tbrown

Interesting you bring up that example, because that was one of the maybe half dozen times I ever swatted my older daughter's tail. At first I told her to get out of the street and asked her why she was out there in the first place (she was 3 years old and it was a small subdivision street, but nevertheless it was a street). When she told me, "Because I want to", she got one good tail swat and was grounded the rest of the evening. That was the harder part, because the kids down the street came to ask if she could play 3 times that evening. But the smack on the butt was such a rare thing that she knew she was in REALLY BIG trouble. She didn't go in the street anymore after that. Much better than being run over and killed, which actually did happen to a friend of mine's 3 yr old daughter (thank God I didn't know him yet at the time, so we didn't have to suffer through the loss of his beautiful little girl, who we only know through a JC Penney's portrait taken two weeks before she died). Then the same daughter got a smack on the butt from my wife for the time she bodily threw herself at the television set for no apparent reason. She never tried that again either. Over the years, people have told us repeatedly what nice girls we have, so I guess we did something right. And I don't think we've even used up our counting fingers for the number of times we've spanked the two of them combined. But we definitely don't need need no stinkin' social engineers imposing the latest theories from Sweden or Berkeley on us either, we raised our kids just fine by ourselves, thankyouverymuch... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Of course it's an infringement of your freedoms. In fact, you are being forced to prove you are innocent of committing a crime. It's all about control; when you get up in the morning, when and what you eat, what time to take a shit and how long you can spend on the shitter, when you can go home at night, who you may or may not fuck, what propoganda you must watch on your TV set while it spies on your house, and what time and with whom you go to bed at night. And it doesn't have a thing to do with the drugs either, it's just about controlling you and controlling all of us. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Interesting question. Unfortunately it would also prove that al Qaeda is a much more effectively organized network, since they can obviously continue their operations without him, or any other individual (al Zarkawi and the like) at the top. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

My Pilot's a 210, but I'm loading at about 1.25. I occasionally get end cell closures, but a slight tug on the rear risers cleans it all out nicely. Since I'm do RW I'm always reaching for my rears on opening anyway, just in case I need to make a quick turn if somebody else is nearby. I do a normal pro-pack, if I pull the slider anywhere when I quarter it, it would be towards the tail, as I like to try to keep the opening on the quick side if I can help it. But the dead end cells are so manageable that I've never had any real concerns about them. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

When I was a kid I figured out how to do a good hangman's noose. Which pissed off my mom because I started tying them out of everything all over the house. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

My marriage and our two wonderful daughters. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I do my own packing. Most of the packers we have locally are good, so I wouldn't worry about using any of them, but I'm CHEAP. The thing that gets me though is that I've known a few jumpers who have a couple hundred jumps and are developing into good skydivers, but they don't know how to pack. Then, when they finally do start packing, they're really scared of their own pack jobs. In the middle of packing they'll stop me and ask, "Is this okay ? Do you do it like this, or like that ?" I'll take a look and they're doing just fine, it usually looks neater than my packjobs. I do my best to answer their question and assure them the thing's going to open just fine, but I can see the anxiety on their faces. Truth is, you just have to jump your own packing for maybe half a dozen jumps before it starts sinking in that you're doing just fine with it and that somehow thhe damn thing is opening every time. I think everyone needs to pack enough of the time to have that confidence. "Pack for jumpers, they will make the next load. Teach them to pack and they will jump all their life." Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

This classified ad mentions an "FXC Sentinel" AAD. There's no such thing, and it probably refers to an SSE Sentinel. You might want a Sentinel for your skydiving museum, but parts and service are hard to some by. IIRC, the firing cartridge has a 2-year shelf life from the date of manufacture, so it's almost impossible to find a supplier who turns over stock fast enough to get you a fresh one. Plus you need to find a rigger familiar with it so you can get your rig repacked -- and there aren't many of us left. I remember using Sentinels in my student days and I know of one Sentinel save of a student who simply didn't pull anything. But another problem with Sentinels is that they have to be recalibrated before EVERY jump, a procedure that involves popping the swithch out and turning it this way & that while a bunch of lights go on & off, which most people found very confusing. I also know of a fatality at the same DZ caused by a Sentinel firing at 3 grand, but in all fairness the guy using it admitted to calibrating it in the plane after takeoff. They're simply not an up to date AAD. If I had to choose between a Sentinel or a FXC I'd take the FXC. Better yet, get a Cypres or a Vigil. There are plenty of used Cypres 1's on the second hand market that are in good condition and have several good years left on them and they are priced quite reasonably. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

As a kid I hated them. My mom used to cook all green veggies until they were brown and disgusting. But nice little brussel sprouts, steamed just right have a wonderful sweet taste. But even now if they're too big or getting old they get bitter, so they have to be done right. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

If an Untamed Dog barked in the forest and nobody was there, would anyone even give a shit ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Yeah, I just read about the latest test results tonight, it looks like he really did it, along with the other evidence. Anyway the guy's still dead. My dad was the foreman on a murder jury in Boston about ten years ago. It was a very difficult case, based on circumstantial evidence. The crime had been committed some years before and had gone "cold", except for one determined detective who kept working it when he could find the time. The murder weapon had never been found. Dad said that it was a lot easier to keep his mind on the facts because he didn't have to worry about whether he might be responsible for executing an innocent man, as Massachusetts has no death penalty. In the end they convicted the guy and he was sent up for life - in Walpole, which is such a miserable shithole that prisoners have to buy their drinking water from the trusties who are supposed to serve it to them. So no question the guy's being richly punished. But my dad, who signed the verdict, also feels better that IF he made a mistake, the guy could be let go someday, if he lives that long. Recommended reading/viewing is either the book or video of "The Thin Blue Line", about a guy named Randall Adams, who was very nearly executed in Texas for a cop killing he didn't commit. Adams was a drifter who had his troubles with the law, not the kind of guy you'd want your daughter to bring home for dinner. But not a killer or a cop killer. But he couldn't afford a decent lawyer either and by the time he was arrested, the local law enforcement was ready to pin the crime on just about anybody, so they decided to pin it on him. They even based most of their case on testimony from the guy who turned out to be the real killer ! They never questioned any of the onconsistencies in the evidence or his testimony, it was a complete travesty. Adams was first commuted to a life sentence and it took many more years before his conviction was reversed and the state declined to re-try him. And this is the same state that leads the nation in executions. Their recent ex-governor, now unfortunately our President personally approved 152 executions because he "knew they were all guilty". If you don't trust the government to deliver the fucking mail, how in god's name can you trust it to put people to death ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Jumping out of an airplane is not a natural act. Humans are born with two basic fears - falling and loud noises, because a lot of the trouble we can get into usually involves one or both. Everything else we learn to be afraid of. About the only thing I can suggest is that you just jump a lot, then you won't feel nearly as scared, nearly so much of the time. I was out of the sport for many years and when I came back I felt just as scared as a new student. Sure, I WANTED to jump, but I was dry mouthed with fear on the first ride up in many years. But it will never go completely away and some days it will come back and surprise you when other times it won't bother yyou at all. It's something you learn how to accept and is probably part of what makes it so exciting. And on the bright side, honest healthy fear keeps you sharp, honest and on your toes. It gives you quicker reactions and makes you think twice about doing dumb stuff. You can actually use your natural fearsto your advantage once you understand them. Have a good time, you know you're gonna love it ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Or for skydivers with broken left legs, which is when & how I finally broke down and got an automatic. It was that or not drive for a couple months & I still had to "work". I've taught my wife and both my kids to drive a stick. My kids are some of the only kids around who know how, most of their friends don't. I even teach their friends how. We have fun with it and go to a nearby church that has a HUGE parking lot for that first "rodeo" lesson. I tell 'em the "f word" is allowed and the first lesson will be something they can laugh about for the rest of their life. Then when they get the hang of driving around the lot from first to second, we go out for a short spin around town and they're good with it. So do you want to drive the car, or would you rather the car drive you ? Kind of like "tandem or AFF ?". Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

There was an article about head colds and congestion in Parachutist sometime last year. According to the article, the greatest changes in atmospheric pressure, and therefore the greatest danger to your sinuses, etc, occur in the first 3000 ft of altitude, going higher only makes things a little worse. So they don't recommend hop & pops. So if you wanna blow your brains right out both ears, you might just as well go to full altitude. It's your head. Or else stay on the ground, get better and jump in a few weeks. The time will pass quickly enough, so take in some good movies and maybe do a little indoor body surfing instead... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Check the documentation on the Cypres. The packing data card should say when the Cypres was installed and when the batteries were last changed, also if the unit has ever been fired (if it has, so much the better, nothing like "field testing' to show that it works) and the cutter replaced. Find out when the next service is due and when the batteries are due (on Cypres 1, the new model is done at the 4 year services). Your rigger can help you find that information, he has to know it in order to legally repack the reserve anyway. Some people make a stink about the Cypres needing servicing when the Vigil doesn't. If you don't want the servicing, get a Vigil, they're a fine AAD. But personally, I'm not sure I want to trust a brand new product without some kind of periodic servicing and Vigils haven't been around long enough to show they're just as good after 4 years without being serviced. Hopefully they will be, but I don't want to be a test subject to find out. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Pretty chilling numbers. back about 25 years ago we had a fatality at Perris where the guy tried to haul in his pilot chute, as he apparently didn't want to risk entangling his reserve with the p/c. The gear was different then, the p/c was in tow because the bridle was wrapped a turn around the belly band where the pouch was mounted (which gave way to ROL and eventually BOC mounted pouches). And he had a round reserve, so no freebag. No AAD either. History aside, the point is he was falling much too fast to be getting so creative and he died for his mistake. Plain fact is a p/c in tow is an ugly, dangerous, and terrifying malfunction and even the approved procedure is something of a crapshoot. But you can't win if you don't play, so priority numero uno is pull the damn reserve handle. And I'm glad that AADs really have saved a lot of lives in these situations. Not RELYING on them for heaven's sake, but when the poo hits the prop this fast they can - and have - made a real difference improving the odds. An AAD might have saved that guy 25 years ago, if we'd had good reliable ones back then. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Guinness, Fuller's ESB, Pilsener Urquell, Kindl Berlinerweiss, anything by Samuel Smith - especially their Winter Welcome, AND the new line of house beers from Trader Joe's ! Trader Joe's now makes an amazingly good line of their own beers; a wheat beer, a Pilsener, a Bavarian lager, and a double bock Winterfest - all for $4.99 s six pack !! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

My great grandfather lived to be 100. He was a Civil War veteran. I've always believed I would live to be a 100 too. On the minus side, my mom & dad have had all four knees and one hip replaced and my dad has severe arthritis in his lower spine. So I have to believe I've only got so many good jumping years left, maybe twenty if I'm lucky. When I get to where I can't jump on my own anymore, I'll probably take a tandem ride or two every year and do the rest of my jumpin' indoors with the nurses at the old folks home. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I don't see him as a baby killer I see him as someone who screwed his people by steeling money from them. Is he a bad person for doing that yes he is. Arafat's killed his share of babies as well, as well as orchstrating the piss - in at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Thing is though, sometimes it takes the guys with the most blodd on their hands on both sides to finally wake up to the futility of what they're doing. And those are the guys who sometimes make the most surprising about faces and have the clout to make peace. I had hoped Arafat was one of those people, though I've concluded he wasn't. And I'd been hoping Sharon might be. I've NEVER liked Sharon, but lately had been wondering. I mean the guy walked out on his own Party - a party he helpd to found, and was forging alliances with pro-peace politicians from the Labour Party into forming thhis new Kadima Party. I'm really thinking he might just have been for real. We may never know. I don't expect him to live and have no doubt his career is finished. I once said a prayer at Dick Nixon's grave, so I think we can all say one for Ariel Sharon. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I was always pissed off that the video is about a bunch of kids with skateboards at some skating pit. I mean fuck, the guy's just up the road from Perris and Elsinore and he can't put "freefallin'" together with skydiving ? What a fuckin' loser ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Bluto, I wasn't lumping you in with the morons, sorry if you thought I was. Without a doubt, Sharon is a "controversial" (and overweight) character. But whatever anyone thinks of him, he's a major player on the world stage, and this apparent end to his career, if not his life was breaking news last night. I found it a bit of a stretch to somehow link this bit of important news with Bubba Bill getting his cock sucked in the Offal Office...... But leave it to male skydivers, at least the younger ones. They feel lost if they have to go thinking about something beside their dicks for more than 15 seconds. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I put my Pro-Dytter inside one of the earpads in my Mindwarp and I can hardly feel it there. The tones are so loud that I wear earplugs, because I don't want the thing going off inside the helmet & next to my ear without some protection. But I wear earplugs anyway (foam type) for all the engine noise in general, which isn't good for your ears either after repeated exposures. Chose a Pro-Dytter because I'm cheap, they're going for around $119 US. All the data is nice for the people who want to know, but I jump to get AWAY from that crap for just a few minutes. I love the thing, it works great & I wonder how I ever got along without one. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

What a bunch of morons... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Just saw this at Yahoo. Ariel Sharon has had another stroke, a really bad one this time. his powers to run the government have been handed over to the Vice PM, Ehud Olmert. Not looking good this time... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I'm surprised the courts haven't simply thrown the case out as not being within their jusrisdiction. It isn't a matter for a civil court in any country to decide on the validity of a worldwide religion. The plaintiff is plainly wasting the court's time and resources with a frivolous lawsuit. The article mentions Josephus, a 1st century Jewish historian who worked and wrote for the Romans. Josephus wrote several historical, non-scriptural references to Jesus as a man, and about his execution by the state. There are some scholars who even think that Josephus may have known Jesus personally (in the flesh, that is) and might even be the same Joseph of Arimathea who allowed Jesus' burial in his own private tomb. Once again the damned atheists are just trying to foist their obnoxious views by legal fiat, as the law is obviously their brand of religion. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !