sexual_chocolate

an interesting thought: Tibetan Buddhists in general are firm believers in a rather exoteric and one might call superstitious interpretation of karma. I'm sure there are nuanced differences between sects and lineages, but everything i've come across suggests a belief that ANYTHING which befalls one, from the common cold, to a tiger attack, to cancer, to birth defects, arises from some action of the past, be it a past life, or in this lifetime, or when one was a donkey. wouldn't it then logically follow that, accordingly, the chinese oppression is simply a consequence of past karma, negative karma at that, and the way through (as with all karma) is to become witness to the manifestations with no attempt to change or rectify it, beyond following the 8-fold path? hmmmmm.....

I have to play the devil's advocate and ask where you would find the statistical support for such an assertion as "The vast majority". I expect this would be a change from the tibetan past, a more recently adopted value (and one i would espouse). of course not. i view the dalai lama favorably; my only problem is when folks elide the realities of tibetan life, pre-chinese invasion. i would also think that the "average" chinese citizen's take on tibet would be quite different than yours, perhaps similar to the "average" american's take on the "native american" situation. oh good lord, "peace" and "justice"? i don't think there is a sniff of it in tibet. i'm certainly no proponent of chinese methodologies.

i like the idea of some sort of reparations....

Dmuja: if possible, i'd like to hear your thoughts on my previous ramblings regarding exactly WHICH tibetans we are talking about. and the possible relevance of the cuba example i mentioned. any thoughts?

WHICH tibetans? that's the whole point here, and the point that you aren't addressing. as far as his "volvo yuppie" thing goes, i can understand his point (without a need for counseling). i've certainly met people who sing the Free Tibet song (or some other flavor of the month thematic), and when you start talking to them, their grasp of the situation is as limited as the typical Republican's regarding Iraq.

this is the part that worries me: exactly WHO is the FREE TIBET crowd crowing for? The FREE CUBA crowd is and was crowing for the monied elite who actually lost something after the batista ouster. the rest (about 70%) WELCOMED the change, but all we heard was the ridiculous agit-prop of the representatives of the previous oppression. OMG, could the same be happening in Tibet?

those are good points, and appreciated. but if directed at me, i can't neccessarily accept the "cynical" charge simply because i believe the situation is multi-componential, and has various aspects that interest me in a way that doesn't follow the "mainstream".

meaning amongst the "commoner" tibetans? that the strident calls for autonomy come from the monk and lama classes? if true, cuba comes to mind. the ones stridently anti-castro are the monied, the ones who lost the mostest. makes sense....

I do try, honest, but it just doesn't seem to be working. hey, know who the target was: I'M the cynical dick around here. Get it straight!

do you wish the native american well in their struggle against the capitalist oppressors?

tibet was a feudal society ruled by an elite "religious" class that enjoyed all priveledge and honor. from my (somewhat limited) understanding, they even had a death penalty: how "Buddhist" is that? now i can't argue that the Dalai Lama isn't seemingly a pretty cool cat (the side we get to see?), but there are lots of other countries with plights worse than tibet's that get no attention, and i guess it kinda irks me that the west has seemingly deified and idealised this country, and how much do we really know about its history and its relationship to the land (and china)? these are open questions by the way, ones that i have a limited grasp of. i have read enough though to question the common "feel good" assumptions.

no i don't think they ever found his body. (thanks for downsizing the photo btw; even though i like to be displayed in all my grandeur, i don't wish to take over every thread.) more on solo: (first you can practice yer french!) from Kairn.com... Mais en fouillant un peu plus dans l'historique de la voie "Darwin Dixit", il s'avère que l'année passée celle-ci fût réalisée à vue par un certain Chris Sharma, la décôtant à ... 8b!! "Le pas dur se trouve au raz du sol, et la voie ne monte pas haut" nous précise également un local de Margalef." (Now you can practice yer english!): "But in searching a little about the history of Darwin Dixit, it appears that last year it was climbed on sight by a certain Chris Sharma and downgraded to 8b! "The hard move is found at the base and the route is not very high", a local at Margalef informs us also.

and native americans aren't? depends on what you mean by "their land", i suppose. some would argue that the tibetans are living on chinese land, and always have.

i bet if we as americans joined together, we could get the first people (native americans, aborigines, turtle islanders; whatever the title of choice) back their land.

marvin's good quality. i didn't even know milguard makes wood. we used windsor for our house, and they seem really nice. wood interior, clad exterior. windows, doors, and more is a good company for viewing windows. i'd second the exterior clad suggestion. super-clean look, super-rad color selections, and no up-keep. and when (not if, but when) the color of the cladding starts to fade 10 to 20 years down the road, you can always paint (can't paint vinyl). Darker colors fade more, i'm told. HH windows makes the coolest windows i've seen. i think they are in south park. they are the best quality (at least they were a few years ago when i last checked) with the coolest look and neato-est options. they are what we would have used if we knew we were staying in this house for long.

i think we should be trying to give back all Native American land before we spend all this energy on Tibet. Same thing, really.

