The Cobbler (aka Ben Arthur) from Ben Lomond on Friday
Happy New year
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16 comments:
Billy
ACE picture! I love the Cobbler. I cannot think of that hill without thinking about the late great Jock Nimlin - his climbs there were the stuff of legend! Stories of ridiculously long run-outs and of night spent under the Narnain boulders
A very very special place to me indeed. All the best
Cheers!
:-)
SG
Yeah, there's a great picture in one of the guide books I have of Nimlin's direct route. I couldn't find it online, but you may know it - he's in what looks like a vertical arete with a runner miles below him. It's truely amazing what the pioneers did with "dodgy" gear. Much of it was home made in the ship yards. I met a couple of members of the creag dubh once who started climbing in their teens - they went ice climbing on the cobbler with two steak knives - luckly members of the creag dubh spotted them andtook them under their wing.
Was thinking about the first ascent of point 5 gully on the ben recently (a couple of my mates are off to do it). If I remember correctly it was done seige style over 6 days in tackity boots and cutting holds with home made axes. Nice vid of point 5 here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54AAbGVRsuM
Shocked that Jock doesn't have a wikipedia entry.
Tackety boots would have been perfect for Ben Lomond. Can't believe you can't get them any more. All this crampon nonsense these days.
Billy
I know EXACTLY the pic you mean - its in the SMC guide to the SOuthern Highlands (certainly in the earlier editions, early 70s ) AS you say a ridiculous long run out on a seriosuly steep arete
Its an excellent picture
Nimlin was also a keen geologist, he used to do crystal hunting courses at Glenmore Lodge. He also wrote an excellent little book called "Lets look at Scottish Gemstones" published by Jarrold. HE was a bit of an expert on agates, Mull ones in particular, apparently
SAdly missed, a real legend and a massive inspiration to climbers
:-)
SG
I need to find that pnoto and scan it.
I think I heard something about a new type of agate recently discovered in thr 'gorms. Have you heard anything SG?
Found this site with old video footage - check the ropes tied round the waists http://www.arrocharheritage.com/InDaysOfOld.htm
Billy
that video clip is something else. What a magic find! And by another legend as well, Ben Humble. I get all dewy eyed at this sort of thing
Re the new type of agate - cant say I had heard of it, but a quick email to my friend Dr John Faithfull of the Hunterian Museum will soon get the info!
Hunterian has a very good online collection - worth a look - I'll try to find the URL
Come to think of it, I might have overheard the guy who runs Mr Wood's fossils talking about the agate.
There was something in the news about a new mineral discovered in the NE recently called Macaulayite - turns out, it's been known since 1984 http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/docli/
/mm/vol48/MM48_127.pdf
Don't know if you've been to the Hunterian since it was renovated? Used to be lots of good fossils and minerals upstairs. That's all gone now :-(
There are some interesting bits of surgical gea there though - one to crush kidney stones. It's probably at least twice the diameter of a pencil and is inserted up your hogs eye - ow!
They still have that bottle of Lister's amber ale though.
Billy , just catching up here - need to sus out the Hunterian - havent been for ages. Used to have a summer job working in the "Royal Scottish Museum" in Edinburgh - that was great - got to see the stuff behind the scenes
Actually, I have to say, the New Year has got off to an excellent start with that "Irisgate" affair -you simply could not make this up - the fundies must be fuming. Funny as hell so it is!!
Speaking of NI, I came across this which is so bad, it is simply impossible to know where to start:
biblicalgeology.net/Geological-Histories/Giants-Causeway.html
It is unbelievably bad. Almost embarassing to read
Anyway, heres another snippet that made me laugh. It was 10 years ago that the Free Church Continuing (uber-fundies) left the Free church (fundies) [(But not hyper-uber-fundies, thats the Free Presbyterians)]
Anyway, the website of this memorable, earth shaking event is still extant:
http://www.elec8070.plus.com/fcc/index.html
That is some rogues gallery in there. let me tell you. Some of these guys are pathologically ugly and all very very old.
When you go to the FC(C) website you can see their new manse in Lewis:
http://www.freekirkcontinuing.co.uk/FCC/Welcome.html
When you look at the pic:
www.freekirkcontinuing.co.uk/FCC/Welcome_files/DSCF1542.jpg
It looks like someone has pished on the steps.......... LOL!!!!
SG, what a parcel o' fuds!
The bible does say there were giant's, so I'm convinced Finn Mccool made the causway to fight another giant.
Most pathetic fundie nonsense I read once was that we can discount geology because the only reliable source of dating was the bible. Noah and his family were eye witnesses to the flood and that beats radiometric dating, stratigraphy and reason - so there. Wish I book marked it.
Someone has challenged fundies to explain distant star light in the metro's letter page today - should be a laugh.
Billy
There is a whole pile of fundie nonsense to do with radiometric dating. The wors offender is Andrew Snelling who has written "papers" on the subject eg:
www.answersingenesis.org/articles/aid/v4/n1/mt-ngauruhoe
Total BS. He tries to attack K/Ar dating by looking at young lavas. K/Ar dating is NOT ACCURATE for young rocks. Geologists accept this. Its a question of using the right tool for the job
Now if you read this "paper" you will see lots of citations to very serious earth science journals and work by proper geologists.
Just to give some gravitas to the utter pish that he comes out with.
Of course the laymen might be impressed by this. This is the great danger.
I was actually talking to a geology lecturer from Glasgow recently who mentioned that some of his papers had been cited by YECs. He was horrified at the thought of this.
I jokingly suggested that he and his colleagues should have a contest to see who gets cited the most!!
Probably the most cited I can think of is Cherry Lewis who wrote "The Dating Game" about Arthur Holmes and radiometric dating - lots of YECs like to twist her words
Of course, the God-botherers will be in a knicker twist again trying to make sense of the Haiti earthquake. No doubt we'll get the "earth groaning becasue of sin" BS
Did you hear that disgusting sub-vermin come-rag, Pat Robertson talking about it? He reckoned Haiti was cursed becasue they made a pact with the devil?!! WTF!!!!
These people need locking up......
Yeah, I saw what that weasly dick splat said - quite sickening!
Who was quoted by YECs?
Had a lecturer in first year (Burton?) who seemed quite hostile to that nonsense - remember he swore a lot :-)
Whenever I check these socalled "biology" papers, they often cite papers that support evolution and twist it. A common strategy (think I saw an example in one of the geo links you sent) is to quote proper science for things like facts - eg continental drift, then pull some creotard bollocks out of the S-bend from a 'tard "journal". This also seems to impress those who think pelican crossings work by magic
Come to think of it, where's Rev Fanny baws these days?
I'd like to think his silence has something to with him being exposed as a liar on the Premier christian site.
I was wanting to wrap that in razor wire and stick it up his arse sideways
Billy
Where is the Rev FB? Good question. I suspect this article may be telling:
How (not) to be an American Missionary in Scotland
http://www.stpeters-dundee.org.uk/node/190
Dont know if you are aware of it but there is a new project underway called "Reformission Scotland" You can read all about it here:
www.reformissionscotland.com
Looks like some sort of tie-in with American evangies to plant "gospel" churches
In other words getting Yanks parachuted in
Oh boy, I hear you say - fundies, YECs, homophobes, charismaniacs..... just what we need....
:)SG
Bloody hell, he go on! Funny him commenting on the southern baptists believing only their way is right.
I snotred when he spoke of cultural sensitivity in mission work. The who point of mission work is to change someones culture because you think it is evil
Yeah that stuff about the Southern Bappies is quite funny. "We are definitely right and you are wrong!!!" But we need you anyway to come over here and evangelise....
Wonder if he's planning on writing an article like that "Tsunami" one that he did, or will he keep clear this time in case people think he's a 'tard? LOL
Actually, I came across a great graphic today:
www.nakedpastor.com/archives/4500
Have a look at that - Stupidity of Theological Explanation as a function of Severity of Suffering. LOL!!!
www.nakedpastor.com/archives/4500
This guy has actually got a whole pile of funny "faith based" cartoons - some of themare very very liberal borering on atheist - he even refers to his inner atheist! Probbaly worth a look!
Cheers
SG
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