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Which is, as well as the headine inflation figure, almost exactly the same as the Eurozone numbers. So explain again how you understand that global supply chain issues are a factor and not everything can be blamed on the White House? It's the other one.

Most people get college degrees by earning them. But some people get degrees because their rich daddy purchased them.

Seen elsewhere: We need a democrat to introduce a REALLY strict gun control bill. Name it the "Protect Donald Trump" law. The Rs would be forced to either enact gun control or admit they don't care about Trumpty Dumpty. Watch Republican heads explode. On a more serious note: The charges against the guy in Florida are possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated (removed) serial number. So it appears that if he didn't have a prior record and hadn't tried to remove the serial number from the rifle... He wouldn't be facing any charges. Fascinating.

538 Monte Carlo analysis page now has Harris with a 61% chance and Trump at a 39% chance of winning.

IMO education and advanced degrees will change broadly as a result of AI. Philosophy, history and the so called liberal arts will have to emphasize critical thinking skills. Partially because mathematics and mechanical problem solving are natural areas of address for AI. But AI will also exploit the gullibility and trust of people W/O a broad area of skeptical thinking.

There are plenty of people around who still push the self serving fantasy that market forces are all that is needed to make corporations act fairly and properly in accordance with their responsibilities to society. So here's an article about a multinational cement company which willingly collaborated with ISIS at the height of its expansion and paid tens of millions of dollars into its machine of conquest, torture and oppression in order to keep making money from just one factory. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/17/french-cement-company-lafarge-paid-millions-to-islamic-state-syria It also notes that while the situation was so dangerous that all western execs were evacuated, the head of security bragged about using 'military methods' to make the local laborers keep coming to work. A French court ruled the company couldn't be prosecuted for this as laws which protect workers' rights in France do not apply in Syria. Three thumbs up for deregulation!

This. What an indictment of our education systems that such a large fraction possesses no critical thinking skills.

I know of some third world countries where jumpers use expired but still functioning AAD'S. Cuba is one. Umm I know I've heard of a another. Russian federation countries maybe.

agreed, but that was somewhat implied. What is the purpose of money if it doesn't give you time and power? Edited to add to that: I have stated here before that I think history will eventually show the Citizens United decision to be the beginning of the end.

Yes, and it's a real no brainer. We do not need, and should never want, our political leaders past or present being assassinated. We absolutely should want them held accountable for crimes committed but never slain extrajudicially. Things are bad enough as they are.

Barracks Lawyer? No sir. I am not arguing "the finer points of the law", nor am I arguing the safety factors of various scenarios. I am simply clarifying the FAR for others' benefit. I am stating the actual FAR. Nothing more, nothing less. To be absolutely clear, there is NO REQUIREMENT for occupants to use oxygen. The regulation only addresses the requirement to PROVIDE oxygen. There is a lot of misunderstanding in this area, so it's important to get it right. FAR 91.211 reads.... § 91.211 Supplemental oxygen. (a) General. No person may operate a civil aircraft of U.S. registry— (1) At cabin pressure altitudes above 12,500 feet (MSL) up to and including 14,000 feet (MSL) unless the required minimum flight crew is provided with and uses supplemental oxygen for that part of the flight at those altitudes that is of more than 30 minutes dura- tion; (2) At cabin pressure altitudes above 14,000 feet (MSL) unless the required minimum flight crew is provided with and uses supplemental oxygen during the entire flight time at those alti- tudes; and (3) At cabin pressure altitudes above 15,000 feet (MSL) unless each occupant of the aircraft is provided with supple- mental oxygen.

Killing the Iran nuclear deal was one of Trump's biggest failures "IAEA, the United Nations watchdog, said Iran’s nuclear-fuel levels rose between June and August, enough to fuel a handful of warheads should Iran make a political decision to pursue weapons." Russia sharing nuclear secrets with Iran fuels U.S.-U.K. worries in exchange for the recent shipments of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia to be used in Ukraine. The above is just another example of Trump's stupidity that has effected the whole world. So: as a clear and present danger to the entire planet. Are you sure about that?

Only on dedicated loads; I don't remember seeing any going out before the up-jumpers. Wendy P.

The FAR requires oxygen to be "provided" to passengers. I don't believe there is a requirement to use it.

It does often seem like people forget this. It’s easy to think that the worst thing about Trump is his corruption, his racism, his kowtowing to foreign dictators, his lack of any coherent economic or social policy - in essence that he’s a clown. But he genuinely attempted to overthrow American democracy. That was his absolute goal, he tried a number of ways to make it happen, and he and his party have spent the last 4 years figuring out how to do it properly next time. There’s a lot of pseudo intellectual waffle around at the moment on how all great states eventually collapse because of this tax or that public spending. I think the historically proven number one way to reliably destroy a great democracy is to elect someone who’s already told you he wants to destroy it.

Interesting. Every DZ that I've been to (which admittedly isn't all that many) that requires AADs has you press the button and makes sure that the light comes on.

Hi, I'm new here in dropzone and i hope I'm welcomed.

Congratulations on your first jump and congratulations on your new-found addiction. You should probably run now, as fast as you can, before all your plans for the rest of your life vanish in a puff of turbine exhaust. You have gotten some good encouragement here. However, there is one thing I am compelled to address. Regarding AFF training... No, no, a thousand times no. This is as bad a thing as you can tell a prospective AFF student. Please never tell one this again. Solo skydiving, even once, even the first time, is not Disneyland. It is not even skiing, surfing, or mountain biking. It is a total commitment, and a blatant act of self-reliance. A solo skydiver, even on their first jump, should be trained, prepared, and self-confident enough that in theory, they should be able to perform the jump alone. They should be able to exit, maintain their stability, maintain awareness of their altitude, perform their tasks, pull on time, deal with their opening, perform EPs if necessary, identify their landing area and wind conditions, fly a proper pattern and land - by theirself. Now to be sure, a student should never be allowed to actually do that. Freefall stability is a subtle thing and can be tricky to learn. So yes, instructors go with. They help maintain stability, they have hand signals whereby they can help trim up the student's body position, and prompt them along their dive sequence, including altitude checks and when to pull. And if the student has trouble with the pull, the instructors can assist, and often do pull for the student. And while under canopy, there is (one-way) radio assistance. But all of this should be considered by the student as assistance, and should never be relied on as primary function. Students do sometimes flail exits and lose their instructors, and radios do sometimes fail. If a student is not prepared and confident to see it this way, they should keep training until they are. If they can't achieve this, they should stick to tandems or reconsider what they are getting themselves into. Yeah... umm, NO.