Duckwater

If I don't post a picture of my ball sack, will everyone stop?

Speaking of crap I have done to you...Did you ever get my check?

He has the courtesy to give fellow Texans a reach-around at least. Paul, I will restrain myself from photoshopping an idea I just had. Be glad.

Paul, I just had a vivid visual of GWB giving it to you Deliverance style......Be careful the picture you paint...

Dude, they got that Darwin book in Cliff Notes. Some Thing, One or the Almighty gave me the attention span of Gary Buesy.

The examples are there. Watch Quade, Domenico, even mild swoopers like Obrien...All world class skydivers. They fly with the same precision and skill, with much larger margin for error. You never have to swoop. But people LOVE speed. New skydiver sees, and hears Team Beendoinitforever swooping by him at mach 1. Who wouldn't want to do that? I would love to be able to swoop 450'. It is exciting as hell. I honestly don't think there is a way to keep young, especially dudes, from wanting to swoop as fast as they can and perhaps shunning advice because of the need to look cool. So, what do we do? We can't ask people who do it safely to stop, and logistically another landing area would be implausable. I don't know if ther could be a shift in attitude that "conservative is cool"...Testostarone overrides Judgement more often than not and we have to realize that. Still, try to sell the Paul Quade approach to any jumper with more sense than balls. In canopy class, we need to give these future swoopers ALL the info. Show them pictures of a compound femur and tell him it is likely,, show them how the smallest error can be disasterous.Then, if the balls are still dominant.... Show them a progression to swooping. Front risers, 90 carves...180 carves...be smooth. If you gotta dig, you f'ed up.... There is so much to swooping a class is essential. And, you will get so much better, so much faster with training, just like coaching jumps. I am not anti swooping at all. I actually love doing it. But the dangers need to be related to all newbies and proper training given.

Ethiopian food? I erased 3 jokes. Educate us on what Etheopian food is like..... Mike

Why beg to be blown when there is www.babesofbabylon.com?

Who is Joe and who else besides Joe is getting blown?

I am going to write a pure non-question statme..but I have ADD and what was I doing?

Being in Texas, Rednecks seem to be the last group that is fair game for stereotyping. None of us find it offensive but if you made fun of any other 'groups' mannerisms and culture you are likely to be branded a racist. Stereotypes exist for a reason, they are not necessarily bad, just an observation of a trait of a culture that is different. Only Chris Rock and South Park seem to have passes to make fun of everybody, and they do it well.

Yes, the BASIC principles were. Nothing about the risers, harness turns, flat turns. 10 jumps after I took the course, 100 jumps, I had a brake line lock up in half brake. My training took over, I tested the rear riser flare high...Then I landed on rear risers, softly. I didn't get that solution to a problem from Dear Abby. I am lucky that I was at the best DZ in the world and the instructor made it a point to come to me as a new jumper and tell me how much I needed the class. Lucky as hell. Go take a course and then tell me how valuable it is or is not. I am a good canopy pilot...I really am....Only because I was TAUGHT to be. Im telling you, after the course and a few jumps you will say "Holy Shit!" Have you taken a course? Im curious.

1. Base jumping is a sport with entirely different gear, risks, and appeal. Base jumping is NOT a low pull contest and some base rigs even have reserves. Yes or No, answer this question. Do you think it is appropriate to teach every new skydiver the somewhat complex art of flying a canopy? Course is less than a day and involves 1 jump and a test. I had to shrink my nuts in the pool in Feb swimming under a chutre. Why the hell do I HAVE to waste my time? I know the risks of landing in water. I doubt I will ever land in water at Perris but the training sure won't HURT. It wasnt even really training, just demonstrating I can swim. Why not have a day in the classroom too. What I am proposing has NO effect on currernt jumpers. And if you really don't believe that a mandatory canopy course will prevent some, not all of the errors that lead to these copycat incidents, then I have nothing further to say to you. Mike

Pay Packers - They will love you and you can goof off while everyone is packing....I have 910 jumps and I have never packed once.

I think it takes a lot of faith to be an atheist. To me, a bug shaped like a leaf and the duck billed playtupus didn't just happen....Something created it....and that something had a few beers while in the shop sometimes..... Kinda like the South Park Episode where the Sea Monkeys think Cartman is God

Im sooo undecided - Financially - I want Bush. I am a Christian but I think the Religious Right (Christian Coalition) is almost Naziish in their zeal to make everyone believe in their beliefs and morals. That is what I can't stand about the Republican Party or Church. Kerry - Is that really the best the Democrats had???? They are as tied into big business as the Republicans. I see no real difference and I think that him and Bush ahve both lied through their teeth. I do want stem cell research. In my heart I want Ralph Nader - He is the only one I truly trust. Logically, he would be our best president and make REAL changes that would improve our lives. Unfortunately, he is a little on the odd side sometimes and he will never win so..... You know who I REALLY would vote for... Chris Rock.....Seriously. Hes smarter than you think.

