archenemy

You are in my realm now.

If you look at the statistics in the US, you will see that violence among young girls is climbing at a staggering rate. This argument may, unfortunately, soon hold as true for females as it does for males.

These are some interesting points to mull over. I don't know about choosing climbing over being with people I love. I have to go to work for about nine hours five days a week, and I certainly don't love work more than my family/friends/dogs. Also, I climb with people I love, so no problem there. And I would hope people said I died doing something I loved if I were killed climbing. This isn't terrible. What's terrible is the more likely scenario that I could be killed driving to work--that sucks. Again, neither of these activities is more important that family and friends; but no one wants to be around me 24/7 (can you imagine?). As for the "moral war" bit--I have not heard this phrase. However, I am often surprised at the way men discuss outdoor persuits (like "assaulting the summit") in terms that frame it in violence. Your point about protecting each other's lives is cool; but I am no closer with my climbing buddies than I am with my skiing buddies. Maybe I am just insensitive to the idea or else oversensitive to needing to trust whomever I am with regardless of what the activity is. I really like what you say about climbing prompting your travel and your relationship building. I suspect its possible that you would have accomplished these things using a different method had climbing not presented itself to you--but your appreciation of the process makes me look at the wonderful experiences that climbing has exposed me to over the years. I don't know if my ramblings go anywhere, but there you are.

Yes, but it is still an interesting question from an engineering standpoint. Does it help with stability by spreading the fulcrum? Does it minimize cam walking by having two central-ish point? Is it really just a gimmick to allow for grungy climbers to stay grimy? I won't sleep til I know.

Well then - you shouldn't have any problems with your belayers not watching you... Camels that belay together stay together

I will email the question to my buddy who is an engineer for BD. You've got me curious now, too.

Yes.

I wonder why discussing a journalist's book would cause us to attempy justifying our climbing addictions? What about the uselessness of his writing?

Climb in a thong. They'll watch you.

Marriage?

Methamphetamine was first synthesized in Japan in 1919. Amphetamines and other stimulants were quite popular with all of the worlds militaries in WW2 (and are still used today). Thank you for the correction. Thank god they are still used today.

Indeed. Who would have suspected it of a man driving a Ford SuperDuty pickup? That gas prices don't matter to him?

Not to be horribly pedantic, but Bonsai (with an o and an s) are those really cool dwarf trees that MisterE posts pictures of now and again. Banzai (with an a and a z) were Japanese infantry charges.......essentially suicidal and rarely succesful against machine guns and artillery The tragic civilian suicides on were neither of the above; they were just tragic suicides. Banzai were not always essentially suicidal in one strict sense of the word. Our modern scourge, meth, was developed by the Japanese at this point in history and was used on the pilots to whip them into a frenzy before their flights. I would posit that suicide is not just killing oneself, but doing so with the intention of destroying what is in one's own interest (as is used in the phrase "political suicide"). These pilots, just like suicide bombers, are not focused on killing themselves as much as damaging the opponent--their death is simply a side effect. Not to be too pedantic or anything...but I do strongly agree with your observation that the civilian suicides are tragic, and the pilots are a different story.

I don't thinks Chaps would appreciate that.

My god. Do you mean to say that he even lies about his hick-hood? I am shocked and underawed.

Or fully extend your arm for the pleasure purpose when the water is a NF5.

Are there any other hicks who noticed that Bush's farm is so important that they measured it in hectares? My family's farm and every other farm I have ever been to or worked on has been measured in acres. I am such an unworthy peon.

Climb on, cling on commander.

See, climbers are NOT more flaky than real people. We just take a little more time to communicate...

You mean, on your face?

Will this help cure me of my disease? NEW expectation: keep giving the peanut gallery new fodder.

How is the blowing going?

There's your violence Olyclimber

Is that true, or are you pulling my leg?