AdamLanes

I thought it was depressing that the Gators let FSU score, giving up the shutout.

I had Lasik surgery about 5 years ago, and I have had no problems. Definitely give your eyes enough time to heal. It seems to me that riding in a car with the windows down gets more wind in my eyes than skydiving when I wear goggles. I think that a full-face helmet will protect the eyes even more. Of course I went skydiving days after severing my finger, and I may go skydiving this weekend with a tripod fracture, so blue skies!

I'll be there for the sunset skyvan load on Friday! I hope there is no surprise in the form of a registration fee. Better hide that blue water!

I dislike wearing jumpsuits, especially in the summer heat. I do not wear a jumpsuit when freeflying or tracking (although I plan on trying a wingsuit in the near future.) Lately I have been having success convincing some of the serious RW guys at my local DZ to jump without suits when they invite me for a fun jump. It makes the plane ride and jump more comfortable, and fun since everyone seems less serious without suits on! I personally believe that jumpsuits should not be worn for the sole purpose of compensating for poor freefall technique. Just don't get hurt landing your canopy trying to keep your clothes clean!

Hurricanes usually pass through within a couple of days, so you'll still have plenty of time to get your jump on. The summer is considered the off season for jumping in Florida only because all the snowbirds go home to their own DZs, but there are still plenty of locals jumping all year long!

I load my Sabre 170 at a much lower wing loading than you, and I get great response from it. According to Performance Designs, you are loading your canopy at the expert level. I recommend you get immediate canopy coaching from a qualified instructor.

I believe the minimum age for SCUBA diving (at least in the USA) is twelve. You have more time to react to emergencies in scuba diving than during skydiving. You also have what they call the buddy system in SCUBA diving, where you can work together for survival in the event of an emergency. In skydiving if you have an emergency, you are on your own. I started diving at 17 and jumping at 18.

Hello! I too live in Jacksonville, FL, and I skydive regularly at Skydive Palatka. If you call the dropzone at 1-800-243-6481, they will answer all your questions.

How about eliminating the war on drugs?

Who knew I was such a lightweight? Next time I think I'll stick to a two-beer buzz. Fortunately I was able to recover and have some fun on Saturday afternoon, including an awesome helicopter ride and jump! Thanks to everyone for a good time. I'm looking forward to actually competing in the Hog Flop next year.

Try this http://election.dos.state.fl.us/initiatives/initiativelistBallot.asp

What is this legitimate reason? The first thing that comes to mind is that politicians get campaign contributions from drug companies, and legal marijuana would be in direct competition with overly priced prescription drugs like Marinol.

There is at least one trick to tell if someone is stoned. hold a pen or similar object a couple feet in front of someone's face, and ask them to focus their eyes on it. Move the object side to side, and watch their eyes follow it. Next, slowly move the object in close to the persons nose, between their eyes. Most (if not all) sober people will automatically cross their eyes to keep focus on it. People who are high on marijuana will think they are focused on the object but actually will not cross their eyes, unless they already know this trick and consciously make an effort to cross their eyes!

There is a recent thread in the Speakers forum about whether or not marijuana should be legalized. I am wondering how many people have ever heard of cannabis butter? When you smoke weed, the act of burning destroys the vast majority of the THC, which is what gets you high. Smoking is also hazardous to your health. Directions: take 1/4 ounce of good marijuana, one 8-ounce stick of butter, and place them in a pot of water on your stove. Simmer on low heat for five hours. Do not let the water boil off, or you will burn the marijuana, defeating the purpose. After five hours all the THC will be extracted into the fat of the butter. Strain and then throw away the marijuana. You will be left with a water/butter combination that you place in the refrigerator over night. In the morning you will have a layer of green butter on top of some nasty looking brown water. Get rid of the water and use this cannabis butter anyway that you would normally use regular butter; using a normal amount. It will take approximately 1-2 hours after ingestion for full effects. Be careful because you may not be able to move!

YES, MARIJUANA NEEDS TO BE DECRIMINALIZED! Although marijuana can be taxed, I for one would grow my own, if it was legal. There are more important reasons for a change in the laws! The black market for drugs is prevalent as a direct result of the laws themselves that prohibit drugs. If drugs were legally available, then it would not be profitable for "street thugs" to sell drugs. It would not be profitable for terrorists to grow/manufacture/sell drugs if it were not for the black market!

Sorry to burst your bubble but my calendar says there are still 23 days until the Flop. Please tell me I am wrong! Maybe we can have a pre-boogie boogie in two weeks? I am looking forward to it.

Do you have a time machine or a crystal ball that tells you the certainty of the future? Don't fool yourself.

Money would be of no concern in a Utopia What if there were no taxes at all? Would that stimulate the economy? Hell no! We need an entirely new tax code in the USA that is fair and has no loopholes. Do I have all the answers, no. I do think that Bush's tax cuts are simply a way to buy votes. Yes, I am better off today. Not because of the war on terror, not because of any tax cuts, and not because of the Bush administration. I am better off today because I know more than I have ever known in my entire life, I try to constantly educate myself, and I work hard. Education should be the top priority. We would also be better off if drugs were treated as a healthcare issue, and not a criminal issue.

Quote Why didn't you quote his ENTIRE response? Quote Jim, obviously if more people are employed there will be a larger tax base to draw from. Tax breaks shift consumption from government spending to individual/business spending. Overall there is no increase in consumption, because the only thing that changes is who spends the money, and what the money is spent on, but not how much money is spent.

You are missing the point. The government also consumes goods and services, and employs a considerable amount of people. Less tax revenue means that the government has less money to spend on defense contracts, roads, schools, office supplies, etc. So now you have more money to spend on goods and services, but the government has less. It all balances out, and there is no net economic gain!

That seems to be an illogical statement. If you have more money when you pay lower taxes, than doesn't the government have less tax revenue? Either you are spending the money or the government is spending the money. There is no "surplus" of money to boost the economy. I suppose it can be argued that the government will spend the money whether or not they generate the tax revenue. This is evidenced by the enormous budget deficits that the Bush administration has created and continues to create. This irresponsible fiscal policy devalues the dollar; however, and necessitates higher taxes in the future!

It sounds like you are complacent when you say "I KNOW skydiving is safe." COMPLACENCY KILLS!

Mark Cuban is a scumbag. I saw a tv interview of him about a year ago where he laughed about how he paid his way through college with pyramid schemes. He also said he wanted to pay his current employees less than miniumum wage.

I'll be at Skydive Palatka, bright and early, to make the FREE load.

This post is in reference to the article on the homepage of dropzone.com about the unfortunate passing of British jumper Clare Barnes. Graeme Windsor is quated in the article saying, "One of the rubber bands was too big so the bag would not open and let the parachute out." Can someone please explain to me how this is possible? It seems to me that a large stow band would facilitate a faster opening. My sympathy goes out to the family and friends of Miss Barnes.