catbirdseat

Conservatives like to say Moore is a lousy writer and a lousy director. He can't be that bad if he has so many people upset. He can't be that bad if so many people are going to see his movies. I think he must be quite good to have the influence he does. Whether you agree with his views is another matter, but to call him a lousy director is totally disingenuous.

Jon, that has got to be the most annoying thing I've ever seen posted on this board. Congratulations.

It is not easy to arrest with a large pack if you happen to fall on your back, head downhill. If you happen to be lying on the side with the head of the axe, if is a simple matter to arrest. But if you are lying on the opposite side, it is a bitch. I've found you have to sometimes let yourself tumble to get into position. I haven't yet found a satisfactory solution. Regarding use of cramponed feet, I teach people to use both methods, knees or feet, and tell them to use their judgement on which to use based on snow conditions. I know that there are conditions where it is simply impossible to arrest if you don't use your feet. This isn't simply and issue of risking a broken ankle. Catching a crampon can flip you and start a tumble from which you'll never recover. The best solution is to practice enough that that you can arrest very rapidly and don't have any time to pick up speed.

From my Dad, "If a hammer won't fix it, get a bigger hammer." and from my Grandfather, " You have to give a little to get a little".

I am opposed to the commercialization of this wilderness area at the exclusion of those who have explored it for years. What can be done to prevent this? I have time and money I can donate. This plan has been in the works since Slade Gorton was in office. I think it was his idea. I'm not sure it isn't a bad idea. There simply aren't enough car camping areas close to Seattle. There is a huge demand. People are going in there whether there are camp grounds or not and a lot of them have trashed the place for lack of supervision. Paving that road isn't going to limit access to human powered exploration, but it will limit motorized exploration, as they plan to close and berm a lot of the spur roads that people have used to shoot old computer monitors, dump trash and abandon cars. The paved road will cost less to maintain and will make it easier for Sheriff's deputies to get out there when they are needed.

Why not just make a movie?

Sounds like they don't know for sure if satellite cells replace themselves or are regenerated from stem cells. It would be good to know. If it turns out not to be a problem, then mystatin inhibitors may become the new holy grail for the drug industry, behind Viagra.

The weather was gorgeous and it was uncrowded in Leavenworth. What a bunk forecast that was!

