KaskadskyjKozak

At 187 Need to be 180 or less.

Wow! Cool! Got any more "questions" for us, Prole?

Yeah Jay, knock it off with your "fallacious questions"?

That this crucial ally in this crucial and increasingly volatile region would undertake such an act without, at the very least, informing Washington of its intentions strains credulity. And why on earth would Washington deny such a Saudi request? In the case of a Sunni/Shiite-divided Bahrain (and Saudi Arabia, for that matter) where Washington's primary concern is Iran gaining influence in the region, Washington and Saudi's interests are perfectly aligned! There is no "they got us/we got them" necessary here. No "permission" required. We already know that by and large the US's geopolitical interests in the region are defined by the preservation of these regimes. Any downside to such a strategy is actually its strength: send a message to would-be revolutionaries that the US will neither help you or lift a finger to prevent your being squashed. There is of course a moral hazard in that any successful uprisers are not likely to forget that, but they'll need to sell us their oil and import our technology and advisors anyway. Perhaps it's a stretch, but one might go as far as to wonder if the US didn't come up with it in the first place. I'm guessing that Manhattan call girls and poppin' Cristal wasn't all the Bahrainis, Saudis, and US personnel were talking about in the days leading up to the invasion... it's so cute when you two disagree

There are no reasonable answers to fallacious questions. Cutting your hand off will stop your finger from bleeding, but you won't have stopped the bleeding. As matter of fact, you'll have made matters worse: permanently decreasing public employee compensation will further degrade public services and reinforce the race to the bottom. "fallacious questions"

You have a point?

Trip: Rainier - Emmons Glacier Date: 7/15/2005 - 7/17/2005 Trip Report: I made my first attempt on Rainier in 2004, when I got turned back by AMS at around 12,500. The following year I talked one of my partners from that climb, Dale, to join me on another attempt on the Emmons, along with two other friends. Despite having climbed the route the year before (successfully) he agreed. This trip report is dedicated to Dale who died five years ago on the Mt. Dickerman trail, where you'll find a memorial cross with the exhortation: "Climb on brothers!" Dale on the summit: Dale, Mike, Chuck and I opted for an easier 2.5 day climb of the Emmons, leaving work early Friday for White River. At the ranger station we were told that Glacier Basin was full and we'd have to camp at the White River campground, or hike up to Camp Curtis. After a brief chat *outside* we opted to hike in to Glacier Basin and move on further if need be. As it turns out, the campsite was more than half empty so we stayed there for a short night's stay - arriving at dusk, and leaving soon after dawn. View of Rainier from the trail: The next morning we set off bright and early making good time to the Inter Glacier. Here Dale, annoyed with our slower pace (he was strong as a horse), put on his iPod and headed up unroped. The rest of us roped up and never caught up to Dale until Camp Curtis. The glacier was mostly covered up with a couple small crevasses that we easily stepped over. As we got higher Chuck, who was leader on the rope, kept stopping more and more frequently complaining of "dizziness". It become agonizingly slow. At Camp Curtis we were rewarded with spectacular views of the Emmons and Rainier. The weather was perfect - blue bird skies, and not a cloud to be seen! Chuck seemed to be a little better, but not his normally strong self. We downclimbed sketchy, gnarly, loose crap down to the Emmons and slowly traversed up to Camp Schurman. We arrived mid-afternoon, maybe 3-ish, and folks were packing up and leaving from the previous day. We scored an awesome spot on a nicely dug-out platform, and then watched the hordes of climbers arrive at camp. Schurman and Emmons Flats quickly turned in to tent-city. Near our spot a small party pulled out a copy of Freedom of the Hills and started practicing self-arrest at camp. I shit you not. We debated about start time and opted for getting up at midnight. With the time of year and the crowds at camp it was bright and noisy and none of us really got much rest. We were up at midnight - except for Chuck, who informed us the dizziness had turned into some kind of flu, and he'd be "out". So, the three of us remaining headed up. We got the typical view of headlamps strung out from camp to half way up Rainier. We apparently were starting later than many, but we quickly caught up to the conga line on the corridor. The traverse was agonizingly slow, with just too many people up there that day. At about 12,500 feet however, when we turned up hill, the crowd thinned and we were on our own until the Bergshrund. A party had had an accident a few days before above the 'Schrund, with all team members sliding and one guy getting a compound fracture of his leg. We saw the tent he had bivvied in, perched precariously on the slope, now empty. Higher up (above the 'schrund) we saw a swath of pink in the snow, maybe 4 feet wide and a hundred feet long, which must have been from blood of the injured man's leg. It was more than a little spooky. The 'schrund was crossed at a steep snow bridge which we belayed. We had to wait our turn however, for about 45 minutes. This was apparently the only good crossing nearby and folks were queued up. Above the bergschrund we encountered a breakable crust over soft snow, and were very careful to break the crust with every step and avoid any sliding falls. Soon the slopes mellowed and I insisted on a break. Some climbers descending told us we were about 300 feet from the top. We promptly got up and finished the climb. After topping off, we descending a few feet into the crater for a rest out of the wind. Nobody was interested in signing the register so we just chilled there. Dale took a 45 minute nap. Our time up was just over 7 hours. Dale, KK, and Mike on the summit: The descent started off quickly enough, but after the traverse the snow got sloppier and sloppier, and slower and slower. Descending the traverse: Dale enjoying the payout on the sweat equity he earned: The bootpath on the corridor was a mess. It took around 4 hours to get to camp and we all plopped down on our backs for an hour or so before breaking camp. Another 4 hours saw us to the cars. Well, for me and Chuck. Mike and Dale were way ahead of us. My thighs were destroyed, and Chuck ended up driving my car. I did not even make it to the shower at home and fell asleep on the couch. At 7 am I awoke to my 8-year-old son asking what I was doing sleeping on the couch. :-) All in all the climb could not have gone better, and I can't believe it's been over 5 years. Time and friends pass too soon. Gear Notes: The usual. Approach Notes: Scramble from Camp Curtis to the Emmons was horrible, loose, and outright dangerous.

