Phil1111

Never jumped in the UK, would like to. At least the UK political situation is clearer when it comes to the CAA, pandering, self congratulations and the BPA. With regards to the sensitivities of some UK jumpers: All right, all right, I apologize. BPA: You’re really sorry! I’m really really sorry, I apologize unreservedly. BPA: You take it back! I do, I offer a complete and utter retraction. The imputation was totally without basis in fact, and was in no way fair comment, and was motivated purely by malice, and I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused you, or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future. BPA: OK

This is a prime example on how propaganda works. If something is repeated often enough to a receptive mind it works.During the current US election cycle its important to recognize spin and propaganda. ""Propaganda" is information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicise a particular political cause or point of view. Propaganda is often associated with the psychological mechanisms of influencing and altering the attitude of a population toward a specific cause, position or political agenda in an effort to form a consensus to a standard set of belief patterns.[1] Propaganda is information that is not impartial and is used primarily to influence an audience and further an agenda, often by presenting facts selectively (perhaps lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or using loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than a rational response to the information presented.[1] Today the term propaganda is associated with a manipulative and jingoistic approach, but propaganda historically was a neutral descriptive term." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda Further reading: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/vergano/2010-01-22-psychology-political-propoganda_N.htm "Advertising folks have known all this of course, long before the Mad Menera. In 1928, pioneering public relations expert Edwards Bernays, "the father of public relations," published the book, Propaganda, which argued: "conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country." Bernays suggested advertisers rely on a "herd instinct" in people, much like the desire to conform demonstrated by the 1951 experiments, to sell their products." Quote from above.

Saving the entire existence of the sport in a state filled with delusions of injury and death? 1. Yet the UK government allows scuba diving, mountain climbing, rebreather diving and hang gliding. The age restrictions for those sports are? 2.The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced planned changes to medical requirements for PPL and NPPL holders to be introduced in late summer 2016. "After the introduction date, the medical requirement for UK PPL and NPPL licence holders, and private balloon pilots, will be to meet the same standard as that required to hold a DVLA Group 1 Ordinary Driving Licence and pilots will be able to complete a form on the CAA website to declare that they meet the DVLA medical standard. Existing medical options (for example a UK declaration with GP counter signature) will remain available. Under the changes, which will be published in a new version of the UK Air Navigation Order, pilots under age 70 will need to complete the CAA website form once, while pilots over 70 must confirm their declaration every three years." http://www.pilotweb.aero/news/caa_to_change_private_pilot_medical_requirements_1_4530089 So the CAA, UK is relaxing age and medical requirements for pilots. 3. Third parties killed or injured? So over 55, skydiving students are killing people on the ground or in the air due to age related physical or mental incapacitates? Your committees statistical references are? 4. US, Canadian, French, etc. trial lawyers have set aside "waiver of rights" documents for decades already. Get off the royal horse or at least recognize that your bridle is attached to the ass of the horse.Try the head, Its where the brains are. Saving the sport from the airway of FAA inspired reckless, unregulated, "cock-up's". Sure.

Today: "Trump's campaign said Monday the tax plan would "dramatically reduce taxes for everyone and streamline deductions, presenting the biggest tax reform since [the] Reagan [administration]." But based on the details released so far, the plan would also explode the federal budget deficit, add trillions of dollars to the national debt and substantially raise the government's interest payments, according to several independent analysts. Trump's tax cuts would amount to some $12 trillion over the next decade, according to the Tax Foundation. Even after accounting for stronger economic growth, the plan would leave the government more than $10 trillion short over the next 10 years. That money would have to be made up for with more borrowing, dramatically expanding the nation's debt." http://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-tax-cuts-costly-194146497.html April 2, 2016 Donald Trump: “We’ve got to get rid of the $19 trillion in debt.” Bob Woodward: “How long would that take?” Trump: “I think I could do it fairly quickly, because of the fact the numbers…” Woodward: “What’s fairly quickly?” Trump: “Well, I would say over a period of eight years. And I’ll tell you why.” Woodward: “Would you ever be open to tax increases as part of that, to solve the problem?” Trump: “I don’t think I’ll need to. The power is trade. Our deals are so bad.” Woodward: “That would be $2 trillion a year.” Trump: “No, but I’m renegotiating all of our deals, Bob. The big trade deals that we’re doing so badly on. With China, $505 billion this year in trade. We’re losing with everybody.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/04/02/trumps-nonsensical-claim-he-can-eliminate-19-trillion-in-debt-in-eight-years/ Mmmmmm $29 trillion in a decade. The power of crack is strong.

Lol, what complete utter shit. I'll admit that since the Trump candidacy, I've wondered if perhaps I've been a bit naive when it comes to the level of racism/bigotry in this country - but what you just wrote was desperate to the point of delusion. When's the last time you've seen the white power folks so excited about a presidential candidate ? Ok, so by your logic, since black power folks were excited about Obama's candidacy, the majority of Obama's black supporters must've had a low intellect - Obama must've hated white people and wanted to make this a "blacks only" country. . . (snigger) US presidents get elected by winning "centrist" swing states comprised of moderate voters. Hillary and the democrats recognize this. Trump and the republicans don't. Although the republican party of Bush jr did. " “I’m worried,” Bush told them, “that I will be the last Republican president.” Donald Trump, who will officially become the Republican nominee on Tuesday, has done little to inspire renewed confidence since. Instead, he has solidified himself as an erratic, underfunded and scattershot candidate, plagued by staff turmoil and missed opportunities. In the run-up to the convention, he sued a former aide for $10 million. He canceled his vice-presidential announcement citing a terror attack in France, went on cable news and declared America to be in a world war and then announced his pick at the original time slot anyway on Twitter. Within hours, Trump was rocked by leaks from within his inner circle about his own late-night waffling on the single most significant decision a presidential candidate can make... In interviews with more than 40 of the Republican Party’s leading strategists, lawmakers, fundraisers and donors, a common thread has emerged heading into the general election: Win or lose in November (and more expect to lose than not), they fear that Trump’s overheated and racialized rhetoric could irreparably poison the GOP brand among the fastest-growing demographic groups in America.... In delegation breakfasts, private hotel suites and steakhouses across Cleveland—and farther afield for those, like Jeb Bush and his family, who are skipping the festivities—they are laying the foundations for the next political battles they believe can actually be won: first, to preserve the GOP majorities in the House and Senate this fall, then to save the Republican Party itself." http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/rnc-2016-gop-republican-party-leaders-future-donald-trump-214065#ixzz4Ermv50bQ In the meantime everyone else I know seems to be stocking up on guns and high capacity magazines.Not like they don't own enough to equip platoons already. In case things go terribly wrong in November.

Somewhat accurate. You are describing a typical pandering politician. trump panders to racists. If he does it too much he will paint himself into a corner where he acts on the racist ideas. As far as most voters want him,(other posts above) the polls show otherwise. Republican party voters in primary elections voted for him and thats a small part of the total electorate. You're completely right about his narcissist ego overriding common sense with regards to publicity and macro thinking. "Michael Morell, former acting director of the CIA, endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in a New York Times op-ed Friday, praising the former secretary of state's qualifications and warning that GOP nominee Donald Trump "may well pose a threat to national security." http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/05/politics/michael-morell-clinton-endorsement/ trump is a threat to US national interests, US economic interests. The sooner the Republican party comes to recognize it the sooner they can concentrate on maintaining the seats that they have. Controlling the house won't stop Hillary from appointing SC judges. But it will allow them to block legislation. The republican party has failed to address the issues that led to Obama's re-election. trump is but a symptom of those failures. "To the Go-Along Republicans Memo to Paul Ryan: Trump’s problem is his character, not his ‘ideas.’ By Bret Stephens Aug. 1, 2016 6:43 p.m. ET There’s an old saying that in politics there are no permanent victories—and no permanent defeats. Barry Goldwater was crushed in 1964 but the ideas that animated his candidacy found new life in the Reagan Revolution of 1980. Bill Clinton declared the era of big government over in 1996 and 14 years later we got ObamaCare. The inevitable turning of the policy wheel should comfort conservatives unnerved by the prospect of a Hillary Clinton presidency. Liberals overreach. Statist solutions fail. Voters tire of one-party rule. To govern is to own, and the next president will own the next recession, the next foreign-policy fiasco, the next Veterans Affairs scandal. If Mrs. Clinton is everything Republicans say she is—an opportunistic, dishonest, incompetent left-wing ideologue—they can at least look forward to a one-term presidency. I know I do. But to say there are no permanent victories or defeats in politics doesn’t mean there is no permanent dishonor. Huey Long, Charles Coughlin, Alger Hiss, Joe McCarthy and Bull Connor are the foul names of America’s 20th century, and always will be. And those who supported and excused them will always be tainted by association. This is where Republicans now find themselves with their presidential nominee. Of all of Donald Trump’s vile irruptions—about Sen. John McCain’s military record, or reporter Serge Kovaleski’s physical handicap, or Judge Gonzalo Curiel’s judicial fitness—his casual smear of Ghazala Khan is perhaps the vilest. This isn’t simply because Mrs. Khan is a bereaved mother. Bereavement alone does not place someone above criticism, especially when it comes to political differences. Nor is it because Mrs. Khan’s son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, died heroically to protect his troops in Iraq. The special deference given to Gold Star parents is, at bottom, a social convention. No: What makes Mr. Trump’s remarks so foul is their undisguised sadism. He took a woman too heartbroken and anxious to speak of her dead son before an audience of millions and painted a target on her. He treated her silence as evidence that she was either a dolt or a stooge. He degraded her. “She was standing there. She had nothing to say,” Mr. Trump told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “She probably, maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me.” In this comment there was the full unmasking of Mr. Trump, in case he needed further unmasking. He has, as Humayun’s father Khizr put it, a “black soul.” His problem isn’t a lack of normal propriety but the absence of basic human decency. He is morally unfit for any office, high or low. This is the point that needs to dawn—and dawn soon—on Republican officeholders who pretend to endorse Mr. Trump while also pretending, via wink-and-nod, that they do not. Paul Ryan has tried to walk this razor’s edge by stressing how much he disagrees with Mr. Trump’s “ideas.” On Sunday the speaker issued a flabby statement extolling the Khan family’s sacrifice and denouncing religious tests for immigrants without mentioning Mr. Trump by name. Mr. Ryan is doing his personal reputation and his party’s fortunes no favors with these evasions. The central issue in this election isn’t Mr. Trump’s ideas, such as they are. It’s his character, such as it is. The sin, in this case, is the sinner. It will not do for Republicans to say they denounce Mr. Trump’s personal slanders; his nativism and protectionism and isolationism; his mendacity and meanness and crassness; his disdain for constitutional protections—and still campaign for his election. There is no redemption in saying you went along with it, but only halfway; that with Mr. Trump you maintained technical virginity. To lie down with him is to wake up with him. It’s as simple as that. That’s a thought that ought to frighten Republicans. The Khan slander was not Mr. Trump’s first and will not be his last or worst. As one wag on Twitter put it, the man always finds a new bottom. Nor are we likely done with new disclosures about Mr. Trump’s business practices and associations. Conservative die-hards may try to hold fast to the excuse that Hillary Clinton was, is, and always will be “worse,” but the argument can’t be sustained indefinitely. Mrs. Clinton is not the apotheosis of evil. She may be a corner-cutter and a liar, and she’ll almost surely appoint liberals to the Supreme Court. But at least she’s not a sociopath. Politics is mostly the business of maintaining popularity in the here-and-now. Not always. Come January, Mrs. Clinton will likely be president. Whether there is a GOP that can still lay a claim to moral and political respectability is another question. Mr. Ryan and other Go-Along Republicans should treat the Khan episode as their last best hope to preserve political reputations they have worked so hard to build. http://www.wsj.com/articles/to-the-go-along-republicans-1470091421

http://avherald.com/h?article=49c12302 and some additional speculation http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/582445-emirates-b777-gear-collapse-dxb.html

