mattp

I am a believer in down. Yes, you have to pay more attention to keeping it dry, but I have very rarely had problems in this regard. My Feathered Friends down sweater with a very light shell fabric DOES get wet and flatten even on a short trip, so I rarely use it. I have a Wild Things synthetic that is similar in weight and I have never thought it performed particularly well though it does dry faster when it gets wet. Light is not right for me with respect this particular piece of gear. I have had no problem at all with my cheapo crude down jacket with a relatively heavy fabric shell or with my more expensive Feathered Friends down jacket with a waterproof breathable shell. I don't wear them in rain, and if it is cold enough I'm wearing them while actively climbing I find it is generally not wet enough that they are getting soaked -- at least not from the outside (maybe from sweat or wearing wet clothes inside them). I routinely carry my down jacket near the top of my pack or stuffed inside a side zipper where I pull it out and put it away a lot and most of the time I end up wearing it at rest stops or at camp.

Regardless of whether you think TVash is being bombastic or not, Alhalteke, wouldn't you say that the last 50 years of history pretty clearly debunk the Reagan-Bush-McCain idea that U.S. military dominance will get what we want and diplomacy is for chumps? I know you like the strong posturing they suggest, but can you really say it has worked or will work?

I'd like to see some more serious discussion of the surge. Here's a start: Guardian editorial It's be refreshing to see McCain and Obama talk about these matters with a recognition that it is not as simple as "we can win," or "we should get out with dignity."

Threats of violence do not become you, Akhalteke.

Yup. A good read. Thanks, Romancewriter. For sure, one of the fundamental differences between Obama and McCain is that Obama HAS said he'd apologize to the world for what George Bush has done and he HAS said that the U.S. cannot aspire to dominate the globe militarily whereas McCain has said that we can and should dominate the world and that we have nothing to apologize for. The writer suggests Obama's position in this regard would be the weaker of the two. I disagree.

It'll be interesting to see if it works. Palin was saying, just a few short months ago, that Hilary should suck it up and stop complaining about being a victim of sexism in the media, and McCain called Hilary's healthcare plan "a pig that is still a pig" if you put lipstick on it. Now, in their first introduction of Palin they have her entire family on stage and she tells how proud she is of her oldest son going to Iraq and how her keeping a downs baby shows her family values - but nobody is supposed to talk about her pregnant teenage daughter? Obama is not supposed to use the same phrase McCain did? Is this really going to work?

Yes: "How to follow the discussion" by Ucan Doit.

just like dmuja in the healthcare - current thread? You sure know how to tell a lie.

Hear here.

Can you cite examples of routes where you think the FA's deliberately took a harder line up a feature that would otherwise have been climbed at a lower grade? On larger mountain routes I bet this is relatively rare. Sure, in the case of Mr. Monkey's recent climb they may have climbed 5.10 where they could have traversed off the ridge and found a 4th class gully, but is this a contrivance or were they simply climbing the ridge as they found it and their abilities allowed?

I think tanstaffl has a point with regard the likelihood that easier lines tend to follow crack systems and broken terrain where vegetation can more easily take hold and I have gone out looking for easy new routes of, say, a 5.8 grade and had difficulty finding something that I thought was worthy. I also think there is a tendency for those pursuing new routes to want to seek lines closer to their own limits than climbs that are much easier. Most of those developing crag climbs and exploring alpine rock climb at least 5.10 and a 5.10 climber is generally going to be more excited about a new 5.10 line than a 5.6 one.

Thanks for YOUR brilliant analysis, DeChristo. So far you've joined others in making absolutely no counter argument other than that she has been unfairly targeted for criticism.

Yeah, she did "misspeak" about Freddie and Fannie this weekend. She is said to be a hard worker and is studying real hard, but she's got a lot to catch up on real quick if she calls "being in charge of the Alaska National Guard" leadership experience, isn't sure that global warming is caused by humans, and doesn't know that we are now talking about publicly bailing out formerly private sector Fannie and Freddie.

It is interesting, don't you think, that Palin drew more attention and more cheers at the convention than McCain, and that most people are saying that her selection gave McCain a big boost? If an idealogue from the right wing fringe is such a great choice for a candidate that was already war mongering and a social conservative, maybe Obama doesn't need to keep trying to jog center. He should be looking for a photo op with Naomi Klein.

That is probably a better way to look at polls, Eldiente, but no matter how you look at it I think we are probably in for another close election where the results may turn on events that sway public opinion but may or may not have to do with a consideration of which candidate will likely make a better president. If we see some scandal connected with Obama, for example, it may drive voters away from him whether it is real or manufactured or has anything to do with his abilities as a leader. If we get a health scare about McCain, whether or not it has real likelihood to affect his competence for the next four years, same thing. Everybody says international crisis favors McCain, but not if McCain is perceived as responding in a misguided fashion whereas Obama looks more "presidential," whatever that means. And then there is the nagging problem of voting "irregularities" that the Republican supporters scoff at. This will be an interesting election and, as much as I shouldn't say anything nice about the bad guys, even McCain/Palin is probably a shade better than Bush/Cheney. I hope this election is decided on "issues" not "values," and I hope that Americans start paying more attention to all of this.

I don't think it was "against" anything when Obama's kids were talking to him from the stage of the Democratic convention and it certainly wasn't "against Palin" as she hadn't even been announced. To the extent that your rhetorical comment had any substance, Alkatete, can you cite an example where any kind of spokseman from the Democratic party has slammed Palin for "family values," or is it just the cc.com spray elite and some late night comedians who have you all concerned?

It gets amusing where the Democrats are running on family values and the Republicans on "change."

I agree that we should all select climbs that suit our particular taste, Jared, but I don't think Nooksak or Index are unduly "scariest/poorly protected/loosey-goosey" when compared to climbs of similar length and setting elsewhere such as the Canadian Rockies or Coast Range, or even maybe the Tetons. Yes, you can find solid cracks from bottom to top of some granite peak in the Bugaboos or the Sierra, but on the grand funkness scale these are not terrible or terrifying climbs. They are, however, Cascade classics. Big Four, North Face, in winter is another classic worthy of mention.

People USED to climb the Sitkum route "all the time." Here is some more current information: current thread

I fixed the link, maybe.

She's a maverick and she'll bring reform to Washington. Change is on the way. Palin's stall: Governor is stonewalling the Troopergate investigation

OK lets start with McCain Feingold. A roving success you say? And then lets move on to your second point. The fact that you don't think Obama has shown leadership demonstrates that McCain is a maverick?

The major policy positions coming from the maverick are exactly what? Let's drill out or own oil reserves, we can win the war in Iraq, and trickle down economics will somehow magically become effectrive? Oh yes: reform. That and the Democrats are responsible for big government. Sure sounds like a maverick to me.