Monday's report on the death of Manoj Kumar, who slipped and fell 200 feet as he was descending the cables on Half Dome, stirred robust debate.
Some people merely commented on what a wonderful experience it is to achieve the summit of the massive granite shoulder in Yosemite National Park. Others discussed the care required of those who wish to make the daylong climb safely.
Then there were those who strongly suggested the laddered cable system should come down, or argued that the cables should remain in place.
As one who has never climbed Half Dome but hopes to someday, I believe they should remain. This is not because of selfishness and I mean no disrespect to Kumar, his family or friends.
They ought to remain because they provide a reasonably safe means by which careful hikers can conquer a truly majestic landmark within a spectacular wilderness setting.
There is risk, but also reward and presumably a feeling of major accomplishment among park visitors, young and old, who complete the marathon hike and climb.
A primary risk is ascending or descending the 400-foot cable system in wet weather, when the granite and cables become slick.
Kumar and others should not have been on the cables at the time of his fall. Storm clouds were in the vicinity and it had been raining frequently during late afternoons inside the park. His fall was followed by the controlled evacuation of 41 hikers who had become caught on the cables in rain and hail.
A week earlier a woman was seriously injured when she slipped and fell while descending the cables. It was cloudy and damp then too. The only two fatalities involving women on Half Dome were off-season, when the cables were "down," or laying flat against the granite without pole support. Both occurred during wet weather.
In fact, park spokesman Scott Gediman said, there has been only one fatality when the granite and cables were dry. That occurred when Hirofumi Nohara slipped and fell June 16, 2007.
It's worth noting that the cable system has been in place since the early 1930s, and that an estimated 55,000 people successfully climb Half Dome annually. As Gediman implies, people might be safer on Half Dome than they are in a car on the highway. Exaggeration? Perhaps. But the park has no plans to take the cable system down, and that's a good thing.
Korean Air's ambition to be one of the world's top 10 airlines is closely linked to an airport that is ranked among the world's best but little known outside Asia.
For those who want to experience an unforgettable adrenalin rush, you need to refuse to settle with anything short of the best. For the passionate bike riders who are willing to travel to The Cliffs of Moher there is a treat in store, the most dangerous bike ride trail on this planet. The mere sight of it makes one dizzy. So, if you're willing and brave enough here is a sneak preview of what you could find there.
Japan adores to be ahead of the whole world, its people will never get tired of these constant creations and inventions. The Japanese are always making something new, something really interesting and completely addictive. What do you think about world’s biggest artificial indoor sea beach, that was created in the southern Japan?
This time, the Japanese-inventors tossed a challenge to our Mother Nature. Actually, their cool beach is just a huge Ocean Dome (approximately 6 football pitches, it can house 10,000 tourists), that allows everybody to lie on the artificial beach, among artificial palm-trees and enjoy the sound of artificial tide. The real beach is only 300 meters away and it looks really lonely, since if failed to win in this extremely stiff competition. 
Reporting from Band-E-Amir National Park, Afghanistan -- Big dreams are reflected in the azure-hued shimmer of these pristine mountain lakes: Afghanistan's quixotic ambitions of becoming a tourist paradise.
Nic Fiore, one of America's most influential ski instructors and a legendary figure at Yosemite's Badger Pass ski area, where he taught skiing for more than 50 years, has died. He was 88.
At the soft comic heart of "The Proposal" beats a cheeky update of "The Taming of the Shrew" -- you know, the arranged marriage, wives-submit-to-husbands rubric that Shakespeare played around with all those years ago. The conceit shouldn't, by all rights, work in a modern world where love, and everything else, is supposed to be an equal opportunity affair. And yet . . .
(built by an Orthopaedic Surgeon)
Monday's report on the death of Manoj Kumar, who slipped and fell 200 feet as he was descending the cables on Half Dome, stirred robust debate.
Happy the poet whose life and work remain so well-remembered that his name becomes an adjective.
Saab will be owned by “super-car” maker Koenigsegg under a deal in the making. Its vehicles include the CCX, shown in Geneva, which can reach speeds of 240 mph. The deal would leave General Motors with only its Chevrolet brand in Europe as the automaker continues its effort to downsize and return to profitability. The price was not disclosed.
HBO's sultry vampire drama "True Blood" has become a surprise hit for the pay cable network and has almost single-handedly taken the network back to the top of the cultural zeitgeist.
Tuesday marked the 100th anniversary of the first woman to cross America behind the wheel of a car. In 1909, a decade before women would be given the right to vote, Alice Huyler Ramsey proved to the world that a woman had the necessary virtues to drive from New York to San Francisco. 
Castillo del Lago is a Hollywood-inspired mansion that over the years has become part of L.A.'s folklore.
Sydney, Australia -- A French skyscraper climber nicknamed "Spiderman" was arrested today after scaling a 41-story building in downtown Sydney with his bare hands, stopping traffic on the busy street below.