Meanwhile trumps business heads for the dump "As you can see, the pink line falls below the blue line in the spring of 2015, just as Trump announced his candidacy in June 2015. Trump’s businesses failed to see the gains in foot traffic that they typically do during the summer, Foursquare says. Things appear to get worse this spring, as voters in states around the country went to the primaries. Foot traffic at Trump properties was down 17 percent year-on-year in March, April and June, and down 14 percent year-on-year in July." https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/08/04/what-donald-trumps-candidacy-has-really-meant-for-his-business-empire/ No wonder the tax records are a no show.

Don't worry, Trump will be more careful when he imports Melania's replacement in a few years. Well he likes to create jobs! And Christian leaders love trump: "In fact, Trump couldn’t be more different than the Christian pastors, authors, and activists in attendance. The reality-television star and real-estate mogul is the living, breathing embodiment of what many evangelicals have spent their careers warring against. Many evangelicals have advocated for abstinence education in public schools, lamenting premarital and extramarital sex. Trump has repeatedly bragged about his sexual encounters and multiple affairs with married women. Many evangelicals champion the “sanctity of marriage” and lament America’s high divorce rate. Trump has been divorced three times. Many evangelicals fear America is becoming too secular. Trump doesn’t regularly attend church. Evangelicals often oppose gambling. Trump has made much of his wealth from casinos. Many evangelicals believe pornography is a social blight. In a picture from a meeting between Donald Trump and Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife, a framed Playboy magazine cover was visible in the background...." This of course before the nude photos of trump's wife were republished last weekend. "Because Trump is promising them the thing they want most. As he told the 1,000 Christian leaders in New York (emphasis mine): This is such an important election. And I say to you folks because you have such power, such influence. Unfortunately the government has weeded it away from you pretty strongly. But you’re going to get it back. Remember this: If you ever add up, the men and women here are the most important, powerful lobbyists. You’re more powerful. Because you have men and women, you probably have something like 75, 80 percent of the country believing. But you don’t use your power. You don’t use your power. Donald Trump is no dummy. He knows his audience better than they know themselves. Evangelicals are acutely aware of their waning cultural influence and shrinking share of the population. These religious leaders care about their principles, yes. But they care about something else even more: power. While not every evangelical leader is enthusiastic about Trump, many are starting to express warm feelings toward the candidate. Expect the cascade to continue. Their fawning, fumbling efforts to push Trump into the White House prove that many of them will risk everything to reclaim cultural and political control—even if that means defying their own beliefs." http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/06/trump-and-the-evangelicals-a-match-made-in-well/488552/ Well to get power even Christian evangelicals have to deal with the devil sometimes.

Not likely. News Flash from the Trump Campaign Offices: "The beatings will continue until morale improves"

Yes, Pierson acknowledged the mistake with the time line. But, when she was trying to make her larger point that Obama's evacuation and abandonment of Iraq created conditions which resulted in even more US military being killed the CNN reporters didn't want to hear about it. Maybe the CNN reporters were aware (as you are not) that it was Bush who negotiated and signed the timeline for US troop withdrawals from Iraq. So maybe they just didn't want to hear more right wing BS and revisionist history. georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/12/20081214-2.html Completely aware of Bush's timeline. But the goal was to leave Iraq in a reasonably stable state with a functioning democratic government that represents all factions regardless of any artificial schedule. Things happen that do not cooperate with schedules and exit strategies. It was very predictable what would happen to Iraq after withdrawal of troops at the time it actually happened. They simply were not ready to stand alone and secure as a nation. Oh yeah! We were supposed to steal their oil too. We bugged out before we could fill our pockets. What about the idea that subsequent to the election of an Iraq government that being Iyad Allawi's. That perhaps, just perhaps, Iran and Sunni -Shia ideology had more to do with the current situation in Iraq than US politics. Sometimes US politicians, US citizens and US journalists need to look objectively at Geo-politics. Bush, Obama and US interests don't pre-determine world events.

