graupel

That is the second reference to "circle jerk" emitted by a conservative I've seen in a discussion group today. Is that one of the Republican talking points today? If you find a group of people that don't agree with you to espouse homophobic rhetoric?

I think you miss quite a bit of the mannerisms by only listening to the voices without seening the video. Bush portrayed mannerisms of impatience and annoyance as he was being called on the carpet for his past decisions. He probably would have done better if he allowed himself to be subjected to events like press conferences where folks actually opposed his views rather than surrounding himself for speeches with sign waving loyalists that have signed an oath of allegience to be there. He definitely didn't seem comfortable with dissent. Kerry came off as more "statesman-like".

Bush is the incumbant. This election is all about whether he has done a good enough job to warrant 4 more years. So the expectation is to pull that record up for review, and call him on his shortcomings. It just so happens that he has quite a few of them.

Shamelessly cut-and-pasted from another site Even as you read this, the house resources committee is preparing a permanent fee bill for committee vote. Fortunately, for the last two months fee demo activists, encouraged by increasing opposition to the fee program, have been negotiating with the House Resource Committee to try to limit the scope of Regula's permanent Fee Demo bill HR 3283. Although those talks are ongoing it is becoming clear that congressional fee proponents are refusing to acknowledge the will of the people. With only 72 hours until the Committee votes on the amendment, wording will still include Basic or Standard Recreation Fees for use of our public land, an "America The Beautiful" (an $85 lack of value) National Pass for all agencies, agency appointed Advisory Committees to rubber stamp fee areas, and all the incentives for the land management agencies to treat you as nothing more than a customer. The 42-page revised version (by way of an amendment) of Rep. Regula's HR 3283, the permanent recreation fee bill, is headed for markup on Wednesday September 22nd. Markup is where the full House Resources Committee votes on sending it on to the House floor for a vote. They may send it on as it is written, they may amend it, or they (hopefully) may reject it altogether. This is where you come in. Indications are that the 24 minority Democrat Committee members may oppose the HR 3283 amendment- but there are 28 majority Republican Committee members, of whom many might support the new version of HR 3283. (The amendment language is still not available on the internet.) Our job is to encourage the majority Republican Committee members to vote against this fee bill. Below are phone and fax numbers for the 28 Republican Committee members, followed by the contact info for 4 key Committee Democrats. Please, do all you can to call and/or fax these legislators between now and Wednesday morning. This action alert, which will go far and wide, will be the ONLY opportunity to register your disapproval of this permanent recreation fee legislation for America's public lands. We don't have an army of lobbyists, but we do have you and thousands like you. You've made a difference before and you can do it again. After seven years of fighting Fee Demo, this is THE decisive week. If the HR 3283 amendment passes as written, fees will be levied on most of America's public lands for the indefinite future; there'll be multiple layers of fees for everything from rustic campsites to site specific areas, and expanded fees for additional "services." WHAT TO SAY AND FAX: Please ask, briefly, each legislator to oppose any amendment to HR 3283 that still has Basic or Standard fees, a National Pass for public lands and a Fee Advisory Committee at markup, and to support S.1107 (the Senate bill which passed this year, making ONLY Park Service fees permanent and allowing the others to lapse). It's a pretty simple message and, believe it or not, 32 phone calls to the list below can take as little as 20 minutes of your time Monday or Tuesday. WHO TO CONTACT: Please call/fax ALL the 28 Republican House Resources Committee members below. If your time is limited, make sure to contact Committee chair Pombo and legislators from your home state, at least. (If you can only call a few, please pick them at random so those at the top of the list don't get more calls than those lower down.) Below that, are listed 4 key Democrat Committee members, including minority chair Rahall (who strongly opposes fees); please contact all of these if you can. Remember that faxes will go through more easily AFTER office hours in DC! If all of us manage to make calls and send faxes, it WILL be possible to stop HR 3283! Thank you for your continuing efforts to help stop Fee Demo. YOU CAN NOW FAX YOUR LETTER ONLINE! If you have no easy access to a fax machine, please prepare your letter, addressed to "Dear Representative," and go to www.aznofee.org . Starting Sunday afternoon, you will be able to go their website and send a FAX directly to all the legislators below. (Our thanks to the Arizona No Fee Coalition.) ALL NUMBERS BELOW, AREA CODE (202) House Resources Committee - Republican Members CHAIR Pombo, Richard - CA Ph: 225-2761 or 225-1947 Fax: 225-5929 Bishop, Rob - UT Ph: 225-0453 Fax: 225-5857 Calvert, Ken - CA Ph: 225-1986 Fax: 225-2004 Cannon, Chris - UT Ph: 225- 7751 Fax: 225-5629 Cole, Tom - OK Ph: 225-6165 Fax: 225-3512 Cubin, Barbara - WY Ph: 225-2311 Fax: 225-3057 Duncan, Jr., John - TN Ph: 225-5435 Fax: 225-6440 Flake, Jeff - AZ Ph: 225-2635 Fax: 226-4386 Gallegly, Elton - CA Ph: 225-5811 Fax: 225-1100 Gibbons, Jim - NV Ph: 225-6155 Fax: 225-5679 Gilchrest, Wayne - MD Ph: 225-5311 Fax: 225-0254 Hayworth, J.D. - AZ Ph: 225-2190 Fax: 225-3263 Jones, Walter - NC Ph: 225-3415 Fax: 225-3286 McInnis, Scott - CO Ph: 225-4761 Fax: 226-0622 Nunes, Devin - CA Ph: 225-2523 Fax: 225-3404 Osborne, Tom - NE Ph: 225-6435 Fax: 226-1385 Pearce, Stevan - NM Ph: 225-2365 Fax: 225-9599 Peterson, John - PA Ph: 225-5121 Fax: 225-5796 Putnam, Adam - FL Ph: 225-1252 Fax: 226-0585 Radanovich, George - CA Ph: 225-4540 Fax: 225-3402 Rehberg, Dennis - MT Ph: 225-3211 Fax: 225-5687 Renzi, Rick - AZ Ph: 225-2315 Fax: 226-9739 Saxton, Jim - NJ Ph: 225-4765 Fax: 225-0778 Souder, Mark - IN Ph: 225-4436 Fax: 225-3479 Tancredo, Thomas - CO Ph: 225-7882 Fax: 226-4623 Tauzin, W.J. (Billy) - LA Ph: 225-4031 Fax: 225-0563 Walden, Greg - OR Ph: 225-6730 Fax: 225-5774 Young, Don - AK Ph: 225-5765 Fax: 225-0425 House Resources Committee - Key Democrat Members CHAIR Rahall, Nick - WV Ph: 225-3452 or 225-6065 Fax: 225-9061 or Baca, Joe - CA Ph: 225-6161 Fax: 225-8671 Cardoza, Dennis - CA Ph: 225-6131 Fax: 225-0819 Udall, Mark - CO Ph: 225-2161 Fax: 226-7840 You, and people like you, have made the diference before, getting us as far as we are. Its clear that FEE DEMO CAN BE ENDED. If you value public lands, and public access to public lands, there has never been a better time to raise your voice and be heard.

Rhetorical question: Does talking about how wild a place is further its status as remaining a "wild" place? Does identifying the places nobody goes and speaking in glowing terms about them encourage or discourage folks from visiting them?

If you are in OS X, you can drop a Word document on the TextEdit icon in the Dock. You might not get all the formatting, but at least you can read it. Not sure about a no-cost method for opening an Excel file. For compatibility without owning Microsoft Office, you can convert things back and forth with MaclinkPlus by DataViz.

neocon movie reviewers Outfoxed is good, this other one probably would be too. You can't critique it if you don't see it for yourself.

Fresh out of the Wall Street Journal

South Cascade Glacier, under study, could melt away completely 837 words 12 September 2004 14:59 Associated Press Newswires English © 2004. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. LEAVENWORTH, Wash. (AP) - The South Cascade Glacier has been shrinking at such a rapid pace in the last three decades that scientists predict it could melt away completely within a century. South Cascade is one of only a few ice fields in the world being studied for longterm effects of climate changes, The Wenatchee World reported Sunday. Scientists have been studying it since 1959 in order to better understand connections between glaciers and global warming, weather and water supply, nature and humans. The glacier is located at the head of the Cascade River, which drains into the Skagit River and Puget Sound. Glaciers make up three-quarters of the "permanent" ice in the lower 48 states, and drain into area rivers to provide water for people, fish, industry and recreation. Nearly all of the state's 700 glaciers are receding rapidly, and many have disappeared in the past few decades. Since 1983, students from Nichols College in Dudley, Mass., have been studying glaciers in the North Cascades, nearly all of which drain into the Columbia River system. To the west, near Mount Stuart, the college recorded 15 glaciers in 1969. Now there are 12, four of them dwindling rapidly. Deprived of sufficient snowfall and melted by warming temperatures, the receding glaciers could one day mean less fresh water for river systems. "The whole way we manage water may one day have to change," said Mark Savoca, chief of physical hydrology for the U.S. Geological Survey's Washington Water Science Center in Tacoma, which monitors the South Cascade Glacier. "Instead of ice and snow being a natural storage system for the gradual release of water during the middle to late summer, we may have to manage storage using a different system altogether." Seasonal snowmelt and ground water runoff contribute in the spring and early summer, but the systems are fed almost entirely by glaciers in the late summer and fall, said Bill Bidlake, a USGS hydrologist studying the South Cascade Glacier. In Eastern Washington, the glaciers provide critical water during the dry months. "If these glaciers continue to decrease in size, and if some disappear altogether, it's going to have a significant impact on the mountain ecosystems as we know them," Bidlake said. The South Cascade Glacier is ideal for study because it melts completely into one river basin, so scientists can more easily gauge how much of it melts away each summer, Savoca said. The glacier has been alternately advancing and shrinking since the last Ice Age, he said. Since its last major advance in the late 1500s, the glacier has retreated more than three-quarters of a mile. About a third of that retreat -- about one-third of a mile -- has occurred since 1959. "We are concerned that the rate of decrease in the glacial size and mass seems to have gotten a lot more rapid in the last 25 to 30 years," Savoca said. Scientists visit the remote site in the Glacier Peak Wilderness about six times a year, measuring winter snowfall and summer melt, ice thickness and water quantity, and collecting weather readings. Research suggests the glacier made a significant advance starting around 3,000 B.C. Then in the late 16th century, it began to retreat. A smaller advance ended in the late 19th century, and it has been retreating ever since. Rsearch shows it has "been much larger than it is now," Savoca said. "It's questionable whether it's ever been smaller." Similar retreats are being noted at ice fields around the world. That "tells us that the climate is too warm and dry to sustain them," Bidlake said. Some experts believe that industry and the burning of fossil fuels are contributing to the problem. In the past century, some glaciers and ice shelves have melted completely. But Savoca said scientists really don't know how much, if any, of the melting is caused by humans and how much by natural climate fluctuations. "If there is a human cause, it's has only been a recent one," he said. "There are thousands and thousands of years before that where glacial receding was caused by something else." Researchers are starting to see a natural consequence of the shrinking South Cascade Glacier: less spring runoff in the Cascade River. Runoff corresponds directly to the size of a glacier, Savoca said. If a glacier loses half its mass, the river would likely lose half its runoff. Water may need to be collected and stored earlier in the spring and summer, he said. People will likely adapt to the shrinking of glaciers by changing the way they use water, Savoca said. "For me, the idea of not being able to put on crampons and climb around on the snow and ice, the prospect that future generations might not have that chance, is very sad," he said. "For some people it won't really matter." ------ Information from: The Wenatchee World, http://www.wenworld.com

