pirana

O ye of little faith. Of course they will find something to complain about. Short list: He wasn't angry enough! He was too angry and lost his cool! He used a teleprompter! He doesn't care about the environment! He only cares about the environment! It's his Katrina! He's just using the disaster to push his socialist agenda! Obama isn't doing enough! I think a new drinking game might be fun. Every time he says about something "It's complicated" everybody drinks. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Has anyone scored yet? What? Still 0-0 after a few matches? " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

What's enlightening is that someone thought they needed a study to figure this out. Kinda like those pop-psych questionaires that enlighten people about themselves. A huge DUH! If questions like those provide anyone anything close to something resembling insight they are living in an awareness vacumm. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I think skydivers are more likely to do so than any of them. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

You mean a gnu keyboard. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I keep hearing people can drown in 2" of water. Time to ban bathtubs. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Incopetant counsel, yes. Rights denied by the court, no. And if I read that correctly; her attorney was himself provided by/affiliated with the ACLU? So is the braintrust at the ACLU going to take themselves to task? What a clusterfuck. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I think the bias is against a bad idea - not a stubborn newbie. But a newbie that shows enough stubbornness might start feeling a bias about that also. The issue in the OP is about a Stilleto as a student canopy. It is a bad idea. Four pages of chatter about it, mixed with a few tangent thoughts doesn't change that. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Kudos to you DocPop. The people I watch out for the most are the new to mid-skilled jumpers that seem to deny, debate, and sometimes outright argue with the advice of the truly skilled veterans. One of the coolest things about being in a sport with such small numbers is that not only do we get constant free regular advice from, but we also get to regularly jump with such incredibly skilled veterans. It's like being a sandlot baseball player and having people like Derek Jeter regularly show up to play a little second base, and offer tons of free coaching to boot. AMAZING! On the Stilleto; I've found it to be a perfect match for my abilities and desires. I don't swoop but the recovery from dives is fast, the drive to get back is way cool, responses are quick and fun but within my ability, it flat turns with nearly no loss of altitude, the openings are buttery soft; and with all that, I still get some really neat turf-surfing that is (again) within my ability to handle. It has only spun me up a bit maybe 5 or 6 times in over 300 jumps, with none requiring a cutaway. I gotta admit though that the 1st time it did that was pretty darn exciting. Different mixes of canopy characteristics for different people is all I can say. Best to you with all your learning. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

They both seem to have their up and down sides; so to me it comes down to utility. Those plastic bags function like shit copmpared to paper. They hold far fewer groceries, require a bit of skill to hold shape, and are a general pain in the ass to use. Not to mention the eyesore they create when they get loose and stay snagged in a tree for a couple years. I'd gladly pay a nickel per bag to use them instead of the plastic; and avoid stores (such as Walmart) that solely use plastic. Maybe if the cashiers would learn how to fit more items per bag. They are so fucking lazy, sometimes dropping 4 average size items in a bag, then spinning to the next bag rather than properly shape the bag with a couple boxed items and fill it up. I can fit the stuff from at least 6, probably more like 7 or 8 of their plastic pack jobs into just 2 paper bags. Off the top of my head I'd guess they use 3 to 4 times as many plastic bags to do the same job as paper. A couple times I've complained at the checkout and gotten really dirty looks when I asked if they could please get my modest amount of groceries into something less than 15 of those stupid little things. I will concede that they are made so shitty that you are at risk for the bag breaking if you were to put say, 2 jars of mayonaise in one of them. Not to mention that when you get home the contents are often spilled all over the trunk or back seat. Face it, they use them for one reason - they are cheap. The race to the bottom sometimes includes very little common sense. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Great post; but that line demands repeating. Who of us has not been there? And most unfortunately, how many did not get thru that phase because their arrogance/ignorance led to a mistake which they were not lucky enough to survive? At 115 jumps a person should be listening about 41 times more often than they are speaking. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Where is there even a hint that he is kidding? He appears to be as serious as the nutters who set up that Disney-style creationism theme park. Maybe they are just kidding too. And the 911 truthers, and Moon hoaxers, and Holocaust deniers, and Planet X crowd; yeah, they are all just pulling our chain to see how long we go along thinking they are serious. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Yikes! What did we have for a barometer of stupidity before you tube? More proof that the internet doesn't make people stupid; it just makes their stupidity available for all to see. I'd like a poll to see which people think are wackier; creationist believers or 911 truthers,. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Scared is normal; seen it in most students - but not all. They jump anyway because of the perceived rewards. What is always present for newbies is stress and anxiety. A person would have to be dead not to feel anxious and stressed for at least the first few jumps. Most can manage these things if they choose to do so and get good training. For a few the experience is so overwhelming as to impede concious awareness. They should not jump. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

And what's up with those damn Irish-Americans waving Irish flags and dancing around dressed up like leprechauns on the 17th of March every year. And don't even get me started on the Italians! Amirite?!? You would be right if there were 10 million Irish in the country illegally. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Within or on the grounds of what has been preserved as a museum and memorial - certainly not (as if those that oversee the place would even consider). On private property, why not? If it is private property, and if someone thinks it should be limited to certain uses because of it's history, then that someone should buy it and donate it to the museum. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I'll admit to playing devil's advocate here; but I think it is very telling to identify where people think these rights come from. So from where does the right to live emanate? Does it apply to all life, or just humans, or just certain humans? Is it the same in all places? At all times? " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

A vague, and potentially loaded question. But worded as it is (use of the word "right"), requires knowing if you mean rights conferred by the ruling body of the place where the person lives, or some other local cultural norm (religious, social contract, ?). In some places you might have a debate first on whether or not a person has a right to live at all before you debate about where they live. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

That really does not take any pretending. It would be like pretending to think that Elvis is dead; or that he is living in Argentina with JFK. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

The thread was going good with no shortage of humor and it really was light on the partisanship (there were a few partisan stabs from miscellaneous sources, but for the most part it was kept to a minimum) ... until of course Lucky came along to spoil it and spew his rhetoric. Some people only have one gear. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

OK, it seems to be saying that for just about everybody. Has anybody gotten something along the lines of: "You are a cold, cruel, heartless bastard." OR "You are a whiny, wimpy, high maintenance simp." " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I fall just outside the Centrist circle, just over the boundary into Democrat. Im labeled as a Social Liberal and an Economic Moderate. Fun little exercise, but like most of these, they ususally tell you what is obvious (unless you live in a self awareness vacumm). " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Not a big deal if you don't mind living in a police state. I'll pass, thank you. Do people think that being required to carry an ID would make us a police state? I guess first we'd need to define what constitutes a police state. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Or as I like to say, everybody has their nuerosis. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Apologies for the redundancy, you beat me to the suggestion. Though I'm sure it has come up before. Guaranteed he considers Mr Shermer as in on the conspiracy, or brainwashed, or not worthy, or something like that. This is about a serious delusion and not much else. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley