lurch

Well I guess thats what bugs me. If people in this country are so far detached from reality that they overreact this badly to something so -relatively- riskless theres something seriously wrong. Yes the kid COULD get hurt, if Britney drove like that all the time. But the overreaction level is to my eyes about the same as the child-safety fanatics insisting that your kid is going to die if you let them ride a bike without a helmet and you're a bad parent guilty of criminal endangerment if you do. How do they explain the fact that up until they got uptight about it, nobody was uptight about it and yet life went on? Untold millions of kids exposed to the "intolerable" risk of head injury for centuries. I'm amazed some self-proclaimed consumer protection or special interest group hasn't tried to get retroactive reparations for the exposure their kids USED to have before helmets were commonly available and regarded as a necessity. Go to any third world country, anywhere the society isn't so hellbent on micromanaging the citizens...literally millions of kids riding in vehicles in any manner of ways and it is not considered an emergency, or bad parenting, or even a perceived risk at all. They're happy to be going from point A to point B at all. I find the whole thing kind of perversely fitting. The airhead celebrity and the airheads overreacting in such over-the-top fashion demanding jail and prosecution over something so incredibly trivial deserve each other. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

The experience you cite in point 2 is exactly the experience I came looking for. Thank you. The response from everone who put in has been overwhelmingly helpful. Logic says to me this is no big deal, its just a missing cat. Logic can go stuff itself. This hurts. The answers I've received have helped get a perspective and I've gone from fearing the worst to "ok, patience, cat could be a few weeks but will come home." I've jammed window to a bit wider than escape gap and duct taped the top to stop the heat loss leaving a fairly secure kitty door. Theres food just outside. I have no doubt your take on the cats current mental state is accurate... the window is in the middle of a wide front of a multiunit apartment complex and the approach to the window is horribly exposed- cat must cross a big piece of wide open ground with no possible concealed way to get near it so I don't expect cat to go near the window till she absolutely has to. Thats one thing that bugged me when I realized she was gone... I realized she'd look back and find the only way home is too exposed to deal with, strongly discouraging return. I'll update this thread, anything changes. Somehow surprised, that this bothers me this much. Its just a cat... Yeah right. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

I think it will be totally worth the trouble, see cat as happy as a cat gets, new mother curled up with pile of kittens, complete. I take full responsibility, and will see it through. Right now I'm feeling like a bit of an irresponsible asshole, though, and likely will till I find cat. I got complacent...in heat or no, shes never shown the slightest sign of a desire to take off, and I thought it impossible for the cat to move a 20 pound sliding window only open maybe an inch. Apparently when she decided to go, it was not an impediment. Theres food. Even if I'm not home, I hope she'll understand food means you're not abandoned. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

I think I understand... Once shes back and kitten story concluded with adoption, I can have her fixed with no guilt and no regrets, no sense of arbitrarily depriving animal of a basic birthright. I just could never justify it to myself, if I'd had her fixed and never ever get to have kittens I'd have felt guilty about it the rest of her life. If she returns, she'll be satisfied and so will I. I just figured, if the cat could ask, she'd ask that once, just once, she get to experience the full range of cat existence. Meaning kittens. Cat has been there for some of my blackest days, I owe her that much. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

Absolutely will NOT! Only consolation to me right now is knowing this is the pinnacle of her fuzzy little life, this is the point, the big event, her answer to the call of the wild. She will have her kids and I will do right by them when they are of an adoptable age. Could do nothing less and still keep self respect. I did the same for her siblings, so I will for her kids. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

Nope. No shed. Cats manner of vanishing is certain....squeezed through impossibly small crack in window I'd opened to vent oven smoke. One minute cat was enthusiastically loving a pair of old boots, 20 minutes later I noticed the apartment seemed too quiet, haven't seen cat since. Fortunately its a ground floor apt, so if she hangs outside the window and meows it WILL get my attention... Theres food outside on windowsill if she needs it... prowling neighborhood jingling my keys (characteristic "me" sound, she meows when she hears the keys as I come home) has had no effect except possibly freaking out the neighbors. Not bothering to look for my cat is not an option. I first handled her about 20 minutes after her birth. I'm as bonded to the little animal as you can get... when I'm depressed and not eating, the little critter will refuse to eat until I do, will come and yell at me till I go to the kitchen. Only then will she eat the food she had sitting there already. Its almost eerie. I really, really hope cat comes home soon. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

