http://www.pauldeegan.com/index.phpPaul DeeganenPaul Deegan© Paul Deegan2010-02-12T15:24:01-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:26:41 -0400Paul DeeganNone2010-02-12T15:24:01-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/28_year_promise.html#unique-entry-id-49http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/28_year_promise.html#unique-entry-id-49
No other spacecraft had ever flown for the first time with astronauts or cosmonauts aboard, and no spacecraft had ever been designed to be reused. The flight of Space Transportation System (STS) 1 promised to usher in a new era of low-cost, fast turnaround space travel. And I was going to be stuck in a maths lesson with Miss Austin, a teacher renowned for not being swayed from the tedium of arithmetic.

My school had a single television set, a treasured and rarely seen artefact secured in a wooden cupboard by a padlock that looked as though it had previously seen service in the closing scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. I looked at my black resin Casio watch and realised that I had less than 60 minutes to persuade Miss Austin to halt her lesson, unlock the chest, retrieve the monitor and turn it on in the classroom so that my class could watch the Orbiter Columbia lift-off from Pad 39a – the pad which launched every Saturn V that landed on the moon – at Cape Canaveral in Florida.

The chance of my stars aligning and achieving all of these things seemed as remote as the moon. Still, if Commander John Young and Pilot Robert Crippen had the audacity to step aboard an unproven rocket, I would find the courage to speak to Miss Austin.

I can’t remember what I said, but my powers of persuasion were sufficient to win the day. To the surprise and delight of every young man in the class the television set was duly wheeled in. I sat in rapt suspense as the voice from Launch Control informed us that Columbia was 60, then 30, then 10 seconds away from launch. Finally, she rose from the ground, the class erupted into spontaneous applause, and I vowed that one day I would see a Shuttle launch from the Cape.

I’m good at keeping promises. But some take longer than others. Mated to its external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters, the Orbiter Endeavour had been anchored to Pad 39a for a month, waiting for its scheduled lift-off time of 0439hrs on February 7th 2010. I’d been waiting for nearly three decades.

Along with several thousand other visitors, I had stood patiently in line at the entrance to the Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) the previous evening, clutching my ticket to watch the 130th launch of the Space Shuttle from the Causeway, the closest point that non-NASA employees can get to the pad. It proved to be a forlorn wait.

For a Shuttle to launch there must be acceptable weather at the Cape and at one of three abort landing sites in Europe. In the final two hours before launch, weather at the Cape deteriorated from 80% to 30%. With just a few minutes to go before the 10 minute launch window was reached, the weather was considered ‘too dynamic’ and the launch was scrubbed. I was disappointed but it must have been so much harder for the crew. Having once turned back from the summit of Everest just 1000 vertical feet from the summit because of poor weather, I had an inkling of how frustrated he seven astronauts aboard Endeavour would be feeling.

The evening of February 7th felt like Groundhog Day. With the launch re-scheduled for 0414hrs the next morning, there were fewer people at KSC than 24 hours previously, and the air of excitement from the previous night had evaporated with the news that with five hours to lift-off there was only a 60% chance of the weather being given a green light. Besides, we were dog tired. Waiting for a successful lift-off is like an alpine start without the snow or crampons.

To kill time, I rode the Shuttle Launch Experience, where I learnt about the ‘twang’ that astronauts feel as the Orbiter rocks on the pad after the restraints are withdrawn, and how the Shuttle’s main engines generate the same thrust as more than seven Boeing 747s. And that’s before the twin solid rocket boosters (SRBs) are lit. When those two devices ignite you’re taking off whether you want to or not as they cannot be shut down.

At 3am, I hopped aboard a bus to the Causeway more out of a sense of duty than expectation. Then, with four minutes to go before the launch window opened, news came through that the weather was expected to be ‘Go’ at launch.

Finally, that familiar voice from Launch Control came over the speakers, announcing that Endeavour was 60, then 30, then 10 seconds away from launch. I peered through my binoculars and caught myself trembling as I realised this wasn’t a television or web relay. This was the real thing. The fate of Commander George Zamka and his crew now depended upon the thousands of hours that had been poured into preparing Endeavour for this moment by NASA employees and contractors.

At the moment of lift-off, anyone standing 400 feet or less from the pad would be vaporised by the blast from the SRBs. At 4000 feet the sound generated by the Shuttle would kill you. But at six miles, when the pad was consumed by a billowing satin plume that reminded me of the clouds that boil up above the Chamonix Valley after several days of sultry weather in the French Alps, there was only silence.

Just when I began to wonder if Endeavour was still tethered to the Earth, the burnt orange tip of the external tank (ET) emerged through the maelstrom, followed a moment later by the piggy-backing white and black body of Endeavour. The Shuttle rose painfully slowly, like a recalcitrant teenager crawling out of bed on a school morning. I couldn’t believe that a vehicle so monstrous and so powerful could rise so gently. And so quietly. For there was still no sound. It was like watching the greatest film ever made with the volume off. Finally, Endeavour’s tail fin cleared the tower and I was momentarily blinded by the twin beams of intense white light emanating from the SRBs.

I ripped the binoculars away from my eyes and squinted as Endeavour rose serenely into the sky, turning night into day as she began her characteristic roll. Only then did the first wave of noise pass through the multitude gathered at the Cape. I’d always known that light travels faster than sound but until that moment the difference between the two mediums had never resonated with me. Now that I have seen, heard and felt the difference, I appreciate why creating a vehicle capable of travelling at the speed of light remains a fantasy for now, and why without it our dreams of inter-galactic travel are on hold.

As Endeavour gathered pace to 3000 miles per hour, its engines throttled back at a stage in the launch known as maximum dynamic pressure (Max-Q) to prevent the Orbiter from being crushed by the pressure like a tin can in a compactor. This was the moment in January 1986 that an O-ring on one of Challenger’s SRBs had failed. Commander Charlie Bolden, who flew four Shuttle missions and who is NASA’s current Administrator, says that this is the moment in each flight when every astronaut and NASA employee pauses to remember the crew of STS-51-L. Those of us on the Causeway held our collective breath too.

Moments later, Endeavour returned to full power and the SRBs delivered a final, decisive punch to send the Orbiter into space with the last of their fuel. As darkness began to reclaim the Cape and Endeavour started to take on the appearance of a distant star, I put the binoculars to my eyes for the final time and watched as she discarded her spent boosters. They fell towards Earth like two exhausted fireworks.

Before lift-off, I’d imagined shouting “Go Endeavour, Go” as STS-130 left Pad 39a. Instead, I watched the entire episode with a mixture of awe and trepidation. When eventually I did speak, all I could manage were whispering words of encouragement as Endeavour screamed into the void. No book, no photograph, no film can do justice to the experience of watching a manned space launch. For me, space flight is the ultimate expression of the human race’s desire to extend the boundaries of what is possible, to make new discoveries, and to inspire the next generation of young people to, in Tennyson’s words, “To strive, to seek, and not to yield.”

