CanuckInUSA

Apples and Oranges. Rugby and American Football are both contact sports, but the tackling techniques and strategies are different. You tend to break more bones and tear more knees in American Football and Rugby you tend to get bruised, draw blood and get scraped up more. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

With that attitude it is clear that you have never been trained as an aircraft pilot and know little about aerodynamics. Yes read that again and understand it and understand that a stall is NOT a random act. A stall occurs when the flow of air is disrupted over the top of the wing. Most of the time the stall occurs because as our airspeed decreases, we increase the angle of attack in relation to the relative wind and sooner or later the decreasing airspeed + increasing angle of attack is too much and the flow of air is disrupted. But the wing can still stall at any airspeed or at any attitude. Too many skydivers think that a canopy will only stall when you pull down your toggles. Unless you're pounding in your landings, you're stalling your wing on every landing even if you land on your rears or even if you don't even finish your flare. Obviously we as skydivers do not fly our canopies the same way an aerobatic pilot can fly their airplanes and thus many of the stall scenarios they may experience are not applicable to ourselves. So where does this statement apply to swooping? As an example, you're in the middle of your turn hurling towards the planet. You initiate your recovery and let's for the sake of argument say that you're on your rears during this initial recovery phase while you approach some sort of target and/or entry gate. But you realize you're low and for whatever reason you try and dig yourself out on your rears and you do this too abruptly. Airspeed isn't an issue here since you're just dived the canopy from hundreds and hundreds of feet above the deck. But by changing the attitude of the wing too abruptly, you run the risk of disrupting the flow of air across the top of the wing and run the risk of stalling at too high of an airspeed (plus why do you think a wing will stall at a higher airspeed when you're in a turn and/or landing using only your rears versus toggles, ... landing on toggles is analogous to an airplane pilot who uses flaps ... flaps allow the wing to fly at a slower airspeed). Once again if you don't believe me, maybe it's time you take some aircraft flying lessons or better yet get someone to explain how aerodynamics works. You're clearly a danger to yourself if you think otherwise. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Looking at one of the overhead pics that LouD posted it looks like you guys have made your pond a little bigger. Is this true? Do people use it? I'm still unsure if I can make. I just started a new job and I'm not sure if I can get the time off (plus there is the pro swoop comp in FL a week after new years that would be nice to attend). I will know more in the coming weeks if Eloy or the swoop comp can happen. Or if neither will happen. I have a feeling that if one is going to happen, then Eloy likely has the better shot what with it being over the x-mas and new years holidays. But the swoop comp in FL is looking like a lot of fun. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

"atrocious" is a word in the English language but you used it in the wrong context. It means that something is "absurd or ridiculous". For instance it is atrocious that my former property management company allowed one of my prior tenants to deface the oak woodwork in my house when the tenant let their children draw pictures with a felt marker on my oak walls and oak cabinets. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'm with you. My cat's pussy is just too small. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I've got tons of repairs and renos to do over the winter months to restore my house back into the nice shape it once was in. Some of these repairs are to be expected and some (like my oak wood work) have me really pissed off. I hope I can get this all done this winter (without breaking the bank) as I would like to do some jumping next summer once the ####ing weather warms up. As far as the weather is concerned. Living in Canada in the winter months sucks (I guess this is what happens when you get exposed to the warmer climates down south). Who wants to play outside when you're dealing with temperatures below minus 20. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Does anyone have any experience with the Better Business Bureau? I don't believe I am looking for any financial compensation here and instead I would just like to get the word out to future customers that the business in question is more concerned about themselves than their customers. The business in question is a property management company I hired from 1998-2006. I understand that certain things will like carpets, paint on the walls and the ceilings, kitchens and bathrooms will show their wear over time as renters live in your property. But I have (or should I say I had) a really nice oak wall with cabinets in my family room as well as a oak wall in my basement games room that was defaced by one of the tenants (there is felt marker drawings and paint all over these walls, doors and cabinets). Plus to make matters worse one of the tenants painted the house and did a hap-hazard job not only selecting atrocious colors with no continuity, but they sloppily let the paint which was only supposed to be only on the walls and ceiling get onto the floorboards, the door frames and yes parts of my oak woodwork. And to make matters worse, the property management company let these tenants get away with defacing my property and are pretty much taking the stance that it was my fault as this never would have happened had I not decided to rent out the house. So has anyone dealt with the Better Business Bureau? Are they an organization that deals with such disputes and do they work in a timely manner (I just filed my complaint, so time will tell I guess). Once again I'm not necessarily looking for financial compensation since I honestly don't know what my legal rights were as the property owner. I just would like to get the word out that this business does not care about the properties they manage and all they care about is how much money they can make (I never saw a penny of any damage deposit money ... likely because the property management company didn't think anything about the graffiti on my oak woodwork). Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I've been driving a stick since the early 90s. I find they give me much better control. I don't need to use my brakes to slow down, etc, etc, etc (plus I'll take my stick any day in the snow and mud over an automatic). The only down side to a stick is if you injury your arms or your legs and then all of a sudden driving can be difficult if not impossible. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

The JVX is manufactured in NZ and yes Jim is the US distributor. I honestly don't know how much R&D Jim did on the canopy versus what Jyro did. But Jim was very instrumental in the development of the JVX. If you are lucky enough to know Jim, you'd understand that these things that annoy people like you are just his normal every day antics. He is very passionate about his work and he wants to share his work with others. But I'm going to get off of the Jim Slaton soap box now. I like the man, I respect his knowledge and his passion. But it's not worth arguing here on DZ.COM any more. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

It's ####ing cold up here right now and my ####ing brain is frozen. I made a mistake. There I said it. I thought you were criticizing Nick for referring to himself in the 3rd person. But then I went back a read what Jim wrote and saw one very small reference in the middle of the post where he referred to himself in the 3rd person context. So then I deleted some of what was originally written by myself since it obviously didn't apply. Anyway, I don't know why some people continue to criticize Jim Slaton. I sure as hell haven't seen very many other swoopers out there who have built a canopy which turns out to be the cat's meow and more. My hat goes off to Jim for doing what he does and for being so passionate about canopy piloting. Imagine where this sport would be if there were more leaders like Jim and less followers. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Let me re-phrase that Mr. Fancy Pants I'm pretty much FUBARed. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

From San Diego and on a 59 Neos? I'd say its Wyat's girlfriend, as a guess. That's an answer that works for me. I was just curious. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Well you know my dream is to hook up with a female swooper who can do more than just kick my ass under canopy. But as I said ... it's only a dream. I live in the frozen tundra (it's cold up here and I need a snuggle bunny), plus the concept of swoopers let alone female swoopers is pretty foreign. I'm pretty much ####ed. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

No but there seems to be tons of people who continue to want to criticize Jim for marketing the JVX (not saying you do this). Anyone who knows Jim, knows his style. He's very passionate about what he does and he's very passionate about the JVX. And he should be. It's an awesome canopy. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I don't normally look at the new DZ.COM users list (seen at the bottom of the main forums page), but a new DZ.COM user caught my eye a couple of minutes ago. According to her profile she's from San Diego, she's got 1400 jumps, 1000 swoops and she flies a 59 square foot canopy (loaded at 2.2:1). Initially I thought it might be Brits17 since Britney flies a small canopy as well (and maybe Brits moved to So-Cal). But after further review, I don't think swoopgirl is Brits. Of course it doesn't really matter if swoopgirl wishes to remain anonymous. But it would be nice to see more female swoopers in this sport and I can't help it when I see a moniker such as "swoopgirl". Is she single? LOL ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

1) Good job Nick. As someone who's seen Nick swoop in person I can tell you that he is one hell of a good canopy pilot. The boy will be challenging Jeffro and TJ on the freestyle circuit for years to come. Plus the boy can pilot a canopy farther than I likely ever will. 2) The JVX is an awesome wing (I don't think there is a single person out there who has tried it who has said it is a lousy wing). But as we have seen time after time, it is the pilot first and the wing second. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Blame Canada!!! or was that Blame Alberta!!! I just had a vision in my head of a circus clown getting out of a miniature car with the thought of Bryan driving a Prius. LOL ... for those of you who don't know BPS, while I wouldn't call him a monsterous person, he's not exactly a small man. So yes Bryan, I'm sorry. But I can't help but think of funny circus clowns when I think of you driving your Toyota Prius. Are you still in Idaho, back in Colorado or somewhere else? I unfortunately am no longer in Colorado. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'm just going on what the CA benefits web site says (keep in mind that I only started working there a few days ago). I do remember them mentioning matching contributions up to a certain level, but I have a lot on my plate right now with this new job and I might be confusing something. Oh and to all those who criticized CA, that's okay. Technically I'm working for CA now, but in reality I'm working at a seperate company that was bought out not long ago by CA and since they want to revamp their product, they needed to hire a bunch of new developers like yours truly. Hey it won't all be bad. After all I am being paid to learn to work with some Micro'smurf technologies. But the beurocracy of CA does appear to be excessive. So time will tell. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Hopefully you bought something far enough away from one of the BC rivers. You guys have just been getting pummelled with the wet stuff these last few weeks. I gave up the wet for the cold as I'm in Alberta now (I did visit Abbotsford about 3-4 times last summer, but I don't know if you would remember me since I didn't talk about DZ.COM while I was there). But yes, real estate can be a good investment if you buy at a good time. In '93 I bought a house in Calgary for 145k and now it's worth somewhere in the 400k range. That's a sizeable chuck of my retirement right there.

I was always under the impression that H1-Bs were good for 5 (or was it 6) years. But I'm not H1-B expert since I never had one while I was in the US. The good thing about the H1-B is that you can change employers and the visa will still be valid (unlike the TN-1s I had which only applied to one employer). The bad thing about an H1-B is that when you're time is up, you have to leave (assuming you're not planning on staying illegally). So if you have any plans on staying in the USA permanently once you get there, look into obtaining your green card through either employment (the hard way) or marriage (the not so hard way ... assuming divorce doesn't scare you). Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I think who ever said that, might either be new into the IT market or just doesn't know the true market value. But yes I took a pay cut after returning to Cana'dia from my 8 year stint in Colorado and yes despite the fairly sizeable pay cut, I too gross way more than 3k/month. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Thanks for some of the comments. Despite what my username appears to say, I am no longer in the USA and 401K and Roth IRAs do not apply here. My contributions are in something called an RRSP or Registered Retirement Savings Plan (very similar to a 401k) so it is tax sheltered. Anyway it's time to start putting some money away. How much? Well that will depend. Something is better than nothing. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I thought only teenagers looking to pay for their next fix did B&Es. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

NorCal is even more expensive than SoCal (not counting Hollywood). But NorCal is one of the hubs in the world for IT. Other areas where IT is hot is in the Seattle area, Denver, Arizona, Texas and the northeast. What kind of visa are you looking at? I thought H1-Bs were good for 5 years, so you must be looking at a different one. I got 8 years out of various NAFTA TN-1 temporary work visas. But don't ever under estimate the INS and IRS. They are much closer coupled than I ever gave them credit for. The INS knew I was out of work for one month two years ago and technically since I hadn't left the country, I was in violation of my visa. They gave me a new one, but they warned me that it would go down on my permanent record. So when I was laid off from the job associated with that visa, I didn't hestitate and I made plans to move back to my native "frozen" Canada just so that I wouldn't close the door to the USA on myself just because I violated the terms of my work visa. In other words ... If you can obtain a work visa, cool go for it and have fun. But know that it is a TEMPORARY visa and unless some life changing event occurs (like marrying a yank), know that you will need to leave there one day. Don't go there thinking that you're set for life just because you obtained a temporary 2 year work visa. Good luck ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I recently started a new full time job with Computer Associates. One of the things I am pondering is how much of my pre-tax income should be automatically put away each paycheck into a Retirement Savings account. I do have some retirement savings (about 100k right now), but the so called experts claim that I will need much more (and they're not wrong 100k won't last that long). I have low expenses (when I'm not jumping) since I have a very small debt on a nice modest home I'm back living in (and no other significant consumer debt). Anyway I can choose anywhere from 2% to 15% to be automatically deducted from each paycheck. I've currently selected the 10% option, but I'm wondering if the upper end 15% is doable. My current mind set is that what I don't see each paycheck can't be spent each paycheck. Obviously there are many sides to this coin. My short, medium and long term requirements for $$$ could change (especially once winter is over and I'm jumping again). So while I'm not in a bad position at age 43 (100k in retirement savings and close to 400k tied up in a house), retirement isn't that far off and it sure would be nice to be finacially independent sooner in life rather than later. So is 10% a good number? Opinions? Ideas? Fret not, I will do what I need to do to stay airborne ... once the ####ing weather warms up here in the frozen north. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over