Manifesto/Bio
Recent Comments
Re: “Six feet under”
"there's likely a substantial risk for scores of inner-tubers who have limited maneuverability on the river, and who are oftentimes toting coolers of beer."
"Whitewater Rescue Institute co-founder Mike Johnston says floaters can take some fairly simple precautions, "like not be drunk, and wear a life jacket." "
...i think i see a trend, here....
there are bridges crossing every waterway in the area, and people utilize the rivers here every chance they get, from fishing to floating. it is actually a pretty major revenue maker for some businesses, locally, and NOBODY is going to say "stay out of the rivers".
it bothers me that part of the money spent on cleaning up the Clark Fork upstream from the confluence...a part of the river system that is not floated much, wasn't used to "fix" the Blackfoot at that confluence, as well. a few logs were removed, and a small dam was broken up and "most" of it removed, but the hazards in that stretch of the river seem to still be there.
i am not quit sure WHY, when they rebuilt the I-90 bridge, they didn't put in a better pier system under it...probably had to do with economics. one pier in the middle was cheaper than two on either side, but that one pier system in that narrow point in the channel is obviously where one problem lies.
as a frequent river floater, i must say, however...that any stretch of the rivers here can have it's dangers...old car bodies, log jams, tree root balls, changing river channels, subsurface and unseen hazards...and yes, bridge abutments. if it were simply a matter of not getting drunk or wearing a life jacket, that part would be easy. it requires some paying attention to what is going on around you, and being a competent and level-headed swimmer.
the sign suggestion makes me laugh. it is obviously a cheap and easy way to avoid the issue of what is really wrong, and leaves an almost Faustian gap in actually solving the problem.
Re: “Business”
most of the problems with Vann's downturn can be pointed to Manlove. it is not just the economy. seems Pete got out at either the right or completely wrong time, leaving the son-in-law in charge.
Re: “Anti-Obama doc, produced by Montanan, gains traction”
"Downsize America"? seriously? as in make our Country smaller, less of what it is? there has never been any indication that Obama wants to do this...he did make promises about downsizing GOVERNMENT...but so has every politician who has ever run for office....and Republicans [read;Tea Party] have been pushing for that same simplification since before Obama took office....they, of course, have done NOTHING for their own part to fulfill that goal, but that is hardly unexpected.
i suppose, to get an accurate assessment of this glossy and very professionally done movie and the points it wants to make, one would have to watch it and make up their own mind....i suspect it is no more fair a critique of Obama than anything Michael Moore made....about anything. this is not going to sway very many voters who have already made up their minds about this election, but i feel sorry for the more than one quarter of Americans who are still considered "undecided". when i think of ALL the money being spent by special interests just to attack the"other" side, it makes me fearful of where the real power is in this country.
Re: “Allied Waste to launch new recycling program in Missoula”
so we are still at a loss for what to do with glass? what are our alternatives for that?
Re: “Lost caws”
seems to me, with his willing confession to killing....anything, without any good reason other than his own prejudice, Mr. Donahue is missing the point of why what he is doing is wrong. sad thing is, it would make no difference to try to convince him or anyone of his opinion of this. our society should have evolved beyond this kind of behavior.
my opinion is not based on any "tree hugger" feel-good sensitivity that often draws derision from the people who can not find actual valid arguments for their killing passion. instead, i look at this as a completely impractical use of ones time and efforts. there are plenty of things i just "don't like"....but going out of my way to destroy these things just seems to be a waste of time i could be doing something productive with.
...never mind the implications of what senseless destroying of life indicates about the personality of people like this...possibly progressing to more and more destructive activities are the hallmark of people who are mentally disturbed. this is not just my opinion....it is an accepted diagnosis in psychological analysis. his neighbors might take care this guy isn't shooting at their cats, dogs, or even children...lest he decides he just "doesn't like" them as well.
Twitter
Facebook
RSS
Re: “Local Crank Says: Don't Stop For Me, Driver”
Missoula is not just a "bike friendly" city, it has a bicycle culture all its own. thanks to the many advocates and promoters of bicycling as both a sport and state of consciousness, we have a great infrastructure and support system for anyone who wants to take up the activity...for health, for the environment, to save money on gas, or just getting out and seeing things around town that you miss when you are stuck in a car.
that being said, this is NOT something everyone can or should take up. every day, i witness people who haven't a clue about such basics as following the rules of the road, using alternate [safer] routes instead of riding on the busiest streets, or even practicing routine maintanence on the bikes they are riding. i know of so many people who have gone out and bought a bike, take it out on an afternoon ride, and soon discover that there are certain physical discomforts you experience from riding....sore wrists, sore crotch, sore back, exposure to the [sometimes] radical weather changes we can have here....or finding themselves having to share the road with big scary motor vehicles.....and they never get back on the bike again.
i can speak from almost 45 years of biking, that if you think you want to be part of the Missoula Bicycling community, you need to be capable and able to ride....you need to know how to shift gears, know when and how to brake and which brake to rely on the most, and most of all, you need to be physically able to accelerate and motivate your bike if you plan on riding ANYWHERE there is other traffic. and for crying out loud, don't ride out in the center of the road if you don't have to... you are not a car...even if State of Montana law gives you the right to ride on the road, the LAWS OF PHYSICS says that a 2000+lb automobile will have more to say about that, than you and your bike will.