Now Endeavour is in orbit, mated to the International Space Station. When she returns there will be only four more Shuttle missions before the retirement of the fleet and the apparent end of NASA’s manned space missions. How long will it be before the organisation launches a new a space vehicle capable of taking humans into orbit, back to the Moon, and beyond?
]]>Paul DeeganNone2006-05-02T11:23:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/beautiful_panoramas_of_everest.html#unique-entry-id-48http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/beautiful_panoramas_of_everest.html#unique-entry-id-48beautiful 360º panoramas of the Everest trek. The fact that you can rotate the pictures, and pan them 90º up and down, makes this as close to the real thing as you are likely to get whilst stuck behind a computer. There are also dozens of other panoramas available from places all over the world. The team’s aim is to capture panoramas of all the World Heritage sites.]]>Paul DeeganNone2006-05-26T11:21:59-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/pot_shots_at_new_al_gore_film.html#unique-entry-id-47http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/pot_shots_at_new_al_gore_film.html#unique-entry-id-47An Inconvenient Truth’, opened last night in New York. It will be rolling out in cinemas across the U.S. over the coming weeks. The movie has rattled the pro-global warming brigade: the Competitive Enterprise Institute has gone so far as to release two commercials which actually promote carbon dioxide emissions! Ironically, although I am in the U.S. at the moment, I failed to see these ads, and it took a prompt from Andy Miles over in the U.K. to bring them to my attention. (This probably says a lot about how much television I watch these days.)]]>Paul DeeganNone2006-06-01T11:19:53-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/new_creation_date_for_north_pole.html#unique-entry-id-46http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/new_creation_date_for_north_pole.html#unique-entry-id-46Nature. Several of the findings have shattered widely-held beliefs about the North Pole, including the previous estimates of when it began to cool down and freeze over. Existing climate models had suggested that glaciers and sea ice had begun to form between 6 and 10 million years ago. However, the ACEX team has discovered that the Arctic really started to winterise at around the same time that the Antarctic began to turn white, some 45 million years ago.]]>Paul DeeganNone2006-06-02T11:19:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/forests_replaced_by_chopsticks.html#unique-entry-id-45http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/forests_replaced_by_chopsticks.html#unique-entry-id-45Paul DeeganNone2006-06-17T11:17:34-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/46000.html#unique-entry-id-44http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/46000.html#unique-entry-id-44report issued today in New York by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Conservation Union. Its release coincides with the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea, which feeds into the UN General Assembly. They have a lot to talk about.]]>Paul DeeganNone2006-07-14T11:16:25-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/garden_party_at_buckingham_palace.html#unique-entry-id-43http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/garden_party_at_buckingham_palace.html#unique-entry-id-43
It was an honour to meet so many people who give up so much of their personal time to help youngsters throughout the UK (a sister scheme, The International Award, operates in dozens of other countries). One gentleman who I presented a certificate to has been working as a volunteer for more than 40 years. When I asked him why he has been so committed to the scheme he explained that he wanted to give something back to society after getting so much out of being a Boy Scout when he was a young man. For me, this selflessness and dedication is what The Award is all about.]]>Paul DeeganNone2006-07-19T11:15:41-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/who_uses_200_million_plastic_bags.html#unique-entry-id-42http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/who_uses_200_million_plastic_bags.html#unique-entry-id-42Shoppers in UK supermarkets every week, that’s who. All of which adds up to 80,000 tonnes of bags being dumped in landfills every year. If Mumbai (Bombay) is able to ban the use of plastic bags, why can’t the UK?]]>Paul DeeganNone2006-07-23T11:13:26-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/pesticides_kill_20000_people.html#unique-entry-id-41http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/pesticides_kill_20000_people.html#unique-entry-id-41price of ethical clothing, timecode 1:41:16 - 1:42:48).]]>Paul DeeganNone2006-08-01T11:11:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/long_live_the_electric_car.html#unique-entry-id-40http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/long_live_the_electric_car.html#unique-entry-id-40Who Killed The Electric Car? at the weekend, I’ve been doing a little bit of research into electric vehicles (EVs). It would appear that there is some light at the end of the gasoline tunnel. Over the next 18 months or so a handful of practical, unusual, and good looking EVs are scheduled to start appearing on the road. If you can’t wait until then, the commuter-friendly G-Wiz is already available, and is exempt from the London Congestion Charge. Or you could build your own revolutionary Tango.]]>Paul DeeganNone2006-07-31T11:10:58-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/the_electric_car_is_dead.html#unique-entry-id-39http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/the_electric_car_is_dead.html#unique-entry-id-39Who Killed The Electric Car? It’s the fascinating story about how the electic vehicle (EV) went from being more popular than the petrol-driven automobile 100 years ago, to one of the most marginalised eco-friendly products of the 21st century. But it didn’t have to be that way. Consumers, the oil industry, car makers and government all had a hand in burying what was (is) a great invention. The plot centres around the actions of multinational car companies (such as GM) who leased cutting-edge EVs (including the much-loved EV1) in the 1990s, before recalling and destroying these cars just a couple of years ago against the wishes of the drivers, who offered to buy the vehicles outright. The film also questions the wisdom of the California Air Resources Board when it switched its support from here-and-now EVs to some-time-in-the-future hydrogen fuel cars.]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-08-02T11:09:56-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/meeting_buzz_aldrin.html#unique-entry-id-38http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/meeting_buzz_aldrin.html#unique-entry-id-38drive to the South Pole in a hydrogen-powered Hummer. I wonder if Woz will be popping a few of these in the back of the vehicle in order to play polo at the Pole? (Thanks to Ben & Tony for the heads-up on the Hummer.)]]>Paul DeeganNone2006-11-09T11:08:00-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/are_maps_of_britain_under_threat.html#unique-entry-id-37http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/are_maps_of_britain_under_threat.html#unique-entry-id-37The Guardian, Ordnance Survey has said that the withdrawal of the subsidy “will have an impact on the currency and content of the rural geography in our products.” (Thanks to Marek for the heads-up).]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-01-11T11:04:00-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/jobs_wanders%20_from_his_script.html#unique-entry-id-35http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/jobs_wanders%20_from_his_script.html#unique-entry-id-35
With more than 350 people standing in line in front of me, and the same number of people jumping to the front of the queue with expensive priority passes, there was never going to be any guarantee that I would actually get into the auditorium. Thanksfully, the organisers had booked a huge conference hall this year.

Although I found myself towards the back of the hall, two terrific high resolution screens helped to bring Jobs to life. Watching him perform on stage was fascinating. Unlike the CEO of Microsoft, Jobs maintained an even tone and tempo throughout the keynote. I thought that the summary of product features at the end of each new product announcement were somewhat tedious, and I got the sense that he really did feel the need to justify the high price tag of Apple’s latest invention, but other than that (and the obligatory publicity puffs from big cheeses at Cingular and Yahoo) it was all pretty good stuff. Eric Schmidt was the one guest speaker who brought something interesting to the table.

At one point, Jobs suffered a minor technical glitch that allowed him time to wander from the script and tell a little Wozniak story. We all knew the tale, but it was great to hear it from the horse’s mouth, and told in such affectionate terms. (Wozniak is apparently still on the Apple payroll - taking the lowest salary of any employee - but there was sadly no sign of him at the Expo today.)

Oh, and everything they are saying about the iPhone’s svelte appearance is true. And then some. Just a pity that it isn’t shipping with integral GPS.]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-04-06T11:01:51-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/worlds_toughest_charity_trek.html#unique-entry-id-34http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/worlds_toughest_charity_trek.html#unique-entry-id-34Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, where I was invited to assist with the Mitchemp Trust's annual expedition in the Auyuittuq National Park. This is a treeless land of desolate yet ethereally beautiful tundra, polar bears, and jagged peaks. Auyuittuq's mountains include the famed Mount Asgard, which is popular with big wall climbers and base jumpers.

Strong headwinds and consistently low temperatures prevented the team from completing the planned journey from the Inuit community at Qikiqtarjuaq to the settlement at Pangnirtung, but they did spend a total of seven nights under canvas in the park. For the majority of the team, this was their first cold-weather expedition, and for some it was their first extended stay in the great outdoors. I was really impressed by their spirit, enthusiasm and willingness to help each other out when the going got tough. I’ve read about a lot of charity treks around the world, but to my knowledge none come close to the type of conditions which this team dealt with.

Even getting to the start line was no picnic. Bad weather was to be our nemesis right from the outset. The rest of the team flew in to Canada from the UK. I was supposed to have a relatively easy ride as I was already on the east coast of the USA. Ho, ho, ho. After enduring a 27 hour delay at Philadelphia airport, an eight hour taxi ride to Ottawa, and a total of five cancelled flights, I finally flew from Iqaluit to Qikiqtarjuaq five days late. To my amazement I found myself just a few hours behind the rest of the expedition party which had also been embroiled in the raging storms that had thwarted all my attempts to reach Baffin. As I stepped out of the tiny office that doubles as an arrivals hall, I was greeted by an ambient temperature of minus 27 degrees Celsius and the news that all my kit had been left behind by the airline in Iqaluit. Not ideal when one is dressed in just thermals, a windsuit, and a duvet jacket.

