Jim

2-3 person tent. Black stuff sack with two small snow fluke anchors. Possibly from guided party. Picked it up and brought it over to the Paradise visitor's center.

I'm going to invest in these: http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/22/chinas-latest-craze-dyeing-pets-to-look-like-other-wild-animals/

Just stand still!!

I'd say on close examination that most folks would say Bernie is right on. The catch, of couse, is that he is one guy in the Senate and that any meaningful change is going come from that august body but by a demand from the public. Now, if you two can tell me how you are significantly contributing to this effort with time and energy I might take more seriously the endless stream of emergency posting. Otherwise, yea, you need to get out.

And I'd take the bet that nothing much will happen because folks, for whatever reason, don't want to get involved. Including resident hand wringers. Unless endless posting on the webs counts. Seriously. Get out in the hills and clear the cobwebs.

I'm betting, however, that you both accomplished the same regarding making the world a better place over the weekend. Who is in a better place is up for debate I suppose.

Trip: Mt. Rainer - Frying Pan Glacier Date: 6/26/2011 Trip Report: Went up to the Frying Pan with friends. A handful of skiers and some climbers were about. The skiing is great right now. The full northwest experience Better than the stairmaster! This is one of my favorite skis in the spring - a great moderate ski with some good steeper pitches for options towards the bottom. One note - watch out for those cracks around the rocks skier center towards the last steep slope. Only saw one slot way up high - 10k. Gear Notes: Lightweight gear is in order Approach Notes: Snow within 0.25 mi of trailhead but we hiked in and skied out.

Good to get out, eh? Frying Pan Glacier

Excellent! Good job Dad!

You don't, and that's the point. No shit. JayB illustrates a specific point A with a graph. Resident hand waver brings up Points C, D, M, Q, and R - w/o any reference to anything. Other than proving another hair fire it's vacant. Cheers - going home to pack up the skis for the weekend BC trip.

just dumping data as you usually do is meaningless. Your new plot like the previous ones isn't addressing the increasing disparity in access to higher education between low and high income families that was discussed. The advantage in educated population we had relative to other nations is not only long gone, but is likely bound to get worse now that the middle class is broke, can't borrow anymore (which as you know helped many over the last few decades to get a college education) and now that your types refuse to fund public education appropriately. I am not very familiar with trade schools but I suspect that a greater fraction of the pop in Europe goes to trade schools than in the US and I don't think trade schools are post high school edu in Europe. As I already said, trade schools can be a reasonable option if they lead to stable and living wage work, which is increasingly doubtful in the little paradise you guys created. Now, I'll admit I've been dealing with log-log data and pivot tables all day, so maybe I'm missing something in my ability to decipher a simple bar chart. But HTF did you get 1) income disparity/lack of access, 2)middle class well-being trend data, 3)inaccessabiliy to credit, 4)borrowing trends of students over the last decade as correlated to graduation, 5)proportion of trade school admissions in Europe vs. US, and 6)the trend of trade school graduates vs. inflation-based living wage. I mean, that is just brillant.

Questioning 1) if borrowing money for a particular college degree cuts it on a cost/benefit ratio, and 2)potentially considering a trade skill as an alternative- ...is akin to being regressive??

I would say it all depends on the young man or woman. If they had a particular inclination and skill set, were interested in some trade but thinking that for some reason the had to go to college to "succeed" - well then a bit of an analysis is in order. I know folks, including family, that in retrospect would have done a hell of a lot better getting trained in, say PT assistant or dental assistant; plumbing or engine repair - rather than the English and Labor Studies degrees they came out with - both from a financial and overall life benefit standpoint.

Homeopathics! a very lucrative area of private education, as i understand it. Most likely reaping a good living off the liberal arts, English, and art history graduates.

While I think that there should be more done to provide access to kids going the college I would argue just as much for impoved access to technical schools and apprenticeship programs. Shoot - my car mechanic has got to be the most well-read, well-educated person I know. AND he knows how to fix things, which most college grads seem to be afraid of. Plus, he works 4 days a week and likely matches or beats my salary. College is definately not the only alternative and certainly not the only way to develop critical thinking. Yes. Precisely.

Agreed - there is a lot of crap going on with low-performing schools having eligibility for the student loan process. But - buyer beware.

While I think that there should be more done to provide access to kids going the college I would argue just as much for impoved access to technical schools and apprenticeship programs. Shoot - my car mechanic has got to be the most well-read, well-educated person I know. AND he knows how to fix things, which most college grads seem to be afraid of. Plus, he works 4 days a week and likely matches or beats my salary. College is definately not the only alternative and certainly not the only way to develop critical thinking.

Nobody argued that. The shelf-life of any discussion will last longer when words aren't put in people's mouths. Steady Eddie - I responded to this - which in the context of the discussion seems to imply education = better informed = democracy. Critical thinking applied.

I know. Funny in a ha, ha sort of way.

I agree that college should be made more affordable and accessible because, in general, it's a good thing. I'm not buying the better education=utopian democracy however. Given that our percentage of the population with a college education has been steadily increasing it of late seems to have a striking correlation (not saying causation!!) with dumb politics. About 38% of the populace now have at least an AA and I bet a higher percentage are infatuated with the Kardishans. Cue fault of corporate media, demagods, globalization.

more passive aggressive behavior from you, but of course no specifics per usual. Jim seems more the openly aggressive type. More action, less talk...that kind of thing. not from my perspective since I have been the recipient of countless personal attacks below the belt from him mostly without any explanation. He seems to be playing the same game Attila plays. ..below the belt? A personal attack would be - "...you ugly stupid goon.." which I tend to avoid. Now - if I said you posts are full of hyperbole, hand-waving, lack specifics or a thread of logic, include the crisis du minute, and appear to be written while your hair is on fire and/or caught in the car's fan belt. Well, that's a commentary on the the thoughts, or lack thereof, you post. Nothing personal about it.

for the thoughts as compared to, well, you know.....

we'll talk about it in 2012 when you shake in your boots because most people (who are progressive on issues) aren't energized to vote for another round of capitulation. Being a ripe old codger, I don't shake in my boots much. The tide comes in, the tide goes out. I do what I can; sometimes my side wins, sometimes not. It's a never ending struggle; the dumbfucks are not in short supply, and I hear they're making more of them. I'm not sure you speak for what 'progressives' will do in the next election. I hope that everyone will weigh the pros and cons of their voting decisions and act accordingly. It's almost always a lesser of two evils choice; the adults among us understand that. I put very little faith in the judgement of my countrymen, for obvious reasons, however. The trick is to get to enough of them to tip the scales a wee bit in our favor on occasion. Still, if there's any country in the world that needs reform, given its stage front position, its ours. I could run away to New Zealand or some such, but it's too fun battling the Kooky Kristians and Libertariofascistas. My viewpoint doesn't involve so much defeatism because of a raft of historical wins my advocacy organization has enjoyed recently - and next year may even be better if we play our cards right. Reality based constructs - what a concept!!

If that's how you feel, then it sounds like we're mostly misunderstanding each other. ................ If you care about people and in long term change, and it sounds like you do, then it's as much up to you to imagine and present visions, strategies, and solutions that challenge the current configurations of power instead demanding ones cut from whole cloth and then turning away from your better impulses when they're not forthcoming. Thanks for a thoughtful reply. And I think the end of this narrative is the crux of the matter - there are better strategies for the long term (though we might disagree on what is needed on the state level in WA to deal with present realities) BUT - these will require hard work from folks who envision such changes. And from what I've seen, most folks, especially on the liberal end of the spectrum, tend to see their responsibilities in a democracy end when the seal their ballot, stamp it, and drop in the mail. Obama, for example - thinks that his milky version of a right leaning agenda is the only game in town for the Dems precisely because there have been no consequence from his chosen actions. Maybe because doing something interferes with the Deperate Housewives of NJ or whatever, but I see little movement from the masses to make me think the needle on the meter is going to move much away from the right.

Well, that certainly isn't banal and will help pay the rent.