billcoe

The mans going to get you some healthcare for Gods sake Sam. Besides, he got us out of Iraq didn't he? What? He didn't? Well he wanted too. That's the thing. Good intentions. Just like agreeing to approving, in advance, the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy. They were set to expire Pat, they are no longer the Bush tax cuts, they are the Obama tax cuts for the wealthy, done with a full on demo congress and senate. What amazes me, is people who diss on the repubs thinking that they are somehow different than the dems. As I see it - all that shit Bush brought to the table: Obama is serving up second helpings on. Same-Same. Not different.

The government should stay out of the rescue business. If these guys had private insurance, I'd be fine with it. But they didn't, and so we all wind up paying, and looking at added government intrusions and restrictions for us all in the future. That is all.

Not as of last week as I detailed on another thread. All gone. It's primarily in a leveraged fund that shorts T-Bill yields on margin with the balance in commodities and TIPS (inflationary protected T-bills) funds. If interest rates, commodities and inflation goes up I'll do great. Interest rates drop and inflation stays low... I'll have to move into your basement. I don't recommend this high risk strategy for anyone else as my situation is unique. LOL. As I bet on inflation coming and the dollar dropping with almost every nickel I have, if I margin the rest into rental property and we see deflation or home values drop further.... eeek! Part of this craziness was caused by the exposure of both my wife and I having our retirements fully (ie, 100%) in the stock market, and my desire to try and achieve balance and response to the fear of the future I think I see approaching. As I know she won't rebalanced her stuff, I took mine off the table and overweighted it. If stocks go up (the Dow is @12400 now) from here, interest rates drop below the .25% currently and I get slammed, I'll be riding her coat tails. If I could get an additional income producing rental or 3 here or there to add to the 2 currently and inflation hits I'll be smoking big cigars and sipping expensive brandy. The reverse and house prices continue down ...ouch. I rolled the dice and am holding my breath. Any thoughts on the macro-economic swirl we are all looking at? Where's this country heading and what do we do to brace for it?

All this talk of inflation (which is almost non-existent at this time per gov't statistic). Anyone else thinking that the time to get some real estate with long term fixed loans lined up and dialed in? ...any thoughts on this subject?

It's why I like having your posts handy Jay. Too many idiots, perhaps the majority, in this corner of the site think that if you say something different than what they believe, all they have to do is start name calling and the conversation will end. It does end, but although they consider themselves the "winner", is not resolved, nor is anything learned. Only stupidity and childishness is exhibited. We do agree on plenty of things I'd suspect. BTW, I'm not calling you an extremist either:-) Thanks again

btw, everybody with half a brain can see that you are a liar, Bill. From the sequence of posts in this thread it is clear that I didn't attack anybody until your goon KKK came after me. I am onto your smear tactics. My kids stopped acting like this so long ago that I just don't know what to say to you jb. They all went off to college. 3rd grade was a long time ago, for them. I'm hoping for grandkids soon, then maybe I can relate to your butt hurt mindset. Till then, keep up the whining - ta ta.

If you ever got into private enterprise, I could see this being the jb bus. Somehow, all the rest of us grew out of name calling in elementary school. Truthfully, it shows that you have absolutely nothing of substance or intelligence that all you can do is toss out personal attacks, then when someone responds in kind act all butt hurt. The fact is that many if not most first and second generation immigrants do have not learn the deep ingrained sense of butt hurt entitlement which you feel you are owed jb. It doesn't make them wrong, they just bring with them a different perception.

Yes, for the rich, for everyone else, it's like you have a hole in your pocket and everything that falls out gets grabbed by the rich.

No, it means that you will get a regressive corporate shill no matter what you do. Predestined and preordained. At least the Obama tax cuts for the richest 1% will not be in jeopardy. It's one of those rare things jb and I agree on. I've been considering paying myself only capitol gains, and not salary so I can join the "Free Ride" party and stop getting fucked royally in the ass sans happy jelly. Have a nice day.

