wolfriverjoe

He will become a kid with a place to call home. I know. Horrible. And that place called home will have 2 parents, which, as opposed to single parent households, has been shown to have more of a positive effect than the orientation, or previous plumbing, of the parents. "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

We've already had this discussion. Rhys was still here and he didn't like it much. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=3740423;page=1;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25; "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 a wonderful phrase. Is there any legal definition behind that? Here's a boilerplate version: http://www.nij.gov/topics/law-enforcement/officer-safety/use-of-force/continuum.htm It gives a nice defense against "excessive use of force" complaints because it starts off with a minimum and escalates. It gives a "Stop it or else" kind of thing, and gives guidelines on what "Or else" means. It's one of the nicer results of the LAPD vs Rodney King bout. "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's LOTS of ARs for sale in the US. All the manufacturers are working three shifts, 7 days a week. It's just that the demand is so high, they can't keep up, so the waiting lists are very long. But the people who are at the top of the lists are getting their rifles. And the lists are moving fairly quickly. Ammo is the same. Lots of production, just a lot more demand than capacity. "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

They are still going to try. Feinstein has introduced this bill or something very similar to it every year since the last one sunsetted (if that's a real word). Schumer, McCarthy, Bloomberg, et al aren't going to give up. If the situation in Florida had been carried out instead of the perpetrator committing suicide then the outcome of this might have been very different. "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

C'mon. Liens on your property don't just happen and certainly aren't anything that could be 'overlooked'. Shameless bald faced lying politicians. Detroit gets more of what it deserves. Have you ever been through this kind of tax issue? I know a couple of situations where accounts were seized and drained (resulting in overdraft situations) and liens filed with minimal notice. I know of another where the notice got misplaced in a big stack of mail and the first time the person realized it was when the bank called and told him that the IRS had cleaned out his bank account. They were due to sloppy bookkeeping and failure to pay taxes properly. Clearly the fault of the person not the tax agency. But in every case it went from a mailed notice to liens and seizures very quickly. "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

And I'd say I can't claim to be able to read people's minds. Gay marriage is a socially complex issue, which forces anybody over the age of about 40 to reassess values that were dogmatic when they were in their "formative years". So in such a case I'm willing to cut people some slack and accept that it is possible that their thinking has just evolved. Maybe I'm not cynical enough for Speaker's Corner? Now if she took diametrically opposite stances on the issue on the same day, when talking to different audiences, I'd be happy to accept that as evidence of politically opportunistic flip-flopping, as was typified by Romney in the last campaign. Don Well, the fact that she waited until after the election, where gay marriage was approved by 2 states (Maine and Washington IIRC), tends to make me question her motives. It was the first time a referendum approved gay marriage in a state wide contest. And 2 states that had it on the ballot passed it. I would be a lot more willing to believe that she had an "honest change of heart" about the matter if it wasn't for the timing. Not so much "flip-flopping" because she hasn't made statements opposing, then in favor then opposing again. More "weathervaning" where she shapes her public opinions on what will get her votes. Which makes her just like the rest of them. And Andy - I loved the "hits" reference. It took a minute to get it, but it was great. Too bad some people leave their sense of humor behind when they enter here. I'd come see you do stand up anytime. "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's geometry, not algebra. If it has angles and shit, it's geometry. Algebra is when they ask what your "x" is. And "y". C'mon Andy, you're really slipping. "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

I'm not sure I agree with this. I wear "Aviator" style glasses, fairly large lenses. I wore just my glasses with a "Croakie" strap for the beginning of my Static Line training. It worked fine in the beginning, when I wasn't reaching terminal. But by the time I got beyond 10 second delays, I was picking up too much speed and staying at that speed for too long to go without goggles. I wouldn't do a full altitude jump without goggles if I had a choice. And I bet the OP's instructors won't either. "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

