catbirdseat

Don't forget to pick up some of those beaded necklaces. You'll want some of those.

speaking of thread drift, taking note of your palindromic autosig, did you know that much of the genetic material of the Y-chromosome is palindromic? It has something to do with error correction in the absence of a complimentary partner.

I was referrring more to the people listed by lummox in his first reply than to neocons in general.

The word does carry a lot of negative baggage, doesn't it? i·de·ol·o·gy ( P ) Pronunciation Key (d-l-j, d-) n. pl. i·de·ol·o·gies The body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture. A set of doctrines or beliefs that form the basis of a political, economic, or other system.

Most excellent.

All of them can be characterized by a common trait, a fixed mind set. They are very close minded and are supremely confident in the correctness of their view of the world. They tend to become fixated on a few core issues and don't look at the big picture. Their mental construct of reality is best termed "belief based", that is it is not based on information and critical thinking. Most of them were spoon fed their beliefs by others.

Who cares about Al Gore anyway? He's already consigned to the dustbin of history. He blew his chance and now about all he'll ever do is work the speaking circuit.

I am really impressed to see Muffy asking technical questions. It shows she is starting to get serious about her climbing.

Yes, I did commit a brain fart. I had just read another account of an ascent of Ptarmigan Ridge by Fred Beckey and company and I confused the two accounts in my mind. Maybe I'll post that one too, although it's quite a bit longer. One observation was that in those days the Park Service required a support party on some of these climbs. You read about a support party of two hiking to high camp with the climbers and carting out their sleeping bags and other overnight gear, then meeting them at Paradise with cold beers. Where are you going to find people willing to do that these days?

Climbers have been buying their gear mail order. That's why REI doesn't carry the gear any more.

Sell what? Your virginity? Your dropped cam? What?

Is there such thing as a boulder problem with a crack? Or are they all face problems?

Well, trask's latest incarnation went missing today, thus it appears he's off visiting bannedkamp at the moment.

I didn't realize that "classic" was a word that could be modified, like the word "unique". A first ascent of a particular route can't be repeated. In the above account it was a second ascent, albeit a major route variation.

Everything Everything gives you cancer Everything Everything gives you cancer There's no cure, there's no answer Everything gives you cancer Don't touch that dial, don't try to smile Just take this pill, it's in your file Don't work hard, don't play hard Don't plan for the graveyard Remember Don't work by night, don't sleep by day You'll feel all right, but you will pay No caffeine, no protein No booze or nicotine Remember No caffeine, no protein No booze or nicotine Remember

Have you ever seen the movie, "It's Alive"?

I heard they are only testing downer cattle for BSE and yet it turns out the Mabton cow was NOT a downer. The whole testing program is quite dubious.

It was a bastard child, that's for sure.

That video clip is facinating. It's sort of like lummox's avatar image. You just keep staring at it in wonderment.

It makes it harder to figure out what features they are referring to if you don't know the elevation. That's all.

When I was a kid a study was published which said that many of the CRTs in television sets emitted beta rays which could be harmful if you sat too close. Our parents began telling us to sit back at least six feet from the TV set. We kids coined the term "Head Infections" for what would happen if you sat too close. "Move back, you're going to get Head Infections!". Now we have a new head infections scare. Scientists at U Dub found that rats exposed to 60 Hz magnetic fields such as those gererated by blow dryers sustained measurable DNA damage in their brain cells. Article One might ask how such a weak force could break covalent bonds in DNA. Apparently, it is not a direct effect, but one caused by the mobilization of free iron (ferrous) atoms which lead to free radicals, which in turn do the dirty work of breaking bonds. The interesting thing is that they actually tested this hypothesis by using antioxidants and iron scavengers and showed that these substances block the effect of the magnetic fields. I think that where the scientist go out on a limb is where they say that short exposures in humans may lead to "cumulative damage". If the damage is indeed a result of oxidation, it may be that prolonged exposure, such as the 24 or 48 hours used in the study, causes the natural antioxidant systems to be overwhelmed, whereas, for a short exposure, protection may be complete.

That shelter we used at Magnusen Park is an all-weather venue. The fireplace is really pretty nice to have.

The route they took in 1955 is now called the Ptarmigan Ice Cliff route. It is not often climbed because of the extreme ice fall hazard. I believe most folks still follow the 1935 route which drops down to the right along the top of the North Mowich Glacier from high camp before turning up again. One thing I noticed was the lack of an altimeter back in 1955 prevented Maher and party from referencing elevation which makes it much easier to place their descriptions on a map.

no no no the trickle down effect is an ecinomic term started by regan. the idea was that if the rich people had money they would spend it would jump start the economy. The term Trickle Down predated Reagan. It was first used during the Great Depression era, I believe. Then it was considered a positive thing. It was used pejoratively by Reagan detractors.