Jim

Well, not that bad.

...or your wife, I gather. Why, exactly, did the missus recently depart? While most of your posts are just laughable. This one shows a distnict lack of class. whereas you have no comment about ttk's post which instigated the comment by FW. how even-handed of you Here's the full analysis. FW brings up the kid thing, again, and TV says no thanks, especially to yours. Borderline, yes. The retort: slimy and he knows it.

...or your wife, I gather. Why, exactly, did the missus recently depart? While most of your posts are just laughable. This one shows a distnict lack of class.

Dang, trotting out this perennial photo of the past is the only thing the club can do? Lame. I wonder how many times a day Ichiro wishes he was on a real team.

Better yet - read just about any post by a frequent liberal poster on spray Not getting it. What quote from a poster here did you consider racist? The sarcastic remark about brown people? Have to agree with Ivan here -

Makes you feel as if you tripped and fell down the rabbit hole when the such arguments are put forth. Turn on any talk radio station for a dose of the not so subtle racism, or visit one of the recent tea party rallies.

But after having been up there twice recently I'd say that there are many more objective hazards on the way up to Camp Hazard than the mild walk up to Muir, depending on how you get up there. The hike past Comet Falls and then up the ridge and snow fields is straight forward, going across the Nisqually and the Wilson will put you on steeper terrain and you have to deal with some rock moats and crevasses.

Recent performance by US students in math and science is better than you portray. Not great, but not awful either. http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2009/analysis/ We're on par with some countries in Europe, but consistently beat out by Hong Kong, Japan, China, and Taiwan. Do I want to mimic the eastern Asian role - I don't think so, but there is room for improvement. The best predictor of school performance in this country is the percentage of kids in a school that are on the free/reduced lunch program. Work with students, as a teacher or volunteer, and the extreme influence of poverty on academic achievement becomes crystal clear. Is it impossible to be of lower economic status and do well in school? Certainly not. But it does impose quite a barrier. Teachers have the kids 6 hours a day and can't compete with a lousy home environment that doesn't support kids. Rather than putting an emphasis on smoke and mirrors such as NCLB - which adds mandates and no finances for implementation, I'd like to see some real money go into building stronger inner city communities instead of some new Petagon toy research. Just saying.

I imagine that this thread, on such an innocuous subject, will be tame in comparison to the coming health care thread. I don't even think socialism was mentioned here!

In general, I just think the rightwing is pissed that they got trounced in the last election and is willing to go ape-sh** on any issue, no matter how idiotic they look. Still playing the base and desperate to make sure Obama has no success. The party of no has no ideas left. As far as brain-washing kids - they have a much more independent thought process than you give them credit.

My biggest concern about Bushie addressing kids was not that he would infuse them with some right-wing nutjob agenda but that they might similarly slaughter the language.

Not sure how anyone without a lobotomy can argue for deregulation after the recent spectacular crater.

Having just gone through the death of my best friend and climbing buddy for 20 years (brain cancer), I'd have to say that the Hospice folks were among the best health professionals I've ever come across. And they were a godsend to his folks, where he spent the last 6 months of his life.

You're kidding - right? Hopefully my irony meter is not working.

They must lay awake at night trying to think of how to out-moron one another.------- Educators across America found themselves at the center of a political storm this week as conservatives exploded in anger over President Obama's plans to give a speech to the country's schoolchildren. A stunned White House insisted the address, planned for Tuesday, and accompanying suggested lesson plans are meant simply to encourage students to study hard and stay in school. But some parents said they aren't buying it. They said they're convinced the president is going to use the opportunity to press a partisan political agenda on impressionable young minds. "Thinking about my kids in school having to listen to that just really upsets me," a suburban Colorado mother, Shanneen Barron, told CNN affiliate KMGH-TV in Denver. "I'm an American. They are Americans, and I don't feel that's OK. I feel very scared to be in this country with our leadership right now." GOP leaders have not shied away from the debate. Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer released a statement Monday accusing Obama of using taxpayer money to "indoctrinate" children. Watch the debate over the president's speech » "As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama's socialist ideology," Greer said.

But he didn't complain about his government-funded socialist program when.....

I think maybe that little corner to the left in the last picture? Ended up that I woulda had enough rope for that last lead - shouldn't have swapted! Next time.

Shoot, a friend who is a teacher in Wenatchee is constantly getting crap from her bible thumper pricipal about teaching evolution. Morons are everywhere, but certainly there seems to be a higher density in the south.

Anything will be better than the Mariners for crying out loud.

I managed to get two weeks off for a road trip with my wife and Laura planned to fly out and meet us for an attempt on the Grand Teton and Symmetry Spire. We got our permit for the Grand, planning to get up to the lower saddle and head up the upper Exum the next day - but a cold front came in and plastered the higher peaks with six inches of snow and ice. I've seen the Eiger Sanction and didn't want an epic so we hiked around some of the canyons and then went for Symmetry Spire SW ridge (5.7, seven pitches), which was just below the snow line. Snow on Teewinot, Grand, Owen. There were a few low elevation objective hazards to deal with: Saw one of these guys in the Jenny Lake campground!! We hopped on the 7 am shuttle across Jenny Lake and headed up the big gully, past two cliff bands where we followed the climbing ranger's advice: "The approach is easy but if you fall you'll die". So we didn't. It's a seven pitch route but we stitched together the 4th and 5th, and probably could have done the same for the last two but it wasn't so clear from below. Laura coming up pitch 3 - I was there - that's my toe! Laura on the funky 4th pitch. Laura on the nose pitch. Laura checking out the last 100 ft or so. We were watching the storm clouds rake the higher peaks all day and it was chilly. So we got on the summit block, said ok, and hustled down to the rappel station and started the long downhill tromp. Of course we missed the 6 pm boat and they had just discontinued the 7 pm boat a few days ago, so it was another 30 min to get back to camp. I was a bit beat and my tweaky back was, well tweaky. So with only two days left and me needing a rest day Laura hooked up with some other friends to get up at 3 am for a one day attempt on the Grand - friggin' beast she is! They got turned back by icy conditions but got to just below Wall Street. I hiked around and took some Vitamin I with my G&T! This was my first time here and I'd like to get back for the Grand and Owen. My wife and I took a northern route back through Yellowstone, which was very cool.

Ha!! Thanks for that one!

---very good!

...to buy expensive beer and watch mediocrity.

Heard good things about these - but cost $$$$! Plus, can't fiddle with it or try it on before buying.

Why? I reviewed the first line model on another thread. It just seemed to lack some needed components and was too complicated to adjust things, especially with gloves on and at night. Apparantly they have made improvements but in speaking to some other folks at ProMountain and Swallows Nest, they ain't there yet. While I appreciate the Cold Water pack reference, I'm not buying another pack without trying it on first.