foraker

If you're going to argue that a woman's decision to have an abortion is a personal choice, then you should also be willing to accept all her other personal choices that affect that child, right? If her hubby is ok with it and she is, then mutter under your breath all you want and shake your head if you please but keep your nose out of it.

I think he meant "Washington Climber's Cotillion".

Maybe he doesn't need 'rescuing'

Paying to take kids sledding.... This strikes me as fundamentally wrong. I especially fail to see the value one is getting for the $15. Seems a bit of a steep fee for having the asphalt widened a little bit and putting up a 'Sno Park' sign.

Hey, don't run him off. I'm looking for some entertainment!

Disclaimer: I am not a gun owner, though my father is and I grew up around them and had firearm safety training in, of all places, elementary school. As well-meaning (or not) Nickels' proposals are, they either a) don't address the core problems of gun violence or are b) pointless. Crimes of passion or violence rarely use 'assault weapons' (though that depends on whose definition you are using. Some moms probably think bb guns are 'assault weapons'). If on takes the stand definition, this reduces bans on 'assault weaponst' to merely a 'feel good' sound bite. The fact is, few people own them and use them in crimes. While not an expert on the subject, since I don't follow it closely, I also suspect that his proposal to require background checks at 'gun shows' is also more political grandstanding. IIRC, checks are already required for federally licensed gun dealers and this proposal would only seek to shut down private guns sales at ostensible 'gun shows'. Finally, requiring gun locks is another 'feel good' pointless proposal since it's essentially unenforceable without continuous warrantless searches of your premises. Having a permanent gun lock would also basically make a weapon useless for home defense since one probably wouldn't have time to unlock the weapon in order to use it. What he clearly wants to target is the tragic use of parental firearms by children/youths. While this is certainly laudable, fixing this problems requires either a) education or b) parents putting locks on weapons while away from home and perhaps removing them while sleeping or c) both. My father kept many unlocked firearms in the house but neither he nor my mother worried much about it since they knew we knew how to handle them and that they weren't toys. Nickels proposals are, like so many political proposals, a band aid for a more serious problem and, at worst, the thin wedge leading to more draconian gun laws. In any event, I've always found it a bit interesting that one group of people advocates for sex education in schools, yet balks at the idea of educating young people properly about firearms and that another group advocates for the opposite. I'm sure Fairweather et al could flesh this topic out more.

You've been in Cambridge too long....

This should worry me how, exactly?

Yes. People.

Pat Robertson: Karl Rove's Astrologer Robertson's predictions for 2005: * The economy: "Again, 2005 is going to be a year of extraordinary prosperity for this nation and for CBN [Christian Broadcasting Network]. And I think the American stock market is going to surge upward, if I heard from the Lord. Again, ladies and gentlemen, don't go and buy stock on my recommendation, but that's what I feel in my heart. The Lord was saying it's going to be a super good year." * George W. Bush: "Well, the Lord has some very encouraging news for George Bush ... What I heard is that Bush is now positioned to have victory after victory and that his second term is going to be one of triumph, which is pretty strong stuff. ... He'll have Social Security reform passed. He'll have tax reform passed. He'll have conservative judges on the courts. And that basically he is positioned for a series of dramatic victories which I hope will hearten him and his advisers. They don't have to be timid in this matter because the wind is blowing at his back, and he can move forward boldly and get results." * Muslims and others turning to Jesus Christ: "In America, again if I'm hearing God right, we will see a tremendous incident of miracles in the year 2005. ... God's spirit is going to be moving in dramatic power around the world. And his spirit is going to be touching the hearts of many in the Muslim world and they will be turning to the gospel, to Jesus Christ. I think many of them already are, but this is going to be an acceleration that will really amaze the world. ... 'Revival will break out throughout the Muslim world, my [God's] truth will penetrate their hearts. The hold of that falsehood that has gripped them will be broken.'" * Terrorism and global security: "2005 will be another good year for the world. The terrorist threat will diminish. Nations will walk in peace, but it will be an illusion. The peril to Israel is greater now than it has ever been for she will be seduced into a false peace that will leave her vulnerable." * The Supreme Court: "The vendetta against religion in America is about to end. ... 'I [God] will remove judges from the Supreme Court quickly and their successors will refuse to sanction the attacks on religious faith.'"

Denali, West Rib. Gotta get that monkey off my back....

Great read Marek! Inspiring for these old-ish bones. ;-)

anyone else having a hard time deciding if he's talking about liberals or conservatives here? or both? PhD's. you're a sad, obsessive little man.

anyone else having a hard time deciding if he's talking about liberals or conservatives here? or both?

2 posts later.... How's that ADHD medicine working out for you? Might want to take something for that anger as well. You don't sound like someone either safe to climb with or fun to be stuck in a tent with at 17000'. It's people like you that force me to carry my Simon Yates serrated knife (with the nifty decoder ring).

Spending two months living in alpine huts and climbing in Mt Cook Park in New Zealand.

Molly1, what you are probably reading are actual accident reports, not statistics about the number of accidents that acutally occur. I'd hazard a guess that the number of accidents per climber or climbing trip is a fair bit lower than the total number of accidents per driver or driving trip. Maybe not, but my point is that can't sit there in your nice comfy sofa doing nothing but read accident reports and watching Faux News and then come to the conclusion that we are all a bunch of reckless safety-averse yahoos running around in the mountains. Most people who take climbing seriously try to develop the skills and experience necessary to minimize risk (I dare say, most drivers don't seem to develop any safety skills at all). Sometimes things just happen, even to very experienced climbers. Should we ban driving because most accidents are caused by people being poorly trained and inattentive to risk? Should we make them post a bond in case they need to be 'rescued'? Perhaps charge them extra for driving on roads known to be 'unsafe' or if they attempt to drive when bad weather is imminent? How about flying? Hurtling through the air at 650 mph in a metal tube over which you have no control, that doesn't strike you as 'risky' behavior?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPmu-uqQX9s

Minus 148 by Art Davidson (only because it was the first climbing book I ever read as a lad back in AK in 70's) The Mountain of My Fear by David Roberts (also written a fine book on the Anasazi) K2, The Savage Mountain All the afore mentioned Joe Simpson books The Climb, Anatoly Boukreev

Operation Do-Over

Operation Enduring Freedom

Kevin, as someone with a 4x5 and a darkroom, my hat's off to you. You do great work.

I used to know someone who used that one. Most of the time, he got smacked upside the head. But every now and then.... Of course, I imagine it helps to have no standards.

Shot in the back by a jealous husband

Send the Russians