One of our readers asked “What effect does altitude have on the flight of a bullet?” The simplistic answer is that, at higher altitudes, the air is thinner (lower density), so there is less drag on the bullet. This means that the amount of bullet drop is less at any given flight distance from the muzzle. Since the force of gravity is essentially constant on the earth’s surface (for practical purposes), the bullet’s downward acceleration doesn’t change, but a bullet launched at a higher altitude is able to fly slightly farther (in the thinner air) for every increment of downward movement. Effectively, the bullet behaves as if it has a higher ballistic coefficient.

Forum members Milanuk explain that the key factor is not altitude, but rather air pressure. Milanuk writes:

“In basic terms, as your altitude increases, the density of the air the bullet must travel through decreases, thereby reducing the drag on the bullet. Generally, the higher the altitude, the less the bullet will drop. For example, I shoot at a couple ranges here in the Pacific Northwest. Both are at 1000′ ASL or less. I’ll need about 29-30 MOA to get from 100 yard to 1000 yards with a Berger 155gr VLD @ 2960fps. By contrast, in Raton, NM, located at 6600′ ASL, I’ll only need about 24-25 MOA to do the same. That’s a significant difference.

One thing to remember — it is the barometric pressure that really matters, not simply the nominal altitude. The barometric pressure will indicate the reduced pressure from a higher altitude, but it will also show you the pressure changes as a front moves in, etc. which can play havoc w/ your calculated come-ups. Most altimeters are simply barometers that read in feet instead of inches of mercury.”

As Milanuk states, it is NOT altitude per se, but the LOCAL barometric pressure (sometimes called “station pressure”) that is key. The two atmospheric conditions that most effect bullet flight are air temperature, and barometric pressure. Normally, humidity has a negligible effect.

One important thing to remember is that the barometric pressure reported on the radio (or internet) may be stated as a sea level equivalency. So in Denver (at 6,000 feet amsl), if the local pressure is 24″, the radio will report the barometric pressure to be 30″. If you do high altitude shooting at long range, bring along a Kestral, or remember to mentally correct the radio station’s pressure, by 1″ per 1,000 feet.”

You can do your own experimental calculations using FREE Point Blank Ballistics software. Here are two printouts, one showing bullet trajectory at sea level (0′ altitude) and one at 20,000 feet. For demonstration sake, we assigned a low 0.2 BC to the bullet, with a velocity of 3000 fps.

Trajectory of Bullet fired at Sea Level

Trajectory of Bullet fired at 20,000 feet

Here’s a useful resource on External Ballistics if you want to learn more about the effects of altitude and barometric pressure on bullet flight.

ROLE OF HYDROLOGY AND GRAVITY

Pure water doesn’t conduct electricity. Normal water too is a poor conductor of heat. Exchange of heat takes place almost entirely by convection. Molecules carrying heat travel within the system and spread heat uniformly.

Ice and snow being solid, molecules have no freedom of movement. Unlike a rod of iron, heat is not passed on from one end to the other if the rod is made of ice. This is the reason why the igloo (hutment made of ice blocks) retains warmth inside it, even when the temperature outside falls much below the freezing point. A human being may remain alive for some days, if he sleeps in the arctic region. The snow deposited on his body forms a blanket which will not allow the heat of the body to escape outside and also protects from the cold wind blowing from the Poles. Such cases have been reported. At the same time beggars sleeping outside in the cold season in north India die as reported in newspapers, as they lose their body heat easily in the absence of warm cloths.

 This unique quality of frozen water plays a very important role in preventing heat of the earth from escaping into outer space by radiation. The Polar regions, and a considerable part of temperate regions in winter, remain covered with ice and snow. This is true of the mountainous regions and the plateaus of higher altitude also. In the seas the thermal insulation provided by the snow cover allows life to flourish throughout the year but prevents escape of heat and makes considerable contribution to global warming.

 There is continuous evaporation of water from the seas (not covered by ice) and land. Each molecule of vapor carries considerable quantity of latent heat as additional calorie. When they rise in altitude, the molecules form clouds and then descend towards the earth as rain, snow, dew and mist. This circulation of water results in cyclic movement of heat. Only the latent heat released at the time of formation of clouds results in escape of heat by radiation. In areas where humidity is minimum the heat lost by radiation will be considerable. Ironically deserts help to ‘fight Global Warming’ and greenery works in the reverse direction!

 If the earth were devoid of water, transfer of heat from the earth by radiation to outer space would have been easy and enormous in quantity as in the case of  the Moon.

 GRAVITY

What is the source of geo-thermal energy?

 A stack of lignite will catch fire if left in the open. Obviously this is because of the pressure developed inside, raising the temperature to ignition point of lignite which is comparatively low. Such rise in temperature takes place inside a stack of coal, iron ore, sand etc also. The pressure is caused by gravity of the earth which continuously pulls the stack down and the surface of the earth opposing this force, causing pressure. Therefore we may say that gravity generates heat. A hill is also a stack of great dimension. As the crust of the earth is not falling down due to gravity; it is obviously subjected to pressure caused by opposing forces of gravity and forces supporting the crust to remain in position. When the pressure at a point, say 10km inside the earth, is multiplied by the area of the globe at this point, we will get a mind boggling figure of the thrust, capable of generating heat, comparable to that produced by thousands of hydrogen bombs.

 Well, this may be the source of geo thermal energy and not radiation as maintained by geologists. The above theory is borne out by the fact that as we go deeper into the earth the temperature rises. In depressions like the Grand Canyon in America and the Dead Sea it is very hot.

 “Hence, omitting all reference to the active volcanoes, and to thermal springs at all temperatures below that of boiling water, found in all parts of the world, it is well-known fact, that in descending into deep mines the temperature is greatly above that of the mean of the exterior air, and increases progressively with the depth. This was first remarked by Gensanne, about the year 1740, in the lead mines of Giromagny, near Beport. Saussure afterwards observed the same fact in the salt mines at Bex, in Switzerland; but the attention of naturalists was not generally directed to the temperature of the lower strata, till Humboldt has executed an extensive and interesting series of experiments in the mines of Freyburg, in 1791. The best set of observations we possess on the temperature of deep places, is that which has been uninterruptedly continued for more than half a century in the caves under the observatory of Paris. In 1783 the Count de Cassini, in concert with Lavoisier, placed a very delicate thermometer in one of these excavations for the purpose of observing the curious phenomenon of an invariable temperature, which had been noticed to exist in the same place, by the first Cassini, in 1671, and by La Hire, in 1730. The thermometer is placed at the depth of rather more than thirty yards under the surface, in a bed of fine sand, and has indicated no change of temperature, or at least its oscillations have not exceeded the 1/33 of centesimal degree. The constant temperature exceeds at that depth, by 2.16 degree Fahrenheit’s scale, the mean tempreture at the surface: and supposing a uniform increase at the same rate, we would arrive at the temperature of boiling water at the depth of 2542 yards under the city of Paris. We may quote a few other results of observation. In the coal mines of the north of England the temperature is 70° at the depth of 800 or 900 feet, when the air at the surface is only 48° or 49°; and in the mines of Valenciana in Mexico, it is 92° when the surface-air is at 60°. The following are additional examples:-. In a copper mine at Dolcoath, in Cornwall, a thermometer was kept eighteen months buried in the rock to the depth of a yard. The depth of the mine was 1377 feet. The temperature indicated was 75.5°, while that of the country is 50°; and consequently the increase of heat there is at the rate of 1° for every 54 feet.

 At Giromagny, in the Vosges, the annual temperature at the surface is 49°; at 330 feet depth it is 53.6°; at 1008 feet, 65.8°; at 1416 feet 74.6°. in four of the deepest mines of Saxony the annual tempreture at the surface is 46.4degree at from 510 to 600 feet depth it is 54.5 degree; at 840 feet, 58 degree; at 1080 feet, 62.6°.

 In the deepest British coal mine, that of Killingworth, the annual temperature at the surface is 48°; at 900 feet depth it is 70°; at 1200 feet, 77°. A similar gradation is found in many of the deeper mines at home and abroad.

 There is thus in the Vosges an increase of temperature in descent below the surface amounting to about 1° in every 60 feet; in Saxony 1° in every 66 feet; and in Britain 1 degreein every 45 feet. After the ratio observed in the Vosges, the tempreture of the hot springs at Bath, 113°, will be found at three-quarters of a mile in the interior of the earth, and that of boiling water at a depth of nearly two miles. “The facts strongly support three conclusions:- First, that the heat of an interior shell of the earth is greater than the superficial shell. Second, that this heat augments progressively as we descend towards this region, in a ratio bearing some relations to the depth. Third, that, even at moderate depth, this heat is greater than the mean heat of the globe ought to be, if entirely derived from the sun. The heat of such an interior mass must be constantly diffusing itself towards the surface; and at the surface it may be kept down, so as to affect the temperature derived from the solar action very feebly, by the greater or less rapidity of its dissipation. But as it is very improbable that it should be diffused with perfect equality round the whole exterior shell of the globe, it may be the true source of some of those anomalies of climate, such as the discrepancy in the annual heat under the same parallel, which cannot be easily referred to other known causes”. If the heat of the globe were entirely derived from the sun, Pekin, at an inconsiderable elevation above the sea, ought to have the same mean annual temperature as Naples, being under the same parallel of latitude; but instead of that being the case, the temperature falls short of that at Naples by nearly 9°. Other causes may contribute to produce this discrepancy; yet it is not unreasonable to suppose that the mean heat at Naples is raised by its proximity to a focus of internal heat which smokes and flashes through the chimney of Vesuvius”.

 It is amazing that pioneers like Humboldt, Lavoisier etc had done path breaking observations regarding geo thermal energy and deserve all praise. Had this line of research continued, the conclusions now reached by me would have automatically been revealed much earlier. That the scientists, especially geologists, have not cared to  study physical geography is a big loss. I have only filled up the spaces left void by the pioneers.

 To conclude: global warming is caused by the earth itself and cooling is retarded by water – our father and mother. Shall we blame our parents or thank them for giving precious life enabling us a few year’s visit to this wonderful earth to enjoy it’s beauty and sublimity?

Não há muito a argumentar depois de uma derrota humilhante. E fomos humilhados, mesmo. Mas não tem como reclamar do time depois da impressionante sequência de 13 jogos sem perder. Bateu o cansaço, o cérebro e principalmente as pernas não funcionaram e a LDU se aproveitou da vantagem física para golear por 5 a 1.

Confesso que nem o gol de Marquinho me animou muito. Comemorei, claro, mas sentia que a noite não era tricolor. Ninguém jogou bola. Embora tenha sido o mais criticado, nem o goleiro Rafael pode ser crucificado, já que ele ficou em evidência apenas porque seus erros são mais perceptíveis.

O foco é o Vitória

Torço para que os problemas de cansaço tenham aparecido somente por conta da altitude. Será dureza se o time estiver pregado domingo, contra o Vitória, e não consegui vencer uma partida que, para a temporada, é bem mais importante que a de ontem.

A hora é de se preparar física e psicologicamente para a próxima partida. Cuca tem de conversar bastante, sobretudo com os mais jovens, e não deixar que a goleada de ontem afete o time. Afinal, jogadores que ficaram quase dois meses sem perder, jogando duas vezes por semana, não desaprenderam a jogar bola de um dia para o outro.

Desistir?

Agora, com relação à finalíssima, quarta-feira que vem, quase todo mundo que se mete a falar de futebol já dá o Flu como vice-campeão. Não irei iniciar uma campanha do tipo “acredito até o fim” porque ela só serviria para torcedores rivais virem encher o saco. Mas não nego, penso que a virada é possível e farei de tudo para estar no Maracanã na partida de volta, que pode ser épica.

FICHA TÉCNICA

COPA SUL-AMERICANA – FINAL – PARTIDA DE IDA

LDU-EQU 5×1 Fluminense

25/11/2009

Estádio: Estádio Casablanca, Quito (Equador)

Árbitro: Roberto Silvera (URU) / Assistentes: Pablo Fandiño (URU) e Wálter Rial (URU)

LDU: Domínguez, Willian Araújo, Espínola e Norberto Araujo; Reasco, Mendez (Chila, 39′/2ºT), Bolaños (Salas, 23′/2ºT), Diego Calderón e De La Cruz; Bieler e Walter Calderón (Graf, 23′/2ºT). Técnico: Jorge Fossati.

FLUMINENSE: Rafael, Gum, Cassio e Dalton; Mariano (Ruy, 25′/2ºT), Diguinho (Maurício, 14′/2ºT), Diogo, Conca e Marquinho; Alan (Kieza, intervalo) e Fred. Técnico: Cuca.

Gols: Marquinho, 23”/1ºT (0-1), Mendez, 20′/1ºT (1-1), Mendez, 43′/1ºT (2-1), Mendez, 14′/ 2ºT (3-1), Salas, 31′/2ºT (4-1), De La Cruz, 42′/2ºT (5-1)

Cartões amarelos: Espínola, Walter Calderón (LDU); Marquinho, Gum (Fluminense)

Cartão vermelho: (nenhum)

Saiba como ganhar uma camisa oficial do Fluminense

Voltar à página inicial do Rivais do Rio

Tricolores e Tricolores,

Continuamos invictos! Pelo menos, no nível do mar. Não perdemos para um time de futebol. Perdemos para os 2.850m de altitude de Quito. Talvez nos tenha faltado experiência. Talvez nos tenha faltado inteligência. Mas com certeza nos faltou ar.

Com apenas 30 segundos de jogo pude sentir o gosto doce da vingança em minha boca. Mas com o decorrer da partida senti um nó na garganta semelhante ao do dia 02 de Julho de 2008.

Impossível não fazermos comparações. Na próxima quarta-feira (também dia 02, só que de Dezembro de 2009), teremos uma tarefa ainda mais difícil que a anterior. Ao invés de ganhar por dois gols, precisaremos de, no mínimo, quatro. O elenco que tínhamos no ano passado era melhor que o atual. E, enquanto o time da Libertadores estava exclusivamente dedicado àquele jogo, o time da Sulamericana vem travando uma nova batalha a cada 3 dias.

Mas quem teria a audácia de duvidar dessa equipe?

Diante dessa improvável missão, chegou a hora do Futebol mostrar que é realmente uma “caixinha de surpresas”. Nada é impossível para esse time que decidiu desbancar a frieza dos números e tem a vocação para o inesperado. Quem está sendo capaz de reverter “98% de chances de rebaixamento”, pode muito bem reverter o resultado de um jogo, por mais adverso que possa parecer.

E se você, Tricolor, está disposto a sair da sua casa na próxima quarta-feira, peço encarecidamente: grite o tempo inteiro para fazer da estadia da LDU no Maracanã, o inferno na Terra. Façamos do barulho e da pressão a nossa altitude! E seja qual for o resultado, continue gritando o nome do Fluminense ao fim da partida, pois a nossa guerra só acabará no dia 6 de Dezembro e os nossos guerreiros não podem deixar se abater, jamais.

Mais do que nunca, SÓ DEPENDE DA GENTE!

Faça a diferença!

Saudações Tricolores!

O pior pesadelo de Cuca aconteceu.

A LDU massacrou o Fluminense.

5×1 para os equatorianos.

Novamente a LDU…

A equipe que acabou com o sonho da Libertadores do próprio Fluminense.

A altitude só aumentou o cansaço da equipe.

Não se pode negar que o juiz estava do lado do time casa, mas o Tricolor carioca era pra ter tomado uns 8 gols.

A falta de maturidade pesou.

Mas o pior pode estar por vir…

O título da Sul Americana já se foi,

Quais serão os efeitos desta humilhação no campeonato Brasileiro?

O time dado como morto estava reagindo.

O encanto pode ter acabado.

Mais de 30 mil ingressos já foram vendidos para a final de quarta feira que vem.

O torcedor ainda acredita.

Uma derrota para o Vitória pode rebaixar a equipe já nesta rodada.

O que parecia um sonho, pode virar um pesadelo.

O Fluminense está na corda bamba…

Vous aborderez en introduction de votre dissertation  la situation géographique du Massif du Mont- Blanc.
Le massif montagneux du Mont Blanc s’étend sur 400 Km2 et empiète sur trois pays : La France, La Suisse et L’Italie. Il est dominé par le Mont Blanc, le plus haut sommet d’Europe Occidentale qui culmine à 4810.90 m (derniers relevés de 2007), .
Situé majoritairement sur le pays Français pour les départements de Savoie et de Haute-Savoie région Rhône-Alpes, il aborde également la Région de la vallée d’Aoste en Italie, et du canton du valais en Suisse.

En première partie de votre dissertation vous pourrez  développer les caractéristiques et les particularités de cette montagne.
Le Massif montagneux du Mont Blanc est traversé par le tunnel du Mont-Blanc, entre Chamonix dans la vallée de l’Arve et Courmayeur dans la vallée d’Aoste. Il  abrite les glaciers les plus importants de France. Les plus connus, sur le versant nord, sont la mer de Glace, le glacier d’Argentière, le glacier des Bossons et celui de Tré-la-Tête . Le massif du mont Blanc est fortement équipé en installations touristiques, afin d’accueillir les touristes du monde entier voir vallée de Chamonix. Le massif du Mont Blanc est un des paradis en France et en Europe pour la pratique de l’alpinisme. La première ascension du Mont Blanc remonte à 1786 par Jacques Balmat et Michel Paccard.
Géologie : le cœur du massif (vallée blanche) est essentiellement granitique, quand à la partie occidentale (dont le sommet du Mont Blanc) elle est constituée principalement de gneiss.

En conclusion et en se référant à  la fonte des glaciers vous pourrez vous reporter aussi au réchauffement climatique.

Possum of Rock On Altitude recently conducted an interview with MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer/METHODS OF MAYHEM frontman Tommy Lee at Lee’s recording studio called The Atrium in Calabasas, California. Watch the chat below.

MÖTLEY CRÜE’s new “greatest-hits” collection, suitably titled “Greatest Hits”, is available for streaming in its entirety at this location. Released on November 17 via Eleven Seven Music/Mötley Records, the package features the following track listing:

01. Too Fast for Love
02. Shout at the Devil
03. Looks that Kill
04. Too Young to Fall in Love
05. Smokin’ in the Boys Room
06. Home Sweet Home
07. Wild Side
08. Girls, Girls, Girls
09. Dr. Feelgood
10. Kickstart My Heart
11. Same ‘Ol Situation
12. Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
13. Without You
14. Primal Scream
15. Sick Love Song
16. Afraid
17. If I Die Tomorrow
18. Saints of Los Angeles
19. The Animal In Me (Remix)

More here: MÖTLEY CRÜE’s TOMMY LEE Talks ‘Crüe Fest’ - Nov. 19, 2009

Social Media Time Management

Here are the highlights:

- Manage Disruptions
- Control Information Overload
- Leverage Tools
- Annotate and Share
- Sometimes Templates Are Okay
- Wrangle Task Management
- Communicate Expectations
- Establish Routines
- Unplug

For the full article click here.

Rough night for our boys yesterday as we fell by 20 to the Denver Nuggets. We played well for nearly three quarters, but by the end nothing was left in the tank and our defense sagged.  As did our offense.  When your offense goes against a team like the Nuggets, that’s the end of the game.

The Zan for Three

George Karl is Brilliant.

When a team comes into Denver, the Nuggets have a clear advantage – they’re used to the altitude.  So what does Karl do? He plays his starters for the entire third quarter.  Naturally, Jay responds by keeping his starters in the game.  Our guys get tired and their guys do not.  That my friends, was the end of the game.

Chris Bosh

I’m going to harp on this for the rest of the season because it’s driving me nuts. When Chris Bosh decides to double team the ball at the top of the circle, the opposing team always gets an open shot. Why? He’s running through the motions. He doesn’t double aggressively on the ball (therefore the double is pointless) and the team has to rotate  to guard the player he’s supposed to be covering. One or two smart passes later and the opposing team has a wide open look. Watch for it.

Hoops Bar and Grill

I love you Hoops. I watch basketball games there often. But for the love of God, if you’re not going to play the Raptor game over the Leaf game don’t call yourself Hoops. It’s maddening.

Zan of the Night

JR Smith

He was a monster.  It was one of those nights.  Not necessarily our fault. He was hitting everything from everywhere.

Not Zan of the Night

JR Smith

Nice bow douchebag. Momma says, don’t let yourself get too high when you win or too low when you lose.  Honourable mention goes to Jarrett Jack who was once again the worst player on the court.

Esta pelicula gusta de la idea de fomentar un miedo que ya existe y darle la vuelta de tuerca para que sea mucho más excesivo, terror en las alturas con tintes lovecraftianos.

Es la ópera prima como director de Kaare Andrews, muy conocido  y reconocido como artista de cómics.

This looks like fun.  Monster attacks small plane.  What more could you ask for in an evening’s entertainment?  It even has a comic book angle.

Group of attractive teens (probably being played by people in their 30’s)? Check.

Confined in a small space with nowhere to run? Check.

Giant monster in the clouds trying to kill them? Priceless.

Directed by Kaare Andrews and starring Jessica Lowndes, Ryan Donowho, Michelle Harrison, Landon Liboiron and Jake Weary.

What do you think about the trailer?

Don’t you just adore alliteration? 

I got to do a fantastic shoot this week that I just had to tell you about!  We went up to The Resort at The Mountain in Welches.  I have to admit, I hadn’t been to The Resort before our shoot, but now I can’t wait to go back! 

Just about an hour from Beaverton (that would be 45 minutes or less from Portland or the East side) The Resort at the Mountain is a giant complex consisting of a 27 hole golf course, an 18 hole putting green, a spa, a gourmet restaurant, biking, hiking, warm cozy rooms and fantastic views! 

The Resort just finished a 17 million dollar renovation, that  not only improved the property aesthetically for human visitors, but improved it ecologically for the rest of nature’s inhabitants!

The Golf course is now an Audubon bird sanctuary as well as a salmon-friendly spawning grounds!  Streams that were diverted generations ago to make way for the golf course were re-instated to flow in their natural beds.  Salmon that had been missing for years from the small lakes and streams in  Welches are now reappearing to spawn in the streams, and hatch in the lakes before returning once again to the ocean.  You can actually see salmon spawning in the streams on the golf course right now!

Also new to The Resort is a beautiful spa.  The spa was built to evoke the calm and serenity of the mountains that surround it.  You automatically want to speak in quiet tones from the moment you set foot in the spa (and wow, does it smell great in there)! Mud wraps, a multitude of massages, and facials await you in the spa as well as quiet contemplation in their serenity tea garden (which is a gorgeous open room with a fireplace and glass walls looking out onto a calming garden and an amazing view of the mountain.

You’ll also find dishes to rival any fancy Portland restaurant at The Resort, the main restaurant, called Altitude is home to Chef  Paul Bosch, who specializes in NW Cuisine with a definite twist.  Chef Paul practices “molecular gastronomy” which basically means taking familiar foods, and re-inventing ways in which to serve them that open up flavors and textures so that you enjoy foods you love in an entirely different form.  Even if you don’t understand the science, you’ll love the results!  You can also find traditional NW dishes on the menu such as bbq glazed pork belly (the bbq sauce has an amazing spicy apricot kick)!  Everything at Altitude is plated beautifully, and served in a dining room with once again, a beautiful Pacific NW view.

I really love finding a weekend getaway that isn’t too far from home, and isn’t too expensive!  They are doing a big Thanksgiving champagne buffet that I’m seriously considering instead of cooking this year…Besides, even if I did stay home and cook, I couldn’t do a glazed ham, NY strip loin, and turkey!  I’m good…but I’m not that good! 

Anyway, I was really impressed with The Resort at the Mountain, and I’m looking forward to dragging the husband up there (Thanksgiving dinner or no Thanksgiving dinner) for a little getaway.  If you’re looking for a little something special, anniversary, birthday, Christmas, or just ’cause you gosh-darn-love your family and want to take them on a little getaway, check out The Resort at the Mountain!

After spending a sleepless night in half a sleeping bag each, I think we were all too pooped to even wake up in the morning. But we had to…kyon ki…Mission was incomplete. Early morning dew combined with some rain made it a cold and wet morning. We pulled ourselves out of the tent and starting packing up to leave for our next leg of the journey which was also supposed to be our last leg. We had 160Km to go, out of which the toughest leg was supposed to be crossing the Lachulang La Pass at 16,466 Ft above sea level. Before hitting Lachulang La Pass we had to traverse Nakeela at 15,550 Ft. But since we had already done Baralacha La at around the same level we weren’t too worried. Now, as we were packing up, someone looked up at the sky and spotted the spoiler for the day….big dark clouds far away..almost on top of the passes. Damn..this kinda messed up our heads and didn’t do any good to our morale. Sleepy, tired, hungry with 2 potentially unwell riders, groping with wet weather which threatened to get worse – this was gonna be some ride.

Finally, after some effort of kick starting the bikes, we started on the last 160 KM of our journey hoping to make it to Leh before evening. As we started up the hill again, the landscape changed from being dry, and beautiful to wet and dark. We were riding into the rains and it got worse with the water hitting our faces and making it quite cold. Before we started, we decided we don’t really need to eat anything because there was supposed to be a small village right across that mountain, where we were very confident of getting some good breakfast. As we rode into the bad weather, with our stomachs growling, me and Aj started getting a bit worried. With our previous horrible experience of bad weather screwing up things, we were very worried of a repeat this time. We kept talking on how to counter this bad weather, and what is our backup plan if it gets worse. We decided that we will have to cross Lachulang La in any case, since the weather is likely to get better the other side. But what we forgot, was that Nakeela Pass had to be crossed before Lachulang La. The road to Nakeela was winding and beautiful. Had the weather not played spoil sport, we would have stopped for a lot of pictures. Crossing Nakeela seemed more difficult and for a while we thought this was actually Lachulang La. Later, we were disappointed to see the sign board saying we were on top of Nakeela and not Lachulang La, with no hotels/dhabba or even a tea stall in sight. Here in our tired state, we met a young lad who was riding alone. He seemed very happy and cheerful and we helped him click a few pictures.

We wanted to descend Lachalung La before the weather got worse. So we quickly left Nakeela and started descending to get across the next mountain. Between these 2 mountains are 2 small valleys called Brandy and Whiskey Nulla. I wonder how these valleys got their names, cos these valleys didn’t really live up to their names!!Whiskey apart, there was not even a decent tea stall there. As we were getting down Nakeela, Barad’s bike behaved funny. It stopped suddenly. We got off and tried to fix it. Suddenly, the young lad who we had met at Nakeela was passing by and he decided to help us with it. But then we managed to fix it on our own. Continuing on our journey, we realized this path through Whiskey Valley had a lot of heavy vehicles traffic. The road was also quite bad with a lot of gravel etc. on it. On one of the turnings uphill, Chavan’s bike skidded and he lost his balance and fell down. Luckily Aj and me were right behind him, and we helped him up. He didn’t seem to have any injuries and that was another good thing. Up further ahead, Barad’s bike had stopped again. We tried everything in the book (our book had just a few pages of bullet know how ) but still we couldn’t manage to fix it on our own. Enter man Friday…the lad from Nakeela. This time around we found out his name..he was Anand. He was from Coimbatore and was glad to know that I come from Chennai. Anand seemed to have done a PhD in bullets and knew exactly what the problem was. Since we were on a higher altitude the setting on the air, fuel combustible mixture had to be changed, cos the air up there was quite thin. So that’s what we did and there…Barad’s bike started peacefully. From this point on, Anand a lone rider was not alone any more. He decided to ride with us, he got company, and we got a reliable guy who could help us fix the bikes. The partnership was indeed memorable, read along and you will know why 

