jimmytavino

thanks to much improved curriculum, training methods, gear, and the assimilation of information, not to mention the willingness of oldsters to share knowledge with the new crowd,,, 200 could be looked at, as "the 5 or 600" of the past... Of course that assumes that the 'newsters' are paying attention, and are NOt being distracted by this discipline and that discipline....failing to concentrate thoroughly on any ONE..... I think a person with 200 jumps today, knows waaay more than a person of 200 jumps, 20 or 30 years ago.. case in point,, I completed my FIRST 4 way RW formation on my jump # 300 !!! ( not a typo),, and it wasn't from lack of trying... of course we were exiting from 7 - 5, and mostly NObody was very good at RW... save for the one or two "naturals" at the DZ...I took me hundreds and hundreds of jumps to get to ONE hour of freefall, lots of hop and pops, very few jumps above 7,500 feet. didn't make a jump from 12,500 till around 175 jumps... never jumped a ram air, til over 700 jumps... of course i already had 5 or 600 when THEY were just starting to become regularly accepted... 200 today , could be JUST enough , for a jumper to be STARTing to know some things,,, and as long as the jumper has a sensible approach, AND good guidance from his or her instructors,,, it could very well be a level to begin expanding one's repertoire.. It is NOT however a license to 'cut loose' and do ANYthing and EVERYthing....... many of us,, (yours truly included) never get to THAT level... i had 1,750 jumps when i first donned a video camera,, and made over 1000 jumps on a round, ( french papillon) before upgrading full time to a ram air main... and since doing that!!! have mostly UP sized,,,,rather than downsized...hahaha go figure!!! But that's just me... common sense can keep ya' young AND healthy..in spirit, even if the body is getting old and worn

well they sure did 'pre-declare' themselves winners in certain states during the previous presidential elections... and then twisted the right arms,,,, to make it happen. not unlike the way that they twisted the arms of the CIA and the 'intelligence" community to "create" the reports of WMD, and enriched uranium procurement attempts...as a prelude to the war... which they wanted to start,,, the day after the 2000 election was won ( stolen) jmy

she is the proverbial 'big fish in a small pond' i e Alaska believe it or not,,,, while Alaska is HUGE in geographic land area, on the statistical front.. the number of voters,,,,, is staggeringly small... I just checked some of the totals, and Rhode Island had 438,526 votes cast for President while Alaska had 221,838..... less than half... It's not a surprise that McCain/Palin got 136,300 and Obama Biden got 80,300...in HER state. they DO love her there... and so be it... But she was like a "salmon out of water" once put into the glare of the national spotlight... More votes total were cast for Pres/VP in the district of colombia ( wash DC), than alll of alaska DC cast 225,224 votes total.... 210,403 for Obama and 14,821, ONLY ,,, for McCain... Hmmmm. Must be all the G O P big shots went to their home states to vote,, or else went turncoat on their own candidates... it seems that in the real scheme of things,, Alaska was 'penny ante'... NO disparagement meant to those citizens who live there..... it appears that They can have her back,, to complete her term as Gov... jt

you know what bungees are. and how to correctly use and secure them. and also how to NOT connect them... (can anyone say "total" ) you realize that B 4,, has nothing to do with bingo...

.....you "used to have" a savings account... jmy

wow... interesting question... I clicked on this post, because i AM a parent... quick answer would be NO.. but,,,, lots of ways to look at this... IF your relationahip with them is such, that you have , in the past, ASKed for things, and they buy them,,, then what the hell... GO for it... But, depending on just what THEIR financial circumstances are,,, it might or might not be, an awkward request... When an Adult ( not a child ) gets into a hobby which has expenses,,, it's not right to ask ANYone else to subsidize it... I would always help my kids, financially, if asked, and often do so, when Not asked.. ( it's better that way ) ..., though a lot depends on the child's request, age, past record of responsibility, and whether or not THEY work hard to support themselves...or always fall back on M & D ...to bail them out. I might help them cover other expenses, so that THEIR own income/resources can be used by them to cover such expenses as gear, and jumps...that would be better... People have skydived for decades, without an Auto, once they got past static line,,, No problem..... you stay on top of things, you pull your own handles... But since the introduction of the cypres,,, it seems that such components have almost become mandatory... i use one myself... and you should likely have one as well... BUT unless they have been interested in your choice of sport, and have been supportive... It's sorta a long shot to ask them for such a gift... IF you play the old, " it will save my life " card.... that's something of a dirty trick... you should try to fund your own interests....and leisure time activities....and resist the child-like impulse to put THEM on a spot.. PS what are you getting THEM??? for Christmas. signed, a sensible DAD

