freeclimb9

Who cares?

Godzilla is kind of cliche. But it's a great pitch.

In Kirkuk, the Kurds knocked a statue of Saddam down on their own. The Kurds, who under the protection of the US and British enforced no-fly zone, set up their own goverment. The Kurds kick ass, IMO.

I read about this in the LA Times. Stupid western reporters were shaken down by the director general of the information ministry. He had threatened to shut down the foreign television networks Tuesday night unless they paid up so-called service fees to pay for the reporter's minders. He collected $200,000 in cash and disappeared. What idiots.

As I watched the marines use their vehicle to topple the statue of Saddam today, I thought it was a shame. I think they should've let the Iraqis work on it; let them do it themselves. Much like the Germans went after the Berlin wall. It might have taken days, but it would've been all their own work. It's easy to let someone else (like Uncle Sam) do the heavy lifting, but more satisfying to do it for yourself. And it would have been an accurate symbol of what the Iraqis will need to do in the coming months and years. As Ben Franklin said, work begets work.

one of the first was Heavy Metal Sunday at the US festival in 83, San Berdoo. Just me and 250,000 metal heads.

Tongue tacos are awesome. I stay away from the brains nowadays.

Blue corn for the gordos. BTW, most corn torts have some harina in them to hold it all together.

Bluewater Energizer would be a great all-around rope, IMO. The one rope I bought that wasn't a Bluewater sucks. I use it only for sportclimbing. Double 8.8s, 10.5, and 10mm all made in GA by the Newells.

I've had a WM bivy bag for 23 years, so I vouch for their durability. I don't have personal experience with FF, but have met some friendly employees.

I did Liberty Ridge some years back (first week of May). We were the only party on it, so I can't relate to the "50 crowded climbs" moniker. From the Rolex ad, according to Jean Claude Killy, "in skiing as in life, timing is everything). I'd like to romp up the N. ridge of Stuart this year.

j_b, if the coalition forces were out to waste civilians, they're doing a lousy job of it.

Don't assume more bar tacks means a stronger sewn sling. There's a point of diminishing return with bartacking since the stitching process itself weakens the webbing. As far as I know, Bluewater has the strongest sewn slings. They sew with spectra via a process that cools the needle to prevent thread melting.

Revenge for small and large disputes has begun in Iraq. I predict thousands will be killed. Grim.

Life insurance? I don't even have health insurance.

f'in bastighes. Swiss mofos are suck.

Go through Ibex on your way. Expect to get spanked.

paraphrase: intelligence is like a 4WD; it just gets you out to a more remote place before you get stuck.

I've got Tecnica boots, and I think they're of low to medium volume (i.e. not wide). You can't really tell unless you try them on.

Naturally you're alone. There's no reason for learning recipes if you've got a woman to do it. That's why I'm a decent cook.

Atta boy. You'll make a good wife someday.

Try pulling a sling off your shoulder with ice-tools in hand, or chickenwinging an OW, and you'll learn a lot about "waste of energy".

I like Bluewater sewn spectra runners (the only company I know of that sews with spectra) in 6" and 24" lengths. The 12" runners just aren't that useful, IMO. How many of each depends on the route, but a normal trad rack will have a half dozen 6" quickdraws and fifteen shoulder slings (which triple nicely, BTW) for use with the free 'biners on the rack.

Quote of the day from Chris Hines, Houston Chronicle: "A war that can claim Peter Arnett and Geraldo Rivera as collateral damage is not a pointless exercise."