mirage62

Although many here would disagree I believe on the world stage it would generally be agreed that Putin has been played Obama, several times (call it what you will) So in THIS case given the the fact that Putin has the belief that he has Obamas "number" A comment such as "The U.S. will watch this situation very carefully" Sure people here would say that Obama's comments were that of a pussy - but making comments and then NOT backing them up is worse that being precieved as a pussy - doing that PROVES you are. This problem as created by Obamas past performance - hence my comment - there is nothing American can do at this moment. Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

As stated earlier A rookie mistake by Obams (his comments) There is effectively nothing America can do. Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

Yes, we will do TWO records at one time, state and POPs sequential rw records. And from my above post I'm hoping a new ff record Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

Would you like to organize as a FF? Would you like to get paid? I don’t understand why through the years there hasn’t been a new FF record set at the boogie every year! I’m an old belly guy but I know there are a lot of you cool FF out there who can organize!! What’s the deal-Seriously? “It’s too much work”-I agree “I should get paid” – why most don’t, where have you organized before where you got paid? “Why should I work so hard” – you shouldn’t, if it doesn’t turn you on to get records with your friends it isn’t your thing and you should be herded by someone else My real point is that this boogie is an excellent way to get to the point (or start a path) where you are PAID to organize, free jumps ect, ect. IF YOUR NOT GETTING THAT NOW AND YOU WANT IT here’s a path. You have to be safe, you have to be know enough capable people in the FF community (have enough friends) that they would like to come set a relatively easy record with you. You have to be in charge. Obviously I’m not part of the FF community, but I just believe that someone coming to this boogie has the skill to do this. If I can help please feel free to contact me. Pay your dues and you too can go broke organizing …. But the memories and the friendships I’ve made have been well worth it. Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

I GET IT NOW.... it's secret code for left leaning people...... NOW all I have to do is lean left and it will be funny. Thanks Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

I don't have the amount of hatered for the skyride deal that some have but if I'm that far up state for me I'll just head to the farm cause I know a lot more people who jump there. Having said that I hope they have a great safe boogie. Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

You know Wendy, most your post - even if I don't agree with them - make sense. I read this one three times and for the most part.....doesn't. I must be losing it. Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

I THINK this might be the the old skyride dz??? It LOOKS to be located at the Polk country airport. If not don't piss all over me, I just looked at the map location on skydivegeorgia profile...... I'm all for new dz's to open in Georgia! Does sound like they love FF a lot more than RW :P Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

Thats an interesting read. It appears that everyone but the town manager and a group of pissed off home owner(?) agreed but the town manager is going to stop the entire thing. The next meeting the dz better have a LOT of calm, well speaking folks turn out. Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

Come now...we all know that O'Reilly is the devil. Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

Nope I didn't retire in 2009, otoh if I had reach retirement in 2009 and the market has been in the dumps I'd just keep working till 2013 and made it back. Not to mention John that protfilo didn't take a huge dump because I'm terrible conservative w my investments. My main point to you is that I am not relying on the government anymore than you are for my retirement. Of course the last seven years are all Bush fault. Obama has certainly worked wonders for unemployment, when will you stop blaming Bush? Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

Really John? I made back my loses plus more. The market goes up and down. I'm glad you started getting your S.S. I'm glad - for you - that that it isn't being means tested - yet. I have no hope that when I am old enough to recieve MY S.S. that I PAID in that it will be there at the same level is was for you. Good timing on your part - totally luck but good for you. Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

Help me out. The $160 was from 15-20 years ago??? If so my bad! I didn't see that. Normiss, helpmeet out..... Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

I'm sure that there are several here that can cut this to ribbons.... Would it be possible to have a discussion on the topic and NOT just go into the Walmart bashing mode on how they pay? It's more the point that affordable health care is out there. Surprise! Walmart health plan is cheaper, offers more coverage than Obamacare By RICHARD POLLOCK | JANUARY 7, 2014 AT 5:05 AM Topics: Watchdog Obamacare Health Care Accountability Walmart Consumers shop at the new Walmart Neighborhood Market, opening its 34,000 square foot store in... New Obamacare health insurance enrollees may feel a pang of envy when they eye the coverage plans offered by Walmart to its employees. For many years, the giant discount retailer has been the target of unions and liberal activists who have harshly criticized the company's health care plans, calling them “notorious for failing to provide health benefits” and "substandard.” But a Washington Examiner comparison of the two health insurance programs found that Walmart's plan is more affordable and provides significantly better access to high-quality medical care than Obamacare. Click here to see an infographic comparing Obamacare's health insurance premiums to Walmart'sIndependent insurance agents affiliated with the National Association of Health Underwriters and health policy experts compared the two at the request of the Examiner. Walmart furnished employee benefit information to the Examiner. Neither Obamacare advocate Families USA nor the United Food and Commercial Workers, which backs anti-Walmart campaigns, responded to Examiner requests for comment. Walmart offers its employees two standard plans, a Health Reimbursement Account and an alternative it calls "HRA High" that costs more out of employees' pockets but has lower deductibles. Blue Cross Blue Shield manages both plans nationally. Also offered is a Health Savings Account plan that includes high deductibles but allows tax-free dollars to be used for coverage. Click here to see an infographic comparing Obamacare's health access to Walmart'sFor a monthly premium as low as roughly $40, an individual who is a Walmart HRA plan enrollee can obtain full-service coverage through a Blue Cross Blue Shield preferred provider organization. A family can get coverage for about $160 per month. Unlike Obamacare, there are no income eligibility requirements. Age and gender do not alter premium rates. The company plan is the same for all of Walmart's 1.1 million enrolled employees and their dependents, from its cashiers to its CEO. A Journal of the American Medical Association analysis from September showed that unsubsidized Obamacare enrollees will face monthly premiums that are five to nine times higher than Walmart premiums. JAMA found the unsubsidized premium for a nonsmoking gouple age 60 can cost $1,365 per month versus the Walmart cost of about $134 for the same couple. The medical journal reported a 30-year-old smoker would pay up to $428 per month, in contrast to roughly $70 each month for a Walmart employee. A family of four could pay a $962 premium, but the same Walmart family member would pay about $160. Low premiums are not the only distinguishing feature of the Walmart plan. The retailer's employees can use eight of the country's most prestigious medical facilities, including the Mayo Clinic, Pennsylvania's Geisinger Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic. At these institutions, which Walmart calls "Centers of Excellence," Walmart employees and their dependents can get free heart or spinal surgery. They can also get free knee and hip replacements at four hospitals nationwide. Many top-rated Walmart hospitals — such as the Mayo and Cleveland clinics — are left out of most Obamacare exchange plans. But the real difference between Obamacare and Walmart can be seen in the levels of day-to-day access to doctors and hospitals. Robert Slayton, a practicing Chicago independent insurance agent for 11 years and the former president of the Illinois State Association of Health Underwriters, described to the Examiner the differences between Walmart and Obamacare provider networks. Slayton said the BlueChoice exchange network for President Obama's hometown has very limited hospital participation. “In downtown Chicago, the key is the number of hospitals: 28,” he said. “Now we’re going to the national network — this is what the Walmart network would most likely be — and you have 54 hospitals. That’s a big difference,” he said. Former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey, a Republican who is now a health care advocate, said Obamacare's lack of first-class hospitals is a big problem. “It’s not just the number, but who they are. You’ll find under the Obamacare exchanges that the academic hospitals have declined to participate, along with the specialists who practice at those hospitals. The same is true of cancer hospitals,” she said. “People who are seriously ill need to stay away from these exchange plans,” McCaughey said. Slayton said the gap between doctor availability in Chicago under the Obamacare and Walmart plans is dramatic. “You will notice there are 9,837 doctors [under Obamacare]. But the larger network is 24,904 doctors. Huge, huge difference,” he said. Walmart also offers a free preventive health plan that mirrors the Obamacare plan. Its employees can take advantage of a wide range of free exams and counseling, including screenings for colorectal cancer, cervical cancer, chlamydia, diabetes, depression and special counseling for diet and obesity. Their children can get more than 20 free preventive services, ranging including screenings for genetic disorders, autism and developmental problems to obesity, lead poisoning exposure and tuberculosis. There are also 12 free vaccinations, and free hearing and vision testing. Walmart employees pay as little as $4 for a 30-day supply of generic drugs and only $10 for eye exams through a separate vision plan. “It’s a lot better program than people, I think, might assume without looking, just because Walmart has gotten such a bad reputation by some of the labor groups and other groups for its general activities,” said Gail Wilensky after reviewing the retailer's plan. Wilensky was head under President George H.W. Bush of the federal Health Care Financing Administration, the predecessor to the the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS is the agency in charge of implementing a large part of the Affordable Care Act, and it oversaw the rollout of the troubled healthcare.gov website. David Todd, an independent insurance agent based in Little Rock, Ark., also compared the health plans for the Examiner. Walmart’s corporate headquarters is in Bentonville, Ark., and the company has 58,000 workers in the state. Todd pointed to stark differences between the government plan and Walmart: “If I buy a family plan on the exchange, it’s still $1,000 a month. And I can buy this for ... [$160] on Walmart.” Walmart also gives cash to its employees for any health care expense. The annual payments run from $250 to $1,000 and are given at the beginning of the enrollment year in an account that can only be used for health care expenses. Walmart individuals face a $2,750 deductible and families need to pay $5,500 under the HRA plan. Individuals pay $1,750 and families pay $3,500 deductibles under the HRA High plan. The deductibles are high, but Obamacare deductibles are higher, going up to $6,300, according to Todd. Todd looked at a 30-year-old woman who could qualify for the government subsidy. “The nonsubsidized premium is $205 a month for this 30-year-old. If they get a subsidy, then the premium is zero. But that person has to come up with $6,300 if something catastrophic happened,” he said. The Walmart monthly premium for the same 30-year-old woman would be about $40. Her deductible would be $2,750, minus $250 in cash advance, for a total net deductible of $2,500. Todd said some Obamacare exchange family plan deductibles can go as high as $12,000 before benefits kick in. Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

"That being said, Christie is really not all that Conservative; he's a moderate Republican. And he's not being beat up on by "liberals", he's being beat up on by Democrats generally, including the moderate wing, - not because of ideology (ideologically most Democrats can live with Christie), but simply because they don't want him as the quarterback of the opposing team: on balance, they'd rather have any Democrat in the White House" Andy expressed it better (lots better) than me. I guess what I like about Christie, is he IS a moderate. If the Republicans run a far right person for any reason they don't deserve to win. Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

What I find as funny is Christie pals up with Obama and the far right hates him - but he doesn't win with the left either. Now it appears the left (some here) just hate him for what happen but yet Obama gets a pass on things that happen under his watch - both Obama and Christie admitted that it happen under their watch...... Pass for Obama Hate for Christie (works both ways, the right would do the same thing) We as a country are fucked Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

+100 ROTFLOL. I can't believe they haven't shown up Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

The Palatka incident w NOT low deployment, it WAS a low cut away. Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

I don't get it...where's all the outrage.... Will Jackson march.....will someone demand that someone be fired...... Hell no. Can you imagin what would happen if some pannel made fun of a black family adopting a white child???? What BS Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

I don't agree with what Phil Robertson said, I agree that A&E should be able to fire him, I believe he has the right to say whatever he wants. Most people in America really don't give a crap about what he said, but a majority and very LARGE majority want him to be ABLE to say it - even if they don't agree. In the end the $$ will rule the day A&E blew it - if you agree - and they will find away to save their position. Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

+1 Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

Ron makes good points, and has quit big ways for his on reasons. FWIW I and many big way jumpers I know simply open and if at all possible fly straight ahead until we see NO ONE in front of us. Clear our air and make a gentle braking turn 180 and fly back toward the landing area. Depending on your opening altitude it is very possible to have people coming from your right or left. In that case you carry your outbound flight farther before you make your 180. You can also run into assign landing areas, or "do not cross boundaries" For example last years 225 record attempts I open between the two grass areas by the wind tunnel heading towards the road to the tunnel. The rule was for my sector to NOT cross that road. In that case I was forced to do a 180 at opening (away from the road). Once that was done I would be flying towards a lot of traffic which was not optimal but necessary. After the turn its was straight on. As far as landing turns I don't worry at all about the winds unless they are way up. It's 100% traffic. Using the above w just about insure a walk in, until a truck gets you but has served me well on my +350 100 way or bigger jumps. Some people just are comfortable w traffic everywhere and feel landing close is important. I like these people ...... They are generally flying AWAY from me. :) This isn't new stuff but it was passed on to me by a fellow big way jumper and I'd like to do the same. Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

As it relates to big way "credentials". As anyone who does or follows big ways is aware there are currently two big way groups. P3 and BJ. The P3 camp system, I believe as been a great way to bring in new talent - although at a pretty good cost, but it was never free. Now there is a define path of how to get to the big ways that wasn't around in the past. If you want it and have the $$ and can fly safe you will get on bigger formations. But if we (big way jumpers) are honest than we have to agree that we now have a split talent situation. What concerns me is that perhaps in the past the organizers had the power to say "This is the canopy wing loading you have to have to come to this event" (Maybe they never did but they could have) I am NOT saying that it can't happen, but to do the mega size records both teams are beating the bushes pretty hard to bring the talent. This will change in the near future as it isn't a secret that BJ has discussed backing down on his schedule, but for now it's tight and rules that some don't like (wing loading) may keep a group from getting the talent they are after. Just thoughts..... Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

I keep hearing how cost will go through the roof. Ok. But the program won't go away. The cost just go up and we the tax payers will somehow get stuck paying more. Thoughts? Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little