wolfriverjoe

On a slightly more serious note, my little dog (still my avatar, despite being dead since 2012) used to sniff around forever when we were out for walks. I taught him to understand the command 'pee on it and let's go'. He would obey it.

Yes, there have been some cases that were transmitted through surface contact. But those cases seem to be in the minority. Unlike influenza and Rhinovirus 'head colds'. It also appears that the 'viral load' one takes in is a factor in how sick one gets. Taking in a large amount of the virus seems to be a factor in suffering a more serious case of the disease. Taking in a smaller dose seems to be a factor in milder cases. Note: I use 'seems to be' and 'appears' because there's very little actual proof of anything with this disease. Virtually zero genuine scientific studies. Not surprising considering we've known that the virus exists for less than a year. Look at how long it took to realize that the AIDS virus even existed, let alone get a handle on how it was transmitted, what it did and how to fight it.

Fair enough. It may be because I didn't start jumping until my mid-30s, and I lost a decent number of friends before I ever started jumping. It also doesn't help that I have friends that are a wide variety of ages. I'm in double digits for friends who have died of old age (more or less - cancer in the 70s or 80s goes in the 'old age' category for the most part).

Unfortunately, some people see the concept of 'lifting the short guy up' as getting cut down themselves. That is, to give someone else the same opportunity is to deny them that opportunity. To make them compete on equal terms with one of 'those people' is not what they want.

Gotta disagree with this. At 55, I've got a pretty long 'dead friends list'. Only 4 or 5 were jumpers. Only one died jumping.

The media reports what they can prove. They're ignoring the "Biden/Ukraine" story because it's provably false. Highly regarded, career intel officers (Fiona Hill is one) testified before congress that the whole story was Russian propaganda. Giuliani got the information from a known Russian intel officer. When it didn't gain the traction that was desired, the 'child porn' suddenly appeared. Why wasn't that mentioned from the beginning? Maybe because it's a standard FSB tactic. The whole story is so stupid, I can't believe anyone can buy into it. The whole Trump/Russia thing has not been 'proven phony' anywhere but in the imagination of Trump and his supporters. The Mueller report did NOT say there was 'no collusion'. Mueller himself said if there had been proof of no collusion, he would have said so Of course, we don't know exactly what was in that report because Trump and his toadies won't release it (despite what he said on Twitter). Funny that he won't release the very info he claims exonerates him. The Trump spawn have been involved in a wide variety of dubious ventures. Some should have resulted in felony charges (except daddy paid off the prosecutor). Don Jr's dealings with Saudi Arabia are as bad, if not worse than Hunter Biden's purported Ukraine involvement. It's been reported. But the Trump backers just call it 'Fake News' and ignore it. If you want the 'tree of liberty' watered with the blood of tyrants, start with the guy who called Nazis & KKK 'very fine people'. The guy who has called for the arrest (without charge) of his opponents. The guy who supports vigilantes who murder protesters. The guy who called for violent insurrection against elected governors, and when it almost came to pass, has yet to say anything bad about the actors, instead having his supporters chant 'Lock her up", directing those chants towards the target of the insurrection.

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That's a neat idea. For those in the US, it's more commonly called 'heat shrink tubing'. A quick search of the term 'electrician rubber' found gloves.

Actually, it seems to be coming from Russia & Iran. The FBI just had a press conference (it pre-empted the local TV show on the GB Packers - BOOOO!!!). I'd love to blame it on Trump & the Rs, but it seems to not be.

They are largely with relatives here in the states. Most of the parents were deported after the kids were taken from them and put in cages. It's inhumane, cruel & vicious. You know, standard operating procedure for Trump.

The point is that he can blame Pelosi & the Ds for taking Trump & McConnell at their word. After she goes, both of them will pretend that they really wanted to push a stimulus through, but Pelosi left. Funny how he's ignoring Jakee's request for any sort of evidence that Biden's son was doing 'pay for play' during the Obama administration. Does he really think that if there was any real proof of that, that the Rs wouldn't be screaming it from the roof tops? Instead we have Giuliani & Bannon parroting Russian propaganda, now to include accusations of child porn. Please.

