climbing tonight but for now, we have to get some rest.
Thanks for checking in.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker checks in from Carstensz Pyramid Base Camp.
Mark, so jazzed to see you are still climbing mountains! Pat is still in college (Theatre) and Erin is a librarian in Md. I am in Louisiana. Say hello to your family for us.
Posted by: Jessie Kelly on 7/12/2012 at 1:38 pm
Posted by: ALESSANDRO (ALEX) on 7/5/2012 at 7:53 am
July 3, 2012
Posted by: Alex Van Steen, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Carstensz Pyramid
Elevation: 13,900'
Good afternoon,
This is the Carstensz team checking in. We had a hike today into our base camp we got in pretty early this morning, and have spent the day getting ready for a prep day tomorrow. So tomorrow we will probably climb 6 - 8 pitches of rock as a warm up for Carstensz which we hope to attempt the following day. Things are going great. We are well established at base camp. It is raining still but there are long breaks of good weather during the day. And we're certainly hoping to take advantage of that. That's it for right now. We'll check in again tomorrow after we've done our training. Good night to all.
On The Map
July 2, 2012
Posted by: Alex Van Steen, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Carstensz Pyramid
The weather is beautiful today and our team is about 3 hours away from Basecamp. After we arrive, we'll use the rest of the day for training and practice. We may try for the summit as early as tomorrow. Everyone is in good health, strong and excited for the summit attempt. We are presently in a valley where it's difficult to get a signal but we will do our best to dispatch again soon.
RMI Guides Alex Van Steen & Mark Tucker
Your descriptions are amazing. Marshland at 11000 feet! Good luck, team - be safe and have fun.
Posted by: Mom/Grandma on 7/3/2012 at 5:37 am
Posted by: Rini Indyastuti on 7/3/2012 at 2:33 am
July 1, 2012
Posted by: Alex Van Steen, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Carstensz Pyramid
Today our team completed a 10 hour hike through beautiful marshland. We are getting into an area with limestone masses, passing by caves in the limestone cliffs. Quite spectacular! Today's hike was the first we've had in the rain. But despite the wet conditions, everyone is in high spirits and doing very well.
On The Map
Houston`s climate is not that bad after all. Hope you all will keep up the good spirit and enjoy the reward of being able to do what you are doing.What an experience it is. I am curious to see some pictures after you are all back in good health.
Pap en Mam
Posted by: Richard van Steen on 7/2/2012 at 6:26 am
Alex, Mark and team, Amakane!Mark your blog reminds of a poem my Mom wrote "Oh give me a mountain to climb! Im leaving the jungle trail, the steamy swamps and the lowlands, give me a mountain to scale. I've been cut by the jungle grasses, I faint in the tropical heat, to plow through the mire is exhausting the mud has made heavy my feet…." You will soon be wondering at the towering crags above you, gasping at the vast unclimbed faces! Hey that wall of roots is pretty wild, eh? 5.8 climbing in the jungle! Ka noae!
Posted by: amy on 7/2/2012 at 2:29 am


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Balance Remainder
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subset: commoncrawl


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Good news! Facebook is aware of the hardcore porn and gross violent images that have been flooding the site for the past two days. And they're working to get to the bottom of the Great Porn Flood of 2011.
Facebook told ZDnet: "Protecting the people who use Facebook from spam and malicious content is a top priority for us and we are always working to improve our systems to isolate and remove material that violates our terms. We have recently experienced an increase in reports and we are investigating and addressing the issue."
In the meantime, penises, boobs and gore continue to infest Facebook. A new spam image is terrorizing poor moms who just want to tend to their Farmville farm: Justin Bieber photoshopped to look like he's, uh, serenading a giant cock. If you see your coworker flushing their eyes with lemon juice in the bathroom, this could be why!
The porn flood is now officially the funniest thing to happen on Facebook, ever.


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Hit the Road Digger
Brought to you by historian/writer Colin Mockett and musician Shirley Power of Drop of a Hat Productions
Hit the Road Digger: the building of the Great Ocean Road is a live musical/multimedia presentation built around images of the Great Ocean Road's constuction.It's presented by singer/musician Shirley Power and researcher/narrator Colin Mockett and includes the big hit parade songs of the times. So you'll hear plenty of gorgeous music of the 1920s and 30s. The show takes in all the drama, the humour and the political wrangling involved in construction of one of the world's iconic highways.
Victoria's Great Ocean Road stands as testament to the foresight and determination of one man - Geelong Mayor Howard Hitchcock. Plans for a Victorian coastal highway had been on the boards for decades when he was elected mayor of Geelong, but all had been rejected by state and federal politicians who said the project had no commercial or military value. But Howard Hitchcock, in the years following WWI, foresaw a time when people would own cars and would want to experience beautiful coastal scenery. He was talking tourism 50 years before anyone else. But more than this, he actually went ahead and built his Great Road, taking 14 years and frequently paying the road-gangs himself when no other funds were available.
Today, the hand-built Great Ocean Road - there was no machinery used in its construction - is acknowledged as the world's longest war memorial, and the largest monument to peace. It's also Victoria's most-visited tourist attraction. It was a source of employment for returned soldiers damaged by conflict as well as providing work during the Great Depression.
At Hit The Road Digger, the road's fascinating history is rolled out against a background of wonderful songs of the times. These include: Painting The Clouds With Sunshine, Keep On The Sunny Side, Aint Misbehavin', Look For The Silver Lining, In My Merry Oldsmobile There's A Long Long Trail aWinding, Happy Days Are Here Again, I'm Always Chasing Rainbows, The Best Things In Life Are Free, Hard Times (Come Again No More), I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You) and On The Sunny Side Of The Street.
Click here for preview (3rd review on the page)
Concert details:
- 7.30pm start
- Ticket price: $10 for those registered for the Expo and $15 for those attending the concert only


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Chris Jordan led England's attack as they bowled Sri Lanka out for just 67 on the way to completing a crushing 10-wicket win in the third one-day international (ODI) at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
The Sussex paceman took a career-best five wickets for 29 runs as England, after fit-again captain Alastair Cook won the toss in overcast conditions, dismissed Sri Lanka in just 24 overs.
Cook (30 not out) and Ian Bell (41 not out) then made easy work of their meager target, although left-hander Cook was dropped on 12 at square leg by Sachitra Senanayake.
Bell finished the day/night match with a straight six off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath as England, now 2-1 up in this five-match series, hit back just three days after being bowled out for 99 during Sri Lanka's 157-run win at Chester-le-Street.
"The lads came out firing, desperate to prove a point today, and we did that," Cook told Sky Sports.
"When we got the chance Jords really hit the mark," said the left-handed opener, who missed the second ODI with a groin strain.
"It was really emphatic today and, after we lost at Durham, we wanted to fight back hard. We were surprised at how quickly we won, but we're happy," Jordan added. "Playing international cricket fires me up and it was nice to get one over on them today."
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews slammed his side's top order, saying: "The poor shot selection was the main reason why we only got 67."
However, he added: "The English team is hard to beat on home soil but I've got the team to do it."
Kumar Sangakkara top-scored for Sri Lanka with 13 in an innings where the only other batsmen to make it into double figures were Mahela Jayawardene (12) and Mathews (11).
The tourists lost their last six wickets for nine runs in six overs.
Sri Lanka's total was their third-lowest at this level, following the 43 they made against South Africa in Paarl in 2012 and 55 against the West Indies in Sharjah in 1986.
It was also their lowest in England, with their previous worst in the country also coming at Old Trafford when, as a non-Test nation, they made 86 against eventual champions the West Indies at the inaugural World Cup in 1975.
Heavy cloud cover favored England's attack, but conditions alone could not explain how Sri Lanka were bowled out on Wednesday with a mammoth 26 overs remaining.
James Anderson, on his Lancashire home ground, got England going with an opening burst of two wickets for no runs in five balls, with both Tillakaratne Dilshan and Lahiru Thirimanne caught behind by his county colleague Jos Buttler.
Dilshan was undone by an especially good delivery which cut back into him, Buttler taking a well-judged catch.
Sangakkara was caught behind off Jordan and the Sussex star then had Dinesh Chandimal taken at short extra-cover by Bell.
However, it was off-spinner James Tredwell who, with his first ball, took the prize wicket of Jayawardene when the right-hander was plumb LBW on the back foot.
Mathews was then caught behind off Jordan, who in his 12th match at this level was well on the way to surpassing his previous best of three for 25 in England's series-opening 81-run win against Sri Lanka at The Oval last week.
The exit of Mathews was the cue for a flurry of wickets, which included a direct-hit run-out by Ravi Bopara.
Barbados-born Jordan, 25, appropriately wrapped up proceedings when he had last man Lasith Malinga LBW for two.


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Building a Knowledge Society: Despite the presence of significant human capital in the region, many constraints, including governance, hamper the acquisition, diffusion and production of knowledge in Arab societies. The Report affirms that knowledge can help the region to expand the scope of human freedoms, enhance the capacity to guarantee those freedoms through better governance, and achieve the higher moral human goals of justice and human dignity. It also underlines the importance of knowledge to Arab countries as a powerful driver of economic growth through higher productivity.
Free Download
Table of Contents
Part II - Section I: The Concept of an Arab Knowledge Society
Part II - Section II: The State of Knowledge in Arab Countries
Part II - Section III: The Cultural, Socioeconomic and Political Context
Part II - Section IV: A Strategic Vision - The Five Pillars of the Knowledge Society


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I wouldn't insult locals
Lord knows I wasn't trying to insult anyone (it's not my way) when I wrote in about the pronunciation of Monticello [September 2: "Do locals always rule?"].
I have been extremely fortunate to have been very close to many local folks who were born in the first decades of the 20th century, who lived their entire long lives in Albemarle County, and who died here. Every one of them said Mont-i-SELL-o, and many local people well into their 70s now also use this pronunciation.
As I originally wrote, that's the pronunciation used by "old timers." None of these folks would add "false local flavor" as Howard Huffman impugned in his September 9 letter ["Locals know it's 'chello'"] with such unjustified indignation.
Marlene Condon


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Looks like you are using an old version of Internet Explorer - Please update your browser
The index finger is capable of assuming at least 10 billion different positions with complete control.
No results found in .
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.


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From Bryant's Facebook page:
Tough day. I've seen coaches as well as friends come and go. No matter how many years I've been playing, it's still hard to deal with. I had a good relationship with Mike and I will continue to have one. I wish him and his family nothing but the best. I spoke with him today and thanked him for all of his hard work and sacrifice.
As a team, we must focus our energy on tonight's game. We must block out the weight of today's news and simply do our jobs to the best of our ability.
I'm not sure what direction we are heading in next. All I can do is focus on the here and now.
Mamba out
Whatever. That's all standard athlete-speak, and it won't do anything to curtail "Kobe got Mike Brown fired" theories. A boilerplate Facebook post just can't compete with a blood-curdling death stare. We do know that Bryant likes to use "Mamba out" as his signature now, though. So that's something.


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Patagonia Men's Long-Sleeved Capilene® Cool Trail Shirt
Our softest performance knit. Quick drying and wicking to keep you dry and comfortable, with HeiQ® Fresh durable odor control to help avoid the stink factor. Fair Trade Certified™ sewn.
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- Locker loop makes it easy to hang dry
- No tags at neck, for itch-free comfort
- P-6 woven label at left-front hem
- Fair Trade Certified™ sewn
- 164 g (5.8 oz)
4-oz 100% polyester spun jersey with HeiQ® Fresh durable odor control.
Fabric is certified as bluesign™ approved.
Fair Trade Certified™ sewn
Capilene® Polyester Baselayer
Made from moisture-wicking polyester, Capilene® synthetic baselayers wick moisture away from your skin, breathe efficiently and dry fast to provide the foundation for any layering system for any pursuit. Designed for fast-forward, aerobic activities, they're quick to wick and quick to dry. Capilene polyester is made from recycled polyester (30% recycled content or more) and is also machine washable.
We make four Capilene fabrics for different levels of exertion and temperatures. All Capilene fabrics have achieved bluesign® approval; have an updated and consistent fit in each fabric weight; and use Polygiene® technology to control odor in the garment. They are the best baselayer option for high-sweat activities and wet conditions.
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Do you own this product? Let us know what you think. Read Privacy Notice


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Pc Repairs in Bradford
House Removals in Harrogate
House Removals in York
Limo Hire in Bradford
Mobile Phone Repairs Bradford
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Monday, 15 October 2012
New: FIFA World Cup PC Game Full Version Free Download
FIFA World Cup PC Game Full Version Free Download
Oct 15th 2012, 07:45
FIFA World Cup
is quite simply one of the most exciting PC sports games ever created. It wasn't so very long ago that soccer fans could choose from a variety of PC-based depictions of their favorite sport. Yet as the last few years of the 20th century fluttered by, it became increasingly apparent that one title stood tall above the rest. That game was EA Sports' FIFA Soccer, and today it is virtually the only way to play. With FIFA World Cup 2002, EA has gone to the well once more, again tweaking its dominant formula just enough to make an already captive audience think hard about reenlisting. Sporting several minor gameplay enhancements and a substantially overhauled presentation that impressively re-creates the global impact of a World Cup event, this edition of FIFA is in many ways the finest edition of FIFA yet. Although it revolves completely around the 2002 Japan/Korea World Cup and as such doesn't deliver the sheer number of players, teams, and league and tournament options of FIFA's regular annual installments, FIFA World Cup 2002 is quite simply one of the most exciting PC sports games ever created. This is no small accomplishment considering how professionally appointed each previous FIFA has been. Yet when experienced back-to-back with last year's FIFA Soccer 2002--released a scant six months ago--FIFA World Cup 2002 is a completely different animal. Starting with the game's dramatic introductory sequence, you'll sense that EA wanted to unleash something new. The usual electronic/dance beats of chart-toppers such as Moby and Ministry of Sound have been exchanged for the powerful strings and crescendos and kettledrums of the critically acclaimed Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The menu system, which surely reached the peak of drabness in last year's model, is polished, colorful, and presented with pride. The new "everyone's game" component, wherein you can access real-life multimedia snippets concerning most every aspect of this year's World Cup, is especially enjoyable despite its low-grade video quality. FIFA World Cup 2002 presents 20 Japanese and Korean stadiums in all, each a seemingly faithful and certainly brilliantly rendered work of art, and the choice of day or night contests. Interestingly, the game does not offer inclement weather options. When the sides are selected and the go-ahead given, you'll take a dizzying ride from the top of the stadium to pitch level, taking in a profusion of visual treats along the way. Fireworks explode in the sky, laser effects dance all around, and a surging sea of spectators rises and falls as one. EA has adopted a high-contrast color palette for this edition, with greener grass, brighter daylight, darker night skies, punctuated lighting effects, and more vivid kits and thus has made the game look far more vibrant and alive than ever before.
System Requirements
Processor= 550MHz RAM= 128MB Graphics Card= 32MB
<< Download >>
Read More & Download »
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Home ›
Archive - Nov 5, 2012 - News / NCAA Daily
Marquette G Todd Mayo declared academically ineligible
On Mon, 11/05/2012 - 5:22pm.
The Washington Post
Related Players:
Dakari Johnson reclassifies to 2013
On Mon, 11/05/2012 - 2:55pm.
NBC Sports/David Harten
Related Players:
Five-star junior Chris McCullough pledges to Syracuse
On Mon, 11/05/2012 - 12:32pm.
CBS Sports/Jeff Borzello
Related Players:
High Point's Allan Chaney overcomes heart issues to return to court
On Mon, 11/05/2012 - 11:37am.
CBS Sports
Related Players:
Methuen's Niang 'a perfect fit' at Iowa State
On Mon, 11/05/2012 - 7:59am.
EagleTribune.com/Michael Muldoon
Related Players:
Austin Nichols commits to Memphis
On Mon, 11/05/2012 - 7:56am.
NBC Sports/Rob Dauster
Related Players:
Gophers basketball: Trevor Mbakwe vows to repay scholarship if U misses NCAAs
On Mon, 11/05/2012 - 5:15am.
TwinCities.com/Marcus R. Fuller
Related Players:
The gospel according to Cody Zeller: Indiana's star revived both a program and its coach
On Mon, 11/05/2012 - 2:35am.
ESPN/Elena Bergeron
Related Players:
The ascent from deuce-8: Peyton Siva decided to clean up the world of trouble he was raised in
On Mon, 11/05/2012 - 2:31am.
ESPN/Eli Saslow
Related Players:


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When you first buy a Vitamix 5200, the so-called Ferrari of blenders, two thoughts are likely to pass through your mind. The first is "Did I really just spend more than $400 on a blender?" And the second is "This machine is going to change my life.
At least those are the thoughts I had after I bought my Vitamix at a nutrition-related conference several weeks ago. I hadn't planned to make this purchase; I'd merely followed some colleagues to the Vitamix demonstration stand, where a fast-talking young man with a headset and an impressive dexterity with Dixie cups was offering samples to an enthusiastic crowd. I watched as he liquefied a pineapple. I witnessed him puree an entire clove of garlic, unpeeled. I tried a sample of a green smoothie, then a tortilla soup, then a blended cappuccino. Before I knew what had happened, I'd taken out my credit card. The damage? $429.89—and that was with a discount.
As I crossed the exhibition hall, the Vitamix's enormous box knocking against my shins, I began to question what I'd just done.
That's when I heard a voice call out to me.
"You won't regret a penny!" the voice cried in a thick Jamaican accent. "You won't regret one cent!
I turned to find an older woman waggling a finger at me, a huge smile on her face. This woman had no connection to the Vitamix booth; she just felt so passionately about her own machine that, upon viewing mine, she couldn't help but shout.
"I love my Vit-a-mix," she continued, enunciating each syllable, before launching into a highly complimentary review of the company's return and repair policy. "I love it so much, I would recommend it to the dead!"
It was a strong, if odd, endorsement. And as I walked away, her words ringing in my ears, my anxiety over its price quickly morphed into something else: excitement.
For Slate, I write about the Vitamix 5200. Spoiler alert: it lives up to its hype.


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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off a key Ohio Valley Conference win over UT Martin Thursday evening, the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team will look to keep its momentum rolling with its final non-conference match-up of the season against Missouri-Kansas City Saturday night.
Missouri-Kansas City (7-21, 4-10)
Tennessee Tech (10-16, 4-10)
Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013 / 7 p.m. CST
Eblen Center – Cookeville, Tenn.
The Broadcasts
Television: none
Radio: Fox Sports Radio, 106.1 The Eagle (Roger Ealey)
Webcast: Live on OVC Digital Network
The Last Meeting
Tech will meet an opponent that the team has some familiarity with, having played UMKC four times in the past. The most recent contest between the two programs came back in 1990-91, with the Golden Eagles earning a home victory, 87-74.
What to Watch For
Missouri-Kansas City sits at 7-21 this season, including a 4-10 mark in conference play in the Summit League. The Kangaroos have two players that make the offense go in Estan Tyler and Thomas Staton.
A sophomore guard, Tyler leads UMKC in scoring with 11.3 points per contest. He also leads the team with 85 assists for the year. His nearly 82 percent free throw shooting is tops on the Kangaroo squad. Staton is a senior swingman that puts up 9.9 points per game. Both players pose a threat from behind the 3-point arc, each hitting above 40 percent from downtown.
|Cookeville, Tenn.
|@ Kansas City, Mo.
|@ Kansas City, Mo.
|Cookeville, Tenn.
The Golden Eagles have played eight games against current Summit League opponents, earning a 4-4 record against the likes of UMKC, North Dakota State, Oakland (Mich.), and Western Illinois.
UMKC, which hits the road for the first time in four contests, doesn't score a ton, averaging just 61.9 points per game. The squad allows opponents to put up 72.1 points each contest. The Kangaroos pull down 30.8 rebounds per game, while dishing out 9.9 assists. The team shoots at a .426 clip from the field.
Tech's offense has been led all season by the play of senior Jud Dillard. The guard sits second in the OVC in points per game, averaging 19.1. He also ranks third in the league in rebounds, ripping down 7.8 per contest. Dillard also leads the team in free throw percentage, knocking down an impressive 81.5 percent from the charity stripe.
Coming on strong of late for the Golden Eagles has been forward Dennis Ogbe. The junior is currently averaging 10.3 points per game with 5.5 rebounds per contest. He is coming off a career scoring performance over UT Martin, scoring 23 in the 83-68 win. He also leads the OVC in field goal percentage with an incredible .600 mark.
Also entering Saturday's contest off a great performance is point guard Jeremiah Samarrippas. A junior transfer from SMU, Samarrippas scored 14 points while dishing out nine assists with just one turnover. He scores 9.8 points per game, despite battling ankle injuries for the past two months, and has recorded a team-high 112 assists this season. He also leads the Golden Eagles with 46 steals.
Tickets for the game are available by visiting or calling the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center (931-372-3940).
Fans can tune in to 106.1 The Eagle to listen to live coverage of Tech's contest against the Kangaroos on Saturday. Radio coverage will begin 15 minutes prior to the 7 p.m. CST tip-off time. Fans can also view the live game feed on the OVC Digital Network, the Ohio Valley Conference's live webstream for free here.
To read more about the upcoming game and Tennessee Tech basketball, take a look at the game notes for the match-up against Missouri-Kansas City here.


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CRS: ECUADOR'S BRADY BOND DEFAULT: BACKGROUND AND IMPLICATIONS, February 1, 2000
From WikiLeaks
About this CRS report
This document was obtained by Wikileaks from the United States Congressional Research Service.
The CRS is a Congressional "think tank" with a staff of around 700. Reports are commissioned by members of Congress on topics relevant to current political events. Despite CRS costs to the tax payer of over $100M a year, its electronic archives are, as a matter of policy, not made available to the public.
Individual members of Congress will release specific CRS reports if they believe it to assist them politically, but CRS archives as a whole are firewalled from public access.
This report was obtained by Wikileaks staff from CRS computers accessible only from Congressional offices.
For other CRS information see: Congressional Research Service.
For press enquiries, consult our media kit.
If you have other confidential material let us know!.
For previous editions of this report, try OpenCRS.
Wikileaks release: February 2, 2009
Publisher: United States Congressional Research Service
Title: ECUADOR'S BRADY BOND DEFAULT: BACKGROUND AND IMPLICATIONS
CRS report number: RL30348
Author(s): J.F. Hornbeck, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Date: February 1, 2000
- Abstract
- On September 30, 1999 Ecuador became the first country to default on its Brady bonds. The Brady Plan was inaugurated in March 1989 to address the lingering Latin American debt crisis by reducing country debt and repackaging the remainder into various types of bonds that could be sold in the securities markets. Ecuador is seeking to restructure its external debt, negotiating with private-sector investors for debt rescheduling and with the IMF for a $400 million stand-by arrangement. Although the amount of Ecuador's Brady bond default is small, it is precedent setting, with broader implications for the international financial community.
- Download


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CHICAGO, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Arian Foster grabbed a touchdown pass and Shayne Graham kicked two field goals Sunday in the Houston Texans' rain-soaked 13-6 win over Chicago.
Matt Schaub (14-of-26, 95 yards, one TD, two interceptions) found Foster with a pass along the goal line at the end of a seven-play, 66-yard drive with 4:21 to go in the first half, putting Houston up 10-3.
After Robbie Gould pulled the Bears within four points on a 24-yard field goal in the third quarter, Graham booted the second of his two scores with 4:55 left in the game to provide the final margin.
Foster carried the ball 29 times for 102 yards and made five catches for 15 more for the AFC South-leading Texans (8-1), who slogged to only 214 yards of total offense.
Jay Cutler went 7-of-14 passing for only 40 yards with two interceptions for the Bears (7-2) and didn't return for the second half after sustaining a concussion.
Brandon Marshall made eight grabs for 107 yards for Chicago.


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The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve meets regularly to decide what, if anything, to do with short-term interest rates. Do stock traders almost always rejoice when the Fed cuts interest rates but does a rate cut equal good news for everyone? Read on to find out.
What Is the Rate?
When the Fed "cuts rates," this refers to a decision by the FOMC to reduce the federal fund's target rate. The target rate is a guideline for the actual rate that banks charge each other on overnight reserve loans. Rates on interbank loans are negotiated by the individual banks and usually, stay close to the target rate. The target rate may also be referred to as the "federal funds rate" or the "nominal rate."
The federal funds rate is important because many other rates, domestic and international, are linked directly to it or move closely with it.
(For more on this, read "How the Federal Reserve Devises Monetary Policy.")
Why Does It Change?
The federal funds rate is a monetary policy tool used to achieve the Fed's goals of price stability (low inflation) and sustainable economic growth. Changing the federal funds rate influences the money supply, beginning with banks and eventually trickling down to consumers.
(For further reading on the impact of money supply on the economy, see "The Federal Reserve's Fight Against Recession.")
The Fed lowers interest rates in order to stimulate economic growth. Lower financing costs can encourage borrowing and investing. However, when rates are too low, they can spur excessive growth and perhaps inflation. Inflation eats away at purchasing power and could undermine the sustainability of the desired economic expansion.
On the other hand, when there is too much growth the Fed raises interest rates. Rate increases are used to slow inflation and return growth to more sustainable levels. Rates cannot get too high, because more expensive financing could lead the economy into a period of slow growth or even contraction.
(For more, read "How Much Influence Does the Fed Have?")
The Fed's target rate is the basis for bank-to-bank lending. The rate banks charge their most creditworthy corporate customers is known as the prime lending rate. Often referred to as "the prime," this rate is linked directly to the Federal Reserve's target rate. Prime is pegged at 300 basis points (3%) above the target rate.
Consumers can expect to pay prime plus a premium depending on factors such as their assets, liabilities, income, and creditworthiness.
(For more on this, read "The Importance of Your Credit Rating.")
A rate cut could help consumers save money by reducing interest payments on certain types of financing that are linked to prime or other rates, which tend to move in tandem with the Fed's target rate.
A rate cut can prove beneficial with home financing, but the impact depends on what type of mortgage the consumer has, whether fixed or adjustable and which rate the mortgage is linked to.
(To compare the advantages and disadvantages of these two types of mortgages, read "Mortgages: Fixed-Rate Versus Adjustable-Rate.")
For fixed-rate mortgages, a rate cut will have no impact on the amount of the monthly payment. Low rates can be good for potential homeowners, but fixed-rate mortgages do not move directly with the Fed's rate changes. A Fed rate cut changes the short-term lending rate, but most fixed-rate mortgages are based on long-term rates, which do not fluctuate as much as short-term rates.
Generally speaking, when the Fed issues a rate cut, adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) payments will decrease. The amount by which a mortgage payment changes will depend on the rate the mortgage uses when it resets. Many ARMs are linked to short-term Treasury yields, which tend to move with the Fed or the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), which does not always move with the Fed. Many home-equity loans and home-equity lines of credit (HELOCs) are also linked to prime or LIBOR.
(For more on this, read "Home-Equity Loans: The Costs" and "ARMed and Dangerous.")
Credit Cards
The impact of a rate cut on credit card debt also depends on whether the credit card carries a fixed or variable rate. For consumers with fixed-rate credit cards, a rate cut usually results in no change. Many credit cards with variable rates are linked to the prime rate, so a federal funds rate cut will typically lead to lower interest charges.
(For more on credit card interest, see "Understanding Credit Card Interest.")
It is important to remember that even if a credit card carries a fixed rate, credit card companies can change interest rates whenever they want to, as long as they provide advanced notice (check your terms for the required notice).
Savings Accounts
When the Fed cuts interest rates, consumers usually earn less interest on their savings. Banks will typically lower rates paid on cash held in bank certificates of deposits (CD), money market accounts and regular savings accounts. The rate cut usually takes a few weeks to be reflected in bank rates.
CDs and Money Market Accounts
If you have already purchased a bank certificate of deposit (CD), there is no need to worry about a rate cut because your rate is locked in. But if you plan to purchase additional CDs, a rate cut will result in new, lower rates.
(To learn about CDs, read "Step up Your Income with a CD Ladder.")
Deposits placed into money market accounts (MMA) will see similar activity. Banks use MMA deposits to invest in traditionally safe assets like CDs and Treasury bills, so a Fed rate cut will result in lower rates for money market account holders.
(For more on Treasury bills, read "Money Market: Treasury Bills.")
Money Market Funds
Unlike a money market account, a money market fund (MMF) is an investment account. While both pay higher rates than regular savings accounts, they may not have the same response to a rate cut.
(For more on MMFs, read "Do Money Market Funds Pay?")
The response of money market mutual fund (MMMF) rates to a rate cut by the Fed depends on whether the fund is taxable or tax-free (like one that invests in municipal bonds). Taxable funds usually adjust in line with the Fed, so in the event of a rate cut, consumers can expect to see lower rates offered by these securities.
Because of their tax-exempt status, rates on municipal money market funds already fall beneath their taxable counterparts and may not necessarily follow the Fed. These funds also may be linked to different rates, such as LIBOR or the Security Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) Municipal Swap Index.
The Bottom Line
The Federal Reserve uses its target rate as a monetary policy tool, and the impact of a change to the target rate depends on whether you are a borrower or a saver. Read the terms of your financing and savings arrangements to determine which rates are relevant to you so that the next time the Fed cuts interest rates, you will know exactly what the cut means to your wallet.


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McMahon's celebrity precedes her on campaign trail
Republican: McMahon, calm amid the flurry, shares her story of struggle and success
Her handlers look like they just got off the red-eye.
So does the press corps, an occupational hazard.
A rested and neatly starched Linda McMahon is swarmed by photographers in front of Victoria's Secret Wednesday in Fairfield, seemingly impervious to the demands of a grueling odyssey she has undertaken a second time.
This is the endorphin high that comes when you win your party's Senate primary in a rout, as McMahon did less than 24 hours earlier over fellow Republican Christopher Shays.
Next door, at the Firehouse Deli, the lunchtime rush overlaps with McMahon's arrival.
Not everyone is here for the chicken salad.
Not Ronnie Hill, who has never met McMahon in person but has spoken on the phone with her when Hill's recruitment firm did business with Titan Sports, the precursor to World Wrestling Entertainment and now the WWE.
"She is the iron hand and the velvet glove," gushes Hill, who is in her 50s and lives in Fairfield.
More InformationHere are the top five hurdles facing Linda McMahon in the general election: * Close the gender gap. Democrat Richard Blumenthal won 60 percent of the female vote against McMahon in 2010. Game over. * Appeal to unaffiliated voters, who represent the largest voter bloc in Connecticut. * Take ownership of the WWE and show the business of professional wrestling through a positive lens * Resist the urge to own the airwaves and direct mail -- McMahon saturated the state with her commercials and mailers two years ago to the annoyance of many voters * Overcome the stigma that she can't win the big one
Hill is among the first to seek out McMahon on the front patio of the deli, second only to the hardy Fran Schneidau of WCBS Newsradio 880, who is angling for a sound bite on this overcast early afternoon.
"It was a good night. Congressman Shays was very gracious," McMahon obliges. "I told him, Chris, `You were my congressman and always have my respect.' "
Hill was not eligible to vote for McMahon, who has touted herself as an outsider and board room-tested jobs creator, in Tuesday's GOP primary because she's an Independent.
McMahon's Horatio Alger story of the self-made matriarch of pro wrestling who was once bankrupt, amplified by a measured dose of television commercials, nevertheless resonates with Hill.
"People love the Cinderella story," says Hill, her impression of McMahon reaffirmed by face time with the candidate.
Consider this: McMahon captured just a shade under 50 percent of the vote when she won a three-way primary two years ago for the Senate. This time, the margin of victory was 73 percent to 27 percent.
But McMahon knows all too well she will be ultimately judged by how she fares in the general election against Democrat Christopher Murphy, the three-term congressman from the 5th District.
"You're going all the way," proclaims Steve Elworthy, 58, vice chairman of the Fairfield Republican Town Committee.
Flanked by her driver, a press aide and a social media guru who is Tweeting away on her behalf, McMahon cracks a smile.
"From your mouth to God's ears," she tells Elworthy.
A convert
John McKinney is a McMahon convert.
And, boy, is it ever on display on the first day of the general election campaign, with the state Senate minority leader squiring McMahon on a tour of businesses in his hometown.
Though he supported Shays in the primary and even cut a video for the veteran public servant who succeeded his late father in Congress, McKinney marvels at McMahon's skills as a retail politician.
"It's amazing. Everybody knows her," McKinney says. "I never saw it with John Rowland. I never saw it with Jodi Rell. I never saw it with Chris Dodd."
Inside the Firehouse Deli, McMahon shakes hands with the girls behind the counter. Then, the top self-funding Senate candidate of all time peeks into the kitchen for an audience with the grill men, who are searing chicken breasts on a griddle.
In the dining room in the back, the grandmother of six runs her hands through the gelled hair of Ethan Tavolacci, 5, who is visiting from Long Island with a group of children for whom McMahon signs an autograph.
McMahon then circulates from table to table in a side patio, an entourage of surrogates and media wandering past the lantana planters and table umbrellas.
McKinney knows what some people might be thinking, but he says it's not like that at all.
"Look, I've known Chris for almost 30 years. He's been part of my family," McKinney says. "I've always been with Chris, never been against Linda."
McMahon departs the deli for the confines of her GMC Yukon Denali SUV, photogs scurrying after her in a municipal parking lot.
Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst, who endorsed McMahon back in January, ducks out of the way of the cameras.
an ANSWER TO STRESS
Just over an hour later in Danbury, McMahon is escorted under an umbrella by a campaign aide into the reception area of Sealed Air Corp., where a gaggle of television and print reporters is chomping at the bit to do a presser before she tours the foam packaging plant with the city's Republican mayor, Mark Boughton.
McMahon is peppered with questions about a robo-call her campaign sent out to 300,000 seniors statewide declaring that Murphy aided in a $700 billion cut to Medicare when he voted for the Affordable Care Act, a claim Murphy characterizes as a lie.
The Q & A lasts four minutes and 23 seconds until McMahon's campaign spokeswoman, Kate Duffy, cuts things off, saying that the candidate doesn't want to keep her hosts waiting.
Although McMahon's schedule says the tour of plant is open to the media, company execs nix the walk-through, saying their corporation communications people overruled it. Steven Schumacher high-tails it to the plant upon learning that McMahon is in the Hat City.
The 27-year-old is a corporate sales manager at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Danbury and registered Republican from Wallingford. He shows up with literature about the hotel and a stress ball on the chance he can see McMahon. He's in luck.
"I was one of your last votes, not that you needed it," says Schumacher, who made it to the polls at 7:58 p.m.
Schumacher presents McMahon with the stress ball and poses for a photo with her taken with his smart phone.
"Whoever does your Twitter is a genius," he says.
McMahon gives the stress ball to Joe Gallagher, her omnipresent and watchful driver. But don't call him a body guard. Boughton playfully asks Gallagher for permission to drive McMahon to their next stop, TK's American Cafe, a White Street sports bar with 52 flavors of buffalo wings.
Trailed by a young volunteer from the Murphy campaign who records her every move and every word with an iPhone, McMahon gets a rousing reception from several tables of her local supporters in the rear of the watering hole.
"I think a lot of Linda," says Bill Duncan, 87, who was a U.S. Army Ranger during World War II in Italy.
Duncan is director of the Military Museum of Southern New England, located in Danbury. He's a Republican and says he wants McMahon to run on making English the country's official language.
"Get rid of the illegal aliens," he says. "Giving jobs to them is killing me."
CNBC is airing on a flat screen television as a local man approaches McMahon and asks for a job with her campaign.
"Feel free to send your resume," says McMahon, who instructs Duffy to give the man her card.
The man writes his name and contact information on a paper plate to give to McMahon's aide.
McMahon tells her hometown newspaper in an interview that she received congratulatory phone messages from U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
When the former wrestling executive is asked whether she is prepared to answer questions from her opponent about her tenure at the WWE, to whom her campaign has often directed media inquiries, McMahon says she loves the company that she helped grow.
"Absolutely, it's a subject I know very well," she said. "But I think really often questions come about relative to WWE from the media standpoint. But I have to tell you, when I'm out talking to the folks of Connecticut they're talking about their jobs, they're talking about their kids graduating from college looking for work, they're talking about how difficult it is for them to continue to maintain their businesses, and that's their focus."
An elderly female supporter pulls McMahon aside next to a stack of the candidate's lawn signs, swooning over McMahon's youthful-looking Danbury field office director, Brendon Shaw.
"He is cute," McMahon is overheard saying.
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The blacksmith as artist
See 'L. Brent Kington: Mythical Metalsmith' at the Illinois State Museum till Sept. 6
L. Brent Kington, professor emeritus at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, is widely regarded as the father of blacksmithing as an art form. The Illinois State Museum is hosting a retrospective of the 76-year-old artist, and it is well worth a visit.
When Kington and his wife, Diana, moved to Carbondale in 1961 to head the metalsmithing department at Southern Illinois University, he was making whimsical creatures cast in silver. In grad school at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, Kington had created his "little bird form," and these cartoonish figures on three-wheeled vehicles descended from that.
The artist continued making these curious silver creatures, which became wonderful toys for his young son and daughter. His Pull Toys from the same period may remind visitors of Preston Jackson sculptures.
The artist had long been a cartoonist, and the exhibit includes three humorous watercolor cartoons entitled "A Short Autobiography Concerning People, Dogs & Experiences That Formed My Life." Do take a look at them.
Kington the metalsmith became interested in blacksmithing after seeing the armor department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and later sought out local blacksmiths in the Carbondale area to teach him the craft. After working with the Deal brothers from Murphysboro, he decided to concentrate on blacksmithing, working in iron and steel. One of the most striking pieces from this early period is an abstract winged piece in oxidized forged steel.
In the 1970s Kington made a series of nonfunctional weathervanes, which are just elegant. The top piece of these abstract creations rests perfectly balanced on the fulcrum point of its base. Kington mastered the art of "full roll, pitch, and yaw rotation" for these kinetic pieces, according to Tayes. "Some of these pieces migrate around almost swooping like birds," she said.
In the 1980s Kington created an Icarus series based on the idea of flight. "Icarus #25" from 1981 is stunningly beautiful and appears to be made of wood, but it's forged steel covered with polychrome. It is a highlight of the exhibit. Kington's interest in tribal masks is evident in the faces of these pieces. The color and texture is mesmerizing, subtle but so rich.
The artist adds texture and patina to his work in a masterful way. If you are a tactile person, this show will challenge you because you will want so much to touch some pieces.
Kington worked on a series of Crosiers beginning in 1990. Traditionally, crosiers are ornaments or staffs for bishops or archbishops, which convey rank within the church. But these five-foot-tall crosiers are birdlike, like long-legged herons or cranes which seem to soar upward. Most are svelte creatures, but the "Crosier" from 1990 is built more sturdily and emblazoned with touches of red and green and has wings. This bold crosier seems ready to take flight or do battle.
Tayes did a wonderful job of collecting the right balance of objects from different bodies of work throughout the artist's 50-year career. Accompanying the exhibit is the catalogue L. Brent Kington: Mythic Metalsmith, which is available in the museum gift shop for $20.
Kington is regarded as almost a mythical character by former students for starting the blacksmithing program at SIU-C, for mentoring students and for his influence in the field. SIU-C offers the only Master's of Fine Arts degree in blacksmithing in the U.S. The "Who's Who" of metalsmiths came to this show when it first opened in Carbondale in 2007, according to Tayes.
A video featuring the artist, students and the curator running on a large plasma TV at the exhibit completes a visitor's understanding of the significance of Kington's career as a metalsmith. The exhibit runs through Sept. 6. After that Tayes hopes the show will travel beyond the borders of Illinois.
Ginny Lee of Springfield is a writer and photographer and longtime contributor to Illinois Times.


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Martin Hunter necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 37 diseños de 10 diseñadores freelance.
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Opinion: Cuba's Traveling Dissidents
Mary Anastasia O'Grady and James Freeman discuss the plight of Cuba's political dissidents.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... when reaching the entrance to give its citizens orbited freedom insults but is Mary Anastasia are prettier merit scholars them are long and ... so on the acumen government to decide open up travel a little bit to its citizens and I assume this is not because they hadn't decided suddenly that freedom is a good thing and what some people do what they want ... now and they actually are trying to tell the world that there were four main manufacturing and new Cuban dictatorship ... or maybe a few late dictator's have been to rehab ... and I ... and part of that is to say look we're going to let people travel freely the problem for them is that ... not only will Cubans who want to ... go to Miami and buy things they can get in Cuba like toilet paper and soap ... I'm the applying for these pieces but so too will people like Eli Nissan says the famous government critic who has some alive it's very wet the bed around the world ... and people like us now go potty as daughter ... I'm important decision who was killed last year ... she has gone into Europe and ... these kinds of voices and even be very challenging for the regime because the Guinea get out and and and saying things that are not consistent with the narrative that the regime links ... course so did did bring a pure example of the dissonance daughter when you let people I love them to ... travel about the world and then come back they can bring with them of what information lot ideas that maybe aren't helpful to the regime and that that seems to me what happened in this case ... yet exactly and and I think that that they have always the government has always like to get rid of dissidents let them leave but they didn't let them come back and I am ... when somebody app I e on ... has done the euro ... Asheem and width of the person who was driving the car when her father was killed last July ... and I've this guy has told her she says she had a press conference ... that I it wasn't really an accident that they were run off the road of buying another car ... and that the driver of that car ... took the two foreigners who were in the car away ... and didn't know what happened to her father and Diavik even when the car ... so this this and instead of ... looking less and less like an accident and thinks the information the came in the ... unitary target of the information of the wave travels obviously can travel by ... people moving in the country of the other thing is ... in the inner world of technology social media sometimes seems ... incredible that you can still rather a totalitarian dictatorship in in ... in Cuba's case to they know they pulled off by basically blocking telecommunication how wasn't done exactly ... family successful at that and I you know another one of the people who is traveling in the month of February with the new permits was TOI Nissan chosen she is famous because she hasn't bought ... and she's been complaining alot about the fact that it's the label for Cubans to have ... internet access in their home and eat images finally got a big table that was laid under the sea from Venezuela ... I and that was suppose to get better in an access to the island but ... for now it only goes to the state and two hotels where foreigners King on a new memory of these internet cafe is pundits ... is that monitor the censored them in if I go to it but it ... does a veteran Cuban citizen I go to an internet cafe them toward pretty much have the internet that the world the desires of the giver while evidence monitored in Cuba aam I would say that what we found when CNN and and and with information in general is that leaks ... and that has the regime has come and a more more schooling internationally and if they don't find it silly slid a lot easier to line people up against a while and ship them anymore ... I there's a little bit but it did this instead become a little more bold ... and there is leakage of information which is how the lining Sanchez has been able to post or blogging get out to the world ... but I would say for the vast majority of Cubans there are still very much isolated ... and as for is this trouble policy we see now I'm I'm good for freedom and ... an ... the potential for future reform and allows more information about the flow is the isthe regime AB cracking down on this are they getting rid of traveler for now isn't going to zoos channel going to remain open well they're not getting rid of it but it is interesting to see the list of dissidents on the island had been denied travel even though they say travel is now all out so there's a long list of people who are considered ... dangerous ... and interesting Lee and a lot of them are black the hands of black Cuban who complains about the regime is much more an ad damaging ... to the image that Cuba has tried to come out which is that it has somehow been named Black humans that Iraq and so ... if you're black and you become interested and ... you get much harsher treatment and allowed only embarrassing for the regime dating back to brag about there are a racially badly so exactly so you know you look at the list of people and allowed out and out and a lot of them are back but a lot of them are just trouble making this an insular very articulate ... and are considered dangerous ... spoken words for words or for more trouble in the morning or thanks for sharing ...