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Trump on disaster funding for hurricane Helene victims: "The Harris-Biden administration says they don’t have any money [for hurricane relief]. … They spent it all on illegal migrants. … They stole the FEMA money just like they stole it from a bank, so they could give it to their illegal immigrants that they want to have vote for them." Reality: DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas: “We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season. . . .We are meeting the moment. We have the immediate needs right now, on a continuing resolution." So why did he make that claim? Because there's _another_ FEMA program called the Shelter and Services program that give funds to nonprofits to house immigrants. DHS again: "FEMA has the necessary resources to meet the immediate needs associated with Hurricane Helene and other disasters. The Shelter and Services Program (SSP) is a completely separate, appropriated grant program that was authorized and funded by Congress and is not associated in any way with FEMA’s disaster-related authorities or funding streams.” Did any president actually do this? Why yes - Trump did. In 2019, Trump informed Congress that he was taking $155 million from the disaster fund to pay for temporary US hearing locations for asylum seekers who have been forced to wait in Mexico. “The U.S. is facing a security and humanitarian crisis on the Southern border,” a Trump spokesperson said in its notice that it was redirecting the funds. This left them shorthanded, as there were 18 storms that affected the US that year, killing 121 people. As always, with republicans, accusation is confession.

https://skydivingmagazine.org/browse-issues/ I started skydiving around 1987 and reading theses old magazines have given me such great pleasure and sadness. There is so much that I missed before I started skydiving and since then, so many great people are no longer with us. On the plus side, I really enjoy the history and the great memories of all that has happened. I knew Mike, but not very well and now can really appreciate the writing and history. Thank you Sue for making them available.

The fail is strong with this one: Idaho state senator tells Native American candidate ‘go back where you came from’ in forum

Yeah, well, you try dancing wearing a diaper.

In Melania Trump's new book she comes out as a lifelong believer in choice. https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/02/politics/melania-trump-support-abortion-rights-memoir/index.html

New episode out now! DB Cooper and the controversial conclusion with my good friend Mike Halkovich. https://thecoopervortex.podbean.com/e/db-cooper-and-the-controversial-conclusion-mike-halkovich/ Enjoy!

Not sure that logic would pay off or that it would matter all that much. A two-out in either configuration would have a very light wing loading, so even a side-by-side would have a slow (or zero) forward speed into a headwind In a two-out scenario (if I chose to keep it), I would be much more concerned with monitoring the stability of the configuration (and having my plan B ready) than I would be about penetration into the wind. For me, if I can confirmed that the main can be released without conflict, I would likely chop. I have seen (several times) side-by-side configurations turn into downplanes AFTER flying stable. There have been incidents caused by this. Just because the canopies fly well together one moment does not mean they will fly well together the next. 2 cents

Hi Ken, Not totally true. The VSE MARD can be seen by the window in the upper closing reserve flap. Jerry Baumchen

Interesting... I've had personal experience with a canopy opening in stall on a slider-up BASE jump. The slider stayed at the base of the canopy until I released the brakes and started pumping. It's not an experience that I look forward to repeating. That said, I use the factory setting for all slider up jumps. I have 3 deep brake settings available for slider down/off jumps. The deepest was set 3-4 inches below the stall point I found on a skydive, with a known exit weight, around 3000ft above sea level. The two additional settings are each 3-4 inches shallower than the prior DBS and are used at higher elevations and/or higher exit weights due to cameras or other gear. Edit: I just had my standard FOX retrofitted with vents, valves and the 5th steering line over the winter, so I'll be experimenting once again... My .02 Mark