Jim

I've seen it better at Vesper but I thought it was fun. The gully below the pass is more of a jumble of avalance debris then I have seen at this time of year, with a couple of scraped bare spots. I'm on tele so it's gotta be decent conditions for me to ski that slot, so I passed. The far side SW facing of the pass was post-hole heaven. So booting it would be a pain. I found some way around the avalanche debris so you could ski to about 200 yds from the switchbacks on the way down. Not as good as usual for April.

Agri-business subsidies, sole-source military contracts, guaranteed loans so other countries can buy our weapons, war on drugs? Think these will get a stiff review?

Here's a news flash. Not all on the road are driving with the same capabilities. Even if you are careful you could have an accident. Sorry you got winged, glad you're not worse off.

Oh boy.

Interesting insert into the budget this year: The proposal, spelled out in three short sentences, would give the president the power to appoint an eight-member panel called the "Sunset Commission," which would systematically review federal programs every ten years and decide whether they should be eliminated. Any programs that are not "producing results," in the eyes of the commission, would "automatically terminate unless the Congress took action to continue them." The administration portrays the commission as a well-intentioned effort to make sure that federal agencies are actually doing their job. "We just think it makes sense," says Clay Johnson, deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, which crafted the provision. "The goal isn't to get rid of a program -- it's to make it work better." In practice, however, the commission would enable the Bush administration to achieve what Ronald Reagan only dreamed of: the end of government regulation as we know it. With a simple vote of five commissioners -- many of them likely to be lobbyists and executives from major corporations currently subject to federal oversight -- the president could terminate any program or agency he dislikes. No more Environmental Protection Agency. No more Food and Drug Administration. No more Securities and Exchange Commission. "Ronald Reagan once observed, 'The closest thing to immortality on this earth is a federal government program,' " says Rep. Kevin Brady, a Republican from Texas who has been working for the past nine years to establish a sunset commission. "We need it to clear out the deadwood." Without many of those programs, however, American consumers, workers and investors would be left to the mercy of business. "This is potentially devastating," says Wesley Warren, who served as a senior OMB official in the Clinton administration. "In short order, this could knock out protections that have been built up over a generation." Others note that the provision goes beyond anything attempted by conservatives in the past. "When you look at this," says Marchant Wentworth, a lobbyist for the Union of Concerned Scientists, "it's almost like the Reagan administration was a trial run." http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/sto...ion=6.0.12.1040

Bummer - partners bailed on me the last minute so I chose to ski Vesper Peak solo instead. Well, not exactly solo. I passed two groups of 15(!) from BOALPS and hooked up with a group of 5 hikes and we shared duty kicking steps up to the pass. On the SW side of the pass the snow was soft so the skis were a big advantage. Had the summit to myself for half an hour then skied down, talked to the hikers, and then at the lake chatted with the BOALPs folks setting up camp. No one else on the way out except some mountaineer types practicing some belayed snow climbing on the east side of the lower basin (?).

My standard one says: "I'm Changing the Climate! Ask Me How" Musta tagged about 200 in and around Seattle. Don't know where that guy's website went to - I've only about 30 more left.

Bump for this evening!

A friend suggested this for a ski this weekend. The only time I was up there was in a whiteout so I don't know the terrain. Is it worth an exploratory trip?

Some additional information from Steve: Steve Swenson will be giving a slide show retrospective of 37 years of alpine climbing. Steve will describe early climbs in the Cascades, then Canadian Rockies, Alaska, Karakoram in Pakistan, the second American expedition to climb K2, solo ascent of Everest without supplementary O2, and last years ascent of the unclimbed Mazeno Ridge on Nanga Parbat in Pakistan.

PP- From that last incoherent post I hope you're running out for your doctor's appointment and can ask for a dosage change.

Let me guess... a government job? It's interesting that many of those in the public sector take 6 weeks vacation and work a straight 40 (or less) hour week... all-the-while touting their educational credentials as entitlement and claiming there's no place in their department to save taxpayer dollars. Then, hop aboard a fuel guzzling 747 to climb in Europe whilst they decry those other Americans who drive SUV's and 'live too well'! uking graemlin: How much vacation time do you think those in the private sector average, Jim? You know...those poor saps who pay the taxes that go toward your salary and cushy lifestyle. Do you really believe that your place in this society entitles you to such hypocrisy? How's the size 10 taste? I'm in the private sector.

This year, or every year? And I suppose you're just worried about the rest of your fellow Americans with their 12 days of vacation. How compassionate of you. I assume that includes all the red-staters with their paltry 10 days PTO? Yep - even extends to you. Most folks would like a bit less stress and more time with their family. I cut back to 32 hrs a week when my kid was young, but now that we're have an empty nest I do the 40 hr thing and that comes with a good vacation chunk.

Actually 6 weeks this year. I'll not be thinking about you while climbing in the Dolomites for 4 weeks this summer.

Not me. I like the place but I'm trying to make it better. How about you? Plus I love my job, work outside a lot and travel. Now it's you're turn to chant USA, USA with you baseball cap on backwards.

A few more interesting stats: WORK AND LEISURE TIME Note the position of economic powerhouse Germany in the next two lists. Average paid vacation per year: Finland 35.0 days Germany 30.0 France 25.5 Denmark 25.0 Sweden 25.0 United Kingdom 25.0 Netherlands 24.0 Switzerland 22.0 Norway 21.0 United States 12.0 Average hours spent watching TV per day: Japan 9:12 United States 7:00 Canada 3:24 United Kingdom 3:10 Germany 2:13 Sweden 2:00 Finland 2:00 Denmark 1:54 Netherlands 1:42 Switzerland 1:34

Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000 live births): United States 10.4 United Kingdom 9.4 Germany 8.5 Denmark 8.1 Canada 7.9 Norway 7.9 Netherlands 7.8 Switzerland 6.8 Finland 5.9 Sweden 5.9 Japan 5.0 Death rate of 1-to-4 year olds (per community of 200,000 per year): United States 101.5 Japan 92.2 Norway 90.2 Denmark 85.1 France 84.9 United Kingdom 82.2 Canada 82.1 Netherlands 80.3 Germany 77.6 Switzerland 72.5 Sweden 64.7 Finland 53.3 Death rate of 15-to-24 year olds (per community of 200,000 per year): United States 203 Switzerland 175 Canada 161 France 156 Finland 154 Norway 128 Germany 122 Denmark 120 United Kingdom 114 Sweden 109 Japan 96 Netherlands 90 Note: the murder rate for the above age group is 48.8 per 200,000. Even subtracting this entirely still puts the U.S. near the top of the list. Premature Death (years of life lost before the age of 64 per 100 people): United States 5.8 years Denmark 4.9 Finland 4.8 Canada 4.5 Germany 4.5 United Kingdom 4.4 Norway 4.3 Switzerland 4.1 Netherlands 4.0 Sweden 3.8 Japan 3.3 Percent of people with normal body mass: Men Women Germany 53% 37 Finland 51 37 United Kingdom 46 38 Canada 52 29 Switzerland 49 30 France 44 30 Denmark 44 25 United States 47 22 Sweden 44 25 Percent of people who believe their health care system needs fundamental change (More): United States 60% Sweden 58 United Kingdom 52 Japan 47 Netherlands 46 France 42 Canada 38

Hmm, what do you know. France does better in child mortality AND life expectancy. We're ranked with that economic powerhouse - Greece. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004393.html