The next day I hitched a lift on a skidoo for a bumpy three hour ride to catch the team up. En route I met the acclaimed polar explorer Will Steger and his Global Warming 101 team who are traversing Baffin Island to raise awareness about climate change. A number of guest members will be joining Will’s party during the four month expedition. They include Ed Viesturs, the first American to climb all fourteen 8000 metre peaks, and Virgin boss Richard Branson.

Of course, our expedition turned out all right in the end, and I’m typing this with only the slightest hint of frostnip on the ends of a couple of my fingers (which have been susceptible to frost damage since the early 1990s when I experienced windchill temperatures of minus 95 degrees Celsius on an Alaskan expedition). Although several members of the team contracted waxy-white patches of frostnip on their noses and cheeks during the journey, everyone checked each other regularly in order to rectify this unwelcome condition before any permanent damage was done.

Most impressively, AJ, Andrew, Ben, James, Jamie, Jason, Lydia, Mark and Nick have to date managed to raise a staggering £140,000 for the Trust. This amount of money is going to help revolutionise the amount of work that the organisation does for young people. If you’re inspired by what the team has achieved and would like to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable children, please visit the team’s Justgiving page.

Rumour has it that expedition leader and all-round top bloke Mark Davey is planning a similar expedition in 2008, so if you fancy a crack at the world’s toughest charity trek, drop him a line.

As you are reading this, expedition photographer Martin Hartley (who took all the © pics you see here) is packing his bags for his next assignment, which is taking place in South America for National Geographic Traveler magazine. Well, they do say that variety is the spice of life…

On a personal note, I’d like to send out a big ‘Chibougamau’ to Paul, Rick and Paul for helping to keep me sane during our 48 hour delay at Ottawa airport. And ‘Hello’ to Mark, Travis, Sharlyn, Kimberley and everyone else who was trapped at F26 in Philly airport during the storm. Special thanks go to Christopher and his colleagues at the Lord Elgin Hotel, the saint-like Candice and her team at Philadelphia airport’s lost luggage department, Tia and Leslie in Qikiqtarjuaq, the staff at the Discovery Lodge in Iqaluit, marathon taxi driver Geni, and everyone else I met during my six day odyssey to the start-line.]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-05-31T11:00:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/back_in_kathmandu.html#unique-entry-id-33http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/back_in_kathmandu.html#unique-entry-id-33London Business School Expedition was faring on the mountain.

I arrived at the foot of Everest just as a jubilant Tori emerged through the Icefall for the final time with the summit in her pocket. This is Tori's second 8000er (she summitted Cho Oyu last autumn); not bad for someone who took up mountaineering just a couple of years ago! Tori becomes the first Welsh woman to climb the world's highest mountain. A few days earlier, Tori's team mate, Omar, became the first Egyptian to summit Everest. Over the past 18 months, I have spoken to Tori and Omar a few times about the challenges that they were likely to face, and it is great to see them both achieve their ambitions. Congratulations too, to Ben and Greg who also summitted. The team's guide, my good friend Kenton Cool, has just become the first Briton to summit Everest twice in one season.

Whilst in the Khumbu, I spoke to several Everest expedition leaders who described May 2007 as 'the season of seasons'. Normally, one hopes to enjoy two or three windows of summit-suitable weather lasting a few days apiece. This month, there has been around three continuous weeks of perfect weather.

As this season's Everest summiteers relax in Kathmandu, my next destination is the Tibetan border.]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-06-08T10:58:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/last_days_in_lhasa.html#unique-entry-id-32http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/last_days_in_lhasa.html#unique-entry-id-32
Arriving in Lhasa came as something of a shock. For the first few minutes it reminded me of any other rapidly expanding Chinese city, with street upon street of gleaming retail establishments. Finally, I saw it. The physical manifestation of all things Tibetan. A deserted beacon. An icon. The Potala Palace is Lhasa. Everything else falls away into insignificance.

Except, perhaps, the Jokhang. Unlike the Potala, the Jokhang throbs with life: pilgrims prostrate against its walls, monks carve great slabs of butter to fuel lamps, and tourists snap away at Barkhor Square from the roof of this, the most important temple in Tibet.

The Tibetan quarter of modern Lhasa occupies less than five percent of the sprawling city. Yet, incredibly, it remains sufficiently large to enable one to wander happily down labyrinthine alleys, watching monks playing pool, artists painting thankas, and sculptors carving foot-high Buddha statues for a nearby monastery.

With the exception of a handful of shops selling genuine antiques, the majority of stalls are stuffed full of pseudo-artifacts produced in neighbouring China and Nepal. One fascinating exception is Dropenling, which actively encourages and supports Tibetan artisans. If you are planning to visit Lhasa, and would like to help keep traditional arts alive, this is the place to visit.

Tomorrow I fly to Delhi. In two days I'll embark on a journey to the final destination in this Himalayan trilogy: Zanskar.]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-06-13T10:57:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/why_films_usually_have_large_crews.html#unique-entry-id-31http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/why_films_usually_have_large_crews.html#unique-entry-id-31Seb Mankelow and Al Boardman to make a short film. Its working title is 'The Box' and we're shooting it entirely on location in Ladakh using members of the local population in preference to trained actors.

So far we've bagged the first scene and also the start of scene two. Tomorrow morning we set off on a two day overland journey to Zanskar, which is on the southern border of Ladakh. The Zanskari town of Padum is the location for the culmination of the film.

Ladakh is a spectacular region of the Himalaya, and creates a seductive background to our true story of how the traditional way of life in this part of the world is colliding head-on with the 21st century.

Having endured five consecutive pre-dawn starts, I'm wrestling with the complexities of shot lists, budgets, continuity issues, liaising with the cast and stills photography. Al is focusing on filming the scenes in high definition. So far he has hung over a rooftop balcony, ridden on the bonnet of a moving vehicle, and choked on the pollution from countless Tata trucks. Seb is somehow managing to cover all the remaining bases, from Director of Photography to Grip. If we had three extra people, they would all have full-time jobs. Yet at the same time, the intensity of making a film this way is both exciting and rewarding.]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-06-25T10:51:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/nailing_the_box.html#unique-entry-id-30http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/nailing_the_box.html#unique-entry-id-30
Everything has been made so much easier for us because of Seb's friendships with many of Zanskar's inhabitants; this has been his fourteenth visit to the region in as many years.

I've been astounded at how well our 'actors' have responded to the challenge of appearing in front of the camera for the first time in their lives. Al took great care with the script to ensure that we only ever asked them to do things that they would normally carry out in the course of their day-to-day activities, and this tactic paid off during filming.

Even so, it was often necessary to re-shoot scenes several times - a member of the public would unexpectedly walk through the shot, or we would need to capture the same event from multiple angles - and there was always a risk of a thespian's patience wearing thin. But not once did our cast baulk at having to re-enact a scene for the sixth time, or drive back along the road for 15 minutes to capture a spellbinding landscape shot that we somehow missed first time around.

Now the hard work begins in earnest, and Al has returned to the UK to begin editing the footage. Seb and myself have a few days in hand before our international flights depart. So we have decided to change our plans and visit a place I've waited years to see.]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-06-27T10:48:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/place_ive_waited_years_to_see.html#unique-entry-id-29http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/place_ive_waited_years_to_see.html#unique-entry-id-29
This is Dal Lake in Srinagar, the place I've waited years to see. Srinagar was never ruled by the British, although it was annexed. When presented with the opportunity of a climate similar to their native land, and the challenge of a law forbidding foreigners from owning property in Kashmir, the British found a housing solution in the form of ornately decorated wooden houseboats.

The tranquility of the lake, the desirable weather, and the legendary hospitality of the Kashmiri people inevitably drew visitors from all over the world. However, over the years a large number of governments have strongly discouraged their citizens from visiting the region. (A quick look at a map reveals why.) Such advice continues to this day, with organisations such as the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office posting explicit warnings about Kashmir.

