tvashtarkatena

25-ML-56362-ML-

debutcrombies. Where is the thing gonna be, anyway? That frathole Dante's, right? I'll have to go out and get a hoody.

That's the only reason I have a social life beyond chasing small game with a stick.

Not to worry. He's been working out with the ViceGripper.

The necks were far too hairy back then. Some still are.

Canada's got the goods alpine-wise, and right in our back yard. It's the greatest backcountry paradise in the world. The alternative for us northwesterners is to spring for a plane ticket; usually the much more expensive and complicated option. Having just got back from the great north, we found that the tab for a lowball road trip to climb in Canada is still as cheap or cheaper than the same trip would be in the U.S.

No conflict is inevitable. The Iranians the U.S. share some important mutual interests: with stability in the Middle East on top of the list. In addition, the Iranian people are as fed up with their moronic leadership as we are with ours. Finally, it seems that we might have another opportunity to calm the Israeli Palestinian tensions down a bit; which would provide calmer atmosphere for productive negotiations. This is an opportunity for direct dialogue between the U.S. and Iran; the most effective formula for reducing tensions and establishing a mutual way forward. Our overt threats to Iran and the defiant responses of their leadership can only lead us towards, not away, from direct confrontation, nuclear or otherwise. Given that the U.S. invasion of Iraq has only destabilized the region further and provided a vast playground for bomb makers, and that our economy is teetering, it seems like a conflagration in the region would not be anyone's interests. There will be no "OK, we beat up the bad guy and now things are all better", as our administration seems to suggest. Considering their track record so far, it should come as no surprise that they're off target on this one as well. Detractors from this approach need only look to N. Korea; an even more intractable and culturally alien nation than Iran. Personally, I'm far more worried about the much greater likelyhood that the U.S. will use tactical nukes unilaterally and set an extremely dangerous precedent than about Iran's nuclear program. When you scan the horizon for proven belligerants armed to the teeth with nukes, we're squarely on the top of the heap. Returning to international nuclear disarmament rather than the development of more offensive tactical nukes and the provocation that comes with that would make me feel alot better about our future prospects for avoiding nuclear conflict in the future.

Might I suggest rolling a small turd around in your mouth, Dru. Not necessarily only during ketosis, mind you.

Here's some tips from adventure racing. On a week long race, ketosis is not an option. It shouldn't be on long climbs, either. Your body is EXTREMELY inefficient in that mode, and you risk injury due to clumsiness, eroded judgement, etc: Take in 150 to 300 calories per hour during heavy exertion. The key to this is to have food available to eat as you move. This is pretty easy; waist pouches, pockets, etc. Some racers duct tape food all over their mountain bikes. Going without food for long periods of time is just poor planning. "regular" foods are best (this is advice from the top adventure racers in the world): ie. sandwiches and the like. Everybody's got their own preferences...here's what works for me: sandwiches, Landjaegers/salami/etc, bread (squished up into bread balls in my case), various bars, the less sugary the better, nuts, raisins, burritos (excellent), Essential sandwiches.... Eat enough protein. This is one of the number one mistake made in endurance sports. Salami/landjaeger/pre-cooked bacon in a baggy, whatever Gu doesn't work for me; it's basically sugar, so it jacks me up and lets me down, but it works for some people. It might be good to carry for that end of day emergency shot. Take electrolyte pills on longer or hotter trips; 1 per hour. If you experience any cramping, take 2 per hour. Drink every 15 minutes in warmer weather. Again, a camelbak or water bottles toe-clip strapped to your pack's chest straps (my preferred method) or waist belt keeps you hydrated. Not taking enough food to 'save weight' will result in arriving back at the car later than if you kept yourself fit every time. It's a losing equation.

So, in other words, our policy should be to give the impression to the international community that we will maim and kill our detainees; that we have become, in fact, the new Gestapo. Um...no thanks. What an utter disgrace to everything we supposedly stand for that would be. There was a generation of Americans who gave a whole lot of blood to fight that kind of tyranny. They deserve better than this. Not to mention that would we do to our enemies in captivity in this war will be done, with complete justification, to our captured soldiers in every war from now now.

