wolfriverjoe

They don't see it as a problem, because they don't see that he cares as little for them as he does for any of those 'on the left'. They are blind to the fact that he only cares about himself. They ignore the very simple fact that they are being used. And will be tossed aside, ignored or sacrificed when their usefulness is over. Or, they simply see what they can gain from the situation and work with that.

Oh my. That's some seriously old gear. Forget about what 'new ones cost'. Also, forget about C/L. Classifieds on here or some of the FB groups would be a much better place. As far as the rigs go: You need to find out when they were last repacked. There should be a packing data card, it should be in a little pocket on the back of the label with the serial number on it (I think). That will tell you what reserve is in it and when it was last inspected & repacked. How many packs are on it (that matters) And who did it. You'd have to open up the main containers to see what main canopy is in it. Depending on the mains, there might be some value. But not a whole lot. There are a lot of riggers out there who won't pack or work on gear that old. However, you might find a newer jumper or a beginning camera flyer who would want one for a turn rig. Maybe. The altimeter might be worth a bit. Most of the kids these days go for digital, but some of the 'crusty old guys' prefer analog. The chest mount pillow is popular for wingsuiting. The Astra & Time Out are obsolete. Interesting conversation pieces. Same with the camera. Is that a Digital Video Tape unit? The lens might be worth a couple bucks, depending on quality. Helmets are likely junk. Nobody will want to wear them. Not sure about the sights & mounts. Those might be worth a couple bucks. Suits might be worth something (not a lot), if they are in good shape. If the material is worn or rotting (more likely rotting), then not. The problem with used suits (and the reason new ones cost so much) is that they are custom made to fit the buyer. Finding a buyer for a used suit depends on finding someone it fits well. The log book should have some dates and the name of the owner in it. I don't know if you'd find anyone to buy it. Kinda creepy. If you aren't a jumper (sounds like it), it might be worth your while to take all this out to a DZ and see what they say. Are you in the LA area? Perris has a big gear store, and they'd be able to tell you what you have for canopies and all of that. They might give you an offer (lowish), offer to sell it on consignment (for a fee) or tell you to toss it in the garbage. I hope you didn't pay much for it. I can't see it being worth more than a few hundred (total for the entire group).

Oh yeah. I get it. It's just 'funny' that the members of one club seem to belong to other clubs that have virtually identical structures.

Well, arresting him for treason would be a reasonable move. The idea that the President has to be impeached & removed from office before he can be charged & tried for any crimes is simply an opinion from the Justice Dept back in the Nixon days. It has never been tested, and some legal experts disagree with it. However, until I see a warrant issued for HRC, and her taken to Guantanamo Bay for a 'military tribunal', until I see a basement magically appear under that pizza place, I won't hold my breath. Something kinda funny about Qcumbers. Many (most?) of them seem to be Trumpettes. And devout religious folks. People that continue to believe the unbelievable, despite mountains of evidence (actual, demonstrable, testable, proof) that they are being conned. They argue vehemently that their beliefs are the truth, that anything against those beliefs is 'fake news', all of that. They have been conned so thoroughly that they vigorously defend the con man. Jim Bakker had a lot of his marks stand up at his trial and try to convince the judge that he was a good man who simply made some math errors (oops, forgot to finish the sentence)

Interesting. I was unaware that John Fogarty had been drafted & served in the military. But yeah, Trump is pretty much a 'poster child' Fortunate Son. And apparently too stupid to realize that it's not complimentary. Or he's being sabatoged.

So the picture of the group of black men marching with guns was ok with you?

Trump is a con man. He's very good at it. Pure and simple. The idea of getting investors to put up money, getting vendors and contractors to supply and build the business, getting employees to work for it, and then lining his own pockets with all of the money, declaring bankruptcy, leaving the investors, vendors, contractors & employees 'on the hook' for all that they are owed, is despicable. Doing it over and over again is pretty much Trump's 'business model'. He even did it several times with the same casino. By the last time, the bankruptcy judge saw through it. US banks stopped lending him money because he had shown he wouldn't pay them back. So he filed fraudulent paperwork with DeutchBank. And had the Russians help him out. He also has a long history of suing or threatening to sue anyone who exposes his frauds and cons. So the general knowledge of his history of ripping people off wasn't widely known until fairly recently.

