Jim

I can sympathize. My wife, the teacher, provides a running tally of weird kids, dysfunctional families, and inept admistrators. Your hair isn't yet white from teaching?

Isn't she one of your former students?

Not guilty of murder. Admitted she knew kid was dead but lied and reported her missing - thus causing use of law enforcement personnel that was not necessary. Git it?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/sept-11s-self-inflicted-wounds/2011/09/08/gIQAfjm5FK_story.html

....and the latest data show about 17% of the US population is without health insurance. Stunning.

I wish they would straighten up Social Security already.

On the original question - had a similar issue, forgot to post my pass and just sent the FS a scanned copy - no problem. You should follow-up and make sure your info got to the right person, however. On the passes in general - I don't have problem paying for a pass. I spend more on a RT in gas for crying out loud. But the program does have rules and the FS appears to be stretching these at times. Regarding road openings - JasonG has it correct. It often is quite complicated with NEPA, ESA, and stakeholder suits. And many time road were put in place - where frankly that are unsustainable or will just cost to much to keep repairing. I worked on resource studies for the Mt. Loop Hwy repairs and holy cow I was surprised what prortion of the MBS FS road budget was devoted to keeping that road open. Similarly the Suiattle Road is suceptible to flooding and associated damage as is the Stehekin Rd. While it takes a bit more creativity and energy to get through these areas, I'm not sure the long term cost/benefit analysis is worth repairing and repairing these features. IMO.

I came across this in one of my professional associations - worth taking a look if you have such interests. _______________________________________ Conservation Biology Community Letter I would like to make the conservation biology community aware of a new resource for citizen-science support. Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, http://www.adventureandscience.org,'>http://www.adventureandscience.org, is a Bozeman, MT based non-profit whose purpose is to further understanding of the natural world by facilitating the pairing of scientists and adventure athletes. The goal of ASC is to provide scientists with an avenue for collecting inexpensive and reliable data from areas that are difficult to reach. By pairing scientists with adventure athletes who are travelling to remote areas, ACS is creating a network of citizen-scientists who can give their quests additional meaning by acquiring data that scientists may not be able to obtain themselves. They also have a chance to learn and utilize a set of tools and methods to help conserve and maintain the wild places they visit There are many possible scientific applications that can benefit from motivated volunteers. One of the most basic is simple observations and location data for species whose distribution is poorly known. The Craighead Institute is partnering with ASC to help expand baseline data on extant American pika (Ochotona princeps) colonies in the Rocky Mountains. Other researchers will benefit from at least 20 teams of hikers who will collect pika location data along the Pacific Crest Trail this summer. Two extreme adventurers, Justin Lichter and Shawn Forrey are hiking from Kanchenjunga westward to Nanga Parbat along the Himalaya. Along the way they are collecting data on Bar-headed geese for researcher Jessica Meir, and location data on pikas for the Craighead Institute. Another type of research that can benefit from ASC utilizes samples collected from remote places. Currently Willie and Damien Benegas with the North Face climbing team will collect lichens from Mount Everest at what may well be the highest site for life on earth. Rusty Rodriguez, a microbiologist with the USGS from Seattle will receive these specimens. The climbers will also collect rocks for Tim McDerrmot from the Land Resources & Environmental Sciences Department at Montana State University with the goal of finding high altitude bacteria that can tolerate high levels of UV radiation. ASC coordinated the researchers and the climbers, and helped facilitate the acquisition of necessary permits. A third possibility is the deployment and later retrieval of instruments. Experiments of this type are practical in areas where professional guides make repeat visits and can routinely retrieve data, replace batteries, and re-position instruments. Instruments can even be deployed by one group and then retrieved by a later group using GPS to find the sensors. Data loggers that collect temperature and other data are often used across landscapes: partnering with ASC can expand the landscapes that can be sampled. Simple procedures like setting out motion-sensor cameras and collecting them months later may provide valuable information on wildlife distribution. There are many possibilities related to Climate Change monitoring. I would encourage anyone who might be able to utilize Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation to visit their website at http://www.adventureandscience.org, and to contact Gregg Treinish, the Executive Director at gregg@adventureandscience.org. ASC is interested in hearing of other types of research that may benefit from dedicated citizen-scientists who are motivated to work for conservation. In addition ASC is consolidating its Science Advisory Board and would be interested in including scientists who would like to become more formally involved with directing research applications and finding research partnerships. Sincerely, Lance Craighead Executive Director Craighead Institute And Board Member of ASC

You're depressing me again.