No need, we're about to blow up from the inside. "The federal government’s cash-flow situation was summed up pungently in Senate Budget Committee testimony by Erskine Bowles, who served as chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and is now the co-chair of President Barack Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility. (See video below.) [video:youtube] “I'm really concerned,” Bowles told the committee last month. “I think we face the most predictable economic crisis in history. A lot of us sitting in this room didn't see this last crisis as it came upon us. But this one is really easy to see. The fiscal path we are on today is simply not sustainable. “This debt and these deficits that we are incurring on an annual basis are like a cancer and they are truly going to destroy this country from within unless we have the common sense to do something about it,” said Bowles. “I used to say that I got into this thing for my grandchildren,” Bowles said. “I have eight grandchildren under five years old. I'll have one more in a week. And my life is wonderful and it is wild. But this problem is going to happen long before my grandchildren grow up. “This problem is going to happen, like the former chairman of the Fed said, or the Moody's said, this is a problem we're going to have to face up,” he said. “It may be two years, you know, maybe a little less, maybe a little more. But if our bankers over there in Asia begin to believe that we're not going to be solid on our debt, that we're not going to be able to meet our obligations, just stop and think for a minute what happens if they just stop buying our debt. “What happens to interest rates?” asked Bowles. “And what happens to the U.S. economy? The markets will absolutely devastate us if we don't step up to this problem. The problem is real, the solutions are painful, and we have to act.” "The U.S. Treasury has released a final statement for the month of March that demonstrates that financial madness has gripped the federal government. During the month, according to the Treasury, the federal government grossed $194 billion in tax revenue and paid out $65.898 billion in tax refunds (including $62.011 to individuals and $3.887 to businesses) thus netting $128.179 billion in tax revenue for March. At the same, the Treasury paid out a total of $1.1187 trillion. When the $65.898 billion in tax refunds is deducted from that, the Treasury paid a net of $1.0528 trillion in federal expenses for March. That $1.0528 trillion in spending for March equaled 8.2 times the $128.179 in net federal tax revenue for the month. The lion’s share of this federal spending went to redeem Treasury securities that had matured during the month—most of which were short-term Treasury bills that have terms of one-year or less. In fact, during March the Treasury redeemed $705.3 billion in Treasury securities of which $623.9 billion were short-term bills with a term of one year or less. After the disbursements made to pay off the $705.3 billion in loans that came due in March, three of the other top four federal spending items for the month were entitlements programs. The other top item was payments to defense contractors. The Treasury paid $49.8 billion in Social Security benefits in March, $47.4 billion in Medicare benefits, and $22.575 billion in Medicaid benefits. It also paid $37.9 billion to defense contractors. To help pay off its $1.0528 trillion in monthly bills on only $128.179 in monthly tax revenue, the Treasury turned primarily to new borrowing. During the month, according to the Treasury statement, the government sold $786.5 billion in new securities. It also drew down its cash balance from $190.6 billion at the beginning of the month to $118.1 billion at the end of the month. It also reaped $18 billion from the sale of assets in the Troubled Asset Relief Program."

Really? Can we contribute to this fund using Paypal? Jus askin is all... it's obviously not his fault at all if he yells "FIRE" in a crowded Whitesnake concert and people are too stupid not to get trampled in the rush for the doors.....we all have our freedom of speech is all I'm sayin'..

TOTEM CAM APOLOGY Did you guys ever have one of your buddies tell you to go see a movie cause "IT WAS THE BEST MOVIE EVER MAN YOU JUST HAVE TO SEE IT!!!!!!111’ Later when you go see it you are disappointed. Had you just gone and seen it with no hype, you might have loved it, but instead you feel let down. In one respect I got pegged by that on the Totems and I owe these guys part of an overdue apology. See, hearing that they would be a safer/better (40 degree holding angle claimed) replacement for the offset Aliens on aid, I got the ‘BEST MOVIE EVER” riff layed out on my feet but for the Totem cams. My disappointment runs through out my rant up thread. But I had the opportunity to run mega high mileage long free climbing crack routes in Red Rocks and I totally have to pull my foot out of my mouth because it changed my view. (head out of ass syndrome). Sure they worked great in vertical cracks, but they really preformed well in some the strange features Germaine to Red rocks. In particular, flared horizontal seams and various solution pods. The grabbing and inserting Powderhound discusses above was quickly adapted to and we didn't notice them harder to place when running fast up long routes with these units. They didn't slow us down at all. Unlike the new DMM Dragons. We brought along some new DMM Dragons which surprisingly disappointed everyone. That's another rant I’ll save for later though. Would I buy a set of these if I didn’t have them. Yes, but as you all know, I’m a gear whore with more money than brains. Based on the higher price do they outperform the BD’s or Metolius cams enough to make it worthwhile...ummmm...well, maybe not, but I’m not giving mine up. I was too harsh on the Totems, and I apologize. As far as the recall, being for anodizing the full cam lobe, including the business end that touches the rock, these things were grabbing well when new, not slipping at all, and they are scuffed up enough that I'm not worried at all. In fact, plenty of other cams do anodize all or part of their lobes (ie Wild country Technical Friend picture below, Wild Country has been doing this for a long time and will be doing it to the new Helium cams as well) [img:center]http://images.buzzillions.com/images_products/01/82/wild-country-technical-friends-cams_615609_175.jpg[/img] and it's never been an issue. I think the Totem folks were suggesting that on marginal slick Limestone placements it could be an issue, and they should be commended, thanked and supported for their candor and commitment to excellence. It's certainly a welcome change from the Colorado Custom Hardware experience. Furthermore, to me, these cams do not appear as easy to get stuck as other cams. Someone noted that and pointed it out, and I believe it's true. Unfortunately, when your buddy Ujahn stuffs your #4 Camalot into that 3" placement on Epinephrine again, you still are screwed and will have to wrestle with it for 20 min to get it out cause Totem doesn't make anything close to that size. LOL Regards to all bill

I think anyone who can get up any route clean that has otherwise not gone clean before has an obligation to others to widely see that info disseminated. Furthermore, I'd like to see them indicate any crazy or less normal things that they had to do to achieve this goal (ie, brought a long stickclip, specially mfg or ground hooks, used large offset cams mandatory for 2 moves, Alien offsets needed, etc etc, so that others can follow. Especially at Smith, I'm with everyone here on the page that we should be clean climbing everywhere possible. If climbers thinks a route still goes on pins, they'll take them along and most likely use them. It's not quite as bad at Beacon although degradation occurs there too, but the Smith cracks get trashed fast. It was difficult to see the Great Roof crack still get bashed when it would go clean, but with the internet we can and should share that info. I'm not bagging on anyone cause the odd pin or 2 used here or there ain't going to ruin civilization (love the TR too BTW), just suggesting that we should all consider this as the way we should be....our protocol as it were. Regards to all!

Holy crap Radek, what's the story there?

I'd forgot all about that guy. Wow, did anyone ever figure out who that was? That must have been a screwed up thing to be thinking you'd watched a dude pitch to his death.... I wrote that 2nd part poorly and didn't mean to poo-poo what is really a significant screwed-up environmental disaster. My brothers and I are all part of the Hanford study, having been an infant at the wrong time at the wrong place of Washington state. I've gotten enough radiation as a child to cover me for all the years of my life and I don't even need even trace amounts added to the tally. The Japan thing is not anywhere near enough to trigger me eating my PI stash, and I am paying attention to both what the government is saying, and what people who do not trust the government and have established radiation detectors at their personal homes are saying about the levels. My point to OW was it's probably not a good comparison for a couple of reasons. 1st) middle markers can save your life as your story illustrates. 2nd) Well, no reason to repeat myself unless you like to hear old people drone on. ps, for you. Mokies daughter as crag dog. (I took that leash off right after the picture and it stayed off all day)

Welcome to the dark side....took ya long enough. BTW, wasn't your last post how the retard level was so high HERE on CC.com? See how easily even we can be eclipsed! Stay safe.

Don't be so damn complacent. I was out with 2 otherwise competent folks @ 15 years back, one I use to guide with, an AMGA fully certified and body-cavity searched bonafide guide - who set the (unmarked) rope for the 3 of us at the anchor. I was fucking around backing up the anchor while he set the rope then other dude connected and rapped down. Rope would have reached if the middle had been at or even close to the anchors...no one knows what went wrong. Dude got down a ways and was PISSED that one end reached quite well and then some: but the other was easily 20 feet off the deck. He caught it but that's how crap happens. You'd think I'd know better but I'm out with Adam last year and I KNOW that the damn rope will reach, its a fucking bicolor Mammut and I pulled it after a new route we had finished. We needed the last rap to the base and we both ducked and covered for all the rocks and crap raining down, then with the unsettled dirt in eye syndrome, Adam get on rappel and (thank the dear lord) after committing notices that the rope doesn't hit on both ends. We figured that it readjusted itself as the dirt clods were raining on us. Here he is after having survived the stupidity of neither of us double checking a bi color rope being centered! It's true that it's orange on both sides and only the pattern changes, and it was dirty...whew... I see Richard Goldstone doing a fund raiser now for one for the more experienced folks he knows who got dropped and hospitalized due to the rope being too short and no one noticing or tying a knot in the end. They weren't noobs. Don't be so complacent is the message. The dirt is actually harder to eat as you get older. [/end rant which is really reaffirming some noise to myself and not directed any one person] ps, I got your stock of Potasium Iodine right here, but I'm holding off for a dirty bomb with possibly heavy cesium and plutonium coming off the docks mere miles away, not some imaginary light radiation drifting over that might or might not arrive from half a world away. You got a hold of Josephs nutz Steve? Good for you! LOL!

Well, at least we still have the Columbia River Gorge forum for all the usual endless augmentative chest thumping, arm waving and Beacon spray.

My wife said that was going to be on. Nice vid, too short. If anyone has any contributions of history, (Ice axes, books, pictures etc) you can tell that it will be well taken care of in Jeffs hands and he'd love to have it. Simply contact the Mazamas: that stuff should be preserved, and we all are grateful for Jeffs and especially all the people out there like Jeff, efforts. Jeff on Tribal Therapy last year. Still has the grace and balance of a master, needs to work on his strength. (don't we all lol) Jeff has quite the encyclopedia inside his head on history, such a joy to be around for so many reasons.

I was just thinking today how nice that East Face line up Liberty Bell is. Crank that grade 5 in a day and you get a wide variety of free and aid with an amazing view from the top that is sure to put a smile on your face.

Well, the "days" we were expected to be in there are now stretching into "weeks" and the price just keeps increasing. They had claimed 100 million at first, price tag is approaching $600 - $700 million and the budget deficit continues to rise at home. Yesterday or the day before, Warren Buffett said that the dollar will continue to drop. What that means for you is that about everything you buy will cost you more. Today, the chairman of Walmart says to brace for some "serious inflation" coming our way and the Euro central bank also announced interest rate increases. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2011-03-30-wal-mart-ceo-expects-inflation_N.htm ]http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2011-03-30-wal-mart-ceo-expects-inflation_N.htm [/url] and http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/31/ecb-fed-rates-idUSLDE72S1AE20110331 Interesting in that they usually follow the fed on this, but have acted before the fed in this single instance. I know, lets go have another war someplace so we can forget this disturbing trend. Sure thing, that will help. Check this shit out. Amazing photos. US fired 22 Tomahawk Missiles today is the headline. These are not Tomahawks, but appear to have been dropped out an airplane onto Gaddafi's house. In other related news, Obama announces that we would not try to kill Gaddafi. Huh? How f*ing stupid is that? WTF not? We've already killed innocent civis in there, where the F&* does Obama think those 22 Tomahawk missiles will be landing? Shit, put the man out of his misery and lets get the F out of there.

Ahhhh , found the copy of that Beal letter to me: "9th September, 2004 ROPE MARKER - There have never been tests conducted by the German Alpin Club together with 2 of our competitors. - The tests made by the German Alpine Club with the “Sharpie” are old. - Mammut made tests with the “Rope Marker”, placing a greatly excessive quantity of ink on a great length of their ropes. Results : no change in the static strength of their ropes (which proves no chemical attack of the nylon by the ink), significant decrease of the number of drops if you place the inky zone in the orifice plate of the test rig. This decrease is due to the large quantity of ink which involves a great stiffening of the rope, and, therefore, an impossibility to fold correctly in the orifice plate. Note that after a few hours of use, the excess of ink eliminates, the rope recovers its softness and then its dynamic properties. Furthermore, you must ink a long zone of rope to be able to make the test. If not, with the deformation of the rope due to a successive falls, it is not possible to have the inked zone in the orifice plate during several successive falls. So if you mark a rope normally (10 cm for example) you can’t even achieve the test, and therefore you will never find a number of falls decrease. In the same report Mammut said that the middle mark applied in the factory on Beal ropes did not affect their number of falls. - This publication from Mammut was purely commercial against Beal. It is interesting to note that Mammut now mark the middle of their ropes with ink… - They tried to make people believe that Lanex was associated to those tests. It is totally wrong. The proof is given by the fact that Lanex officialy approved the use to the Beal “Rope Marker” on their ropes. See the attached agreement. - The “Rope Marker” has also been tested and approved by other manufacturers, including Blue Water and New England. Agreements attached. - It is strange to note that only the UIAA notification of April 2002 is published. The addendum of June 2002 is forgotten ! In this addendum the conclusion is clear : the rope markers do not present any danger to climbers, so long as they are used sparingly on the ropes of the manufacturer marketing this rope marker, or if they have been approved by the manufacturer of the rope. See this addendum attached. - You may wonder why the Beal “Rope Marker” seems to affect the Mammut ropes and not the ropes from manufacturers who approved it…. - The ink of the “Rope Marker” is the same as the one we are using to mark the middle of our ropes. We remind you that even Mammut said that Beal ropes were not affected by this mark ! - The Rope Marker is supplied with the list of the manufacturers who approved it." Note this part: "In this addendum the conclusion is clear : the rope markers do not present any danger to climbers, so long as they are used sparingly on the ropes of the manufacturer marketing this rope marker, or if they have been approved by the manufacturer of the rope." I don't know where the rest of the addendum's Beal alludes too are though...hmmm, sorry dudes. Beal does make and sell a rope marker. http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302691399&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442621248 Buy it and you'll have enough that you can fix your buddies and folks like Wallstein up.

I've always wondered why fabric dye wouldn't be the bees knees for marking the middle of a climbing rope. Just get some black liquid Rit dye that is designed to not hurt fabrics of any type and dip the middle in. Done. I had some back and forth Emails with Michael Beal back when concerning the use of middle markers as an issue. He thought that the tests that they did to ascertain that you don't want to mark the middle with a marker were over the top and overblown. Black Diamond later tested the marking causing failures and this is the result: http://web3.bdel.com/scene/beta/qc_kp_archive.php#120308 ie, they couldn't get it to break at the Sharpie mark but thought you probably shouldn't use one...just because. "I don’t think Sharpies or any other permanent markers have really been proven to actually damage nylon—short-term or long-term. However, I can’t recommend them for use on rope either because the manufacturers will not and cannot guarantee that the marker will always be free of possibly harmful chemical ingredients. In other words, they can change the formula on a whim and none of us would be the wiser."

LOL! Other thread http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/699419/Board/31/page/1/fpart/all/gonew/1#UNREAD

@ 3,300 less than you and I've been here 2 years longer...I must be slackin in comparison:-)