mattp

Allright then. Book reports due tomorrow.

Here's some news you might not want to miss: FRONTLINE INVESTIGATES VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY'S ROLE AS CHIEF ARCHITECT OF THE WAR ON TERROR AND HIS BATTLE WITH THE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE FOR CONTROL OF THE "DARK SIDE" FRONTLINE presents THE DARK SIDE Tuesday, June 20, 2006, 9 to 10:30 P.M. ET on PBS

Olympic National Park News Release June 13, 2006 For Immediate Release Barb Maynes 360-565-3005 Olympic National Park Invites Public Review and Comment on Draft General Management Plan The Olympic National Park Draft General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (Draft GMP/EIS) has been released for public review and comment, announced Superintendent Bill Laitner today. The 90-day public comment will begin this Friday, June 16 and continue through September 15, 2006. “This is a long-term, comprehensive plan that sets a course for the park over the next 15 to 20 years,” explained Laitner. “We encourage anyone interested in the future of Olympic National Park to review the plan during the next 90 days and provide us with their thoughts and input.” The Draft GMP/EIS provides extensive information about current conditions in Olympic National Park, including visitor facilities and access, natural and cultural resources and the park’s role within the surrounding region. In addition, the document describes a no-action alternative and three different action alternatives for managing the park, including the National Park Service’s preferred alternative. The environmental impacts of each alternative are also analyzed. The NPS preferred alternative aims to protect natural and cultural resources while improving visitor experiences and was developed using components of the other alternatives and the extensive public input provided earlier in the planning process. Key points of the NPS preferred alternative include: · Access to existing developed areas, along with park trails, campgrounds, and facilities would be kept at approximately their current levels. · Improvements to the downhill ski support facilities at Hurricane Ridge could be made, with no area expansion or increase in use above current (normal year) use levels. · Three boundary adjustments are considered (in the Lake Crescent, Ozette and Queets areas) to better protect watersheds and habitat for wildlife including fish and elk. These may include purchases from willing sellers only and/or possible land exchanges with the U.S. Forest Service and the State of Washington Department of Natural Resources. · Kalaloch Lodge, cabins, and related facilities would be relocated outside the active erosion and channel migration zones and outside the floodplain of Kalaloch Creek. · The visitor information station at Kalaloch would be removed and a multi-agency facility would be constructed to better serve the needs of the visiting public. This facility would feature the coastal marine and cultural resources of the area. · The Hoh Visitor Center may be improved to provide a higher quality visitor experience. · Parkwide policies for wilderness management are proposed, setting the foundation for the Wilderness Management Planning process, now scheduled to begin in late 2007. Even when completed, a GMP does not guarantee funding for implementing the approved plan. Once completed, the plan will provide guidance and a long-term vision for park management and incremental steps will be taken to reach park management goals and objectives. The 400-page draft plan is available in a variety of formats for public review. The Draft GMP/EIS is available online at the National Park Service planning website 1. http://parkplanning.nps.gov.

We've covered this before, but an "overhand" knot (I think it is actually a "double overhand" and it is also called a "water knot") is not the same thing as a "Euro Death Knot." An overhand knot has the tails sticking out opposite ends of the knot and is tied by making a single overhand, then following through with the other rope; the EDK has both tails sticking out the same side of the knot and is tied by taking two ropes and tying a single overhand on both strands. Many of my friends, wary of rappelling on an EDK, are quite happy with the double overhand. EDK Water Knot

Where you say "you believe" the Whitehouse denied it, are you referring to statements like this, from Scott McClellan? Link ? Strong stuff. NOT. "He had 56 out of a required 56 points..." Hmm - the questions remain: did he miss all those drills and refuse or fail to show up for a physical or not? Public documents and virtually all the evidence we've seen make it pretty clear that he enjoyed the privilege that comes with being the son of a powerful man and didn't fulfill because he didn't have to. And the Swifties? Seriously, Fairweather. You are smart enough to know that was crap. Your blind allegience is charming but on any argument over who served our country and who didn't, or who showed bravery and honor and who didn't, you might not want to be so swashbuckling.

Feel free to answer my question, Fairweather. Do you even read the newspapers or do you get everything from Fox and Limbaugh? Did you even know what story the Rather thing delt with - that your commander in chief did not fulfull his service oblitations? Is your post above meant to suggest that there is doubt that he failed to do so?

Miles, Coltrane, Bird, or Monk? Now you'd be talking!

