TarHeelEMT

I was just out there last week. Stone is always a fun, if scary, place to climb.

Are the fees that are frequently in controversy around here inclusive of the NW Forest Pass? I've only been up in yall's area of the country for climbing twice, and that and the entry fee to Olympic NP are the only fees I've ever had to pay. I've never had to pay a fee to climb down south, so I'm curious to know a bit more about the issue.

I suppose that would depend on whether or not you include public health programs, health and physical education, and others under the umbrella of what you consider health care.

Yes, but sensible policies are so 1950s. Get with the times, man!

For the first - American training for physicians is widely considered to be some of the best in the world, and those who can afford to receive comprehensive care from American physicians benefit. Here you are attempting to evaluate physician quality by public health outcomes, which is incorrect, as physician quality plays only a minor role when talking about infant mortality, average life span, people with chronic diseases, etc.. Those are measures of access to health care, health care education, nutrition, etc., at which our performance is woeful. For the second - Again, you're using public health measures to evaluate quality of care. That's all well and good, but those are not the measures with which Republicans typically would concern themselves when evaluating quality of care available. You were asking how they could possibly think our health care is the best, and I told you. If you have full access to it, it is the best, and that's the measure they're using to make their determination. Public health measures are of only secondary importance to this point of view. They're saying it's the best if you have access to it. You're saying it's not good unless everyone has access to it. It's a value judgment, not something you can argue by throwing public health statistics at them.

Aside from it being ugly, I don't really see what there is to complain about in the way of decency.

I suppose the argument would focus around the fact that we develop a hugely disproportionate share of medical advances and therapies. Our medical training also is considered to be the best in the world, and likewise our doctors. If you are unconcerned with health care distribution and consider only the quality of treatment available once you get to it, then the US is pretty solidly at the top. It all comes down to differing opinions on what constitutes good health care.

I'm not the most political person in the world, but I can't for the life of me figure what's wrong with the president extolling the virtues of education to our nation's schoolchildren.

Thankfully I've never dropped anything worse than a belay device or a biner full of tricams.

Appalachia is a craaaaaazy place. It's fun, though, and anything homogeneous in people and culture. Totally different breed from us Piedmont rednecks.

Interesting thought, genepires. Personally, I hope the culture of liability prevention doesn't ever extend so far as to keep rangers from doing their job. Lord knows we need them. Hopefully this ranger won't have any permanent injury.

Awesome. Closer to Asheville, I'd also recommend Linville Gorge. It has several climbing areas and some great classics. It's also some of the most dramatic terrain you'll find on the east coast. If you're looking for stuff that's technically difficult and long (10+ pitches), Whiteside Mountain southwest of Asheville has some of the most challenging and dangerous climbing in the south. The first pitch of the "standard" route is an entirely unprotected 5.7 or 5.8. I've never climbed there, but it's the goal I'm working towards.

I saw part of it at the traveling show for the Banff Film Festival. Awesome stuff.

It has very few features, but rock shoes stick to it surprisingly well.

Stone is a bit far from Asheville, but there is some awesome climbing close to town. Hope you like trad - we don't really do sport here. http://www.southeastclimbing.com/climbing_areas/north_carolina/gen_north_carolina.htm