SBS

but WHY must one who lives an "alternative" lifestyle bring attention to it? -------------------- I believe that the way he came out of the closet to us was in talking about his boyfriend's canopy issue. He joined in this discussion because it specifically involved a demographic in which he happens to fall. So, if your girlfriend had a problem with her canopy, would you have a problem with posting that "My girlfriend's toggle came off this weekend!"? Or would you say, "This friend that I have who is a girl had a toggle come off this weekend!"? There is a point where people find things out about people, which includes if they are single, dating, married, gay, straight, black, white, etc. I didn't see him make a big deal out of it, you seem to be the one that is making it an issue. Don't ask, don't tell...bullshit! Be yourself, and allow others to do the same without criticizing them for doing so. -S _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

The ones that are fortunate enough to be confident within themselves would never feel uncomfortable around you. -------------------- I agree in theory, but the sad fact is that there are some that just straight up hate gays. I think your statement holds true a good deal of the time, but just because someone is secure or insecure will not always dictate how treat other people and what they consider to be right and wrong (referring to some thinking that homosexuality is a choice and that it is wrong). -S _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

Let's not forget "heat seeking moisture missel" ----------- And what about "purple helmet warrior"? :-) _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

See, that's what's really funny about me. I don't pretend. It is just the way I am. I don't notice other's differences - I see "samenesses". There is no pretense. It's just how I am. ---------------------- If I ask you if I am white or black, I think you will know the answer. To say that one does not notice differences is absolutely not accurate, and to not notice differences is not any more beneficial than to focus on the differences directly. In that case, we would be bodiless, voiceless orbs that share one thought. -S _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

Everyone wants to have an advantage in the world, and everyone wants to be able to get to the end and say that they have overcome adversity. The irony is that when one is a memeber of a minority, they feel supressed, and want to break free of stereotypes that may come along with being a member of that group, and be treated the same as everyone else. At the same time, to be treated the same as everyone else takes away the advantage that they have being able to say that they are prejudged based on their skin color or religion, etc. Every group seems to want the best of both worlds, and it just can't happen. That goes for everyone, whites, blacks, asians, gays, everyone. The funny thing is that we all want to belong, we all want to have a group with which we can identify. If we were just to let down the walls which have been built by society and accept one another for who we are, we would all belong to the most enormous group possible, the human race. Instead of walking down the street and feeling a connection to another person of the same color or sexual preference, we would be able to feel a connection with everyone we meet. It's idealistic, but why should we set our sights on anything less? -S _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

That's 'cause Clay is like the little retarded kid whose foibles you overlook because you know he can't help it ---------------- Frantic, teary reply from someone who strives to be politically correct and always make a statement to that end... "Oh! My God! That is so not cool! My cousin's vet has a mentally challenged son, can you not go there!!! It's not even funny!" :-) Steve _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

I agree with this post...there is a big difference, to me, between making fun of someone or something negatively, and simply joking about something. I also agree with Quade, that a huge amount of negativity comes from within a given demographic. Be it whites, blacks, gays, anyone, I think that a huge part of why walls build between us is our inability to laugh at ourselves. I think we all have a responsibility to respect one another, don't get me wrong. Like I said, there is a difference between "joking about" and "making fun of" something. I think where the problems occur is when the distinction is not made, and someone sees any sort of humorous comment that is made about anyone outside of the jokers demographic as wrong. Hell, maybe I'm wrong...I guess it could happen. :-) Just what I think, though. steve _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

I agree. I believe laws and education will deter rational people from committing crimes. These types of crimes, though, are not perpetrated by rational people, though, so the question remains, how can we help to stop sick shit like this from happening? Unfortunately, I don't think we can. -S _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

Richard, There is a big difference between someone that drives fast down the road and one who rapes and kills children. We aren't even talking about a child molester here, we are talking about a serial killer that is not a normal, rational person. Yes, I agree that there need to be harsher laws against molesting children, but no law is going to stop people like this from doing what they do. A guy who wants to touch his nephew's areas would probably be detered from doing so if the punishment was something like what has been described in this thread. I seriously doubt that this guy, at any time while he raped and killed that child, was thinking, "Oh, I hope I don't get in too much trouble for this." -S _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

