Off_White

This should be a great show, and Crusher tells a helluva good story. Here's a recent pic from his ascent of the Candy Stick (lifted from Supertaco)

I've heard of a legitimate instance where not wearing a seat belt actually saved someone's life. Does that mean we should all not wear seat belts? That's the difference between anecdotes and statistics.

j_b, that's climbing content! Way to go dude

One fun detail: I was happy to be wearing my helmet while on an unplanned bivy on Dragontail - while shivering uncontrollably I didn't hurt my head banging it against the pointy rocks in my little bivy coffin.

Post a TR of something you've done lately in one of the regional forums, but think of it as telling us a story and showing some pictures, not establishing a resume. This isn't 8a.nu and there is no scorecard, but you can use the Partners forum to find folks to go climbing with. Be honest about your skills & objectives. Oh, and have fun, it should definitely be fun.

[video:youtube]

I expect DMM will take care of business in a serious and direct manner, and Mountain Gear is a really great shop, points to those guys for checking things out.

Spammer's been banned, someone else will have to take out the garbage though...

That's the coolest thing I've seen all week, love the photo looking down from the second belay.

Larry, I recommend you take up climbing to provide a little distraction...

By request then... [video:youtube]

So, I schlepped a bunch more stuff off to merge with the argument in Spray. Knock it off, I'm out of patience.

IMO - then different standards might apply. The same standards do not apply to the Gunks, Smith, Index, or Rummy, for instance. I'm not a local, but as usual, I think that history and majority rule is the norm. With minor variations - but what they all have in common is this route wouldn't be acceptable at any of them. Wherever I May Roam, 5.9 at Smith, has forty some bolts in five short pitches, and its massively accepted. There's no lack of bolts & fixed gear at Index. I'm guessing Jim meant Rumney? That's a total sport area, and the climbs are all short. Yosemite is full of routes with 8 fixed pieces per pitch, aid or free. I've spent little time at the Gunks, but it doesn't much seem like Beacon, there's nothing six pitches long, and fixed pins are not unusual there. I don't see the facts on the ground supporting your statement.

I'm too busy with work today to spend much time with this, but here's a couple points for you Nitrox: Yes, I don't like you, but that was not an issue in your short ban. "Cunt" in particular was recently discussed by mods and admins, and it just doesn't fly, it seriously offends any number of people here in a way that other insults don't. If you run a stop sign in front of a cop that doesn't like you, that pre-existing antipathy does not get you off of your moving violation in court. Yes, it cuts both ways, and its not just you. Hugh Conway, while trying to be funny, blew it too and has a little time out. I'm quite serious about it, and a second offense is bye bye. No, no poster, including j_b, complained about your post. It was strictly my initiative as I read through the thread. Sure, it could be argued that I made an example of you, others have used that word in the past. Whatever, its zero tolerance now, and all are on notice. Yes, insults are pretty rampant in spray, and they are not the province of any particular political or social ideology. I can only ask that posters try and use a little judgment. Calling someone a "faggot" or some such variation on that theme, where an underlying bigotry is the foundation of the insult, really isn't okay, and I may boot someone over that. I personally find it offensive, and there is support within the moderators for making that sort of thing an actionable offense. I'll keep you all posted. Threads calling out individuals in an insulting manner are pretty objectionable, and yes, I found the one you cited regarding yourself offensive. I was on the fence regarding doing something about it, and certainly would have acted in your favor if you registered a complaint. As it was, given the abuse you regularly dish out, I let it ride because I see you as having a pretty tough skin. The question of "JewPR" is a different thing. "Jew" is not an epithet, unless you're using it as a verb in describing a financial transaction. It's a descriptor of both an ethnicity and a religion that is commonly used within and without the relevant group. Choada Boy's bias is against the country of Israel, and as opposing Iran does not make one an Islamophobe, opposing Israel does not make one an anti-semite. Yes, these things do get looked at and considered when they come up. I'll freely admit that enforcement of civility issues here is pretty inconsistent, dependent on the degree to which any individual moderator has the time and intention to deal with things. Really, self editing and self policing is what works best here, I'd like you all to contemplate doing a little more of that. I've spent an hour I don't really have to spare dealing with various issues around here today, and I'd like ya'll to just let this thread die out. It isn't here as a platform to continue carrying on with your insulting banter, it was a notice of a behavioral standard that will not be tolerated.

If there is one hard and fast rule on this board, its No Messing With Someone's TR. If you want to kvetch about this route, there are several other threads where you can do that. Joe, if you want to lobby Ivan about another thread, please do it elsewhere or via PM. If anyone wants to complain about birds, or Beacon, or just complain in general, take it elsewhere.

Well, given that most of us probably have friends who've died young, getting older doesn't seem all that bad an alternative.

Kid, we all got it coming.

Jay, why are you unable to make a moral distinction between different modes of transit? Do you also have a hard time picking a side in the American Civil War?

*sigh* There you go with the reality check bummer again Hugh. I reckon you've got it figured out correctly. I don't think either side has changed their positions much. Still, I personally weary of the name calling, especially if its just artless blabber. If you're gonna poke someone with a stick, at least make an effort to put a clever point on it.

Kevin, I know one of your kids is 3, but that doesn't mean you have to ask questions like a 3 year old. What do you think the answer to your question is?

It does nothing to advance your arguments, I think you should reconsider your policy on gratuitous insults.

If that were the case, if that rule were strictly enforced, there would be hardly anyone at all posting in Spray. Do you remember Mtn Goat? He was a conservative who tended to make long winded posts and always attempted to argue his points logically and politely. Others would heap insults on him, but he never played that game. Eventually he had enough and left this board years ago. I miss that guy.

If you feel seriously abused via PM feel free to take it up privately with a mod or admin. If you feel threatened, absolutely take it up with one of us. PM's are different from public posting, and you have more control over whether you choose to read personal messages from specific individuals. Ditto for signatures - you have the option to not view signatures in the forums.

It looks to me like the average tax payer's subsidy of Amtrak amounts to $14 per year year. This info came from an endlessly fascinating graphic representation of the federal budget: Death and Taxes You'll want to blow it up to full screen and zoom in to make out the details. Transportation is just up and right from the central circle, info about taxpayer contributions is in the lower left corner.

Yes j_b, that is exactly the point.