I saw this article in Tuesday's New York Times. They mentioned that the sports drinks only have about a tenth as much posassium as a piece of fruit, like a banana. "PERSONAL HEALTH Preserving a Delicate Balance of Potassium By JANE E. BRODY Published: June 22, 2004 Evolution is an excellent teacher when it comes to figuring out what and how much people should eat. For example, primates (including those with two legs and big brains) evolved on foods rich in potassium and very low in sodium. Early humans evolved to conserve sodium, which was hard to obtain, and to excrete excess potassium, abundant in many fruits and vegetables. But Western-style diets these days are the reverse of what those early humans consumed, rich in processed foods, loaded with sodium and relatively poor in potassium. Consequently, according to a report released this year by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, many people now consume diets deficient in potassium and high in acid-generating foods like meats and other animal proteins that further deplete the body's supply of this vital mineral. According to national diet surveys, the average man in this country consumes only about two-thirds the recommended amount of potassium each day, and the average women consumes even less - half of the 4,700 milligrams a day considered to be an adult's adequate daily intake. As the institute report explained, "Humans evolved from ancestors who habitually consumed large amounts of uncultivated plant foods, which provided substantial amounts of potassium. In this setting, the human kidney developed a highly efficient capacity to excrete excess potassium." A Crucial Nutrient Normal healthy kidneys are not effective at conserving potassium and are thus unable to prevent a deficiency when dietary levels of it are low. Potassium and sodium, along with chloride, are electrolytes. They regulate the electrical potential of cell membranes and, thus, the conduction of nerve impulses. Potassium resides primarily in cells, while sodium and chloride are found mainly outside cells. All three have to be in proper balance to assure normal metabolic and neuromuscular functioning. And the imbalance of high sodium and chloride in relation to potassium is believed to be a major factor in several serious chronic ailments. The potential consequences of a chronic potassium deficiency are often unrecognized, even by health professionals. The problems include high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, kidney stones and a loss of bone minerals that can lead to osteoporosis. Low potassium consumption can also cause a sensitivity to salt, further raising the risk of hypertension. That is a common problem among African-Americans, who have a much higher risk than whites of developing hypertension and its lethal consequences. These and other effects of insufficient potassium can occur even when blood levels of the mineral appear to be normal. Furthermore, even small changes in potassium levels can harm nerve transmission, muscle contraction and blood-vessel tone. Most people have little or no warning of potassium deficiencies. They may feel tired, weak and irritable, but unable to pinpoint the cause. To make matters worse, high-protein levels in diets result in acid formation that increases the loss of calcium, the primary bone mineral. Studies have demonstrated an association between higher consumption of fruit and potassium and increased bone mineral density. The more protein in relation to potassium consumed, the greater the risk of bone loss in the hips and spine. In its report, the institute was especially critical of the currently popular low-carbohydrate high-protein diets. Although these diets may contain enough potassium from protein, they lack enough alkali-generating substances from fruits like oranges, bananas and grapes to counter the high acid formation associated with a protein-rich diet. In a six-week study of 10 adults on a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet, calcium loss in urine increased by 50 percent and was not compensated for by an increase in intestinal absorption of dietary calcium. The researchers concluded that the diet overloaded the kidneys with acid, increased the risk of formation of kidney stones, led to a net loss of calcium and might have increased bone loss. The institute noted that there had been "no published studies of the long-term metabolic effects of this kind of diet in any group of individuals." People taking certain diuretics - thiazide and loop diuretics -to lower blood pressure or to counter fluid retention may also incur a potassium deficiency, because those drugs increase urinary loss of both sodium and potassium. Such patients are commonly told to take potassium supplements, typically potassium chloride, although chloride has a counterproductive acidic effect. Advertisement Also at risk of potassium deficiency, even when consuming an adequate diet, are people who sweat excessively as a result of high heat or extreme exercise. Both situations increase the need for potassium, which is best met through increased consumption of potassium-rich fruits, vegetables and juices. ,strong>Dangers of Excess Excessive blood levels of potassium can cause fatal disruptions in heart rhythms. And several common health problems can lead to high blood levels of potassium, even when potassium consumption is not above the recommended level. People at risk include those with chronic kidney disease, heart failure, Type 1 diabetes and adrenal insufficiency, each of which can interfere with the kidneys' ability to excrete potassium. Also, drugs called ACE inhibitors, angiotension receptor blockers and potassium-sparing diuretics, commonly used to treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure, increase the risk of a harmful excess of potassium in the blood. Also at risk are people suffering dehydration, extensive injuries or a major infection. The institute suggested that people who have those conditions or who are taking such medications should have their potassium levels monitored and should, perhaps, consume somewhat less potassium than that recommended for healthy adults. Experts say no one should take potassium supplements or potassium salt substitutes without medical advice. Improving Intake To achieve a healthy balance of potassium and sodium, people should eat ample amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. When such foods are processed, potassium is commonly lost and sodium substantially increased. Nearly all processed foods are sodium rich and potassium poor. For example, a three-and-a-half-ounce serving of fresh peas has 380 milligrams of potassium and less than one milligram of sodium. The same serving of canned peas, minus the liquid, has 180 milligrams of potassium and 230 milligrams of sodium. Among the foods richest in potassium, in descending order by caloric value, are leafy greens like spinach, romaine and cabbage; vine-grown foods like tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, winter squash and pumpkin; root vegetables like carrots, radishes, turnips and onions; dried peas and beans, and green beans; fruits like apples, oranges, bananas, apricots and strawberries; and tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes, as well as milk and yogurt. Lesser amounts are found in meats, nuts, eggs, cereals and cheese. In physically active people, potassium is important to sustaining good muscle function. But sports drinks, often consumed to restore the nutrients exhausted by vigorous exercise, are close to worthless when it comes to replacing potassium. An eight-ounce serving of a sports drink contains about 30 milligrams of potassium. You would have to drink 12 servings of a sports drink, 600 calories, to consume the amount of potassium in one 65-calorie banana, or consume 375 calories of the drink to get the potassium in 27 calories of a half-cup of cantaloupe. If you consumed 100 calories each of spinach, tomatoes, carrots, chickpeas, oranges and potatoes, you would easily take in a day's recommended amount of potassium and only 600 calories. A potassium-rich diet is also great for weight control. "

