Douva

If you're burned out on checking posts in The Bonfire, stop checking posts in The Bonfire. You're not moving. You're not dying. Do we really need the dramatic farewell post? --Douva PS. Why is it that everyone who makes an "I'm leaving" post feels the need to stick around participate in the ensuing thread? That strikes me as a little bit like writing a false suicide note just to watch people's reactions. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I'm happy with the skysurfing suit they made me. If you look at the L.A.S.T. website (link below), you will see lots of pictures of me wearing it. --Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Please tell us how this situation was handled. I'm dying to know the events that followed. On demo jumps, night jumps, and cross countries, I take my cell phone, about $20 cash, a credit card, my driver license, and my USPA card. That way I can call for a ride, catch a cab, buy dinner, prove to the cops that I'm who I say I am, and convince a senile farmer that I'm not a Soviet paratrooper. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Yeah, that always sucks. And no, Blockbuster won't call you back. A few years ago I got really strapped and applied at Blockbuster--no call, no job. That was about the time I gave up on "real" jobs. If it doesn't involve nepotism, a camera, or a parachute, I'm not interested. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I am not a fan of George Bush, and I am not a fan of John Kerry. But most of all, I am not a fan of arrogance and ignorance in politics. You, sir, exemplify both. What this country needs is not more name calling, finger pointing, or unsubstantiated accusations. What this country needs is a logical facts based dialogue about the issues. Calling bush a "fucking moron" and then refusing to substantiate the accusation is a long step from logical and facts based. I read through what I felt to be the pertinent sections of the 9/11 Commission Report, and I failed to see anything in George Bush's actions that reeked of incompetence. I may go back and read more of the report at another time, but if there was some obscure footnote that laid out the President's negligence in an irrefutable light, please enlighten me to its whereabouts. Otherwise, take your personal attacks against the President and anyone who questions you over to rec.skydiving. --Douva PS. No, I never went to college; however, that's an easy mistake to make, since I've never been one to take a half-assed approach to personal edification. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

My Dad use to tell me if you are going to do something half assed, don't do it at all. Like make a half-assed argument against the reelection of the sitting President? It would have served you well to heed his advice. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

It's going to be a loooong wait... I won't tend to your laziness.... Get a grip... What an amazing new debating technique you've discovered. "I have mountains of evidence proving my case, but I won't show it to you, you lazy bum." I read through a good deal of the 9/11 reports, and I think you're blowing smoke. You're making mountains out of mole hills (a couple of slightly questionable actions by the President), you're claiming incompetence without supporting evidence, and you're drawing conclusions from events (environment, etc.) that have nothing to do with the 9/11 reports. I think you're using the assumption that nobody else will read the 9/11 reports to make deliberately misleading arguments against the President. I believe you are at the least a political talking head and at the worst a liar. If you have any evidence to contradict me accusations, feel free to present it. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I don't know if mine was as much a transformation as an elongation, but here you go. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Instead of this vaaaiiiiiiinnnn attempt to get at me why don't you actually state YOUR opinion instead of discounting mine... What do YOU know. ? Still waiting on that evidence, Rhino. WHAT exactly did Bush do following 9/11 that you can't believe? I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

TV: Suddenly Susan Step by Step I want to say Night Court, but I could be wrong. Anyone else recall? I remember another 90's sitcom where a woman is a bridesmaid at a wedding that turns out to be a skydiving wedding and she has to do a 100+ way on her first jump with the rest of the bridal party and guests, but I can't remember which sitcom it was. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

You too should be included in the Eric Roberts ban. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I move that Windcatcher be banned from DZ.com for life for mentioning a movie starring Eric Roberts. I also move that my eyes be gouged out with red hot pokers for having seen it. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