From the link: Seriously? A 'further blow'? He's Trump's personal lawyer. He's either a Russian agent or a stooge for one. He can't get his story on Fox 'news'. I guess I was unaware he had any 'reputation' left take a 'further blow'.

Oh yeah. There were a LOT of people who opposed this. They saw how stupid it was. But Scott Walker & the republican legislature pushed it through. That same republican legislature is stopping the current governor from finding out what is really going on.

I'm gonna disagree with that. Viet Nam by itself was a divisive, damaging and deadly (for over 58k Americans) mistake. However, that era had a lot more events and movements that made the 60s as tumultuous as they were. Civil rights and the divisions that happened among that struggle, women's rights, the idea of the 'social safety net', all of those added to the divisiveness and discord of the 60s. Even with the other stuff added on, the damage done during the 60s (the entirety of the 60s) wasn't as bad as the past 5 years (since Trump came on the scene as a viable threat), or even the past 10 (since McConnell & the Rs decided to fuck over the country to stifle Obama). I'm not really old enough to remember it (born in 65), but I've done a fair amount of learning about it.

First off, congrats on getting to the point where you can jump. Losing that much weight that you've had for that long is a truly impressive accomplishment. For your first jump, a tandem is actually a good choice. It lets you get a full altitude exit, freefall and canopy ride. The 'full experience' if you will. If you make it very clear that you plan on going forward and getting licensed, the instructor can teach you a lot more than the typical 'carnival ride' students learn (more on that below). For the actual student progression towards your license, static line or AFF will get you there. It's just a somewhat different route. You might take a look at what each course offers & requires, and go from there. S/L is usually cheaper for the initial jumps, but keep in mind that you'll end up spending a similar amount to get licensed and to acquire your first set of gear. The overall cost won't be a whole lot different. As far as the "tandem progression to AFF", it's actually a pretty good idea. The bigger DZ I usually jump at suggests it, but doesn't require it. One thing that has gotten lost in the transition to 'carnival ride' is that tandems were originally intended to be similar to 'dual instruction' in airplanes. For example, having the instructor right behind you, coaching you through the landing pattern while under canopy is a big help, as opposed to the instructor standing on the ground using a radio. The tandem progression I'm familiar with has the student go through the first jump course (classroom), then do 2 tandems. These tandems are not just 'rides'. There are required tasks that the student must accomplish to progress. After the tandems, 10 minutes in the tunnel. Then, if the student is doing ok, a one instructor AFF jump. If either the TI or tunnel instructor (both of whom are AFF-I qualified) aren't happy with the student's performance, repeats of tandems or tunnel, or a two instructor AFF jump can be done. This training setup has been pretty successful, and the students are usually quite happy with what they learn prior to that first AFF jump. BUT... All of this is dependent on what the DZ you go to chooses to offer.

1 - Wendy's suggestion of yoga is a good one. It builds both strength and flexibility. Both are needed. I know guys who claim they get more benefit from yoga than from moderate weight lifting. Also, I would suggest working on your shoulders. Jumping takes its toll on them. From setting up in the door, to exits that go 'kaflooey' to 'combat RW', to rough landings to even packing. All of that can be tough on the shoulders. In the summer, when guys wear tank tops and girls wear sports bras, the number of folks with their shoulders taped up is rather sobering. I've had rotator cuff issues for a long time, and I do basic PT for that. It's made a big difference. 2 - Basic visualization, breathing exercises, that sort of stuff. Although I have to admit that the best 'mental prep' for me is looking out the open door during the climb. I look out and realize that I'll be playing out there in a few minutes. 3 - Brian Germain has a couple books that are well regarded. Transcending Fear is one, but it addresses your 2nd question more than any actual mechanics of jumping. The Parachute and its Pilot is another. One can learn freefall stuff safely and fairly easily (not cheaply) in the tunnel. But there's no substitute for actual canopy flight. A better understanding of that is a good idea. Good luck.

Well, if he can't interrupt and talk over Biden, I fully expect Trump to chicken out.

Not everyone wants to do it. Many folks who say they want to do it won't follow through if invited. I started in 02, when a bunch of folks I know put together a group to go jump. That was actually the 2nd year it happened, I didn't hear about the first until after it happened. This turned into an annual thing. This should have been the 20th annual, but it didn't happen. A good friend of mine and I were the only two people who kept at it and got licensed. He was in on the first one, but didn't really pursue it until the year I started. I landed after the first one, said "I am SO doing that again!!!" We're both still jumping. After we got licensed and became members of the club DZ we were at, the guy who started it all kind of 'handed it off' to us, so we were organizing this group every year. Every year, we'd set the date and get the word out. We'd get anywhere between 30-50 people who would swear up and down that they wanted to do it, and would sign up. The number that actually followed through was anywhere between 15 and 3. Yes, the smallest year was 3. That's how it goes. As something of a side note, my buddy ended up getting his TI rating. Every so often, we'd be talking to someone and the fact that we jump would come up. Almost everyone would say something like "Oh, I've always wanted to do that someday", and my buddy would say "Well, I'm a tandem instructor. We can go out to the DZ this weekend and I'll take you". Maybe one or two said 'yes'. Most folks said something along the lines of "No, I meant I want to do it someday, not this weekend." Don't stop inviting people, but don't expect more than a handful to say yes.

I think you are overthinking it. First off, a variable pitch propeller would probably do best for regen at low pitch. The relative wind would spin it the fastest there. I don't think any exotic stuff would have to be done with the prop to get it to work better for regen. There might be some gains, but the 'cost to gain' would probably be not worth it. The primary function of the prop will still be moving the plane. Regen would be secondary. The loss of weight (gravitational potential energy) would also not be a huge factor. I think the limiting factor would be the size of the prop. It's only going to produce so much drag, and so much energy. This wouldn't be a big thing no matter what. You aren't going to regen a significant amount of energy. Not in a 5-10 minute descent. But that's not the point. It's far more that some energy can be recovered. That would reduce the charge time on the ground. It would take a bit of experimenting to find out how much regen could be achieved and how beneficial it is.

Well, that's funny. A couple years back, Sean Spicer (remember him?) said that the twitter bullshit WAS official policy. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-s-tweets-official-statements-spicer-says-n768931 For those that don't remember, the idea of Trump using Twitter for official policy meant that his blocking of citizens was a case of the government restricting speech, therefore illegal.

Well, if Trump bails, I'd love to see Biden call him out on it. Say that he tried to change the rules and chickened out when he couldn't get his way. Then Biden should put his hands in his armpits and wave his elbows while making "buck buck" noises. No. It won't happen. Yes, it would be juvenile an probably counterproductive. But I'd just love to see Trump's reaction to being called 'chicken'. Realistically, he could probably get a good reaction and not be counterproductive by simply saying Trump was afraid to debate when he couldn't change the rules or break them.

Well, the background on this story is getting sillier & sillier. So Giuliani has been hanging around with a Russian agent. He & Steve Bannon are the 'sources'. Nobody but a tabloid would take the story. The lead author refused to put his name on the story, and one of the purported 'authors' didn't even know about it until after it was published. Link to HCR's page (if you read this after today, you may have to scroll down to read this - It's the one from Oct 18th): https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/

Good question. Mainly because of the spacing and the airflow. Inside the hangar, I don't get too close to anyone for any length of time. I try not to get really close to anyone at all, even outside, but I'll get closer outside, where the breeze is better. The hangar isn't all that big. The doors have been open. The breeze flowing through has been pretty good. Even though it's "inside", it doesn't feel like it. Even on the 182, the two 'nozzle' vents have been open, along with the pull out ones over the windshield. Again, the airflow is pretty good. Most of what I've read on the virus indicates that infections come from being exposed to it for a length of time, usually indoors. There have been a couple examples where someone inside sitting upwind of the infectious person didn't get sick, while someone downwind did (looking at the airflow from the HVAC system). I have to admit that part of it is probably 'Covid Fatigue'. The DZ has always been a refuge from the real world of sorts. I wear glasses so masks are a pain. Some of this is probably cheap rationalization of unsafe behaviors.

You'd be surprised how many idiots are falling for it. It's pretty pathetic.

Hi Jerry, That's in the US. I'm perfectly fine with him going there, but it wouldn't be leaving the country and it wouldn't be his choice.