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Hats off to them P.s its not father and son. Sorry for misleading title Chinese boy, 11, who lost legs in car accident, just fails in attempt to climb sacred mountain with his hands http://m.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2018383/chinese-boy-11-who-lost-legs-car-accident-just-fails-attempt Chinese boy Gao Zhiyu, 11, climbed 900 metres up Mount Lao, in China’s eastern Shandong province, before having to stop because of severe blister. Photo: SCMP Pictures. A Chinese boy of 11 who lost his legs in a car accident has just failed in his attempt to climb to the top of a more than 1,100 metre-high sacred mountain – just using his arms and hands, mainland media reports. Gao Zhiyu had been trying to reach the summit of Mount Lao, the birthplace of Taoism, in Qingdao, on the coast of the Shandong Peninsula, Qingdao Evening News reported. He managed to reach a height of 900 metres – using wooden boxes held in his hands as “shoes” as he climbed the route made of stone steps – before giving up his attempt because of severe blisters on his hands. “If I was given more time, I could slowly climb to the summit ... next time, I must make it to the top,” Gao, from Qingdao, was quoted by the newspaper as saying. He was accompanied on his first attempt at climbing a mountain by Chen Zhou, a man who also lost both his legs in an accident. Chen has walked to more than 700 cities on the mainland on his hands. The self-help lecturer has also climbed to the top of more than 100 mountains, including Mount Tai and Mount Huang. Chen said he had felt obliged to try to give Gao a little support when he heard about his planned climb up the mountain. He said it was a shame that Gao did not make it to the summit. “I don’t think he is trying to conquer nature, nor other people. All the challenges he takes on are just to conquer his own fears about his limitations,” he said. Bad weather during their climb, including a thunderstorm and heavy rain, had make their attempt very difficult, the report said. The steps up the mountain were also steep and winding, and became slippery from the rain. After they had reached a height of 500 metres the climbers both needed to take a rest after almost every turn. The two began their climb at 9.30am on Saturday, but by 3.30pm Gao had to admit defeat because of the severe blisters on his hands.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/S...ory_792089.html SMRT to spend about $900 million to tackle MRT woes A systematic upgrade of the North-South and East-West MRT lines will roll out from this year and be completed by 2020 or so. The plan, designed to make Singapore's oldest metro lines more robust, is expected to cost around $900 million, possibly more. Rail operator SMRT Corp announced the upgrade at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon after a spate of embarrassing breakdowns took place over the last two weeks. To be carried out in stages, the plan includes replacing all metal claws holding the power-supplying 'third rail' up with the latest type that can be bolted down and are far more resistant to vibration than the claws in use today. A system will also be put in place that measures track vibration levels. Older trains will also have their propulsion systems replaced. About half of the 128 trains plying the North-South and East-West lines are 25 years old. The signalling systems of both lines will also be replaced with newer systems. Besides being more reliable, they will also allow trains to run at a higher frequency to better cater to peak-hour crowds. The most tedious part of the plan involves replacing all the rail sleepers - timber or concrete pieces that hold up the tracks. This will start this year, and take up to 2020 or so. SMRT said disruptions in the last two weeks were caused by electrical as well as mechanical faults. The Circle Line breakdown on April 18 was caused by a short circuit of the communications network. the system tripped because of a 'defective power cable'. East-west line disruptions on April 13 and 17 were caused by faulty air compressors, while another breakdown on April 8 was caused by power loss to an obstacle detection system. The cost of the upgrading - the biggest and most comprehensive since the MRT trains started running 25 years ago - will be borne by both SMRT and the Land Transport Authority. The two lines will be closed in stages to facilitate works. Who's going to pay for it? My guess is either communters or govt payout