If you go there, by definition, you're a monster, regardless of your justification. Most people on this planet that have committed similar atrocities having loving families, doggies, and kitties waiting for them at home.

the BD spectres would come in handy on very chandeliered, brittle ice where a lot of hooking is required. Such ice might not take screws at all, or require a major excavation to get to reliable ice. Here's an example from this weekend I encountered (on top rope): You're hooking a chandelier overhang which won't take screws from a shelf. The nearest screw placement is at your feet. I can see hooking a Spectre up high in the chandelier to keep from hitting that shelf if your tool pops.

The Iranians I've worked with have all been great folks, but if I have to hate them for my country, I suppose that's the sacrifice freedom sometimes requires.

Go away, kid, ya bother me.

The technology revolution coupled with resource depletion are ignited a new spurt in human evolution. Since the dawn of agriculture humans have selected for potential for their relative productive capacity within their localized society. Resource depletion can no longer support a system of prosperity and pro-creative desirability that is coupled with human labor and therefore population growth, however. The planet will soon have to de-populate, so a future system of prosperity that is decoupled from human labor will be created. The advent of artificial, creative intelligence and self replicating technologies will decouple prosperity from human labor, allowing de-population not only to occur, but to be favored by policy. Public policy, the ethics of sustainability, and economics will discourage large families. A gay lifestyle will not only become accepted, but encouraged. Gay marriages will flourish, produce more offspring, and the gay gene pool will expand. An increase in homosexual voter numbers will reinforce policies that encourage homosexuality; a positive feedback loop that will result in a natural selection for gay genes. In short, homosapiens will become more homo over time. In contrast, those who in the present world survive by physical labor, which will be less valuable over time, will become increasingly less desireable as mates. Their relative numbers will diminish. The goatee and mullet genes will eventually be bred out of the population. Similarly, the Born Again and Far Right genes, painfully obsolete even now, will also simply be bred out of the population. Genetic engineering will, of course, be employed to accelerate this process as the those in power become increasingly impatient with those who cling to the resource depletion model of human progress. Eventually, humankind will become a race of tall, buff, hip, hyper sensitive, giggly, well dressed metro-sexual liberals with a passion for gardening, collecting antique trucker paraphenalia and yelling at the robot help. When the nanobots finally take over, they won't know what hit them.

Go git 'em: Ice pitons at Sierra Trading Post

My people wouldn't know much about that. We're Irish; a not-peaceful people who repeatedly got our ass kicked by other not-peaceful peoples. We still managed to outbreed the best of them.

Could you possibly be suggesting that hanging from tools is good training for hanging from tools? I'm on it. After Lillooet, that got added to my project list for this week. A progression of pull ups till failure, then a lock off till failure, then just hanging on as long as possible, would probably max out lats, then biceps, then grippers in that order.

UR READING COMPREHENSION. U BROKED IT. Uh, nope. My reading comprehension still appears to be fine. Your OCD response still doesn't connect the dots, brah.

Not since Nixon have we had such a Dick in high office. Where, exactly, did you ski (don't know where 21 Pines is). I'd like to go into the Scottish Lakes side after some freshies get laid down. Much better terrain on that side.

That jus mean dat evvybody got a piece o yo mamma fo da las 2000 yeahs, bro.

Jesus, you guy's don't need grip strength, you need tethers to keep your stick insect asses earthbound.

You guys have got to see this really cool German commercial...let's see if I can find it....

The article says that we don't know what's been happening with evolution in the last 2000 years. Hmmm, nothing much has happened in the technology/human migration/ interaction standpoint in that time; humans must be continuing to evolve as they were back then. Point of order for us blue eyed mutants; the article also didn't state that there were no blue eyes 5000 years ago.

Fuck you, fast fingers.