arlen

Voter initiatives, right or left Fox canceling Andy Richter Control The Universe York-alike weenie rockers Muse

Cat's away--the rats are gonna play

1. Privileged whiners 2. Dilbert, and the Ayn Rand "philosophy" it's based on 3. 180dB flight attendant announcements at 4:30 a.m. 4. Two miles of dry road behind 100 yards of impassible snow

A combo of rain and wind made it sag and flap too much. For whatever reason, tyvek hasn't had that problem as much.

It's easier to sew if you fold masking tape over the seam first. The needle gets gummed up pretty fast, but I got fewer skipped stitches that way. Instead of a grommet, you can always double over the corner and use the rock-and-loop-of-string method. A little duct tape keeps it from sliding off. I used a silnylon tarp for a couple backpacking trips and decided it stretches too much, even with catenary-cut seams. Tyvek is better all around--except for weight.

I don't agonize over the numbers anymore. For a given size, the rope that handles best, is the best.

It's impressive to know your way across town on the surface streets, but it's not always smarter to take them.

"STELLA!!!" "STELLA!!!"

flashing lights help drivers know you're there, but solid lights/stationary reflectors help them know where you are.

old & new

I use a Petzl Microscender. It won't pop off, it has a cam instead of teeth (theoretically it'd absorb some of a big fall force by sliding to a stop), and it slides easier than a prussik going up or a toothed ascender going down. It feels good catching a fall, but sitting back on it is kinda scary at first. But this thread shoulda been over with soon as someone mention the Yates Rocker

My unstoppable Kerry Breaux fighting technique will defeat your inferior Bush Giuliani technique.

Idea 1: I wanna take the last breath I'm entitled to, so no free soloing for me, thanks. I'd look up that partner that always got on my nerves, and make sure I'm on the exposed pitch of a sweet big route when it's time to get room temperature. Let 'em figure out what to do next. Idea 2: I'd spend 17 cents on a postcard to the return address that explains how heads don't just explode but thanks for the coinage.

toucheé!

Autism possibly linked to testosterone According to researchers from Cambridge University, UK, babies who produce high levels of testosterone while they are still in the womb have a higher chance of showing traits of autism later on. These findings could one day lead to screening tests. The findings also indicate that autism is, as many have suspected, a genetic condition. Many believe that autism is an extreme form of male behaviour (US spelling: behavior). The findings of this research seem to lean towards this theory. 70 women underwent amniocentesis when they were pregnant. Testosterone levels were taken. Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, team leader, was able to follow up on their babies when they were four years old. Professor Cohen studied 70 children. When the infants became four-year-old toddlers their parents were asked to complete a checklist. This checklist was designed to record any signs of behavioural and social difficulties. Basically, the checklist was designed to pick up on signs associated with autism. Professor Baron-Cohen said: "Those who had a high level of testosterone also found it more difficult to fit into new social groups." Cohen was speaking at the British Psychological Society’s annual meeting. He also commented that the children whose mothers had high levels of testosterone in their wombs were less curious than the other kids (whose mothers did not). He also added that these kids were not autistic. However, he noted a link between foetal testosterone levels and faint signs of autistic-like traits. He said that the 12 month-old babies whose mothers had raised levels of testosterone in their wombs (during the pregnancy) were less willing to make eye contact. Professor Baron-Cohen said: "What I am doing is testing this idea that autism might be an extreme of the male brain. It's showing that the sexes are different. It's not about one being better than the other. You're going to find individuals who are not typical of either sex."

Tribal catch limits are adjusted, sometimes more frequently than commercial or sport fishing. It's just that they're done by the appropriate agencies--federal, supra-tribal (like NWIFC) and tribal--rather than typically state agencies, although they cooperate with them. And they're separate from a lot of the rule-making process that commercial and sport fishing industries can influence. In any case, tribal fisheries are responsible for a lot of habitat improvements that benefit all fishing on the rivers, and they directly benefit sport fishermen by letting them fish on the rez at all.

You can beat your head against it all you want, but it's a legal reality, Greg. Besides, fishing tribes have multiple levels of regulation on their fishing practices, and they were here doing it for a living before "sportsmen" had a sport.

Get your own treaty, dumbass.

If your car can't handle pulling a trailer up and over two big mountain ranges, just rent a moving van and tow your car behind it.

PC is easy to spell when you can't make a real point. IMHO it's not about what predates what, or which definitions of "mechanical" you can think up in order to shift blame to somebody else's form of transportation. It's up to the relevant agencies to intrepret the definitions in the Act according to what makes sense. It makes no sense to equate a 27 speed bicycle to a canoe, especially in terms of their likely impact by a few on other users in general. And it sounds to me like that's what your gripe is--private liberties vs the public good. I don't think there's much cover for that sentiment in the Wilderness Act.

I bike a lot in Capitol Forest and I hike anywhere the hell but there. Hiking is allowed, but CF's a "working forest," which means there are clearcut operations all over the place, and it's just not much fun for hikers. That seems to have been a good solution for hiker-biker conflicts, and it lets at least some people use the public forests that are leased off to timber companies. The open areas are usually dryer than under the trees so it suits bikers just fine. So let 'em ride on the patchy clearcuts and leave the 100% woodsy stuff to folks who appreciate it. Forcing MTBers to ride downhill on slicks would get somebody injured the first day you figured out how to enforce something like that. Squishy bikes with aggressive treads do reduce skidding, but the object is to let you fricken fly down the trail. I've run up on hikers a couple times, and "natural" or not, it's just not a fair encounter. I hate to whine about one policy by blaming another policy, but it seems like the best solution is to manage biking on the public lands that are being timbered and keep bikes out of wilderness lands.

When this thread gets moved to spray

It's typical sandstone. The approach is pretty straightforward if you find the right roads; you have to walk about half a mile or so up a blocked road before the crags are visible; and it's mixed sport/trad. You could camp on the road (dunno about legality). All the climbs are short single pitches and even the highest rated climbs are forgetable if fun. There is a guidebook with good approach info, but it's liable to be a purchase you'll eventually regret.

Tarantino movies are pretty good; other directors imitating Tarantino movies are ok; but Tarantino imitating himself gets a little old. If you liked the first one, nothing in II will offend though. Mebbe it'll make a good party DVD?