(If he was in the mall, how could she have heard airplanes???) ------------- Just because he was at the mall doesn't mean that he was inside the mall, and it is close to the Ontario Airport, which would make sense. Doesn't mean that his mom wasn't lying, though. -S _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

The day after my dad died, my mom asked me if there was anything that I wished I had said to him. I answered her that he knew everything, I had said everything, and I had no regrets. That, to me, is a very comforting feeling when someone has left us. -S _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

I heard that too. I'm curious where it was, cause it's probably within about 5 miles from my house. Freaky! _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

then lets see how many people would think twice about doing these gruesome crimes...... -------------- I feel too that people like this deserve to die...I am not sure, though, that any punishment will discourage someone who is that messed up. Steve _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

Michele, I would recommend that you get your nipples pierced and attach the chest strap to the rings with 3.5 mini links to avoid too much movement of the chest strap. Let me know if that helps. Steve _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

Gramatically, nope, not possible. If you have TOO much of something, then by definition, it is no longer a good thing. Realistically, I think anything that is good looses something when not had in moderation. Sex, money, skydiving, anything. Hopefully sometime I'll be able to test it out first hand, and see if there really is such thing as too much sex. I think I'd rather have a little to much than much too little. :-) Steve _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

Actually, the report is slightly inaccurate...I actually live in Lake Elsinore, not Winnepeg. :-) _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

It's so easy, you're going to laugh. :-) I was stressed about the climb out and everything, wondering where we'd have to cross our arms, legs, reaching the strut without inflating the wings and taking out the tail, etc., and when we got out and did it, it was sooooo easy. We did a poised exit and were flying right off the plane on every jump. We had 2 people out on the strut, and I was on the outside. I sat next to the pilot facing backwards, and when the door opened, just rotated and put my right foot on the step, grabbing the base of the strut as I stood up. As I inched out, I just made sure to stay crouched down, and keep my appendages close to my body. The resistance really wasn't much. It was really just like a normal climb out, just without as much reach. When I was ready to go, I gave a count and just stepped off to the right, and opened up. You can literally fly the suit right off the plane. Just make sure to make a big enough step, obviously, to miss the tail to the right, and don't jump up at all, just step off. That should give you plenty of clearance. I love Cessnas. :-) Steve _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

RELAX!!! We have a tennancy to become different people when we leave the airplane, not as relaxed as we are as if we were walking down the street. That, to me, is the level of comfort that I try to acheive on every skydive, and how I try to approach the exit...just as in any sport, you want to be relaxed throughout a motion...during a serve in tennis, swing in golf, shooting a freethrow, etc. Fight the urge to tense up both mentally and physically. Just my 2 cents. steve _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

Josh, I don't think that ANYONE has the right to talk to another that way, regardless of their "team" status. Where people can get away with that is with familiarity with their camera person, which has nothing to do with whether they are on a team or not. As far as missing the plane, it may or may not have been the camera persons fault. Regardless, though, whether the person is doing camera as a favor for a jump, or "on the team", it is everyone's responsibility to get all 5 people to the right aircraft. Steve _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

huh, I hadn't heard of that, I have always seen exactly the opposite. Paul, what have you seen as far as people touching teams on exit? _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

As far as I know.... touching the team is the only way to really time the exits on a tailgate like a Casa or Skyvan since you are leaving in a weird spot and angle for video. --------------- It is not completely necessary, but I do do that. What we were talking about, though, is 4-way teams, who do not leave out of a skyvan or CASA except on extremely rare occasions when nothing else is available. Other than in tailgate aircraft, I actually, personally, don't believe I know any videographers who touch the team that they are filming. It might be a good poll. Steve _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