Not a dumb question in the least. They do make prescription goggles, but they aren't cheap. They also make scrip inserts for the higher end glasses, or just scrip lenses (I'm talking about Liquid or similar that can be used in place of goggles). The simplest and cheapest solution is the big, dorky looking "over glasses" goggles. Some people don't like them, they do have to be fairly tight to keep them from flipping up on you in freefall, and they do look ridiculous. But that's what I've used for over 10 years. The DZ should have them available (call ahead to make sure) or you can buy your own for about $20. Your own pair of goggles is one of the few things I'd suggest buying early on. While the student goggles work, having a pair that is yours is nice. You can take good care of them and keep them in nice condition (I use an old sock to store them in and keep them protected). "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, when you consider that muzzle loading flintlock rifles (there were rifles at the time) were the state of the art, leading edge technology for military arms, then yes, the original intent was that civilians be able to possess the exact same arms that the military did. And the SC, in the "Miller" decision upheld that position. They said, more or less, that military weapons were protected by the 2nd. By your argument, the 4th protection against unreasonable searches wouldn't apply to any electronic communication (wiretap or cell intercepts) or electronic storage (like computers) because they didn't exist at the 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

But we do: there's gay marriage, flag burning and whether Obama is an Indonesian Moozlim. Kenyan Moozlim. C'mon Andy, get it right. "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 also requires a great deal of attention during the opening sequence. It is very sensitive to body position during opening. It will twist up if you aren't symmetrical. And if it twists up, there's a really good chance it will point itself straight at the ground in a high speed spin. It also is unstable across the roll axis while the brakes are stowed. Which means if you initiate a turn with harness or rear risers, it will not come out of the turn on it's own, but will increase and steepen the turn if corrective action isn't taken. And it's very sensitive to turn input so it will enter a turn very easily (read: unintentionally). "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

An Italian soft-core porn flick masquerading as a documentary. "Sweden - Heaven and Hell." I had to google it for the title, but I knew the basics. Henson and crew were actually a pretty raunchy bunch. They kept it "in house" for the most part, but some of the stuff that has leaked out over the years is pretty hilarious, "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

If you are talking about just fun jumping at an "off DZ" location, then yes, it can be done legally. Whether or not it's safe or smart is a whole different question. Search the term "Bandit Jumps" for the info. The term "bandit jump" is a misnomer, as there's nothing inherently illegal about making jumps somewhere other than an established drop zone. If that term is to be applied to any jump where a FAR is violated, then bandit jumps can and are also made every weekend at established drop zones. I agree that there's nothing illegal about an off DZ jump, as long as the procedures are followed. But that's what they are commonly called. And if the OP wants to know how to do them, searching that term will give him lots of info about it.

First off, you aren't getting "blasted." If any of my responses come across that way, it is unintentional and I apologize. This is actually a pretty civil discussion of the issue, compared to some of the crap that goes on in here. For me, one of the fun things about these discussions (at least when they remain above the "Pee Wee Herman" level ) is that if I make a statement about my position on an issue, I can expect to be challenged about it. Why I believe it and what do I have to back it up. "Because I was raised that way" doesn't cut it. I haven't undergone any "earthshaking" changes of opinion, but I have taken a different view on a lot of issues. But you dodged the question. Since you seem to believe that everyone is born hetero and some choose to "go gay," when did you choose to stay hetero? Would you even be able to choose to be gay? And I agree with Wendy's question. Why in the world would anyone choose to become part of a minority that has been brutally persecuted throughout history. It'd be kinda like choosing to be an American Indian here in the US. I recall the story of a teenage boy who was gay. Not by choice. He was raised in a very religious household and was brought up to believe that homosexuality was sinful and immoral. So he prayed to God to be hetero. Often enough that he wore divots in his bedroom floor. But God didn't change him. So, faced with the prospect of being gay for the rest of his life in a community that would not accept that, he committed suicide. "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

If you are talking about just fun jumping at an "off DZ" location, then yes, it can be done legally. Whether or not it's safe or smart is a whole different question. Search the term "Bandit Jumps" for the info. "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

Made the choice to be gay? Really? I hear this a lot from the conservative/anti-gay types. Those that are against homosexuality on a biblical/religious/morality basis. So I always ask: When did you choose to be heterosexual? Personally, I never made a choice. Around 12-13 I started to find girls interesting. And I've been in trouble ever since. Seriously, I am not and cannot be sexually attracted to a man, no matter how handsome, buff, whatever. There have been some pictures posted of some amazing athletes, often "covered nudes" where the person is not wearing any clothes, but body position, hands and props are "strategically placed." The men are in fabulous shape, and show amazing physique. I am envious, but not sexually attracted. The women, however... And it doesn't take an amazing athletic female body for me to be attracted. Like Ron White said: "You see one woman naked... You want to see them all naked" So to repeat, when did you choose to be hetero? "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

Why? Is it for some reason significantly less likely that botched or wrong convictions will result from child murders than adult murders? OK. So in future we'll just make sure that every child murder prosecution runs perfectly and convicts the right person. Easy. Maybe I didn't say it very well. I am against the death penalty in all cases. The adversarial nature of the court system, where it's more important to win that to get to the truth; the clear bias against poor and minority defendants; and the simple imperfection that is human nature make the death penalty imperfect. History has shown it so. Even if it could be perfected, I would be against it in most cases. But there would be a few that I would be in favor of it, again, if it was a perfect process (which it isn't and never will be). Murder of a child is one of those. I think it's an evolutionary reaction, protecting the young. Lot of species have it. Parents will put themselves at great risk to save their young. "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, even though I am against the death penalty for a lot of different reasons, the application of it in the case of a murder of a child is one of the few places I find it appropriate. So, I don't see how the application of the death penalty would have been unreasonable in this particular case, had the woman been guilty and had the prosecutors and police actually followed the rules. I agree with LR that the issue is the way in which the government trampled all over this woman's rights, where the cop decided she was guilty and the prosecutor agreed. This lack of due process is not too far from the concept of a drone strike on US soil. "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's fine. But discrimination goes farther against many people's moral code than does something in the Old Testament. They used the exact same arguments against interracial marriage that they are using against gay marriage. That it is "against the Bible", that it will destroy the sanctity of marriage, that it will lead to people marrying animals, and on and on and on. And Promise5 - How can you be respectful of other people's opinions, and at the same time call for legal discrimination against an entire group of people. If you don't like gay marriage, fine. Don't marry a woman. But why do you feel it necessary to force your beliefs on everyone else? "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, you are actually flaking the fabric, not he lines. With a 9 cell, you will have 4 "flakes" for each line group. Which give you 5 lines. And that's the line count up by the canopy. Don't forget that there are cascades where the lines converge. This gives a lower count at the riser connection. (slinks or links). The best way to see this is to hang your canopy up. A lot of DZs have an "inspection rack" which is nothing more than a pipe with a bunch of clamps on it. You hang the canopy by the tail and you can get a good look at the fabric and lines. It's a good way to see how the lines are set up. Or you could lay it on it's side and do a line check. Ask your friendly local rigger about this. If you wait until after the jumping is done for the day (or pick a day that's weathered out), and say "Here, have a beer. Can you show me how to do a line check?" There's a pretty good chance you will learn how. "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

Any of the "PD" canopies (PD150. PD190, ect) are F-111. Not a "good chance." For sure. Run from this one. Edit to add: Southern Man beat me to 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

He hasn't logged on since Feb '08. Either he didn't keep going or he has enough sense to stay off here. In any case, it was just our resident troll/sockpuppet stirring up more shit. "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

Both of which are fun, upbeat and absolutely inspiring. "Big Duke Six to Eagle Thrust. Put on psy-war-op. Make it loud. This is a Romeo Foxtrot. Shall we dance?" "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