And are quick to chime in with "If you don't like it here, why don't you just leave the country?"

Yes, I've seen it too. I thought it was quite good (in as much as making you feel appalled can be). I found several of the examples of media influence mentioned were new to me. Quite interesting that Fox was the first to draw a conclusion that Dubya won Florida in 2000 in spite of the evening poll data showing too-close-to-call numbers (the Fox verdict declared by non other than Dubya's cousin, who was the pollster for Fox). The only problem I see is trying to get the folks that are addicted to watching Fox News to watch something like this that spells it all out for them. They are kinda like the little child that squints his eyes shut, puts his hands over his ears, stomps his feet and throws a tantrum saying "I can't hear you". Anyway, the movie is worth seeing if you haven't yet.

I found one that had been left behind on a mountain, likely by a european. It was housed in an insulated bottle holster. For those worried about freezing, that looks like the way to go. Not sure where you would get them though. Maybe some place in Canada?

Someone should do the public a service and scan one and post it to the internet. Then you can download and print your "photocopy" if the need should arise.

If they couldn't place ads on TV, there would be much less need for all the fundraising and behind closed door handshaking to develop their huge campaign war chests. Seems like many of the problems in politics would be curtailed just by eliminating advertising.

Only in America

A hairy man is a happy man, a hairy wife is a witch. Hungry nah know bam-by. An ounce of practice is worth a pound of precept

BS Meter Alert! There were a few breakages, but with new gear they get well publicised. I've seen Freerides broken too, so they are not immune. Though I haven't yet personally been on Freerides, I imagine they would perform similar to the Diamir IIs I have. I think both the Naxo and Freeride are viable options for the beefy-minded. Personally though, I like the tourabilty of the Naxo when used with stouter boots. The double hinge arrangement in the toe does make a difference.

Also, his recollection of watching debates between Nixon and Humphrey were fabrication as well. There never were any debates between those two for that presidential election. Nixon wasn't interested in giving the other guy credibility by debating him. In addition, at that time apparently the fairness doctrine was still in play and may have encouraged the other minor party candidates to also be involved in the debates. Like much of the rhetoric at the GOP convention, if you say it with a straight face, tell folks what to cheer for for the TV, maybe everyone will believe you.

Probably it was just 'cause you were the one saying it. He was probably already swooning and then when words came out of your mouth that clinched it.

Source? I've never heard of some other explanation for the spotted owl decline.

Although depending on how serious they are about enforcement, they might have the sheriff wait at the bottom of the Crystal Mountain Road for skiers coming down to 410. The sheriff has harassed folks there before, but now it sounds like there would be some sort of defined infraction involved.

If you thought the nazi patroller idea was bad, wait till you have a "winter snow ranger" hired expressly for the purpose of keeping you out of the backcountry.

Here is the key info, ticket holders would be prevented from leaving the ski area boundary: note: according to their list of abbreviations, SUP means Special Use Permit. Norse Peak Wilderness access is also to be restricted: Also no lift accessed mountain biking:

according to their website, they may still have some buses stop at Stevens and Snoqualmie: http://greyhound.com/scripts/TicketCenter/locations.asp?state=wa Also, Rainier and "other western washington locations" are served by: http://www.ashfordmountaincenter.com/pages/883996/index.htm