foraker

Reminds me of this girl I knew who, leaving for the Irkutsk region for a month of field work, took one suitcase full of clothes and another full of chocolate..... This kind of discussion reminds me of a book I once read where the main characters lived for a time in a place where no drugs of any sort were illegal. The only caveat was that you also paid for your own health insurance so if didn't have the means to bail yourself out if things got bad, you kinda died. According to the author, this encouraged people to be self-limiting and more aware of the consequences of the addictions. An intriguing idea but the initial stages of setting up such a system might be a bit messy (especially given the tendency of people here to wail "Why didn't somebody DO something?!")

No sun required That said, I have an iSun (pre-Coleman) that I picked up off eBay, for about $30.

Seattle: City of Glamour. Just doesn't scan does it?

This discussion reminds me of the myth of the Western American who swaddles himself/herself in a coat of rugged individualism to hide the pale white underbelly fed by federal subsidies. A perfect example is, of course, all the (mostly stupid) hydroelectric projects in the West that were largely paid for by easterners. My home state of Alaska still sucks mightily at the government teat, despite the mystical (some might say musky) air of the individualistic Alaskan man. Back in the day, Anchorage was famous for not having the money to fix its main roads (quickly gutted by all the geniuses using studded tires) because the citizenry wouldn't allow them to raise the money to do so. As it was told to me, the city would then apply to the feds for emergency funds to fix the roads. Yes, get the rest of the country to pay for roads you're responsible for. Lather, rinse, repeat. What's best for taxpayers is rarely an issue in large projects, it seems. The overriding concern is the prestige of politicians and the financial interests of contractors. Neither do they always seem to make economic sense (see, again, western dams). Theoretically, the best economic solution might be to close the port of Seattle and let Tacoma handle the traffic. Political power/presitige and the economic interests of contractors, however, would never allow that to happen even though it might be the 'best' solution. Having seen how well Boston has done with the oversight of it's Big Dig and how SF has fared with the new span to the East Bay, I'd be more than a little concerned that any money spent on a fancy solution like a tunnel would be good money thrown into a crumbling choss pile. Anyway, the only solution we'll likely see is many community input meetings, lots of hand wringing, and eventually a big truck pulls up with lots of duct tape and some bibles.

Which explains their continuing proclivity to eat deep-fried fat and to vote for thieves, lawyers, and userers to represent them in DC.

I see the snark is still firmly in place. I have no particular problem with keeping a tight reign on government spending, F. Neither do I have a problem with being taxed to make sure we have adequate infrastructure, protection of environment, and some help for those who need it. Surely, the state's tax revenues should be based solely on it's actual need for those revenues, I agree. However, barring some fundamental change in character in those who 'serve' us in city/state/national capitols, you'll find that hard to do accomplish. Furthermore, you'll have to overcome the complacency of the average 'voter'. I will disagree with you on the issue of California's prop 13, which hasn't really worked out that well for them. In your mom's example, one can imagine her living in her home so long that her property taxes no longer cover the actual expense of providing them...thus she is subsidized by everyone else. To be honest, I think there are a number of fundamental structural problems with the way government finances itself and is run and, furthermore, I have little trust in either the D's or the R's to solve them. And yet I find myself unwilling to embrace the entire libertarian line. There are too many things, beyond , say, national defense, where government, however imperfect, has a role that is preferable (mostly) to the 'private enterprise solution'. So, all I can say is mom should probably do more than just vote and complain. Nothing like a little voter apathy to make sure nothing happens. Anyway, feel free to continue to label me as a socialist if you want. It's a free country. Not necessarily a smart country, but a free one.

Forgetting, of course, that real estate speculation and demand are what push up property values and thus property taxes.....unless you happen to vote for bond issues that push up your property taxes or don't vote to put an actual dollar value limit on your taxes..... I feel for your mom but people down in Pierce county are more a victim of free market speculation and simple demand than anything, just like people in Seattle are.

PS...if you are thinking of selling stock photos, consider that the market is pretty flooded with people wanting to do the same thing and the prices stock photos from some sites are commanding are ridiculously cheap. Just be forewarned before you shell out a small fortune.

I agonized about this when I was still shooting 35mm and was contemplating the move to a larger format (before the digital evolution took hold). Even now, I think you will end up paying a premium for using MF gear and a significant weight penalty. I'm not sure if publishers expect digital these days (likely I would imagine) so there would be the additional costs of having them scanned (probably drum scanned = spendy). You might consider spending you money on one of the high end digital SLR's instead, which rival the 645 format for quality. If you are just talking magazine reproductions, I don't think there's any reason for having more resolution than that. With a high end digital, you could still make good sized blow-ups for prints to sell. Art Wolfe uses digital Canons so you might go look at some of his color prints and ask yourself if the print quality is what *you* (not he or his customers) are looking for. Personally, I shoot 4x5 and have a lightweight non-folding camera. But, I have only like 4 lenses and whereas in 35mm I used to have 8 (and they are more expensive ... but less expensive than MF lenses). Anyway, just my thoughts. YMMV. Lots of things to think about, I know. Good luck. If you don't know about them, here are some good sites: www.luminous-landscape.com (used to be analog, but now heavily digital) www.apug.org (all film based photography forum) www.largeformatphotography.info (4x5 and up)

You could name all the episodes in this Fortunately, I can't name one....

At Zappos Good range of sizes.

Exactly.

O! O! O! You know what I'm talkin' about...

I would desperately LOVE to hear anyone in DC publically suggest that. Oh, the collective aneurysm that would cause....

Personally, I'm glad when I wake up every morning and don't find myself the proud owner of a cot in a UN refugee camp. I find it keeps my sense of entitlement to a minimum.

Sounds like we'd better ban gay marriages and flag burning before things get out of hand!....

I'm sensing a lot of pent up anger in that post.

I read some study about this. If you overmanage their lives, they tend to show a lack of creativity and lack the will to DO something without someone telling them to (of course, that may sound like your average teenager, regardless of the era). Not exactly the American working man ideal ...

The weird thing is, when I think of all the people I've known who've gotten mugged in this country, they are all the type of person who walks around in fear with a look of 'Please don't mug me' on their face. This would happen to them anywhere, I reckon.

Maybe you could send a note to all the mom's and dad's out there and let their kids walk to school and generally screw around outside getting some exercise instead of managing their time with 'activities'. That and maybe let them ride the bus to school or ride their bikes. I've had my fill of almost getting t-boned by hurried parents who feel they ALL have to drive little Bratleigh and Snotleigh to school.

I don't know, what does your analyst think?

I remember reading once that most child abuductions occurred within families (e.g. someone disagreeing with custody decisions, etc). If people didn't start marrying and breeding right out of high school, maybe we'd see less of that.

they're also not making any more fresh water, filled aquifers, and oily goo. once the Post-Petroleum Die-Off occurs, there'll be plenty o' land freed up.

never run into it before, but there's some little bug in icicle canyon that'll chew your ass up but good and you won't even feel it while asleep. and i'm not talking ticks. feels like i've been bitten by spiders and worked over by a team of sand fleas.

I didn't realize it took two years to get to Tacoma, just to rob tax payers blind. I hope you didn't forget your Snidely Whiplash costume. Translation: "With less than a month to go, it's very clear to us that the city and state officials are not showing us the free sacks of money we feel we deserve." We paid some Olympia lobbyist $200 million dollars to write us a report. D'oh! So, Howard, which part of the whole political process don't you understand? The part about not always getting your own way?