I use to have (maybe still do) some "special" remaster or golden whatever it was of JA's Volunteers, and boy did it suck. It seems to me that with a fair amount of older music and a good turntable, the old vinyl's sound as good or better than the cd's even though they do have dust and scratches on them. By the way: "have you ever loved a woman" and "Key to the Highway"

I've always liked Scaleburger, and the collection of antique saws in the store next door is pretty cool.

Maybe they should just give a link to cc.com and say that everything you need to know can be found here.

Gary: It would not be slander to offer an opinion such as "in my view, it is not a good idea to climb icy slopes without a belay... blah blah blah. That is a statement of opinion. It might be slander to say "that kid died because he violated a rope closure" when in fact he did not. It is only slander when the statement is false.

Have you ever seen me argue for a pull out? What would give you the idea that I would call for it? I'm not sure pulling out would be a good plan. I know there are those who say that our presence there is actually fomenting violence and that we are not making progress, and perhaps it would be a good idea to pull out if this is true and if there is little or no prospect to turn things around. But we are not getting anything resembling real information upon which I can make such a call. Based on what I know of the situation, I think the only real defensible position would be that we are there as long as the government of Iraq wants us. As long as we're saying that we've installed a democratically elected government to replace the former regime of terror, and sovereign democracies are what we want to see in the region, I believe we ought to respect our rhetoric. My guess is the Iraqi government would like us to stay for a while. If, of course, we are there for some other objectives, such a policy statement won't fly because if they asked us to leave, we would refuse to do so. But I think this position is a lot more sensible than some "pull the troops out by December 31" type of statement. In my view, "we're not going to tell anybody what our objectives are or what are plans are," when we unilatteraly started a completely optional war that has severely undercut stability in an important part of the world and is killing tens of thousands as well as probably increasing the prospects for international terrorism doesn't cut it.

Yes, that Thin Fingers pitch is great. Index has lots of great stuff. But for 6 great pitches in a row, Davis Holland/Lovin Arms is hard to beat. Both of the S. Face Prussik routes are great, too, and the setting is better, but for Just Plain Classic Rock Climbing do the Davis Holland Lovin Arms!

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I think it is the best 5.10 climb in Washington. Every pitch is good, and all are different.

the first pitch is often wet. What did you think of that second pitch?

Crux, I haven't looked at the details of that story, but I don't think I'd feel warm and fuzzy about the cngresional Republicans if I were in the military. After all, your commander in chief sent troops to Iraq with completely inadequate equipment and troop numbers, and made sure any general who told him so got sacked. And the Republican congress keeps backing this guy and all they can say is "stay the course." Don't get me wrong, howvever: I'm not necessarily much more confident in the Democrats. But we sure have not seen any success with Republican leadership.

Back at you, Fairweather. Do you even read the newspaper? They spun off swiftvote vets for smear to divert attention, but nobody from BushCo really even tried to deny that your buddy George skipped out on his duties.

Still not following you. Or maybe I am. The story that Rather got fried for was absolutely true. The document he waived in front of the camera was apparently a forgery, but the story it told was absolutely true. The White House did such a good job manipulating and distorting things that the main story that came out in everybody's mind was "Rather was biased" rather than "Bush shirked his duties." Good point.

I'm not following you there, PP.

That is a great reason to go to war and it is turning out really well. Fairweather for President in 2008!

You apparently agree with the neocons who said they wanted to invade Iraq from day one of the Bush presidency, back when they were complaining that the outgoing Clinton folks were obsessed with terrorism and saying that we shouldn't engage in "nation building?"

I agree. I saw a climber dropped when the end of the rope went through somebody's gri gri during lowering off, and I've seen people chasing rolling packs, dogs unleashed, and lord knows what all.

Aha. Turn bout is fair play. You are "improving" your posts just as I am (I would say that I only edit for grammer and similar matters, not for actual content, and that you actually sought to strengthen your argument, but we could have a whole tangential debate about that, I'm sure). OK then, moving on... What do you actually think Rove may have done or not done?

Fairweather, I don't now about the "reply to" lines, but I distinctly got the impression you were replying to my post when you referred to Vince Foster in immediate reply to where I mentioned him. And I don't see where he was previously mentioned by any party to this thread. Silly me. Carry on with your whatever.

Fairweather makes the Element sound OK. Has anyone here used one for 100,000 miles? I'm curious - maybe this is a good car.