Here's a headline that didn't make the front page of the Union-Tribune, or even the front section, amazingly. After averaging a transfer amount of $25 billion during the previous decade, the Fed transferred $47.4 billion in 2009 and now $79 billion for 2010, a new record an a 66% increase over the previous year. This is money that goes directly to the US Treasury. This should have gotten much more media coverage.
Remember this next time someone criticizes President Obama's economy recovery plan.
Article in Huffington Post
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Half Dome Hike in June
I overslept, and only Brady got through of the other people planning this hike on June 19. I've done it once, about 16 years ago, with Brady, and he's done it once since then, with Faith. It was really tough, as I was not in shape, but it was well worth it and I'll never forget it. Last year they instituted permits, and limit those to 400 per day. This is another cost we pay for refusing to somehow limit our population. See the story below from the San Francisco Chronicle.
In the fastest five minutes of the year, Yosemite sold all the permits to climb Half Dome for weekends in May and June. For weekdays, the new required permits sold out in 23 minutes.
"We knew they wouldn't last a day," said Kari Cobb at Yosemite National Park. "It's the most popular hike in the park."
The rush could make the April 1 event, when Half Dome permits for July go on sale at 7 a.m., the most intense two or three minutes of the vacation season. If you're lucky, for a service fee of $1.50, you can get four permits.
On the first day of sales last year, when Yosemite first required climbing permits for weekends at Half Dome, they sold out in 32 minutes.
The hike up Half Dome in Yosemite Valley rivals Mount Fuji in Japan and Mount St. Helens in Washington as the world's most popular trek. In past years, so many people in Yosemite Valley attempted the climb on impulse that traffic jams of humanity often formed on the climbing cables.
On one trip with brother Rambob, we were stuck in place on a ledge at mid-wall for 30 minutes, with nothing to do except to wait it out and gaze across Tenaya Canyon. There were just too many people in one place, going both up and down on the cable.
Many have been unprepared for the physical challenge. From Yosemite Valley, it's an 8.5-mile ascent one-way with a 4,800-foot elevation gain. You climb past Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall and Little Yosemite en route to Half Dome's backside. The ultimate is the 440-foot cable ascent, where hiking becomes an act of faith, and you emerge atop the 13-acre (mostly flat) summit.
From the perch of a rock cornice atop Half Dome, Yosemite Valley looks like a miracle. Below you is nearly a mile of empty air. The canyon walls are framed by El Capitan on one side, three-spired Cathedral Rocks on the other. Long silver-tasseled waterfalls slide down the massive granite exposures of the towering canyon walls.
The best strategy to get a permit is to go to recreation.gov, the park's website for reservations, and create a user profile in advance. When the race starts at 7 a.m. April 1 (and again on May 1 for August), all you have to do is punch in a date and hope you don't get locked out. You can be out of luck if your server is slow or you can't break through the logjam of users. To get a reservation by phone, (877) 444-6777, seems virtually impossible. Many Chronicle readers e-mailed their frustrations over their failed attempts to get permits Tuesday.
By requiring permits, Cobb said, park rangers achieved two goals: reducing the number of people on the cables and increasing the level of planning and expertise for climbers.
"The numbers of people on Half Dome are down a quarter to one-third per day of what it used to be," Cobb said, with 300 permits now available from the reservation service, recreation.gov, and an additional 100 through wilderness permits from the Yosemite Wilderness Center.
The new process requires climbers to read safety information about the trek. That includes bringing enough water and food, and not wearing the wrong footwear. One time, at the foot of the cables, we ran into a group of kids on their way up the big rock who were carrying empty plastic jugs, and they asked brother Rambob, "Where's the water?" Another time, we saw someone wearing flip-flops who stubbed a toe. There are many such tales.
"Our search and rescue calls have been dramatically reduced," Cobb said. "With fewer people, you get the wilderness experience and they love it, not a parking lot of people." Providing, that is, you get one of those permits.
The Half Dome cables are usually in place the weekend before Memorial Day. Updates and info are available at nps.gov/yose; reservations at recreation.gov.
In the fastest five minutes of the year, Yosemite sold all the permits to climb Half Dome for weekends in May and June. For weekdays, the new required permits sold out in 23 minutes.
"We knew they wouldn't last a day," said Kari Cobb at Yosemite National Park. "It's the most popular hike in the park."
The rush could make the April 1 event, when Half Dome permits for July go on sale at 7 a.m., the most intense two or three minutes of the vacation season. If you're lucky, for a service fee of $1.50, you can get four permits.
On the first day of sales last year, when Yosemite first required climbing permits for weekends at Half Dome, they sold out in 32 minutes.
The hike up Half Dome in Yosemite Valley rivals Mount Fuji in Japan and Mount St. Helens in Washington as the world's most popular trek. In past years, so many people in Yosemite Valley attempted the climb on impulse that traffic jams of humanity often formed on the climbing cables.
On one trip with brother Rambob, we were stuck in place on a ledge at mid-wall for 30 minutes, with nothing to do except to wait it out and gaze across Tenaya Canyon. There were just too many people in one place, going both up and down on the cable.
Many have been unprepared for the physical challenge. From Yosemite Valley, it's an 8.5-mile ascent one-way with a 4,800-foot elevation gain. You climb past Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall and Little Yosemite en route to Half Dome's backside. The ultimate is the 440-foot cable ascent, where hiking becomes an act of faith, and you emerge atop the 13-acre (mostly flat) summit.
From the perch of a rock cornice atop Half Dome, Yosemite Valley looks like a miracle. Below you is nearly a mile of empty air. The canyon walls are framed by El Capitan on one side, three-spired Cathedral Rocks on the other. Long silver-tasseled waterfalls slide down the massive granite exposures of the towering canyon walls.
The best strategy to get a permit is to go to recreation.gov, the park's website for reservations, and create a user profile in advance. When the race starts at 7 a.m. April 1 (and again on May 1 for August), all you have to do is punch in a date and hope you don't get locked out. You can be out of luck if your server is slow or you can't break through the logjam of users. To get a reservation by phone, (877) 444-6777, seems virtually impossible. Many Chronicle readers e-mailed their frustrations over their failed attempts to get permits Tuesday.
By requiring permits, Cobb said, park rangers achieved two goals: reducing the number of people on the cables and increasing the level of planning and expertise for climbers.
"The numbers of people on Half Dome are down a quarter to one-third per day of what it used to be," Cobb said, with 300 permits now available from the reservation service, recreation.gov, and an additional 100 through wilderness permits from the Yosemite Wilderness Center.
The new process requires climbers to read safety information about the trek. That includes bringing enough water and food, and not wearing the wrong footwear. One time, at the foot of the cables, we ran into a group of kids on their way up the big rock who were carrying empty plastic jugs, and they asked brother Rambob, "Where's the water?" Another time, we saw someone wearing flip-flops who stubbed a toe. There are many such tales.
"Our search and rescue calls have been dramatically reduced," Cobb said. "With fewer people, you get the wilderness experience and they love it, not a parking lot of people." Providing, that is, you get one of those permits.
The Half Dome cables are usually in place the weekend before Memorial Day. Updates and info are available at nps.gov/yose; reservations at recreation.gov.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Senior Health Issues
This is a public service announcement from the school of hard knocks, to protect those who may have made the same assumptions I did.
We were more than thrilled when my parents were accepted into a senior citizen village that looked more like a campus than an old folks home, and offered all three levels of care, Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Skilled Nursing. Naively, I thought our prayers had been answered: not only was there such a wonderful place for Mom and Dad, but they would never have to move again, at least not outside the village.
Well, my eyes are open now. Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing facilities are for seniors with physical challenges, while doing virtually nothing for mentally-challenged patients. Although the cost difference between Independent Living apartments and Assisted Living rooms is about double, there is virtually no help for mentally-challenged patients.
My Mom has had several minor strokes and TMI's, and is not the person she was before the strokes. She can barely carry on a conversation, and has virtually no drive or initiative. Although she is now moving into an Assisted Living room, we have been told directly that they do not force anyone to do anything, but can only 'strongly suggest.' This includes eating, drinking, changing clothes, you get the picture. Now you are thinking, "What, you expected they would force her to eat and drink, might even give her an IV or put a tube down her throat?!"
So now what do we do? To be truthful, I hadn't thought this far ahead, until now. I'm all for prescribing anti-depressants, but so far they haven't really made a difference. It's really horrible to see the quality of life drain away from someone, especially one's parents.
My point is, naive or wishful thinking or whatever, everyone should know this ahead of time, and be prepared to deal with this issue, rather than assume, as I did.
We were more than thrilled when my parents were accepted into a senior citizen village that looked more like a campus than an old folks home, and offered all three levels of care, Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Skilled Nursing. Naively, I thought our prayers had been answered: not only was there such a wonderful place for Mom and Dad, but they would never have to move again, at least not outside the village.
Well, my eyes are open now. Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing facilities are for seniors with physical challenges, while doing virtually nothing for mentally-challenged patients. Although the cost difference between Independent Living apartments and Assisted Living rooms is about double, there is virtually no help for mentally-challenged patients.
My Mom has had several minor strokes and TMI's, and is not the person she was before the strokes. She can barely carry on a conversation, and has virtually no drive or initiative. Although she is now moving into an Assisted Living room, we have been told directly that they do not force anyone to do anything, but can only 'strongly suggest.' This includes eating, drinking, changing clothes, you get the picture. Now you are thinking, "What, you expected they would force her to eat and drink, might even give her an IV or put a tube down her throat?!"
So now what do we do? To be truthful, I hadn't thought this far ahead, until now. I'm all for prescribing anti-depressants, but so far they haven't really made a difference. It's really horrible to see the quality of life drain away from someone, especially one's parents.
My point is, naive or wishful thinking or whatever, everyone should know this ahead of time, and be prepared to deal with this issue, rather than assume, as I did.
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