interesting...... 15 H & P's a day simply to build #'s so you can strap a camera on your head.... is not gonna cut it..... any other.. BETTER reason for making that many a day??? just wonderin',,,, since i could be waaaay wrong... about your videographer aspirations... jmy

apparently ,, they don't live in the state of Massachusetts..... according to my morning paper,, that state approved a proposition which de-criminalizes simple possession.... A person can now have "up to " one OZ... and Not be criminal.. There is a fine of 100 bucks, and the forfeiture of said "lid"... but No arrest, no felony, no misdemeanor.... The same populace also voted DOWN a prop. which would have ELIMINATED state Income Tax... ... which i am not sure i follow....( unless it was made clear, that Property taxes and commodity taxes, and sales taxes, would go 'through the roof'....) anyway.. at least there WAS something of a common sense approach to MJ, demonstrated by a substantial block of voters....

she would be stepping into quicksand... if she tried to ASSUME the role of Senator. It would be waaay over her head. IMHO PLUS.. I bet her Husband would put the KE-BOSH... on that.. in a hurry... talk about a guy who looks uncomfortable in a sport coat and Tie... No ,, she better stay at home, and tend to her children and grandchildren.... for EVERYone's best interest... PLUS as long as she's giving back $$$$ from all that OIL,,, to citizens of ALaska,,, maybe WE should all put in our request for a small taste of those dollars... after all, as she has shown.... Alaska " IS part of OUR country".... j t

well done David to be on a first name basis with the President elect....

never had a problem with this Man just with his choices and Party affiliation. he has purposely opened the door to what all of us should view, as a new chapter, of bi Partisan, and constructive Progress,, as this 'malfunctioned' political system, cuts away an 8 year long spinner...... and settles in under the reserve of cooperation, Hope, and willingness to work Hard....and deliberately toward a safe and sound stand up landing.. jmy

Amen... "Spot " On !!!!! well said.. jimmy in NY

yes voted this morning at a local Ukrainian Church Community Center since that was my assigned polling place... So much, for seperation of Church & State... (used to be in a local grammar school.....but people have been freaking out about "strangers" walking around in a building full of little kids... which I guess makes sense.......) did NOt however, cast a vote for President... I figure,, if who ever wins, does a decent job,,, I MAY vote for him in 2012...if he runs again... I was not asked for ID. simply signed a line, in a pre-printed booklet, which had my signature next to it, on another line.. THat signature was covered by a card, which was held by a polling volunteer..... apparently the signatures matched... Used an "old style" voting machine,,,, with the curtain, and the red handled lever, and the little metal 'flippers'.... that was perfect,,, since i AM 'old school'... jmy

