billcoe

When you are in public and in charge: For on the road and business trips: For recreating: http://coolhqpix.blogspot.com/2009/11/23-most-unusual-toilets.html

Next to the threat of a nuclear weapon, or battery of them: all of these terrorism threats totaled are but a speck on the pimple on the ass of a fly. Until the terrorists get nukes of course. A 220 Kn nuke fired off in a ground /air burst mode would make a shallow hole nearly 5 miles round across. Thats a lot of World Trade Centers inside that hole. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/04/president-obama-al-qaeda-is-seeking-a-nuke-to-kill-innocents.html http://beta.thehindu.com/news/international/article397393.ece

I was recently told where this, and much much more, was located.....seriously. Never been climbed. Might be easier or harder than 5.7. Or you could go do laps on Corrugation Corner at Lovers Leap. Amazing stuff.

Me too, but my relatively new Lumix (not a tough one, the one with the huge zoom) with HD video isn't focusing well. I know it's from something I did as it took super crisp pics when it was brand new. samesame different angle. this Feb - fuzzy: Look how bad this is...this is a 12 Mp camera. (14megapixels?) Blown up it just gets real bad. All the pics are like this, and the lense is clean. last Oct - clean I borrowed my kids 7mp as it clearer when he went off to college and left it at home with pics of a school project still on it. Yup, the card was still in it. Anyone want to see some hot co-ed pics? kidding!!!

I see where this is going........"I'm 8 and my parents are smoking pot again"...snappost. They're having sex now: snap(via keyhole/hidden camera)post. etc

Heads up: any thoughts? http://chiqtech.com/the-tough-panasonic-lumix-dmc-ts1-12mp-digital-camera Toughcams are now becoming in the digital camera industry and it is slowly replacing the ever fragile handy digital cameras. The growing need of users to have a rugged camera that could withstand most conditions has fired up another trend in the digital camera competition. The newest model to hit the market is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 12MP Digital Camera, which brings another enhancement to the table. Aside from being waterproof, shockproof and dustproof, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 12MP Digital Camera is the world’s first toughcam that offers AVCHD Lite HD video. Now won’t just enjoy clear photos but also harness the power of High Definition recording. _______________________________________________________________ http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-W80-Waterproof-Azure-Blue/dp/B002ECF3IG/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1273607928&sr=1-14

Everyone getting holier than thou over the tar sands projects and open pit mining pictures up there had best hold their breaths and their noses, once the easy oil pickins is gone, the shale oil projects are going to make the Rocky Mt.s look like that. Our only hope is to radically reduce useage of Oil now. Obamas higher CAFE standards should have been done years ago, but at least he took a step in the right direction.

I'm with jb and Drew, the dirt underneath in that picture might mean it wasn't sitting flat on a flat ledge at all like the front would suggest. Anyway, I've of the opinion that if you can just so easily grab any block which is on a route and yank it off, then do it and do it in a safe controlled manner at a time of YOUR choice so as to avoid the uncontrolled and random killer fall. If it rocks forward when you grab it and you think "man, that's going to roll off of there and kill someone", and then just leave it, that's baloney in my opinion. We have done controlled drops at Beacon collaborating with the railroad and the park rangers to set up the optimum time, and it's the best-safest way for all concerned. These are basically things which are visibly tottering time bombs though, that often build up and get loosened over the winter to spring when no one is climbing there and will fall off on their own at some point. Joseph had some great organizational work last time which I could detail further, setting it up both so that the concerned authorities/stakeholders were involved and present to co-ordinate and some amazingly professional pre-trip tactical climber organization with pictures that had arrows and diagrams so we attacked it with multiple parties in contact with each other attacking specific problem boulders at separate locations with ground spotters in safe areas. It doesn't stop all natural rock fall onto the RR tracks or protect all climbers in all situations, but it sure as hell helps both the Railroad and the climbers. If you can easily pull it off then you should do so, the one thing I've learn is that you often cannot determine what will pull easy or not. Even stuff that is rock solid for years can become loose. Can't say what the case was here.

LOL! I think it's something you local dudes need to be discussing. It could be it was discussed and you missed it. I'm not commenting on a block I've never seen in person. Could be dangerous and a killer. Maybe not. Maybe it fell off via rockfall smacking it, maybe not. Who can say. A head sized falling from the rim could generate tremendous power and velocity. Looks too beefy/weighty/heavy for a person to move. Somethings should be discussed in person, this is one of them IMO. Besides, it was Obama and his crew who probably pushed it off.

OMG, a block fell off at Index. OMFG!!!! The sky is falling the sky is falling. A block fell, it must be the republicans!!!!!! Get a grip dude. Take it off the internet.

Not standard practice at all, but on hard overhangs or where you don't want your bolts easily yoinked not a bad idea. That or putting on a nylon insert locknut would be samesame. Stainless on stainless and Zinc/Steel on Zinc steel - don't mix metals. Climbmax has these interesting nut tools for sale: superlight, has a wrench. Little tough on the palm if you have to slam it! $20.00 Woot!!! Or take me out and I already have one:-) It opens beer bottles too. link

He's been posting as The Slayer Hippy....but gave up the avatar as everyone was calling him racist. That's my guess.

Looks like Suburu sales are about to spike in Salt Lake City. Wonder how long till they fold up the tent accompanied by the usual corp. platitudes/excuses (the economy, declining sales/userbase etc etc)?

It's good advice up there, but one thing not noted is that getting a mentor is more important than a rope X5. The whole rope question is insignificant in comparison. Any rope will work for you if it's UIAA rated #1 (single rope rating), but a mental error, and these are easy and plentiful- believe me, will kill you in seconds. If you are hanging with a group of experienced folks, after climbing you can have the rope conversation and also see what they are using. So forget about the rope, get an experienced partner. Good luck!

Back on topic, I thought this was a great compilation. http://io9.com/5526826/greatest-fossil-fuel-disasters-in-human-history This isn't the first and won't be the last disaster related to our energy production and usage.

I know they banned the animal sex thing, but I don't think it included bestiality golden showers. Isn't that kind of behavior, as long as you don't pay for it, still legal in Washington?

Great list, but scope out E Buttress of El Cap before you leave the car, as it's often sopping wet to being a waterfall at the crux this time of year. E Buttress of Middle is good advice. You can easily see the water on El Cap, if it's there, with binocs @ 1/2 way up, you might spot it on the way into the valley as there's great views.

Link to the fountain of knowledge my son You're welcome, I hope we can quit being so mean to each other now.

Bottom line: they both are spending more than they make. Re: California, they have pinched off every strong industry down there, sometimes for good reason, sometimes for no apparent reason. Farming, Fishing, Manufacturing, and resource extraction (including oil) all have taken huge hits. Again, sometimes for good reason. Yet they have increased social spending. There are more illegals and state employee/retiree pay true, it all adds up. The voters have also mandated a huge chunk of spending by continually voting in measures. It all adds up, billion dollars here, billion dollars there. Pretty soon it's real money. Don't know what "regressive" tax policy you are discussing, but if you believe raising everyone's taxes will pull them out of this, then I'll call BS right now. Put down the pipe. Rich people pay more in taxes already, feel free to bump them in California, who has the 4th highest income taxes in the nation and see if a bunch of them don't move someplace cheaper. Examine this chart on ca. taxes: http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/228.html They do have a sales tax and a lottery, both of which hit the poor hard, although the lottery is a voluntary tax on the stupid. You think corporations are raping the state, but I keep hearing that the reality is that they are moving out as it's becoming too cumbersome and expensive to do business there. California needs to do a lot of things, and they are finally reducing social spending, you can see here how much it has grown over the years. http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/CA_per_capita_spending.html#usgs302 Just enter a year and look at the bottom line. Which brings me back to my first sentence...... they need to increase revenues (and tax loopholes) and reduce spending. Both. Arnold has pitched a 15% flat tax...we'll see.

I'm shutting up before I start sounding like Dwayner, but there doesn't need to be any rap points on that face, there is a walk off. For over 50 years thousand and thousands of climbers climbed it without the bolts just fine.

Why not have no raps, and leave it like it was for the first 50 years or so after the FA? The bolt count on that wall use to be zero for 50 years or so, and it never impeded climbers.

Kenny, keep working your fingers and legs and as your back strengthens start on the arms and later torso. Get some pro help via asking the physical therapist. I just saw this or I would have said something yesterday when you came out to play. Good to see you out and about!

Regressive Greeks are making a comeback ....or isn't it really the case that the socialists have screwed the finances of the country up so much that being regressive is now progressive? jb - whats your take on Greece? Bet you think that the corporations are taking them down because ....? hmmm, because they are a welfare state? I suspect that the rest of us believe they haven't lived within their means and are now going to pay the price, much like Bush started taking our country in a huge horrifying way by expanding the government and Obama is right now expanding on and advancing. It's a f*ed up bipartisan thing this spending. ps, calling anyone a corporate shill, regressive or dimfuck won't advance the discussion on this. We do not support the spending and indebtedness or the policies that cause it.

Great link find Rudy!!!! Interesting to see Dwayner complimenting me. This one below got a chuckle from me. Tim, what did you wind up doing over in Spain? Did you show the euros the American way and whack them off? ps, convenience bolt rappels are getting installed in the valley with no action from the locals (Royal Arches etc). I find it disturbing as it greatly reduces the commitment. Furthermore, there appears to be more accidents and sar callouts from idiots rappelling than before. That might be a function of more folks.... I can't make a judgment on these, as it's for you locals, including guys like Pope and Raindawg, to decide. Good luck!

jb, I don't think you read peoples words very carefully. You bring a lot of bias to the table, and read a lot of what is inside your mind into what others say. I see you'll come right out and attack, even when you are wrong, like you often are. The result is that having a discussion with you is a bit like having a talk to a thick wall....or a board. Not very satisfying. You identify things that don't exist and start screeching right away, instead of clarifying others views, even when they agree with you. Oh, except that the board doesn't misunderstand you and won't attack you for no apparent reason. Regards.