Anand was cast in a different mould. This guy knew everything about bikes, was always cheerful, and extremely helpful with everything. The best thing is…he carried garam chai in his flask which he was more than willing to share with us. Getting up and beyond Lachalung La was getting tougher and tougher especially with the weather being stubborn and stormy. But we overcame it. We beat the stubborn weather and got past the mountain. Down the other side, as we were beginning to celebrate the good weather, we realized that the clouds didn’t give up on us. They chased us across the mountain and continued to be with us for quite sometime. There again, we had to stop because of bike problems. This time it was a really long break because the fuel was leaking from the mouth of the tube and it took sometime to get it fixed. Chavan was really tired and unwell and slept on the road, occasionally giving way to trucks and bikes. Soon it was afternoon and we realized we hadn’t eaten anything since morning and still had to go another 100 Kms to Leh. Suddenly, the bike related problems, the hunger, the exhaustion and ill health cast a gloomy shadow on the whole idea of making it to Leh that day. All we wanted to do was get to Pang (a small village settlement before Moree Plains) and have something to eat. So there, we fixed our bikes and decided we wont stop now till we hit Pang. The weather was playing good cop bad cop with us. But there was this patch of bright sunshine on the way down from Lachalung La. There was a frozen water body in a valley surrounded by mountains. It almost looked like a huge skating rink. We decided to get down and test it out ourselves. Barad demonstrated his long flying jump skate stunt, but all he could do was land with a thud and get stuck in the ice. We spent some good 15 mins playing in the ice before getting back on the road again. Finally we managed to reach Pang. We got into a small tent and were glad to have some hot roti, dal, aloo and rice. As soon as Chavan parked his bike, he rushed into the tent and hit the sack. He didn’t wake up till that night!

As we finished our lunch, we had another casualty in Barad. With 2 of us down, 4 hrs of sunlight remaining and a good 80kms of ride to go which included crossing another 16000 ft pass, we were not sure how the rest of the day was gonna shape up. While most of us wanted to chill out, take it easy and were not in a hurry to get there, the thin air up there screwed up my mind. Like I said before, getting to Leh was more of mission to me than anything else. Suddenly I lost sight of a lot of things and the only thing playing on my mind was that we are not going to make it to Leh today. This upset me a lot. I started getting demoralized and wanted to literally force everyone to get back on the road. I was afraid we might not make it to Leh at all…I was afraid, the weather might again get the better of us and we will be forced to return without getting to Leh. I was afraid we would come this close to Leh and not get there. There was too much playing on my mind. I must confess that I pretty much screwed up everyone’s mood that evening by brooding about it. Poor Aj got the worst of me. I must apologize to everyone for my eccentric behavior.

Soon, I pulled myself up. We spent the rest of the evening, chatting up with our tentman, Dorjee. He came from a village on the Indo China border and was telling us stories of those times, when things were better. Old Monk, an upset soul, some good food, chatty Dorjee and my friends next to me…this is how I fell asleep on the 3rd most eventful night of the trip.

Ten teams to go. We’re into the homestretch for sure now.

The Colorado Centennials – so named because the state was ratified in 1876, or 100 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed – are a bit of a riddle.

Colorado is one of the smaller standalone states, with barely 80 players in big-league ball. Most of the good ones have been pitchers, which is a bit surprising given what the rest of us have seen of the effects of altitude on baseball games.

Roy Hartzell has the most at-bats for a Colorado player with 4,548; his last one came in 1916. Johnny Frederick, who played mostly for the Brooklyn Dodgers, hit 85 homers to top all Centennials in career numbers. No one appears likely to challenge those numbers any time soon. There isn’t a real, honest-to-goodness first baseman anywhere on the roster, and that’s a big problem.

But the pitching is solid, and at the top, it’s outstanding. The first native to make the Hall of Fame, Goose Gossage, won 124 and saved 310 after breaking in with “my” 1972 White Sox. Roy Halladay, the top starter, is the state’s all-time winner. With an ace like that at least the Centennials can compete. Modern relievers Tippy Martinez and Dave LaRoche complement the Goose, while Salida Tom Hughes, a 19th Century hurler who was actually born in Coal Creek, gives Halladay some rotation help.

The Centennials (Cents? C-Notes? 100s?) have three options at manager, none of whom had a long career running an MLB team. Two, Chuck Cottier and George Myatt, are on the team as players. So we’ll go with Tom Runnells, who is currently the Rockies’ bench coach. The Greeley native managed the Expos from 1991-92.

I don’t know if it’s because the Broncos are more entrenched or if people just prefer winter sports, but there aren’t a lot of Coloradans who play baseball real well. At least when Halladay starts and Gossage finishes, they have a chance.

COLORADO CENTENNIALS

OF Buster Adams
2B Chuck Cottier
SS Ike Davis
RH Scott Elarton
OF Johnny Frederick
RH Goose Gossage
RH Roy Halladay
OF Larry Harlow
UT Roy Hartzell
OF Chase Headley
CA Tommy Heath
RH Ron Herbel
RH Brian Holman
RH Tom Hughes
CA Mark L. Johnson
LH Cowboy Jones
LH Dave LaRoche
OF Johnny Lindell
LH Tippy Martinez
OF James Mouton
2B George Myatt
2B Bert Niehoff
LH Gene Packard
LH Frank Papish
OF Buddy Ryan
CA John Stearns
OF Dave Stenhouse
OF Jimmy Welsh

Next: The Dakotas.

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I’ve driven over Hoover Dam several times in the past 3 years since moving to Phoenix, AZ.  Standing on top of the Dam I feel tiny. Looking at the triumph of such hard work, vision and creativity…its astonishing.

But to see this structure and the World around it from 18000 feet….I realize that our perspective on things really does impact our reaction.

When the things around you seem HUGE ….take another look from 18000 feet and then react. Hopefully its as humbling an experience as this.

Every World Cup draw is accompanied by a new ball, and media speculation is never far behind.  The draw for FIFA 2010 on December 4^th will focus attention on the ties in South Africa in next year, but I have some thoughts on what people are likely to be saying about the ball. Goalkeepers are invariably those asked for comment: Jens Lehman, Germany’s maverick goalkeeper said before FIFA 2006,

“It may be good for the outfield players and for the crowd, but not for the goalkeepers….it gets very slippery and flutters in the air.”

Last year during the semi-final 2nd leg of the Champions League (Arsenal 1 Man Utd 3), Lehman said of Ronaldo’s amazing 40 yd free kick to beat Almunia, “…from that distance the ball is moving and speeding up…”  What is it about footballers and the 1st law of thermodynamics? Doesn’t he know that for a ball to speed up in the air it would have to disobey the laws of physics? Mind you, I think I know what he means: as an experienced goalkeeper he uses player cues and the early part of the trajectory to predict where the ball will be when he tries to save it at the goal face.  If the drag force acting on the ball was to suddenly drop or ‘flutter’, as was implied by the press in FIFA 2006, then the ball would travel faster than expected, the goalkeepers prediction would be incorrect and the ball would end up in the back of the net.

So, assuming that Lehman gets to commentate in South Africa, just what is he likely to say?

I think that the key issue for the World Cup in South Africa is going to be altitude.

Johannesburg, the location of the final on July 11^th, is at 1,743 m (5,718 ft) while half of the venues are in locations over 1,200 m (around 4,000 ft).

Figure 1. Soccer City in Johannesburg

And the effect? Most people know that air density reduces at altitude – remember all the athletics records attributed to the thinner air at Mexico City in 1968? Air density is a function of atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity and altitude.  A 10°C increase in temperature reduces the density by around 4% while a 50% increase in humidity reduces density by only 0.3% (most people assume wrongly that humidity increases density, but the atomic weight of water vapour is 18 g compared to 29 g for air and adding water vapour reduces density).  The biggest change by far, though, comes with a change in altitude –  the air in Johannesburg, for example, is likely to be around 20% less dense than that at Cape Town during the World Cup.

So, in South Africa there will be 8 groups at the tournament indicated by letters A to H, and 4 teams in each numbered 1 to 4.  Focussing on just a couple of teams for the moment, we can make a prediction on how altitude might affect their games across South Africa.  Team D1 starts at sea-level in Durban on 13^th June, playing again at sea-level in Port Elizabeth on 18^th June.  Their final group game is in Johannesburg on 23^rd June at 1,743 m.

Table 1.  Games for teams selected on December 4th as D1 and F1 (Temperatures and humidities from BBC Weather).

Table 1 shows the likely temperatures and humidities during D1’s games and the likely air densities which decrease from about 1.18 kg/m³ in the sea-level games to around 0.93 kg/m³ in Johannesburg – a drop of 22%.  The change for team F1 is even greater:  they will find the air density dropping by 14% and then 28% in their 2^nd and 3^rd games.   The key point is how this will effect play. Consider a non-spinning 18 m free kick (about 20 yds) hit a-la Ronaldo at about 60 mph (94 km/h). A trajectory program, assuming no wind, calculates that the ball would take around 0.82 s at sea-level in Durban or Port Elizabeth.  The same shot would take about 2 hundredths of a second less time in Johannesburg. 

Put another way, the ball in Jo’burg would be around 41 cm ahead of the ball in Durban.

Does this matter?  Goalkeepers know that finger-tip saves can make all the difference and a ball that is over two diameters ahead of where they expect it to be will really test their skills.  I think 2010 will see stories in the press of unpredictable shots and criticism of the high speed of whatever ball is produced by adidas.

Table 2.  The likely effect of altitude on a 60 mph shot for teams selected as D1 and F1 on 4th December.

So what advice would I give to the England manager?  Well, firstly, Capello might consider getting the England goalkeepers to practice against free-kicks at the correct altitude, in St Moritz, say. Secondly, he might like to keep an eye on the World Cup draw on 4^th December.   If we get games at altitude he might like to make sure that he puts on big hitters like Lampard, Gerrard and Beckham to maximise the speed of our free-kicks.

Figure 2. Beckham could certainly do well at altitude in the final in Johannesburg on 11th July 2010