And until last week I had been dissuaded. But with filming completed, and Seb keen to return to Srinagar after a 13-year hiatus, I gave into temptation. Life on a houseboat has been everything I hoped it would be. And then some. This has been my first visit to Srinagar. But it will not be my last.]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-07-01T10:47:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/galapagos_added_to_world_heritage_danger_list.html#unique-entry-id-28http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/galapagos_added_to_world_heritage_danger_list.html#unique-entry-id-28feature articles for other titles. I was spellbound by the plethora of wildlife, the majority of which seemed totally unafraid of humans. I also learnt from the staff at the Charles Darwin Research Institute about the very real dangers facing native species. As well as the more obvious threats that invasive species such as goats present to resident creatures including the giant tortoise (amongst other things, the goats eat the vegetation, leaving little in the way of food for the tortoises), it was also made clear to me by the scientists and also the park rangers how new and unwelcome flora can be unwittingly brought onto this World Heritage site by visitors: for example, if a seed trapped in the sole of a shoe on the mainland is subsequently dislodged during the tourist’s time on the archipelago, a species can rapidly take root.

In addition to issues surrounding visitors, other challenges including illegal fishing, inadequate quarantine measures, high immigration rates from the Ecuadorian mainland, and the instability of the Park Director's position, have all been identified as problem areas on previous inspections from World Heritage staff. The straw which broke the camel's back on the latest inspection a couple of months ago appears to have been a dramatic increase in visitor numbers (jumping from 40,000 to 120,000 per year over the past decade), the fact that introduced plant species outnumber native ones, and that 180 of those 500 native species are now on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. An annual increase in the local population of 4% has not helped matters.

The List of World Heritage in Danger is designed to "inform the international community of conditions which threaten the very characteristics for which a property was inscribed on the World Heritage List, and to encourage corrective action". Interestingly, the Ecuadorian government has supported the placing of the islands on the Danger List. Indeed, during the inspection, a Presidential Decree was issued, which declared the conservation and environmental management of the Galapagos ecosystem as being a matter of national priority. The decree also outlined an agenda to systematically address the various factors affecting the state of conservation on the archipelago.

I have mixed feelings about all this news. Whilst there are of course many advantages to the World Heritage system, the fact that a destination receives this prestigious recognition inevitably attracts more visitors. I’m personally not surprised by the acceleration in visitor and immigrant numbers.

No-one would deny that tourists need to be handled more effectively. The fact that it is only possible to see the majority of wildlife by boat makes regulating and marshalling tourists potentially more straightforward than trying to control marauding hordes of visitors roaming carefree across a mainland-based site. Indeed, whilst on the archipelago I was told by one local person that the paths on the isles that tourists are permitted to walk along have remained unchanged for 40 years. With the exception of some soil erosion, the impacts on the local environments from tourism appear to have been relatively low, with birds continuing to nest on the paths despite the continuous presence of tall bipeds. The vast majority of each island can only be visited by scientists.

Immigrants from Ecuador are tempted by the lure of easy access to a high number of relatively affluent foreigners. The bitter irony is that unlike in the 1980s and early 1990s, when many tourists would travel to the archipelago and stay a few days on Santa Cruz whilst choosing their boat, visitors now fly in to the airport at Baltra, go straight to their boat and at the end of their cruise fly straight home: easy to access to details of all the available vessels in the archipelago on the internet means that the overwhelming majority of tourists book their cruise weeks or months before arriving.

So what's the solution? Banning non-scientific visitors would of course cripple the local economy. And despite the negative impacts of tourism, one still has to bear in mind the very real benefits that inviting foreigners to these islands can have: there is now an army of informed supporters around the world, many of whom I suspect have a deeper respect for the natural world as a direct result of their first-hand experiences on the archipelago.

One answer might be to limit the number of tourists per annum, and perhaps take a leaf out of Bhutan's book and increase the fee for visiting the Galapagos. When I visited the islands six years ago, the entry charge was just $100. It remains the same today. I was surprised and impressed by a large sign at the airport explaining what this money was spent on (95% remained on the islands). If this additional money from an inflated fee was spent wisely, if the potential reduction in visitor numbers as a result of an increased entrance price was offset by a quota system encompassing boat owners and other workers in the local tourism industry, and if a cap was placed on immigrant numbers, then perhaps there might be an acceptable way out of the current situation for all parties. Ultimately, it is not for any outsiders to dictate to the Ecuadorian government how they should handle the Galapagos. But what the authorities should know is that there are a great many people who hold a place in their hearts for this very special archipelago.]]>Paul DeeganNone2008-07-15T10:42:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/climbing_without_ropes.html#unique-entry-id-26http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/climbing_without_ropes.html#unique-entry-id-26Free soloing is at the Russian roulette end of the climbing scale. The free soloist chooses to shun ropes, harnesses and all other climbing aids, save for a pair of climbing shoes and a chalk bag (the latter helps to keep sweaty palms dry). The individual who embraces the mental and physical challenges of free soloing accepts that a single mistake will almost certainly result in injury or death.

As you would expect, the percentage of climbers who engage in this activity is tiny. So when Jonathan Thesenga, Brittany Griffith and John Burcham travelled to the World Heritage site of Stolby in Siberia, they were gobsmacked to find an entire community (consisting of people of all ages and abilities, from novice schoolchildren to expert septuagenarians) climbing sans ropes.

Their 12 minute film contains some of the most outrageous – and scary – climbing I have ever seen. Free soloing is one thing: free soloing down a route headfirst is a whole new (terrifying) sport. You might want to swap the popcorn for a chalk bag.

Thesenga has also written a short story about his experiences at Stolby.]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-07-14T10:37:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/a_sober_reminder_of_life_90_years_ago.html#unique-entry-id-25http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/a_sober_reminder_of_life_90_years_ago.html#unique-entry-id-25 interview on BBC Radio 5 Live with a gentleman called Bill Lamin who is using a blog to publish the letters that his grandfather, Private Harry Lamin, wrote during World War One. Each letter is being posted 90 years to the day since it was written. Reading the letters has made me feel very grateful to be alive, embarrassed about the relatively easy life that I enjoy, and humbled by the sacrifices that people made during this atrocious conflict.

The letters are interspersed with occasional entries which help put Harry‘s descriptions in context. Last month, Harry was involved in the Battle of Messines Ridge in France, which he describes in a letter thus:

"We have had another terrible time this week the men here say it was worst than the Somme advance last July. We lost a lot of men but we got where we were asked to take. It was awful I am alright got buried and knocked about but quite well now and hope to remain so. We were praised by the general and all, everybody said we had done well... It is a rum job waiting for the time to come to go over the top without any rum too. The C.O. got killed and our captain, marvellous how we escaped... The little book you sent is very nice it will come in useful I will read it..." [sic]

The accompanying blog entry explains what Harry had just experienced: for 18 days and nights there had been continuous heavy bombardment of the German lines. At 2.50am on 8th June 1917 the bombardment stopped and Harry and his colleagues were ordered to lie down. 20 minutes later and the largest explosion of the war so far blew apart the German front lines at Messines Ridge. 450 tonnes of high explosive, laid in 19 mines, was detonated. The noise of the blast was heard as far away as London and Dublin. Ten thousand German soldiers were killed by the explosion.

Harry’s letters make for sobering reading, but I also found them to be strangely inspiring. The only way to find out whether Harry survived the war is to check the blog regularly to see if his letters have dried up (Bill’s father was born before Harry went to war). Curiously, I now find myself rooting for a man – who I know is no longer alive – to survive a war that ended almost nine decades ago. The only missing pieces of the puzzle are where, when and how he died.

All of this has reminded me of a visit I made with Peter Stewart to some First World War memorials in France a few years ago. We came across the first cemetery at midnight: the haunting image of our vehicle’s headlights illuminating what appeared to be a carpet of white crosses stretching to infinity remains indelibly imprinted on my mind’s eye. I cannot begin to imagine the grief and suffering experienced by the soldiers and citizens on both sides during those five long years.]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-10-15T10:32:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/you_need_a_bombproof_strategy.html#unique-entry-id-24http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/you_need_a_bombproof_strategy.html#unique-entry-id-24interviewed me in London about the talks that I deliver to companies, and the similarities and differences between expeditions and commercial enterprises.

