metalslug

Some juries ? Sounds like all juries. Is this similar to the way Bush convinced US citizens that he's their best man for the next 4 years ? I mean.. a trial jury and election voters are drawn from the same pool of public citizens, right ? Same kind of thinking principle ? - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

Alrighty, maybe I'm being very naive about the US legal system, but how was Edwards able to win these lawsuits ? If the medical evidence all pointed against his claims and experts were standing in line to oppose his measures, how was Edwards ever successful and why would the medical industry have reason to fear lawsuits if Edwards had such a weak or "frivolous" case each time ? - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

When the president exits at altitude, the jump plane would change its callsign... because the freefalling president would effectively be designated as "Airforce One", correct ?

Chances are good that folks outside of the US are more aware of Bush's foreign policy than his domestic policy, and so they judge him mainly on that because its the part they care about more in terms of the possible effect it can have on them. I think many nations outside of the US were a little peeved when Bush bypassed the UN to lead the "coalition of the willing". It made him look somewhat like a world bully and didn't earn him brownie points with many foreign nations. Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 911" is being broadcast on television tonight here in South Africa. Most South Africans are not entirely up to speed on many of the "real truths" about Bush and his administration, and so it's likely that many here will accept this film at face value ...and support Bush a little bit less by tomorrow. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

That space is not necessarily meant for a photo of oneself. Sangiro refers to them as icons or avatars. One of the dictionary meanings for avatar is: "An embodiment, as of a quality or concept; an archetype". For icon it says: "An image; a representation". So, pretty much any image that you feel represents something about you, in either a meaningful or even comical way, is alright by me.

There are few things more entertaining than "lucid dreams" .. that moment when you know you're dreaming and then take control of them. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

Heya, welcome to the relatively small South African skydive community. PASA only has about 650 licenced members. If you are eager to learn to pack and dont find time or instruction at WSC, you can contact Manny at Icarus to ask if there are any packing classes planned for the near future. I learned PRO packing from Francois Goosen on a Wednesday evening at Icarus. R50 for about 3 hours of packing instruction and practise. Definitely worth the money. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

Most folks do get a gear check from someone they trust... themselves. Most licenced jumpers I know like to check their own gear before they even reach the boarding point and join the load. Some experienced jumpers with small rigs can even check their own pins when the rig is already on their back. As for gear checks before jump run, it can often become akward in a small aircraft like a Cessna, with people shifting or turning around to open and close rig flaps, and the person(s) you trust may not alway be seated close enough to you to do a check. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

Several people are of the opinion that the .338 Lapua Magnum is currently the best anti-personnel sniper caliber. (here and here). I have never shot the .338 myself, so I cannot comment any more than what I've read. The Sako TRG-42 and ERMA SR100 are said to have outstanding accuracy with this caliber, but with a weight of around 5.5kg I would expect the recoil would be very brisk. Sadly, I haven't heard any recent news about the Barrett M98 since the early version, but if Barrett do eventualy release a production version that is fine-tuned to optimize the best qualities of the caliber, then that rifle would be my choice. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

I gave up jogging, because the beer kept spilling out of my glass. I'm really lucky though, I have a metabolism like a fission reactor. I can eat enough calories to sink a ship and not gain an ounce. I should push more weights arounds though, need more meat on these bones. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

Performance Issues ? Glad to see it's not another sex thread. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

Not an entirely valid comparisson in my view. In war, the aggressor nation very often has conscription, people forced to serve the army or face jail time or worse punishments. Once enlisted, some guy you dont know (superior officer) sends you to kill some other guy you dont know (the enemy) and threatens you with all kinds of punishments and penalties if you refuse the order. Not quite the same as a "contract hit" or "neighborhood driveby". In war, the defending nation is often much the same, although they also fight to preserve the government and way of life that has allowed their family to prosper. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

Insufficient motive, hate, rage... or expressed as an alternative to killing. Option (2) Mercy, social philosophy ...is for you. The only reason you would want to hide the body is to prevent the cops finding it, right ? That puts you at option: (1) Fear of the legal consequences of the crime That's because you're mercyful, you dont hate enough to kill. Option (2) is for you. That could be seen as a social philosophy. Option (2) for you. Yes, that would count as "Other". Apart from that, the only people I can think of that might answer "Other" are the people that would kill or have killed, or cannot kill because they're in solitary confinement or some enviroment that negates all oppertunity. Of course, the poll doesn't have to be all serious, if you're joking in reply, the will suffice. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

Alrighty, humor me for a moment here... Many of us at some point in our lives have had experiences that make us think to ourselves: "Dammit, I could just kill that person!" These feelings could be caused by vengeance, road rage, blackmail, outsiders that threaten our loved ones or relationships and any number of other things. We may watch 'heroes' such as 'DareDevil' and 'The Punisher' apply vigilante justice and, although entirely fictional, feel that it's somehow justified within that context to take out the bad guy. There are usualy 3 reasons (I think) why average citizens dont go out and kill, applied either individualy or collectively: (1) We calm down and realise our problem is really not so serious. (2) We're aware of the rule of law and fear the consequences of breaking those laws. (3) Our mercy, social philosophy, moral conscience and/or religious persuasion ("Thou shalt not kill", "Do unto others..", "Violence begets more violence") Which of these keeps you in check ? Or are there other factors that tame you ? "I never get angry" would fall under category (3) Assume a hypothetical world where homocide was perfectly legal (but every other law was still enforced). If we exclude acts of self-defence and exclude killings in the line of duty as a soldier or policeman, and consider only acts of homocide that could be prosecuted in the real world, then would you have killed by now ? How many ? I have split this poll into male and female because I suspect that more females than males are likely to be guided by conscience and respect for life and I'm curious to see if this pattern emerges. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

Same thing has happened to me once. First jump on my brand new rig (Vortex II). New, tight packjob and subterminal deployment. 5 second delay became a 12 second delay. Is there anything bad that can happen when attempting this ? If altitude permits, is it always a better option to attempt this first before performing conventional emergency procedures ? I understand that pulling the cutaway will release the main safely if and when it eventualy deploys after the reserve, but... If the PC cant pull the pin, then pulling the cutaway is not going to get rid of the PC in tow. There is still a risk of a reserve PC and main PC entanglement, correct ? How significant is this risk ? Should we always try to grab the bridle and pull our own pins if we have time to spare ? - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

Hmm.. this thread has got me thinking about Chelle's lingerie photos... - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

I think I have. I recently bought my own rig, a R22000 investment which will persuade me to stay in the sport a while now. In light of this, I recently updated my last will and testament, upgraded my medical cover to include skydiving claims, and visited my next of kin (brother, parents) to deliver a heap of documents, contact numbers, spare keys to my home and car, instructions on what they need to do if I'm killed or injured anytime soon. Of course, when I presented them with all of this they were a bit alarmed, initialy thinking I may be morbidly pessimistic or even suicidal. I think I'm just being realistic about what might happen and I want them to know where to pick up the pieces afterwards. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

You're thinking of Mulholland Falls. Not the same movie. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

"A rose, by any other name..." There's always a way around things if you like him/her. I would have no problem if she had the same name as family. And, if she had issues with my first name, she could call me by my middle name. Lots of us have middle names that are seldom used. This would be one time to use it. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

Chances are good that your instructor has seen that "Holy Crap" expression on countless students before.. and he will probably have the best advise on how to deal with it. The only thing I might suggest to you is... dont look down. Arch and look at the horizon as you exit. Although my AFF went well, staring at the ground quite often on my first few freefalls didnt really help to calm me down. I would have been more relaxed geeking my instructors. -

From a computer arcade game "Metal Slug - Super Vehicle 001" ...which starts with the character parachuting into the action. - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

Very nice... but Angelfire is cuter! Hmm.. anyone know if there's a Brazilian femme team gallery ? - No 'mericans were harmed during the making of this post.

High: Jumping my brand new rig for the first time.

I think you need a medical opinion rather than a skydiving opinion to answer this.

Looks like fun.