We like talking about books and movies and music and podcasts and all other things culture. It’s our job to find the best new stuff, appreciate (and sometimes rank) the old stuff, and just talk about the weird stuff we’re into. But that’s previously been a one-way conversation—now we want to obsess over all this stuff with Outside readers, too. It wouldn’t be a book club without a book, and we’ve got that covered. Our first pick: the small-press but much-buzzed-about Pure Land, by Annette McGivney. It’s the true story of a brutal murder in the Grand Canyon and the author’s personal revelations as she digs into the crime (read an excerpt here). We already wrote about how much we loved it, and we want to talk about it with you. (So does McGivney, who’ll drop in for a chat in the near future.) We’ll start discussing the book in December.

१४ मंसिर, काठमाडौं : हजरत मुहम्मद सल्ललल्लाहो अलैहे वोसल्लमको जन्म दिनको अवसरमा सरकारले शुक्रबार सार्वजनिक विदा दिने निर्णय गरेको छ । साथै, इसाई धर्मावलम्बीको पर्व ‘क्रिसमस डे’ का अवसरमा पुस १० गते समेत समेत सार्वजनिक बिदा दिने गृह मन्त्रालयले एक विज्ञप्ति जारी गर्दै जानकारी दिएको छ ।

काठमाडौं : इलाका प्रहरी कार्यालय तुलसीपुरअन्तर्गत कार्यरत चौधरीको उपचारक्रममा नेपालगन्जस्थित कोहलपुर मेडिकल कलेजमा निधन भएको छ   ।  चुनावी गतिवधि सुरु भएसँगै तीव्र बनेको विस्फोटमा पहिलोपटक मानवीय क्षति भएपछि आमजनताले बम विस्फोट गराउनेको खोजी गर्न सरकारलाई दबाब दिइरहेका छन् । विस्फोट गराउँदै हिँड्ने विप्लव नेतृत्वको नेकपाका कार्यकर्ता हुन् वा उच्छृंखल समूह वा सर्वसाधारणले भन्ने गरेजस्तो ‘अदृश्य विदेशी शक्ति’ या अरू कुनै समूह ? यसबारे सरकारसँग प्रशस्त सूचना भएको र सुरक्षा निकायले पहिचान पनि गरिसकेको विभिन्न स्रोतले पुष्टि गरेका छन् ।  गत मंगलबार दाङमा गराइएको बम विस्फोटमा परी घाइते भएका म्यादी प्रहरी विनोद चौधरीको बुधबार बिहान उपचारक्रममा मृत्यु भयो ।   ‘के उद्देश्यले र कसले गराएको थियो विस्फोट ? मुलुकभर कसले र किन बम पड्काइरहेको छ ? ‘ आमजनता यसको जवाफ खोजिरहेका छन् । निर्वाचन प्रक्रिया सुरु भएदेखि लगातार भएका विस्फोटमा कैयौं घाइते भएका छन् । राजधानीलगायत मुलुकभर नै विस्फोट भइरहेको छ ।  विस्फोटन गराउँदै हिँड्ने समूह बलियो र राज्यचाहिँ उनीहरूको अगाडि निरीहझैँ बनेको छ । सुरक्षाकर्मीकै ज्यान जाने गरी भएका यस्ता घटनामा संलग्नको पहिचान गर्न नसक्नु र ‘अनुसन्धान हुँदै छ’ भन्ने ओठे जवाफ मात्रै दिइनु गम्भीर विषय हो ।

अक्टोबर ३१ मा न्युयोर्कको म्यानहटनमा गाडी जोताएर ८ जनाको ज्यान लिएका सेफुलो साइपभले मंगलबार अदालतमा दिएको बयानमा आफू निर्दोष रहेको दावी गरेका छन् । उनीमाथि ८ जनाको हत्या गरेको र १२ जनालाई हत्या गर्न खोजेको अभियोग छ । ८ जनाको ज्यान जानेगरी गराएको घटनालाई आतंकबादी गतिविधि भन्दै अदालतमा मुद्दा चलाइएको छ । साइपभले ८ जनाको ज्यान लिइसकेपछि नक्कली बन्दुक देखाउदै अल्लाहु अकबर भनेर चिच्याउदै भाग्न खोजेका थिए । तर प्रहरी अफिसरले गोली हानेर उनलाई नियन्त्रणमा लिएका थिए । अनुसन्धानकर्ताहरुले जोताईको ट्रक नजिकै इस्लामिक स्टेट सम्बन्धित अरबिक नोट समेत फेला पारेका थिए । घटनापछि आक्रमणकारी साइपभले अस्पतालको कोठामा उपचारका क्रममा इस्लामिक स्टेटको झण्डा टाँग्न भन्दै आफूले गरेको आक्रमणबाट खुशी भएको बताएका थिए । नोभेम्बर १ को अदालती सुनुवाईमा ह्वीलचेयरमा ल्याइएकपनि मंगलबारको सुनुवाई उनी आफै हिडेर आएका थिए ।

 भरतसन्तोषी,नुवाकोट : नुवाकोट जिल्ला शिवपुरी गाउँपालिका वडा न ६ समुन्द्रा देवी को फेदिगाउमा गुड अर्थ गोलबल द्वारा १० लाखको लागतमा निर्माण गरेको शैक्षिक केन्द्र आज एक कार्यक्रम आयोजना गरि समुदाय लाई हस्तान्तरण गरेको छ।उक्त कार्यक्रमको प्रमुख अतिथि वडा न ६ का वडा अध्यक्ष लालबहादुर तामाङ रहनु भएको थियो । उहाँ ले रिबन काटेर शैक्षिक केन्द्र को उदघाटन गनुभएको थियो ।कार्यक्रम मा विशेष अतिथि फेदि गाउँका समाज सेवि दावा तामाङ रहनु भएको थियो । सो भवन निर्माण का अध्यक्ष दुवनाथ भेटुवाल रहनु भएको थियो उक्त शैक्षिक केन्द्र को नाम बटाईफलाई शैक्षिक केन्द्र रहेको छ।उक्त केन्द्र मा लाईबेरि समेत रहने र महिला समूह विद्यार्थीहरु बालबालिका उक्त केन्द्र मा आयर अध्ययन गर्ने सकिने गुड अर्थका रोसन झाले बताउनु भयो ।

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcBdm7-nqF0

KATHMANDU:  A division bench of justices Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana and Dambar Bahadur Shahi yesterday issued a verdict to quash the government decision, saying that Pemba Dorje Sherpa of Rolwaling, Dolakha failed to produce the substantial proof to authenticate his claim of climbing the world’s highest peak in eight hours and 10 minutes on 21 May 2004. The apex court issued an order for the annulment of the fastest Mt Everest ascent maintained in the name of Pemba Dorje in the government record after another climber Lakpa Gelu Sherpa who also claimed the summit record with a time of 10 hours and 56 minutes in 2003, challenged Pemba Dorje’s 2004 ascent to be the fastest Mt Everest climber.  The Guinness World Records had also awarded Sherpa with the certificate of the fastest climber after ‘thoroughly verifying’ his claims in 2004. “I am not aware of the SC order,” Sherpa, who had climbed Mt Everest along with another record holder climber Apa Sherpa in 2004, reacted. Petitioner Lakpa Gelu, who is now in US, was not available for comment. It is almost certain that the Sherpa mountaineer will be formally stripped of his title of the world’s fastest Mt Everest summitteer anytime soon. “The Department of Tourism will act as per the court ruling,” DOT’s director general Dinesh Bhattarai said, “The DoT has not formally received the court order.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRBxMvm49-M

The SC also found that the mountaineering division under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation issued a summit certificate to Sherpa without verifying the necessary evidences as per the Tourism Act and the Mountaineering Regulation. A Sherpa climber who holds the Guinness World Record in the Mt Everest climbing for 13 years is all set to lose his title after the Supreme Court invalidated the claims which he submitted to the government authorities while obtaining a summit certificate.

“Now, Lakpa Gelu holds the world record of the fastest Everest summiteer,” According to Khojindra Prasad Ghimire, who was present on behalf of Sherpa before the court, said. Sherpa had filed a case at SC against MoCTCA, Pemba Dorje and two others in December, 2013. The summit time is generally counted once a climber leaves from the base camp for the summit and back. Many veteran climbers considered that climbing Mt Everest in 8 or 10 hours was a mere joke. There were no liaison officer’s report as well as the photographic evidence which showed that Sherpa was at the top of Mt Everest within the stated timeframe, SC order stated.

प्रतिनिधि सभा तथा प्रदेश सभा निर्वाचन जन चेतना बिषेश सन्देशहरु

1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebw-kVctcPg

2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRBxMvm49-M

3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcBdm7-nqF0

4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSuIIzwB8yg

5.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTIuE9dtXqQ

HONOLULU, Hawaii – The Hawaiian Tourism Authority’s (HTA’s) Tourism Research Division issued findings showing hotel performance in the Aloha State continues on an upswing.

Hotels in the Hawaiian islands earned more revenue per available room (RevPAR) in October at $189 (+3.8%) compared to a year ago, according to the Hawaii Hotel Performance Report released today by theHTA. The growth in RevPAR was driven by a higher average daily rate (ADR) in October of $240 (+3.6%) by hotel properties statewide, as occupancies remained virtually unchanged from last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebw-kVctcPg

Luxury Class hotels achieved the best overall results on a statewide level in October of all hotel classes covered in the report compared to a year ago. Luxury Class hotels reported increases in RevPAR to $323 (+5.7%), ADR to $438 (+4.3%), and occupancy to 73.6 percent (+1.0 percentage points).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRBxMvm49-M

Midscale and Economy Class hotels also realized year-over-year growth in all three categories in October, with increases reported in RevPAR to $110 (+4.8%), ADR to $144 (+1.4%), and occupancy to 76.4 percent (+2.5 percentage points).

The other hotel classes covered by HTA’s Hawaii Hotel Performance Report – Upper Upscale Class, Upscale Class, and Upper Midscale Class – all reported growth in ADR compared to last October.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcBdm7-nqF0

Jennifer Chun of HTA commented, “October was a solid month in what has been a good year overall for hotel properties statewide that reflects the tourism industry’s ability to attract travelers at different price points, particularly visitors seeking high-end accommodations. This is especially true for neighbor island hotel properties, which are largely realizing excellent year-over-year growth in revenues generated on a per room basis.”

Chun was recently appointed as Director of Tourism Research for HTA, a position that takes effect on December 1. She has analyzed tourism data for more than 20 years and worked in HTA’s Tourism Research Division since 2014.

Among Hawaii’s four island counties, hotels in Maui County recorded the highest RevPAR in October at $221 (+7.0%), driven by a strong increase in ADR to $295 (+6.4%) year-over-year.

Hotels on the island of Hawaii earned the largest gain in RevPAR to $167 (+13%), boosted by increases in ADR to $229 (+5.6%) and occupancies to 72.9 percent (+4.7 percentage points).

Kauai hotels achieved the highest rate of growth in occupancy, up 6.0 percentage points in October year-over-year, completing the month at 77.1 percent occupancy.

Oahu hotels reported a slight decline in RevPAR at $182 (-0.5%) with an increase in ADR to $223 (+2%) offset by lower occupancy at 81.8 percent (-2.0 percentage points).

Hotels in Hawaii’s luxury resort areas produced good results in October compared to a year ago, with Wailea leading the state in growth of RevPAR to $350 (+17.3%) and ADR to $448 (+15.7%), with occupancy recording a small increase to 78.2 percent (+1.1 percentage points).

The Lahaina-Kaanapali-Kapalua resort area reported growth in RevPAR to $194 (+3.4%) and ADR to $252 (+2.1%) in October, with occupancy increasing slightly to 76.9 percent (+0.9 percentage points).

The Kohala Coast resort area reported strong growth in RevPAR to $214 (+13.9%) and ADR to $307 (+11.1%), with occupancy also increasing to 69.6 percent (+1.7 percentage points) in October.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSuIIzwB8yg

Year-to-Date 2017

Year-to-date through October 2017, Hawaii hotels collectively reported increases in RevPAR to $210 (+5.6%) and ADR to $261 (+4.4%), with occupancy at 80.3 percent (+0.9 percentage points) compared to the same period in 2016.

For the first 10 months of 2017, Luxury Class hotels reported overall increases in RevPAR to $387 (+7.3%) and ADR to $511 (+5.0%), with occupancy at 75.8 percent (+1.6 percentage points).

On the other end of the price spectrum, Midscale and Economy Class hotels earned increases in RevPAR to $117 (+3.9%) and ADR to $152 (+3.3%), but no growth in occupancy (76.8 percent) year-over-year.

On a monthly basis in 2017, hotels statewide generally outperformed 2016 numbers (Fig. 1) highlighted by a strong summer travel season with July producing peak ADR totals at $282 (+3.4%) and occupancy at 84.5 percent (+2.0%). These results were consistent with increases realized in visitor spending and visitor days for July.

In September, despite increased visitor volumes, hotels statewide averaged a lower ADR (-1.7%) and flat occupancy compared to September 2016. There was also a 38.0 percent drop in meetings, conventions and incentive visitors, a market that typically has a strong preference for hotels. A significant factor for this decrease was the Hawaii Convention Center’s hosting of the IUCN World Conservation Congress (10,000 delegates) and an insurance underwriter convention (11,000 delegates) in September 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTIuE9dtXqQ

Island Highlights:

• Oahu: Year-to-date through October, Oahu hotels reported the highest occupancy among the four island counties at 83.4 percent (-1.0 percentage points). Hotels reported an average increase in RevPAR to $193 (+1.7%) and ADR to $232 (+2.8%) through the first 10 months of 2017. On a monthly basis thus far in 2017, hotels have generally reported higher ADRs in 2017, while occupancies remained similar, compared to 2016 (Fig. 2). Hotels in Waikiki reported an ADR of $277 (+1.4%) and occupancy of 84.7 (-1.2 percentage points) year-to-date through October.

• Maui County: Hotels in Maui County led the state in ADR at $344, an increase of 7.6 percent, for the first 10 months of 2017. On a monthly basis, hotels have had higher ADRs and achieved generally higher occupancies than in 2016 (Fig. 3). Properties in the luxury resort area of Wailea led the state in both ADR at $520 (+9.2%) and occupancy at 85.0% (+4.0 percentage points).

• Island of Hawaii: Year-to-date through October, hotels on the island of Hawaii reported the largest average growth in occupancy statewide, increasing 5.5 percentage points to 74.4 percent occupancy. The growth was in line with increased visitor volumes reported through September, due largely to the new nonstop flights from Japan and the U.S. mainland added within the past year. However, despite this growth, average hotel occupancy was the lowest of the four island counties. On a monthly basis, hotels achieved significantly higher occupancies through October than in 2016 (Fig. 4). During this period, hotels collectively increased ADR to $245 (+3.6%). ADRs were also higher each month in 2017, year-over-year, with the exception of September.

• Kauai: Through the first 10 months of 2017, hotels on Kauai had a higher ADR at $262 (+4.3%) and experienced higher occupancy at 77.2 percent (+3.9 percentage points) compared to the same period in 2016. Hotels achieved a higher ADR in each month of 2017 (Fig. 5) and, except for July, recorded higher occupancy year-over-year compared to 2016.  STR, Inc. conducted the research of hotel properties in the Hawaiian Islands. Source : eturbonews