The article has now been published, and the magazine has kindly allowed me to make it available as a PDF.

As someone who has in the past interviewed dozens of expedition leaders, adventurers and outdoor experts for publications, it felt very strange – and not a little unsettling – to be on the other end of the dictaphone. Thankfully, Nick managed to make some sense of my rambling responses to his probing questions.

Apparently, I gave the quote which forms the title of this post, which both surprised and pleased me.]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-10-15T10:31:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/coffee_for_61p.html#unique-entry-id-23http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/coffee_for_61p.html#unique-entry-id-23
According to a fascinating radio programme on the BBC, 61p ($1.22) is the price that a farmer in Tanzania is initially paid for a kilo of coffee by the local Kilimanjaro co-operative. A farmer who owns one hectare can expect to grow around 10kg of coffee per year. I'll let you do the maths.

At the end of each year, the profit that the co-op has made selling the coffee is distributed amongst the farmers. The Fairtrade Foundation helps individual farmers because it pays a higher / fairer price for the coffee. (It should be noted that Fairtrade is not a quality assurance scheme.) This additional money can be the difference between running a small sustainable business and making a loss.

Although the precise amount that Fairtrade pays was not made clear in the programme, Ian Bretman, the Deputy Director of The Fairtrade Foundation, estimated that the initial 61p could be doubled to around £1.20 ($2.40). Compare that to the £3.19 ($6.40) which Sainsbury's current charges for just 227g (8oz) of its Fairtrade Kilimanjaro coffee. This equates to a retail price of about £14 ($28) per kilo, which is more than a one thousand percent increase on what the farmer receives.

The principle of fair trade – which has been around for decades – seems great, although it does have some heavyweight detractors. There are a number of organisations promoting the concept, both in individual countries like the USA as well as internationally. But someone, somewhere is still making a ton of cash. If an extra 60 pence represents a 'fair' price for farmers, I shudder to think what non-fair trade companies are paying.]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-11-15T10:28:00-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/rebuilding_lives_one_issue_at_a_time.html#unique-entry-id-22http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/rebuilding_lives_one_issue_at_a_time.html#unique-entry-id-22Big Issue' vendor earlier today whilst waiting to meet a friend for lunch.

Susan* told me that her life went to pieces after suffering a vehicle accident. Susan ended up living on the streets, until three years ago when she began selling the magazine outside a busy railway station. Distributing this excellent weekly publication has provided her with so much more than an essential source of income.

Susan now has a roof over her head, a daily routine, and a future to look forward to. As Susan explained, "If it wasn’t for The Big Issue, I'd be dead by now."

All of which made me think of the co-founders of The Big Issue, Gordon Roddick and John Bird. Susan has reminded me that one or two individuals with a vision really can improve the lives of a great many people.

*Name changed to respect privacy]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-12-10T10:27:00-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/extreme_places.html#unique-entry-id-21http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/extreme_places.html#unique-entry-id-21Nick Middleton, Mark Eveleigh and Steve Watkins. I received the plum destinations of Kilimanjaro, the Antarctic Peninsula, Everest, and the Galápagos Islands.

This hardback tome is awash with some lovely photographs and is available from Amazon with a 50% discount just in time for Christmas.]]>Paul DeeganNone2007-12-26T10:26:00-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/good_news_on_the_third_anniversary_of_the_tsunami.html#unique-entry-id-20http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/good_news_on_the_third_anniversary_of_the_tsunami.html#unique-entry-id-20
In addition to making a rare ascent of Barren Island, the team was granted a permit to sail to the island of Car Nicobar, which until we arrived had only been visited by one non-Indian national since Independence in 1947.

We were only allowed to stay for one day, but during that time we were royally entertained by the Nicobarese. Warm memories of our experiences (which included traditional circular dancing, local cuisine, and pig wrestling) linger long in my memory.

When the Tsunami struck, I was left feeling upset and impotent. Desperate to do something – anything – for the survivors, I linked up with one of the expedition's photographers, Martin Hartley. We contacted Geographical magazine with a proposal for a story about the islands, and subsequently directed our fees for the article towards the Foundation for Ecological Research, Advocacy and Learning (FERAL). One of FERAL's trustees is Dr Rauf Ali, a scientist living in the Andamans who accompanied the 2003 expedition.

Over the past two years, FERAL has been designing a low-cost coconut press to enable the Nicobarese to extract oil from their groves. The coconut oil can then sold directly to businesses, ensuring that all profits flow into the hands of the people who need it most. The money from our article was used to build a prototype. Earlier this year, using some funds from FERAL, Rauf took the unit (which the organisation named 'DeeganPress') to Car Nicobar. The large box required several people to help unload it.

Since the start of 2005, the Nicobarese people have been subjected to a barrage of visits from high profile charities, which has resulted in very little aid: the few items sent to the island have been largely useless (boxes of teddy bears, anyone?). Understandably, the local population was initially sceptical of Rauf's proposal. However, once the unit was unwrapped and they saw it in action, Rauf told me that everyone's mood visibly changed.

Every village on Car Nicobar requested their own DeeganPress, and the long process of raising the necessary funds began. The latest news is that the Government of India's Ministry of Science and Technology has agreed to fund the new prototypes.

While there is now sufficient cash to build the next generation of prototypes, the marketing of the cold pressed coconut oil in India – perhaps as much as 6000 litres a month from the outset – is one of the big issues that remains to be tackled. Which is where you come in. If you have any suggestions or ideas about how to create this link in the marketing chain, please shoot Rauf a message. He'd love to hear from you.]]>Paul DeeganNone2008-01-11T10:24:00-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/the_spirit_of_mount_everest.html#unique-entry-id-19http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/the_spirit_of_mount_everest.html#unique-entry-id-19
I was privileged to meet The Big Man in 1993, shortly after the 40th anniversary Everest expedition had taken place. That ascent had garnered an immense amount of publicity, primarily because team member Rebecca Stephens had become the first British woman to climb the world's highest mountain.

Behind the scenes, an even more impressive feat has been achieved: the expedition had raised a huge dollop of cash for Sir Edmund's charity, The Himalayan Trust.

I had been fortunate to play a small part in the project, and happened to be in the expedition office in London (at 123 Sloane Street, surely the poshest expedition address in the history of mountaineering) when Sir Edmund dropped in to see the joint expedition leader, Peter Earl. I must have been hopping about in the background like an excited puppy. In the end, Peter introduced me to Sir Edmund. He graciously took the time to speak with me for a few minutes, and was kind enough to ask what mountains I had climbed.

I had recently returned from wandering around a glacier in the Himalaya, and mentioned a pimple that I had ascended with a couple of mates to get a better view of the surrounding landscape. I said I was pretty sure that no-one in the past would have bothered scampering up this particular molehill. Sir Ed pressed me for details, thought for a moment with a faraway look in his eyes, and then replied that he was pretty sure that he had popped up it in the 1960s. I floated out of the office on cloud nine.

Only last week I received a card from Alexa Johnson, Sir Edmund's official biographer. In it, she told me: “Ed is not particularly well but still with us and still smiling.” The card was illustrated with a reproduction of a beautiful thangka painted by Thubten Yeshe Sherpa. It tells the story of the goddess who lives atop Mount Everest. The thangka is entitled, 'The Spirit of Mount Everest'.

Well, I reckon another very special spirit is up there now. And I fancy that he's still smiling.]]>Paul DeeganNone2008-01-15T10:23:00-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/cirque_du_everest.html#unique-entry-id-18http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/cirque_du_everest.html#unique-entry-id-18interactive Everest presentation to the students who attend the school attached to Cirque du Soleil's spectacular touring show, Varekai.

This spontaneous opportunity came about when the academy contacted their temporary next-door neighbour, the Royal Geographical Society. I was in the right place at the right time. And as a self-confessed Cirque du Soleil devotee it would be an understatement to say that I didn't need much persuading.

The school travels with Varekai and provides an education to the children of the troupers and crew, as well as the youngest members of the cast. (At the moment, the junior performers are Chinese. The language barrier, combined with the fact that the artistes finish late on stage each evening, means that these youngsters are educated separately by a Mandarin-speaking teacher). Every couple of months the show pitches up in a new city. Experiencing everything that the local culture has to offer is part of the unique syllabus.

When I arrived at the venue, one of the performers, Sergey, sought me out. "So, Paul,” Sergey asked in his beautiful Russian accent that reminded me so much of the late Anatoli Boukreev, “What is it like on the summit of Everest?”. Needless to say, I was equally interested to find out what it is like to be a part of the Cirque empire.

Sergey stayed to watch my little show. When we reached the segment of my presentation in which one of the children removes a seemingly never-ending string of colourful Buddhist prayer flags from a rucksack, I asked whether we could include an Everest routine in one of the Cirque shows. Sergey and the teachers all fell about laughing. I think I'm in. (Well, we can dream!)

The students who I spoke to are all rightly proud of their Mum and Dad's accomplishments in Cirque. It came as no surprise to learn that many of them want to follow in their parents’ footsteps. Others want to take a different path; one lad told me that he would like to be a chef.

After the presentation I headed into nearby Hyde Park to join the students in a game of skipping. I don't know about you, but I never got into the whole skipping thing as a recreational activity when I was at school. But skipping with Cirque is of course an altogether different kind of experience. To begin with, the rope isn't a tatty piece of cord. It's 30 foot of 10mm abseil rope, culled from an old rigger's line. And you don't skip one at a time. Oh no. That would be far too boring. Eight people skip simultaneously and of course it's a contest to see who is the last to trip over the rope. Competitive? Me?]]>Paul DeeganNone2008-02-13T10:21:00-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/do_you_know_where_you_want_to_be.html#unique-entry-id-17http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/do_you_know_where_you_want_to_be.html#unique-entry-id-17picotrip. I was attempting to get my cross-country skiing skills up to some semblance of acceptability so that I can put them to good use on future expeditions. Let's just say that up until now my ability on planks has been more comical than functional.

One of the places I skied was at picturesque Tahoe Donner, which takes its name from the infamous party stranded hereabouts in the winter of 1846 rather than that well-known Turkish cuisine.

On my first exploration of the trails I swooshed (OK, staggered) up to Sundance hut, which at an altitude of 7035 feet provides a fantastic panorama of the local area. But which way to go next? The map was, at best, ambiguous. An instructor saw me staring intently at the chart and called out across the slope.

"Do you know where you are, and where you want to be?” he enquired.

"Do you mean in life, or just on this hill?" I replied.

I spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about what he said.

Do you know where you are, and where you want to be? If you do, when do you want to get there? And if you don’t, who is in charge of your destiny? Your boss? Your partner? No-one?]]>Paul DeeganNone2008-02-15T10:19:00-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/the_real_conquest_is_the_interior_one.html#unique-entry-id-16http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/the_real_conquest_is_the_interior_one.html#unique-entry-id-16Kelly Tyler-Lewis (author of 'The Lost Men') to let me know that her article on the Alpine Club's 150th anniversary has been published in Men’s Vogue. It’s a quick read, and a hugely enjoyable one.

The comment that stood out for me came from Walter Bonatti, the legendary Italian alpinist, who told Kelly during the celebrations in Zermatt that “In the end, the real conquest is the interior one".

I think Bonatti is spot on, and I've expressed similar sentiments during some of my Everest presentations. Climbing a mountain is about challenging oneself to go beyond what one thinks can definitely be accomplished. After all, what would be the point of climbing Everest if you knew with absolute certainty that you could reach the summit?

I wonder if it is the same for everyone moving out of their comfort zone: the DIY enthusiast intent on building her own house; the smoker planning to quit and run a marathon; the father-of-three deciding whether to set up his own business. If success was guaranteed, would they really bother starting out?

Surely one of the reasons that people ultimately become successful is because of their willingness to confront their limitations, weaknesses and frailties. To well-meaning friends and family these personal flaws often appear as cast-iron reasons to caution the relative or pal against attempting anything new or out of the ordinary.

Even though the physical trials might vary enormously, the psychological challenges for individuals intent on painting their own canvases in life are vertical.]]>Paul DeeganNone2008-04-15T10:17:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/should_we_throw-out_our_water_bottles.html#unique-entry-id-15http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/should_we_throw-out_our_water_bottles.html#unique-entry-id-15
However, a recent article by Lisa Cullen commented on Professor Scott Belcher’s report in Toxicology Letters that bottles made from PET leach traces of Bisphenol A (BPA) into water. BPA is a synthetic hormone that mimics estrogen. When filled with hot water, plastic containing BPA is released up to 55 times faster. Yet when swaddled in an old Outdoor Research insulated jacket, my Nalgene bottle keeps boiled water warm for hours. It’s a light and efficient way to stay hydrated in cold weather environments.

So what is the health risk for adults? And is it outweighed by the benefits? Remaining hydrated dramatically improves the chance of surviving in a hostile environment. The alternatives include stainless steel flasks (heavier) and lightweight lacquered aluminium bottles (not quite as durable).

Nalgene initially countered the professor's report with pages of information, including reports from the FDA and EFSA. But with Canada moving towards banning baby bottles that contain BPA, the writing was on the wall. At the end of last week, the company announced that it would be phasing out their classic design. The good news is that all of Nalgene's other bottles (including a new line due out next month) are BPA-free. Are they be as indestructible? Only time will tell.]]>Paul DeeganNone2008-05-12T10:16:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/its_not_a_boat_its_a_ship.html#unique-entry-id-14http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/its_not_a_boat_its_a_ship.html#unique-entry-id-14Queen Mary 2. It's not a boat, it's a ship. Actually, it's not a ship: it's an ocean liner.

The Queen Mary 2 must be one of the most remarkable vessels afloat today. She is so large that the Titanic could fit inside with room left over for a couple of Jumbo Jets. The Queen Mary 2 boasts five swimming pools, a casino, a pub, a ballroom, and a 1000 seat theatre. My stage on four mornings was a 500 seat auditorium that converts to the only at-sea planetarium during the afternoon. At night the venue serves as a cinema. I was blessed with a knowledgeable, enthusiastic and appreciative audience.

A phantasmagoric number of activities are laid on for the 2,400 guests each day. These include wine tastings, computer lessons and performances of Shakespeare's plays performed by the talented cast from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, who currently include actors Elizabeth Nestor and Sam Dastor. A golf simulator, a gymnasium, and a basketball facility enable guests to burn some of the calories consumed in the 10 restaurants. Needless to say, all the food on board was of the highest quality. 150 chefs serve around 16,000 meals a day, which are washed down with more than 300 bottles of champagne.

The 1200-plus crew were all incredibly attentive, professional and cheery. They come from 55 countries, including Nepal, Chile and Britain. Special thanks to David, Elizabeth, Stefanie, Laura, Darwin and Rayomand for taking care of everything, and Caroline and Julia for inviting me aboard.]]>Paul DeeganNone2008-05-19T09:40:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/the_box_of_surprises.html#unique-entry-id-13http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/the_box_of_surprises.html#unique-entry-id-13Kooza.

Kooza is a return to the company's origins. I'm not giving anything away about the show, suffice to say that after my talk I spent two hours gasping, laughing and scratching my head in bewilderment.

Three of the pupils who attend the on-site school deliver the first, jaw-dropping act. I don't want to spoil their surprise, but let's just say that they spend 90 minutes warming up every evening and that my back felt sore watching them on stage.

During the afternoon we chatted about climbing Everest, caring for the environment, and Sherpa people of Nepal. The students then plotted their own route up the peak. One pupil tried on my summit suit, mittens and goggles.

The school's three teachers must have some of the best jobs in education. Every two months or so they arrive in a new city in North America and blend the very best that each region has to offer into their curriculum. At the end of each stay, the school is packed away along with the rest of the circus (desks turn into the doors of the industrial packing cases) and the whole operation takes to the road again. Only the Canadian Army moves more people and supplies around the world from Canada than Cirque.