While I didn't find it funny, neither did I think it was worth getting all upset about. I do think there it relies entirely on the notion of "violation of the sacrosanct" for its humor. Much of modern art, as well as SNL rely too heavily on the genre.

Little Bridge Creek Rock is top ropeable 5.7 and 5.8, but it is just a little scary walking to the anchors. Have someone belay you if you are not comfortable.

I used flukes this weekend. The only picket I placed was as a deadman (T-Slot). That is the only way I'd trust a picket under the conditions then prevailing. The T-slot was at a place where it was flat and easy to stand there and dig, otherwise I would't have used it at all.

Would you care to explain how using the preview pane in Outlook gives feedback to the spammer? Do they get a "read" confirmation when you preview an e-mail. That doesn't sound like what "preview" is supposed to be about. But then who understands why Microsoft does what they do?

Did you really do E. Wilmans? I was up there on Sat. We saw a older blonde guy and his pretty girlfriend and two fellows who were scrambling the North and South Peaks.

Pretty cocky for a first post.

Really. That stadium was approved by at least 51% of those who voted. Apples and Oranges.

It's maybe time for that physical exan you've been putting off for so long.

The Middle Fork trail between Taylor River and Dingford Creek isn't especially scenic. It does go by Fee Demo Wall, and there is a pretty cascade shortly before you get to Dingford Creek. One idea is to hike the Middle Fork from Dingford Creek to Goldmyer Hot Springs. Get a reservation before you go and take your friends for a soak. Another way to get to Goldmyer which involves more driving on even crappier road, is to drive to the Hardscrabble Lakes/Dutch Miller Gap trailhead and hike the new trail down to Goldmyer three miles. It starts about 50 yards or so from the end of the road. It is very scenic and the new bridge is pretty cool. You can also look at some mining relics on the way. There is about 1000 ft of elevation loss you'll have to gain on the way back.

Take the Middlefork road to the Tylor River Parking Lot. There is a bridge there and a nice trail on the other side of the river with easy hiking and not crowded.

From what I've been able to gather from the reports, there is no single cause for the accidents. Although falling is the ultimate cause of injury and death, there are multiple causes for the falls. There are a lot of factors at play: equipment used, skill level, illness, hardness of the ice, rockfall, avalanche, wind. It is easy to confuse coincidence with causality.

That rap route is famous for stuck ropes. On arriving there, early one morning, we found a rope hanging. It had gotten stuck and someone had cut it! What good is half a rope? By and by, some guys coming off Liberty Crack came down and freed it. We took it home and I use it occasionally to set up top rope anchors from trees that happen to be distant from the edge of the cliff. I have to wonder, what is the logic in cutting the stuck rope? I'm sure it was very late in the day, perhaps getting dark, and they didn't want to lead back up to free it, but why cut it? I would have left it intact. If I could, I would have left a note attached to it, or if else taped to the privy at Blue Lake parking lot. If the finder didn't see fit to return it to me, at least someone would benefit from a 50 m rope.

Thanks, that was an interesting read.

You said something that I was afraid to say, but I have to agree. Sometimes though you get past a hard part, the slope eases off, and you let down your guard and decide not to put another picket in. But with more steepness coming up you stay roped. I can totally see how it could have happened. All you can do on routes like this is to never let down your guard.

Please, make it stop.