it is good to have some sort of merit based, "supplement/bonus" for teachers..... IN addition to BASE Pay.... Teachers are salaried, which means that they get NO benefit for OVERtime.. and trust me,, they DO put in Over time...( I have a wife who is a 25 year teacher, a daughter who is a 4 year teacher, and 1, 2, 3 4 ...SEVEN other close family members, who teach.) not to mention 4 others who have devoted themselves to that profession and are now retired) anyway.. they Put in long hours before and after school, AT school, as well as Hours and hours at Home. they spend $$$ out of their own pockets, for everything from school supplies, to classtrips, to hats and gloves, in wintertime. They work with students whose parents,,, HARDLY EVEN show up for teacher-parent conferences....The question is ... Where does the funding come from, in these times of strapped budgets, and declining willingness of property owners at accept tax increases???? SO then,,, here is My radical approach to FUNDING this well deserved merit pay program. FINE the parents of any students, who fail to appear at teacher conferences, or worse yet, specifically scheduled meetings to discuss the I E P ( Individual Educational Program ) of their child... which often entails the attendance of a few teachers, an administrator to two, a guidance counselor, a school psychiatrist, and sometimes a school nurse.... the parents blow off the meeting,, and all these educators, sit there wasting their time, and adding to their frustration levels.. SO fine the parents, for such irresponsibility. Fine them when junior fails to do the homework, fine them when junior fights in school, or is disruptive (intentionally) in class. Fine them when such behavior is repeated!!!! and then FINE them some more,, when a fine goes unpaid.... NOT a ton of $$$... 10 or 20 $ per issue... treat it like a parking ticket,,, let the amount increase over time, when it is ignored... Force the parents to over see the behavior of the child... Withhold, social services benefits from the family if they fail to pay. withhold report cards, and promotions of the child.. Withhold Renewals of drivers licenses, and auto registrations, of the parents, as well... Make the child have to "fear" his parents,,, the way we did 40 years ago...when it comes to misbehavior in school... When i was a kid, if I screwed up in school and caught hell from the principal, that was the LEAST of it... My dad would have a few things to say about it, when i got home..... and you could be sure,, he'd NOT be happy. Today, the principal notifies the Parents, and the parents First reaction, is "what did you do to "My Child""???? and "NOT my dear little student, why are you PICKING on hIm? " .. the parents back the kid, regardless of the offense,, instead of teaming up WITH the teachers.... NOW notice ,,, i do NOT endorse Fines for Poor grades,,,, or for having a hard time understanding the work.... on the students' part.. THAT IS the responsibility of the teachers,,, and the Teachers ARE the ones who should be able to work out the means by which the kids learn.. But, disruptive behavior, intransigence, blatant disrespect, mistreatment of one student by another, disrespect of others, and of property,,,, fighting..... ALL those things should be clearly listed in a "code of conduct" and failure to abide by such codes, should carry, SPECIFIC and spelled out Fine amounts.... comensurate with the offense.... Brief the parents, the students and the teachers at the start of each school year... Empower the administrators, NOT the teachers, with even handedly enforcing the codes,, and it is likely that quite a chunk of change could be collected,,, with which to fund,, a well deserved merit based bonus program.... should the code result in GOOd behavior and FEW fines,,,, even better.. Most teachers would gladly trade a well disciplined student body, and a peaceful and safe school environment, any day for a few extra dollars in their paychecks... thank you thank you thank you..

reminds me of the Sesame Street clips where they showed us how Crayola Crayons and peanut butter are made... .....only for big people... they made a huge front end loader.. the other day,,,, in about FIVE minutes,,, welding included

Jehtro Tull '76 or '77. War Memorial Center Rochester NY Moody Blues Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center Canandaigua NY ... mid '80s Paul McCartney Wash DC. Fall 2005 ( i think) that was cool 'cause all 4 of my siblings and their spouses were there with Us...what a show... great acoustics, great visuals... great VOICE..... by Sir Paul...

nope...... i'm positive i would enjoy the AN -12

forget the burkas... they got to jump out of an AN-12..... that would hold MY attention... also,,,, it would be pretty easy .... to find a cutaway main and a reserve freebag assembly

Can't say when "Life" starts.... BUT a person only REALLY starts LIVING that very Instant that he or she first lets go of the airplane !!! on that # One , Jump...... jmy

So the 'free' in free speech means wherever is convenient and comfortable for you. Gotcha. This country would be very different today if that was all the speech that was allowed. I'm still confused as to why you want to talk about the 8 year old in a conversation about a mature adult being denied her right to buy a gun. Completely unrelated topics. 1. free speech is not the same, as the listener being forced to become a 'free audience'.. sure folks can SAY whatever they like... just as you and i do, when posting to ANY thread.... i'm surely not so arrogant to think that MY comfort or lack thereof enters into it...and I never denied that right to anyone.. just said i didn't wanna hear it....which is lots different than saying THEY can't say it... 2. my bad to bring up the loss of the child here.. sorry. I saw the word gun... and it reminded me of the sad episode which snuffed out the life of an 8 year old...THAT seemed to me, to make it 'related'. as to old people wanting to buy guns....?? Frankly I don't care... just as long as they don't point them at Me and at those in my life, who are important to me...... my original post here,, simply was to point out the sad results that CAN occur when someone WANTS to have a gun, but does Not know HOW to safely operate one... automatic OR Not... NOW i'm done. mea culpa jimmytavino

So you're against free speech for gun guys? I'm in favor of free speech for everyone, whenever it is considerate, noninflamatory, and not SHOUTed... at me... i'd be against it for 'gun guys', if they behave like "jesus freaks" or Jehovahs' Witnesses, and become unable to recognize when their "targets" are not "interested".. and thereby fail to understand when enough is enough... In those cases they can go speak Freely!!! somewhere out of MY hearing range...

NO...... i didn't see that thread MY bad... sorry... can you steer me toward it...??? and sure D spiral i DO get it, that it's NOT the GUN.....but the foolish Dad..... i'm NOT a big anti gun guy... I AM not..... as i say.. to each his own....and I'm Faaaar from being a veggie nut..... I do recognize the value in finding sustenence through hunting and actually will APPLAUD those who hunt for that purpose, AND who DO utilize the game that they have shot, much better than wasteful hunters,, who sometimes, just get off on the stalking and killing part.... we have a truly diverse population in this fine country of ours but i do get tired of over zealous NRA types who parade THEIR views around,,, like it is the way everyone should follow... that's all.... and I'll ask AKA once more..... ever Been Threatened!!!!!!???? by one of these WILD animals,,, ( who is most likely MORE scared of YOU than the other way around )???? sure sure Hell I have SEEN a bear or two in the wild myself,,, and once or twice saw what i think ,,,,, was a bobcat type feline..... but THEY stayed waaay far away from ME... AND if I could have SHOT them,,,,,, it would have been with a Nikon.... jimmy OUT

well Pal... i sure Don't live in a cave,,,,, and even IF there ARE wildcats and bears livin' in the areas which Man has Usurped..... I bet you've hardly EVER saw One,, much less been threatened. by one.....and how ANY one could KILL an ELK is beyond me.... but what the hell do I know??? downwardspiral.... sure sure the reply by aka. was cute, and funny, although demeaning.... but HOW ABOUT the deal with that little KID???? was THAT also a laugh riot???? sheesh.... sorta just helps to Make my point... jmy

Yes it's true,, I just pulled one of THESE outta each of MY ears,,,,,,, No wonder I haven't been able to HEAR what the people of this country want... these past 8 years" jt

...and YOUNG people should be cautioned against FIRING weapons... My newspaper ran a short article yesterday which described a young 8 year old boy..... who accidentally KILLED himself at a "gun show" this past weekend in Mass.. Apparently with his father at his side, and granting approval,,, an 'instructor' handed to this Little boy,, a small UZI semi-automatic weapon..... The boy pulled the trigger,,,,, and then overwhelmed by the kickback of this killing machine,,, lost control of it's aim,,, and while STILL firing the damn thing,,, somehow managed to allow it, to rise up in such a way,,, that he fatlly shot himself in the head!!! Damn....... what kind of gun show allows for the firing of LIVE ammo??? and what sort of father,, feels it is necessary for his 8 Year Old!!!!! to HANDLE such a weapon????... let alone,, FIRE it... Think we've gone a little too far?????.. with GUN rights????.. I DO !!!!!... hell man,, I've heard it ALL about the "right to bear arms",,, the constitutionally protected Blah Blah Blah... etc etc Damn.. THAT amendment was written hundreds of years ago,,,,,at a time when single loader muskets were the rage, and when bears and wolves and bobcats, still roamed the areas where people were living,,,,, and where the founding Fathers were aware of the need for and the value of.... " a well regulated militia" . NONE of that applies in todays world.... I M H O and to fall back on those amendment rights, as an argument in favor of bullet spraying automatic weapons,,, is NOT Fair,, and dare i say,,, ??? is ignorant...... sure, i'm in favor of Hunters rights to legally use rifles and shotguns to stalk and kill 'prey'.. ( though I never have and never WILL engage in that practice , myself...)... but where has common sense gone??? yeah yeah,,,, i've heard it all about, " we law abiding citizens need to protect ourselves from the Lawless ones,,,"..... but all that does is continues the cycle.... and people get shot to death, day in and day out..... Wanna Know MY solution????