It's not all about personal appearance and body fat. If you don't exercise and watch what you eat, you could be "metabolically obese." Check out these articles on metabolic obesity: Can You Be Fat on the Inside? Metabolic obesity and how to beat it... Entrez PubMed I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I know how hard that Mountain Dew habbit is to kick. I had to do that one myself, a few years ago. My new soda policy is "Only at the DZ on the weekends or at the movies." The best way to start getting back into shape, once you're really out of shape, is to start doing a regular workout that doesn't feel like a workout at all. Your first few days (or weeks, depending on your current physical condition) should feel like a joke. Contrary to popular belief, a good workout does not have to make you sore the next day to be effective. Don't feel like you need to be pushing your limits from the very beginning; just get your body used to the regular physical activity and the specific exercises you'll be doing. Lift very little weight, and do some real light cardio training (running, bicycling, aerobics, etc.) on a regular basis, until you start to feel your strength and stamina increasing; then you can up the weight and the cardio training. Do just enough that you BARELY have to strain--Your body isn't ready for any serious strain yet. It's not about going out and trying to kill yourself by straining as hard as you can for three hours the first day; it's about doing a consistent workout on a regular basis. Design a workout you feel like you'll be able to do on a regular basis. Don't design a three hour workout if you work twelve hours a day because there's very little chance you'll be able to stick with it. The mistake many people make is thinking that they need to be doing a long strenuous workout every day before they're getting anything out of it, and if they can't do that, they figure there's no use messing with it. Remember, slow and steady wins the race. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

John Kerry uses Data and good judgement to make decisions. He isn't set in his ways to the point where he doesn't pay attention to logic. GWB will have it his way. PERIOD. Quade mentiones me being able to change my mind, or come to a different conclusion based on facts I've researched, and that impressed him.. Like hope in a hopeless place... That is what John Kerry does. While he has his own set of beliefs and standards he isn't "MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY", and he is flexible, analytical and intelligent. More so than Bush anyways. Some could say that I have flip flopped going from on the Bush side of the fence to the Kerry side. Others would say that I am intelligent because I paid attention to detail, kept my options open, did my own research and wasn't stubborn. My vote is for the latter. I view Kerry being able to reconsider some things as a great thing. Our country needs to reconsider some approaches we have taken or at least how to go about things a bit differently and not so IN YOUR FACE to everyone else in the world. Bush won't do that. Bush has given America a very false sense of security. He has said one thing while something TOTALLY different is actually happening. Let's take education for example. My wife is a High School teacher so I know what I am talking about. No child left behind has been left behind, education funding has been cut, standards for teachers and students have been raised, teachers are having to get higher degrees that don't help their jobs in the slightest, spending more money, getting more in debt, expected to do more, get better results with a lesser budget... That is bullshit.. Most issues Bush is touting are being run exactly that way... Do you know who Bush got his environmental advice from? Do you know??? EXXON MOBILE!! For goodness sakes people... Do you know who flew the individuals to Florida "TO RALLY THE VOTE COUNTING TROOPS", Kenneth Leigh!! You know on the Enron Jet.... ENRON helped Bush get elected.. Weird? Why were the Bin Laden's allowed to leave the country without even being interviewed? I mean if you are related to the #1 terrorist in the world doesn't that warrant a SMALL investigation after 9/11... When Bush got the memo, a few weeks before 9/11, why weren't those individuals investigated IMMEDIATELY and put on a watch list, A REAL WATCH LIST, Why weren't they found and investigated? WHY did the copy of Bushes reserve record have the name of his partner scratched off... ??? Why??? You know his partner that ended up handling the oil financing deals between the Bush family and The Bin Laden family? THIS IS REAL STUFF PEOPLE!!! HOW IN THE WORLD does Bush plan on tearing up the Axis of Evil with a VASTLY undersized, underfunded and over exhausted military.. OUR BOYS ARE FUCKING TIRED!!! No teenager in his right mind is going to join the military after this crap.. Few exceptions... Bush is dangerous people... He is going to put an end to our way of life and our country if he is re-elected. He is an EGO MANIAC... His attitude of "no humility what so ever" has made us look like a bunch of animals. I understand why other countries would want to kick our ass.. Our country "because of the last couple presidents "mostly Bush" is in serious trouble... SERIOUS TROUBLE!!!!!!!!! Your IRA's won't mean shit in 24-48 months... Savings accounts won't matter. Nothing that you know as your way of life will exist if we as a country don't get on the right track.. NOTHING... Go ahead and think I am blowing this out of proportion. Go ahead and let Bush convince you falsely that we are going to kick everyones asses and that we have the resources to do so.. We can't even protect our own damned country effectively. Policies must change... Policies like Bush allowing the illegal immigrants to have temporary work cards and stay in country illegally. Kerry will at least do away with that. What about 95% of the cargo coming into this country going unchecked? THat's BAAAAAD... Really bad... There is a CLEAR AND IMMINENT DANGER that threatens us all and grown stronger by the day... If you and your families don't have some sort of emergency plan in case of a terrorist attack, water, basic medicines, a way to stay warm, a bit of extra gas to get wherever is in your emergency plan, some form of protection "a gun", you are crazy and in denial..... Get caught with yout pants down and you will wish you were dead when the shit hits the fan................... Rhino You got all this from the 9/11 reports? Those things are more extensive than I thought. I thought this discussion was about the 9/11 reports. Please post whatever reported incidents caused you to say "I can't believe some of the things I read that Bush did immediately following 9/11." --Douva (not a Bush supporter; just an advocate of intelligent political discussions) I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

If you give a man a fish he eats for a day, if you teach him to fish he eats for a lifetime... Do the research yourself. That is the only way it will help you... Let me rephrase my question--Where is the evidence to support your claims? Don't tell us "Bush is an idiot, and the evidence is out there." Present the evidence to support your case. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I've been reading through the report, but so far all I can find is the part where he continues reading to the school children for 5-7 minutes before getting up and leaving the room. What else did you find? I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Your son definitely has potential, Teresa. Is he in college this year? What's he studying? He should definitely be in a film program somewhere. --Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I graduated level eight, fifty-four hours after showing up to make my first jump. --Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Keep it in perspective. "Penny wise, pound foolish". The problem isn't the half million dollar party. The party is merely a symptom of the overall problem. In the midst of a recession and under an ever-growing threat of terrorism, one branch of the Office of Homeland Security feels justified in spending half a million dollars on what basically amounts to a grammar school awards assembly to hand out plaques to government employees for doing the jobs they are paid to do. They even went so far as to hand out "Lifetime Achievement Awards" for service to a government agency that has only been in existence for two years. The TSA needs to leave the awards banquets to the entertainment industry and focus on the job at hand. True, but shouldn't someone be worrying about the rest of the $412 billion debt the government is running up this year with no plan to pay it off? I'm worried about all of the debt the government is incurring, but when tax dollars are so egregiously misspent, the American people need to take note. Sure, it may be less than 0.0015% of that $412 Billion, but you throw away half a million here and half a million there, and before you know it, it's real money. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Keep it in perspective. "Penny wise, pound foolish". The problem isn't the half million dollar party. The party is merely a symptom of the overall problem. In the midst of a recession and under an ever-growing threat of terrorism, one branch of the Office of Homeland Security feels justified in spending half a million dollars on what basically amounts to a grammar school awards assembly to hand out plaques to government employees for doing the jobs they are paid to do. They even went so far as to hand out "Lifetime Achievement Awards" for service to a government agency that has only been in existence for two years. The TSA needs to leave the awards banquets to the entertainment industry and focus on the job at hand. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Report Finds Lavish Spending at TSA By LESLIE MILLER, AP WASHINGTON (Oct. 14) - The government agency in charge of airport security spent nearly a half-million dollars on an awards ceremony at a lavish hotel, including $81,000 for plaques and $500 for cheese displays, according to an internal report obtained by The Associated Press. Awards were presented to 543 Transportation Security Administration employees and 30 organizations, including a ''lifetime achievement award'' for one worker with the 2-year-old agency. Almost $200,000 was spent on travel and lodging for attendees. The investigation by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general, Clark Kent Ervin, also found the TSA gave its senior executives bonuses averaging $16,000, higher than at any other federal government agency, and failed to provide adequate justification in more than a third of the 88 cases examined. The report said lower-level employees were shortchanged, with a far lower percentage receiving bonuses. ''A substantial inequity exists in TSA's performance recognition program between executive and non-executive employees,'' the report said. TSA spokeswoman Amy von Walter said the agency believes the bonuses and party were justified ''given the hours and productivity of the work force during this critical period.'' This year, said von Walter, the TSA will conduct awards ceremonies at individual airports, as well as a much smaller and less expensive event at its headquarters in November. Congressional skeptics have criticized the TSA's hiring and spending practices during its short existence. Republicans say the agency has grown far larger than they envisioned when it was created following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Ervin also is investigating why the agency's private recruiters worked out of lush resort hotels with golf courses, pools and spas. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said that he had not seen the full report but that it indicated ''a colossal waste of money.'' ''There's something terribly wrong with that agency,'' Dorgan said. ''Of all the agencies, that's the one that's supposed to be working full-time against terrorist attacks.'' The awards banquet, which cost $461,745, was held at the Grand Hyatt, which bills itself as ''one of the most magnificent'' hotels in the nation's capital. According to the report, the agency chose that site because it was the only hotel available on Nov. 19, 2003, the agency's second anniversary. It also was one of the few places that could accommodate about 600 honorees and as many guests. While the inspector general noted the agency sought competitive bids for the party planner and chose the company with the lowest estimate, it found the ''costs of the ceremony and reception were higher than necessary.'' The event planning company, MarCom Group Inc. of Fairfax, Va., was paid $85,552 for its work and given an additional $81,767 for plaques, $5,196 for official photographs, $1,486 for three balloon arches and $1,509 for signs. The reception included finger food, coffee and cake that averaged $33 per person. Seven cakes cost a total of $1,850; three cheese displays, $1,500. In a written response, the TSA said the costs ''were neither extraordinary nor incurred without careful consideration of the amount, the reasonableness of the cost, and value the activities would have to the employees.'' The inspector general also expressed concern that the TSA was more generous than most other federal agencies in awarding bonuses to executives. Federal agencies on average gave cash awards to 49 percent of their executives in 2002, while 76 percent of TSA executives received them in 2003. The inspector general reviewed 88 employees' files and found that 38 percent ''had no individual recommendation and justification for the performance award.'' ''The legitimacy of such large awards is called into question by the lack of an appropriate selection process and the reliance on boilerplate justifications that could be applicable to anyone,'' the report said. The report also noted that fewer than 3 percent of nonexecutive employees received bonuses in 2003. In its response, the TSA said that executives who got a bonus didn't get a pay increase and weren't eligible for a presidential awards program that can amount to as much as 35 percent of their base pay. The agency agreed, however, that more could be done to equalize treatment of top executives and lower-level employees. 10-14-04 0745EDT I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

If you're not watching The Price is Right on CBS, you just missed Robert Harris who won 3rd place in skysurfing at Nationals playing for a new car. (This is the guy who competed the last round in his underwear.) Those of you on the west coast still have a chance to see it when it airs in a couple of hours. The rest of you can still tune in to watch him spin the big wheel, if you hurry. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Dammit, man, you need to be a little clearer with your thread titles. I already had the whole family down in the fallout shelter listening to the emergency band radio before I realized I had misinterpreted your meaning. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I know what you mean. My mantra since May has been "Just make it through Nationals." Now I've made it through Nationals, and I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. I guess it's time to make another run at that whole "career" thing. --Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.