Cost isn't always about money. Far, far cheaper to keep the faith and be here for the little animal, take the trouble to help find homes for her kids later. Its why I never had her fixed in the first place, the whole point of life for a cat is go make kittens, I intended to breed her at least once so as not to take that away from her. Her timing however, could be better. If necessary, will hire someone to stop by every 48 hours while I'm gone to set out food, make sure cat doesn't come home and think herself abandoned. Its cold here this time of year. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

Thank you. That alone helps...I'll try shelters further afield...I tried local animal control, they hadn't seen her. This is suburban territory... lots of patchy scrubwoods in between things, lot of housing developments, middle school across the street, couple minimalls within a couple miles of here, individual pieces of land with single houses on them. This sucks. I wasn't aware I could be hurt by missing cat but keep jumping at shadows thinking little fuzzy person reappeared, and still no cat. I'm scheduled to do some travelling soon, if cat comes home in 5 weeks will come home to dark cold locked place, worried sick. WTF. This must be the tiniest clue what its like being a parent. I miss mycat. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

I need other cat people to put in here... haven't seen cat in 4 days. Cat has never been outside before. I do not know what to expect now. I assume cat will go get laid. Question is will cat ever come home? I know what males do when loose, they stick around, they're territorial, you see em cruising the neighborhood- but a female indoor cat? I need input from other long term cat people. Any of you ever have a cat vanish and reappear weeks later, pregnant? Or should I just resign myself, cat is gone for good, will make nest under a shed or a shrub somewhere? Really afraid cat will come home after I give up and close window, find herself locked out pregnant in the cold. Need advice of superior experience. Anyone? Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

Jesus H christ she drove with a kid in her lap, not on the freaking roof, people. You're all making out like she committed some massive heinous crime, as if she was actually endangering the kid or something. This is reality folks not a public safety infomercial where everyone not belted dies, ok? Fifty years ago they ALL travelled that way and it was not considered a crime let alone a serious hazard. What next, attack her for not making the kid wear a helmet while riding in a car? Get real. Sheesh. You've all been conditioned to believe that THAT is actually a prosecutable hazard and intolerable risk...my god what if she ever drives while talking on a CELLPHONE? Oh, the humanity... Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

I'm saying I think it wasn't worth saying so I'll remove it and shut up. I find it a good policy for myself. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

I like big puffy white things that go from 3000 to 15,000 feet and come with nice rampy shapes to slide down, little tunnels to fly through. I like beer around a bonfire after proving I can dodge quicker than the planet can lunge at me. "You missed!" And I like being alive in the only century in all human history where people can fly. The last few generations of winged creatures must be SO confused when we fly by...Since WHEN did THOSE things leave the ground? And they're not even hunting or anything. Whats the point? I like Fear Factory's new album, Transgression. Not as good as Archetype, but has some kickass melodics in there, which are what make FF good stuff. I've been a fan since Demanufacture and they still got the touch. Harmonic violence is good. I like my coffee. Anyone else? Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

Oh hell yea I am putting on my suicide vest right now. Can all of the guys on the list meet somewhere I can only do this once. Thank you, Darius. I almost sprayed coffee everywhere when I saw that one. Well spoken, sir. For everyone else, Will you please, please, leave him the fuck alone? I am a judgemental asshole. I'll say that right up front. Lacking a religion myself I tend to view most religions as memetic diseases, self propagating data constructs, like hip-hop, "gank-sta" culture, bart simpson t-shirts and that all your base are belong to us thing. Quite obviously Islam is having an identity crisis. Some of its members want to join the modern world. Some just want to be left alone to make mud bricks in East Asswipe, Pakistan. And some are full blown psycho with the infection so fully developed its victims are rendered hypersensitive to anything they can label "non-islamic" and its so bad a few mocking cartoons are causing the poor bastards to self destruct. Islam is not a disease, but it becomes one when it winds up killing its carriers. How many dead, now, protesting a fucking cartoon? It IS a choice. You can choose to think its funny and not be offended, or you can go completely insane and start shrieking in the streets for the "blood of the danes" as they put it, protesting being stereotyped as violent, by....obeying the stereotype and being violent. "Don't call me and my prophet violent, or I'll kill you all!" I think the modern world is fast losing all patience with Islam and the behavior that goes with it. It is NOT the quiet ones who set Islam's image...it is the ones doing the screaming and killing. Being armed with a computer and a canopy, I don't think Darius is among them. Numerous times I've seen Darius be the only voice of reason in a thread full of "Kill em all" posts... nobody notices. I wonder how many of you have ever been a minority? Found yourselves by virtue of your mere identity and existence representative of something the locals hate? I lived in the philippine islands for a time back in school. There, I dealt with a great many cool people, and a few unfortunate dorm-mates who were wealthy, angry, racist philippine nationalists, from whom I had to hear "fucking white boy" all the time. Fucking white boy this, fucking white boy that. Fucking niggers fucking spics fucking whites. A few times I had to take them on, occasionally in groups...3 on one, 5 on one... the brutal end result of that kind of thought. Fortunately for me, rich kids can't fight for shit so I usually outnumbered them, one to five. All they learned was don't try to corner the white boy, throw rocks from a safe distance instead. How civilized. Whether it is your intention or not, and whether you are staying just inside the forum rules against PAs or not, this is what a lot of you are doing to Darius. He is a minority of one on these boards and I am absolutely sick of seeing thinly veiled attacks... 3 on one, five on one... it just feels so familiar, if this was a fight I'd be diving in headfirst because I can't stand seeing someone picked on and outnumbered just for being themselves. This thread was created as or hijacked into nothing but a forum for sarcastic muslim-bashing and theres only one muslim handy. This thread needs to die. NOW. Venting complete. (wanders off muttering to self about being a self righteous asshole on the net...) Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