Losing? I agree with you if you mean the distasteful gay bashing and other bottom-of-the-barrel social items are not being swallowed (except that abortion thing in the mid-west). But having the wackos cover the right wing and a lack of any organized opposition makes the "center" of the GOP's proposal seem almost reasonable. "Let's not eliminate Social Security altogether - just cut it into small pieces while spending 48% of the world's military budget". Yea, that's reasonable.

1) YOUR logic has lost. 2) First generation to "turn back the epochal clock?" Read a fucking book. (Not Jodie Piccoult. Try a History book) 3) Get fucked. Well there's a thoughtful response!! The right-wing, and quite frankly, the general public's lack of understanding of anything more complicated than how Weed and Feed works is a growing trend. You could make the argument that there were larger forces at other times in history that mutted thinking - but I would say the mass media of today - and particularly social networks, tweets, and such, is pushing out not just important items to think about - but thinking all together. With all this overload that folks seem to what to keep abreast of - what are the Kartishans doing? What are my friends doing now, oh, and now? Assembling and reading busts of what? Reports on what I'm eating now, where I'm going - commentary on heavy matters - well, what fits into 140 characters. None of this trivial information is of any use other than making the user feel, well, informed. So yea - I do think more important things are getting crowded out and way outside the public arena. Oh wait - we have the internet to fill that void. Yea.

Had my Platypus for 10 yrs and no problem. Only reason it sprung a pin-hole lead is some big guy sat on it! New Camelback leaked on first trip! Plus the dang Camelbacks taste like I'm drinking liquid plastic - WTF? Back to Platypus.

It is no secret, especially here in America, that we live in a post-Enlightenment age in which rationality, science, evidence, logical argument and debate have lost the battle in many sectors, and perhaps even in society generally, to superstition, faith, opinion and orthodoxy. While we continue to make giant technological advances, we may be the first generation to have turned back the epochal clock — to have gone backward intellectually from advanced modes of thinking into old modes of belief. But post-Enlightenment and post-idea, while related, are not exactly the same. Post-Enlightenment refers to a style of thinking that no longer deploys the techniques of rational thought. Post-idea refers to thinking that is no longer done, regardless of the style. Ergo: http://news.yahoo.com/perry-says-doesnt-believe-global-warming-143259373.html

Another stick in the eye. Thanks. It's Friday, c'mon, give me a break!

I'd have to agree with this assessment. No leadership what so ever. This guy is in constant react mode and on his heels. Rather than working on jobs issues, what did we spend energy on the last several months - the GOP-manufactured crisis de jour of holding the debt ceiling hostage. So far the only thing I've seen that this guy believes in is compromise on any outlandish proposal put forward by the Tea Baggers.

Crazy busy with work but getting to spend some time for field work in places like this with the pup.

Glen Beck is more concerned that there was such thing as a political camp for youth than what happened there:

Should have stepped it up and gone to rehab, yes, yes, yet. Sad.

Yes, and more. I'd say the Dems have been more than practical in compromising while the GOP is willing to risk the financial health of the country for political brinkmanship. Seriously - that figgin' Bush tax cut for the wealthy is worth fighting for?

...and, the present example is a great one. The driver is the Tea Party. Using a relatively straight-forward process of the debt-limit to foster an uncompromising postion of revenue cut only. Letting the Bush tax cuts expire is needed now. HTF are we supposed to pay for the programs the GOP pushed - undfunded war, unfunded Medicare drug program, etc. Suddenly they have found balanced budget religion?

I'm open to other descriptive adjectives that accurately reflect a preponderence for: Protecting the rich. Stuffing financial institution oversight in light of the recent reaming. Fleecing the public. Attaching programs that affect the most vuneralble while protecting the financial elites. Yelling for fredum but eagar to control women's health choices and gay life. Having one line only: reduce taxes.

I don't mind so much the "..campaign in poetry and govern in prose.." crap; but what I don't approve of is the narrowing of the range of the governing part of the spectrum. The dems' and Obmama just keep caving in to bash 'em, "it's our way or a train wreck" politics offered by the Looney Party.

I don't think that is the strategy. But I'd say by owning one heck of a lot of our bonds that they have some leverage.

Oh, we're soon to be the anvil. And not because our military prowess has been usurped. It will be by those countries that have invested in technology, education, infrastructure, and implemented their global economic vision. And not flushing their treasure into the global military dominance black hole. India and China are coming on.

This NYT article from last week was very interesting and a good metaphor for the Obama approach - which leans towards Wall Street.