CanuckInUSA

LOL sorry I missed most of the fun in this thread. Visiting DZ.COM just isn't as important to me as it may have been in the past. My moniker (CanuckInUSA) gives the impression that I am a Canadian in the USA and while this was the case from 1998 through 2005, I have been back in my native Canuckistan slaving away in the salt mines paying taxes and trying to keep my financial head above the water (or was that ice, hard to tell we really only have about 2 maybe 3 months of sort of warm weather here). Anyway when I lived in Boulder CO I had a doctor (yes I had insurance through my employer) who I could call up, schedule an appointment and yes he had a file on me. He sort of knew me. When I came in for my appointment I never waited more than 15 minutes to see him. Now in Canada I could phone every doctor in a city of 1 million people where I now call home and not a single doctor will accept me as their patient. That is right in Canada I can not have a doctor who can get to know me, who can keep a file on me. In Canada if I need to seek medical attention, I have to show up to a clinic (or worse the emergency room of a hospital) and wait for hours and hours and hours only to be seen my a medical person (they may not even be a doctor) who only wants to process me as fast as they can and get on to the next gerbil. I am starting to develop a hernia (boy isn't getting old fun). The medical professionals here say no we are not going to do anything. Here's the waiting list we are going to put you on, call us when the pain is unbearable and we will see what we can do about getting you on a different waiting list. The Canadian medical system is NOT the cats meow. It's nice that we do not lose our homes when someone in our family gets injured or becomes sick. But we lack the individual care where a doctor knows you and you are pretty much screwed when you get put on one of our infamous waiting lists. Of course Canada's faulty medical system is not always Canada's fault. One of the reasons why we have no doctors and no nurses is because many of our medical professionals are living and working in the "for profit" US medical system. If money in medicine was not such a big thing in the USA, I am sure Canada would have way more medical professionals than we have now. So LOL ... a socialized US medical system could help Canada's socialized system in returning some of our doctors and nurses. Ah who am I kidding, who wants to live with 6+ months of arctic winter weather if they can help it. At least the Canadian banking system is not as messed up as the US banking system. If you want to see where Canada is better than the USA, it's in our banking system. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Nurburgring is the bomb. Is there a better course out there in the world? Some would say yes, I say no. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Any fans of the "24 Hours of Lemans" race out here in skydiver land? The 2009 version of the race was run this weekend and Audi's dominance in LMP1 ended with Peugeot taking the top two spots and the defending champs from Audi took 3rd (Audi was having engine heating problems throughout the race and spent more time in the pits than they are normally accustomed to). I guess this shows how much of a life I no longer have, but (LOL) I stayed awake all Saturday night and into Sunday morning watching the live footage of the most famous endurance auto race and it is amazing how these drivers (3 per a team) can drive their cars for such a long time around a very fast course (the LMP1 cars do 200+ mph) and equally amazing how the team of engineers and mechanics can rebuild a car in record time when car parts fail in the middle of the race with little to no sleep. A Lola chassis with Porsche engine took top spot in LMP2 and in the GT1 class a Chevy Corvette took the top honor in their final year racing in this class (I think the current world economic woes is hurting this class of cars as there just was not many GT1 cars in the race). Finally a Ferrari 430 took the top honors in the GT2 class. Speaking of Ferrari and the 430 GT2 car, Hollywood actor "Patrick Dempsey" competed in his first "24 Hours of Lemans" race and his team (a Seattle based team) using a Ferrari 430 completed the race. While I am NOT normally a "Patrick Dempsey" fan, I must take my hat off to the man for what he did this weekend. Not only did he prove to the world that he is a race car driver (sure he may not be a top race car driver, but he is good enough to race at Lemans) but his team raised tons of money for a children's hospital charity for every lap that they completed during their 24 hours of racing. Anyway cool stuff if you are a fan of endurance auto racing. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Happy (belated) birthday Katee

Been there done that. No worries ... this is DZ.COM and anything (well almost anything) goes. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Cool 149 is fast (I have been about 145 on a motorcycle). We did "lead-follow" in the morning sessions but the instructor wasn't going fast. The goal of our "lead-follow" was to learn the driver's line. But in the afternoon they kicked us out of the nest and most people (not all) did follow the "do not exceed this RPM" limit. One dumb ass did crash his car off of a chicane and it screwed everyone else up because the course was Red flagged after the crash. It was an expensive day for me, but even more expensive for the dude who crashed since we were liable as students to pay the $2500 deductible on any damages to the cars and he totally messed up the front end of the car he was driving. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I did not go that fast. We probably hit about 110-120 mph at the end of the moderate straight. I do not know, these cars do not have speedometers. The Formula Renault car just shows your RPMs, what gear you are in and the engine temperature. Our day started off slow and we slowly worked our way into faster speeds as we were instructed to follow certain RPM limits on certain laps (plus the cars have engine governors for students like myself, they do go faster for more experienced drivers). The sad thing was at the end of the day I was only starting to get a feel for how to drive the car fast around the corners, but then the day came to an end. What is cool though, is that the cars were hooked up to capture MoTec telemetry data as well as GPS and in our post track briefings it was funny listening to some students trying to tell the instructor: I didn't exceed the maximum RPM limits we were told to adhere to. I didn't brake late into the corner. I was following the instructed driver's line through the course. Honestly I hit the turn apex as instructed. LOL ... all this data (engine, suspension, braking and tire telemetry) was being logged with GPS thrown in to show exactly where you were on the track when you did any sort of car control input. As an example it showed the instructor whether or not the student was blipping the accelerator on their heal-toe down shifts. It was good stuff. I can see how this MoTec data helps the RL race car drivers/engineers become faster and faster in their cars and being strapped into the car with the 3 point harness and becoming one with the car was rather cool too. But very bumpy, the seats are minimal, the cockpit is tight and you feel everything on the track. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Would you sacrifice jumps in order to drive a race car for a day? I did and I do not regret the experience. In fact if it was cheaper I think I would like driving race cars all the time. But if you think skydiving is expensive think again. If you think flying is expensive think again. Auto racing has to be one of the most expensive things one could do. But wow, there is nothing like getting strapped into a car and becoming one with the car. Well hold on, freefall is pretty cool and even though I am not current I will always look fondly back on my swooping endevours. Here are some pics from my day of driving a Formula Renault car: http://www.nogripracing.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=58256 http://www.nogripracing.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=58255 http://www.nogripracing.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=58254 Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

ROFLMAO ... imagine the possibilities ... Yes I enjoy the freedom choice versus having some government bureaucrat telling me what to do. But we better enjoy these freedoms while we can. The freedom to choose one's career, to choose one's destiny, the freedom to do interesting activities (like skydiving, like driving a fast car or bike), etc, etc, etc because I suspect our children's children or their children will not have the same freedom we may have now. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

There is not much difference between an insurance company that does not want to authorize medical treatments because it might effect their bottom line versus the socialized healthcare system that does not want to authorize treatments because it might effect their bottom line or because they don't have the resources to treat everyone the way everyone expects themselves to be treated. Face it folks ... the question at hand is not a Republican versus Democrat ... Conservative versus Liberal thing. Modern society is slowing losing it's freedom and soon science fiction movies such as THX1138 will not be so far fetched anymore. We might as well enjoy our freedoms while we can folks because sooner or later the state will be in your bathroom there to wipe your ass whether or not you wanted them there to begin with. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

It is true that Americans are arrogant about their ignorance of how the rest of the world operates. But here in Canada (and also Europe) people are ignorant about how arrogant they come off. As far as America with it's capitalistic roots turning into a socialist state? Well if enough people want socialism enough people will get it and right now the US media is pushing a socialist agenda. It is easier to control the masses under the socialist mantra. Capitalism is far from perfect. It produces winners and losers. But the beauty of capitalism is that with the proper work ethic channeled into the right direction, you the individual can realize financial benefits. Socialism just promotes the "I am a victim of the world, what is the government doing for me" mentality. There are a lot of people unemployed these days and those who believe in personal responsibility are off bettering themselves improving their skills and making themselves more marketable. Those who believe in the "nanny state" are sitting back doing nothing but whining that their government masters are not looking after them. The choice is yours America. Do you believe that you the individual should chart your own future, or do you believe that it's the government's responsibility to get you through life "from the cradle to the grave". Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I used to be an avid Formula 1 fan (back in the days of Senna, Prost, Mansell, etc, etc, etc) and then for a while there I lost interest (probably because Schumacher was the dominate driver on a dominate team). But this weekend I managed to watch some of the TV coverage from the practices, qualifying and yes I missed the start, but I actually watched most of the race. I can't remember the two drivers names (and I am too lazy to google them for this post), but wow what a way to end your race so close to the finish. Both guys would have finished in the points but because one decided to tangle with the other, they were both knocked out. Also I do not agree with the F1 authorities to hold the race in the late afternoon all to accommodate the European TV audience. They put TV ratings ahead of safety. The in car camera angles shows up what brutal sun glare the drivers had to deal with. It's one thing when I drive to work in the morning and have to deal with the sun going what 30 mph? But it's another thing when you are racing at the speeds the F1 cars go. Speaking of speed. OMG it is sick how fast those guys drive. Their "in car" camera views are just mind boggling. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

So I am driving to work this morning (1/2 comatosed as usual) and I pass under an overpass with a sign on it. Normally I don't pay much attention to such drivel but I had to have a 2nd look since I first thought it said "Aggie Dave". I know Alberta and Texas have a few things in common (LOL weather is NOT one of them) but what the heck was Aggie Dave doing hanging signs here in Calgary? Carry on ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Cool I watched one of the videos from this website of a Porsche going around the 3.1 mile road course and it looked like a great place to play. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Ah yes ... sorry BikerBabe I neglected to include motorcycles in the poll. My bad. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Yes one of my work colleagues showed me this youtube video about the Atom. It looks like a phat car and this video is funny. Got to like those TopGear guys. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

you forgot one thing I said in my original post: despite our differences, I think we all have one thing in common (whether you like the straight line speed, the ovals or the twisty road races) and that is we love the sound that a super car or a souped up car makes. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Got to like a girl that likes fast cars.

LOL that skit between the two British chaps on TopGear was hilarious. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Simple question do you like fast cars? If you do like fast cars ... Do you like them to be fast going straight? Like a drag race? Fast going round and round? Like Indy cars or Stock cars? Or are you like me, you like fast cars that corner like they are on rails? Or do you view cars as only a means of getting you from point A to point B (nothing wrong with this view I respect this view). Of course maybe or are you a ... all cars should be banned and everyone should be forced to travel on public transit type of person? Or maybe you are one of the rare souls who never leaves the DZ and haven't been in a car for years. But those sorts of folks are in the extreme minority. For those of you who do indeed like fast cars, despite our differences, I think we all have one thing in common (whether you like the straight line speed, the ovals or the twisty road races) and that is we love the sound that a super car or a souped up car makes. Most of us use cars and/or hate cars (some believe all cars should be outlawed). So do you like fast cars? LOL ... IMHO ... PORSCHE ... there is not substitute ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Rented a Cessna 182 (if memory serves me correct I paid $110/hr wet ... meaning I don't pay extra for fuel) to fly around the Colorado Rockies for about 5 hours. Damn expensive day (did it more than once) but as long as I live and as long as still have my wits about me, I will forever remember observing the beauty of those mountains from the air up close and personal. Just watch out for the turbulence coming home heading east with the western winds aloft... dang glad I did not have a whuffo like person with me because it was a rough ride at times. PS: as others have mention, 1 hour of freefall is probably even more expensive. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

No he wasn't. He was convicted. They just granted him parole a year or so ago. Have fun, I'm out of here. I have better things to do. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Too bad you neglected to read the first part of my post: As far as this case is concerned as long as this man remains locked up in some institution for the rest of his life, I do not care if he was labeled "Not Criminally Responsible". As far as your other comments ... whatever ... I still say there is only one country in the world where you can blow up an airplane killing 300+ people and still be free to walk in society going about your business. LOL ... I hardly ever visit DZ.COM + SC these days and well I guess I now remember why wasting time on SC here is not worth the effort. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

As far as this case is concerned as long as this man remains locked up in some institution for the rest of his life, I do not care if he was labeled "Not Criminally Responsible". But you know in a couple of years some politically correct wussy chimp social worker is going to tell some bleeding heart judge to release this man into society and the judge will think nothing about the violent way a young man's life was cut short with his head severed, internal organs gutted and cannibalized. After all it's the Canadian way. Only in Canada can you blow up an airplane killing 300+ people and still be allowed to walk free in society. Also, only in Canada can you have a political party which brainwashes their lemmings into thinking a database will solve all gun crimes, yet this same political party tries to water down crime laws to ensure people who commit armed robbery (yes this includes robberies with their guns), arson and auto theft should not serve a single day in prison and instead should serve their time at home under house arrest. Criminals of the world, come to Canada ... we will do everything in our power to ensure you can commit any sort of crime you want and we will still allow you to walk free in society not worrying for a second about what you have done because in Canada we believe there are no criminals only victims of the world. Only in Canada. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Amateurs!!! You should see what it's like for those of us who have to deal with snow/ice on our roads for many months at a time. Come to think about it, despite all this so called experience we northerners get driving in snowy and icy conditions, there is still no shortage of morons who don't know how to drive on the white slippery icy stuff. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over