Kooza (which is a Sanskrit word that can mean 'box' or 'surprise') is one year into a four year tour around North America, after which it will probably head abroad. The show is currently in Philadelphia. It then heads to Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, Atlanta and New York. Tickets start at $50 and there's not a bad seat in the house. (Actually, there is one very bad seat but you'll have to see the show to find out what I mean.)]]>Paul DeeganNone2008-06-15T10:13:05-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/fly_it_in_fly_it_out.html#unique-entry-id-12http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/fly_it_in_fly_it_out.html#unique-entry-id-12blog post, Peter describes the consumables taken to Africa from Britain that he has now brought home with him for proper disposal. Around four kilos of batteries, dental floss, razors and assorted non-biodegradable items have made the round trip.

Of course, this represents just a drop in the ocean of rubbish that plagues our planet. Some people may even dismiss Peter's efforts as a token gesture.

But what if we all did this? What if we all brought used toothpaste tubes and empty pill containers back home with us rather than leaving them to rot in landfills or on hillsides in countries that have little or no ability to dispose of their own rubbish, let alone ours?

Better still, what if ever shopper removed one of the three layers of cellophane, plastic and cardboard surrounding a box of recently purchased cakes, and left the unnecessary packaging at the shop counter? If millions of individuals made such a token gesture tomorrow, you can bet your bottom dollar that within hours the staff at large supermarket chains would be wading through a sea of wrappers and pressurising manufacturers to reduce the amount of packaging.

Yes, I have heard the argument that consumers (think about that word for a moment) demand virgin products seemingly untouched by other humans, and also that packaging is necessary to prevent crushing. But come on, we put men on the moon. It's containers we're talking about here, not a cure for cancer. Surely intelligent packaging is possible?

What if every shop sold plastic bags for a pound or a dollar rather than handing them out for free (or charging just a few pence)? What if they were eliminated altogether? If Bangladesh can ban them, can't we? Is it really that inconvenient to travel to the shopping mall with an empty cotton bag or recycled rucksack?]]>Paul DeeganNone2008-10-15T10:11:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/cleaning_up_everest.html#unique-entry-id-11http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/cleaning_up_everest.html#unique-entry-id-11Damon Coulter that 20 years ago I set off for Nepal as the joint leader of an expedition to clean-up Everest Base Camp.

Looking back, I'm amazed it happened at all. It's hard to believe that one off-the-cuff remark triggered a chain of events that led to 47 people of all ages and walks of life picking up rubbish at the foot of the world's highest mountain.

Like Damon, the experience had a profound impact on the direction that my life has taken over the past two decades.

I still don't know why Nick Steven and John Barry took a teenager's clean-up suggestion seriously, but they did. I will always be grateful to them for the faith they showed in me, and for encouraging me to run with the idea.]]>Paul DeeganNone2008-11-15T10:10:28-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/strategy_and_tactics.html#unique-entry-id-10http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/strategy_and_tactics.html#unique-entry-id-10Tribes, last week. In addition to being a superbly organised event at a great location in New York, Seth came across as a person who is every bit as passionate about his subject matter on (and off) the stage as he is on his blog.

Seth’s new book is all about leading groups of people, whether that be in a commercial marketing context (his home territory) or in the wider realm of organisational change, charitable concerns or passionate causes (such as expeditions).

The three hour non-stop event (which included more than an hour of Q & A) provided me with 12 pages of useful notes to implement.

One of the biggest revelations for me was Seth's concept that as a leader of a group, you get to lay down the strategy, but the individual members decide the tactics. By sharing this insight, Seth provided me with the missing piece of a puzzle to a project I've been mulling over for some time.

The slides that Seth used in his talk can be viewed online, and I've uploaded the audio if you want to hear what you missed. (I edited out the live performance by the talented Jen Chapin who played for us mid-way through Seth’s presentation.) The Tribes book is available on audio too, for just a dollar through iTunes. A bargain.]]>Paul DeeganNone2008-12-15T09:56:00-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/why_i_speak_in_public.html#unique-entry-id-9http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/why_i_speak_in_public.html#unique-entry-id-9
“Hi Paul. You attended my daughter’s school in November. I wanted to say a big thank you. We both enjoyed your speech. My daughter went on a couple of weeks after your speech to apply to the Headteacher to attend The Oval cricket ground to present a speech. She was chosen. My daughter had to speak in front of 150 adults. I was so proud of her. She now knows she can believe in herself. I have been trying to teach her this. You helped her believe in herself. She now believes she can achieve anything. So once again a big thank you.”]]>Paul DeeganNone2009-04-15T09:52:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/some_people_have_crazy_ideas.html#unique-entry-id-8http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/some_people_have_crazy_ideas.html#unique-entry-id-8Leo Houlding about his adventures. During our conversation, Leo told me that he was experimenting with a flying suit. I thought he was winding me up. He wasn't.

Today, wingsuit flying is at the cutting edge of extreme pursuits. One of the sport's leading proponents, Ueli Gegenschatz, took to the stage at TED earlier this year to explain the evolution of this breathtaking form of travel, and why he does it. Ueli's honest explanation of his motives is one thing, but it seems that nothing could prepare the audience for the film of his jaw-dropping aerial projects. Stay tuned for the hilarious Q & A at the tail end of this video of his presentation.]]>Paul DeeganNone2009-06-15T09:47:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/become_your_own_ideas_coach.html#unique-entry-id-7http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/become_your_own_ideas_coach.html#unique-entry-id-7Tackling Life', rugby star Jonny Wilkinson's co-author, Steve Black, writes:

"Ideally there would be a forum, or better again, it would be part of the team culture, to share ideas and information from which everyone can benefit. I believe at the senior professional clubs there should be a new position created for a knowledge / ideas coach; someone who accesses information and inspirational stories from a wide variety of outlets – other clubs, in other countries, other sports, business, academia, conferences etc. The list of sources is endless. And each seed gathered has the potential to add something new and exciting to the team. The better the knowledge of the team then the better the foundations on which the team can achieve great success."

You don't have to be an athlete to take inspiration and practical advice from other spheres. We can all become our own ideas coach. I've been inspired to develop and enhance my public speaking by the creativity and professionalism of artistes like Jérôme Le Baut and Anna Vicente in Cirque do Soleil's 'Quidam'. Earlier this year, I had the privilege of giving a talk to the students and some of the performers whilst this show was in residence at the Royal Albert Hall. Afterwards, I chatted to Jérôme about his craft. I'm not planning to do handstands at the podium anytime soon, but Jérôme's dedication to giving honestly of himself to his audience during every performance, and of working hard to remain 'in the moment' on stage rather than simply going through the motions, really resonated with me.]]>Paul DeeganNone2009-11-15T09:37:00-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/leave_room_for_improvisation.html#unique-entry-id-6http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/leave_room_for_improvisation.html#unique-entry-id-6
I was reminded of Richard's advice last night whilst watching Ray. It turns out that Ray Charles' most famous song, What'd I Say, was conceived at a gig in 1958. Charles, his orchestra and his backing singers had finished their routine. But they were contractually obliged to continue playing for another 12 minutes.

The sound they created to fill those minutes subsequently became Ray Charles' first gold record. What'd I Say is credited for inspiring many musicians, including Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Van Morrison. 45 years after its release, the song was ranked at number 10 in Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 greatest records of all time.

What could you create, influence or change with a few minutes of improvisation in your world?]]>Paul DeeganNone2009-05-15T09:36:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/striving_for_perfection.html#unique-entry-id-5http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/striving_for_perfection.html#unique-entry-id-5
A friend of mine recently suggested that I read Skunk Works, by Ben Rich. The Skunk Works was an offshoot of the giant Lockheed Martin aircraft corporation (it’s now been re-branded as Advanced Development Programs). The original Skunk Works team made up their own rules, did things their own way, and fought tooth-and-nail to keep their projects small, innovative and profitable. The secret aircraft they produced (including the SR-71 Blackbird, the F-117 Nighthawk, and the U-2 Dragon Lady that Top Gear's James May recently scored a ride in) have changed the face of military aviation.

