Rock Climbing Gear Bag Essentials: What You Should Always Pack for a Day on the Wall

Rock climbing is an exhilarating sport that challenges both the mind and body. Preparation is vital to ensuring a successful and safe experience. One of the most critical aspects of preparation for any climb is the gear you decide to take with you.

Whether you are a seasoned mountaineer or a novice scaler of rocks, knowing what to pack in your gear bag can make all the difference between an enjoyable day on the wall and an emergency descent.

Read on to learn what to pack for rock climbing gear bag essentials.

Must-Have Rock Climbing Gear Bag Essentials

Regarding rock climbing, the right gear can mean the difference between a successful and disastrous climb. Here are some essential items that you should always have in yo…

Shelley Covel Rowland: Living in the Shadows of Fame

When one thinks of the name Toby Keith, it’s almost impossible not to conjure up images of a country music powerhouse. With countless chart-topping hits and a career that spans decades, Keith has left an indelible mark on the music industry. Yet, behind the glittering façade of this musical giant, there’s a figure who has chosen a path of quietude and privacy: Shelley Covel Rowland.

Early Life

Shelley Covel Rowland was born into a world where fame and fortune were the norms. As the eldest child of Toby Keith, she was thrust into the limelight from day one. Growing up in a household where the spotlight was always on, Shelley experienced the pressures and perks of celebrity life from a young age. Her father’s illustrious career meant t…

HEALTH: Seeking Funds to Fight Neglected Diseases

Fabiana Frayssinet

RIO DE JANEIRO, Mar 31 2010 (IPS) – Experts from around the world are trying to attract attention to deadly but little-known illnesses, such as Chagas disease, visceral leishmaniasis and sleeping sickness, that have been neglected by the pharmaceutical industry.
So-called neglected tropical diseases, which also include malaria, dengue fever and schistosomiasis, in conjunction with tuberculosis are responsible for 11.4 percent of the global burden of illness, but only 1.3 percent of the 1,556 new drugs registered between 1975 and 2004 were specifically developed for these diseases.

Pharmaceutical laboratories give these diseases zero priority, Tania Araújo-Jorge, head of the state Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), told IPS.

The Brazilian Fo…

CHINA: Stigma Stays Despite Lifting of Ban on People with HIV

Kit Gillet

BEIJING, Apr 29 2010 (IPS) – China s lifting of its longstanding ban on foreign visitors with HIV removes a restriction that many Chinese doctors and activists find discriminatory, but erasing the stigma attached with the virus remains one of the biggest challenges ahead in facing the disease.
The lifting of the ban was announced on Apr. 27, one month after the country refused entry to Australian author Robert Dessaix, who had included his HIV- positive status on a visa application to China.

A statement released by the Chinese State Council on Tuesday said that, after careful research, government officials had concluded that the ban had an extremely limited effect on preventing and controlling the pandemic within the country. Officials also said that the ba…

LIBERIA: Chronic Malnutrition Blamed on Mothers

Bonnie Allen and Clara K. Mallah*

MONROVIA, Sep 22 2010 (IPS) – Mercy Freeman sits on a small hospital cot in one of Liberia s emergency hospitals, looking down at her frail son, whose dark eye sockets have sunk into his bony face.
Nearly forty percent of Liberian children under five are malnourished. Credit: Bonnie Allen/IPS

Nearly forty percent of Liberian children under five are malnourished. Credit: Bonnie Allen/IPS

He just started getting thin and thin[ner]. I do not know what is happening, that is why I brought him to the hospital, the 18-year-old single mother says, …

Q&A: “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights”

Joan Erakit interviews UNFPA Executive Director BABATUNDE OSOTIMEHIN

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 11 2013 (IPS) – On Thursday, the international community recognises World Population Day, a time of assessment, discussion and projections for the future that necessarily gives great weight to the rights of women and girls and particularly their sexual and reproductive health.

Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin. Credit: UNFPA

Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin. Credit: UNFPA

This past week, the Netherlands has been host to the (ICPD) where equality and the rights of every person have been highlighted.

“Women’s rights are human rights,” the executive director of the (UNFPA), Dr. Baba…

Why Investors Should Think Twice before Investing in Coal in India – Part 2

This is the second of a two-part article analysing India’s plans to double coal production by the end of this decade. The article, by Chaitanya Kumar, South Asia Team Leader of 350.org, which is building a global climate movement through online campaigns, grassroots organising and mass public actions, offers four reasons why investors and the Indian government should be really wary of investing in coal for the long run. The first part, which was run on Mar. 18, dealt with the first two reasons; this second part looks at the final two.

Coal mining in India. Coal-fired plants contribute 60 percent of India’s energy capacity and are a large source of the air pollution t…

The Curious Case of Covid-19 in Africa

Eunice G. Kamwendo is an Economist and Strategic Advisor with UNDP Africa in New York. Chaltu Daniel Kalbessa is a UNDP Fellow and Strategic Analyst with UNDP Africa in New York.

NEW YORK, Jun 3 2020 (IPS) – With very weak health systems and overall capacity constraints to effectively respond to the deadly coronavirus disease, Africa’s fate against the invisible enemy, was going to be nothing short of catastrophic according to early predictions. Although Africa is yet to reach its peak, many countries are not seeing the exponential growth in case numbers, or in mortality rates as seen in other regions of the world. So far, the continent has the lowest mortality rates with higher recovery rates globally.

Why We Need More Women in Power

Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim

NEW DELHI, India, Jun 7 2021 (IPS) – What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you read the words, women and power? The accepted wisdom is that women can be powerful, but not without the constant reference to their gender which is often based on a set of unconscious biases towards them. Is she competent enough, effective, articulate without being too assertive or too aggressive. Is she a straightjacket, is she too emotional, will her family life impact her work or vice versa. Is she smart enough to camouflage her intelligence, is she ready for a key position, is it worth making her powerful?

Across the world we do see …

Three Ways to End Gender-based Violence

Testing new approaches for preventing gender-based violence to galvanize more and new partners and resources. Credit: UN Women

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 30 2022 (IPS) – How are the multiple shocks and crises the world is facing changing how we respond to gender-based violence? Almost three years after the COVID-19 pandemic triggered high levels of violence against women and girls, the recent (SVRI) shed some light on the best ways forward.

Bringing together over 1,000 researchers, practitioners, policymakers and activists in Cancún, Mexico, the forum highlighted new research on what works to stop and address one of the most widespread violations of human rights.