DrewEckhardt

FWIW, you can usually have a new harness put on for about $400.

Yes. Some one tested the reserve for you without dying and increased the certainty of there being no construction problems which the rigger(s) maintaining it missed. The bigger issue is the number of repacks on it which cause more wear than use. Sounds way high. For the Cypres, take the new price ( for example $1425) and subtract the trade-in value ($80) = $134/11 Divide that by total life (12.5) years to get price per year = $107. Multiply by time remaining (3.5?) = $374.50 and add back the trade-in $454.50. A new Cypres includes a fresh check; a used one does not. Subtract the fraction of the service interval (100% since it's timed out) * (service + shipping) which are $160 and maybe $20 (I'm guessing) for a $180 sub-total. That Cypres is worth $275.

There's also the 3.8% Medicare Surcharge.

How many of those guys are you paying $50,413 annually (not including health insurance which is part of the average compensation package but not included in the total) which is the median (half more, half less) 2012 household income? I'd guess zero to one apart from tips and yourself. How many get at least $40K annually? Or $21/hour which is what I believe the real middle class wage to be (with the typical 10 Federal holidays and 2 weeks of paid vacation) after helping children in their odyssey years who are getting paid less but who we'd like to have their own apartment, health insurance, savings to accommodate temporary disability and job loss, eventual retirement, and the other trappings of middle class life? How many net at least $25K annually which nets "middle class" according to other sources? Or $13/hour with normal holidays and vacation? Having tried that 20 years ago, rented rooms in houses instead of apartments, eschewed health insurance, and forgotten about retirement I'd disagree with that definition of middle class although for the sake of argument we could consider it. Perhaps, perhaps not. Compensation is more than just the annual salary reported on your W2 forms. How good is your annual pension? Multiply that by 25 to get to the savings you'd have needed as a private company employee. If you were a private company employee who retired to run the Bent Prop before 59 1/2 that would probably have come in a year or two as a stock win which required pre-tax earnings up to 50X your annual pension (39% top federal rate, 10.3% top California rate, you might not keep half of your payday after 20 years of trying). There's a _lot_ of latitude in how you define job creation. I've created jobs with phone calls to the Hispanic Cultural Center for a few hours at $15 per including ~25% tip (although less would work I'd feel bad) very part time for a quite limited duration. I doubt any of those guys will be getting their own apartments using my pay. AFAIK my friends who created jobs on earnings under $250K/year all created jobs paying somewhere between minimum wage and $10 an hour which comes up 20% short of middle class even with zero paid vacation and zero paid federal holidays. The only people I know who created _middle class_ jobs did it because for some period they did a lot better than $250K/year and didn't loose too much to taxes to cease working for money.

I don't believe business capital investment is taxed as income. Maybe I'm wrong about that. Ultimately business capital comes from income (earned or otherwise) which was previously taxed. More taxes means less business capital. Maybe I misunderstand you, but I think $0 is less than $250k. Ah! I left off important details. That's preceded by a year (usually) or more (mostly among successful serial entrepreneurs but occasionally among rank-and-file employees who took two hits to make enough) of seven to eight figure income. Once you've done that well enough you can afford $0 in earned income because unearned income is covering your expenses (including children in their odyssey years, retirement which can take amassing 25X your final salary to maintain the same standard of living, insurance of all sorts). I need to clear $4M after taxes to do that. Provided that I've made an 83b election with the Bush tax cuts in Washington State that'd take a $4.7M gross and $5.3M gross in California. Post Obama it's $5.6M. With long term gains taxed the same as ordinary income and no Bush 43 tax cut it's $8.5M which is 80% more than the low tax situation and 62% more than I'd otherwise need in Silicon Valley (where the well run opportunities likely to lead to such a scenario are much more abundant). Assuming I retain 1/3% (3-4 rounds of venture capital to deliver a complex product and make it profitable really dilute you) following a liquidity event that takes market caps of $1.6B at the low end in California sans Obama and $2.6B at the high end. The former is reasonable - former competitors with better management made it to their liquidity events at $1.2B (acquisition) and $1.8B (IPO). The later is much less likely. Obviously, if I weren't content living in mobile home and driving a 15 year old car the numbers would be higher (that's a literal truth, although my house is fairly nice for a 1991 56x20' double wide) and lower tax rates more essential to me.

Do you think that most start-up small businesspeople make more than $250k? And business taxes are not the same as personal income taxes. I think a lot of the people (natural and otherwise) paying to create middle class jobs make or made much, much more. The last four startups I worked for raised $30M, $35M, $80M, and $20M respectively. No one has offered me a salaried position in the last 18 years without first securing at least $8M from investors. All of the guys I know who started those sorts of companies did it with a salary of $0 which they couldn't have afforded to do if punitive taxes prevented wealth creation. I've also known more than a few business owners with much less money that created jobs, although I can only name one that didn't pay somewhere between minimum wage and $10 an hour which isn't middle class.

A parasite growing inside a woman doesn't change whose body it is whether amoeba, tape worm, or something with the genetic potential for humanity. You can only argue otherwise when you assume ensoulment occurs at the time of conception. Since the First Amendment dictates separation of church and state that can't serve as the basis for laws regarding the matter.

Where in California? It's a pretty big place physically and metaphorically - as of 2011 it would have ranked eighth between Italy and Spain if it were a country. Once you need to travel between opposite ends other states may be closer. From San Diego it may be 5.5 hours to Eloy, AZ by car versus 8 to Byron, CA. Especially if you're willing to fly. The usual distinction is North and South; although SF Bay Area (near the middle), LA/San Diego (at the south end, although it's faster to get to Mexico than LA from San Diego), and "nearly Oregon" are a better breakup. Denizens make further distinctions, like North and South Bay (as in San Francisco) with a few hours between the two depending on specifics and traffic. Name the nearest major city to where you plan on being for the most relevant answers.

Definitely. Polymer framed guns are more susceptible to this since there's less mass in the frame (it's that whole Newtonian force = mass * acceleration thing - more mass means the frame doesn't accelerate as quickly so the slide stays farther ahead of it and is more likely to make it far enough back relative to the frame to eject and feed the next round) As tangents: 1. You need to buy a few cases of ammo and run them through that Glock to keep your confidence "Although my daughter made it malfunction, I've run two thousand trouble free rounds through it." 2. You might get some revolvers too which can't have this sort of problem.

No, although I wouldn't mind living someplace like Portugal which legalized all drugs. Half as many people there abuse drugs compared to before the legalization. I also wouldn't mind paying to treat any of the remaining addicts that care to get help since that's _much_ less expensive than locking them up (as of 2008 it cost California $47,102 per inmate with $19,663 of that just for security).

Because there's nothing to do about jobs and wages except waiting. There are places in the developing world with costs of living and wages that are a fraction of ours. Many jobs will go there. This isn't going to stop until their wages increase (it's happening - a spot check on Indian software engineering salaries showed 1M Rupee salaries which is $18,000 a year or 1/5 what many Americans get working for the same companies. Not too long ago there was a 10:1 difference) and ours decrease (that's happening too - five years ago when Chinese auto workers were making $170/month and Delphi was paying up to $27/hour in the US wages for new guys were cut to $14.50 - $18/hour) to match where much of the later may come from nominal wages not tracking inflation (my pay check has the same numbers printed on it like back in 2008, which means I'm earning 6% less in real dollars). A lot of consumer spending before the recession was money that people didn't have and jobs were created that we didn't have money to pay for. When housing prices reverted to their historic mean (which has been the same since 1955 - real prices can't go up unless wages do) banks noted the credit lines were out of wack with the collateral and cut limits so that spending stopped. That level of spending isn't coming back until our economy grows with total wages covering what they did before plus what people were buying with credit. In theory the government could put more money in our pockets by colluding less with corporatist interests. They could put a cap on health care costs with not-for-profit health insurance and care (places like France spend 1/2 what we do) instead of preserving the status quo of for-profit companies exempt from anti-trust legislation and funneling more tax dollars their way. They could stop buying and guaranteeing mortgages which allows banks to lend money to people who can't really afford the houses they're buying which in turn causes prices to rise. In practice that won't happen. It costs $10M to run the average successful Senate campaign or about $1.7M per year. The job pays 1/10th that at $174K per year. The arithmetic works because other entities pay for those campaigns because they get something out of it (like the National Association of Realtors which is often the top ranked PAC and one of the reasons the GSEs play such a large role in the mortgage market). Both Republicans and Democrats work that way and that's not going to change unless states where citizens can legislate through ballot initiatives adopt a proportional representation scheme which would allow some one not about the same to win. On a more personal level there are things we can do to change where the money is going - like start companies using disruptive technologies. Total spending might not change, but you, the people you hire, and your investors can have a bigger piece of that pie. You can learn skills that are in demand. My son has gone back to school to take care of his pre-requisites for medical school which should mesh well with the doctor shortage.

Freefall by yourself can get boring and might be compared to masturbating. While better than no jumping at all, it's not as good as it can be with a partner. Obviously there are exceptions - your first skysurfs (feet connected to a board) and wing suit flights (like jumping in a straight jacket) can be exciting. Proximity flight as in Robin's link is probably very exciting. Night jumps are good too. While not exciting, falling with other people and building formations is challenging and fun. That can keep you busy and entertained for decades (you don't have to make your formations lying down on the job - vertical positions are possible, on your back, flying diagonally down instead of straight, with wing suits to help). Landing small parachutes can be exciting. Landing big parachutes in small areas can be exciting. Landing big parachutes in wide open areas can be challenging and fun to do very accurately but is not exciting. Flying parachutes in connected formations with other people is exciting. While not skydiving, the related sport BASE jumping can be much scarier.

You probably " won" nothing since 25% off is a typical dealer discount from MSRP. For instance, articulated Wings have a $2,150 MSRP. Square one sells them for 1612.50 which is exactly 25% off. Buy a used rig built for and including a 190 9 cell which I could be jumping next weekend, make 400 jumps or so, down-size no faster than Brian Germain's 1.0 + .1/100 jump limit taking time to follow his and Bill von Novak's checklists under used mains and that container (which may hold down to a 150 unless the closing loop is mounted on a main flap or the 190 wasn't tight), buy a new container/reserve because it'd hold the smallest conventional canopy I'd jump (where smaller would suggest cross-bracing that packs bigger), perhaps down-size a few more times under used canopies, take the time to really learn how to fly one of those canopies and wear out a line set (500 jumps+), then buy a new canopy in my colors since that's about as fast as I'd want to go.

Equal protection under the law, as in an end to roadway racism, SUV supremacy, and oppression of a motor vehicle minority. But not with bigger thirstier engines the car companies will still be allowed to sell SUV drivers. A world where some passenger vehicles are more equal than others because their makers have bribed legislators for favorable legal treatment is just wrong. If 54.5 MPG is a good goal the standard should apply to _all_ passenger vehicles sold for personal use and not exempt a class of vehicles which has historically made up over half the market. If 40 MPG or whatever would otherwise result is good enough that should be the number for everyone.

Can car drivers sue for equal protection? Although I like small cars by contemporary standards (think 1 series and A3 now that the 3 and A4 have grown to 5 and A6 dimensions) I still want SUV engine capacity and power (or more). While I hope to have made enough millions by 2025 that I can buy cars made by up-market companies that don't care about such things I'm not counting on it.

Herring semen is quite popular in some countries... Sea urchin genitalia are a tasty sushi in the "advanced" category. Lots of animal parts are surprisingly tasty (I'm a big fan of cabeza tacos as in cow head, cow tongue, monk fish liver, tendon in my pho, fried sweet breads...). Except for chicken feet. Those are only good as something to feed the new guy as an initiation. Our last new guy before the guy from China who ordered for us quit to start his own company actually set his on my plate after taking a tentative nibble.

Nothing wrong with menudo (cow stomach) as long as it's breakfast and not the boy band from the late 1970s.

That doesn't work so well. In 1974 Jamaica decided that only the police and military can legally own handguns. They imposed mandatory life sentences for illegal possession, created special gun courts where people are tried without juries behind closed doors, and did warrantless searches. Following the ban the murder rate skyrocketed past 60 per 100,000 inhabitants although at only 41 per 100,000 in 2012 it's near the post-ban low.

Nope. According to _Mother Jones_ there have been 60 mass shootings over the 30 year period between 1982 and 2012 and you can't end up at "a lot less" when you're starting with only 2 a year especially when you consider it in relative terms compared to the 300,000,000 people living in this country. We'd eliminate about half (assuming they didn't kill each other in prison) but not care much. I find it interesting that we make a big deal about one white guy killing 12 people of varying races but not (on average) fourteen black people killing each other every day of the year. I wonder how many we'd eliminate if we got rid of local payment for and control over schools plus made neglecting to get an education uncool in the same way we've turned smokers into pariahs. Violent crime including murder goes with economic disparity where poor earnings come from a lack of education. The public schools providing that education are paid for (through property taxes) and controlled (as in the curriculum) by the local populations where the parents have low educational attainment and income to match.

All of those are too aggressive. While the Stiletto doesn't dive as steep as a more modern design, it's a lot more sensitive to toggle input and unintentional over-control. John LeBlanc had all the following PD canopies detuned because he observed jumpers having problems with roll axis stability issues landing. Hence this reference (Stiletto 150 fatality with a 1.2 wing loading) from earlier in the thread http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3709212. The Crossfire dives like contemporary designs but retains more of the handling characteristics that people liked in the Stiletto than less tapered designs. The somewhat tapered 9 cell of your choice (Sabre2, Safire2, Pilot) is a much better choice. Try them all; while the performance differences won't make much of a difference you'll prefer how one feels over the others. 170 square feet is also a much better idea than 150. Get used to landing down-wind and cross-wind, doing flat and flare turns, etc. That should keep you entertained for a while.

The force required to steer is less at highway speeds than low speeds. While some one may be unable to park a passenger car/truck/SUV without power steering (I'm not going to speculate about an 80,000 pound loaded big rig) it'll work fine on the road.

I've been riding the same Litespeed and wheels for the past 16 years or so. July 2012 after many right shifter rebuilds another discontinued spring failed from fatigue and I didn't have a spare, my rear derailleur was worn out, chain had 5000 miles on it, and cable housings needed replacement so I upgraded to 10 cogs with NOS 2010 Centaur Carbon ultrashift levers and lightly used Record Titanium derailleurs. I also switched back to a triple crank so I can keep my tight cassette without cutting back on the beer and pizza, giving up hills, or living with the ADHD shifting that went with the compact. I built the wheels with Reflex clinchers (now Open Pros after the first front replacement and second rear) laced to 32 hole Chorus hubs (last of the C-Record forgings and with grease ports) with DT 2.0/1.5 Revolutions front and non-drive side and 2.0/1.8 Competitions drive side. They stay true until a rim gets bent on an obstacle or gets removed for replacement. I replaced the freehubs on those and my winter wheels with 9 speed Record titanium parts after Campagnolo discontinued my favorite 8 speed cassette (the 13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21) and I wore out my last one.

There's nothing wrong with that. My ride to work can vary from 2 to 25 miles.

Because it's fun, challenging, and rewarding.

No. You'd be jumping that canopy with a wing loading beyond its design goals and the age means it may not be flaring well. That still doesn't make it the best first canopy because the size and wing-loading make unintentional over-control close to the ground more likely. Follow Brian Germain's advice. Follow Bill's advice. Learn to land down-wind and cross-wind, up-hill and down-hill, making flat and flare turns down to ground level, and with some added speed from front risers. Learn to land flaring from at least half brakes. That'll be easier and safer with more square footage. If you still want to go faster and turn quicker after getting things like that dialed in and accumulating an appropriate number of jumps according to Brian's chart get another used canopy, sell the one you had for about what you paid - $1/jump (assuming you got a decent price), and repeat the process. Your first container (unless it has the closing loop mounted on a main flap and assuming it was built for the canopy size you start with) will probably be good for two canopy sizes smaller which gets you to 250-400 jumps. With a good purchase price it too can be sold for what you paid - $1/jump. The observant reader would note that they may spend $2/jump on depreciation regardless of how many rigs they own on the journey. Get a ZP main loaded at 1.0 pounds/square foot. Learn some survival skills which are also fun and exciting. Do not down-size to a smaller canopy which you are afraid to turn low - plenty of fatalities involve "not hook turn type people" who did not learn that and found themselves in situations (unseen power lines, did not quite make it back because winds picked up, etc.) where they had to and did. Do not down-size to a smaller canopy that you're unwilling to land down-wind because that leads to imprudent low turns (which can lead to mid-air collisions when executed correctly when you break the pattern and impacts with the ground when not). Do not down-size to a smaller canopy when you have not mastered the flat and flare turns which keep you from being an unguided meat-missile in the landing area which poses a danger to yourself and others. If you want to go faster it's safer to add some riser input to a large canopy when you're current and landing in a sunny wide open field than to get that speed from a smaller canopy where you're stuck with it when landing off the airport under less than ideal conditions. At 200-210 pounds naked you're probably 230-240 geared up. 230/230 = 1.0. 240/230 = 1.04 which is close enough. 240/210 = 1.14 which is more like a 100-150 jump canopy and 240/190 = 1.26 which is more like 250 jump canopy. That's close to Brian's minimums; his recommended sizes are larger. [URL]http://www.bigairsportz.com/pdf/bas-sizingchart.pdf[/URL]