Have you ever met Jay? Thought not. FOAD.

"his" war budget? STFU, you troll.

See what I mean.

You're just jealous because eastern europeans lack the ability to focus or establish goals. Lazy vodka swilling illiterate peasant trash, ya know? you and ttk have a lot in common

some are saying Moammar may survive... bet he's glad the news cycle has focused on something else

Actually, government provides (or not, depending on locale) the systems to detect, track, warn, and evacuate for tsunamis, as well as respond to the damage afterwards. KKK doesn't need no stinking gubmint overlord to watch out for tsunamis. First, Attila isn't afraid of tsunamis (pussy!) and 2nd, he doesn't live or work by the water so fuck you if you do, you had it coming for not being able to stand on your own 2 feet without the nanny state holding your hand. You can watch out for tsunamis on your own dime. Wrong. But, hey keep imaging what people think. You really are pathetic.

More like 5%. where the fuck are you getting these numbers? fox news? The IRS. With the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts, this is how the 2011 federal income tax brackets will look: Tax Bracket Married Filing Jointly Single 10% Bracket $0 – $17,000 $0 – $8,500 15% Bracket $17,001 – $69,000 $8,501 – $34,500 25% Bracket $69,001 – $139,350 $34,501 – $83,600 28% Bracket $139,351 – $212,300 $83,601 – $174,400 33% Bracket $212,301 – $379,150 $174,401 – $379,150 35% Bracket Over $379,150 Over $379,150 fuck off moron, this is a complete bullshit, I mean yes, but on what income? I know several people who gross way over 100K and pay incomes on less then 30. Marginal tax rates for federal income taxes are what is being discussed, and how taxes are controlled: they are progressive and are computed after deductions. A 35% marginal rate only kicks in after deductions AGAINST income over $379,150, for example. Under Clinton this rate was 39.6 percent. For someone who repeatedly calls others "dumb" (prefaced with expletives reminiscent of a 7th grader) you prove again and again to have a piss-poor understanding of anything. Wieperdalaj!

More like 5%. where the fuck are you getting these numbers? fox news? The IRS. With the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts, this is how the 2011 federal income tax brackets will look: Tax Bracket Married Filing Jointly Single 10% Bracket $0 – $17,000 $0 – $8,500 15% Bracket $17,001 – $69,000 $8,501 – $34,500 25% Bracket $69,001 – $139,350 $34,501 – $83,600 28% Bracket $139,351 – $212,300 $83,601 – $174,400 33% Bracket $212,301 – $379,150 $174,401 – $379,150 35% Bracket Over $379,150 Over $379,150

"dude. tsunami's coming. I'm gonna go down to the beach to take pictures of it!" If only the gov't regulated this activity!

Yeah, keep asking "questions" prole.

The way Entwistle went is not too bad either...

who said we needed to come up with new material when the old material is more current than EVER, in my lifespan anyway?

Right, because consumers would never choose earthquake-proofed buildings on their own and create demand for such products in the free market. Especially in an area in which earthquakes are frequent and devastating. Actually, places with weak regulations have huge casualty counts during quakes (Turkey for example). It's the case for most natural hazard btw: people who live in LA burbs routinely buy expensive houses that were built right in the paths of debris flows. 30% of new shoreline properties will be gone in 50-100 years, etc Thanks, Cliff. Pun intended.

On another front, the avy forecast this weekend blows.

What is your opinion on US bases and military pressence in places like Japan, Korea and Germany? How much could closing them save us per annum?

are you making him an offer?

Those kids probably had to practice 16 hours a day and were beaten regulary with bamboo staffs for mistakes.

Yes, I had to do a double take on that flaming debris. it'dve been even more biblical if a screamign horde of frogs and locusts was riding the front edge Or a man with a staff struck the water and all the debris flowed around him.