wolfriverjoe

So you let your fear and hatred cloud your judgement to the point that you voted for a 'carnival barker' and wannabe demagogue who does nothing but stir up fear and hatred. And to demonstrate the 'wannabe demagogue' part, Trump has signed an executive order regarding the Keystone pipeline. Agree or disagree with the pipeline, the idea that Trump has said it's not subject to judicial review. That what he says goes. And nobody can stop him. Can you imagine the reaction if Obama had done something like that? https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-wields-presidential-power-on-pipeline-energy-projects

Did you look through the sticky thread on 'paperwork needed for jumpers world wide"? I don't know how complete it is, if it covers all the countries you ask for, but it's a start.

This is why terminology is important. Packs are 100 bills, with a paper 'band' (not a rubber band) or strap. Wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currency_strap Larry Carr said that the bank already had "ransom money", with the serial numbers recorded, put together. It was bundled (using rubber bands) in an apparently random manner, so that any extortionist would think that it had been put together hastily and on demand. It's entirely possible that the 3 packs (and just those 3) were all originally in a single bundle.

I won't dispute any of that quote. But demonizing all immigrants (or at least all the ones with brown skin) is what Trump is trying to do. And the fools are falling for it. Look how many fell for the 'Soros is behind the Caravans". Or "They are invading the US." Total bullshit.

I don't consider myself a 'liberal', although my views on some subjects lean that way. I have never advocated allowing illegal aliens into the country. I have advocated allowing more people to enter the country legally. The problem is that there is virtually ZERO avenue for the average Mexican or Central American person to enter the country legally without claiming asylum. And for many of them, trekking to the border and trying that is their only choice. Not just their only choice to enter the US, but their only choice to survive. You seem to be ignoring the fact that those 'Caravan' people are NOT trying to enter illegally. They are presenting themselves at the border and requesting refugee status. So any sort of 'wall' or 'military intervention' would have NO EFFECT on them. None. And in case you haven't noticed, Trump has done nothing to actually build a wall. He's made lots of claims (all false) and promises, but has done nothing. He had 2 years of R control of both houses. Why is it an emergency NOW??? What has changed? Oh, yeah. The Ds took control of the House and he wants to make them look bad. And the fools he's conned so far are falling for it hook, line and sinker.

I agree that Tina's descriptions of Cooper are probably the most reliable. And Carr had a lot of experience with that sort of thing, so I'd take his word on it. The problem is that those sketches are always fairly 'generic'. And even when the 'describer' has spend considerable time with the suspect, the sketches can be 'off'. Not that they are wrong, but that they 'aren't right'. As in not specific enough to eliminate anyone who isn't the suspect, or clearly identify someone who is (as a certain poster seems to be trying to do). And how the money ended up on Tena Bar is a real problem. There was a ton of work done 'back in the day' on it. How the water flowed, how the money could have drifted, all of that. The only conclusion I can draw (and I could certainly be wrong) is that the money was not 'lost' during the exit. Maybe during the hike out, maybe dumped at a later date after it was retrieved from some sort of 'cache'. Paper currency is pretty fragile. Storing it long term (years) without it deteriorating is not a trivial task.

Well, if the article is correct, this is going to be a 'different' Corvette. And it sounds like they are going to continue to produce the 'real' Corvette. I'd guess that the mid-engine version is trying to achieve 'supercar' status, competing with stuff like the Ford GT and Porsche 918. I'd also guess that the price will be in their neighborhood too (well into 6 figures).

No worries on it. I don't mind ignorance (not knowing about something). As long as you don't venture into stubborn and stupid territory (I know I'm right and I don't care what anyone says). There's also the 'secret squirrel' stupidity. The "I know something you don't know, but I'm not going to tell you" crap. I'm just a little (or maybe a lot) anal about getting details correct. I don't remember 377 agreeing that Cooper pulled directly off the bottom of the stairs, but he may have said it when I wasn't reading. He's what is sometimes called a 'crusty old guy'. It's not a dig, it's an acknowledgment that he's been around for a long time... And is still here. He's seen and done a lot. I'm not sure that I would say that Cooper had 'a lot of guts' to go with a single canopy bailout rig. Despite what the wuffo world thinks, malfunctions are pretty rare, even for sport mains (which can be packed by any jumper). Reserve mals are even more rare. The rig is designed to be reliable, and packed by a rated rigger. I trust my reserve completely. I know full well there's a (very small) chance it won't open correctly, but if I have a main mal, then I will chop and deploy the reserve without hesitation. I am a rigger, and I pack my own reserve. I know how it's packed, how the container is set up and how it deploys. I've also flown jumpers in a Cessna 182. For those, the pilot wears a bailout rig. My sport rig was not a good fit with the seat, so I usually wore one of the 'pilot rigs'. Somewhat similar to the Pioneer, but more modern. Again, I packed them and I trusted them. The only time I'd ever jump it is if the plane is damaged and not landable. Which almost never happens. There's also the simple reality that Cooper had the choice to jump or go to prison for a long, long time. It's entirely possible he did the good old "I'd rather die than go to prison, so here we go" sort of thing.

Drogue fall is normal belly speed, on average. About 120 mph (a bit under 200 kmh). The drogue slows the tandem pair down to 'normal' speeds. That's done for safety, as tandem terminal has a tendency to blow up canopies and hurt jumpers. The fact that it makes it easier for the camera flyer is just a side benefit. Under canopy is not an issue, the camera flyer and tandem pair need to be a safe distance apart. The camera flyer also has to get down first to film the landing.

Well, sulphate aerosols & the method of taking the temps (US vs UK methods) account for the temp drop. And 'long term' is very subjective. Link to show that what I claim has data behind it: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11639-climate-myths-the-cooling-after-1940-shows-co2-does-not-cause-warming/

Please show one instance where the Ds want "Open Borders." Please explain how our immigration laws are "very dangerous". And if so, why didn't he change them during the two years he had both houses? Or is he just blowing smoke again? Making stupid and outrageous claims that have no basis in actual reality?

Seriously?

Well, to answer your specific question: Very low. Modern gear is very reliable. To encounter a situation where you 'do everything right and still die' is possible, but not likely. Most fatalities are the result of a 'chain of events', usually a chain of errors. Take any link out of that chain and the accident doesn't happen. Be 'up to speed' on your EPs, have an RSL & AAD, jump a reasonably sized canopy and be smart when you fly it (and jump at a place where other jumpers in the pattern are smart too). Do those things and you remove yourself from most of the accident categories. If it helps any, what you are feeling is perfectly normal. Familiarity will alleviate it to a large degree. My first jump each season is scary. Every damned year. If I'm off for more than a couple weeks, the first jump is a bit scary. Not as bad as after the whole winter, but more than just a week or so.

Because it was an 'internal' investigation by the Judicial Conduct Council. Not a criminal investigation.

He may well have. Jumping off the stairs back first would face the jumper into the relative wind, which is where he would want to end up. Student jumpers used to do their first jump from a Cessna 182 by hanging off of the strut under the wing. That put them into a 'belly to the wind" position that is more stable. They also do an exit where they are standing on the wheel step, facing forward and hop off. Not unlike hopping back off of the bottom step of the 727 stairs. Jumping off that way and deploying off the steps are two very different things.

Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable. Taking the 'Cooper Drawings' as gospel is foolish. There are likely aspects of it (them) that are correct, but I'd bet that there are just as many that are not. Pretending that someone is a good suspect just because of resemblance to the sketches is foolish. I thought that there was a good indication that Cooper wanted the stairs down on takeoff. #1 - Is it possible that the FBI & airline thought that would be a good way for Tina to escape, and were going to try to have that happen, completely independent of what Cooper wanted? #2 - Cooper didn't ask for that at first, but later during the negotiations. While knowing his true intentions is not possible, I can put myself in his position and try to imagine what kinds of 'head games' I would play. Was he really wanting to jump early, so he didn't ask for stairs down on takeoff until late in the game, to keep the FBI from trying to set up a 'dragnet' close to the airport? Was it just a feint, trying to make the FBI think he was going to jump early, making them scramble to set up assets on the ground close to the airport? A couple thoughts on the exit and how he secured stuff: Mr Blevins, your 'wuffo-ness' is showing rather clearly. Not trying to be insulting, and you have admitted it too. But the idea that Cooper deployed off the bottom of the stairs is pretty ridiculous. The idea that he did it to make sure the parachute wouldn't malfunction (or would have an option if it did) is also unrealistic. Deploying off the stairs would be vicious. The plane was above 200kts. Normal freefall deployment speed is 'belly speed', around 120 mph. There are jumpers who do what we call 'freeflying', going head down or head up. Those body orientations allow the jumper to reach much higher speeds, up in the 180 mph range. Gear for those jumps needs to be 'freefly friendly', which means 'secure enough' that they won't open prematurely at high speeds. Unintentional openings at those speeds can (and has) cause significant injury. There were 'jet jumps' out of 727s & DC-9s back in the days of the World Freefall Convention. I think 377 did a couple. I know there have been people who posted on this thread that did. The exit was... Exciting. Going out the door into a 200+ relative wind is pretty extreme. Jumpers with a lot of experience were thrown wildly around. Goggles, helmets & gloves were blown off. And this is from people who were used to it. Just not the energy of a high speed exit. Any jumper who has been through training should be able to deal with it. He would slow down fairly soon and recovering to a stable fall position after going unstable is part of every jumpers training. For someone who hasn't jumped, the disorientation of the tumbling and wind could be severe enough that finding the ripcord and pulling might be impossible. It's happened more than once with first time students on 'normal' exits. Most non-jumpers think of malfunctions as 'the parachute didn't open'. We call those a 'total malfunction'. While those do happen, its a lot, lot more common for the container to open, the canopy to come out and then not open fully or properly. Line overs, inversions (for a round), streamers (again rounds) are examples of malfunctions that the 'deploy off the stairs in case it doesn't open' would not work for. Securing stuff: Mr Blevins posted a pic of a round jumper with a bag dangling below him (the new format took away the post numbering, so I can't say "in post #xxx), suggesting that Cooper may have done something like that. The 'dangle bag' is a common practice for military jumpers. It reduces the weight on their body, making landing less of an impact. The bag hits the ground first, which 'unweights' the canopy, allowing it to slow a bit more before landing. The bag hits the ground at the end of a tether of known length, giving the jumper a warning that the ground is 'xx' feet below. This is handy for night jumps, where you can't see the ground. But the bag has to be secured to the jumper on exit. It's then released to the end of the tether once under a good canopy. If something was tied to a long tether and the jumper exited to freefall, the chances of the tethered bag entangling with the canopy on opening are pretty high. There was a tandem pair that died because the instructor deployed the reserve without releasing or cutting away the drogue and main canopy. The drogue had gotten wrapped in the bridle and wasn't slowing the pair down. The instructor should have released the drogue, which would have opened the main canopy. He then could have chosen to keep or cut away the main. Instead, he just deployed the reserve, with the drogue and it's bridle streaming above him. The reserve tangled with the drogue bridle and never opened.

Only when he can cherry pick quotes that support his position.

Easy closing by delicate feminine hands? Oh my.

Well, the briefcase with the 'bomb' in it (general consensus is that the bomb was fake). The rig he jumped (Navy NB-6 or NB-8 Harness/Container with it's canopy). The 'Training Dummy' reserve, container & butchered canopy. The money bag from the bank. The lines that were cut from the other reserve. Of course, the body of a guy in a business suit (no tie) and the rest of the money. However, the above stuff is mostly synthetic materials (nylon for the most part). If Cooper died and wasn't found, there would be very little of him or the money left by now. Mr Blevins - Good luck with your trip. It sounds like fun. I wish I could join you folks, but it's not possible.

The problem with that is they didn't know who where the 'bad guys' and who were the 'good guys'. Was Russia trying to infiltrate the campaign? Did they already have assets in place there? How high up were those assets placed? Without knowing those things, any open contact could alert the bad guys and blow the investigation. Also, the laws on colluding, collaborating or working with foreign governments by a presidential campaign aren't all that complicated. Plus the campaign had a lot of lawyers, whose job was to advise the higher-ups on the legalities of their behaviors. Trump Jr should have known the laws before sitting down with the Russians. The fact that he lied about it from the beginning says volumes.

I wasn't taught that. I let it open all by itself. I don't grab for rears until it's open (slider all the way down). I'm 'feeling' the opening for odd stuff, looking around to check for traffic, that sort of thing. First action after opening is to look up briefly (there & square?), then a good look around for traffic (rear riser to turn if needed). Then rear riser turn towards the dz. Then get the slider collapsed & down. Its easier to get it over the toggles if they are still stowed. Then pop the brakes and do a controllability check. Interesting question. I'm interested in hearing what others do and why.

I'm not aware that there were any indications the Russians were even trying to penetrate HRC's campaign. You have to remember how much Putin hates her for her actions on sanctions against Russia. OTOH, he likely already had significant leverage over Trump. The FBI knew that. They probably didn't have any idea of how much or how far the Russians had gotten. In that case, going to the campaigns might just alert them that they are under suspicion.

I find it rather funny that the Trumpettes seem disturbed by the fact that the FBI was worried that the Russians were trying to penetrate the Trump campaign. Not disturbed by the Russians behavior, but by the fact that the FBI was looking into it.

Well, yet again you make a claim without backing it up. So, again, I did a quick search to see if I could find out if what you say is true or false. Apparently, the temps have been down a bit since 2016. For a couple different reasons. Including the fact that 2016 is the hottest year on record. And we've been in an 'La Nina' period, where temps do come down a bit. So all you are doing is repeating the 'But it stopped in 1998' claim. Which was also false. Note: This is a link. It's a source of information that backs up what I wrote. Try it sometime. WaPo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/04/26/global-temperatures-have-cooled-since-2016-heres-why-thats-normal/?utm_term=.27d58b79c30c

I don't believe you actually cited anything. You made a claim about NOAA data. I did a quick search and didn't find anything about the first three months. And apparently 2018 was the fourth hottest year on record.