JayB

Hard to pick from so many classics in Ivan's Collected Works, but his anthology is definitely worth perusing for the writing alone: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/users/1787/ivan

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/04/05/my_best_friend_is_a_republican

The real enemy is the bond market: "Moody’s to Factor Pension Gaps in States’ Ratings By MARY WILLIAMS WALSH Published: January 27, 2011 Moody’s Investors Service has begun to recalculate the states’ debt burdens in a way that includes unfunded pensions, something states and others have ardently resisted until now. States do not now show their pension obligations — funded or not — on their audited financial statements. The board that issues accounting rules does not require them to. And while it has been working on possible changes to the pension accounting rules, investors have grown increasingly nervous about municipal bonds." http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/business/27pension.html

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/627575/1 Wayne's TR from his solo ascent of Mongo Ridge. "Wayne112.August.06"

- Think about it "Your Favorite TR Ever," or "A really inspiring, or funny, or had awesome pictures" TR. It's all subjective - so don't worry too much about whether or not your favorite(s) could objectively qualify as the best ever. -We encourage self-nominations. If you've got a favorite TR that you've offered, take a moment to share it. If the "Greatest Ever" thing feels weird to self-nominate for, feel free to add a disclaimer, e.g. "I don't think this is the best TR ever, but this was a great adventure that I remember fondly," etc. -Posting your personal Top-5's in the non-voting thread is a great idea. You should start things off by posting links to your own Top-5, Top-3, or whatever.

http://theoatmeal.com/blog/seattle_weather

Many of those buttonheads are made of a metal far stronger and harder than any modern bolt and remain still essentially bomb and indestructible today - something that unfortunately can't be said for most of the hangers attached to them. Aside from the hanger issue, it seems like most people's concern with those bolts isn't the bolt breaking, it's the bolt ripping out of the hole - no?

I'll trot this one out again...

Awesome. Thanks for posting that one.

Here's the Uncle Tricky TR that Porter was mentioned: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/711230/1

Already used up your vote, but think that there are other Great TR's that other people might want to vote for, that deserve honorable mention, etc? Post them on this thread.

1)Read the rules/info here before voting: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1012183/Re_Best_Trip_Report_Voting_Con#Post1012183 2)I'll start the nominations off with my own: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=495658 "Layton-Wolfe. September.05" From the objective, to the route, to the writing - I can't remember a better candidate for "Greatest TR Ever" than Mike and Erik's TR from their FA on the East Face of Mox Peak. 4/7 Update: Changed the thread title to better reflect the main idea of this contest.

Funny how the hypothetical leftwinger gets the bulk of the verbiage here despite the fact that it's the real bloodthirsty psycho that's getting innocent people killed. How about placing our friends and family's freedom from becoming collateral damage in your righteous crusade a little higher on your priority list in the discussion? 1) He does have a price on his head so your argument that he hasn't taken any personal risk is untrue: "The FBI says Hezbollah has a $2.4 million bounty on his head, reports the network." 2)If you are all about the safety of soldiers, you could have made a much stronger case for squelching the publication of the Abu Ghraib abuse Photos, for keeping a lid on the secret detention/rendition facilities, etc but I don't recall you ever making that argument, and I don't think you'd advocate curtailing the freedom of the press to protect overseas staff/soldiers in Iraq or anywhere else.

That may not be his intent, but my argument is that fanatics like this who are willing to conspicuously violate Muslim religious taboos and catch whatever flak comes their way - whatever their reasons - do a hell of a lot more to hold the line for anyone else who might want to engage in any form of expression that Islamists might find objectionable than anything that all of the very reasonable and well intentioned people could muster on behalf of Molly Norris.

The same freedom that protects a Left-wing performance artists right to defecate on a flag, douse it in lighter fluid, and do an interpretive dance atop the flaming pile in stilettos protects the rights of a crazy-ass Baptist nutcase to burn the Koran and broadcast the whole thing live on the internet.

Might be worth asking the late Molly Norri's current pseudonym if she'd rather have one crazy ass religious maniac like Terry Jones at her back or a million thoughtful, moderate folks when invoking her constitutional right to conspicuously violate Muslim religious taboos. I'm sure that if he had his way Terry Jones would like to strip away a lot of the constitutional freedoms that I enjoy and use the government to impose his own band of religious fanaticism on the country - but on this particular issue I'm glad that we have religious fanatics who are willing to risk their lives by invoking their right *not* to be bound by a Muslim religious taboos because the rest of us are clearly too frightened to do so.

http://www.amazon.com/Renegade-History-United-States/dp/141657106X

Did somebody say wingnuts? "Shariatpur, Bangladesh (CNN) -- Hena Akhter's last words to her mother proclaimed her innocence. But it was too late to save the 14-year-old girl. Her fellow villagers in Bangladesh's Shariatpur district had already passed harsh judgment on her. Guilty, they said, of having an affair with a married man. The imam from the local mosque ordered the fatwa, or religious ruling, and the punishment: 101 lashes delivered swiftly, deliberately in public. Hena dropped after 70." http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/29/bangladesh.lashing.death/index.html?on.cnn=1 "Seven killed in worst-ever attack on UN workers in Afghanistan Seven United Nations workers have been executed in the northern Afghanistan city of Mazar-e-Sharif, two of them by beheading, by demonstrators protesting the burning of a Koran at a church in Florida." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8422469/Seven-killed-in-worst-ever-attack-on-UN-workers-in-Afghanistan.html

Cool. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to checking out the full story at your blog.

I am embarrassed to admit that I was one of the gullible moderators! Congrats to: - Z-man - Friedrich - Le Piston for taking home the real prizes.

Sounds like it's sold out in Seattle/Portland stores...

How many days?

Awesome. Thanks for posting that.

Sweet sends - admired both of those lines from easier routes nearby.