I believe what I said (or at least meant to say) was that they cannot reasonably be held acceptable for bad camera flying if they were NOT being paid or NOT having the slot covered... if they ARE being paid or the slot is covered, feel free to debrief their work... ---------------- And that is what I was replying to. I don't personally think it matters if someone is being paid or not, or is jumping with a pick up team, etc., I think that when someone is jumping camera, they are always subject to constructive criticism. -------------- The pick-up guy that is doing it for free is really just doing a favor, and unless he/she jeopardizes the safety or interferes with the skydive the most you should do is say "thanks for the effort but we'll find someone else." ------------------- Monetary compensation is not what motivates me to do a good job, and is not what I think gives someone the right to critique my work. For me it's a matter of taking pride in my work and wanting to improve. I think that anyone, doing a favor or not, needs to be able to take a little bit of constructive criticism if it is thrown his/her way, because it will provide better video for the team which is being filmed, as well as help that person to improve in the future. If a team picks up a guy who has 150 jumps and takes him/her to nationals, that's one thing, where the person can't be expected to do a perfect job, but had I gone to nationals last year as a pick up video, which I did, and shoot bad video, which I did not, I would expect to be criticized for it. Should I have a friend say, "Hey, our video guy has to miss a couple of loads, would you mind jumping with us a couple of times?", even if I were doing it as a favor and not getting paid, I think it would be wrong to take offense to them saying between jumps, "Hey, do you think you could leave a little later?" or "Do you think you could leave a little earlier?" ----------------------- As for the video guy/gal partaking in the pre-jump rituals, I think it is appropriate... to do good video you need to be in sync w/ the team... the rhythm of the practice count should be identical to the rhythm of the actual count...having that is critical to leaving at the right time... btw, many videographers do touch the team and leave at the same time... with many teams you can feel the count as well as you can see it. ---------------------- I will restate a little differently... I think that the ritual should reflect the skydive. If you touch the team on exit, then I think you should touch the team on the count. If you do not, though, I think you should watch it without touching it, because when you are actually exiting with the team, you do not have the benefit of the feeling of touch. I completely agree that someone needs to be familiar with the rhythm of a team's count, but just as the team will do a shake, down, out, count if that is what they do in the door, I think that it is ideal for the videographer to do just what he/she will do in the door, and take the visual cues off of the practice count. Steve _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

I fully understand this, as I do have a good number of 4-way video jumps. Understanding and knowing the cadence of the count is important, but at the same time, the 4-way team is going to be using a number of cues that you will not have as a video flier, hearing a count, feeling a count, and seeing a count. As the video person, you get one and only thing, seeing the count. As these rituals are done in preparation for the skydive, I believe that it is best that they reflect the skydive itsself. Steve _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

IMO, The videographer is an integral part of 4-way, at the same time, though, I do not consider them to be part of the 4-way team. That is why the competition is called "4-way" and "8-way", not "5-way" and "9-way". Flying camera is not simple, and takes practice. It helps tremendously when a team can pick up a videographer for a season, rather than one here and one there. The importance of the videographer cannot be discounted, but to say that they are a memeber of the team, in my opinion, is not entirely accurate. In RW, the team is on one plane, and ideally, should not consider the video, just interacting and flying with their teammates. Freeflying is different, though, because there is actual interaction and movement specifically in relation to the videoflier. As far as not holding the videoflier accountable for mistakes if he is not considered part of the team, Josh, I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you. A video person has a job to do, regardless of how many jumps they have done with a team, they need to be able to go out and perform. When I am hired to do something and I miss a shot, I expect to get shit for it...because I have put myself in a position where I am saying that I can do the job and whether I am being paid or not, I feel a responsibility to live up to that promise. Something that I have always been curious about is why camera people get in on the practice exit count in the plane, and especially participating in the eye contact exercise. I have always considered that preparation for the jump itsself...as the camera person, I am not going to be touching anyone on exit, and not leaving at the same time as the team...I use the count to watch and invision my exit, just as I will be when I am outside of the plane. With the eye contact, seems to me that the point is to get into the zone of interacting with and knowing the 3 other people with whom you are turning points...there will be no eye contact with the camera person at any point in the skydive. I dunno, I think I just approach the whole thing differently than most other camera people. I'm going to shut up now. :-) Steve _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

never to experience the joy of "public" sex. --------------- Hi, my name's Steve...I would like to be your friend... _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...