wolfriverjoe

Rigger as Escrow. Search that term and you will find a bunch of info. Short version: Seller ships rig to inspector. Inspector checks rig over. Buyer is told rig is ok. Seller sends funds to seller. Seller receives funds and tells inspector to release rig. Chutingstar offers the escrow service for free, with the inspections and shipping costing standard fees. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

No, you didn't. You may have stopped buying from Exxon franchise retailers, but the idea that you haven't purchased any gasoline refined by Exxon, or made from oil extracted by Exxon is a bit far fetched. Oil and oil products are interchanged, mixed, and bought and resold so much that trying to get any sort of 'original source' is very difficult. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Out of curiosity, where do you see the problem? Is it a lack of motivation to get better on the part of the newer jumpers? Fear of trying to get in with the better jumpers? Or lack of coaching/organizing at the DZ? Starting off at a smaller DZ, I had a hard time getting better. Many of my jumps were solos, riding up with a tandem pair. Fortunately, there were a few experienced jumpers who were willing to do a "small way" with me and maybe another jumper. And there were a couple newer jumpers who would want to "get up and do badly together", so I gained some belly skills. Currently, I'm at a bigger DZ, with a decent sized belly crowd and a DZO that really takes care of the fun jumpers. There's usually some level of 'official' organizing (both belly and FF) on weekends. The 4 way team is usually training hard on weekends, but if one or two are out during the week, they'll jump with fun jumpers. And for those not good enough to get on the 'official' organized belly jumps (some go upwards of 10 or 12), there's almost always someone who is willing to add to a group. Yet some newer jumpers still don't seem to do much with others. I jumped with someone a few weeks ago. She is up around 70-80 jumps, yet many are solos. The ones that aren't are mostly coached. She really doesn't have many fun jumps with other people. I wanted to jump with "somebody, anybody", so I grabbed her and said "let's do something". We put together a simple "dive out unlinked, get together in a pin, sidebody on each other in turn and back to the pin" plan. It went reasonably well, all things considered. Levels were an issue (she falls a good bit faster than me), making the points was challenging, but we got together and turned 3 or 4 points. Not at all bad for her skill level (and mine). We got down and she said something to the effect of "That's the most points I've turned on a fun jump so far." I asked why she had so few fun jumps and got the vague "I don't like asking to join because I'm afraid of messing up everyone's jump" answer that is all too common. I will usually include newer jumpers if at all possible. I plan a simple jump, and have an alternate plan if the new guy is waaaayyy out in the 'boonies' (and make sure everyone knows to stay as close to the group as possible until breakoff so we can all know where each other is if possible). But I'm kind of an anomaly. I'm a "halfway decent" belly flier, but I know I don't jump enough to get really good, or progress to FF or angles or that sort of thing. My life simply doesn't allow me to jump that much. But as long as I can stay reasonably safe, not funnel the exit, make my slot, and have fun, I'm ok with that. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

*** John, while Newton worked out the math of orbits, virtually every civilization around the world has worked out eclipses far in advance of Newton being conceived. ;) Noticing the nodes and working out the cycles was relatively easy since again, virtually every civilization eventually develops astronomical calendars for agricultural purposes. Interestingly, PBS had a Nova on the eclipse. I saw it last night. Only a few civilizations worked out the entire lunar cycle. The Babylonians were the first to write it down. And while they accurately predicted the timing of eclipses, it wasn't until Halley figured it out that the location was in any way predictable. That didn't happen until 1715. PBS rocks. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Atmospheric lensing of time? Ummmm... No. The earth is a sphere. "Round" is sort of correct, but sphere is closer. Yes, I know it's actually a 'bumpy spheroid", but that's a bit unwieldy. Besides, if it really was flat, there would be nothing left on it. Cats would have knocked everything off the edge by now. Duh. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Well, that is kind of interesting. Duration of twilight varies a lot. Near the equator, it is short. Near the poles, it's longer. For the same latitudes, it will also vary. During the equinoxes, it's short. During summer solstice, it's longer. During winter solstice, it's longer than the equinoxes, but shorter than summer. All of this is easily shown with a sphere and a light source (a basket ball and flashlight work well) and a basic understanding of geometry and astronomy (tilt of the earth mostly). But then again, those pesky facts won't ever convince the 'true believers.' "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Ever spent much time in Kansas? Most of it is actually rolling hills. Where I live is flatland. I think the flattest place I've been to is the Delmarva peninsula. Elvis is God,God is Elvis. Well, actually the flattest state in the US is Florida. Highest point is 345 ft above MSL. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Yes, but I do believe that is a mental illness. Well, as was noted, there's no way to prove the non-existence of God. There is abundant and overwhelming proof that the world is a sphere. Enough of it so that it was not only shown to be so, but accurate calculations of the size of the sphere were made over 2000 years ago. Both in Europe and Asia. Also, there are some pretty valid psychological and sociological reasons for belief in God. It's likely enough of a survival mechanism that we've "evolved" it into ourselves. Besides, most kids have that belief ingrained (indoctrinated?) into them. If you spend every Sunday in church being told to pray to this God thingy, if you say prayers every night before bed and before every meal, then that belief is going to be implanted fairly deep. Add in the evolutionary issue (if it's true) and you have a pretty strongly reinforced belief structure. Changing that isn't an easy task. Look at how hard it can be to "deprogram" a cult victim, and those are not in the clutches of the cult and it's leaders for very long. Not my beliefs, but I can understand them. I can even respect those who hold them and use them to make life better for themselves and those around them. Those that use their beliefs to oppress others and spread hatred? Not so much. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

^This. I can find it just about anywhere in the US. Because it isn't ratings and revenue driven, it's just about the least biased out there. Although I have to admit that the political crap has pushed me to stop listening to ME and ATC for the most part. Most other national news too, not just NPR. Marketplace and WWDTM are still at the top of my "must hear" list. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

After jumping is done. When the beer light is on. You don't have to drink to hang out and hear the stories. It's usually worth listening to. Down time during weather holds works too. Alternatively, have the logbook and card in your hand, but ask "I need some signatures on my card, what would be a good time to ask you to do that?" Make it clear that you aren't expecting it to happen right now (although you are ready if now is a good time). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Don't press the pedal, tap on it. You need to push it down far enough for the clutch to engage, but not long enough to run more than one or two revolutions of the machine. Tapping does that. That's what I was taught anyway. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Actually, passing laws does have an effect. It doesn't stop racism, but it reduces it. It provides an incentive to not do it and it provides a recourse to those who are discriminated against. Standing up to the Nazis and KKK has an effect too. It's not just black people doing it either (not even "mostly"). It drives them underground. It provides consequences for the action. How many of those idiots are facing job loss and other consequences after their faces showed up all over the internet? BLM brought the killing of blacks by police to the front of the nation's conscience. Honestly, I don't know that many white people who are "up in arms" about BLM, outside of the racists. Some are overt, but most are 'closeted racists', that is they hold opinions and positions that are pretty clearly racist to anyone paying attention, but deny it up and down. ] To put it another way, not everyone who criticized Obama is/was racist. But most of the "Birthers" were. Most of the ones who claimed he was a "secret Muslim" were. And removing the statues won't "cure" racism. But removing statues that represent hatred and bigotry (both in the history of the person the statue is of and in the history of the reasons behind the placement of them) will keep it from being shoved in the faces of everyone who despises it. Both black and white. Keep in mind that there are a lot of white people who think that equal rights are important for everyone (there are a lot of men in favor of equal rights for women, too). Do remember that the three poll workers killed in Mississippi (as depicted in the movie "Mississippi Burning") were white. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

There is some truth in your statement. The object is to seek relationship with Christ by the Holy Spirit. If you have to move ten inches to make contact you do not know the Lord. Some people simply need to be conned. Guess which political party I think they prefer. I would slightly modify my statement. It's not fair to just refer to "gullible" people. The need for answers and understanding is deeper than that. Organized religion is a way to harness and use that need. For some folks it supplies the answers for that need. As an atheist, I agree with Ron on this one. Televangelism gives US religion a bad name. But i know many Christians, a couple Mormons and others who believe in "God" that don't have a dishonest, uncompassionate, part of their being. People that go with church groups to third world countries to help with charities. At great personal expense. I think Ron is getting a bit of a hard time on this because of his personal political views. Of course him throwing politics into the argument doesn't help his cause. Given trump and all. First off, I agree that much of this is a result of man's inherent need for explanations. Where did we come from? Well, early man had no clue about archaeology, so they made up stories about the "Garden of Eden" (or all the other creation myths that came from all the other societies). What happens when we die? Well the idea of simply stopping life and it being over isn't palatable to many, so the idea of an afterlife addressed that. Second off, I also agree that there are many, many 'people of faith' that use their religion for 'good'. I know a fair amount of Christians, Jews, Mormons and even Muslims that try to live their faith to make the world a better place. The Christians actually try to live according to the teachings of Christ. I have a lot of respect for those people. I don't agree with or follow their beliefs, but I respect that. And yes, I don't rip on Ron because of his beliefs. It's his blatant hypocrisy, blatant mis-application of the scriptures, clear belief in his 'beliefs' and disregard for the truth, and his mixing politics with religion that I find troubling. And Ron: I agree that there are people that have the need to be conned. They need their belief structure reinforced regardless of the truth. They blatantly ignore the actual, verifiable truth because it is in conflict with their beliefs. You know, beliefs along the lines of: "All Muslims are terrorists, so we should keep them out of this country." "All Mexicans are rapists, so we should build a wall and make Mexico pay for it." "Obama spends too much time playing golf. If I'm in the White House, I don't think I'll have any time to play golf." Which party was it that fell for those cons? And the con artist that said them? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

That was unnecessary. Why? It's abundantly clear that the charlatans are out in force. Anytime there's an unusual astral event, or even simply one that can be manipulated to appear to match "biblical prophecies", those types come out of the woodwork like cockroaches. Of course, when nothing happens, they fade away, only to reappear the next time. The best way to deal with them is to "shine the light" of science and reason on them. It makes them run away, just like cockroaches when the kitchen light is turned on. This shit isn't 'religion', it's con men preying on the gullible. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

It would better as, 'What is the difference between a hippo and a Zippo?' Jerry Baumchen Ooohhh. I like it. I heard it on the radio as a "Rhino", but the "hippo" would be better... Or worse. Depends on how you look at it. Thanks. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Ok, let me re-phrase that: How many lines should it have? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

How many lines does it have? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

What's the difference between a Rhino and a Zippo? A Rhino weighs about two tons. A Zippo is a little lighter. Sorry. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

The denizens of Speaker Corner object to your characterization of this place as something other than nutcase central. Don't know if you've read the Cooper thread, but "one particular ding-a-ling" had a serious case of "imagination run amok". There were some serious sleuths, very intelligent people, and even a for-real FBI guy for a bit. That thread (two actually - original that got locked and the second, epic one) really had some good information in it. I was reading it pretty regularly until Mrs Ding-a-ling went off the deep end. Where else could you find a nuclear scientist charting the path of the plane, an amateur hydrologist figuring out how a bundle of money could end up on Tena Bar and at the same time have someone seriously suggest that Cooper had ties to the Florida mob and was associated with both the assassination attempts on Castro and James Earl Ray's killing of MLK. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Sure it was. There are a lot of Southerners who find the actions of the "neo-Confederates" abhorrent. Should we call those who worship the idea of the Confederacy "Rebel-Lovers"? Or how about "Traitor-Lovers"? And your attachment is bullshit. https://www.facingsouth.org/2015/07/busting-the-myth-that-congress-made-confederate-ve All I had to do was enter "Confederate Veterans" into the search and it auto-finished with the questions "Are confederate veterans considered US veterans?" Above link is just the first result. If you don't like it, there is plenty of other sources for it. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

NEVER gonna happen. Thanks for the laugh. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Well, the 50s were about 60 years ago, so you might be technically right. But many of those statues were erected in the early part of the century (1900 to about the Depression). Funny how the statues of those "Heroes" were put up in the exact same timeframe as Jim Crow laws were put on the books to codify segregation. More were put up in the 50s, some in the 60s and even a few in the 70s. The bust of the founder of the KKK (Forrest) was put up in the Tennessee Statehouse. It's still there. Again, kinda funny that those monuments of those "heroes" go up as the Civil Rights movement is gaining traction. You might even think that the people who put them up are trying to send a message. And no, LOTS of people were 'paying attention' to these monuments for some time. Just like the protests against the violence in Chicago's inner city, you just don't notice it because it doesn't make the headlines. But the removal of the Confederate Flag in the wake of the Roof shootings got some attention. Again, some people had been working on that for a while. It was just that the tragedy brought enough attention to it that South Carolina finally decided not to fly it over the state capitol. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

You have every right to be proud. He's come a long way. FWIW, this forum doesn't automatically create links. They have to be made manually, it is now fixed.

Well, first off, it wasn't a "protest about removing a piece of history". (Edit to add: See the link I posted in the other thread about these statues and their real place in history). It was a Klan rally and a Nazi rally. They were marching through the streets with weapons and torches, shouting racist slogans. The "peaceful protesters attacked by the Radical Liberals" schtick is a load of crap. Second off, nobody in the Nazi/KKK camp is denying that the accused guy is the one who was driving. They are claiming that he was attacked by the crowd and was simply trying to get away. As a sidenote, I have yet to see any video that backs this up, and the video of the car going into the crowd shows nobody close to it. If he was attacked (which is possible), he had gotten far enough away that he was no longer "escaping". Third, the "Main Stream Media" gets it right most of the time. From FB: "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Nope. The solar eclipse in a week or so is pretty spectacular. The "Blood Moon" is a lunar eclipse, where the shadow of the earth makes a full moon go "dark". Due to the earth's atmosphere, it doesn't completely disappear, but go a very deep shade of red (hence the "blood moon" title). They occur a lot more often than Solar eclipses, take hours to happen and are nowhere near as dramatic and spectacular as a total solar eclipse. But because there's a passage in the Bible about 'the moon turning red', the fools like to use it as proof of prophecies coming true, the Rapture happening and Jesus returning. Again, thousands (literally thousands) of "Blood Moons" have appeared since biblical times and it hasn't happened yet. And I'm not too worried that it will. Edit to add: ***Let me be clear, the video I watched only displayed the paths of the two solar eclipses. The accompanying explanation was totally my conjecture. Thus, the error and embarrassment was all mine. Really? There are a lot of "prophecies" that have jumped all over that interesting little coincidence. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo