Today, in cruelly misleading news, Iceland’s nascent Pirate Party made an electoral breakthrough. In a Saturday poll, the party earned 5.1% of the vote and several of the 63 seats in Iceland’s parliament, the Althingi.
Sadly, the party has little to do with the country’s seafaring roots. Formed in 2006 by a group of hackers and file-sharers, the "Pirates" have devoted themselves to freedom of information and expression. They are, according to party leader, Birgitta Jonsdotti... Read More
Mountain biker Rebecca Rusch set a new female speed record on the 142-mile Kokopelli Trail, riding from Moab, Utah, to Fruita, Colorado, in just 13 hours, 32 minutes.
Rusch, who won the Leadville 100 four times in a row and is the reigning champion of the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo, ran into several hitches during her ride, starting when she separated her finger in a crash early on.
"Without thinking I put it back in place, flexed it to see if I could still operate the brake, and hopped back on,... Read More
On Monday at Everest Base Camp, with Nepal army major Sunilsingh Rathor standing witness, a group of Sherpas and the alpine trio of Simone Moro, Ueli Steck, and Jonathan Griffith signed a peace agreement. The parties feuded this past weekend while climbing between Camp II and Camp III. In simple language that any law official—or parent—would appreciate, the parties apologized for their fighting, agreed not to talk about the issue again, and resolved to go to the appropriate authori... Read More
Two Cessna 172 airplanes collided over the Santa Monica Mountains Monday, leaving one pilot dead after his plane plummeted into the mountains. The pilot of the second plane managed to land on the third fairway of the Westlake Village golf course, leaving all passengers with only minor injuries.
After crashing at an altitude of 3,500 feet, both aircraft hit the ground within minutes of each other, about 10 miles apart. Firefighters discovered the first plane in the Santa Monica Mountains when... Read More
A fight between a group of Sherpas and the alpine team of Simone Moro, Ueli Steck, and Jonathan Griffith took place near Camp III and at Camp II on Mount Everest this weekend. Initial reports about the kicking, punching, rock-throwing skirmish have come from Moro's Web site and articles filed by European news outlets.
A quick summary of Moro's version of events: While the Sherpas were fixing ropes up to Camp III, the alpine team stepped over their ropes. The Sherpas said Steck or Griffith had... Read More
