catbirdseat

Hey bad behavior is what it is. But sometimes, you know, someone does what you'd dream of doing yourself, if you could, and it just resonates. Come on, how many of you would lose your jobs for the chance to flip Bush the bird? I'm sure she wasn't thinking. It was just a visceral response.

It's as easy to rap off the end of your rope using a GriGri, as it is with an ATC. I'll qualify that by saying that if the accident was contributed to by lack of control of speed or fatigue, then yes, the GriGri might have made a difference.

You need to ask because you can't see it when you are wearing it.

Damn, Chuck, that was well-put. I can summarize for the literacy challenged. We're f***ed because of Bush.

Well, well. Dr. Linky returns.

Well, I did see the crossed ice axe icons. Is that part of the secret doing?

Police Chief Loses Job Don't you dare make fun of Jelly Bellies!

I'll tell ya what, though. Gasoline prices wouldn't be what they are today, if we had ratified Kyoto.

Damn, those pesky whistleblowers. Get rid of 'em all.

You can say that again. All UW Rock cracks are all shallow. I wish I were good enough to climb them.

Here, I must agree with you. I've always thought that nuclear fission has been the cleanest energy source we have. Zero CO2 emissions. We now know how to make perfectly safe reactors that cannot melt down under any circumstances. The fuel disposal issue still remains a problem, but I think it can be solved. We need to get Yucca Mountain licensed and start moving waste to that location.

When I consider that I will be dead before the worst effects of global warming are felt, why should I worry? Well I do care about having a good place for my children to live. So, Jay, you think that Global Warming is not a worry because CO2 emissions will decrease as gas prices rise? What if we switched to electric cars whos batteries are charged by power plants which are fueled by our cheap and abundant coal reserves?

Mods, you heard the man. Besides, she's wearing clothes.

You mean like this?

While the last two pitches are not great, the summit is a pretty cool place to chill out a bit and enjoy the view. I think it is worth the effort to get there.

I believe that Kevlar is much more susceptible to fatique from repeated flexing than is Spectra. This is an effect distinct from the weakening caused by bends at knots and hitches. In general, the more static a cord is, the greater the strength reduction for a bend of a given radius. This is because the fibers on the outside of a bend take most of the force, while those on the inside radius take less. In the case of dynamic ropes, the outer strands are able to stretch, thus allowing more force to be borne by the inner fibers.

It sure looks like North Bend rhinostone, a metamorphosed basalt.

This is not a climb, but a hike. The first time I ever hiked the Lime Kiln Trail, I swear there was a "presence" there. Ever get that feeling that you are not alone? Well I had it, and it wasn't exactly scary but certainly felt weird. I got to thinking about the large number of men who died in accidents building the Everett and Monte Cristo Railway. Probably most of them didn't even get an obit in the newspapers a the time, poor immigrants that they were. I had this digital camera and some of the pictures had this weird fog in places that I never saw through the view finder. One time, this white patch messed up a shot really badly. I took it again and it wasn't there the second time. I've been on that trail many times after that and never experienced the same thing again. You have to go in the winter when it is really quiet, and go alone.

It's funning the random things Google comes up with when you can't spell worth a darn.

I agree, but our current administration seems to lean a lot more heavily to the "do nothing" view than "paleo-eden". If you are a true economic scientist, AND you believe that our CO2 emissions are causing global warming, then you would agree with the following: (1) Global warming will cost us money in the form of lost land, lost farm productivity, displacements of population centers, etc. (2) Reducing CO2 emissions costs money. Spending money to reduce CO2 is partially offset by cost savings from decreased energy costs and health benefits (to the extent that toxics are reduced). (3) There is some optimum amount of money that we should be spending on CO2 reductions to maximize our long term economic welfare. If you believe those three statements, then it comes down to: A) who spends the money, and B) what is the right amount to "invest" in CO2 reduction. The problem of course is the old "tragedy of the commons". Everyone would benefit from CO2 reduction, but they would benefit MORE if it was someone else who spent the money. That's why we have the concept of a treaty like Kyoto.

91% think Government is Broken? That's amazing, and it is a result of of how the question is asked. I strongly believe that Government is NOT broken. People are just ready for a change. We have an election coming up and it is how the goverment will be brought back into line with the current desires of the populace.

Nice post.

It's not clear whether or not Ben is taking the Bush position that "there is nothing we can do about Global Warming, so we should do nothing". What's interesting about the Bushies is that sometimes they seem to take the position that Global Warming isn't happening so we shouldn't worry about it. Other times they seem to be saying that, well, yes, it is happening, but there isn't really anything we can do about it without completely ruining our economy.

How about the Faders Sum? at REI It sounds like a GriGri, but there is a claim that it give "dynamic" catches unlike a GriGri.

Whoa, you just registered to out a JayB plagerizer?! He did put it in italics and quotes. He just didn't attribute it.