winsor

I get as much input as I need/can stand. While getting dressed this morning, various candidates on the teevee synopsis expounded on their view of "waterboarding." Once a candidate has spoken out in favor of torture, I am uninterested in anything else they may have to say. As far as I am concerned, they are unfit for elective office of any kind (at the very least). BSBD, Winsor IF waterboarding was torture you would have a point Also I watch NO tv news anymore Anyone who contends that waterboarding is not torture is cordially invited to personally undergo a session or two. I am sure that will reassure them of what a harmless, pleasant experience it is.

Again You need to find your stomach Some new news sources would not hurt either I get as much input as I need/can stand. While getting dressed this morning, various candidates on the teevee synopsis expounded on their view of "waterboarding." Once a candidate has spoken out in favor of torture, I am uninterested in anything else they may have to say. As far as I am concerned, they are unfit for elective office of any kind (at the very least). BSBD, Winsor

Why? If someone on the campaign trail says something that discredits them, I try to avoid paying more than cursory attention thereafter. I am happy to avoid being immersed in the stench of decay unless the situation absolutely requires it. I do not need to experience the entirety of a cesspool to conclude that it is bad news. A solid whiff, and I'm history. If one is a Mortician or Forensic Pathologist, one must get used to the smell of corruption as part of the job description, and I am not a big fan of the process of "looks like shit, ew - smells like shit, ugh - tastes like shit; sure glad we didn't step in it!" The excrement hurled back and forth in the political process is reminiscent of the Monkey House; the average candidate would be well served by the T-shirt showing a simian with the caption "I fling poo!" The race to the nomination is like the Special Olympics - whoever wins is sure to be retarded anyway. I hope the one who sucks the least wins. BSBD, Winsor

For, by a long shot. As an Engineer, my job is solutions. Any moron can point out problems, but the key, as Richard Pryor was advised, is "What you gonna do?" As a cynic, I am distrustful of people who share goals in common with mine, but have a naive view of their fellow man when formulating a plan to achieve these goals. Rather than bitching about greed and corruption (and expecting them to go away), figuring out how to harness these nasty realities is a more realistic approach to actually achieving something. Don't get me wrong, I am impressed with the likes of the Bagwan Sri Rajneesh, who convinced his followers that poverty was a good thing, and used all their worldly goods (that they donated to him) to keep in hot and cold running cuties and to keep his Rolls Royce collection. Against is easy but meaningless. "This is BAD!" Okay, and...? To be successfully for something requires some idea of the nature of the problems you face, in order to achieve said goals. BSBD, Winsor

...I predict they will keep the assassination tactics going on the current top runners and then try to insert him I do not have the stomach to follow the ebb and flow of the campaign very closely, but I get the impression that the real problem is various candidates shooting themselves in the foot, rather than being targeted. Palin makes me ill. I think it is wonderful that she chose not to run - you only get to walk away from your commitments once where I am from. Bachmann is not much better. What little I have heard from her corner is quite enough, thank you. Mormons are on a par with Scientologists from where I sit. I do not trust Romney for a second, and I am unimpressed with Huntsman (bluffing on Mandarin is a wise move - it is not like there is anyone around who can call you on it...). Gingrich has too well established a track record of amorality. I would not want anyone to represent me with the same level of commitment Newt has shown to personal relationships. We have already had one evil nitwit Lone Star Govenor in the Oval Office, so Perry is a non-starter. Ron Paul is too honest. I have a problem with someone running for office that will say the undeniable truths that are sure to keep them out of office. I will probably vote for him anyway, since holding my nose to vote for someone else just does not cut it. Cain? I do not get the impression that he has the Machiavellian werewithal to manipulate events to the benefit of the American people (assuming that our benefit is, indeed, his priority). Much though I despise Hillary Clinton, my guess is that we would be best served if she were drafted for the Democratic nomination. The evil bitch may well be the person we want to conduct negotiations with hostile entities, since she does not have the failing to which her husband is subject - doing anything to be liked. She is deservedly despised, and does not bat an eye at that fact. Politics is an effective emetic. BSBD, Winsor

He does not have a chance because his primary audience consists of those with three-digit IQs. The adage in advertising is that, once you exceed an 8th grade level, you have lost half your market.

_______________________________________________ Ron Paul supporters are fanatics..the idea that he is boring..does not fit.. you need to look deeper. I am not sure from whence you are coming here. I support Ron Paul, but have no illusions that he is a charismatic speaker. His presentation is, indeed, dull, but I think he is the only candidate from either party with anything approaching a clue. In the long run I think we are beyond screwed, so it may not matter one way or another. BSBD, Winsor

Of the people who used to post on wreck, most are out of the sport or dead. It used to be that when one of us died it was skydiving-related, but now it seems more likely that we are succumbing to cancer and such. The half-life in the sport is only a couple of years, and most participants are around no more than 7 years (I should track down the source of those stats). Anyhow, the de-evolution of rec.skydiving was so repellent that many people lost interest in an on-line skydiving community. For the rest of us, DZ.com has taken the place of recdot. All things being considered, I prefer getting banned now and then to putting up with the endless drivel on recdot. It would be nice to have a killfile, however. Blue skies, Winsor

Tequila is not your friend. Oh, he may act like he's your friend, he'll hang out with you in a bar, but the next day you'll wish you never met the bastard. The last alcohol I consumed was tequila. I stopped just short of the worm, and that was it. Reagan was president at the time, IIRC. If booze works for you, knock yourself out. It really did not agree with me. BSBD, Winsor

My heart. It was love at first sight. Blue skies, Winsor

Good night Chesty Puller, wherever you are!

When driving through France with my wife, I saw a large cross with a sword on it, denoting an Imperial Graves Commission cemetery. It was a small cemetery, off the beaten path, so we stopped to take a look. Some 90 years since these people died, the maintenance of the area was immaculate. As usual, roughly 1/3 of the graves were of individuals "known unto God" - not enough was left of the remains to identify. On the way back from Germany we stopped off at Verdun. It is a beautiful place today, but the reality of what took place there is simply horrifying. The Last Post. One of the most moving things I have ever seen. "The war to end all wars." Would that it was so. BSBD, Winsor

Having played with a variety of PC-class canopies and containers, I have settled on keeping everything "modern" except the canopy. My primary PC rig is a Wonderhog with a D-bagged RWPC and a BOC throwout. It's nice that a collapsible is not necessary... I think it's a #8 grommet on top for the crown lines, which are stowed with small bands across the top of the D-bag. As far as packing goes, after flaking the canopy with all lines squared away like you would do with any deployment system, secure the crown lines and S-fold the canopy into the bag. Secure the lines like you would with anything. Needless to say, it's a good idea to have someone on hand that has done it before when you try it for the first time. The thing to recall is that the canopy basically wants to open properly, so you have to do something pretty drastic before it builds in an unrecoverable problem. The PC is a great canopy, and I suspect a zero-P variant with microlines would be worth the trouble. The bottom line, however, is that your forward speed is limited by design, and the amount of fuss involved in packing it is going to be greater than with an equivalent square. Have fun! Winsor

A Mormon Bishop for example? This time around I'm inclined to "None of the Above." BSBD, Winsor

I know at least one person who used a twelve-step program to quit smoking. Whatever works. Unfortunately, Bill Wilson was never able to kick his smoking addiction, and it contributed to his death. He never even tried using the twelve steps, despite the urging of some of his friends. Actually, he really never worked the "twelve" steps to quit drinking; he already had a few years sober before he wrote them. The program that was originally passed along orally contained about six distinct steps, but he changed it to twelve when he was writing the book because he wanted the program to seem more formal, and he liked the number twelve because of the "Twelve Apostles." In my opinion, the main thing that the original AA'ers stumbled onto was the idea of alcoholics joining together to help other alcoholics. It seems to be pretty common knowledge nowadays that when we have a particularly difficult problem, it is often helpful to get support from others who share that problem. I think there are a lot of people who get help through twelve-step programs but who don't necessarily take the steps literally, and some members who don't even use the steps at all. Again, whatever works. Since addiction is basically suicide by the installment program, there is commonality to the ethanol and nicotine ingestive disorders. The big difference between nicotine and the really bad news addictions is one of attitude. A main effect of ethanol, barbiturates, narcotics and so forth is that one is numbed, and just does not care about consequences; that effect is not so pronounced with nicotine. The difference in quality of life between having to deal with nasty realities versus keeping the jones at bay is a central issue. The "pink cloud" of getting clean/sober can fall prey to attempting to come to grips with the issues that made being numb seem attractive in the first place. I am out of the loop, but from what I recall the focus was on booze/dope, and cigarettes/coffee were non-issues. Even though cigarettes are about as bad for you as it gets, your day to day quality of life is nowhere near as compromised as is the case with liquor or opium. Nobody lives forever, and figuring out how to live life on life's terms in the meantime is a day to day challenge. You can look at the steps as a distraction, whereby focusing on something that is ultimately unimportant in and of itself can afford the opportunity to go a bit longer without engaging in self-destructive behavior. The batting average of the program is shy of 100%, admitted. However, the fact that going through the motions can have such a marked improvement on quality of life suggests that there is value to the approach, with no claim of "truth" involved. Hanging out, drinking coffee and comparing notes beats the shit out of living life under the influence. Or so I am told. BSBD, Winsor

It has a success rate approximately the same as not doing it. I'd call that a bullshit solution. Do you have any backup for that? (Honest question, not just normal SC bullshit) http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-effectiveness.html http://cbtrecovery.org/AAefficacyrates.htm http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD005032.pub2/abstract;jsessionid=E35319A317303D09960EFC2D1BDFAB74.d01t04?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+5+Nov+from+10-12+GMT+for+monthly+maintenance Which is actually quite meaningless. For instance, Tarot cards have been around for about 700 years. That doesn't mean they work I'll drink to that!

???? Geez...you'll have to explain that one. Think of it as a mantra. Its effectiveness has nothing to do with the literal veracity of its content.

You do realize that the OP title is a direct reference to Gilda Radner? Just for clarity, I remember her fondly as a sweet, funny young lady who wasn't even close to being politically or ideologically controversial. IIRC, she and Gene Wilder were married at center-court durnig halftime at a Knick's game. Later she died of cancer. If she were alive today and read this thread, she might just dismissively say (in perfect character), "Never mind." Miss ya, Gilda. Edit to add: Incorrect character name in thread title--it's "Roseanne Roseannadanna ." "Never mind" was from her Emily Latella role.

And since you fail to provide arguments as to why those are misconceptions, I assume that's because you don't have any arguments. They've all been made...repeatedly. For instance? Can you provide a link or two, or reiterate what you think has already been said? "I already told you!" is a non-answer.

In AA I believe it used to mean God, but now I think that changed to where it could also be a rock or a pile of dung. Yeah, that's more of where I was going with this. Surrendering yourself to god. So whats the general idea here? When one is banging their head against a wall in an addictive feedback loop, one of the tools that has been known to work is to bear in mind that there is precious little over which one has actual control. Given that the founders of the 12-step crowd were religious, this took a form they found familiar. When it turned out that nonbelievers had as good a success rate as did the devout, they grudgingly changed the wording to allow for this reality. Many of the mnemonics used in the Program are but tools for breaking the destructive feedback loop that tends to have such unimpressive results. Whatever works. BSBD, Winsor

Think IRS.

That brings up another question I was wondering about. I think they come in more than one barrel length. Some look fairly long, like 22 inches or even longer. Anyone know anything about that? I've read some reviews on that, but noone mentioned barrel length.... I have a Savage 99 in .308, and I like it a lot. It is reliable, accurate and hard-hitting. The point about a short barrel contributing to muzzle blast/flash on a full-patch cartridge is valid. In addition, putting rounds over a chronograph was enlightening, where I got almost as good ballistics with a 20" .30-30 as I did with a 20" .308 (both with 150 grain bullets) with a lot less blast and kick. I would thus go with as long a barrel as I could, and would likely put on a 22" or 24" tube if I was to rebarrel it. The rotary magazine makes the issue of pointy bullets in a tube magazine moot, so your long-distance ballistics are likely to be better. In practice, however, flat or round nose bullets in a tube magazine tend to keep you honest. Do you REALLY want to make a 342 yard kill shot, and then have to shlep back and forth through the underbrush with loads of venison? Not my idea of a good time. In any event, the 99 is a rifle that really has a lot to recommend it. If you only had one hunting rifle you could do worse, and as part of an assortment it fills a niche nicely. BSBD, Winsor

Unite my ass! I'd settle for tollerance! Fuck tolerance. If you can accept me, cool. If you do not accept me, that's fine as well. I want nothing to do with the sanctimony of someone who sees fit to "tolerate" me. BSBD, Winsor

Agnostics are those who can't quite put it together. Atheists are those who, upon consideration of one fairy tale or another, call bullshit. As far as counterpoints to organized religion go, many exist. For starts you have the Church of the Subgenius, the Invisible Pink Unicorn and the Flying Spaghetti Monster - all of which are amusing (as opposed to organized religion, which is uniformly humorless). BSBD, Winsor

"If you're faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the crash as possible." Bob Hoover