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astrov

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Posts posted by astrov

  1. Here's a TR from our trip a few years ago:

     

    http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/585370/Searchpage/1/Main/44015/Words/clark/Search/true/Re_TR_Surprise_Basin_Mt_Clark_#Post585370

     

    we kind of picked a gully at random. I would say low 5th is accurate; you could probably simulclimb the whole thing. Be prepared for the epic walk-off though. We had to go down and then climb back up into Surprise Basin to get our packs which we'd left at the base of the the climb. I suggest talking them with you.

  2. A Withdrawal in Name Only

    Erik Leaver and Daniel Atzmon | June 24, 2009

     

    On November 17, 2008, when Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker signed an agreement for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, citizens from both countries applauded. While many were disappointed about the lengthy timeline for the withdrawal of the troops, it appeared that a roadmap was set to end the war and occupation. However, the first step — withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009 — is full of loopholes, and tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers will remain in the cities after the "deadline" passes.

     

    The failure to fully comply with the withdrawal agreement indicates the United States is looking to withdraw from Iraq in name only, as it appears that up to 50,000 military personnel will remain after the deadline.

     

    The United States claims it's adhering to the agreement, known as the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), even with so many troops being left in the cities. But the United States is changing semantics instead of policy. For example, there are no plans to transfer the 3,000 American troops stationed within Baghdad at Forward Operating Base Falcon, because commanders have determined that despite its location, it's not within the city.

     

    The original intent of moving troops out of the cities was to reduce the U.S. military role and send the message to Iraqis that the United States would be leaving the country soon. But troops that are no longer sleeping in the cities will still take part in operations within Iraqi cities; they will serve in "support" and "advisory" roles, rather than combat functions. Such "reclassification" of troops as military trainers is another example of how the United States is circumventing the terms of the SOFA agreement.

     

    The larger loophole in the agreement is the treatment of military contractors. There has been little mention of the 132,610 military contractors in Iraq. Of these, 36,061 are American citizens, according to a recent Department of Defense report.

     

    Since September 2008, only 30,000 troops have left Iraq. The 134,000 soldiers that remain are just slightly below the number of troops that were in Iraq in 2003. These numbers are likely to remain well above 100,000 until 2010.

     

    Instead of sending soldiers stationed in cities home, the military has been expanding and building new bases in rural areas to accommodate soldiers affected by the June 30 deadline. And Congress just passed a war-spending bill that includes more funding for military construction inside Iraq.

     

    The implications of the June 30 pullout are manifest: As Iraqis grapple with increasing responsibility for the security of their country and American military leaders search for avenues to project their influence, withdrawal from urban areas will set important precedents for the proposed full withdrawal of American forces.

     

    The ability of Iraqi and U.S. commanders to subvert the SOFA and extend the stay of U.S. troops in Iraqi cities past the June 30 deadline does not bode well for the other withdrawal deadlines laid out in the agreement. Moreover, the vague language of the agreement lends itself to the possibility that U.S. forces will remain in Iraq past the December 31, 2011 deadline.

     

    This all may be for naught, however, as a referendum on the SOFA is scheduled for July 30 in Iraq. Despite attempts by the Iraqi cabinet to postpone the vote, lawmakers think a delay is unlikely. The measure is likely to lose if it goes to popular vote given the widespread opposition to the SOFA in Iraq, which is seen as legitimizing the U.S. occupation until 2011. According to the latest polls, published in the Brookings Institution’s Iraq Index, 73% of Iraqis oppose the presence of coalition forces. If the SOFA is struck down by the vote, U.S. forces could be forced out of Iraq immediately as the forces would not be legally protected.

     

    The referendum could create big problems for the Obama administration, which has quietly discouraged the Iraqi government from holding it. The pressure from the administration is inconsistent with their goals of promoting democracy in Iraq. The people, who have been forced to live under occupation for the past six years, deserve a chance to have their voices heard.

     

    Obama campaigned on a promise to leave Iraq. Yet the response to the June 30th deadline, the lack of support for the referendum, and the passage of another $70 billion for the war are stark indicators of what the real Iraq policy may be.

    Foreign Policy in Focus: A Withdrawal in Name Only

     

     

    yeah we advised the shit out of Vietnam too

  3. I once got in trouble with a local mountain rescue unit for having a sticker on my helmet that proclaimed "I my penis." I had to cover it with duct-tape.

     

    I always wear a helmet climbing. I feel weird without one. But, not always while riding a bike -- which is stupid, esp since i usually forget my helmet while riding around drunk.

     

     

    but the supreme court has roundly rejected prior restraint ...

     

    a hipster on a skateboard just wiped out on the street in front of my house because he apparently was trying to skate and text-message at the same time. Landed on his coccyx, fortunately.

  4. We'll likely be moving out of our 3 bedroom rental house near 39th and Hawthorne in August if the landlord raises the rent. Our plans are not yet firm since we don't know his intentions. However even if it is raised, the rent is easily within the range of a working couple.

     

    The house is a nice 2-story craftsman with hardwood floors downstairs and 1 3/4 baths. Lots of hipsters in this neighborhood, but many old ladies as well. Plenty for wife and child to do and Fred Meyer is just down the street. Downtown is 2 miles away. We are going to be here at least until the end of July when we're taking the Oregon state bar exam.

     

    Send me a PM if you'd like to know more and aren't looking to move until August at the earliest.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  5. Their "protean" nature actually appears, not as their demise, but as a survival mechanism as long as organic life, itself, persists. That signals that maybe these "simplistic" entities aren't necessarily primitive but rather highly efficient propagators and as such are a type of "higher" entity.

     

     

    Efficient propagation doesn't imply higher intelligence. Take the Palin family, for example.

  6. My 1993 subaru loyale station wagon was stolen last night at the corner of SE 37th Ave and Salmon St. in Southeast Portland

     

    The car is teal. Distinguishing features: a dent in the front left quarter panel. Some abrasion around the wheelwells from ill-fitting chains last winter. Factory roof rack. The typical old loyale rotting bumper from exhaust misalignment.

     

    If some crack-addict or dirtbag is trying to sell you a car in a hurry, it might be mine. While they probably took off the plates, it was OR # XZS-750.

     

    Since these cars are popular with folks like us, I thought I would put this note here.

    It is a sweet climber's / hiker's / skier's ride. someone probably just took it for a joyride, so maybe it'll end up in your neighborhood or at a trailhead. I can't imagine there's any money in selling these for parts. Here's a picture from the Goat Rocks wilderness. Only one I could find of the car.

     

    Angry_Mountain_097.jpg

  7. nah you can mess up the tendons that form the anatomical snuffbox through repetitive stress. mine collapsed after I spent the fall running power tools (weed whacker, chain saw) and working with other garden implements. doc prescribed me some diclofenac sodium (a NSAID) to get the swelling to go down. Had me ice it and stop working with that equipment.

  8. Used twice, bought new in 2007: BD Havoc 185cm skis w/ Dynafit bindings, Garmont Megaride boots size 13.5. Skins included (used once) $700. Great stuff, I just can't afford this sport until I get a job.

     

    This is the same stuff Billbob had for sale in September. I have not used it. The skins are cut to the skis. And btw the boots are compatible with non-Dynafit bindings.

  9. If I put some Swix wax on my AT skis will that make it harder for my adhesive skins to stick on? is it customary to stick the skins on (pre-wax) at base, skin up, and then wax up at the summit for the ski down?

     

     

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