Perhaps trump can use the narasissm defense. "Why we should pity attention-seeking narcissists There are some surprising and unpleasant downsides to thinking you are the centre of the universe. We can probably all recognise those attention-seeking people in our lives – and increasingly it seems in politics and pop culture – who have a hugely inflated sense of their own importance and abilities, combined with a relative disregard for other people’s. Psychologists call them narcissists, after the character Narcissus from Greek mythology, who fell in love with his own reflection. When you meet someone like this, their bravado can be alluring at first, but soon the sheen wears off as their look-at-me antics and disdain for others becomes increasingly apparent. You’ve probably come to find the narcissist in your office or family (or on your TV screen) arrogant and annoying. If so, that’s understandable, but actually some of the latest research findings in this area suggest that the most appropriate response to narcissists is probably pity, and maybe even kindness.... A Swiss study assessed hundreds of people several times over several six-month periods, including measuring their narcissism and their experience of stressful events. The results showed that higher scorers in narcissism tended to go on to experience more stress in life, such as illness, accidents and relationship breakups. Based on this, the researchers at the University of Bern concluded that “narcissism is maladaptive for the individual, because narcissistic individuals generate adverse events in their lives.”... They found that those who scored high in narcissism showed increased physiological signs of stress the more negative emotions that they experienced, whereas non-narcissists did not – findings that suggest that narcissists are surprisingly thin-skinned and sensitive.... [Aside, which explains: 4 August 2016 • 10:51am People often mock Donald Trump for having "small hands". This insult goes back to the 1980s, when Spy magazine dubbed Mr Trump a “short-fingered vulgarian”. He allegedly got so angry about this that he sent photographs of his hands to editors decades later.... "He's like 6'2", which is why I don't understand why his hands are the size of someone who is 5'2". "And you know what they say about men with small hands? You can't trust them." This angered Mr Trump, who said later: "Look at those hands, are they small hands?" as he raised them in the air... However, we now know exactly how big Trump's hands are, thanks to Madame Tussauds and the Hollywood Reporter. In 1997, a team from Madame Tussauds took measurements of Trump’s body parts to create a life-size wax sculpture. The waxwork is no longer on display, but there is a bronze mould of his hand on the New York museum's wall. And according to The Hollywood Reporter, this means his hand is 7.22 inches long, which is smaller than average, especially for someone of his height. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/04/donald-trumps-tiny-hand-size-revealed---use-this-graphic-to-see/ ] At the same time as recognising their fragility, it’s worth remembering that narcissistic people do have some redeeming qualities; in some contexts they can be unusually persistent in the face of set-backs, no doubt to prove their worth to themselves and others,... Taking all these findings together there’s good reason to try, if you can, to be a little more patient – more loving even – with the narcissists in your life. More likely than not they are overcompensating for their deep-rooted self-doubts, and while they might seem smug and to be stealing all the lime-light, the chances are that longer-term they will not fare well, especially if events turn against them." http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160802-why-we-should-pity-attention-seeking-narcissists

"Navy investigators blamed human error and an improperly programmed valve for a March incident in which eight sailors were injured when a cable used to catch a landing E-2C Hawkeye snapped on the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. According to a Navy report obtained by The Virginian-Pilot through a Freedom of Information Act request, maintenance personnel missed at least one and possibly two “critical steps” while working on an engine that helps operate the carrier flight deck’s cables, which are called cross deck pendants, after a previous landing. As a result, the engine failed to slow the aircraft, instead causing the pendant to break “at or near” the Hawkeye’s tailhook. The Navy did not find evidence of willful dereliction of duty or negligence by the maintenance workers. The report said that while there was a “lack of procedural compliance” while troubleshooting an error code from a previous arrested landing, “the sailors involved reasonably believed they had properly and conscientiously completed the complicated procedure.” The Eisenhower Strike Group could not be reached for additional comment Friday. The strike group left Norfolk Naval Station on June 1 for a seven-month deployment and on June 28 began flying combat sorties in support of Operation Inherent Resolve from the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Navy has said. Cross deck pendants are 1½-inch-thick steel wires that stretch across a carrier flight deck and are used to catch a landing aircraft’s tailhook. The four pendants that cross an aircraft carrier’s flight deck are placed at 20-foot intervals and can be used for up to 125 landings, or “traps.” The other system of cables is attached to the steam engines underneath the flight deck; they are called purchase cables. Those cables pull a movable part of the engine that travels along greased skids and pushes a giant piston into a cylinder full of pressurized hydraulic fluid. The piston compresses the fluid, bringing the wire on the flight deck, and the aircraft, to a stop. In the March 18 incident, personnel that were troubleshooting a fault code from a previous arrested landing with the Eisenhower’s No. 4 arresting gear engine were using an approved Navy procedure when they missed steps that led them to misprogram a valve that controls the gear engine’s pressure and energy absorption, according to the report... Eight sailors suffered a variety of injuries, including a fractured ankle, wrist, pelvis and legs. One sailor received skull and facial fractures while another suffered a possible traumatic brain injury. A C-2A Greyhound and an MH-60S Seahawk also received about $82,000 in damage, according to the report. At the time of the incident, the No. 4 cable had been trapped 16 times. The report credits the “phenomenal airmanship” by the Hawkeye’s crew. The plane landed safely at Norfolk Naval Station, where it is part of the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 123, or “Screwtops.”" http://pilotonline.com/news/military/local/navy-human-error-to-blame-for-march-cable-break-aboard/article_c4675c54-6cdc-5882-867a-68f961145c9d.html

"Delay, delay, delay. The fix is in, bla bla. Its political, the DA is corrupt." aka trump. If necessary settle out of court. This election still has 98 days to go ... yikes. Who knew US politics could be so interesting. "Donald Trump's campaign says it raised $80 million in July to support his bid as well as the Republican Party. The numbers mark a significant upswing since May, when Trump was badly outraised by Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. He now has $37 million cash-on-hand. Clinton raised $63 million in July for her campaign, as well as $26 million for the Democratic National Committee and state parties, bringing her total monthly fundraising to about $90 million. Trump's $80 million includes approximately $64 million raised through digital and direct mail operations, the campaign says." http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2016-08-03/the-latest-trump-claims-unity-in-his-campaign

With Degree Debunked, Melania Trump Website Is Taken Down "PHILADELPHIA — Melania Trump’s cribbing last week of Michelle Obama’s lines was not the first time she claimed something that was not hers. For months now, reporters have noted that Ms. Trump, who grew up in the small Slovenian town of Sevnica, did not obtain an undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana, as her professional website claimed she did. Instead, she left after her first year to pursue a modeling career in Milan. As recently as a week ago, Ms. Trump’s website stated that she had obtained a degree before going on to become a philanthropist and skin care entrepreneur. On Wednesday, The Huffington Post noticed that the site had been entirely scrubbed of its content. People clicking on its address are now redirected to the Trump Organization’s website. In a Twitter post, Ms. Trump said the website had been removed “because it does not accurately reflect my current business and professional interests.” http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/29/us/politics/melania-trump.html?mabReward=A6&action=click&pgtype=Homepage®ion=CColumn&module=Recommendation&src=rechp&WT.nav=RecEngine Fluff and bluster seems to run in the trump family. No wonder he doesn't want to release his income tax records.

The same thing was supposed to happened when Obama was re-elected. Its just too hard to teach a old dog new tricks. er I guess its too hard to get rid of special interest groups

Use the link at the top of this search page to avoid the subscribe-or-login crap: https://www.google.com/search?q=%22To+the+Go-Along+Republicans%22&oq=%22To+the+Go-Along+Republicans%22&aqs=chrome..69i57.2838j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Strong google-fu buddy.

Yeah about halfway from dead center to the edge. Any closer and he might have rolled off the edge of the net, maybe? Still, it was a bad ass stunt and I'm glad I didn't miss it live last night. If I recall the net was 100' wide and he appeared to land 25' from the edge. I was surprised that he was that near the edge. Badass yes. Hope he made lots of $$ for it but I thought a one hour prime time was too long. Gary Connery sort of stole the thunder for his wingsuit landing IMO.

Ballooning is safe. Evidently the pilot had 4 previous DUIs " The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Texas, killing 16 people, was able to keep flying despite having at least four convictions for drunken driving in Missouri and twice spending time in prison. Whether the pilot's drinking habits had anything to do with the crash was unclear. A former girlfriend described Alfred "Skip" Nichols as a recovering alcoholic. She said he had been sober for at least four years and never piloted a balloon after drinking. Nichols, who had been stripped of his driver's license at least twice, "couldn't drive a car but he could pilot a hot air balloon," said an attorney who represented a passenger who sued Nichols in 2013. The passenger said she was hurt when Nichols crash-landed a balloon in the St. Louis suburbs. Had he been a commercial airplane pilot, Nichols probably would have been grounded long ago." http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/texas-balloon-pilot-arrested-dwi-2000-41037987 These commercial operations try to land as close to roads as possible as the baskets- balloons are heavy, passengers don't like to walk. I don't know if thats a factor or not. In cool conditions balloons have pretty good performance and I've seen lightly loaded ones do 1000' FPM climbs but there is a lag time between a decent-power(i.e. burners) and a resultant climb. I landed in one one time in a 18 mph wind in a summer fallow field. The basket had soft dirt piling over the bottom edge of the basket and running out the sides of the wicker. Its fun coasting along the country-side at 3-400 feet enjoying the quiet when the burners aren't roaring three feet above your head. Less fun, chase crew, loading and setting them up. Weather even more restrictive than skydiving with 8-10 mph an absolute limit for wind. Any wind increases the ground crew you need to handle it for setup. According to a passenger tweet-FB post the flight had been cancelled a dozen times already and the picture he posted showed a ground fog-haze. If this affected the decision to get the flight in the air ??? If the pilot couldn't see the power lines because of low vis ??? Sill lots of fun to jump out of as its the same effect as a BASE jump without the risk.

"“In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier’s parents,” McCain wrote in the statement, referring to Trump’s repeated comments attacking Khizr Khan and his wife, Ghazala, whose son, Army captain Humayun Khan, was killed in a truck bombing in Iraq in 2004. “He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States - to say nothing of entering its service. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump’s statement.”... “It is time for Donald Trump to set the example for our country and the future of the Republican Party,” McCain concluded. “While our Party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2016/aug/01/donald-trump-muslim-american-soldier-hillary-clinton-election-live Well one is a start.

Both are equally ignorant about world politics.

Never in an election cycle has the naked political ideologies been so openly exposed. Hillary's long political history and trumps mouth are like opposite poles of a magnetic stirrer. Spinning fact and lies in a solution of corrupt politics.

Hillary...whitewater...a known liar... not to be trusted. trump... worse than Hillary. 100 days to the election. Please let it be over already. Otherwise I may just have to commit seppuku.

Sell them with a quartz clock movement on e-bay. They are already equipped with a wall hanging strap and holes to indicate the hours of the day. http://www.klockit.com/products/dept-157__sku-AAAVV.html

'But despite the U.S. embargo, Trump has been sending close aides to Cuba for the last three to four years, well before Obama announced his policy change, to scout potential sites for a golf course and other investment opportunities, according to a report in this week’s Bloomberg Businessweek. The headline: “Did Donald Trump’s Executives Violate the Cuban Embargo? Golfing with the enemy.” The report is illustrated with Facebook photos of Trump executives traveling and golfing in Cuba’s only golf course on the confiscated 1930s estate of chemical magnate Irenee du Pont, now the Varadero Golf Club." http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/fabiola-santiago/article92479332.html More here: http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-donald-trump-golf-cuba/ The more important question? Was Putin in the foursome with Raúl Castro and Trump executives.