Not really. The US has a LONG history of installing tyrannical despots in countries, and then supporting them despite those despots having zero respect for all of those 'liberties we hold dear'. Some of those despots were installed and supported because we didn't like the party that was actually winning the elections (Iran in '53, Chile in '75). Others were put in place and kept there because US corporations wanted them there. The United Fruit Company got the US government to depose the democratically elected government in Guatemala to get a government more in line with it's wishes installed. The US supported Batista in Cuba, Somosa in Nicaragua, Marcos in the Philipines, the list is pretty long. One reason the Soviets & communists did so well in expanding their influence in the 60s & 70s was because they pretended to offer a better deal than the US. Of course, Castro in Cuba and Ortega and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua weren't any better. And this wasn't exclusive to the US. The Soviets did well in post colonial Africa and eastern Asia for the exact same reasons. And while it's not a huge part of what 'made America great', it is one reason American companies have such worldwide presence. I hope you are right that we'll return to things like the rule of law, and that sort of thing once Trump is gone. But I'm not sure. Trump didn't create the rampant racism and xenophobia we're seeing now. He just tapped into it. He didn't create the blatant abuses of power we see McConnell and the R Senate employing. He just gave them more latitude.

Ok, what do you see as 'the left's view of the future'? And what funding are you talking about 'drying up'? Do you mean the money Soros is pumping into BLM to inflame the country so that the Socialists can take over? One more time, much (most?) of the 'arson, looting and so forth' is NOT coming from the BLM protesters. It's coming from opportunists. Many of whom are Alt-Right types (Boogaloo boys).

There are. The problem is that there's nobody enforcing (or obeying) ANY rules and regulations. Just corruption and bribery (it's in the article).

Interesting NYT article on the explosion. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/09/world/middleeast/beirut-explosion.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20200910&instance_id=22057&nl=the-morning&regi_id=118682468&section_index=2&section_name=three_more_big_stories&segment_id=37752&te=1&user_id=94f58d5b96ea75e238c5bfb8bc8f5a2c From the article: Helpful hint - Storing explosive material in the same building with large quantities of fireworks is probably not a good idea.

Would Floyd have died if the cop hadn't knelt on his neck? I don't know. But I know he died while the cop was kneeling on him. And there were BLM marches before Trump was in office. They didn't get as bad. But then again, the sitting president didn't encourage the white supremacists and ignore the BLM people. To pretend that Trump hasn't made the situation worse is pretty naive. To pretend that the Boogloo crowd hasn't played a large part in the violence and vandalism and arson is too. Trump has yet to say that "Black Lives Matter". He went to Kenosha and completely ignored the Blake family. He praised the kid who killed people. And yet, Trump continues to claim that the situation would be worse if Biden was in office.

As usual, there's an answer that's simple, sounds good, attacks an unpopular group... And is completely and totally wrong. Ryoder posted the link about 'Big Pharma' and their immunity to lawsuits over vaccines. Finding out if the vaccine triggers the immune system into creating antibodies takes time. Finding out if those antibodies will remain viable and active takes time. Finding out what all of the side effects are, and how often they occur takes multiple studies of increasing numbers of participants. A 'one in a hundred thousand' chance (0.00001% chance) will affect over 3000 Americans, and 60,000 around the world. That sort of occurrence rate won't show up in anything but the biggest study. Sometimes it doesn't show up until the vaccine is released and given to large numbers of people. The Dengue Fever vaccine is a good example of this. Only after it was given to a large number of people did the potential side effect of more severe cases occurring in people who hadn't previously had it.

His techniques brought about major Civil Rights legislation. His techniques garnered a LOT of sympathy & support. You are aware that he recieved a call from President Kennedy after one of his peaceful marches was attacked by the police, right? He knew full well that he was not likely to survive to see the end of the struggle. His "I've been to the mountaintop" sermon, the day before he was assassinated said, in part: To him, the goal was worth the risk. Rather noble, IMO. Don't forget that ALL of the 'Freedom Riders' knew perfectly well the danger they were putting themselves into. Before they boarded the buses that took them to the protests, they had 'all of their affairs in order'. They knew full well that they stood a real chance of getting killed. But they considered the goal worth the risk.

And now AstraZeneca has suspended the large scale trials of their vaccine. https://apnews.com/4239b8c69ba4b3703b2ca8c77810bf07 One patient in the UK developed a serious condition. Could be the vaccine, could be a coincidence. From the article: But hey, Putin has released a vaccine that hasn't been completely tested. What could possibly go wrong?

He won't believe that. Breitbart has debunked the whole thing. Trump loves the military. Just ask him.

The New Phone Books Are Here!!!!

Disclaimer: I neither own nor have ever jumped either a Vector or a Curv. Everything I've heard about the Curv is that it's the most comfortable rig on the market. However, before the Curv came out, the Vector was considered the most comfortable. Both were designed by true legends of the sport. Both are made by long time manufacturers. Both have all the modern 'bells & whistles'. Even though the Vector is essentially a Wonderhog with updates (this is an observation, not a criticism - Bill got it right the first time). Both are excellent rigs and will serve you well for a long time. Neither would be a 'bad' choice. Don't overthink it. One consideration is which one your rigger is more familiar and comfortable with.

You say that 'both sides have problems'. Yet the 'problems' on Trump's side far, far, faaaaaar outweigh the problems on the other side. For example, Pelosi is being dragged across the coals for getting her hair cut in violation of the quarantine rules in CA. Yet Trump and his cohorts repeatedly violated the rules back in spring. And his campaign rally in Tulsa was in violation of the mask rule, and probably cost Herman Cain his life. You say Trump accomplished a lot. What? Please be specific. You say there 'are things that the Democrats were pushing a few years ago, and he agreed with them. When he put them on the table the Democrats shot them down.' What? I'm not trying to be argumentative just to argue. I'm genuinely curious what you think he's accomplished. One of the reasons he's been attacked like no other president in history is because of HIS history. He's been credibly accused of sexual assault. And admitted it on tape. He has been barred from running his own Foundation because of fraud and misuse of funds. Where are all the people who were criticizing the Clintons for how they ran theirs? He paid out millions in damages over the Trump U fraud. He's been credibly accused of bribing a couple of state's attorneys general to make criminal charges over that 'go away'. There are credible accusations of mob ties. Both on the US East Coast (New York City and Atlantic City) and Russian mobsters. He openly admitted that there was a lot of Russian money invested in his properties. The Russian ties are very scary. He openly invited Putin to hack into emails and interfere in the 16 election. He's refused to sanction or even criticize Putin, despite the accusations of Russia paying bounties for US troop deaths and the current poisoning of Putin's biggest opposition figure. EVERY other NATO country has accused Putin of this crime, and called for an independent investigation. Trump has said there's not enough evidence. The poison Germany found is the same nerve agent that was used to poison a former Russian spy and his daughter in the UK a few years ago (Novichok). He's openly praised white supremacists. Wendy very perceptively pointed out that he encourages & validates the 'marginalized' people who were formerly dominant. It's the good old 'they're taking away all my rights' you hear from the old white guys. Unfortunately, the 'rights' they want back are those that put them back in power over minorities and women. They see Trump treat minorities, women and poor people like garbage and want to do it themselves. They haven't been able to do that for a very long time, at least not in a way that was socially acceptable. Trump has empowered them, encouraging them to go back to the 'good old days' (well, good for those folks, not so good for the people they were attacking). He has some of those people in positions of power (or 'had'). Bannon is one. Minuchin is another. The idea that people like that can hold positions of power at that level is appalling. He has little to no idea what the Constitution requires, or doesn't care. He's violated it innumerable times, from the day he took office (Emoluments Clause, anyone?) This list could go on and on. You mentioned 'a little cooperation between the parties'. You are aware that in 2012, when he took control of the Senate, McConnell said that his primary goal was to oppose anything and everything Obama wanted, even if it was to the detriment of the country, right? And that since 2018, when the Ds took control of the House, they have sent hundreds of bills to the Senate. Some are bi-partisan (not as many as Pelosi claims, but still some). And McConnell has just sat on them. I don't like Biden. I don't like Pelosi either. But to compare them against Trump and his family... There's no comparison. I've never voted for a D for president. Not once, and I first voted for Reagan's 2nd term. But there's no way I'd not vote for him this time. The idea of 4 more years of Trump is a nightmare.

Bingo.

Keep in mind that Rosa Parks, and almost all of the Civil Rights protests in the 60s were 'non-violent'. There's a difference between 'non-violent' and 'civil disobedience'. The lunch counter sit ins, Rosa Parks on the bus, and many many others were intentionally breaking the law, but not in a violent manner. The protesters fully expected to be arrested. That was part of the plan. Another part was that they expected to be attacked when they marched. And they didn't fight back. On purpose. First off, because they wouldn't win and it would give their opponents 'ammunition' to use against them (look at how the Alt-RIght wants to make everyone think that 'all protesters are looters and arsonists). Second, because when their peaceful marches and sit ins were met with violent opposition, it brought them widespread sympathy and support. But it took a hell of a lot of dedication and discipline to maintain that posture of non-violence. But that was the 60s. Today, things are a bit different. But not really. They tried kneeling. That got vilification and a false accusation of 'disrespecting' the flag and the military. They tried marching, waving signs and singing songs. That got nothing but rubber bullets and teargas. So we're now to the point that when the cops shoot an unarmed black man, a couple city blocks go up in flames. And it still goes on. When the cops shot Blake in Kenosha, I was appalled. And a bit surprised. After all the shit that's gone on in the last couple months, the cops still are doing the same thing. And acting surprised and hurt when they come under fire for it. Are they EVER going to learn to stop?

If you've had cats for a while, you know this, but he's losing the thinner 'summer' coat. It will be replaced by the thicker 'winter' coat. Not unlike ermine or snowshoe hares, just not switching colors. Just for fun, does anyone know what triggers this? (yes, I do)

Oh my. And people make fun of how Biden speaks. The truly sad part of this is that I know people who will now be calling for the TSA to prevent everyone wearing black from getting on a plane.

Interesting. The Bell "Rocket Belt", which is what automatically comes to mind when someone says 'Jet Pack" doesn't have enough flight time to get to 3k (and back down safely). It would have to be something like Yves Rossy's setup, or the wingsuits with micro-turbines strapped to the feet of the guy (I seem to recall this was done a while back, but haven't really heard of it since then). Or maybe an R/C aircraft or drone of some sort. I know some of the R/C stuff gets pretty elaborate. I saw a video of a scratch built XB-70 Valkyrie take it's first flight a couple weeks ago. Not the biggest R/C I've seen (maybe 4 or 5 foot nose to tail), but still not small. I don't think it would be too far 'out of the realm of possibility' for someone to make a very light dummy with a jet pack of some sort (Rocket Belt or Rossy's kind) and get it up in the air. Up in the sky it could be 1/2 to 2/3 size and nobody would be able to tell it wasn't a real person. And, of course, this evokes memories of both Lawn Chair Larry and the photo shoot for the cover of Pink Floyd's "Animals" album.

Not quite. 6% of the deaths were from ONLY Covid. 94% had 'co-morbidities', which basically means they had issues that contributed to the death. In other words, they had medical issues and Covid, combined with those issues is what killed them. Covid made their asthma, heart conditions, cancer, or what ever a death sentence.