case in point, when I first started skydiving, I learned at the ranch, I had the typical problems with flaring...now the perosn who was running this contest took time every time she knew I was landing and would run out onto the landing area screaming flare you fucking pussy flare... and you know what It worked. Oh god....I know its old....but thats the funniest shit I've seen in weeks. My sides hurt Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

Well, I can't debate your statement at all, having never flown a Pilot... I WILL say I spend so much time apehanging off the rear risers I almost never actually experience the thing's default glide. It just sort of became habit...I flew myself out of range so many times and used risers to get home that that extended range itself became the norm for me. So my personal taste for Sabre2's is mostly based on its resistance to diving in twists and the range you can get out of it IF you don't mind hanging by your arms for 5 minutes while the wind you were smart enough to put yourself "up" carries you home from the ridiculous location you weren't smart enough not to fly to. It creates the marvellously effective illusion that I know how to fly a canopy. Just so long as I make it home often enough to look like I earned my D, the illusion is good enough for me. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

Second that for the Sabre2. I bought one brand new at a ridiculously conservative loading (0.9) over 2 years ago specifically to optimize my chances of surviving my first few years of wingsuit flying. Was a good investment, and paid off well when things went weird on me a few times. That puppy gets me home every time unless I brainfart and fly 5 miles in the wrong direction, and pretty much ignores line twists while you learn how to not get twisted. Thing DOES like to hunt for a heading sometimes, kinda bobs its nose around and occasionally gets it into its head to hang a randomly chosen turn right after opening if I'm a bit asymmetrical. I think there is a brief window in time during deployment during which it is extraordinarily sensitive to body position. When I learned to stop overcontrolling and sit back and ride through the deployment as opposed to actively flying the deployment its performance became much more consistent. Overall I found it a perfect canopy for my first few hundred or so, and gets me back from longer spots and bigger errors than a Triathlon will. Most likely will get another smaller Sabre2 for my next ride. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

Sweet! Now I have two prospective rides. Gennr8r also gave me a holler and offered, so who I ride with will depend on what flights I get and when I arrive. I'll pop back in here soon as I have it all nailed down. Thank you! -B Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

How far is Tampa from zhills, and how do jumpers usually get back and forth? Taxi? Bus? Hitch rides? I'm looking to arrive either late thursday or early friday depending on available time. Anyone? Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

1-Voodew1 (TX) 2-Professor (TX) 3-FlyinBob (TX) 4-Buried (IL) 5-The111 (LOCAL!) 6-Skyflyingbecca (FL) 7-Moonglo (TX) 8-Luminous (TX) 9-unclecharlie95 (ITALIA) 10-Base733 (UT) 11-nathaniel(IL) 12-HELMUT (Tatooween) 13-OmarPR (LOCAL) 14-RobertPecnik(CROATIA) 15-Purple Mike(Earth) 16-Costyn (NL) (very likely) 17-Matt (GA) 18-Joni (NE) 19-Yuri (Russia-USA) 20-Lifewithoutanet (CA/CO, USA) 21-badenhop (Lodi) 22-Mike Steen (UT) 23-EmLo (Local) 24-DaMan (Local) 25- Rob Jones (Local) 26-Scott Bland (Local) 27-Chris Ware (Local) 28-Scotty Burns (Local) 29-Jeff Nebelkopf (Local) 30-Mike (Local) 31-Paul Mazillo (Local) 32-Scary Perry (Local) 33-Mark (normis) Cochran (Local) 34-Manny (Local) 35-Lurch? (NH) and I think I know of a #36 to add to the list soon as he gets back to me... Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

Been talking about getting rated for a long time. Finally a friend on staff here told me I ought to open up a wingsuit school up here. To do that, I need the BMI recognition. Now its time to go do it, and I guess this is the part where I ask for a little help here because I have no idea what I'm doing and no friends that I am aware of down there, so this is kind of like a cold-call thing. Can anyone put me in touch with a BMI-I who will be present at the event with some time to kill and the desire to create a new BMI? I'd like to schedule it or somehow nail it down solidly. Never done anything like this before so I'm not too sure how to go about it. I have many questions about the event which I'm not sure how to find the answers to.... Nearest airport? I'd be flying down from NH just for this. Jump tix prices? Accomodations? ( I'm a true diehard....a wal-mart tent and an 8x8 square of nice green lawn will suffice if necessary but I'd like to be sure of access to showers and other good stuff.) Anyway, any info would be most appreciated and I'll shout you a beer or three when I get there. -BC Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

Here's my helpful suggestion: instead of claiming 16 is too young, start them YOUNGER and train them longer, from ages 14 through 16. Graduate the "privileges" before they reach an age where they NEED to drive, so when they hit 16 and fully licensed they're already thoroughly experienced at the helm.You move the age back all you do is delay the time at which they cease being newbies on the road. By doing so you simply create a sudden new spike of accidents a year or two further down and now its the 18-21 set who have more accidents because they're newer on the road. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

Theres nothing new about it, no, but its accelerated radically in the last few years, and I see it as another manifestation of the "nanny state" attitude. For those teenagers who must support themselves without a nice cushy middle class family support structure to drive them around during restriction times this crap is a nightmare. The driving age was a flat 16 for a great many years, yes? Why was it not a problem since, what, the 1950's? None of this graduated privileges and control of who what age and how many you're allowed to drive shit, you got your license you go drive, plain and simple. Suddenly last few years its an urgent emergency and its considered necessary to say ok, now you're not allowed to drive at night, ok now you're not allowed to drive with any other teens in the car, ok now you're not allowed to drive without an adult over 21, etc. Its like revoking AFF and forcing everyone to go back to static line, being granted little bits of freefall at a whack like dog treats. You don't teach a teen to deal with hazards by not allowing them to experience them. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

What really pisses me off is the certainty that a great deal of noise will be made about the age of the driver and the incident will be used as an excuse to invent yet another law further erasing what few freedoms teenagers have. Those creating the new restrictions will completely blow off the fact that the age of the person behind the wheel had absolutely nothing to do with causing the accident. Where were the parents? WTF does it matter? Its trendy to demonize teen drivers these days, like smokers and SUV owners. People are going to figure out a way to blame the kid for this invent new bullshit laws and claim they're saving lives. WTF. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

Now MY question is, can I fly Birdman in the tunnel? Does anyone DO that? Maybe I should ask in the birdforum..... Will I get in trouble if I'm caught flying my suit outside on top of the building surfing on the tunnel exhaust vents? Don't need full speed for that, could be effective advertising, look for the guy visible from the main road hanging in space above the CVS. You could fly me like those balloons the local car dealerships like to put up... Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

The point? REAL representation... Not by some asshole only cares about reelection but by people with a vested interest... Other jumpers. I'm surprised nobody mentioned this, people have short memories... So far as I'm concerned USPA more than justified its existence when it successfully defended us from the psychotics in the TSA our government put at the airport gates... the ones who were chopping rigs to pieces with bolt cutters and punching holes in sealed reserves because their tiny brains can't allow anything through they can't open, look inside or take apart. If not for the USPA packing enough political clout to slap the TSA into line they'd STILL be pretending they think skydivers could possibly be terrorists and cutting our rigs open for our "safety." Or you could try getting the TSA to notice and acknowledge you as an individual by changing its policies to cease inconveniencing you if you think you'd be more effective. So far as I know TSA is not allowed to recognize the existence of actual individual human beings. Only "other organizations" "suspects" and "terrorists" exist. You don't get to go from "terrorist" to "suspect" and get on the plane unless they either: A: get to open your reserve to make sure that nylon isn't somehow a weapon, or B: get threatened with legal attack by the USPA which is rather upset by TSA's attempts to kill its members for their safety. If you ever get on a commercial airliner with your rig, thank the USPA guys. If not for them, your rig would be returned to you, nice, safe, and chopped into little pieces. Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.