I agree with George Bush! "When you are steering a car in a rough patch, one of the worst things you can do is overcorrect," the president said. "That often results in losing control and can end up with the car in a ditch," Bush said. "Steering through a rough patch requires a steady hand on the wheel and your eyes up on the horizon."

no way to compartmentalize a bit and step outside of the "work" role a little after hours? mebbe yer carrying too big a load? altho i suppose that's what's expected when yer runnin projects and such.... how's yer mortality awareness affecting yer climbing? priorities and such, or a generalized angst? hey, this is public therapy hour, so let it all out! just know you're not the only one with mortality issues. i get worked a bit at times too, but that's when you gotta run out and get a new 46" lcd screen 1080 with 10,000:1 refresh rate don't ya know? i believe yer in your 40's now, so that's how it's done at this age....maybe a Tesla? but seriously, it fucks with me sometimes too, but i try to keep it in perspective, knowing that it's simply the cycle we've got here on this planet and there ain't a damn thing i can do except keep living my life the bestest mostest inspired i can. mebbe a visit to the Peyote Temple could help ya.

so if one is to ascribe to some arbitrary rule about how climbin's supposta be cuz that's how it was did it when i growed up, and ends up pulling the rope after each attempt, now don't you think one's gonna eventually learn that terrain just as damn well as when one's on a top-rope? hell yeah, eventually one will. not as quickly if the goin's "hard", but the end result's the same (obviously not if falling's not an option). i've done routes in different styles, and one isn't "better" than another for me, they're simply different. sometimes i spontaneously experince climbing in a certain way, sometimes in another, but i certainly don't live in this stultified idealized judgmental world of how things "should" be done; that just seems plain silly. hey don't you have some kinda football rehearsal you're supposta be practicing in your head or sumpthin?

on post, but why post in spray? you must have known that the usual idiots would jump in with their typical projections and vomit? i would like to think that if you posted something like this on the climber's board, the fat angry bastards would either stay away, or be subjected to the influences of the capricious warlord. cool post though, but are the limitations on time ones that keep you from previous world-travels, or ones that keep you from even engaging in a few hours a few times a week? i guess i'm lucky cuz i get psyched about things like one arms offa door jambs and shit like that, and i can always do that in the midst of the maddest shit i got going on....

it's funny you mention religion, since you (and I'm being sincere here) really remind me of a shrill version of Osama Bin Laden. At least he has the humility to always say "God Willing".

i believe in state-subsidized climbing gear. paid vacations. let the rich contribute to the poor's vacation time. actually, that's a pretty good and progressive idea. community health. but yes, trad climbing is mainly safe. witness the "hardest" trad lines now: the falls are clean, good protection. placing gear is a bitch, but that's part of the whole difficulty equation. making a big deal out of it seems a bit arbitrary.

i saw his hurly burly solo on vid, and while certainly a cool climb, it's hard to call it solo proper, since his feet seemed to be within 15 feet of the ground the whole time. and yes, they made a point of calling it a solo. i think evilution is more of a solo, and it's referred to as a high-ball, so my point is that, while kinda cool and all and certainly a feat simply to redpoint, what was the commitment factor? i couldn't tell from the website, not that i scoured it or cared too much. michael reardon soloed proper. no question about commitment there. but even that obnoxious little german fellow's solo of kommunist was a different breed, since the crux came at 30 feet. anyway, that's my little shindig opinionation deal on that, yo. by the way, michael reardon "impressed" me. man, my jaw still slacks at his accomplishments. adam ondra's killing everything, but he's a 5' 7" 105 pound genetic mutant, so it's harder for me to be "impressed". but michael fuckin nailed it without genetic gifts, doing things that make me still grimace in projected fear and disbelief.

i didn't see a description about the commitment factor, height, etc?

damn, just 2 others....me?