Extremely intelligent and futuristic mode of analasis, Tom. I see the lack of this attitude that a little sacrafice now, will pay big dividends later all to common. Lawsuits are a prime example. Most major companies will pay a frivilous claim to make it go away because it would cost more to fight it. If they started fighting these, and making these phone book lawyers actually go to court and all the related expenses, they would stop. You would have high legal fees for a while but these ambulance chasers could never afford to spend the time and money to truly fight a court battle In the long run, you are way ahead. I don't know the details of this sickening incident, but Terrorist organizations worldwide just took a BIG hit. They lost a whole lot of sympathy. All Islamic nations are condeming the attack and, I pray that this can unite the world in the fight against radicals like this. I heard that many children were shot in the back.............. Mike

Dude, I know there were some hot chicks there. You couldn't get some cleavage shots while pretending to shoot the sea lion? You disgust me..... Edited: After I wrote this...I was like....Hey, I did take some pictures of a chick while pretending to get the sea lion...... http://www.skaggsapalooza.com/K106.JPG

Bill, I would tend to agree with any opinion you have over mine because you are friggin always right..Yes, the comparison was silly but I think you agree with my point. I have said all along, a canopy flight course should be mandatory.....It is so needed is is pathetic. As for base jumping. My first time....You think Ann will shove me off the bridge and sream "pull as low as ya like"...Hell no. It will be the professional, structrued, safe as can be program she runs....Basic Research takes the most dangerous sport in the world and makes it safe to learn.

How many times do you have to be told, you do not have to KILL YOURSELF doing this!!!!!

OK smarty pants....Where is THE place for low pulls? And, where are you skydivng off the DZ? BTW, what's your lowest pull, I'm curious. It is a perfect analogy You never cease to amaze me..

Do you think the Student Swooper in the hospital REALLY understood the risks? Surely a tandem passenger understands there are risks, he doesn't know what they all are so we regulate them to protect him. Why don't we regulate the risks these Student Swoopers are obviously not understanding. Why do they have the right?

They used to have low pull contests. It was fun I'm sure. People died. I guess they were smarter a couple decades ago because they made rules prohibiting this. Im sure everyone bitched and moaned, mabye a few quit....but guess what, people are not createring in because they hummed it low almost ever. Go to a big DZ and have a low pull contest with your buddies. See how long you last at that DZ. Keep doing it at other DZ's and see what USPA does to your card. What is the difference if I think it is fun to deploy at 800' and you think it is fun to swoop the pond at 200 jumps? Shouldn't I have the RIGHT to pull low? It's my life...I died doing what I love! Why regulate one clearly dangerous trend and ignore another? Mike

OK....I think it is generally agreed that the swoop is more dangerous. Here are excerpts of the FAA requirements for a Tandem. I think most skydivers will agree that they are very reasonable. (i) Has a minimum of 3 years of experience in parachuting, and must provide documentation that the parachutist This rule really had me bewildered as to its point when I first started skydiving. I was jumping every day and why would I have to wait 3 years if I had all the other requirements? Now I know. In 3 years, you will have seen people die, get injured, do stupid crap etc. And, of you survive 3 years of Skydiving, you probably are not doing it recklessly. The wisdom of time in the sport is irreplacable. (ii) Has completed a minimum of 500 freefall parachute jumps using a ram-air parachute This number seems really low to me but OK....Most people with 3 years in have more than this anyway. (iv) Has successfully completed a tandem instructor course given by the manufacturer of the tandem parachute system used in the parachute operation or a course acceptable to the Administrator. A complete education. Much more involved than a canopy course and there is by far more physics and skill involed in swooping. Apply the same rules above (mandated by USPA) to canopy flight. There are 'suggested' wingloading progression guidelines in the SIM, enhance, clarify and make them requirements for new jumpers. Print on every A licence and make all new skydivers memorize and recite SIM Section 6-10 B-8 8. Each progressive step in downsizing, technique, and canopy design should be a conscious decision, rather than considered a routine part of a skydiver's progression: I know we need to protect the paying tandem passenger. We dont want him to get hurt or killed. But when that passenger loves it, does AFF and wants to swoop all of a sudden we don't care?

They may not be American, or white, or think about stuff in quite the same way you do, but they still feel the raw animal searing agony that all of us feel when we lose a relative. As an American, that is the hardest concept to truly grasp. I think we all 'know' it, but we don't seem to care. 16,000 people in Banglidesh die is a Typhoon and its on page 8. What is wrong with us? Is it the Media that has de-sensitized us to anything beyond North America?