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That's the spirit ! This is fun, now isn't it ? Altogether now.....FIVE !! Yea !! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

There's always the devil.... And that English chef who shouts at everybody on his "reality" show. Anything else we can probably blame on Vladimir Putin. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Oh man, you left out the halo.... I was going to use this for my icon, but I don't think the rules allow political messages for those. Thanks anyway, you're a real sport ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Yeah really.... Besides, with Valentine's Day fast approaching, you could come with something unabashedly sexy, even explicit (pant, pant). Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

SIX !! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I dunno. Geraldo ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

The last of the Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Absolutely. It's why we at least try to impose checks and balances within government. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

SEVEN !! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

EIGHT !! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Have you done any research into what has been going on up there? Dont look like it. To state it the way you just did is pure drive by media bull shit. I dont care what party anybody is from, if the shit that has happened up there is allowed, then we are all fucked....... Oh, well in the words of Senator Steve Martin, "Excuuuuuuuse me!" Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Hang them in the harbors and leave them for the crows - just like in days of olde. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I guess that is a nice dream but that is about all that it is. It will continue to take years to change due to infrastructure considerations alone. Then there is the cost to convert which is huge. There is just no reasonable logistical way for it to occur quickly. A lot of it has to do with the will to make the change and I'll agree that it just isn't there. Working in aerospace myself, I've seen measurements go over to decimalized inches. Feet are gone, something might be 1039.482 inches, but there are no feet anymore. Fractions are disappearing too, except on the oldest drawings. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

No kiddin'. Aside from being a good jumper and well liked, Keith's had the nerve to start up a thread of "fag" jokes and invited one & all to unload the worst ones they knew. And there were some real scorchers. Do a search, if you can get the crappy search machine to work.... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

NINE !! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

My point exactly on why a switch to metric fell flat on its face in the seventies. Trying to convert, trying to think back and forth, is enough to drive anyone crazy. It's a hopeless waste of time. The solution is to make a clean break to metric and trust that people will get a feel for it quickly enough. Because they will. Your point about Fahrenheit being better for cooking though is well taken. should be no problem keeping a scale like that for that reason, while all the ingredients go metric. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

So "effing" what ?!? Cinders has been registered at dropzone for exactly six days. This question is important to him. If you, or anyone else doesn't like his question, you are free to not participate in the discussion. Seriously folks, over the last several years we have dealt with just about every topic under the sun. Is it time to CLOSE these forums and put the whole thing on "search" auto pilot ? I think not. Welcome Cinders, feel free to ask ANY question you like and FUCK those who are so put out by you that they can only WHINE about it. Amen. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I've always like both magazines. Parachutist is the "official" showcase mag that I like to show my friends, with all the snazzy pics. But for reading material, exploring controversial subjects and points of view, I find Skydiving to be far and away the better read. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Oh Evelyn, after reading your description of the incident, I can understand how you feel. I'm so glad you got it worked out and are alright. I've never had such a close call. Chopped a streamer once, long ago and got right back up on a friend's rig while my own reserve was being repacked. But lately this year I've had recurring nerves after the too many fatalities we've had in So Cal in just six months - 2008 was a BAD year. I think if you get back in the air with good friends and just go easy for a bit, you'll regain your confidence. Living through each skydive is never a sure thing. Never has been, never will be. But the odds are pretty darn good - especially for people like you, who keep their wits about them in the worst situations. You are a testament to never giving up. Nevertheless, it is your personal decision to make. I've always liked and respected you and now, what can I say. I admire you. I think you'll be back when you're ready. You'll get tired of hiding behind a wii game. You're just not a couch potato. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Every time I listen to the Frank Zappa tapes you made for me I will think of you! And that stack of Grateful Dead bootlegs I made for you. I didn't think you kids even liked them anymore, but you did and it was a small thing to do to make you happy. I'll miss you too Scotty. You weren't even half my age and could have had so much more of life. I was always happy to see you and amazed at what an accomplished skydiver you were at such a young age. Anyway, here's the only pic I have of you. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Was just reading today that Republicans have some real heartburn over Al Franken because he's so partisan, in such a nasty way (that and he won the election...). Oh my god Al, say it isn't so ! How can you say such nasty things about all those nice Republicans ? They're only thinking of our country every waking minute of the day Al. Republicans would NEVER stoop to meaness or partisan behavior, not if the good of the country were at stake. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Why.....right you are !! TEN !! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Regrettably, long ago, like thirty years ago, I know of a few incidents. But a tremendous amount of water has gone under the bridge since those days. That and I jump in So Cal, where gay culture is already accepted in general and in the workplace. We have plenty of gay and bi skydivers. Some of them are open about it, others not. I'll jump with any of them by the same standards I set for anyone else - don't do anything really stupid or dangerous. I had a hard time cracking skydiving culture, but that was as a college kid from the suburbs at a blue collar working class dropzone in the seventies - and those guys were anything but subtle about it. What I found that both gained me acceptance and caused me to grow as a person was to shut up, jump as much as I could, and just accept those people for who they were. The gay jokes won't go away, for better or worse they're still part of male culture (have you ever heard a woman tell a "fag" joke ?). I still have a problem with people who tell black jokes - and I'm white. But I've also found - in my own case, as part of growing up - or in anyone else's case, that calling attention to yourself invites more attention than you may have wanted, and not always of the kind you wanted. At the dropzone, whoever you are, it's just not all about you. You might not like this, but I have found in a lot of settings (like church), that some gay "activists" insist on making everything all about them. All the time, week after week. That's a real drag (excuse the pun) for anyone to lay down and leads to resentment. I'm not suggesting you want to do this, but making the dropzone a soapbox for gay issues is not a good idea. Not because skydivers are homophobes either. Like everywhere else, some are and some aren't. But we go to the dropzone to get away from all the other bullshit we have to deal with for the rest of the week. We go there to JUMP. And as odd a bunch of very different people we are, we get along quite well with each other and even take pride in what an odd bunch we are. If you will just be yourself,people will like you and may just learn to see you as an example of gays being real and alright people, like anybody else. And that's how you change people's hearts and minds. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Hey now ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

ELEVEN ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !