freeflybella

There's a way for you to compensate - if you're just physically unable to straighten your back, you can use other positions or other body parts to compensate. It won't be the most efficient way to fly but over time you could master it. But if you can walk straight up down - possibly once you get more comfy in an inverted position, you'll relax into it. Find a *Very experienced coach (has a school - teaches for a living - has 1000s of jumps) and get video. Good luck! Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

No this one. Fast Food Nation is a great muckraking sort of book. Very interesting. Dominion is certainly educational but also a spiritual exploration. I (we) highly recommend it. Even if it doesn't change your mind - it's good food for thought. (pardon the pun)

When you're talking about living on a sustainable planet where no one starves, I'd say it does. And if you're talking about a varied mix of grains and vegetables - I'd say for sure. To another point, vegetarians only need supplements (other than maybe B12) because - just like most people (even meat eaters) - they don't measure and food combine meticulously at every meal. Being vegetarian does NOT inherently mean being malnutritioned. Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

Because the truth is, it's an ethical decision for people who choose to protest with their diet. For most meat-eaters - it's not. So while we're not necessarily pointing fingers at "you who eat meat", "you who eat meat" certainly might think so. edited: She 'announced' for support and suggestions. Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

Speaking of evolution - why is it so hard to imagine that we (as humans) could be evolving into thinking, compassionate, vegetarians? Animals are different from humans. But they share many basic qualities. For every one of you who thinks veg and animals are the same - I hope you don't think your dog loves you. I hope you wouldn't cry if it were killed. Just another weed, right? Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

This is wrong information. For every 7 pounds of grain fed to livestock, we yield one pound of meat. Not a terribly efficient plan for 'feeding the over-populated world' Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

This is a good book. All of the recipes are vegan but you can alternate with veg dishes - or just use it as a reference for some really good sauces and flavors. Best of all, it gives you a weekly shopping list for a week's worth of menus. The Peanut Buttery Stir-Fry is my favorite!

hmmm...The Bellybutton Jam... Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

Fri Partly Cloudy 80°/61° 20 % Sat Partly Cloudy 81°/64° 10 % Sun Partly Cloudy 80°/66° 0 % Git on up here! We miss you! Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

Sweet! This weekend is going to be SO FUN! I've got my rollerskates ready to go - Golden-brown is working on the feathered hair - the rules for Drunken Dodgeball are being meticulously poured over - the judges for the Swoop Jam have been assigned - the stashes (OK, mostly beards and goatees right now) are being lovingly grown... oh, there might be skydiving, too! Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

If you only look at these incidents from a perpective of how they directly affect you - I can see how you might become jaded or callous. You're only looking at the surface. The incident report, the post for vibes, the ash dives, etc. It's not a shit storm - That's the collective coming-together of the community in a time of need. A show of support that is actually helpful to those personally affected. Much less so to the casual observer. You're not looking at a day to day picture of the lives of those left behind - the lives of those truly affected. I'd bet if you made a list of your very closest friends - and then one by one they bounced - you would not become "jaded". I'm not sure what you mean by "just don't care when someone bounces". Possibly detached? To some degree, that's understandable. If we were fully empathetic to others' pain, we'd be incapacitated. So we detach - we offer sincere condolences and then go give extra big hugs to our own loved ones. Doctors do it. Police do it. Soldiers do it. To some extent, so do we. "Not caring" is different. Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

Definitely too early.... Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

I thought it was a pretty f'n good article. Certainly shows the difference between New York Times reporters and Podunk Q Times reporters. They got the 3 most colorful names in swooping - Sonic, Punisher and Fruity - As well as The Jedi Knight, Clint Clawson - And a mention for the danger and tragedy of the sport gone wrong with Lisa Gallagher. It wasn't an exposé - Overall, a good synopsis for the general public. AND back in the day, The Blue Sky Ranch did, in fact, hold some of the first Pond Swooping meets. JC and Drew (and of course, Sonic) were kicking it. Nice one for The Ranch.

bump A mere 12 days 'til the Stash Jam. If you've been shaving - you're caught waaaay behind the power curve. Reports are coming in from Chicago, Florida and as far as Canada... Still, it's not too late! And don't forget The Swoop Jam ($3,000 in cash prizes) on Saturday and The Boogie Nights party on Sunday night. Come party like a 70s rock star at Crosskeys over Labor Day. edited: You won't want to miss DRUNKEN DODGEBALL! Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

Was going to start a new thread but did a search for Garden State and this one came up. Have you seen it, yet, Viking? Wow. What a really great movie (and amazing soundtrack). Beautifully art directed and perfectly cast (finally Natalie Portman is in a good movie - I mean, since The Professional). And really, really funny.

BULLSHIT! BULLSHIT! BULLSHIT! Can't help it. I call bullshit. You would NOT understand it. You would NOT see 'big picture' over the innocense of your family. Bullshit. Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

WWaaayyyyyyy too civilised. Please, allow them to continue. Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

Just to clarify Darius11, he (meaning Tink1717) said men are just sperm donors, she (meaning me) disagreed. Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

Probably too late to this thread but can I help? Give me the names of all sushi places involved and I'll tell you what I know... Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

No, I understood what you meant. What I meant was that it takes 2 to make a child - and it should take 2 to decide what the result is, especially if the woman is not legally held to anything and the man is. I clarified later by saying that the man's most important decisions currently come before having sex. I think it sucks that men have less say after the fact but agree that it should be that way. But I don't agree that if a man doesn't want to raise a child, he should be forced to pay. Maybe there are some legal subtleties that I don't understand - but as Happythoughts wrote, a woman and man can't even draw up a 'pre-sex' agreement that absolves him of any responsibility should she later change her mind. To call men sperm donors not only trivializes their role in reproduction, it undervalues men as parents. We need more responsible men and fathers - not less. Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

Saying that we shouldn't do anything to discourage condoms is like saying we should only teach abstinence because it's the only sure thing.*** Agreed that other options should/could help the issue of men taking responsibility in birth control - and ultimately their futures. Not suggesting to limit options to only condoms. I was merely responding to the suggestion that more birth control options for boys are needed over better education for boys. After thinking further (and reading livendive's argument) - a 2-pronged approach might be best. Better options and education. Ultimately, we need to say and show that men/boys do have a say - before sex. And that's not to be trivialized or taken lightly. Because after sex - he's quite literally screwed. () Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

Hmm. Maybe, maybe not. Condoms protect against pregnancy as well as diseases. I'd hate to discourage their use in favor of a method which offers no protection. If boys/men were taught at an early age what responsible sex is - and that condom use is essential regardless of whether 'the girl is on the pill' - condoms might not be such an unpopular option. Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

Sorry, woman here. As much as I hate this - unfortunately it seems to be true. I know if I have a son, I will do everything in my power to make sure he understands that he shouldn't sleep with any woman he's not prepared to have a child with. Don't get me wrong, I know I can't control what he does - but I'm going to make sure he understands the full extent of the consequences. For whatever reason, I think this is the area that needs the most attention in the equation. If a woman decides she doesn't want the pregnancy, she can abort or give up for adoption. If a man decides he doesn't want it he can only walk away a criminal or be forced to pay. I know it's the woman's body and I'm pro-choice but I also believe the argument is skewed 'woman' and I don't think that's right. I'm not sure what the solution is - but real education for boys is a good start. edited: Men are not just sperm donors - as women are not just egg donors. They are 2 people engaging in an act that could produce a child. IMHO. Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

Truly fascinating. Or course it's a one-sided perspective - but a perspective not often, if ever, publicized. It covers everything from the evolution of a corporation from a charter with a stated and single purpose back in the 1800s - to the legal "individual" that it is today. It touches on child-labor violations, corrupt media reporting due to financial pressures, misrepresenting medical data in order to get a product on the market, the fact that corporations now actually own all the water (including rainfall) in some 3rd world countries and charges the people (poor) up to 1/3 of their entire income for water, and that corporations also own part of the genetic human makeup. Most interestingly, the documentary goes one by one down the DSM-IV checklist of Psychopathy - and draws paralells between actual human psychopaths and the 'legal individual' psychopathic behavior of corporations. Pretty powerful. And it's got a great sense of humor.