In the book, Rich talks about the dangers associated with striving for perfection. This seemed counter-intuitive to me: shouldn't combat aircraft be perfect? Not according to the author:

"Having today's high-speed computers would have accelerated the design process and simplified much of our testing, but perfection was seldom a Skunk Works goal. If we were off in our calculations by a pound or a degree, it didn’t particularly concern us. We aimed to achieve a Chevrolet's functional reliability rather than a Mercedes's supposed perfection. 80 percent efficiency would get the job done, so why strain resources and bust deadlines to achieve that extra 20 percent, which would cost as much as 50 percent more in overtime and delays and have little real impact on the overall performance of the aircraft itself?

"As it happened, we achieved 70 percent efficiency [on the Blackbird project] within the first half year of our work, but to tweak it above that to our target of 80 percent took an additional fourteen months."

Just think about that for a moment. Six months to reach 70% efficiency, and an extra fourteen months to improve everything by 10%. Now we are talking about an aircraft here and not a book or a presentation or a blog post but I’d wager that the ratio remains the same.

Later in the book, Rich remarks: "We cannot enjoy total product perfection and really don't need it. The only areas where the final result must be 100 percent are safety, quality and security. That final 10 percent striving towards maximum perfection costs 40 percent of the total expenditure on most projects."

Before I read Rich's book I always believed that anything less than perfection was unacceptable. But if I really am investing four out of every 10 hours just tweaking my work to make tiny changes then it might be time for a re-assessment. Rich's observations have got me seriously thinking about which parts of a project are worth spending that amount of time on. And which aren't.]]>Paul DeeganNone2009-07-22T09:32:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/record_your_achievement.html#unique-entry-id-4http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/record_your_achievement.html#unique-entry-id-4riveting listen.

History has inevitably focused on these three individuals. But I'm just as interested in the 389,997 other people who contributed to the Apollo program.

Last winter I visited the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral for the first time, where all the Apollo launches took place. It's also home to one of three remaining Saturn V rockets, which I had been desperate to see ever since I met Buzz Aldrin.

Sitting beneath the rocket was one of the Apollo engineers, who was there to answer questions from the public. I listened awhile to some of the Q & A, all of which revolved around the astronauts and the business end of the Saturn; where they sat, how powerful it was, how fast they flew. He answered politely and comprehensively for someone who must have been asked the same questions hundreds if not thousands of times in his life.

I took a different tack and asked the engineer what his role in the Apollo program had been. Suddenly, he burst into life, full of animation and enthusiasm. It turned out that he had been one of the people responsible for the television camera that relayed those legendary black and white images of Neil Armstrong stepping down the ladder and onto the moon.

He explained to me that the reason why you don't see Armstrong put his feet on the lunar surface is because the mechanism that lowered the camera out of the side of Eagle froze in place when it had only partly deployed.

Being responsible for the successful transmission of the most famous television images in history must be incredible. Because without any kind of record of an achievement, it's difficult for other people to become inspired by it. ]]>Paul DeeganNone2009-08-05T09:54:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/think_the_opposite.html#unique-entry-id-3http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/think_the_opposite.html#unique-entry-id-3
In 1977, the 18th at Turnberry had been the scene of Watson's greatest triumph, the famous 'Duel in the Sun' with supremo Jack Nicklaus. 32 years on and Watson just had to make par to claim his sixth Open at the unprecedented age of 59.

Before he teed off I would have bet my house on him winning the championship. If I had, I would now be homeless. Watson bogeyed the 18th, and in the subsequent four hole play-off with Stewart Cink, Watson went to pieces. He didn't need to say anything. You could see what-might-have-been writ large in his body language.

How could it possibly be that a man of Watson's experience was beaten by a player who had never won a major championship? Don't misunderstand me. Cink is clearly a terrific player, spending 39 weeks in the top 10 of world golf between 2004 and 2008. But still, I couldn't work it out.

As luck would have it, the book I was reading during the championship was 'Whatever you think, think the opposite' by the late advertising maverick, Paul Arden. One of the sections is entitled 'The age of unreason':

"Old golfers don't win (it's not an absolute, it's a general rule). Why? The older golfer can hit the ball as far as the young one. He chips and putts equally well. And will probably have a better knowledge of the course. So why does he take the extra stroke that denies him victory? Experience. He knows the downside, what happens if it goes wrong, which makes him more cautious. The young player is either ignorant or reckless to caution. That is his edge. It is the same with all of us. Knowledge makes us play safe. The secret is to stay childish."

This is good news if you're trying to push ahead in any field that is dominated by people more experienced than yourself.]]>Paul DeeganNone2009-09-18T09:53:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/how_do_you_make_your_decisions.html#unique-entry-id-2http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/how_do_you_make_your_decisions.html#unique-entry-id-2
He illustrated his point by showing me the first 45 seconds of a video in which a light aircraft is seen attempting to land on a runway.

As we watched the footage, I asked about the decision making process that resulted in the unfortunate ending. My friend explained that whilst the final approach (which would have begun some three miles out from the landing strip) was too fast, the pilot had probably made a firm decision to land long before the aircraft reached the runway, without considering other options such as going around and trying again.

With the situation changing rapidly, the pilot would have been actively selecting the information coming at him or her through the windscreen and instruments panel to reinforce the original decision to land. At the same time, the pilot was probably ignoring data which indicated that the aircraft would not stop in time.

This video got me thinking about how often we put the blinkers on and make decisions based purely on internal factors without talking into account external factors. This pilot's misfortune has reminded me to look outside my own 'cockpit' to see what's going on in my world before I make a crucial decision.]]>Paul DeeganNone2009-10-31T10:51:00-04:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/the_power_of_20_percent.html#unique-entry-id-1http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/the_power_of_20_percent.html#unique-entry-id-1website states that "North American Aviation, the contractors for the capsule, estimated that some 20 percent of the 500 million person hours in the project were contributed as free overtime by staff."

This astounding fact reminded me of Google, which encourages its engineers to spend 20 percent of their paid time working on their own projects. Among the Google products and initiatives that began life as 20 percent projects are Gmail, Google News and the internet-equipped biodiesel shuttle buses that take employees to the Googleplex from San Francisco.

It seems to me that there's something magic about 20 percent. What would happen if we spent 20 percent of our working hours pursuing projects that we are passionate about? Or gave 20 percent of our services away for free to good causes? Or spent 20 percent of our spare time pursuing an otherwise neglected idea? 20 percent is not so much: it could be one evening a week and one weekend a month.]]>Paul DeeganNone2009-12-22T09:40:00-05:00http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/respecting_the_defeat.html#unique-entry-id-0http://www.pauldeegan.com/thoughts_files/respecting_the_defeat.html#unique-entry-id-0Quidam at the Royal Albert Hall. Afterwards, I swapped stories with members of the troupe over dinner at Food for Thought.

I’ve often said that Cirque is one of four companies that I'd consider quitting my vocation to work for.

Well, Cory did just that. In the 1990s he saw Quidam as a spectator. The first act on stage was the German Wheel. At the end of the performance, Cory turned to his father and said, "I’m going to do that."

Cory left his job in special effects in Los Angeles, attended circus school, and applied to Cirque. He was offered the German Wheel on Quidam.

Cory made his Quidam debut 10 years after he first saw the show. The gymnast who had performed the German Wheel on that night was in the audience, cheering him on.

I asked Cory if his performance ever goes wrong on stage. He told me that on one occasion the wheel fell flat on the floor. No rocking or twitching, just splat. "I really respected that defeat," Cory told me.

Cory’s attitude has given me a whole new way of looking at failure. Instead of blaming ourselves, our tools, or other people, what would happen if we embraced defeat and treated it with the same reverence as success? If we know in our hearts that we gave everything of ourselves in the moment, then surely being beaten – by the elements, by an opponent, or in Cory’s case gravity – is nothing to be ashamed of. If the shortest cut to success is to fail quickly and often, would appreciating our losses help us to learn more from them?]]>