Ahh PP no whining now. Your general point, as always, is that we in the US are much better off than our counterparts in the EU, especially stinky-stinky France. From a recent MIT econocics study The first point I make in my paper is that you have to look behind the basic figures, and then you realise that two things have happened. One is that the productivity (i.e. production per hour) in Europe was roughly thirty per cent lower than in the US in 1970. If you look at today's situation, and particularly the EU-15, you can see that the productivity gap has nearly entirely been made up. There are even some EU countries where productivity is higher than in the US, like in France. The catch-up vis-a-vis the US has been tremendous, with a productivity growth nearly double that of the US. Well, for some countries like France, increased leisure time accounts for most of the GDP gap. But in general, there has been a sharp decline in hours worked per full time worker in Europe. These figures predate policy measures such as the introduction of the 35 hour week in France. So, if you want to caricature the situation, you could say that the Europeans have been much more productive than people in the US, but rather than getting the benefits in the form of higher income, they have chosen more free time. Comparisons of average live span and infant mortality rates are meaningless? The WHO doesn't seem to think so and uses these as part of their overall health assessments. And you're cherry picking specific cancer rate averages as a better comparison? Really now. Amd tossing in the abortion rate in Cuba non sequitir was a nice touch. You forgot the Commie thing. Your point seems to be that money and employment rate is the best indicator of social health. My point is there are a number of other factors, particularly when looking at how weatlh is distributed in the US, that provide an indicator of social well being.

Opps - that should be highest infant mortality rate for US, not lowest.

As always, relying on just one indicator to measure social well-being is disingenuous. While the US unemployment rate is generally higher than the EU, even taking into account the differences in how unemployment is calculated and our world-record prisoner population (which is subtracted from the labor pool caculations), there are other items to consider. The US infant mortality rate is the lowest among industralized countries and is comparable to that of Costa Rica and Cuba (which has 1/20 the per capita income of the US and has been under economic blockade for some time). Other measures including life expectancy, vacation time, stress-related illness, and lack of health care can make one wonder if there is not a middle ground. And if you look at other economic indicators such as productivity, the US tips out on top because we work so much more than everyone else. Per hour productivity is comparable. So- in the US we have lots of money, no time to spend it except on all the expensive medical procedures and medicine we need for a stressed out life, we have lower life expectancy and higher child mortality, less access to health care and not as much time to spend with our families. Money, money, money. Oh - and more fat people and better bombs. I'm sure the EU would like a better employemnt picture but I don't think they would take that compromise. And the US? We're on borried time - literally. Think our massive debt will have no economic reprucutions?

Sure - Salmon Bay is a K-8 Seattle Public Alternative School in Ballard. It's an Alternative school because the program is dominated by hands-on, project and group work. Cirriculum is developed by the teachers, there is little to no book work. There is an inclusion program for Aspergers synddrome kids (related to autisim), service leaning programs, and outdoor education programs - including the 8th grade camp, which is up at Camp Orkila on Orcas Island. The kids come from a variety of income families and some cannot afford the fees that it costs to go to 8th grade camp - and the school has limited funds to help out. Thus they organize fund-raisers to allow kids to attend that cannot afford the opportunity. It's a passage time for the kids - the last time their together before heading to high school. You have to be 21 because alcohol will be served at the event.

This is where you generally loose your audience. You make some good points, and then try to over-reach. The usual tactic of trying to smear all progressives, or liberals, by associating them with the Soviets, or Marxists, or some other fringe group is straight out of 50s hysteria. Again I would say that it's about as productive as trying to associate the neocons with the Nazis, which for the record is nonsense. Common sense folks realize the pathos of such comparisons. Your more provactive musings on social systems can be intriguing. These broadbrush smears are not.

Blah, blah. Good theater but little else. It would be equally accurate to paint the present neoconservative agenda with that of the Nazis and Stalin. I am, however, impressed with your ability to find obscure quotes on the web.

It is thoroughly disingenuous, if not outright slanderous, to state that Christians who oppose big-government social programs are not "compassionate". For the evangalical right I would say it's entirely accurate. Where do you think the money for Jerry Farwell's moral majority and Roberta Combs cristian coalition is going? It's not going to help anyone but politicians they agree with. Voulenteer with just about any Christian social service organization and you'll quickly understand their leanings. And it's a matter of emphasis. Does friggin gay marriage rise to the top of the chart as christian charitable issues in this country. I think not. One of the least reported stories in the leadup to war was the almost universal denunciation of the war by Church group. Bush, in all is veneer of christian spirit - refused to meet with a coalition of major religious organizations. It's just another tool for the party. By the way - what are you doing to help your community via the non-governmental intrusive way. Little I bet.