catbirdseat

I say give 'em the needle.

I'm not certain what exactly is the size. They are rated over a 2000 lbs. The largest loads generated when rappelling if you are careful not to bounce is about twice your weight, which in my case is 2 x 200 = 400 lbs. This leaves a comfortable safety margin. The main reason I like quick links over rap rings is that I can put them around multiple existing slings.

just file down the point of the needle to make sure you dont poke the core... It won't hurt the rope to go through the core. The needle parts the fibers and passes between them. There are some needles, however that have a triangular shaft near the point, used for leather. Don't use that kind because they CAN, in theory, cut the fibers. In practice this is very unlikely when the rope is not under tension. The fibers move aside. This is why stepping on ropes with crampons doesn't usually damage the core. If it did, a lot more people would have died by now.

I learn something every day. Today I learned that under the law you must show intent to steal before you can convict someone of larceny or embezzlement. EMBEZZLEMENT According to the faculty of Northwest Wesleyan University ( source ): "Embezzlement is the conversion of lawfully acquired property into something for unlawful purposes (personal use or profit). The property converted must have come into the suspect's possession via a position of trust, commonly called a fiduciary relationship. For example, employees, parking lot attendants, dry cleaning services, auto shops, and bankers typically occupy such positions of trust. The actus reus elements of embezzlement are the same as larceny except that the element of taking is relaxed and the element of breach of trust is added. All that's necessary to prove breach of trust is that the property was handled in a manner inconsistent with the trust arrangement. Embezzlement is a specific intent crime. The requisite mental state is an intent to defraud and convert property. This mental state is sometimes proven by considering what happened after the act of larceny. If the person claims they intended to return the exact same property, it is false pretenses. If the person intended to return similar or identical property because they have already spent the profit, or covered up the losses in some way because of the physical impossibility of returning the original property, it is embezzlement." In an article in today's New York Times the lone hold out juror in the Tyco corruption case stated that had the judge not declared a mistrial, there would have been a hung jury, regardless, because she herself did not believe that the prosecution had shown intent on the part of the defendants to steal from their company. I'm sorry, but I can't share her point of view, let alone even understand it. These people were using the company as their personal piggy bank a la Bart Simpson with a hammer. They obviously had no intent to pay back the 600 million dollars they "borrowed". This woman received a law degree at age 50. I would say one of two things is true: 1) She was bought off, or 2) America's law schools have sunk to a new low of moral relativism. So let me get this straight. I can steal from my company as long as I "feel good" about it? I don't think I personally could get away with that.

Those are 45 minutes out of our lives we'll never get back. Gosh, I am so ashamed.

I've seen far too many people who completely forget to eat enough. They get so absorbed in the climbing, they forget to maintain their bodies.

Hey, the roof was open and the sun was shining. What more could you ask for?... well a win would have been nice.

The pressure would be about 500 atmospheres or about 7500 pounds per square inch. You would need a casing made of several inches of high strength steel.

The pressure would be about 500 atmospheres or about 7500 pounds per square inch. You would need a casing made of several inches of high strength steel.

So funny I suffered a coughing fit.

The rock is not impermeable, unfortunately.

Supposing it were possible to build a tunnel. How do you keep out water that is under thousands of pounds of pressure?

Steely Dan was way ahead of you guys. Standing tough under stars and stripes We can tell This dream's in sight You've got to admit it At this point in time that it's clear The future looks bright On that train all graphite and glitter Undersea by rail Ninety minutes from New York to Paris Well by seventy-six we'll be A.O.K. What a beautiful world this will be What a glorious time to be free Get your ticket to that wheel in space While there's time The fix is in You'll be a witness to that game of chance in the sky You know we've got to win Here at home we'll play in the city Powered by the sun Perfect weather for a streamlined world There'll be spandex jackets one for everyone What a beautiful world this will be What a glorious time to be free On that train all graphite and glitter Undersea by rail Ninety minutes from New York to Paris (More leisure for artists everywhere) A just machine to make big decisions Programmed by fellows with compassion and vision We'll be clean when their work is done We'll be eternally free yes and eternally young What a beautiful world this will be What a glorious time to be free

I don't use the smallest size. I believe the size is about 3/16" - 2" or 1/4" - 2 5/16". Keystone I've bought them at various and sundry places such as Archie McPhee's in Ballard and the Marine Hardware store in Anacortes.

The doctor said it does not appear to be fluid-filled. It is light colored.

Just checking in to make sure this thread is still lame. Yep.

Have you read this book? On the Beach, by Neville Shute. It is probably the most powerful novel I have ever read. I read it five years ago, but I still think about it from time to time.

Psst, hey comrade, wanna buy a hot TV? For you, we make spashel deal! "When the town siren went off on Sunday morning, mass panic ensued. With the police evacuting along with everyone else, banks and even jewelry stores went relatively unnoticed, but looters emptied this shop out in minutes. The police began shooting looters in May, when radioactive TV sets began to appear in the pawn shops of Kiev. "

Chilling. And No Iain, she knows what she is doing. I was thinking about that old man she met who survived even as others succumbed to radiation sickness. It is known that some people have more of an enzyme called superoxide dismutase in their bodies. It destroys free radicals that are created by radiation and chemical processes. Perhaps this man is one of them.

Quick links at $0.85 are cheaper than biners and weigh less. I always carry a couple.

What this testing says to me is that 1) having a sufficient length of rope between partners is very important and 2) having a team of three on the rope provides additional redundancy to the system.

I still don't know why people leave biners on rappels. It's one more possible point of failure and it isn't necessary to make it easy to pull the rope. I'd rather not use anything or else a proper rappel ring or possibly a quick link.

It may actually come down to having to leave someone to watch the cars. It's pretty sad. The best thing you can do is to leave absolutely nothing of value in the car. Clean it out the car before you leave home and when you arrive take everything else to the crag in your pack. If you want to catch a crook in the act you are going to have to hide a video camera in a crevice somewhere on long play. Nobody's going to bother.